drtimwright

I'm hoping someone can help me out here. Basically, I took my 2017 F30 330E into the BMW dealer in Welly today (Continental Cars BMW) for a WOF (which it failed for fair reasons - brake pads and steering play). However, there was also a recall for some emissions control software update. So they did this without double checking with me first. And based on how the conversations I had when I picked up the car, they wouldn't have told me - it was only near the end when I pointed at the item and said "what's that" that they mentioned it. And the update has broken a number of things: The navigation no longer works The radio is set for Japanese frequencies The reversing sound is different and REALLY annoying Apple CarPlay is no longer available All of which are pretty annoying TBH. The Apple CarPlay removal is super annoying - it pretty much makes the entire entertainment system useless for me. They say they don't have the tools to restore those things. I'm wondering if anyone can help restore these? Or if you can give me some advice as to what my options are? (cross posted to the BMW NZ Car Club facebook group)

So, a bit of squeaking suspension alerted me to a worn bump-stop. Just wondering what the process is to replace these is? Currently I'm assuming it's: Jack up the car Find the top of the strut mount (cabby so not much room in the boot) Unbolt it Replace the bump stop Bolt it back in Fix the interior of the boot Put the car down Or, should I unbolt it first then jack up the car? Hmm. SO MANY OPTIONS.

Awesome thanks! I've found one on trademe and am just double checking that it fits

Hey, I think I need a new coolant level sensor - the computer tells me the coolant is low and it is not low. Does anyone know the product code for this - I've got a 1998 328i E36 NZ New - with the expansion tank on the passenger side of the car and built into the radiator. I've attached a photo from under the car looking up. Looks like one of the hoses might need replacing as well. Sigh. Tim

A quick google suggested it might be the battery or the cables connecting the battery. When car is warm the battery has just been charged so is at max charge. http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/2651707-weak-cranking-during-cold-startup/ however the rough idle points to the injectors. This page has some ideas how to check and diagnose that - but if your oil smells like petrol then you need to fix ASAP as leaky injectors can damage your pistons. https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65675

Lack of fault code shouldn’t matter. Get a video of the problem so it’s documented. And if they say anything over the phone, email it to them so you have a written record. Dealers can be slimy at times.

Hey - great looking car! For the cold start issue, I would talk to the dealer. It sounds like something that should be covered under the consumer guarentees act. Tim

Try hyperdrive.co.nz - they have reasonable pricing and it's all online. They ship to a local installer and charge a $12/per tire installation fee. Well it's about $12 anyway. I've found that the chain tire stores (bridgestone, tony's, and beurepairs) seem to make up a price based on what they think they can get away with and I always feel ripped off. Smaller mechanics tend to be a little better (especially the ones on this forum). As an example, one of my friends recently bought a single tire from tony's (I think). He then went to hyperdrive and would have saved $100 on that single tire (same brand etc). On saying that, I think your import will be less expensive than hyperdrive anyway! Tim

I meant for the NZ comparisons Tim

Where did you get the quotes from? I have found hyperdrive competitive but never compared with importing myself. Tim

Hey, I have a 1998 BMW convertible. So 20 years old now! It's an E36 chassis (you'll get used to the chassis codes soon enough). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series#Third_generation_(E36;_1990–2000) I've had it 3 years now. With any older car, you'll get the normal things wearing out: suspension bushings, accessory belts, and other stuff. I haven't found those to be overly expensive. The E36, however, is known for cooling system failures. And if that happens, then it's costly to fix. Because your engine might be bung as a result. So try to find out what maintenance has been done on the cooling system: radiator, hoses, thermostat, water pump, etc. And direct your mechanic to throughly check the cooling system in any potential purchase. As for part prices, they haven't been too bad. There seems to be good availability locally and www.fcpeuro.com can deliver to NZ if you want to do a bit of DIY. Oh, and a convertible (or cabby as everyone here says) will always cost you more. Because of the extra moving parts. But they are SOO GOOD. Tim

Hey all, With the great help of @Olaf (I think that's Andy's handle here) I managed to repair my E36 seat. Note that Andy and I found several different mechanisms for flicking the seat forward. There are gas struts, cables and strings, and (in my case) a metal thing that had slipped it's bracket. Here is the metal thing: https://youtu.be/TXxEWQVlhC8 And here is it working: https://youtu.be/TuaurVS7vcY (which includes my thanks to Andy Parkins :)

