2nd hand bimmers

[tercyu]

Question lang po. Has anyone of you guys who have second hand bmw ever
thought of servicing your own vehicles to cut on unnecesary maintenance
costs? Everybody is complaining about the cost of maintenance but the mention of how the car was used is not.

BMW have special tools. You can't DIY them unlike Japanese cars. That is why you seldom see BMW being serviced in gas stations.

How much do you spend on a 10,000km PMS?

10,000km or is it 100,000km? Either way, at an average you'll spend 20k on one servicing. Minor stuff would cost you around 10k if those are just change oil, tune ups, and change brake pads.

How much does it differ from your Honda, Toyota, Nissan?
A lot. Your talking about BMW. Its more of driving with augmented products rather than just a plain car. But of course, that also means you spend more on the servicing compared to the japs. But usually servicing a BMW is cheaper than the Benz's.

How do you source your replacement parts and from whom, do you have alternative suppliers?

Deladour- Libis (spare parts)
European motors- Libis ( talyer)
Both establishments are under one management. Seperate lang ang pagbenta ng spare parts sa gagawa. They also service other European cars. BTW, lilipat na ata sila sa Pasong Tamo Ext. Makati. I'm not sure kung lilipat pero may nakikita na akong sign ng European Motors dito.

Who does your maintenance? A certifide independent mechanic or casa staff?

Certified mechanic- They were recommended by our family friend and ever since they do excellent jobs. We used to had our servicing sa casa. But aside from the over pricing, it takes months before your car gets done.

Do you have a service manual for your type of car?

As far as I know there is. I just never browsed it since it's not my car. Butt I'll check on it.

I have other quetions pa but I havent gone thru the thread.

[mark_t]

http://www.samstagsales.com/bmwtools.htm


Whew! Medyo mahal nga mga tools!

[stadaenko]

Has anyone of you guys who have second hand bmw ever
thought of servicing your own vehicles to cut on unnecesary maintenance
costs? Everybody is complaining about the cost of maintenance but the mention of how the car was used is not.
its hard to diy a bimmer although there are european websites that teach you how. tapos yung ibang computer resets, you need special keys. for example, bmw's have guages that tell you exactly when to have your oil changed. if you neglect this reminder, the indicator is going to turn orange, then red and in a few more kms, the bmw's just going to die on you as a safety precaution (haven't actually experienced this). only casas can reboot/restart your bmw and only after a proper oil change. and if you decide to have your oil changed outside a casa, the guage is still going to turn orange, then red, and so on regardless of the new synthetic oil because the guage hasn't been reset kapish? only casas or mekanikos with these special keys can do the reset.

How much do you spend on a 10,000km PMS?
in a casa siguro mga 20K na, sa euromotors mga 12K to 14K, sa talyer around 10K plus P500 sa casa mechanic with special keys for the reset.

How much does it differ from your Honda, Toyota, Nissan?
we all have our japanese cars so compare against above. parts? kanya-kanya yan. some bmw parts are cheaper than honda or ford parts and vice versa.

How do you source your replacement parts and from whom, do you have alternative suppliers?
libis! and paminsan-minsan sa surplus

Who does your maintenance? A certifide independent mechanic or casa staff?
an ex-casa mechanic with special keys for repairs and maintenance that needs resets. otherwise sa talyer na maraming ginagawang e36.

Do you have a service manual for your type of car?
no manual but sa internet meron naman

[StraightSix]

Question lang po. Has anyone of you guys who have second hand bmw ever
thought of servicing your own vehicles to cut on unnecesary maintenance
costs? Everybody is complaining about the cost of maintenance but the mention of how the car was used is not.

There are 3 type of scheduled services for bimmers called Oil Change, Inspection I and Inspection II. I'll just let you google what's done with Inspections I and II.

I do my own oil changes on my E36 320i, but for Insp I and II I get help from a Euro-specialist friend.

On my E46 320Ci, I let an independent BMW specialist do it all for me ... mainly for the service record's sake.

For repairs, I do what I can do. If I can't, it's time to call the specialists.

How much do you spend on a 10,000km PMS?

