Oli77's maintenance & yearly totals ledger

[fredo]

Glad to hear the ZSP stayed in your family. My son is 8 y/o, way too far from getting his DL. I bet he won't be interested on my ZHP because it's MT. :dunno

[Oli77]

You can change that Fredo, both my boys passed their DL on a 5 speed Toyota Camry. I thought it would prevent them from texting and driving. They still learned to do it. Bet he digs that ZHP. Got to keep it going for another 8 years...

[Oli77]

I'll bet, enjoy it!

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I will!

[Oli77]

Fine time cleaning it, driving it, tight steering, real good feeling. Still runs like a charm at 117,764 miles.

Changed back to summer tires.

All goodhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190428/c68816c8fa046ce72867dde2e6ce3bc9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190428/80429ef887b1c03b8c1c5d16a171ff25.jpg

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[Oli77]

Fheuuuuuuk!
How can it brake at 95lbs?
Cheap! Brand name is OEM torque wrench.
Will make an Amazon comment. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190504/0c37085dddf6b13bffa7ee752f487e27.jpg

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[fredo]

Oh, yes. Buyers beware. Not cool.

[ZHPizza]

Fheuuuuuuk!
How can it brake at 95lbs?
Cheap! Brand name is OEM torque wrench.
Will make an Amazon comment. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190504/0c37085dddf6b13bffa7ee752f487e27.jpg

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[Oli77]

Thanks man, this is my second one! WTF?

I have learned (from this site) that you should only use a torque wrench to tighten bolts and this is all this one has ever done!
Was on the 6th tire bolt tightening episode and it broke.

Going Tekton. Can I buy that locally?

[Oli77]

Done! Getting me a Tekton. Thank you for the recommendation.

[DeathTrap]

Really? I've been using my HF for almost 7 years and it hasn't broken...

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[Oli77]

Replaced window switch.

Exchanged headlight covers with new ones from Amazon at ~26 $ shipped. Fitment is fine but the matching to the seal is not perfect. Nor do all the big clips grab anything. Maybe 3 of the 7 large tabs are clipped in. We will see about these... The front fit looks good otherwise.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/21415e683787e397ca133d8f7474b724.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/46238d701f208d9fc9ceb4972899c0b9.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/d9fe1068f757e203e626d5bbdc9ef8bf.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/a09f60a06ea3fe8c4fff24a6747ca512.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/27d8adb4316c3fdbc897784f1874e3c2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/a6e79cbaf01af73bcee13f7e55948aa7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/3e8313a28d1846d764be10a8c8e6c69c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190609/08fd5ec4c7c28eac30e772703f1792e9.jpg

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[Oli77]

At 118,700 miles put on the winter tires. There was snow over here earlier this week!

The glue has not worked on the seat back. Will try it again now that it is not hot anymore.

Thinking it may be time for oil and filter change.

[fredo]

Car looks great. I just noticed the pics posted back in June. :thumbup

[Oli77]

Thanks Fredo.

And sounds soooooo much better that my 2L audi! I so miss listening to it start ever since getting my butt in that 2L turbo.

[Oli77]

At 118,800 miles, changed oil and filter.

11/29/19

[Oli77]

P0331, knock sensor bank 1. Car is throwing this code. Performance does not seem affected very much which is weird according to my limited understanding.

Not seeing much on our board about a DIY. I see intake has to come off. The deepest I've been on this car is the icv, how much further to remove intake?

And, can I continue to drive without much ill-effect except consumption and performance.?

[DeathTrap]

A lot more involved. Things that I can remember:
Disa
Intake boots and throttle body
CCV
Injector harness

You might be able to get away with just moving the intake to the side since the knock sensors are right under it. But, ya know...while your in there...

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[Oli77]

Yep, that seems pretty deep and involved. Beyond my comfort level, wouldn't know how to deal with the fuel rail.
I will more than likely take it to a local shop and keep you posted on price for others to know in the future.

[DeathTrap]

Make sure the shop replaces those hard coolant lines under the manifold since that's really the best/only time to access them!

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[Oli77]

Will mention it for sure. Thanks for the heads-up.

[RUS_ZHP]

Yep, that seems pretty deep and involved. Beyond my comfort level, wouldn't know how to deal with the fuel rail.
I will more than likely take it to a local shop and keep you posted on price for others to know in the future.Good luck with the repair and keep us posted.
In terms of CCV replacement, I did it once myself with removing intake manifold (PITA) and once local bmw specialized shop did it. I believe I paid ~$350 for labor only.

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[Oli77]

So 9th year of ownership cost me ~$1000 (the magic number).

That's in expension tank, power steering hoses, and new brakes all around (I was lazy and it was cold).

Start 10 year of ownership HERE.


Update on the knock sensor. Turns out when mice chew the harness that goes to the knock sensors, you have to pay $1000!

