E30 Zone

Dear E30 Zone,

At the end of last summer, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a 1991 E30 318i manual convertible (102K miles). The car itself was a two-owner car from new (a doctor and I understand a lawyer) and while it has small signs of rust in one or two places I would guess it has been garaged for 95% of its life and compared to others I have seen it stood out as a strong example. My situation is that I am a novice mechanic, but keen to use the car in part to improve my knowledge base. I am on a limited budget and plan to try and put £150 aside each month to restore and keep on top of any issues slowly.

My main question is this - other than the timing belt and sorting out small bits of bodywork is there anything people would recommend a new owner does as part of the maintenance schedule. I have a full-service history going back to 2014/15 and MOT's back to 1998.

Work done:

2019 - Oil change 101K
2019 - New exhaust 101K
2019 - Brake fluid change 101K
2018 - Timing belt 95K
2018 - New thermostat 95K
2018 - New brake pads 95K
2017 - New spark Plugs 92K
2015- New fuel Pump 88K Miles

The car itself runs/stops/ no knocking or noises etc. MOT advisories (worn bushings and partly corroded brake line) - both I plan to do in the summer.

Would anyone recommend anything missing from this list or indeed work that should be carried out around the 80K/100K mile period which is missing and not in the history. I have the Haynes manuals and one or two sources for maintenance schedules, but I know from experience that you cannot beat the advice to others?

I would be hugely grateful if anyone had any advice.

Thanks

Dan

Probably the main thing, aside from ensuring the fluids are all good (particularly the anti-freeze with winter biting), is to thoroughly inspect the bodywork and underside, and apply rust-proofing where necessary.

Here's all the common areas that tend to rot:
https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/index.php?title=Rust

Thanks very much - I'll add this to the list. Really grateful for your help!

Try to check under the carpet for dampness. It's not unusual for an E30 carpet to be bone dry on the top, but be holding several litres of water underneath.

You may want to have someone that’s familiar with E30s to take a look at the car. I took mine over to the guys at BMR Performance last weekend and they did a post purchase inspection for me. I was provided with a summary of what maintenance was due and other items that needed attention.

I’d recommend them if they are near enough for you. With the benefit of the inspection summary you can prioritise the major issues and try your hand at some of the easier jobs yourself using the content available here.

Nice looking car by the way! Congrats!

Thanks very much! Brian and Vez - it's hugely reassuring to have this advice on hand. Thank you very much!

Great car and great idea to save a little each month towards up keep. You're in safe hands here Where in this land are you?

When I buy an older car, I always change ALL of the fluids:

Engine oil (with filter)
Antifreeze
Transmission oil
Differential oil
Brake fluid(including clutch line)
Power steering fluid


This fluid change event is not expensive, if you do it yourself. It also has the advantage of not only resetting the fluid clocks to zero, but it also is a good way to learn about your car.

Looking at the list jobs done in the past, I would say your priority should be oil change. There is nothing to say when the antifreeze was changed so do that but don’t use the OAT type of antifreeze.
Next year in 2021 change the brake fluid and cam belt (assuming it is M40 engine).

Vez010 wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 20, 2020 11:32 pm

You may want to have someone that’s familiar with E30s to take a look at the car. I took mine over to the guys at BMR Performance last weekend and they did a post purchase inspection for me. I was provided with a summary of what maintenance was due and other items that needed attention.

I’d recommend them if they are near enough for you. With the benefit of the inspection summary you can prioritise the major issues and try your hand at some of the easier jobs yourself using the content available here.

Nice looking car by the way! Congrats!

I second BMR Performance or a post check up - I did the same and it was worth the nearly 1.5 hours of drive each way from London.
Barry and Ross are subject matter experts and I don't know any place that comes even close.

Within a short period of time I was given a comprehensive list of items that needed to be looked at - the attention to detail was unbelivable.
They didn't need to sell anything to me, just their professionalism and knowledge meant I'd automatically come back later to get the work done.

Thanks to everyone above. I cannot say how helpful all this advice is. I'll contact BMR in the new year and make arrangements. I've changed the oil; I should have mentioned that. Location wise I am down in Bruton (South Somerset) in answer to rix313 but would love an opportunity for anyone local to meet up post-Covid and hear any advice they have. Thanks again for everybody's support and help.