My new ('95) 540i - auto

[wareagle72]

Just got back from picking up my "new" vehicle. I am new to the site and very excited about all the valuable info you guys have to share.

Has 110,000 miles with a new alusil engine put in at 98,000. I have had brand new cars and can truly say i am more excited about my new 10 year old vehicle than any other car i have owned.

I am not a do-it-yourselfer but just called and checked on Inspection #1 & #2 and they were $705 and $1056 respectively. Wow!

The car idles a bit rough when cold and the center console window switches "stick" some. Other than that everything works. Does anyone know if i can spray some contact cleaner under the switches or is it just as easy to remove the 4-button cluster?

thanks

[Tiger]

Rough idle when cold? Did you verify the "new" engine?

[Javier]

some lubrication also, and back to place. Switch group should be pulled up.

Wrap some tape around round edge pliers (to prevent indentations to switch body), and pull from middle bar (the bar separating front and rear switches same side), pull left and right sides separately.

Javier

[wareagle72]

Tiger - I have a copy of the service record in my hand. Hopefully I will find out the culprit in the next week or so.

Javier - Thanks. I will try tonight. By the way, all the windows work (the rear ones work great from the doors but not at all from the console and the front ones work randomly). So will the middle bar come up before the left and right sides?

[infinity5]

great, another m60! Welcome to the board.

Javier is exactly right, my switches were doing the same thing and i just took them apart and washed every thing off really well. just be careful not to loose the springs and other little bits inside the switch assembly.

As for your rough idle, its probably a vaccum leak or somehting emissions related, search the forums and see what you kind find.. next to electrical gremlins its probably one of the most discussed topics here.

those inspection 1 and 2's are a little crazy price wise aren't they? my dealer told me the same thing the first time i asked and i laughed nervously and ran home to do it myself.

[Javier]

way to pull it, is jumping one side to the other, pulling from the middle bar.

See picture.

Javier

[wareagle72]

Got it out and cleaned it up. Used some contact cleaner and got rid of the corrosion and now they work. Thanks for the help.

[PatrickPGH]

Javier is exactly right, my switches were doing the same thing and i just took them apart and washed every thing off really well. just be careful not to loose the springs and other little bits inside the switch assembly.


Never done this myself, but I've heard of people putting the assembly in a large size Ziploc bag. Then taking it apart, keeps from having to hunt for missing errant springs and such.

Patrick