They changed intake gasket, 2 knock sensors, the plug to them, the 2 pipes that carry coolant to the heater core, BMW coolant, lower intake boot, the bleeder valve and the expansion tank filler cap (why?), cleaned my ICV and put it all back together.

All that at ~119K miles.

So in terms of fees...

[Oli77]

Looks like I reached my allowable spending limit from the boss already and we are only in January.

Hope she's strong this year!

Remember, my son drives it and he doesn't drive much so maybe less likely to need anything.

I noticed that the C pillar covering is dragging on the speaker grill back there. Starting to look ghetto.

[Will]

Thanks for documenting for us to follow along. Great looking car!

~$1000 / yr is not bad, in my opinion, but it can be a tough pill to swallow at one time. Glad you got it sorted.

It's hard to find a comparable car for $80-90 / month payment.

[Oli77]

You are welcome!

And i agree with you, thus far the price to maintain has not been enormous. Parts for my son's infinity were more expensive than for the bimmer.

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[pedro2u]

is a pest control contract now in the 2020 budget? I bet mice may love that new wiring better than that stale 15+ year old stuff

My car is in winter storage for that very reason (except luckily they chewed my Ford Edge)! And guess who has a pest control contract.....

[Oli77]

Ha, didn't know you could get a pest control contract on your car!

No, my son is going to spray some pepermint oil around the engine. It will smell good to him and apparently will tell the mice to go down the road to the next restaurant!

Can't help but think that because he drives the car so little, this is why those vermines went in there for dinner!

[johnrando]

Had not heard of that, interesting.

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[Oli77]

At 119,597 miles, put summer tires back on.

Son does not drive car enough, so I told him to drive 15 minutes north on the highway then come back to Lexington.

Make sure it clears that oil separator system after the winter.

[Oli77]

At 121,235 miles put on winter tires. On 12/06/20.

Noticed that the Michelins are dry on the edges a bit.

Only drove ~3000 miles this year and need to change the oil! It's been one year since last change.

Sooooo last year, spent $1000 on squirrel damage is all...

[Will]

Did the peppermint oil work as a pest repellent?

I've heard for long term storage to use dryer sheets and even Irish Spring soap. I've used both and the mouse / rat will carry away the chunks of Irish Spring soap (1/2 bar!) - I ended up getting a Costco pack to replenish as needed. I don't think they're using my engine compartment as a toilet anymore, at least topside.

[Oli77]

Thanks for asking. I think so, the mice have not returned (to my knowledge).
Good to know about soap bars!

[BMWCurves]

When I stored my car in a friend's barn using dryer sheets and moth balls, mice still found a way to make a nest in the engine bay...on top of a dryer sheet.

[t.er]

When I stored my car in a friend's barn using dryer sheets and moth balls, mice still found a way to make a nest in the engine bay...on top of a dryer sheet.

ffffffffffffffffffff but lol that's hilarious

Irish Spring has been pretty friendly to my car. I've stored it 4 or 5 times so far and have been reusing the same bar of soap for all of them

[Oli77]

I just hope I don't have to pay for this mouse debauchery twice.

[Oli77]

Buying Irish Spring soap as we speak!

[Will]

ffffffffffffffffffff but lol that's hilarious

Irish Spring has been pretty friendly to my car. I've stored it 4 or 5 times so far and have been reusing the same bar of soap for all of them

Nice, glad to see others using the same. I initially thought my brother was playing a joke on me with the Irish Spring.


Buying Irish Spring soap as we speak!

Perhaps periodically check to see if the rodent(s) carried off the soap in attempts to get rid of it. I have to check once every 2 weeks, sometimes it's there and sometime it's gone. The half bar of soap had characteristic bite marks all over it. The first time I found it 15' away on top of the wall (really strange), and the second time it was 5' away on the ground, and then it was no where to be found this third time. I'm stepping up to placing a couple full bars of soap now.

Good luck, keep us posted!

[Oli77]

@ 121,642 miles changed oil and filter.
And buying some new headlight bulbs as one of them is out.
These Philips H11 CrystalVision ultra Upgrade Headlight Bulb (Pack of 2): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00480GYSA/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=BMW%7C31&Model=325i%7C173&Year=2005%7C2005&ie=UTF8&vehicleId=2&vehicleType=automotive
(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00480GYSA/ref=au_as_r?_encoding=UTF8&Make=BMW%7C31&Model=325i%7C173&Year=2005%7C2005&ie=UTF8&vehicleId=2&vehicleType=automotive)

[Oli77]

Don't mind me as I drop a data point on switching back to summer tires at 121990 miles.
Car is now outside 365 days since my son does not have a garage and it shows.
Hoping he will find the motivation to do some serious paint maintenance this summer!
Car is not as pretty as when I was driving it, that is for sure.

