There's always a constant list of things to fix!!!

[NIX]

Just come out of the gym with a mate tonight and on the way back to my car, we're having a drooling session over a sweet looking elise in white and an Aston Martin DB9.

Think to myself, yeah one day but I'm happy with the e30 for the mean time. Its recently had a 325i conversion as it used to be a 318i. There's still a few niggly problems but for the most part she pulls nicely.

Driving to my mates to drop him off, get to the traffic lights and my foot goes to the floor. Missed the accelerator pedal? No, the throttle cables gone! Had to wedge a bit of cardboard into the throttle to give me enough revs to limp home.

Things like this I find really testing. What with the niggly bits that need sorting, parts of the bodywork which have become all too familiar with mr rust, not to mention the ever ioncreasing amount of performance mods I have planed.

Thing is I'm not exactly 100% in touch with my mechanics knowledge, nor do I have the tools or space to fix things like this. I do what I can but since moving back home away from uni my mates who do have the time and tools to do car stuff, i've turned into a bit of a cheque book modder. So its not like I can use wkend to fix it. I have to faff about trying to find someone to fix it, then arrange transport, CASH etc.

Times like this I really pine for a different car. Maybe a slightly newer and more reliable cheap Jap car

Seems like the e30 can be very rewarding, but perhaps more of car for someone who has the time, knowledge and tools to keep an 18 year old car running without having to take a trip to the garage each time something goes wrong.

What makes it worse, is now I've either got to walk to work tomorrow or get on the bus with a load of school kids!

[316eyes]

Ah. The joys of E30 ownership

Every sympathy with you mate, but as the saying goes "it comes with the territory."

[Pal318is]

Ah. The joys of E30 ownership

Every sympathy with you mate, but as the saying goes "it comes with the territory."

Ain't that the truth..things like that always happen at the wrong time

[maxfield]

Ain't that the truth..things like that always happen at the wrong time

They certainly do

Chin up dude bus with school can't be all bad

[fuzzy]

try throwing your reliable bmw engine away and replacing it with a turbo'd ford lump and then youll know about problems

[NIX]

try throwing your reliable bmw engine away and replacing it with a turbo'd ford lump and then youll know about problems

Yeah but atleast you know what you're doing. Im sure things like fixing a throttle cable wouldn't phase you by much at all.

Thanks guys anyways

I've had the e30 for over 2 years now and there's yet to be a time when everythings been working and i'm just simply satisfied with her (apart from maybe the first couple months of ownership considering my previous cars were a mazda 323, fiat panda 4x4 and ford fiesta mk3), im sure i'm not the only one like that though.

[liquid079]

It's the same with all old cars things do wear out/fall off, i'm sure i must have replaced 80% of the parts on my bm, so my plan is that soon there will be nothing left to break .

I think the E30 is definitely a car for the diy mechanic

[liquid079]

But then thats one of the reasons why i love it

[Andy335Touring]

Get the cable from the dealers as it's cheaper than ECP.

Easy job to do, take the cowling off above the pedals, pull off/unclip the cable from the pedal, follow the cable back to the bulkhead and with a pair of plyers squeeze the top and bottom sides of the square thing that holds the cable to the bulkhead and push the lot through to the engine bay.

I can't remember how it attach's at the TB end but it will be some thing fairly simple.

HTH

[NIX]

That sounds doable. Now need to arrange transport to a BMW garage. The nearest one is a short while away and I work throughout the week

Just been looking at prices for E36s. Someone slap me!!!

[Andy335Touring]

That sounds doable. Now need to arrange transport to a BMW garage. The nearest one is a short while away and I work throughout the week

If transport is a problem mail order it through ECP, i've got stranded with mine, i've got a rear wheel bearing on order, if you phone it through early enough they normally despach it the same day.

Just been looking at prices for E36s. Someone slap me!!!

You will have stuff dropping off the E36 as well as it's still fairly old, i'm not one to knock the E36 as i'd quite like a 328 or M3 at some point.

If you can strech to it an E46 330i is supposed to be a decent car.

