Could the new posters please introduce yourselves

[Brandon J]

I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name
Location
Car model
Mods
any additional info.

Thanks

[jjg43]

I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name
Location
Car model
Mods
any additional info.

Thanks My name is Phil and I am located in northeastern PA. I haven't been posting on here too long so I figured I would introduce myself. I used to have a 92 325i which was fully modified. The car had H&R/Bilsteins, Conforti chip, 1998 M3 wheels, Brembos, RD sways and strut tower brace, etc. Before I had the E36 I always wanted a 535im but couldn't find one with low miles. In October of 2002 the 325i was stolen and was found chopped outside of NYC. The car totaled. After that I took the insurance money and found a 1990 535im (Alpine white) in Manhattan on Ebay. I bought the car in Jan 2003 with 53,000 miles (holy ****!) which was completely stock. Since then I have done the following: Dinan chip (didn't know about EAT back then), UUC short shift, all clear corners, 18" M-parallels staggered with 235/40 and 265/35 Potenza re750s, H&R/Bilstein sports all around, Zimmerman cross drilled with PBR metal masters all around, 750 bushings, RD sways and RD strut tower brace. Soon I'll post some pictures.

Phil

[1995 525i]

Brandon,
My name is Michael and I'm in North Carolina (Holly Springs to be exact).
I bought a 1995 525 (129,000 miles) a few months ago and have only done some minor refurbing since then. I love this car and will not drive anything but BMW if I can help it ( I went from a Honda accord to the E34).

I've done the following since buying the car in June:

Replaced front control arms
Replaced swaybar links
Replaced spark plugs
Replaced oild and fuel filters
Had Intake and Injector service done
Replaced, and repainted rear bumper
Replaced seal inside driver door
Also had pin stripe removed.
Replaced faded blue tint with much nicer tint from Forumla One.

All told i have probably put in about $2000 since I bought it (not bad I thought since I only paid 6k for it).

You can see my car here:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/668949

Would love to do the following some time next year:
ETA Chip
17" ASA wheels
Redye Interior front.
Repaint front of the car to get rid of rock chips
New fuel pump
New Exhaust
New throttle body
New headers
New mats


Michael

[Martin in Bellevue]

Howdy, I am Martin. I have been lurking on this board for a while. It sounds like there are some folks highly informed about maintaining these cars.

[wengenstein]

Hello,

My name is Dennis, I'm from New Hampshire. I have a '95 540i 6sp (see sig :) ) and, like Michael, I haven't done much outside of refurbishing.. Since I've owned the car I've replaced the clutch, flywheel, motor mounts and transmission mounts...And soon I'll be taking on my first project (aside from fabricating a vent for a new battery out of some vinyl tubing :) ), replacing the valve cover gaskets. So far my only real mod is the Dinan performance chip, and I sympathize with Phil, I too was unaware of the EAT option..

[spitfire]

Murray, live in the Toronto area. Own a 95-540/6. Yes it has a Nikasil block with 150,000 kms. Leak down test at 120,000kms indicated 7-8% on all cylinders on purchase. Since then I have replaced front shocks(stock), springs(stock) all four corners(original owner had lowered the car too much) rad, water cooler, and clutch. Next thing to do is tighten up the front end(front end wonders on my beat-up Kumo's) This car see's nothing but the lowest sulphur fuel in Ontario(Sunoco 94). Has a Dinan chip, enjoy the ride but am looking foreward to the better steering response when I tighten up the front end. Cheers

[Brandon J]

Howdy, I am Martin. I have been lurking on this board for a while. It sounds like there are some folks highly informed about maintaining these cars.
Martin,
You don't count. New in the last 4 months not 4 yrs. Gee, helping Jeff N on his car must have killed some brain cells. :)

[Sweetwater]

I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name Ken
Location Salt Lake City
Car model 530i auto
Mods Stock - not even a chip yet.
any additional info. Just broke 63K miles this week.

Thanks. You're welcome

[drice]

I’m Dan Rice, in Redmond Washington. I inherited my wife’s 1995 530i last October when she bought a new 330 coupe. I never cared much for the car for the 4 years she drove it, but now that it’s mine I am really enjoying it. I just changed the plugs and coolant pump, thermostat and housing, etc. It has 122,000 miles with the original Nikasil block and still has a glass-smooth idle, so I’m presuming there’s no Nikasil problem. The car is black over tan and has been trouble-free other than losing the auxiliary coolant pump about 90 miles from home about a year ago. I’ve been lurking on this site for a few weeks, and recently fixed my headrests (which hadn’t worked since we’ve owned the car) using the simple fix I found among the threads here. I only put about 10,000 miles per year on a car (I travel a lot and have a motorcycle too) so I’m just hoping for about 2 or 3 more relatively trouble-free years and then maybe I’ll pick up a 3-year-old 2004 530i.