Oil change for the E46 cost me [SIZE=4][SIZE=2]£120 the last time. For Insp I and II at my local specialist, the prices for now are £232 and £250 respectively.[/SIZE]
[/SIZE]
Service intervals depend on the way you drive the car. Short, frequent trips mean shorter intervals. There's a service indicator on the instrument panel that tells you when it is going to be due. On the E36 it's an LED bar, indicating 10Tmiles IIRC between the next service. On the E46 it tells you in miles (or Km) left, starting at 15T miles.

I don't know how DIY'ers in the Philippines do it, but here in Britain it's quite common for DIY'ers to do an oil change in-between.

How much does it differ from your Honda, Toyota, Nissan?

It's a bit different here ... parts for Japanese cars tend to be expensive, too, but not as expensive. Servicing (like oil changes) tend to be more frequent.

How do you source your replacement parts and from whom, do you have alternative suppliers?

Basta huwag sa casa, ahehe. Last resort lang kapag wala nang makita.

The better-known alternative parts suppliers here are GSF (German-Swedish-French) and ECP (Euro Car Parts). On some parts they clearly indicate if it's OEM or alternative, but on others ... it's best to have an OEM parts list.

For non-critical parts, I even get them from ebay or the local breakers (before they turn the car into a Knorr cube).

Who does your maintenance? A certifide independent mechanic or casa staff?

I guess I got the words servicing and repair mixed up. Like the answer above, I do my own repairs whenever I can. The E36 has proven to be less troublesome for me. For the E46, here's a list of things that has been done besides the scheduled services.

- Replacement key/remote (casa) and programming (DIY)
- Replacement of camshaft sensor and reset (casa)
- Replacement of broken sport springs, changed to Eibach's (DIY)
- Replacement of windshield washer pump (DIY)
- Replacement of power window mechanism (DIY)
- Replacement and wiring of seats, from manually adjustable to motorized (DIY)

Do you have a service manual for your type of car?

Yes. I have the service manuals from publishers like Haynes and Bentley. And I also have the systems discs from BMW called the TIS (service manual), ETK (parts catalog), EBA (retrofit instructions) and WDS (schematic/wiring diagrams).

[StraightSix]

if you neglect this reminder, the indicator is going to turn orange, then red and in a few more kms, the bmw's just going to die on you as a safety precaution (haven't actually experienced this).

That's just a load of crap. It's a service indicator, nothing else.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to reset the service indicator. When I needed to, I toyed with the idea of buying a "special tool" to reset the indicator. After a few google'ing, I decided to use a paper clip instead.

Special key, my ass.

[Walter]

That's just a load of crap. It's a service indicator, nothing else.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to reset the service indicator. When I needed to, I toyed with the idea of buying a "special tool" to reset the indicator. After a few google'ing, I decided to use a paper clip instead.

Special key, my ass.

That's what I also thought.

[stadaenko]

That's just a load of crap. It's a service indicator, nothing else.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to reset the service indicator. When I needed to, I toyed with the idea of buying a "special tool" to reset the indicator. After a few google'ing, I decided to use a paper clip instead.

Special key, my ass.

a paper clip!!!???

[StraightSix]

a paper clip!!!???

Ok, ok ...

A special paper clip.

[Walter]

Ok, ok ...

A special paper clip.

Not to mention it should be done by a certified technician.

[StraightSix]

Hehehe.

Ok .. serious uli.

That special key or tool referred to is a Service Indicator (SI) reset tool. What it simply does is to connect to ground the SI-pin of the car's diagnostic port for a specific length of time with the ignition key switched.

The SI-pin on the 20-pin diagnostics port of an E36 is Pin 7, while the ground pin on the same port is Pin 19.

All you have to do is switch the ignition on (without activating the starter), connect Pins 7 and 19 for a number of seconds, then disconnect the pins. An Oil Service reset takes about 4 seconds, while an Inspection reset takes about 12 seconds.

And of course you can use a length of electrical wire,

... or wire a switch to the diagnostics port,

... or use a commercial reset tool,

... or have the dealer to it for you.

[SIZE=4][SIZE=2]Just remember not to use a plastic paper clip. [/SIZE][/SIZE]And do so at your own risk. Google for the same procedure. It worked for me.

[mark_t]

Not to mention it should be done by a certified technician.

Yes, you have a point even if straightsix is already a toolmaker.
But that will be overkill to require him to undergo certification.