[Oli77]

Car is pretty again. Had a great in and out job done at a local shop a friend owns in town.383603836138362

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[fredo]

The paint looks really sharp ! Is this related to the picture game in some way ? :scratchinghead

[Oli77]

You know it.

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[johnrando]

Looks great!

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[Oli77]

Thanks Rando.

[Oli77]

Took this one to the shop for a healthy checkup.

Guys have detected a small leak at my DMTL (Diagnostic Module Tank Leak). I see on youtube a replacement for code P1446. I do not have that code.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN5-A52uasM

Might do this.

Might not.

What does this do?

Retroposting here in October 2022. I must have forgotten to write here that on this day the guy wo diagnosed this leak changed the oil in the car.

[johnrando]

Can't see pic/vid.

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[fredo]

The video works fine on my iPad.

[johnrando]

Maybe it was a connection issue as it happened in another one as well at that time.

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[Oli77]

Yeah, I am not worried, Waiting and seeing is the approach on this one.

[Oli77]

At 125,000 miles, changed the oil using my trusted oil extractor and changed filter too.
Toped of a bit of coolant as well.

Car was only driven ~3000 miles in the past 19 months (my son lives in town and goes to college in town, so, can't do much about that).

Service Engine Soon light is on and he has a P0456 code . . . Googling.

[Oli77]

Shawn has had that code because of seriously rusted evap tubes around the gas filling tube (rear right wheel well).
See herehttp://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?20218-When-is-a-Gas-Cap-issue-not-a-gas-cap-issue&p=532227#post532227.

[Oli77]

Battery died after 4 years and 1 month!

That's not good, but I think the super cold temps in a unattached garage, combined with being in Europe and not driving for 2 weeks, and leaving the car seat warmer plugged in the cigarette lighter during this time (not on) together contributed to the nearly full drain of the battery.

This one was an H7 AGM from Walmart guaranteed 5 years.

Took it to local O'Reily where it is getting recharged as we speak....

[Oli77]

Rear regulator driver side snapped.

Where would you recommend I buy a replacement part from?

Last time I replaced these in my Toyota Camry, i bought 2 of them from amazon and they literally died within weeks. Might as well install one and be done with it.

[Oli77]

The cable is broken it seems or twisted around the motor.
The motor still works it seems. I get a regulator from FCPEuro and mount the motor on it and call it a day?

[fredo]

There are a couple of suggestions here on E90 forum:

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2047700

[Oli77]

Thanks Fredo that was helpful. I considered those option and went with a free shipping one from ECStuning for $50.
Will report back if its a dud, but it says lifetime guaranteed.

[fredo]

I like the action plan. :thumbsup

[Oli77]

Easy fix with my son. Installed motor onto rail and on we go.

Changed his passenger windows control knobs (one was broken), and cleaned the car, all that in 2 hours.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230923/52a0e39dc5ca962c2bcdeca3e869c93e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230923/dce832740d0856a62ea9a3e2e886c8b8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230923/c140767156b4365aae8e5652ba4b299c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230923/f45d88cfb99d5b4f26991460098b9db3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230923/5209143ebb85f0572cc93c64023f0f27.jpg

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[Oli77]

Car did not start this morning.
My son says the engine turns over, but no start. Plenty of gas.
Gonna meet him in the morning to try and help.
Will check fuses, and relays to the pump.
Will see if there is pressure at the Shrader valve I guess.
Could be fuel filter?
Pump and filter are original.

[fredo]

That's no bueno. How many miles on the clock?

[Oli77]

Probably about 127K

[Oli77]

Well, it was the fuel pump.
Had it towed and local shop do pump and filter with genuine parts (they are a reputable German vehicle shop) for the price of $1100. I paid half to help my son and his new wife out.

[cakM3]

Probably about 127K

Oli, from my experience the fuel pumps tend to go out around 120k or so. This happened to me in my M3 when I was on the Garden State Parkway. Needless to say, it ended up being a very expensive day since the only towing you have available is contract towing where you can not use your insurance or AAA towing.

The only symptom of a failing fuel pump I know is the engine won't turn over at first when starting and takes a few tries before it starts. Eventually leading to the pump giving out and the engine quitting due to fuel starvation. Fortunately it is easy to replace the fuel pump on these cars (you can do this as a DIY) :thumbsup

[Oli77]

You are right, I could have saved money and done this myself, looks really simple.

My laziness, busyness, ongoing weekend events (redoing an office in the house floor, walls, electricity, etc...), along with my son's lack of transportation and his frustration made me pull the trigger on using a solid reputable shop.

I remember reading about those pumps letting go very suddenly around 120 K miles, but honestly forgot about it.

Hopefully, car goes on for another 100K with this pump.

I have been slacking, my E93 has 74K on it and I just now purchased the BMW spark plugs I should have changed at 60 K. Then, I need to tackle to OFHG on it too.