by Chris Keefer | Jun 17, 2008 | Shop Talk and BMW Advice
This is my car, a 2000 BMW M5, which I love, except the fact that all M parts are extremely expensive, especially for the M5. The only other thing I dislike about it is that I have to measure my fuel consumption in ‘smiles per gallon’ as it gets about 12mpg around town and 22mpg on the freeway if I’m lucky. . .
I’m going to fill up my tank this morning and I thought it would be fitting to speak about gas and your BMW. With the average price of regular gas in California sitting at around $4.57/gallon many are feeling the pinch, especially those who have long commutes or vehicles that are not fuel efficient. Luckily I only have a 4 mile commute, so I haven’t had too much to complain about. However, I’ve seen many BMWs complaining over the past few months about their owners choices in gas. BMWs have strict gasoline requirements, and this is what you want to know before deciding on your own that ‘regular should be fine.’ (more…)
by Chris Keefer | Jun 15, 2008 | Shop Talk and BMW Advice
The aftermarket BMW parts business has been steadily growing over the past 10 years with more and more products available to the public, at cheaper and cheaper prices. In California especially, many people love to do things to their BMW that sets them apart from the rest. From wheels to stereos to cold air intakes, I’ve seen just about everything imaginable on a BMW — some of it good, some bad, and some indifferent. Unfortunately, the aftermarket parts industry is not based on what is good for your car, it’s based on what will sell, and the margins said product will produce. Here are some things to consider before you take the plunge on those 20″ wheels and a new set of tires.
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by Chris Keefer | Jun 10, 2008 | BMW Service, Shop Talk and BMW Advice
If you are inclined to change your own spark plugs on your BMW there are some things you need to know before heading out to the local auto parts store . . . just cause it’ll fit, doesn’t mean that it’s correct. There are many areas of the auto parts industry where quality and sound advice has taken a back seat to marketing and profit margins. One of these areas is the good old spark plug. I’m going to attempt to keep this simple and not too technical, which basically means you’ll have to trust me. (trust me, now that’s mechanic line if I’ve ever heard one.)
When you go to the auto parts store and order spark plugs for your 1985 535i they will have a neat little diplay that has about 5 different spark plugs ranging from what looks like a normal plug to one that looks like a space probe on the end. The guy behind the counter will tell you your options, all of them with code numbers that make no sense and he’ll eventually tell you how great the platinum ones are with the 4 prongs at the top. STOP! You need to go in there knowing exactly what you need, and getting only that item. Most people will get the platinum spark plugs by the way.
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by Chris Keefer | Jun 6, 2008 | BMW Service, Shop Talk and BMW Advice
I got a phone call from a guy once in regard to his 2002 3-series. Here’s how it went:
Guy – ‘Hi, yesterday I was driving on the freeway and all of a sudden I lost my power steering, the battery light went on and then I noticed that the temperature gauge was in the red. So I pulled it over and had it towed to my house and I’d like to tow it over to you to see what is wrong’
Me – ‘Well, what most likely happened is that the water pump failed and you lost the belt that operates your power steering and alternator. Unfortunately, with the car over-heating, you are most likely going to need a new engine in the car as those engines cannot survive an overheating without major damage.’
Guy – ‘Well, it runs fine except that in the morning it runs pretty rough for about 30 seconds and then it’s really smooth.’
Me – ‘You are definitely going to need an engine, but feel free to tow it in.’
This is the number one killer of BMWs built after 1999. The Cooling System.
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by Chris Keefer | Jun 4, 2008 | BMW Service, Shop Talk and BMW Advice
Right around the late 90’s BMW decided, for some reason, to change the ‘Check Engine’ light to read ‘Service Engine Soon’. One problem I have found on the consumer level is that most people see ‘Service Engine Soon’ and feel as though it is time for an oil change, which makes sense. Check Engine has been the standard for years throughout the automobile industry, so I’m not quite sure why they changed it, and I’m not going to call and ask.
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by Chris Keefer | May 31, 2008 | BMW Service, Shop Talk and BMW Advice
I feel as though my first duty to everyone is to get them on the right track as far as maintenance is concerned. Let’s talk about Oil Changes. BMW is now telling it’s customers that they only need to change their oil every 15,000 miles. DO NOT follow this maintenance schedule!!! You must change your oil every 5,000 miles, or twice a year if you put fewer than 10,000 miles on your BMW. My first encounter with the end result of this program came on a 2001 BMW 525it with 86,000 miles. It had a leaking valve cover gasket, so we removed the valve cover and uncovered what is now a growing problem:
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