What did you do for your ZHP/BMW today?

[Hornung418]

so is the exhaust side solenoid accessible w/o taking off the vanos unit completely?

It's right under the VANOS and to the left. It is the same part number as the intake solenoid. Get at it with a wrench, inspect and clean.

[Token]

Just put on new control arm bushings, removed the clutch delay valve, and flushed the brakes. Car feels great

[UdubBadger]

It's right under the VANOS and to the left. It is the same part number as the intake solenoid. Get at it with a wrench, inspect and clean.

Hard getting to it to loosen it but I did it and car seems to be back to normal. Lots of low end and no codes so I think it's safe to call it fixed. I will be asking for a partial refund though.

Vanos 0, Me 2


Marcus how do I go about getting my name changed to "the real dr.vanos"?


- Goin' H.A.M. Mobile

[midlandtech]

Happy to report ses light was cleared and car feels good


- Goin' H.A.M. Mobile

Great job bro!


~Steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ryans323i]

Before After

Looks great. I love the RCRs on Imola!

[imola red zhp]

Thanks Ryan

[johnrando]

Hard getting to it to loosen it but I did it and car seems to be back to normal. Lots of low end and no codes so I think it's safe to call it fixed. I will be asking for a partial refund though.

Vanos 0, Me 2


Marcus how do I go about getting my name changed to "the real dr.vanos"?


- Goin' H.A.M. Mobile

Good news Real Dr. V.!

[MrMaico]

Finally took the plunge the other day and ordered a new windshield to replace my pitted one. $247 from Lincoln BMW. Got an e mail today confirming it qualifies for their free shipping for the month of July. :-) I was afraid they might consider it "oversize" and charge me something for shipping.

Gonna be nice looking through a nice clear windshield. Been debating doing this for a couple of years.

[JupiterBMW]

Finally parked her back in the freshly renovated garage...

Garage pics coming in the thread I made.

[KevinC]

Well, my car has had quite an adventure over the last week.

The car was running crappy at higher RPMs under load. Based on all the info that's out there, it was reasonable to assume the DISA and/or VANOS were to blame. I was intrigued with the "DISA Gold" upgrade option, and a rebuilt Dr Vanos unit only runs $250, so I figured I'd do them both as preventative maintenance at the very least, and would hopefully solve my stumbly issue in the process. I dropped the car off with my mechanic a week ago today, along with a set of OEM Sachs shocks & struts, for a full suspension refresh, including bushings at both ends and shock mounts, OEM parts to be supplied by the shop. I got a call last Wednesday afternoon - the "new" VANOS unit was throwing codes on both intake and exhaust sides, and the car wouldn't rev for shiite. It took a day to get the good doctor to talk to my mechanic, and after that conversation, he concluded that the unit was indeed bad, and agreed to send a replacement. That was Thursday. The replacement didn't arrive until TODAY (thanks a lot, Doc). My mechanic (Babbitt Motor Werks in Mesa, GREAT guys) cut me a sweet deal on the labor, despite having to do the VANOS twice. All is well now, and the car probably runs better than the day it rolled off the line.

Since purchasing in May with 53k miles, I've now done the following:

Inspection II
new A- and C-pillars
set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports (can't say enough about these tires - best I've ever driven on, by far)
new ZHP shift knob
full 3-step detail by the local "master", including interior & engine compartment
added a set of Cocomats
full suspension refresh & (of course) alignment
VANOS swap for rebuilt unit
DISA Gold
replacement Ebay stock head unit to replace original with knackered volume knob

Next up:
USASpec iPod adapter
cooling system refresh at some point

The car looks and drives FANTASTIC now. I feel so fortunate to have found the "right" car very quickly, that met all of my desired criteria when I began searching a few months ago. I found this one in Miami, and the distance would normally have kept me from pursuing it, but my best pal lives nearby, is a former stealership mechanic, and did a VERY detailed pre-purchase inspection and photoshoot for me, as well as hung onto it as I arranged transportation to Arizona. It's the perfect companion to my M Coupe, and it's awesome to switch off between the two, since they both have their own outstanding (but very different) virtues.