A BMW at U-Wrench

Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
15,071
Location
SE British Columbia, Canada
I was at U-Wrench in Calgary and came across this do-it-yourselfer. I hope they cut him a deal. It’s normally $35 per hr for the bay with a hoist. He had the engine apart when I left. Enjoy.

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Based on the brake rotor, he may have gotten the car at a deal too - it didn’t roll in under its own power.

looks like a 4 cyl...l turbo? That makes it newer. I’d be curious to know what went wrong.... I think those are direct injected engines... some complain about carbon buildup on them. ?
 
Yes, I believe he had bought it as a project car. Here is a parting shot. He had the tranny bolted up and was about to put it back in the car. The Ricer in the background was about to get a new stainless steel exhaust.

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Based on the brake rotor, he may have gotten the car at a deal too - it didn’t roll in under its own power.

looks like a 4 cyl...l turbo? That makes it newer. I’d be curious to know what went wrong.... I think those are direct injected engines... some complain about carbon buildup on them. ?

I see 6 injector feed lines from the fuel rail.
 
Based on the brake rotor, he may have gotten the car at a deal too - it didn’t roll in under its own power.

looks like a 4 cyl...l turbo? That makes it newer. I’d be curious to know what went wrong.... I think those are direct injected engines... some complain about carbon buildup on them. ?

The N54 was the motor that had the most carbon buildup issues. The N20, N55, B46/48, and B58 don't appear to have a significant problem with intake valve deposits.
 
I was at U-Wrench in Calgary

Is this a Canadian thing? I thought I remember hearing of such places around here back in the 70's but never found one. Seems like a good business model to rent out a space with a lift by the hour, day or week for DIY'ers but I doubt you could get insurance these days for it in the U.S.
 
I ain't a lawyer, but in any country where you can sue a restaurant when YOU spill coffee on yourself and win big bucks, that probably wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on.
 
Is this a Canadian thing? I thought I remember hearing of such places around here back in the 70's but never found one. Seems like a good business model to rent out a space with a lift by the hour, day or week for DIY'ers but I doubt you could get insurance these days for it in the U.S.
There were three or four of those places here in the Milwaukee metropolitan area but they all closed about 10-12 years ago. It really was useless for anyone wrenching on an older car, I've never had any job proceed "per the plan" with old cars. Once you get the thing apart you always need more parts than you thought, and there's no way you could leave the car up on the lift for several days while you hunt that one little plastic bushing you didn't know you needed (or you broke getting it apart).
 
Actually, the owners are fairly understanding. They will let you borrow the loaner minivan but the meter still runs. They don’t charge if you leave it overnight as long as you return first thing in the morning. You can take the minivan home overnight for free if you are in a jam. There lots of part stores and dealerships nearby. Unfortunately there is not much space nearby to roll it out.
 
Based on the brake rotor, he may have gotten the car at a deal too - it didn’t roll in under its own power.

looks like a 4 cyl...l turbo? That makes it newer. I’d be curious to know what went wrong.... I think those are direct injected engines... some complain about carbon buildup on them. ?

That engine is an N55. 3.0L in-line six single turbo. Could be rod bearings, or a failed serpentine belt that got sucked into the front main seal. They sometimes randomly seize if driven in very cold temps.
 
Actually, the owners are fairly understanding. They will let you borrow the loaner minivan but the meter still runs. They don’t charge if you leave it overnight as long as you return first thing in the morning. You can take the minivan home overnight for free if you are in a jam. There lots of part stores and dealerships nearby. Unfortunately there is not much space nearby to roll it out.
This probably would have been the case in the USA back in the 70s and prior...too many idiots around today so we miss out on things like this. I bet in the more rural areas in mb ab nb it still resembles 70s usa in culture and behavior
 
I livede in rural USA for a while and yes, everybody knows everybody. Strange as the neighbors were further away yet you know them better than the people living next to you in the city.
 
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