New 518 owner

[Jewood20]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to europe and to BMW. I just bought a 1995 518 and I was wondering if anyone had any advice? Thanks

Jeremy

[shogun]

well, any problems? Some links which will help you infuture for repairs
RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog (http://www.realoem.com)
Exx - The BMW Info Site (http://www.exx.se/)
BMW E34 5 series Website (http://www.bmwe34.net/)
Gale's Page (http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_2.htm)
E34 (1988 to 1995 5 Series) Wiring Diagrams (http://shark.armchair.mb.ca/~dave/BMW/e34/)
and my site below

[Jewood20]

Shogun,

Thanks for responding and thanks for the links. There are a couple of things going on with it. First the driver side window doesnt rol down because the clips are broken (no automatic windows). I bought a couple of clips that i think are right, but I'm not sure if they are, and I only bought two so I'm not even sure if they are enough. And I'm not even sure how to do the job. Secondly, I'd like to put a new stereo in it but I have no idea where to look or even what to look for. Oh and this is kinda big, at least i think it is. When I'm on the autobahn, in 5th gear cruising between 120-125 kph the car is running about arounf 3-3.5k rpms. That seems very hight to me. I feel like it should be around 2.5. Thanks again for your help and response.

Jeremy

[genphreak]

You should be ok, there are only 2 plastic sliders/clips on each door.

The revs seem high- but only if you do lots of highway driving- if not, you have a better ratio. Go under the car and take a look, each diff has an aluminium tag showing the type and ratio on a rear cover housing bolt.

Stereo? I recommend the JVCs as the tuners work with the built in antenna on the e34 better than most (if not all?). Get A 5 CHANNEL amp, small sub/subs and pair of tweeters for the front and rear. That's all you need, and wirign in isn't too hard as you can leave the stock speakers alone.

Sounds like fun there, can u post some pics to show us how it comes along?

[shogun]

BMW E34
audio system upgrades, 1989-95 5-series 2.6 MB!!
includes BMW E34 5-series 1989-1995 factory wiring color code
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Upgrade/Data/Stereo/bmwe34_radio.pdf
https://www.google.com/search?q=bmw+e34+radio+wiring+diagram&hl=de&rlz=1T4SUNC_enJP361JP361&prmd=imvnsfd&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Ir-ET-TINYzImAX5vNyvBw&ved=0CDUQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=715

[6670charger]

I'm in Germany and recently picked up a 93 518 myself. It's a nice car, and drives almost as well as the 520i I sold recently. I say almost as well simply because the 4cyl doesn't have quite the power the 520's 6cyl did when going up hills. Otherwise, the car drives great, even on the Autobahn.

The clips for the windows aren't too hard to find depending on where you are, and are relatively easy to replace.

I'll agree with the others with regard to the stereo system. I have a JVC unit in my car and it works great. To make installation easier, go to one of the Media Markt stores and see if you can find a wiring harness adaptor for your car. If your car still has all the factory radio plugs, this will make the whole wiring thing a snap. The stock speakers sound just fine too.

The only other word of advice I have is make sure you check your fluid levels regularly, and I'm told that it might not hurt to change your timing belt, especially if the car has over 100K miles on it. If it breaks, you'll wreck your engine. The kit doesn't cost much, and you can probably do it yourself or get someone who knows how to do it for you to save some money. One of those ounce of prevention things with an older car.

If you're new to these cars, be aware that oil filters are expensive, and so are the wiper blades. You have to use the factory-style wiper blades as standard U.S. replacement units won't fit the driver's side. They're completely different.

[Mordan]

If you're new to these cars, be aware that oil filters are expensive, and so are the wiper blades. You have to use the factory-style wiper blades as standard U.S. replacement units won't fit the driver's side. They're completely different.

that's a bugger indeed.

I also have a E34 518i 1st generation and I like it. It is "fun" as in rev happy, even more so when you empty the catalysor which is legal in europe for EURO1 cars (before 1994).

OP's car is a second generation 518i M43 with a timing chain instead of a timing belt. More reliable but less rev happy I was told. Never drove one.

[Jewood20]

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. I really appreciate all the great words of wisdom. I do apologize for not responding sooner. I have recently started a leadership school and have been very very busy. I will keep you all up dated as I can. Keep the advice coming and thanks so much for your help!

[Jewood20]

So I was having some issues with the car the other day. It started of lurching in first gear. Then it died on me. When I started it back up and would give it gas, it would rev but with no power behind it. I would turn it off then on again (about 3-4 times) and then it would work fine. I would drive a little bit and then the same thing. I thought maybe air/fuel filter replacement might help. I decided to pop the hood and have a look. Maybe I would see something out of place. When I did this is what I found. Not sure what this does, or if it could have caused the problem (Its the hose that is not attached). Please let me know what you think. Thanks again for your help.

Jeremy76477648

[genphreak]

Yep that is a cause of those kind of problems alright. unmetered air is ging into the intake, the MAF (lower RHS of your pic) does the metering so if that hose is off air will be drawn in from the atmosphere. The reason it is off is what you need to think about now- did the engine backfire at all? If its not running right, it can- and this will 'pop hoses'. If not well maintained prior, replacing hoses, checking sealing of connections for air leaking in and/or oil leaking out and a new set of plugs can solve these kind of issues. Hope it goes well...

[shogun]

as for oil filters: for my E32 750 I just got much cheaper ones from UFI = Universal Filter Italiana S.P.A., installed that one, quite good quality. Bought also some for my M3.
UFI Filters*-*Oil, Air, Fuel and Cabin Filters available from Universal Automotive… (http://ufifilters.universalautomotive.com/)
Ferrari, Jaguar, Landrover and some new Audi for example are using UFI

Filter Cross Reference
Opie Oils - car oil and motorbike oil sales and recommendations (http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-1261-filter-cross-reference.aspx)
NEW CAR AND CROSS REFERENCE CATALOGUE FOR UFI FILTERS
NEW CAR AND CROSS REFERENCE CATALOGUE FOR UFI FILTERS | News & Events (http://www.ufi.it/news-events/new-car-and-cross-reference-catalogue-for-ufi-filters.html)

If you are in Germany, they have them on Ebay Germany for example.