Tool and die makers and blacksmiths are not required to undergo this since
let's just say they are way above service technicians.

If only we can get hold samples of this special tools to copy, it would be great.

[Walter]

If only we can get hold samples of this special tools to copy, it would be great.

Just google it.

[StraightSix]

What special tools do you think are essential?
You're not going to put up a shop, are you?

[Hardright]

I have to hand it to BMW. Great driving machines. If you plan to get one, do so because you want it and look forward to years of driving pleasure. You also have to be prepared to spend to keep it in tip top shape. One thing I do know is that parts and aftermarket performance parts are readily available, even for the earlier models. That's what's so good about it. You can get parts from the internet or order from the dealers.

One thing I also like about this car is that there is a global community of owners who can provide tips on how to maintain and service it. Manuals are available if you like to DIY. Try looking for your Jap car in the net and you'll find so many versions of it depending on the market it's in. Lack of consistency. Not disparaging Jap cars, they're also good and I have 2 of them. But I must say the driving pleasure is very different. The build is also very different. Totally different support structure.

Bottom line, a BMW is a BMW and the badge alone means a lot. Not everyone can own one and that's the mystique.

On the reset tool, go get one in the net. Costs less than $200 depending on the model. It will go a long way when you do your own servicing.

[moneywhiz]

Right, BMW is a BMW.
At BMW parin sya kahit 10yrs old na sya. Kahit tumabi pa ako sa bagong lancer o civic dyan. Mas nahihiya parin yung tinabihan ko dahil BMW yung sakin kahit 10yrs older yung kotse ko.

I would choose the brand new Civic or Lancer anytime of the day than a 10 year old BMW.

how do you know that "nahihiya" katabi mo? just curious

[kenzie]

I would choose the brand new Civic or Lancer anytime of the day than a 10 year old BMW.

how do you know that "nahihiya" katabi mo? just curious

i used to drive an E34 (1990) ... but that was when i was living in Guam ... that car was a classic love hate relationship . alaga ko yun in and out kase may pang maintain ako sa kanya pero if iisipin mo talga kung wala kang budget na pang alaga sa bimmer eh you are really setting up yourself for a disaster .... ako pag nag kotse ako gusto ko lage parang brand new ang ride ( all aspects ) kaya yung bimmer kong yun halos every weekend asa shop pag may naramdaman akong unte kakaiba takbo agad sa talyer ... sa Guam yun, yung earnings ko dun kaya mag alaga ng bimmer bukod sa family ko...bottom line kung mag bi bimmer ka na luma kailangan ready ka sa gastusan ...like what all the other posters said before if you're just wanting a bimmer para lang masabi na naka bimmer ka eh you're doin it for the wrong reason.

ako kapag nakakakita ng E34 sa kalsada dito sa pinas naalala ko at na mi miss yun bimmer ko dati pero after a few secs hehehe ok nako dahil in my experience alam na alam ko na may sakit ng ulo yung mayari ng bimmer na nakita ko ...

japanese car auto ko ngaun pero hindi ako nahihiya kapag may katabi akong bimmer ako naman nag pa gas sa auto ko eh hindi yung may ari ng bimmer sa tabi ko hehe.....kaya yung naka bimmer dyan na akala nya lahat ng katabi nya nahihiya dahil hindi bimmer dalang auto your way off buddy ....

[hominid]

For me, just choosing from the Japs may it be old or new gives me very few choices. So if I have the budget, Id definitely include 2nd hand Euro cars as well.

[Hardright]

Was in Speed Lab last week. Couldn't help but notice that majority of the cars there for performance upgrades were Japanese, a Ford Focus was the only non-Japanese car other than my bimmer. Shows that spending on upgrades doesn't matter whether it is Japanese, American or European. Pinoys just love to tune their cars to get every bit of performance out of their rides. And no, I wasn't there for an engine boost upgrade. I was there to get my suspension upgraded. I prefer handling over speed. If I could have both, that would be the ultimate.

[spongklong05]

kung may pera ka naman pang maintain ng bmw, why not buy one... dba?dba?

[van25]

I just bought a bmw 323i 1996 model with mileage of 70000 km. do you think its trouble free, considering the low mileage?thanks