paranoia...

[johnono]

lads and lasses,

do u ever lay in your beds at night and think solemnly to yourselves "? i wonder how long that engineԚ´ll last ?"

well iԚ´m serious, its doin my brain in. iԚ´m not to sure if there is anything wrong, prbably nuffin at all really as it has the usuall tapping as most m20 fans will agree.

but i find myself lacking in confidence when it comes to gunning her a bit and feel not to sure if thisԚ´ll be the `last blastԚ´ before it pops

what im waistin time on here is ... whats the First Aid checklist of making sure the engine is maintained to a safe standard of operation
long winded i know , but would well appreciate the insight dudes

[Jesus325iTouring]

I (and my missus) was constantly worried about the same thing fella,but after putting it on a rolling road and the guy confirming the engine was in good shape I no longer do.
My suggestion would be for you to do the same thing,i don't mean take it you your local garage and have one of their monkeys stick their nose around it,but someone knowlable who has a rolling road and will give you an honest opinion on it's condition.
HTH a bit

[johnono]

cheers rog mate i didnt even think about that to be honest, but finding one might be fun

[MONSPORT42]

Lived with E30 paranoia for years and got used to it. I do loadsamiles every year in mine and I never turn the radio on so I can listen to the engine and whole car in case it starts doing something it shouldn't! If I hear something strange I can then obsess on it, running though all the possibilities in my head. Sad innit!

[JoeP]

Haha. I'm convinced I've got a cracked head/knackered head gasket. It's in response to someone last week saying it causes erratic idling and steaming exhaust for a few mins after start up. Apart from that she's running like a dream and pulls strongly up to 120 when I generally lose my nerve/run out of road. Someone did say it might just be a dodgy exhaust? sensor though. I did think my suspension was shot until I put bigger rims on.

[amit325i]

I used to be paranoid when i first got the car as it had some intermittent electrical problems, but its essentially be trouble free for at least 3 years, engine wise anyway , even if its going go, its inevitable things do wear out eventually! Now i just drive and relax, i am at one with the e30( until something happens which is imminent now)

[Turbo-Brown]

I had M20 paranoia for a while.

Then I got to trust the old girl.

Then the engine died.

That doesn't help does it

If you're really worried, why not spend Ԛ£100 on new bearing shells and enjoy another 200,000 miles of worry free driving?

[johnono]

Lived with E30 paranoia for years and got used to it. I do loadsamiles every year in mine and I never turn the radio on so I can listen to the engine and whole car in case it starts doing something it shouldn't! If I hear something strange I can then obsess on it, running though all the possibilities in my head. Sad innit!

that is me missus and i will be out, enjoying a pleasant afternoonsԚ´drive , when all of the sudden iԚ´ll jump forward and slam the radio off and say " Shhh, can u hear that, ............................... "

boy do i know how to partay

[MONSPORT42]

Right now we've got the paranoia sorted out all we've got to do is deal with the schitzophrenia. My other car's a.....

[aus325]

I was fine with my car until I discovered 'the zone'.. Since then I have read stories and seen accompanying pics of broken cam belts, warped/cracked heads etc..
I'm sure BMW knew what they were doing when they built the car, and they provided a suitable servicing schedule also. But as these cars are now well into their teens, a certain responsibilty rests on the shoulders of us now - the owners, ie: more regular inspections. Surely most failures occur due to a lack of maintenance or due care.
If this paranoia of potential failure spoils the enjoyment of driving the car - then by all means, take it to a specialist.

[Jesus325iTouring]

Funny,this threads now taken my memory back to being in the car with Dad as a kid.
Driving along and all of sudden........."SHHH Whats that??"
I now think perhaps the "SHH Whats that?" is passed from father to son subconciously through the generations!

[MONSPORT42]

I'm with Jesus, I'm sure it's genetic and I'd be the same if I was driving and brand new M3! Strangely enough though and despite the paranoia, I'm not a member of the AA or RAC! The Sport does get earlier than average oil changes and gets frequent Inspection Is and IIs. I think this also stems from driving my first car which was a 1958 MG Magnette ZA which had for about 7 years which I serviced and repaired myself and didn't have a clue what I was doing. Brown parcel tape and 3in1 springs to mind - that car broke down once a week! It was a lovely shade of red Isopon too.!

[johnono]

Funny,this threads now taken my memory back to being in the car with Dad as a kid.
Driving along and all of sudden........."SHHH Whats that??"
I now think perhaps the "SHH Whats that?" is passed from father to son subconciously through the generations!

fpmsl, i can see im not going mad then wish i could blame the old man for this one, sadly i think its the missusԚ´ fault

bit of a fraidy cat bless her

[DemonDaz]

I'm not alone!

Seriously, I regularly check oil, water etc. Oil looks fine, water occasionally goes down, but hasn't since the water pump was replaced.

But what I would like is a picture of some mayo oil to see what it is really like. One of you must be able to get a piccie!! Please?

It's not just the head though, since I bought the cab two months ago I have spent a fortune, and the missus keeps asking "What Next?"

[mrLEE30]

Or even worse if someone drives your car even for a short while when it comes back it is never the same, and i dont mean the seat position, but you hear new noises, and the steerin feels a little vague, and youre sure the brake pedal didn't have that much movement in it etc etc.

best bet is to invest in good ICE and dont fix unless broken, ever wonder why some 75 year old dear who doesn't warm up the engine in -50, sets off on second all the time, cruises at 55 in 3rd from scotland to devon and still on original oil/brake pads will do 250000 miles and sell it in almost factory condition still good for another 250000, i am tellin ya knowledge is king, but ignorance is bliss!

mrlee

[johnono]

omg with the "when u get it back its not the same"
when i let her take it for the first time, she hasnt driven in a car in almost 7 years...what was i thinking anyway, when i got it back i swear there was no clutch left, i was fumin for hours.. but i didnԚ´t say anythin coz u know itԚ´d only make things worse

now after sheԚ´s driven it...it feels like a brand new car, iԚ´m not joking! i donԚ´t know what she does to it but it feels soo much smoother when i get it back, though now thinking about it i bet its because shes strained every little nut Ԛ´n bolt on it the fcuker cant wait to come home

[GuyM]

was driving my 3 year old passat turbo about 70 on the motorway with kids asleep in the back. suddenly dashborad lit up like a xmas tree told me "stop" immediately and seek assistance due to lack of water.
temperature guage was rock steady on medium, no steam from the bonnet...so i though "fcuk it" and just ignored the dashboard. did another 100 miles with the bloody dashboard going mental at me. next day checked the water level.....down about one inch...topped it all up, everything fine every since...

the moral of the story...
new cars are too complicated and scare you for no real reason

old cars eg the e30 are different, they tell you in their own weird way when something is not right....look out for the warning signs in advance...try and service it regularly...yep, listen out for all those strange noises, they are advance warning that something is not right somewhere and are far more real than some electronic warning light. look after it on a continuous basis...not just one service a year and it'll give years of happy motoring.....

[mrLEE30]

I simply stopped my other half from driving my cabby by buying her a 325sport, that way i can screw her car for a change!! role reversal is nice, i take it out, run through all the water i can find, empty the tank, drop crap in the passenger footwell, empty a bit of oil out to get the warning light to come on, then park it outside the house at 13 degrees to the curb, then scratch the rear offside rubbing strip.

Ha ave it.

mrlee