Trade 535i for 318i?

skip535i · Post by **skip535i** » Mar 16, 2012 10:28 AM

YOU TRADE NOW! If you don't like it, sell it, buy another E28.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Mar 16, 2012 11:23 AM

Major rust does change ones opinion.

For me, it's;
1st - Structural integrity
2nd - Mechanically sound
3rd - Cosmetics

All the above add to or detract from the cars value.
Your skill set and/or resources, finances included, will determine the deal maker/breaker.
Which battle/s, if any, are you willing to fight.

Push come to shove, I'd drive it as a 5 cylinder until...

Best of Luck to you on your decision.

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Mar 16, 2012 11:35 AM

1st 5er wrote:
Push come to shove, I'd drive it as a 5 cylinder until...

Best of Luck to you on your decision.

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=76971

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Mar 16, 2012 11:41 AM

Mike W. wrote:
1st 5er wrote:
Push come to shove, I'd drive it as a 5 cylinder until...

Best of Luck to you on your decision.
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=76971

From OP's first thread.
http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?p=992681#992681

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 16, 2012 10:23 PM

slimdevil27 wrote:The E318, 36, whateverthefuck car won't be repairable by you. Most general repair shops don't even mess with european repairs, they don't have the euro software for something as simple as a maintenance reminder.

Damn near anything that has gone wrong or could go wrong with the E28 you'll find here and in the Bentley. In two or three posts your car was ACCURATELY diagnosed by "our" vast panel of experts.

FIX.

YOUR.

CAR.

Or make the trade and you can get shagrath to make you a sticker like this:

............you'll need it to complete you're new "look".

BUT if you turn around and sell it to by a better E28, all is forgiven

Not gonna, gaydar would be deserved with an e36, but I don't see why it wouldn't be repairable. I had a 2000 528i and did all of the maintenance on it with no trouble, so I would assume the 4cyl would be easier.

Push come to shove, I'd drive it as a 5 cylinder until...

I couldn't get it to stay running on 5 cylinders, it would just run for about 5 seconds and die.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Mar 17, 2012 1:51 AM

Got fuel?

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 17, 2012 3:56 PM

1st 5er wrote:Got fuel?

About 1/4 tank.

1st 5er · Post by **1st 5er** » Mar 17, 2012 4:32 PM

Could be a bad in tank pump, or, http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?p=996366#996366.

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 18, 2012 2:16 AM

Right now I think the plan is screw the E36, throw a trans in my Jeep, and then park the E28 and rebuild the engine.

Hopefully I can get all of that done by May so I can hit up The Vintage in Winston-Salem.

thespeedfactory · Post by **thespeedfactory** » Mar 18, 2012 3:28 AM

You have chosen wisely...

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 11:13 AM

Tammer in Philly wrote:
slimdevil27 wrote:The E318, 36, whateverthefuck car won't be repairable by you. Most general repair shops don't even mess with European repairs, they don't have the euro software for something as simple as a maintenance reminder.

Damn near anything that has gone wrong or could go wrong with the E28 you'll find here and in the Bentley. In two or three posts your car was ACCURATELY diagnosed by "our" vast panel of experts.

FIX.

YOUR.

CAR.

Or make the trade and you can get shagrath to make you a sticker like this:

............you'll need it to complete you're new "look".

BUT if you turn around and sell it to by a better E28, all is forgiven
Have you ever turned a wrench on an E36? They are just as simple as E28s, and just as reliable. I've owned 3 without major issue. Quit spouting crap you have no experience to back up.

OP, just get the 318. They have virtually all had the profile gasket replaced by now, but it's smart to ask.

-tammer

Go fuck yourself. That post sat for awhile, so I didn't see the rust pics...

I'd still fix it....maybe that's because I can....because maybe I'm "okay" at fixing cars....or maybe it's because....
you know...what I do for a living...."maybe" as in ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN......as in CERTIFIED IN ALL 8 REGULAR AREAS WITH MY FUCKING L1.

I was giving him shit..if he can't take it, then I'm sure you'll eat a double helping.

"Quit spouting crap you have no experience to back up."

