Based on the level of effort you put into your post updates I’m confident your videos would be worth watching.
Based on the level of effort you put into your post updates I’m confident your videos would be worth watching.
That's what I'm afraid of, I'll get obsessed with it and spend a ludicrous amount of time on it. Thanks for the vote of confidence though.
I just want a compilation of scheisse's from every time that you trip/scrape/bang/break something
This......Quote:
Originally Posted by ZHPizza
Would be hilarious.
Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
I have something the werks, fellas! We'll see how it turns out and if I want to publish it.
Final update on the E31!
I went the extra mile and fixed the last piece of the puzzle on this car: the A/C.
If you followed along then you might remember the wiring fiasco that I had with this car. Well, the lunatic with a knife did stop there and the madness continues with the A/C compressor.
I always knew something fishy happened with the A/C compressor but in the spirit of not losing my mind, I decided to ignore it for the time being. However, I also knew that the day for further investigating will come and here's the outcome.
Remember those 3 chopped off wires I couldn't figure out what they were for? It's the connector for the compressor.
https://i.postimg.cc/5NYrMQ64/20190627-185744.jpg
Butchered compressor. All of the wiring on it was destroyed, I have no idea what they were trying to achieve here nor do I want to know.
https://i.postimg.cc/y80rDqm2/20190630-200144.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/LsRQfyv5/20190630-200151.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/8CHKbhnH/20190630-200156.jpg
Chewed up line going from the compressor to condenser.
https://i.postimg.cc/MKCFZZQy/20190714-120606.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/xC1spcwS/20190714-120611.jpg
The only logical explanation that comes to mind is that there was a rodent that had a thing for wiring in that corner of the car since there are no signs of accidents there (all of the plastic trim is original). Then an even bigger human rodent came along and played electrician.
I ended up buying a cheap used E32 750i compressor and transferred the wiring from it to the compressor that I removed from the car. My compressor seemed overall in better shape than the used one I got so I went that route.
https://i.postimg.cc/Kv51xf4F/20190709-194832.jpg
One finished compressor along with other bits I needed to convert the system from R12 to R134a. Added correct amount of synthetic oil to the compressor.
https://i.postimg.cc/SNKhYfDm/20190714-122531.jpg
I had to dissemble a good portion of the car to replace the bad A/C line and get to the dryer.
https://i.postimg.cc/zDsQ8w6d/20190709-220122.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/XY3DyjVd/20190709-220126.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rF5Pm0Lq/20190709-220132.jpg
Dryer lurking underneath right headlight.
https://i.postimg.cc/zGcKY7Pv/20190714-152325.jpg
Then I found a screwdriver in the guts of the bumper, presumably dropped there by the incompetent imbecile who previously worked on this car.
https://i.postimg.cc/x8fczNFB/20190714-152546.jpg
Another look at the dryer from the wheel well.
https://i.postimg.cc/8zpggBf2/20190714-152938.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Lshdn9Tv/20190714-153808.jpg
New dryer in situ.
https://i.postimg.cc/X72QXwzS/20190714-161227.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/wjZ2Q9zw/20190714-161233.jpg
Replaced missing connector for the compressor.
https://i.postimg.cc/RZptcd79/20190714-124213.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/N0Wrn0Cz/20190714-125654.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/bvGtLngn/20190714-130331.jpg
Installed R134a adapters.
https://i.postimg.cc/05JqxyWC/20190714-162502.jpg
Then it was time to pull the vacuum and pray to God almighty that there are no leaks.
https://i.postimg.cc/gk8XwdJV/20190716-195915.jpg
Upon the first hour, things were looking good and it was pulling steady vacuum.
https://i.postimg.cc/15CTqxjz/20190716-203555.jpg
I left the system sealed and came back tomorrow and happily it was still holding perfect vacuum!
https://i.postimg.cc/mrNKhcxv/20190717-182433.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/DwG9kjxy/20190717-182427.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/bvjKzx50/20190717-182430.jpg
Since in Germany you can't buy cans of R134a to refill the A/C anywhere, I had to find a cheerful Italian to do this part of the job.
The 8er has a large A/C system and takes 1550 grams of R134a refrigerant.
https://i.postimg.cc/J7fnbgHR/20190730-101618.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/vZMZKVvj/20190730-102156.jpg
Another forgotten 850i sitting in this shop.
https://i.postimg.cc/4x5xRxL3/20190730-103139.jpg
And for the moment of truth.
https://i.postimg.cc/zBMf22dS/20190730-104349.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/hvdtk86F/20190730-104601.jpg
We have fully functional air conditioning! With this, I have fixed every single thing on this car, every button was working and the car was mechanically sorted.
