BMW DIY advice, and the occasional critique of the company
My 2002 M5 needed some relatively minor work recently. The car is old enough to be graduating from college this year, so it’s no surprise things are breaking. I tackled these at home rather than a club DIY event and I was partially successful. The first issue was the HVAC blower died. No air was […]
It’s been a busy few weeks filled with E39 M5 projects. Last month I installed a new thermostat, and in the process discovered the lower oil pan gasket needed replacement. Then I purchased a truly impressive invention that advanced my car’s communications into the modern era. For the past few months my car had been […]
About this time last year I reported on a webinar that tracked the appreciation of BMW M Cars. The webinar was organized by Paul Seto, hard-working president of both the National Capitor Chapter (NCC) of the BMW CCA, as well as the director of the M Chapter. The data shared came from Hagerty senior analyst […]
Recently I dove into a DIY project that initially seemed too complicated. If you’re a fan of the Wheels posts you might remember I purchased clear projector lenses to install on my BMW E46 M3. When I realized the ZKW-R lens installation required me to take my HID Xenon headlights completely apart I wondered if […]
Things have been slow on the DIY front this winter. The club DIY events don’t kick back in until March. I’m lucky that I don’t have to daily drive either of my cars in bad weather. In the meantime I’ve been researching BMW M Lighting options for both of my cars. Like many BMW topics […]
Last weekend I replaced some original sensors in my 2002 BMW E39 M5. Scandinavian Import Servicenter in Rockville, MD kindly invited the DIY program back into their beautiful facility. Last year I replaced my power steering hoses and reservoir at the same location. This time I needed to replace some sensors that were original to […]
Earlier this month I came close to buying a BMW on BaT, the Bring a Trailer auction site. I enjoy my two M cars and until this month hadn’t seen a car I wanted badly enough to bid. After watching the auctions and sharing comments on BMWs since 2016 it finally happened. The car I […]
It’s been relatively quiet on the M car front lately. I purchased new summer tires for my M3, and I had to redo a front sway bar link that blew out shortly after install. I added a far superior, aftermarket drink holder solution to the M5. And unfortunately, I ran into my first DIY fail […]
Last weekend was a busy one on the BMW DIY front. I replaced the front sway bar end links on my E46 M3 at a DIY/block party hosted by RevTech Performance. I also installed a brand new set of OE European Hella headlights for my E39 M5. I had noticed the worn end links during […]
Here’s a two-fer post for BMW fans. Last week I tackled the replacement of camshaft position sensors, exhaust side on my E39 M5. I also attended a webinar organized by the CCA M-Chapter and Hagerty, looking at the data behind rising BMW M car valuations. My two M cars have been pretty trouble-free of late. […]
This weekend I attended another DIY event organized by the National Capital Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America. Craftsman Auto Care, owned by Matt and Judy Curry, generously hosted the club at their Merrifield location. I took my 2006 M3 and a short list of maintenance items, nothing too ambitious. It had been […]
Earlier this month I stupidly pulled the front bumper cover off my 2006 M3. It took the better part of the month to repair. The delay was caused by travel, some miscommunication with the repair shop, the holidays and parts availability. Nothing is ever simple with BMWs so I was expecting some complications and was […]