You're right, I'll go practice my ineptitude today: remove and tear down a 4L60 (no reverse), diag intermittent stalling on an 03 Mazda Tribute (no codes), confirm a stuck lifter or bad valve on an 86 Ford 6.9l Diesel (shop said it needed an engine-no compression on one cylinder but it's blowing back into the intake), diag window issues on an 99 Chev Venture van, order an auxiliary water pump for a 95 525i (which I bypassed today), diag a crank, no start on a 93 Ford Ranger, source a central locking module for an 04 Audi Quattro A4.....Oh and drop an email to check on the status of the axle beam mounts(subframe bushings) for an 81 320i. The same 320i that I rebuilt the shift linkage, replaced the transmission and clutch, fabed and welded in new drivers seat mounts, full tune up, and sorted out the electrical problems with the Chevy alternator a PO put in.....

I have no clue what I'm doing and I've never worked on an E36.

No, really.

Bitch I'm breaking for lunch before you can even untangle your panties.

My point is that the E28 is the better car, by switching platforms he would loose the resources this forum offers, including FREE DIAGNOSTIC HELP and HOW TO DO IT.
Which, on the E36, he'd be taking to a shop and most fucking likely not a general repair shop but a BMW or euro shop....with it's of course higher labor rate. I don't like the styling of the E36, or most of the BMW's of that era, something about a raked grill just does it for me. Might as well buy a Taurus or an Acura, and unless he's willing to spring for a scanner/software it will be harder to diagnose.

The rust changes things a bit and it comes down to skills/equipment/money/dedication. Look at spark Jr.'s thread, members here banded together to DONATE the needed parts to get his body damage fixed, as well as their expertise, time, storage and physical help. The op, if so inclined could easily source the panel sections to weld in, and probably a helping hand and a welder from a local member. Or he's got a good drivetrain for a future swap to a better platform. If that's not up his alley, then make the trade and then sell or trade it for another E28.

snakebrain · Post by **snakebrain** » Mar 18, 2012 11:19 AM

slimdevil27 wrote:
Tammer in Philly wrote:
slimdevil27 wrote:The E318, 36, whateverthefuck car won't be repairable by you. Most general repair shops don't even mess with European repairs, they don't have the euro software for something as simple as a maintenance reminder.

Damn near anything that has gone wrong or could go wrong with the E28 you'll find here and in the Bentley. In two or three posts your car was ACCURATELY diagnosed by "our" vast panel of experts.

FIX.

YOUR.

CAR.

Or make the trade and you can get shagrath to make you a sticker like this:

............you'll need it to complete you're new "look".

BUT if you turn around and sell it to by a better E28, all is forgiven
Have you ever turned a wrench on an E36? They are just as simple as E28s, and just as reliable. I've owned 3 without major issue. Quit spouting crap you have no experience to back up.

OP, just get the 318. They have virtually all had the profile gasket replaced by now, but it's smart to ask.

-tammer
Go fuck yourself. That post sat for awhile, so I didn't see the rust pics...

I'd still fix it....maybe that's because I can....because maybe I'm "okay" at fixing cars....or maybe it's because....
you know...what I do for a living...."maybe" as in ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN......as in CERTIFIED IN ALL 8 REGULAR AREAS WITH MY FUCKING L1.

Pass the popcorn.

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 18, 2012 11:59 AM

snakebrain wrote:Pass the popcorn.

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 12:18 PM

oldskool · Post by **oldskool** » Mar 18, 2012 12:23 PM

Oh my. Someone has woken up on the wrong side of the bed today.

Tammer in Philly · Post by **Tammer in Philly** » Mar 18, 2012 12:24 PM

slimdevil27 wrote::dunno:

:popcorn:

Fucking troll. Sorry I didn't have time to rapidly respond to your spouting of ignorance. I was busy defending my thesis and getting my PhD.

So you can work on cars. Big fucking deal, a lot of us can. I have owned 3 E36s, currently own two, and maintain two others for family members. Know what? They are all simple to work on, mostly trouble-free, and cost less money to operate than any of the E28s I've owned and my E34. That is PERSONAL, LONG-TERM experience with the platform in many different forms (325i x2, 328i, M3 x2), and enough total mileage (>200k accumulated miles among them) to be a relevant sample.

The only E36 that has cost any money at all to work in is my race car. The only money it has cost is for modifications. The original driveline is still going strong at 127k miles, of which the last 16k miles is 85% track use. Yeah, they're total pieces of shit.

Name me one job that's harder to do on an E36 than on an E28. I can name you several that are much harder on an E28: trailing arm bushings, heater core replacement, valve adjustment (E36 needs none), front strut replaement (E36 doesn't have separate inserts, fewer steps in the process), tie rod replacement (E36 doesn't have inner ball joints, easing removal of old units). Only thing that's tougher on an E36 is subframe bushings and rear upper control arm inner ball joints (E28 doesn't have those arms). Engine-wise, the M/S5x is bulletproof and dead simple. Vanos is easy to work on. I'm not as experienced with the M4x, but there's plenty of info out there to answer questions.

