Is It Worth Saving?

[320stu]

First off hi again! Ive been E30 less for a while (house purchase) but Ive just brought another! its a 1988 moredoor 320i and is totaly std,
I didnt pay a lot for it as it has no mot and has been off the road for 7 months now, body is in very good condition, no rust, scratches etc and the inside is also very good apart from a rip on the rear seat and it has a issuse with the rear footwell.... its full of water!!

so what do I do with it? my last E30 was a moredoor 320 se and i loved it,

is it worth me spending a couple of hundred on it?

Cheers Stu

[bss325i]

Cue Pacerpete!

[Duke137]

The ultimate question "is it worth it"

So many factors to consider and ultimately what do you want to achieve at the end of it:

Make it good and keep standard
Fix it up for profit
Fix up and keep for yourself
break it to make a profit

All depends on this plus your time/skills/budget but please remember selling it on will not see big returns as it is an undesireable spec of a 4 door 320i

It would be nice to keep them all going but in reality money talks, shit MPG and ridiculous fuel costs almost price 6 pot E30's off the road on their own let alone the maintenance costs and any rust problems

[pacerpete]

Cue Pacerpete!

As if by magic !

I suggest you bring it to the bridge as wet carpet = more weight !

[320stu]

Im looking to fix it up and use it really, maybe stick aset of -30/40mm springs and a set of 15" x-spokes or 17" alpina reps

[Duke137]

Im looking to fix it up and use it really, maybe stick aset of -30/40mm springs and a set of 15" x-spokes or 17" alpina reps

Go for it, but whatever you think it is going to cost treble it and add a bit more

Wet floor would worry me slightly as regards roof/bulkhead rot as the last 3 E30's I have had with wet floors have had bulkhead rot. That includes rear footwell

[pacerpete]

We want pictures of the rust and water features ! If in doubt, dig harder !

[320stu]

I cant find any rust sorry

[Duke137]

I cant find any rust sorry

bold statement that is! If it is true, the get it back on the road

[pacerpete]

I cant find any rust sorry

You are not looking hard enough, the goldfish did not get in through the elephants trunk

[Grrrmachine]

Finding rust means lifting up the carpets (preferably with the seats out), removing the wheel arch liners, the bulkhead sound insulation inside the engine bay and taking off the heater blower panel from the bulkhead.

Only THEN can you say "there's no rust".

But it's all those seams that separate the engine from the cabin that lead to the sort of rust that kills an E30... and it shows up as water in the footwells. What you may have to do is dust the interior with talcum powder and start pouring water gently through the sunroof and scuttle drains, to find out where this water is coming in.

Your car has no inherent value; anything you spend on it, you will never get back. But that is the case with most of these cars - we do it for love, not for profit. If you love the car, fix it. If you don't, send it in pete's direction.

[320stu]

Sorry I ment I cant find any terminal rust!

How easy is it to remove the carpets

[Duke137]

Sorry I ment I cant find any terminal rust!

How easy is it to remove the carpets

A morning if you haven't done it before, might need a second person to help wiggle it out.

Re-fitting it is a real challenge of patience though!

Chances are once you have it out you may reconsider re-fitting it...

[Gert_8]

Im looking to fix it up and use it really, maybe stick aset of -30/40mm springs and a set of 15" x-spokes or 17" alpina reps

Hello. Welcome to the zone.

You've already spent more than a couple of hundred quid right there!! These things are money pits.

Post some pics!

[pacerpete]

No need to remove the carpets YET. Remove the glovebox by undoing the 10 mm nuts that secure its mounting bracket to the bulkhead and proceed with a torch and screwdriver If you cannot see anything obvious, get somebody to run a hose in the scuttle area, any water ingress should now be obvious. Pay particular attention to the main wiring loom rubber grommet and where it enters the bulkhead. A dislodged grommet or rust in this area will allow lots of water to enter the car.

If by some fluke of nature there are no rust stains/holes/damp etc in this area , check the drivers side by removing the undertray. . If that is OK, open the sunroof and start pouring water into the tray area. There are 4 (?) drains in each inner sill and you should see water coming out of these, assuming they are not blocked or damaged, once again a screwdriver is your friend Damp headlining and / or the sound of 'cornflakes' when you tap the headlining are signs of a fooked sunroof cassette/ roofskin and as well as allowing water ingress usually = RIP

It is also worth checking that the infamous elephants trunk is not blocked. It is the rubber 'hose' on the bulkhead just to the right of the rocker cover. Clear it out by putting a bit of wire up it from underneath. Removing it to clear it out is another option but they can break and / or be very difficult to refit due to being 20 year old rock hard rubber . They are £20 new !

Pulling the front carpet up at each side will undoubtably unveil some nasties but they will usually be a result of water ingress, not the cause of it. Remember, if you see a scab or a brown stain dig at it as it will not go away by ignoring it and the sooner the issues are resolved the smaller the job will be.

Remember we want pics, there is something very therapeutic about looking at pics of somebody elses rusty turd !

[320stu]

Thanks for the info Pete ill have a go tommrrow and Ill get some pics up asap

[verde]

I cant find any rust sorry

Not having rust and not being able to find rust are two very very different things. Even my car which I thought was pretty much rust free has a couple of patches that have been fixed. If your footwell and carpets are wetter than an otters c@nt then chances are thats started rotting your footwells, so get the carpet out and get a look. The fact theres water there in the first place could be due to rusty or blocked sunroof drains. Not to mention hidden areas, under the headliner, back of the sunroof, inner arches. Check the whole car very thoroughly.

[320stu]

Well it looks like, thanks to 'pacerpete' I've had a luck escape and saved my self £200!

Before I handed any cash over today I asked the seller if it was ok to have a good look round it, the rear headlining was soaking wet and I could feel something that felt like flakes of rust, so anyway I've walked away from it!

The hunt for a cheap, local (ish) E30 continues!

If it wasn't for pacerpete saying about the headlining I prob wouldn't have checked it! So cheers Pete

[Andyboy]

I believe this is the gem in question:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bmw-e30-320i- ... 35c2e25dd0

I'd be giving 200 quid in a flash for that. Clean wings, sunroof panel, clocks, sump, fogs, front valance and lots of other bits before weighing it in for 150 quid.

[polsta]

if its that red one there, look at the state of it there will be rust !

[TPS]

Well it looks like, thanks to 'pacerpete' I've had a luck escape and saved my self £200!

Always listen to Pete, he knows what he on about.