BMW Mechanic

[borgward]

Need BMW mechanic in Austin TX area willing to work on 89 325i C. One of the top guys in the area no longer works on old ones.

It's a friends car. the rod to from the pedal to the cylinder broke. I was able to start it in 1st and drive it to my house. No problem as I am used to shifting w/out using the clutch.

He lives in a back woods area and had the master cylinder replaced there. The pedal action felt funky after that. I am guessing the cylinder is not the correct one and that it is longer, sticks out from the firewall toward the pedal and the geometry of the path of the rod is different and that is what caused it to break.

I looked into replacing the cylinder, but it looks like a clusterrelationship removing the pedal, etc.

 

[The Critic]

https://www.bimrs.org

Find a shop from this site.

 

[andyd]

Google E30 . On an E28, there is a bracket that cracks and screws up the travel of the push rod into the MC You could go to mye28.com and ask there

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: borgward
Need BMW mechanic in Austin TX area willing to work on 89 325i C. One of the top guys in the area no longer works on old ones.

It's a friends car. the rod to from the pedal to the cylinder broke. I was able to start it in 1st and drive it to my house. No problem as I am used to shifting w/out using the clutch.

He lives in a back woods area and had the master cylinder replaced there. The pedal action felt funky after that. I am guessing the cylinder is not the correct one and that it is longer, sticks out from the firewall toward the pedal and the geometry of the path of the rod is different and that is what caused it to break.

I looked into replacing the cylinder, but it looks like a clusterrelationship removing the pedal, etc.


Can't help you, being about 4000 muiles away, but I must say I like your username. Interesting choice

 

[MrQuackers]

When I was little, my family had an Isabella

 

[Cardenio327]

Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
When I was little, my family had an Isabella

^^I saw a P100 in a used car lot a few years ago.^^

To the OP: No legitimate mechanic is going to want to work on a car after a "back woods" repair has been effected [your words not mine]. Your best bet is to order all the parts in the affected area, some will need to be ordered from a BMW dealer. Change everything and do a good job bleeding air out of the system. This is pretty much what a BMW specialist will do, except the specialist will be infuriated every time he sees a hammer mark or hacksaw mark or duct tape. You might check a Euro junkyard to look for parts that don't usually break or wear out.

 

[user52165]

Was thinking about a BMW purchase. What kind of quality (or lack of) is it where that part tends to break? Never saw that anywhere else.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Was thinking about a BMW purchase. What kind of quality (or lack of) is it where that part tends to break? Never saw that anywhere else.


Depends on the model and year. They all have their quirks. There are some common oil leaks the occur because the gasket material turns into hard plastic from the heat. These leaks would be at the oil filter housing, valve cover, VANOS seals. Electric water pump (some are mechanical) will usually last about 60-80k miles and you should replace the thermostat along with it because it's such a PITA to do the work. Carbon buildup (Direct Injection) was a problem for models equipped with the I6 N54 engine (newer I6 engines don't have a problem). I'd stay away from any V8, V10. BMW can't build them and they're expensive to repair (cooling system, timing chain, bearings).

Transmissions are solid overall.

BMW like most manufacturers uses copious amounts of plastic parts inside the engine bay. These parts become brittle with the heat and may fail.

 

[Dave Hess]

Any decent local mechanics can do this repair.

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: andyd
Google E30 . On an E28, there is a bracket that cracks and screws up the travel of the push rod into the MC You could go to mye28.com and ask there
Yah the same tpe MV/push rod split syndrome common in the E28 manifests itself in The E30 as well. Just replacing the MC will not fix the trouble if the bracket is at fault.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted By: user52165
Was thinking about a BMW purchase. What kind of quality (or lack of) is it where that part tends to break? Never saw that anywhere else.


Depends on the model and year. They all have their quirks. There are some common oil leaks the occur because the gasket material turns into hard plastic from the heat. These leaks would be at the oil filter housing, valve cover, VANOS seals. Electric water pump (some are mechanical) will usually last about 60-80k miles and you should replace the thermostat along with it because it's such a PITA to do the work. Carbon buildup (Direct Injection) was a problem for models equipped with the I6 N54 engine (newer I6 engines don't have a problem). I'd stay away from any V8, V10. BMW can't build them and they're expensive to repair (cooling system, timing chain, bearings).

Transmissions are solid overall.

BMW like most manufacturers uses copious amounts of plastic parts inside the engine bay. These parts become brittle with the heat and may fail.