[NIX]

Nah mate, if I was serious about getting a new car right now I'd be looking at a vw corrado vr6 or maybe a 944 of some sort. Although given all the things that need fixing and improving on the e30, its still cheaper to run than either of the 2 just mentioned, even if I do have to pay someone else for labour now and then.

Thanks for the pointers mate! Might give ECP a ring tomorrow and have a go at tackling the cable myself in that case. If I can get it sorted then I'm just back to my million and one other things to sort

[gareth]

i constantly have a lift of "to do's" and a shopping list in my wallet for whenever i'm near a breakers or have a spare half hour.

tha list is rarely less than a A4 page!

i dream of the day it's gone!

[DRIFTBOY]

Me too!

When I do a job on the car and cross something off the list I find 3 more things to put on it!

[Brianmoooore]

Here's another of these threads!
A properly maintained E30 is the most reliable car you can ever hope to own. That's the problem - some of you are so busy throwing 17" wheels, s/steel exhausts, etc. on them that the basic maintenance that all cars needs doesn't get done.
I have two E30s in daily use and they just go on and on, flying through MOTs year after year, without even advisories.
In the last few years, all that one has needed is a new exhaust rear section. The other has needed one as well, a fresh fuel pump (which was entitled to wear out after 250,000 miles), and has had two failed gaskets, both caused by an incompetent mechanic in the past leaving nuts loose.

[gooner1]

Might as well lock this now as there is absolutetley nothing more to add to Brians post.Nuff said.

[Hyperion]

I have been lucky with my e30 it was in the family from new and has been passed on to me, i still take the car to BMW dealer for servicing, its crazy and expensive sometimes but i feel it is worth it. Every morning i jump in and turn the key and she starts it reminds me how good these cars are if they are taken car of. I have been thinking of making my car faster but have decided not to, the fear of loosing the cars reliablity scares me i do like my 17" wheels, but i am very wary of fiddling with the engine.

[gooner1]

Completeley the other way mate,dont think id let anyone else touch it.Done me cam belt ,water pump,tensioner etc.All with help from others on here.Biggest thing i,d done before was change a starter motor on a Xr3i.

[Hyperion]

i wish i was as brave as you gooner, i think i would like to give it bash myself to be honest, but i would need to have a 2nd car i can drive incase i do something totally wrong.

[gooner1]

Trust me mate,if i can do it anyone can and there is always someone willing to help with advice on here.
Felt exactly the same as you,was really bricking it first time i turned the key after cambelt change but theres
nothing like doing it yourself when engine is even sweeter after your own work.

[NIX]

i wish i was as brave as you gooner, i think i would like to give it bash myself to be honest, but i would need to have a 2nd car i can drive incase i do something totally wrong.

Kind of the same with me really. I love cars, I like working on them and have done in the past with mates who had more of an idea of what they're doing. But on my own I'm more hesitant.

I don't have 17s, stainless steel exhausts, go faster stripes etc. Its been converted to a 325i and thats it. For the mean time I just want it to run sweet with everything working and the bodywork in good shape. Eventually want things like performance suspension, manifold, better brakes etc but need to get the fundementals sorted first.

Its just frustrating when you get one step forward but then two steps back.

[thebigone]

That is the joy of having an E30, it give you a reason to get up in the morning, something to share with kids wife ect, and a very good reason to be a member of this forum, just fitted an OBC and now my rear fogs dont wont to play. While that in itself is anoying, I wont loose any sleep over it.

Its just frustrating when you get one step forward but then two steps back.

chin up and go for it

[NIX]

Yeah, think im gonna get a list of parts I need to get the niggly things sorted myself and 'just do it'

The bigger issues however will just have to wait till I get my next pay cheque.

Cheers guys!

[pnd]

As Brian moore says once fixed they are reliable but it does take a while to get there with some of these old cars that have been run for years with little or no maintenance. Again thats why good ones are worth searching out and paying a good price for cos in the long run they are cheaper and less hassle.