You're an idiot.

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 12:28 PM

snakebrain · Post by **snakebrain** » Mar 18, 2012 12:49 PM

Tammer FTW!!

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 18, 2012 2:02 PM

slimdevil27 wrote:[Or he's got a good drivetrain for a future swap to a better platform.

I did think about swapping it into my e24. Too bad I don't have more time

. Oh well, I kinda like the e28 better than the e24. I think it has something to do with the taillights.

M. Holtmeier · Post by **M. Holtmeier** » Mar 18, 2012 3:34 PM

I have always viewed an ASE MASTER CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN achievement to be leaps and bounds over that of a PhD. I mean, it took me a whole night to get my ASE certs.

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 18, 2012 6:41 PM

Well the guy doesn't want to trade anymore (his loss), so that makes the decision even easier than it already was. I don't think I could stand to see someone else in the car that I've already worked so hard on. Hopefully I can get this junk fixed before May. And I shall pray to the BMW gods that nothing else breaks.

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 7:16 PM

You are an exception. Not everyone can work on their own cars and those that have to do for themselves are better off with a platform with as much support as this forum offers and is as simple as possible. Unless he is willing to outlay the cash for a scanner, or software for a laptop, adding computer diagnostics to the mix only increases the complexity and cost of maintenance. Hence it won't be repairable by him if anything diagnostic wise goes wrong. He's obviously handy enough with a wrench so the mechanical aspects are a given, regardless of which platform. I spot on nailed that as confirmed by later posts about putting the trans in his Jeep, I see his type all the time. They can fix their cars up to a point and then just need a little help, guidance or diagnostic work. Now mark this: I rarely if ever see your type. It's a rare customer that knows what the hell he's doing, so why would "you" be coming through my door? We are not talking about you, I was judging his abilities and skill set. Can he learn? Of course he can, it's nothing demeaning about the OP, just a gauge of where he's at technically.

I never said there was anything wrong with the platform , the drivetrain, called them apiece of shit or any such thing. I don't like them. I think that they look like gay, cookie cutter garbage. Hence my "whateverthefuck car", which is about anything in the 90's. Auto styling as a whole took a fucking nose dive and you could barely tell one bubble car from the next, it's a whateverthefuck car.

If he's talking about getting rid of a car over a broken rocker arm for an "unknown" car, as was stated "the devil you know is better than the one you don't". This was before I saw the rust pics, but all too often I see people ditching cars with a major problem that's repairable only to get another car that "runs". What they pay in taxes, registration and insurance would have fixed their fucking car! This wasn't even anywhere near a major repair.

You are not a typical car owner. You have extensive firsthand knowledge of that platform and drivetrain. You aren't even an enthusiast, more like a connoisseur. You summed it up with one line "They have virtually all had the profile gasket replaced by now, but it's smart to ask."

I have no idea what a profile gasket is and most likely neither does the OP. I'm sure everything I need to know to repair it is in Mitchell or Alldata. Can I fix it? Yeah and most likely so could the OP. Can he fix everything on the the E36 like he can the E28? There's the sticking point, you are adding a whole new skill set and tool set for the diagnostics. Not just any diagnostics but European diagnostics, which not every shop will handle and does not have anywhere near the support as Domestic or Japanese. For something that old, yeah it's there and getting cheaper all the time.

So what crap was I spouting? That it would need to go to a shop for repairs? Most likely unless he has a scanner/software and the capability to use it. That most general repair shops won't touch euro? I know shops that don't even do ELECTRICAL!

Do I have the experience to back up everything I said? Yeah I do. That's what you called me out on and what I took offense to.

So you can work on cars. Big fucking deal, a lot of us can.

I'm not a grease monkey, and I'm not a mechanic. I'm an Automotive Technician. Just like your PhD, I went to school for this, I go to classes to keep current on technology and diagnostics, I read technical data for fun, and every day I have to hit a moving target, on the fly, in any automotive system, regardless of make and model. It is a big deal, it's the difference between putting on a band aid and a brain surgeon. I know a lot of "mechanics" and guess who gets called when the shit gets thick? Guess who fixes what no one else can fix? There's a guy down at your local shop ready and willing to jump around like a monkey with a hard on, and just like a monkey he'll throw shit at your car all day long and call it fixed. Guys like me on the other hand, we wrote your technical manuals, and I'm glad you can follow, it gives me hope that there are people out there with more than a lick of shit between their ears. I don't mean that as disparaging, quite the contrary. As a kid I learned from my grandpa, my friends grandpa, my dad...they were men. They could fix anything, no fear, just care, patience and common sense along with the persistence to do the job right. I look around at the halfassed shit that this entitlement era brings and to know that common sense isn't dead is a great thing.