[mikemaster]

Hi, my name is Mike Stauffer, and I'm addicted to BMW's. (except Bangle's)
Harrisburg, PA
92 535iM black on black
Mods: EAT chip, Sach's kit, Triflow catback, clears, Bruno's inserts and subframe plates, 750 bushings, amp and sub

I've been working on this thing quite a bit this year. Got it in March, did everything listed above as well as: Adjusted valves, Evaporator, expansion valve and drier, dogbones, tie rods, upper and lower control arms, strut mounts front and rear, complete tune-up, detailed paint with orbital buffer.

Planned mods and maintenance over the next year: Sway bars, injectors, FPR, Headgasket, possibly rear suspension bushings

I just started up again on this board when I got my 535iM early this year. I used to post occasionally on the old bimmernut board and roadflea when I had my old e34. My wife wrecked that one, and in the meantime we ended up with an e39. I missed my old e30 and e34 and starting looking for a replacement, and that's when I found the current one. Sometime when I'm bored, I'll post pictures of the old and the new e34s. The old one was wrecked with 153,000. I put over 50,000 miles on her in 4 years. The new one I bought had 156,000, so I pretty much picked up where I left off.
:p

Thanks to everyone on the board for the invaluable advice and info.

P.S. My trunk lock is still jammed!! Any advice or tips appreciated.

[jjg43]

Hi, my name is Mike Stauffer, and I'm addicted to BMW's. (except Bangle's)
Harrisburg, PA
92 535iM black on black
Mods: EAT chip, Sach's kit, Triflow catback, clears, Bruno's inserts and subframe plates, 750 bushings

I've been working on this thing quite a bit this year. Got it in March, did everything listed above as well as: Adjusted valves, Evaporator, expansion valve and drier, tie rods, upper and lower control arms, complete tune-up, detailed paint with orbital buffer.

Planned mods and maintenance over the next year: Sway bars, injectors, FPR, Headgasket

I just started up again on this board when I got my 535iM early this year. I used to post occasionally on the old bimmernut board and roadflea when I had my old e34. My wife wrecked that one, and in the meantime we ended up with an e39. I missed my old e30 and e34 and starting looking for a replacement, and that's when I found the current one. Sometime when I'm bored, I'll post pictures of the old and the new e34s. The old one was wrecked with 153,000. I put over 50,000 miles on her in 4 years. The new one I bought had 156,000, so I pretty much picked up where I left off.
:p

Thanks to everyone on the board for the invaluable advice and info.

P.S. My trunk lock is still jammed!! Any advice or tips appreciated. I was thinking about getting one but I don't want it to sound sloppy and real loud. I had one on a 92 325i but it probably sounds a little different than that (which was pretty loud).

Thanks

Phil

[Crewblunts]

Hi,

My name is Phil V
I live in CT USA
1990 535i
UUC Short Shifter
New M5 replica rims

[Garlic Breath]

My name is Tony and I live in Pittsburgh, PA. This is my first BMW. I purchased it off of eBay in July. Flew to Miami and drive it home. It originally had 54k miles on it. Its a 525 auto. My old car (POS) died on the way home from work in May and was stuck driving the wife's Grand Caravan for 6 weeks. Everyday I was thinking of what kind of car to buy and then I found Bruno's site and this site. I lurked for while until I got my confidence up that I was going to buy one. What sold me was the DIY factor for these cars. I was always intimated by foreign cars and the complexity of repairs and whatnot but that's gone now and I'm not afraid to dive into repairs or maintenance. I must have checked out 300 cars until I found one with low enough miles to convince my wife that it's okay. I'm now spoiled and probably will never buy a different manufacture. I'm very happy with it so far. So far I've replaced the front struts and strut mounts. I've also been doing little things to it like replacing the micro filter, fixed the seat twist on both seats and some other things that are slipping my mind at the moment.
What's odd is that when someone ask me what kind of car I drive I tell them BMW, and they seem to think BMW's are very expensive to maintain. I feel that I have to defend myself for making presumably in their eyes such an unwise decision, which I can't figure out completely. Anyway, this is my daily driver and I plan on keeping it for three years and for the first time I'll be able to sell the car rather than donating it to Goodwill like every other car I ever owned.