After a long 6 months of trying to sell the E31, I finally found a buyer 2 weeks ago. This is by far the longest I ever had a car up for sale.
I've never had so many idiots contact me and come by, I had a guy coming with 3 sheets of paper printed out with questions and things to test (front and back), I spent 3 hours with him that day and several weeks of emailing just for him not to buy the car.
I had another guy coming twice, 2nd time with his girlfriend and then sending me an email with the list of demands he wants me to guarantee, e.g. that the water pump will not fail in the 50.000 km, that he can safely drive the car 250 km/h, that there will be no oil leaks in the future, that I should guarantee that the km is accurate and the car had no accidents, etc... All of this on nearly 30 years old BMW. I told him he must be smoking something and should go to BMW and buy a new 8 series. After he came to his senses and understood that the car is sold as-is, he had different requests which I'm not going to bore you with.
All of the potential buyers were only hung up on one thing - the cosmetically condition of the exterior, dents and scratches. Despite paint being good for an old car and front and rear bumpers, hood and most of the body panels were actually in original paint. Everyone wants a concourse condition car and pay as little as possible. You can imagine how frustrated I was when everything I've done to the car is overlooked and dents and scratches are used as the main argument.
Anyway, all of that is behind me now and this car was a great learning experience in every sense. I found a very nice buyer and the car will join his collection of 7 cars with this being the first BMW. He is also only an hour away so hopefully I'll get to see the car in the future. Just goes to show you have to be patient and wait for the right buyer. The car was in my custody for around 9 months and I am very happy how it turned it and that I put in the condition it deserves to be.
Now moving along to the new member of the fleet.
https://i.postimg.cc/Qx5gLCB5/Whats-...19-28-09-6.jpg
Complete sitrep on the latest acquisition.
I must've mentioned a bunch of times that I've owned 4 E38s with a V8 heart in the past. In my opinion, E38 is the best looking 7 series to date and amongst my favorites from the BMW lineup.
Fully loaded E38 with a 12 banger under the hood was always on my bucket list and I was looking for one kinda periodically and it needed to check few boxes:
It had to be a facelift model (so '99 and up), reasonably priced and in need of some TLC, fully loaded with goodies like rear electric seats with heaters, picnic tables & mirrors in the headrest... preferably any color other than black or brownish ones and most importantly no rust!
You might think there's plenty to pick from in Germany and you'd be wrong, spec that I wanted is generally rare and without a shred of doubt, without even learning about the car you can bet that it will have rust, unless it was strictly driven in summer but such cars are even rarer and come with a nice price tag. I hate rust so much that I'd rather pull an engine and do other mechanical repairs than have a rust bucket.
The 7er I ended up with was a culmination of boredom, freshly received bonus at work and access to the internet. It was a gloomy and rainy month of May in Germany and I was doing what every normal person does, probably. I found myself browsing for used cars in Dubai, well-used BMWs naturally, when I stumbled upon this fine specimen listed for sale with a vague description and small pictures, a typical ad in other words.
https://i.postimg.cc/pyNDhbSp/Whats-...t-19-35-24.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/4yFBdS60/Whats-...t-19-35-33.jpg
2000 750iL, Titanium silver (which is one of my favorite colors) with black soft leather interior and fully optioned with goodies that I wanted and 125k km on the clock (77k miles).
A very important thing to note about the car is that it is in fact a Euro-spec car with first delivery being Japan. As some might know, Japanese cars are generally very well kept cars (this one isn't anymore) and Euro-spec means it will be easier to get it to register it in Germany with probably some necessary tweaks. Here's a VIN if someone wants to look up its extensive options: DG50835
https://i.postimg.cc/qv1xwYhZ/Whats-...19-35-35-2.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/7Y6Rkg3c/Whats-...19-35-35-1.jpg
I found the seller on WhatsApp and started chatting. His first response was: Come and see it. Cash only! which was obviously not going to happen given the distance between us but I did get more info and pictures eventually. As I mentioned, I was bored so I sent him a very nice low ball offer and after some back and forth haggling, he accepted it and that's when it all becomes serious.