^This.
If you buying BMW stick to inline 6 cylinder engines. N55 are solid, except electric water pump. It seems it fails on 3 and 5 series between 60-80k and X5's due to weight around 40-60K.
New B58 engines have good ole belt driven pump.
Diesels are probably most stout engines, but emission system is problem. On diesel engines thermostat is the biggest problem (it is regular belt driven water pump, on M57 engines) however thermostats do not stay in closed position, but over time they do not close properly and engines tend to run cooler.
Transmissions are very good, but per ZF recommendation it is best to change filter/pan and fluid every 60-75K. BMW states 100K or no replacement. I would go with ZF recommendation.
Other then that, if you do regular oil changes, filters etc. they are solid cars, and hard to beat when it comes to driving.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted By: user52165
Was thinking about a BMW purchase. What kind of quality (or lack of) is it where that part tends to break? Never saw that anywhere else.


Depends on the model and year. They all have their quirks. There are some common oil leaks the occur because the gasket material turns into hard plastic from the heat. These leaks would be at the oil filter housing, valve cover, VANOS seals. Electric water pump (some are mechanical) will usually last about 60-80k miles and you should replace the thermostat along with it because it's such a PITA to do the work. Carbon buildup (Direct Injection) was a problem for models equipped with the I6 N54 engine (newer I6 engines don't have a problem). I'd stay away from any V8, V10. BMW can't build them and they're expensive to repair (cooling system, timing chain, bearings).

Transmissions are solid overall.

BMW like most manufacturers uses copious amounts of plastic parts inside the engine bay. These parts become brittle with the heat and may fail.



^This.
If you buying BMW stick to inline 6 cylinder engines. N55 are solid, except electric water pump. It seems it fails on 3 and 5 series between 60-80k and X5's due to weight around 40-60K.
New B58 engines have good ole belt driven pump.
Diesels are probably most stout engines, but emission system is problem. On diesel engines thermostat is the biggest problem (it is regular belt driven water pump, on M57 engines) however thermostats do not stay in closed position, but over time they do not close properly and engines tend to run cooler.
Transmissions are very good, but per ZF recommendation it is best to change filter/pan and fluid every 60-75K. BMW states 100K or no replacement. I would go with ZF recommendation.
Other then that, if you do regular oil changes, filters etc. they are solid cars, and hard to beat when it comes to driving.


Maintenance really is key. Do the maintenance, and they last a long time. Don't do it, or neglect it, and it will be a very expensive vehicle to own. The maintenance is expensive at the dealer, and cheaper if you DIY or find an independent shop.

There are a couple guys on the E90 3 series forum with over 300,000 miles on their cars.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Originally Posted By: user52165
Was thinking about a BMW purchase. What kind of quality (or lack of) is it where that part tends to break? Never saw that anywhere else.


Depends on the model and year. They all have their quirks. There are some common oil leaks the occur because the gasket material turns into hard plastic from the heat. These leaks would be at the oil filter housing, valve cover, VANOS seals. Electric water pump (some are mechanical) will usually last about 60-80k miles and you should replace the thermostat along with it because it's such a PITA to do the work. Carbon buildup (Direct Injection) was a problem for models equipped with the I6 N54 engine (newer I6 engines don't have a problem). I'd stay away from any V8, V10. BMW can't build them and they're expensive to repair (cooling system, timing chain, bearings).

Transmissions are solid overall.

BMW like most manufacturers uses copious amounts of plastic parts inside the engine bay. These parts become brittle with the heat and may fail.



^This.
If you buying BMW stick to inline 6 cylinder engines. N55 are solid, except electric water pump. It seems it fails on 3 and 5 series between 60-80k and X5's due to weight around 40-60K.
New B58 engines have good ole belt driven pump.
Diesels are probably most stout engines, but emission system is problem. On diesel engines thermostat is the biggest problem (it is regular belt driven water pump, on M57 engines) however thermostats do not stay in closed position, but over time they do not close properly and engines tend to run cooler.
Transmissions are very good, but per ZF recommendation it is best to change filter/pan and fluid every 60-75K. BMW states 100K or no replacement. I would go with ZF recommendation.
Other then that, if you do regular oil changes, filters etc. they are solid cars, and hard to beat when it comes to driving.


Maintenance really is key. Do the maintenance, and they last a long time. Don't do it, or neglect it, and it will be a very expensive vehicle to own. The maintenance is expensive at the dealer, and cheaper if you DIY or find an independent shop.

There are a couple guys on the E90 3 series forum with over 300,000 miles on their cars.

Absolutely. Key to owning BMW is having good Indy mechanic since dealership is uber expensive. I sold my E34 520i in Europe with almost 350k miles, did not use drop of oil.
This X5 I own now is making some 25K a year, and other then emission system issues that were covered by warranty, it is great car.