[DueyT]

Murray, live in the Toronto area. Own a 95-540/6. Yes it has a Nikasil block with 150,000 kms. Leak down test at 120,000kms indicated 7-8% on all cylinders on purchase. Since then I have replaced front shocks(stock), springs(stock) all four corners(original owner had lowered the car too much) rad, water cooler, and clutch. Next thing to do is tighten up the front end(front end wonders on my beat-up Kumo's) This car see's nothing but the lowest sulphur fuel in Ontario(Sunoco 94). Has a Dinan chip, enjoy the ride but am looking foreward to the better steering response when I tighten up the front end. Cheers
Welcome to all!

Murray, I think you have my twin! ;) Have you met Mark D'Sylva...he's on the Danforth. One of these days Mark and I are actually going to get to do a face to face....lots of time on the phone talking about stuff like the 540i/6 chpi...would love to see his 93 M5...pics on another thread here.

Welcome again!

Cheers,
Duey

[rommel]

........I took a bfh (big hammer) and pounded out the steel plate covering the rear wall where the ski bag resides. I then pushed the trunk liner inwards breaking the four retaining plastic nuts (cheap from BMA) holding it in place. I had a 3/8" drive and about 3' of extensions altogether with a 10mm socket and removed the two bolts holding the trunk latch on the frame. Wala!! Trunk opened. You'll have to somehow replace the steel plate that you removed because the rear seat armrest will fall backwards into it.

Good Luck!!

[DrewZ]

I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name
Location
Car model
Mods
any additional info.

Thanks

[PABLO]

hi, im Pablo from Cordoba, Argentina. This is my first car. I have an e34 520i 1989. I have changed 15' wheels, water pump, fun clutch, radiator, hoses, thermostat, head gaskets, spark plugs. Now its in the mechanic because it has the head cracked and that was the reason for excess pressure in the system. I have to say thanks to all of you because you helped me very much with my problem and a special thanks to 632 regal because of his patience and fast answer.
In argentina this car is realy realy unusual. In my city (second biggest city in the country) there are arround 5 or 6 cars, all of them 520 and one 525. (so i cant buy used things).
Im very proud of having it (in good conditions) and im hoping this is the last thing i fix in the engine.

[SharkmanBMW]

post them if you have them!

[Hector]

ntxt

[mikemaster]

I was thinking about getting one but I don't want it to sound sloppy and real loud. I had one on a 92 325i but it probably sounds a little different than that (which was pretty loud).

Thanks

Phil

It was very loud at first, but has quieted considerably. Nice low ruimble at idle, just enough to let you know it's there. I'm very happy with it. Also, thanks rommel for the suggestion, I will try that.

Old pic after wheels and sachs kit:
http://www.hostedimage.com/is.php?i=28381&img=Pictures_07-03-04_(535)_001.jpg

[Brian C.]

:p

[yolusola]

yemi,from bethesda maryland, 1989 535i, 164k milles, car is completely stock except for the sound system.

[Luftpost]

This thread is starting to sound like an AA meeting...........not that there is anything wrong with that!

My name is Sascha. I have been lurking for the last 6-7 months or so, but have not posted much.

My 1995 525ia is my first BMW which I purchased 8 months ago here in St. Louis with 145k. The only work I have done is tranny work.....ouch! Had to replace the seals due to the pendulem effect.

Other than that, I love the car, and my wife wants one now too.

My sig below contains both of my daily drivers. This board has been very helpfull, continued thanks!


I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name
Location
Car model
Mods
any additional info.

Thanks

[tonypope]

Tony Pope, from Scotland, just joined this week and getting used to the scene!.

Having years ago, restored one of the last 4 cylinder 320's, I very foolishly bought F**D for a while. I am much better now, thankyou, having recently got a 1992 E34 520 SEI, M50 engine, retrofitted a black leather SPORT interior, 17'' E39 M5 alloys, big disc conversion, and now considering just how low to go!

posted on the 17th to try to find out what alarm is actually supposed to be fitted(there are two!) and what remotes to source!!!!!!!!

[Decolliber]

Just sold my '97 A6QA and bought the BMW. Hope its more reliable than an A6!

[Sweetwater]

Just sold my '97 A6QA and bought the BMW. Hope its more reliable than an A6!

Ouch. My 16 yo is now in the Audi that I had been driving for 3 years. 94 CS100quattro with 107K miles on the odometer. I haven't had a bit of reliability issues in this car and it should be very similar to the 97. What were your problems?

I put him in it for safety and reliability, AWD and a sedan that should be able to take a bit of a hit.....

[Bocaj]

Hi,

I'm Jacob from Holland.
I'm driving bmw for 4 months now and i must say it's great to have a beamer... :D

[Decolliber]

Ouch. My 16 yo is now in the Audi that I had been driving for 3 years. 94 CS100quattro with 107K miles on the odometer. I haven't had a bit of reliability issues in this car and it should be very similar to the 97. What were your problems?

