Is the E30 Over engineered?

[SCOTT325SE]

For the year, very over engineered.

Did you know the E30 was the first production car to have fiber optics .?.

No - the Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 had fibre optics in 1973 to illuminate switches and the instruments - a European first. General Motors had Fibre Optics in Cadillacs in the sixties but the Americans were always way ahead of everyone else with that sort of thing. Self seeking radios in 1956, electronic automatic gearboxes in 1959 along with turbochargers. BMW were building bubble cars around this time.

Just started reading this thread and was about to make this exact statement. My old man has got a daimler series 2 which dates back way past my birth (but not past andys!) and this has fibre optics inside, so not really a first, but it is well nifty all the same. saves on bulbs i must admit.

[Andyboy]

Fair enough - but metal quality has a lot to do with it. For example, Alfasuds built after late 1978 were made using 'zincrometal' which was zinc coated - on regenerated steel (melted down junk from Russia) which suffered from galvanic corrosion which is unstoppable. I'm sure a lot of E30's were made from cheaper steel which is why you see some in remarkable condition and others that are absolutely rotten. Not as bad as those Alfasuds though. Bloody hell they were shocking.

[Chris-W]

I fell in love with Alfasuds in '82, and swore I'd get one when I passed my test. By the time I did in '87 most were dessicated husks.

Such a shame.

[ivesy]

Galvanized, zinc plated, whatever, I've got a late 92 325conv and its rusty as fuck, any ideas anyone?

[reory35]

All in all you either love em or hate em, every car built in the history of automotion, has some kind of snag or problem, especially the new bmws from 97 onwards their terrible lol! e30's are the best and will always be i think we should start a petiton to have bmw build them again! what do you guys think?

[dazleeds]

All in all you either love em or hate em, every car built in the history of automotion, has some kind of snag or problem, especially the new bmws from 97 onwards their terrible lol! e30's are the best and will always be i think we should start a petiton to have bmw build them again! what do you guys think?

only if ya petition for a minimum of 3litres

[Jay-T]

For the year, very over engineered.

Did you know the E30 was the first production car to have fiber optics .?.

Sorry to put a spanner into cars which first used fiber Optics, but is was not the BMW E30 that used them first. It was Mercedes with the W123, as they used them for the upper center console switches that worked off the head light switch.

The switch symbols would light up when you switched the lights on, in conjuction with the dash lights. This has been used by Merc's since the early 1977 and was the the most mass produced car that Mercedes ever made to date.

If I'm not mistaken it was used before that for the headlamp tilt/aim switch that was used on all Merc from 1974 onwards.

(I only know this because I was Ex Merc Tech)

but as with all German car makers they always use good ideas.

PS. great show at Santa Pod, saw some tasty E30's and tasty pole dances.

unfortunatly I when down in the E36 vert as the Tech1 is not ready yet.

regards
Jay-T

[pacerpete]

Sorry Jay T , you are wrong, jaguar used fibre optics on the series 2 XJ range introduced in 1973, chevrolet had them on the C3 corvette introduced in 1968 and i am sure they were probably used on other american cars before that. Oh and the 123 range was launched in 1976.

[Brianmoooore]

Only guessing, but is it possible the E30 was first to use flexible bundled fibres, as opposed to light guides made from a single piece of clear plastic?

[cougar]

I just wished thay didn't suffer from the old rot issues!!

I don't know where you find these rotted E30s. In the last couple of years I've bought, I think, seven E30s, all without seeing them first except for a couple of photos.
Out of these, only one has had rust issues serious enough to place the shell beyond sensible repair.

iv found hidden rust under the factory under coat i was changing the rear springs on my touring and accidentally scratched the rubber under coating above the spring platform was shock to find rust under the coating had creped 5 incs under the chassis so i checked the other side scraped the coating with screw driver and also found rust,but their were no sings of rust until i started scraping so I'm thinking where els is their rust hidden under the coating

[Brianmoooore]

I just wished thay didn't suffer from the old rot issues!!

I don't know where you find these rotted E30s. In the last couple of years I've bought, I think, seven E30s, all without seeing them first except for a couple of photos.
Out of these, only one has had rust issues serious enough to place the shell beyond sensible repair.

iv found hidden rust under the factory under coat i was changing the rear springs on my touring and accidentally scratched the rubber under coating above the spring platform was shock to find rust under the coating had creped 5 incs under the chassis so i checked the other side scraped the coating with screw driver and also found rust,but their were no sings of rust until i started scraping so I'm thinking where els is their rust hidden under the coating

I know all about this, and the cars I'm talking about have all been thoroughly inspected. All liners, covers, wheels etc., removed, car on a four post ramp and all the likely areas probed and prodded.

[Jay-T]

Sorry Jay T , you are wrong, jaguar used fibre optics on the series 2 XJ range introduced in 1973, chevrolet had them on the C3 corvette introduced in 1968 and i am sure they were probably used on other american cars before that. Oh and the 123 range was launched in 1976.

Yes it was launched in 76, but did not become main stream till 77. as the W115 was still being produced till the end on 76.

and lets not forget the W116 that used Opits on the same switches from the same period as the Jag's

I agree with you on the American car front they did used Fiber Optics alot on their cars. and the Jag thing is a new one on me.


Well appreciate the confrontation "pacerpete" (history is a great thing)

Regards
Jay-T

[Andyboy]

Maybe Brianmoooooooooooooooooooooooooooore lives in Florida! I've seen plenty of really ratfucked E30's with the arse literally falling out. Inner rear arches seem to be a weak spot and the scuttles are terrible on plastic bumper cars (but not so much on the chromers.
As I've said before; I've seen plenty of rusty E30's but can't recall seeing a rusty Pug on an F-G-H plate. But there are still enough solid E30's to go round - they aren't that rare yet although I haven't seen a good chromer in the UK for years. I sawe a stunning bronzit 4 door 320i in Hamburg on Sunday though!

[pacerpete]

Wrong Everett, they never made a stunning 4 door, especially in bronzit ! was it dumped ?

[DanThe]

Whats wrong with 4 doors? Why do people think they look so bad?

[Andyboy]

Wrong Everett, they never made a stunning 4 door, especially in bronzit ! was it dumped ?

No but it was close to the airport. But then I saw the small print on the Easyjet bumf; "No liquids. No lotions. No chrome bumpered shite"

[Ziggy]

I haven't seen a good chromer in the UK for years.

Miserable git. Just cos mine's 'adabitopaint.

[320Touring]

I haven't seen a good chromer in the UK for years.

Miserable git. Just cos mine's 'adabitopaint.

your chromie's so rusty the roof fell off

[Andyboy]

I haven't seen a good chromer in the UK for years.

Miserable git. Just cos mine's 'adabitopaint.

I meant UK based Chrome saloons! A bit like that red thing you had - who the fuck sold you that?

Name and shame!!

[Ziggy]

Some random dodgy fcuker... The rear seat was well worn too, & I found 6 or 7 werthers original packets down the back of it