https://i.postimg.cc/XvwFhzpb/Whats-...t-19-34-39.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/G2nkM1Kr/Whats-...t-19-35-27.jpg
One thing I was particularly disappointed with after seeing this picture, besides the obvious remnants of the desert under the hood, was the lack of EDC shocks. It's clear that the wiring for it is missing on the top of the strut towers. Some might say that it's a good thing the conventional setup was swapped in but long term plan is to reinstate EDC shocks and SLS function for the rear. I happen to love EDC capabilities. At least this was the original plan but for the reasons I shall explain later, I will not be going down this route.
https://i.postimg.cc/KzpXyQH9/Whats-...t-19-35-23.jpg
So I started doing more research to see what it would take to import the car to Germany, the cost, shipping etc... Only once have I bought a car sight unseen, it was my first car and the biggest mistake I made and that sorta determined my #1 rule when buying cars - never buy cars prior to inspecting them in person. As you can gather that rule went out of the window with this car but I was a bit smarter this time around and I found a shop in Dubai to perform a PPI. I got more close up pictures and a full report that didn't contain anything I wouldn't expect from a 20-year-old BMW.
https://i.postimg.cc/cJr1tgG5/Whats-...19-28-09-1.jpg
In the end, I was able to lower the price a tiny bit more, rendering the price good enough that I decided to gamble and wired the money to the guy.
https://i.postimg.cc/mDWxZtL9/Whats-...t-11-06-35.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/W1DgT4fT/Whats-...t-11-06-45.jpg
The car left Dubai on May 28th and arrived at the port in Bremerhaven on June 28th, exactly one month of transport in a container on a cargo ship.
https://i.postimg.cc/mk82FQkJ/Whats-...10-06-06-1.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/3rBw6H11/Whats-...t-10-06-07.jpg
Took another month to clear customs and get it down to Frankfurt. I used a company called Berlin Motors USC which handled everything for me and I can't say enough good things about them. Shipping a car is always a nightmare but in this case, everything went perfectly smooth and without an issue. Simply unbelievable.
Delivery day!
https://i.postimg.cc/W4z2QD9w/20190723-110538.jpg
Pulled it into the yard for a first look.
https://i.postimg.cc/wMG5QRb4/20190723-113856.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/1tyKmQqB/20190723-113844.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/dQH9YgtR/20190723-113911.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/vH4tHXcJ/20190723-113925.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/KjzrTDQg/20190723-113933.jpg
I'll talk about the condition of the car in the next update. For now, I give you 32 cylinders and 1.026 hp in one picture!
https://i.postimg.cc/656C1KsL/20190729-193431.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Kv9B6WxX/20190729-193529.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T3pgfc3K/20190729-193637.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/Sx38sznD/20190729-193704.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/sgjQg4fY/20190729-193731.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/rmrzPhgk/20190729-193819.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/cJjrTqRh/20190729-193756.jpg
Hey, I lost a T-25 bit down in the area where my DME/brake booster/brake fluid reservoir is, and I'm not taking that shit apart just to find it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
But this post gives me some confidence in tackling my A/C compressor issue. It's leaking a little bit (has been since I bought it), and I think this fall I'll take on the project.
Your cheerful Italian doesn't look very cheerful.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
In my opinion a facelift E38 with M-Pars is the best looking full-size sedan ever. Although I'm partial to the non-long wheelbase model.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
Ugh, story of my life bro.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
Dude you're out there finding unicorns like it's nothing lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
Damn son.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
Congrats on the sale. Those pics with your 3 cars look great. I'm in for details about the 750iL ! :thumbup
Yeees, that's a normal occurrence, but we don't go around with wire cutters and start cutting everything in our way which is what someone did, so I had to express my displeasure.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
Do it, I didn't know much about A/C prior to doing this. Just make sure the system is evacuated before touching anything, otherwise you'll get refrigerant up your nostril like Nate.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
He had some deep thoughts when the picture was taken.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
I totally agree here! I prefer the overall look of shorty E38 as well, but the iL has more presence and it's more of an eye-catcher in person. Also, if you sit in the back of the iL, you quickly realize the luxury that extra legroom gives.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
Idiot with money and thing for neglected BMWs is the worst kind.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
Unicorns, turd. Potato, potahto. :biggrinQuote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
Thanks, Fredo! It's coming up soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by fredo
Congrats on sale and congrats on purchase.
"I found a very nice buyer and the car will join his collection of 7 cars with this being the first BMW."
Curious, please tell us about the other 7 cars in his collection.
Thanks! Uh, Opel GT and then some Italian weird looking thing that resembles Lamborghini but it isn't one. After that, I kinda lost interest...