I put him in it for safety and reliability, AWD and a sedan that should be able to take a bit of a hit.....

Water pump, rear pinion seal, front shocks & struts, sun roof ...

[Mr. BILL]

I was actually one of the first to register on the site.

I hadn't posted in a while, so I either forgot my screen name or somehow dropped off the list. Anyway, my name is Bill Ford I live in Austin, TX ans I have a '90 525iA and a '97 528iA. I had a '92 525iM, but it went to live with someone else.

[George Davis]

My name is George Davis, Portland, Oregon, older than most of you. The car is a black 1994 525i auto, it's my/our first BMW, it has about 100k miles on it. I've done a bit of work since getting it, the usual stuff: entire cooling system, thrust arms and bushings, rear upper shock mounts... and had the tranny rebuilt when it tanked right on schedule. It's a very nice car, basically our daily driver; no mods, we just want to keep it running well. This site and Bruno's have been very helpful in getting things sorted out.

[Cab325i/540i]

Hi Brandon and everyone else,

My name is Cab, and I just purchased a 95 540ia(unfortunately). I would have loved the 6-speed, but the car was what it was, and we needed a car pronto. The car is my wife's car, I drive an E30 325i, which I have had for just about a year now. We live west of Boston, in fact just purchased (this weekend) a house with a wonderful 2-car garage! I did a brake job on the 540i this weekend in the rain, and the thought of a garage for future work carried me through.

So far no mods, although I'm beginning to suspect the suspension will need some help. The P.O. put K-macs on, and I am actually wondering why. Nothing appears to be damaged in the front end, but he told me that just to get the alignment right, they needed the C/C plates. The car also has 17" E36 M3 LTW replica wheels, which look quite sharp on the Oxford green over tan E34. When/if the suspension is definitely diagnosed as shot, Bilstein/H&Rs will go in. I love the car, especially the engine, but I'm also glad it's my wife's because I would have a hard time giving up the E30!

I spend most of my time on an E30 board, since that's my main car, but I pop in here a few times a week. I'm glad to be part of the greater BMW community!

Cab

[632 Regal]

My name is George Davis, Portland, Oregon, older than most of you. The car is a black 1994 525i auto, it's my/our first BMW, it has about 100k miles on it. I've done a bit of work since getting it, the usual stuff: entire cooling system, thrust arms and bushings, rear upper shock mounts... and had the tranny rebuilt when it tanked right on schedule. It's a very nice car, basically our daily driver; no mods, we just want to keep it running well. This site and Bruno's have been very helpful in getting things sorted out.

[myblack540i]

Hello, I'm Todd from Indianapolis. As my screen name says, I have an E34 540i - Black/Black.

I've been reading this board for a year now, just recently registered. I bought my car used. Alusil, auto. 150K miles on chassis, 113K miles on motor. Idles butter smooth, pulls like a freight train... I have a little bit of the "on-center wander" but it's tolerable. I'd like to do something to tighten that up, but reading some of the war stories about getting to the steering box have kept me from diving in.

Love my car, plan to keep it for a lot longer. Hey some of you actually agree with me.... the E34 IS the classic of BMW's!!! HA!

[Dizzy]

Hi I'm Eric, found your board 6 or 7 months ago. You guys have been a giant help. I have a 89 535im that I've had a year. Before this car I owned a 86 325e for around 7 years. My first car was a 67 Triumph tr4a irs I owned till just a few years ago. I had a lot of fun with it. I put in a 87mm big bore kit, mallery dual poit dist., header, milled the head .060, Tube shock conversion with konis and had other mods to numerous to list. I'm really enjoying the 535 too. I've so far changed the water pump, all the belts and hoses, the stereo system, dogdones, sway bar links, instrument cluster, adjusted the valves, and fixed a few oil leaks. And I almost forgot E.A.T. chip too and new B.F. goodrich traction ta. I am from the southern part of IL. :)

[grave77]

Hi .. I'm Barry ( 535i 91 model AC-Schnitzer ) ... new here but old in BMW stuff ... hope I can help and get help too :)

[Zeuk in Oz]

Greetings and salutations.

I'm Bo from rural NSW, south of Sydney, in Australia. I have a 1989 525i Executive 5 speed manual with 215 kkm. I bought it for my 4 sons to learn to drive on. My oldest now has his licence and drives it daily and no 2 son is now learning on it. Wanted something cheap, manual, safe, heavy and not-too-powerful.