[DRIFTBOY]

I know what you and Brianmoooore mean, but...
I have rebuilt and fitted an M30 engine to mine.
Have put on loads of new stuff, brakes, suspension etc. but I bought a cheap, old car.
It's taking plenty of time and money to get it up to the specification and condition I want it in.
I could have spent more for a nicer car but I prefer to do all the work myself and fit the parts that I want to fit. It's just that I keep thinking of more stuff I want to do to it!
It's been totally reliable so far.
The satisfaction of driving something that has had my own time and effort put into it is priceless.
And when you build up a project car yourself, maintainance definately isn't neglected!

[Brianmoooore]

The best way to buy an E30, as long as you know your E30s, is to find a slightly faulty one, as this can make it a real bargain.
The one of my E30s that has never given any trouble, I bought about five years ago for Ԛ£200 from a junior doctor at the local hospital. Started OK, but within a couple of minutes would start hesitating and spluttering.
Coaxed it home, stopping half way to screw up the bolts on one front wheel that was threatening to declare independence, and, one blue temperature sender later, had a fully working E30.
Over the next couple of weeks i found out that the car had a nasty habit of stranding you in the middle of nowhere when the fuel pump decided to quit at random.
A fresh pump sorted that, and I treated it to new rear beam bushes and rear brakelines shortly afterwards, and it's given no trouble since. Just normal service items and the fresh rear silencer I just put on.

[NIX]

Speaking of brake lines, what do you think of the ones for sale on the zone shop? My car has no ABS and I would quite like to get my brakes up to scratch. May well upgrade the pads also but would quite like to know what you guys think of these brake lines and how hard are they to fit?

Let me know if I need to start a new thread in a different section or something.

Cheers!

[gareth]

i agree with both what brian said and then PND and DRIFTBOYS comments. like driftboy i have done a M30 conversion but the car (like most) has suffered from years of wear and tear before me. i change the oil and filter every 5000 miles and as i do all of the work myself i don't ever leave problems that arise before sorting them however, my quest for E30 perfection is neverending!

there are a lot of jobs i have on my list that are worth doing but time consuming so take a back seat, eg i have one small crack on the dash. if anything needs doing behind there then i will swap it but if not it will cost me a weekend with the kids for one small detail! i rarely get much trouble at MOT time after i've owned a car for a year or two but in the meantime there is a lot of work getting any car up to the standard that i expect. it's only fair that a few of us 'save' more tired E30's as they're at the bottom of their value before they reach proper classic status and a lot are getting killed off

[NIX]

I'm trying to 'save' my e30 but unfortunately its not something I can do entirely by myself meaning I end having to save up for labour as well as the cost of parts

I'm still trying though, but patience and wallet has definitely been tested during ownership.

[gareth]

this is the problem with aging cars, with garage prices for the little jobs, it's cheaper to buy a newer car! this is when mot failure cars get scrapped with little electrical problems etc.

[DRIFTBOY]

Same with any old car most of the time.
I don't like new cars much, apart from the stuff I can't and probably never will afford.
The way I see it is, new cars depreciate fast, losing it's owner thousands of pounds in a few years.
An old - or modified - car could lose you thousands too but is much more fun and satisfying to drive and to own.

[320Touring]

Tbh with you i'd rather have an older car that has "issues" now and then that I can fix myself rather than shelling out a months wagges on labour to fit a wiperblade.

It can be trying and annoying when things go wrong, esp at the wrong time, however the sense of satisfaction when you get it working again is priceless.

[gareth]

plus the fact that after a while you begine to 'know' your car inside out and the pride that comes from thinking "i did that"

[320Touring]

plus the fact that after a while you begine to 'know' your car inside out and the pride that comes from thinking "i did that"

this exactly!

cant say much more for my car than it took me and a mate to the Ukraine and back over some of the worst roads in Europe, in 32 degree heat, with a full boot and never batted an eyelid



she needs a crank sensor now though

[E30BeemerLad]

hehe, similar thread to what got me out of an E30 eventually
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... iots+guide