Hello - and welcome to the world of BMW ownership! I'm based in the Hutt as well - but my BMW isn't as nice as yours (1998 328i cab) For tires, always do a price check at hyperdrive.co.nz - lots of places will quote you what they think you'll pay. And once you mention it's a BMW they put the prices up. There are a few friendly mechanics who are BMW enthusiasts as well and are engaged in the community so it's good going to them if you can They're probably in this forum as well - so will let them introduce themselves. Hyperdrive will actually deliver to a mechanic of your choosing and charge a set fee for tire installation and balancing. And the AugoGlym lower north island distributor is also on this forum - he's great value (Barry - http://barrysgarage.co.nz/). I think he gives discounts to members of the BMW Car Club - which is pretty cheap to join and has a great facebook group (amongst other things) http://bmwclub.co.nz/ For some reason internet is being odd for me today so cant post any links to sites or reference anyone's names. Anyway, it'd be great to catch up and check out your car! Tim

Glad I could help! Yeah, trying to fill through the drain port would be a nightmare. I kinda wish I'd taken photos when the gasket was off so you could see inside it too. Tim

$20/l does seem quite high. I got 20L for $95 a week ago. It's a different transmission fluid, but the costs shouldn't vary that much. Ask for trade pricing perhaps? I see you're in Sydney so can't give you advice on which stores are better - but often the retail ones (like supercheap and repco) buy from the more mechanical minded ones (like BNT). Tim

In case anyone's interested, I'm half way through the replacement. I found the right gasket, oil filter, and shift selector seal on trademe. They came from Australia. So far I've managed to do the hard bits. Tuesday night: Drain the oil (thick black crud) Remove the oil pan (more thick black crud) Remove the filter (lots of extra yucky oil comes out) Remove the valve cover Remove the shift selector seal Install the new seal Reinstall the valve cover Note that you don't actually have to remove and reinstall the valve cover in order to replace the shift selector seal. You can dig it out from the outside using a screwdriver. Of course, I didn't know this until the (heavy) valve cover was out. Have a shower because I was covered in oil Wednesday night: Torque the valve cover screws to spec Replace the old oil filter & oil pan, torque screws to spec Buy a socket that will fit the oil fill screw (only BNT seemed to have a 17mm hex driver) Fill with oil (damn that was messy) Take for test drive (it was awesome! Much better shifting and power) Check the oil wasn't still leaking (spoiler: it had stopped leaking) Took another shower for the same reasons. 2 weeks later: Remove oil pan and filter again Install new filter Replace oil pan Fill with oil The most surprising thing was how dirty the oil was on the second change. I've got enough oil to change it again, so might do that after a few hundred more kms. But after this change (oil and filter) the car was even more peppy - changing gears even faster than before. Wish I'd done it before the driver training day! Tim

Personally, I'd follow the diagnostic steps in this video (I know, it's not a BMW, but the basics are the same).

Bugger. I managed to find this site to get an aftermarket one: https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gsc3064-bmw-3-series-seat-strut But I'll have to take the existing strut out to check the part number. Tim

Actually, that is what I tell her! BNT looked the car up in their computer and told me the best fluid is Fuchs Titan ATF D3 Semi Synth. So it was a Dextron III rated fluid in the end. To be honest, I've come to the conclusion that any fluid mentioned in this thread is probably OK. Tim

It's also possible I misread the price at supercheap. Oddly, the guys at BMW came back to me when I said "sorry, but that price is out of my range" and suggested going to BNT and see if they have a listing for my car for Fuchs oil. Tim

So, I just bought some oil Supercheep and Repco were about $220 for 20L of Penrite or Gulf Western but didn't have any in stock. So I went to BNT in lower hutt and tried there. They did the computer lookup of my car and transmission and recommended a Fuchs ATF one. 20L of that from Supercheap was about $400. But at BNT it cost < $100. BNT for the win! (although I go there quite often - and they give me a trade discount because the recognize me now - helps to have a big beard). Tim

Awesome thanks! The fluid from BMW costs $750 + GST for a 20 litre container (BMW Car Club members get a discount, but it still makes the fluid quite expensive). Tim

Cheers! I'll see if I can find this oil Tim

My understanding is that there was a (short) time-frame where some manufacturers thought they could make a transmission with a lifetime oil. Then a few years later they said "oops". What I'm guessing is that the later oil for the transmission is the "lifetime" oil - but it's probably OK to use the "non-lifetime" oil and change it every so often. Which you have to do with the lifetime oil too.

Here's my problem tho. In that PDF there are two oils specified for the same transmission. One is the Dexron III, but the other one seems more obscure. Unless when BMW decided the "lifetime transmission oil" was no longer "lifetime", they also decided that Dexron III is OK. TBH, it'll probably depend what Winger quote me for their special one.