Skilled technicians are a dying breed, not really dying so much as the auto repair industry is hemorrhaging skilled techs to the IT fields. Why bust your ass for less than stellar pay, abuse your mind and body to exhaustion and still get treated like a thieving leper when you can get paid more, sitting in a cushy office, with benefits and vacation for the exact same diagnostic ability? I used to love it, now? I'm jaded and tired. Attitudes like yours are a large part of the reason, and no, not everyone can do this.

Jake D · Post by **Jake D** » Mar 18, 2012 7:18 PM

E. All of the above.

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 7:50 PM

M. Holtmeier wrote:I have always viewed an ASE MASTER CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN achievement to be leaps and bounds over that of a PhD. I mean, it took me a whole night to get my ASE certs.

Um yeah, 15+ years of hands on experience and specialized training vs. 3 years and a thesis? WOW, how about that PhD.

One whole night to get your ASE certs huh?
How did you get two years of hands on experience in one night? You must have been jerking it awfully fast.
How did even register for the L1?
What? Oh, that's right....you fucking can't unless you are already certified in A8.
You're trying to tell me that you took all 8 regular tests in one night, plus the L1?

BULLSHIT.
You are a fucking moron.

E2K · Post by **E2K** » Mar 18, 2012 8:04 PM

Oops, I didn't mean to start a war.

Also, not to add to said war, but I still don't think that newer cars are all that hard to work on. That 2000 E39 in my avatar has been around for 7 years and has almost 220,000 miles and I kind of think that its easier to work on than the E28 (once all of the stupid plastic on the engine is removed anyway). It was the first BMW I'd ever worked on and its what made me decide to get the E28, because it was so easy to work on and is so reliable.

oldskool · Post by **oldskool** » Mar 18, 2012 9:47 PM

WHOO HOO! Full on shitstorm just when I was getting uppity. . .

slimdevil27 · Post by **slimdevil27** » Mar 18, 2012 10:32 PM

Oops, I didn't mean to start a war.

More like marital spat.

I think I just need to get out more, maybe join the Seattle BMW club. The PNW with it's hippie farts and rainbow unicorns has me doubting humanity as a whole.

I didn't mean to demean your abilities or experience, it's hard to gauge where peoples skill level is and temper the information given to match.

I agree about some new cars....manufactures have really started to engineer for ease of service, mostly for reduced labor on warranty work, but it's all the same to me. The 80's and early 90's were absolute hell for auto repair on the domestics and some Japanese. At least the Europeans had their shit together.

Is that the extent of the rust on your E28 or just the worst areas? How are the subframe mounting areas? How are the fenders, doors and other body panels?

mooseheadm5 · Post by **mooseheadm5** » Mar 18, 2012 10:34 PM

M. Holtmeier wrote:I have always viewed an ASE MASTER CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN achievement to be leaps and bounds over that of a PhD. I mean, it took me a whole night to get my ASE certs.

And I didn't even study. I never got around to taking the HVAC or auto trans, though, since I could only take 6 tests at once. Never needed them. ASE certs don't mean much, just like my BSME. Plenty of people with either still don't know how to actually apply their knowledge.

That said, the ASE tests were waaaaaay easier than getting a BSME.

Tammer in Philly · Post by **Tammer in Philly** » Mar 18, 2012 10:57 PM

slimdevil27 wrote: Um yeah, 15+ years of hands on experience and specialized training vs. 3 years and a thesis? WOW, how about that PhD.

Enjoy your delusions.

M. Holtmeier · Post by **M. Holtmeier** » Mar 18, 2012 11:23 PM

Albert Einstein must have been a complete moron for not even being able to drive a car while you, on the other hand, are ASE MASTER CERTIFIED to work on all makes and models!

slimdevil27 wrote:One whole night to get your ASE certs huh?

Figure of speech, dimwit. Seems as though you're just a little fish in a big pond 'round here, and one that's incapable of civil interaction at that as well. At the very least, that is how convey yourself here.

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Trade 535i for 318i?