This is my first BMW and I am impressed - it handles beautifully. I have had lots of Saabs, Volvos (yes I'm Swedish), Range Rovers and Land Rovers. The kids and I are enjoying working on the BMW - especially with the help of this forum and the bmwe34 site. Many thanks for the help and enthusiasm !

My other cars : 2002 Mercedes ML 270 cdi (diesel) 4WD; 2003 Ford F250 Crew Cab 4WD 7.3 litre V8 diesel ute.

[SharkmanBMW]

Based in Montreal, the 540iA is my 3rd Bimmer (1985 325e, 1986 535im).
I am still recovering from my accident so I let my mechanic do all the work, but with the help of this site and it's members, I can be sure my mechanic is truly doing the right thing and not ripping me off!
I am NEVER easy to put up with - so I thank you all greatly for the patience that has been granted to me. :p

[DanQ]

Hi,

I'm Dan from Jersey just outside of Philly. I have a '93 Island Green 525iTA that I purchased about 5 weeks ago with 126k miles. Have since ran it up to 130k! I've been doing a lot of reading here and learned a good bit since this is my first BMW.
Thanks for a great board.

[wagonshmagon]

Jude from OC, CA. 95 525it, white. I bought it a month or so ago with 100k miles.

Thanks for all the useful info. The not-so-useful stuff isn't bad either.

[Rotbimmer]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Eric(Rotbimmer for obvious reasons). I live in Watertown, Wisconsin. My Bimmer is a 1991, 525i. It currently has 270k miles and still running strong. No mods, as I want to keep it as stock as possible. Only thing I've been doing for a while is running with a K&N air filter. I've gotten so much great information from this site, it's become a daily habit. Keep up the good work!




I have been on this board since we ditched roadflea years ago. I now see many new names and would like introductions so that I can get to know our expanding e34 family. So if you are new within the last 4 months could you post your:

Name
Location
Car model
Mods
any additional info.

Thanks

[DueyT]

[WARNING: Thread hi-jack alert!]

Actually, I was thinking...maybe some of the newer folks would also like to know who the established folks were (assuming no one has been lurking for five years or so...)

My name is Duey (nickname for Duart, my Scottish heritage poking through) and I live in Kingston, Canada...about 250km/150mi East of Toronto. As you can tell from my signature, my beast is a '95 540i/6, Black on Silver Grey, about 165,000km. As with Jeff (632 Regal) my ride is equipped with what some dread...a virgin Nikasil V-8...unmolested with Alusil, as it were. It's chipped with one of Mark D'Sylva's fine M60B40 chips...probably close to 300-310 hp...definitely felt in the behind!

Welcom to all!

Cheers,
Duey

[pdxbmw525i]

Hello,

My name is Israel Vigil from Portland, Oregon. This is my first BMW and I love it. It's a 1993 525i with 150,000 miles on it. Runs great. This website has been an excellent resource for us new bmw owners that want to fix our own cars. I haven't added many mods to my car other than new clear corner lights with the sylvania blueish/amber bulbs (I can't remember the exact name), hood bra from Bav. autosport, bmw chrome exhaust tips, and a set of 17" #58 Rondell wheels, actually I have them boxed up in my garage waiting to get installed on my car. (I haven't decided on which tires to buy yet.)
Thanks to this great website, I have been able to repair my drivers side headrest, change my own microfilter, and replace my brake light switch.
Future mods include a performance chip, replace plain headlights to the ellipsoid lights, and maybe tint the windows....not too dark.

I'd like to say thanks to all that have posted information that has helped me in keeping my bmw running and working properly. I look forward in contributing to this forum as my knowledge of my BMW grows.

Thanks,
Israel

PS...I'll post a photo of my bmw once I get my wheels installed.

[NielsGalan]

Hello. My name is Niels, and I have a 5 speed, 1989 524TD, color "luxorbeige". It is sort of metallic brownish.

I live in the Faroe Islands, a small group of islands located between Iceland, Norway and Scotland.

I bought my Beemer last winter, it is my first car. I can't (or WON'T) afford to take it the the machanic's, so I have been using the internet, especially this forum, for tips on how to fix things. My car is mostly stock, no fancy nothing, and I like it that way. Since I bought it I have changed the reflectors in the headlamps, the front rotors and pads. I have fooled around with many different things, such as changing the rubber trim on my sunroof, bottom rubber trim on one of the front doors etc. I just want the old girl to be in perfect working condition. And it helps a lot to have a mechanic for a brother!

I'm amazed as to how much knowlege you (we) have combined here in this forum. I have saved huge bucks by searching the forum for answers. Thank you, BMW forum!