My baby's back! :)

[jplacson]

Just got my car back from the shop today. Final bill was US$750, was about $100 more than the initial estimate cuz they had to change my shock mounts... but suspension is back to stock form again... I decided to stick with stock since I didn't want my ride to suffer (Philippine roads are bad enough) Tramlining was reduced a LOT (still does a bit, but only on deep grooves) ... handling is much better now. I still have about an inch on steering play, but this might just be the adjustment nut (which has probably never been touched in the life of the car)

List of everything I had done: (This was EVERYTHING Inspection 2 turned up)
-Front shocks (Boge OEM)
-Thrust arm bushings (BMW said the arm was still good as per Insp II)
-Tie rods
-stabilizer links
-front and rear dampers
-front shock mounts
-exhaust support
-fuel hose
-valve cover gasket
-alternator hose
-propeller coupling
-new secondary clutch
-new oil cap
-and about 8 spring pads (I have no idea what these are, or where they go... I'm guessing on the shock springs?)
-front wheel alignment
-clutch bleeding

Whew! My PS pump is brand new as well (This one cost me $350 in a previous job, repair kit couldn't do it since the shaft broke...previous owner neglected to fix it, and drove around town on 225/45/18 running 28psi! Poor pump was overworked to death)

Since I got my car, I've spent about $1400 over and above the car, this was everything listed above, plus the Inspection II at BMW Phil. So far, now the only things that bug me with my car are:
-glove box is not aligned
-odometer doesn't work (most likely a broken gear)
-A/C works, but isn't original BMW anymore

**Oh and to everyone who replied to my ABS question... no, my car doesn't have ABS. (Well, I couldn't see any aluminum box with 3 or 4 hoses sticking out of it.

I'll post pics of my car tom! :) Thanks so much to everyone on this forum for erasing a lot of my initial mechanical fears about owning a Bimmer!!!! She's running like new again! :)

[MBXB]

Love those cheaper labor costs in MNL, JP

[jplacson]

No kidding! Over here, those prices are still considered extremely high... with Jaguar and Porsche the only other dealers that can beat them (US$4,500 for a Jaguar steering box from the dealer here) But after reading all the stories here, I realized that we get a pretty good deal here, and I figured I should take extra good care of my car if I don't want any MAJOR headaches down the road.

Now, understand that the specialty shop I had my Bimmer done in is good with parts... and decent when installing a drop-in component... but for some reason, I just feel they aren't as good when it comes to adjustments, or fine-tuning. I still trust BMW Phil to do the tune-ups and inspections... I really don't know why, it's just a gut feeling I have. Most of the mechanics from this place have come from the different BMW dealers here in the Phil... but I have this strange feeling that when it comes to the settings, and adjustments... I'd rather bring it back to BMW. Maybe that's just me. So it turns out for the best... I have the initial inspection done in BMW, they give me a list of things they feel need to be done... I bring that list to European Motors, for parts and installation, then have it re-inspected by BMW (I think they charge $100 for just the inspection, w/o fluid change) So I can get the best of both worlds.

It's made a big difference here in the Philippines since BMW officially came in. Prior to that, owning a Bimmer was like owning a cash shredder... and you've got some weirdo looking mechanic with a monkey wrench banging around your car saying "Oh this is just like them Toyotas... you just need to replace one shock, the others still bounce back ok..see?" as he pushes down on one side of your Bimmer After 2 weeks, the other side breaks as well... and so on and so forth. The mechanics in BMW take a LOT of pride working there, and are arrogant towards the 3rd party shops "We do much better work than those other shops." They warranty parts and labor for up to 2 years. Neat thing NOW is that there are about 5 official BMW dealers all within a few Km of each other eager for clients... they all charge basically the same since it's kinda regulated by BMW Int'l... but they all try to outdo each other with the service... Inspections come with a free ride back home or to work when you drop off your car! Sorry, I know it's so obvious I'm a new Bimmer owner...I'm still amused at the service of BMW Phil...OH and take note... Benz & Audi dealers do NOT offer this kind of service at all!

[jplacson]

OH!!! And another thing! I no longer have any wheel rub at all with my 18x8.5 rims!!!!! I think it was either my alignment or one of my links that was making the grinding sound, not my rims. I actually found it weird since I have a 15mm offset so that would mean my tires are actually farther away from any of my steering or suspension components.

[jplacson]

Finally,
Here are a few shots of my baby...

http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/jplacson/42970008.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/jplacson/42970009.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/jplacson/42970010.jpg
http://www.bimmer.info/bmw/jplacson/42970011.jpg

[Phil M]

89 with a W I D E grill! oh yeah baby.

thats the first time ive seen an e34 with the new 7-series wheels on them and i admit that they look quite nice. and ellipsoid smileys! looks like you should do the OBC retrofit next..!

BTW hows the philippines? im half-filipino (mom is from there) and i went to manila when I was like 7 (im 17 now) and I vaguely remember it. I remember the monorail and the megamall... Is it still just 1 peso to ride the monorail? And whats the current exchange rate? I remember that 27 pesos was about a $1 back then. how is it out there? I have family in Caloocan (sp?) City there in Manila and I have heard that things are getting rough.

[Jason]

Your car looks awesome

[Brandon J]

Hoy, pinoy,

Next thing you need are tinted windows with the sun and heat ober dere (hehe).

Also, what kind of gearing is in your car. I would suspect something more aggresive since traffic is much slower than in europe.

[jplacson]

My rims aren't OEM BMW rims... these are 7-series replica wheels, 18". The 7-series rims are 19". These are made for the 5-series Bimmers. Ya, I was thinking about the OBC retrofit, but I'm not too sure about the coding plug in my system, and people say it might just screw things up.

Well, things are getting wild here due to the upcoming elections... no it's no longer P1 to ride the monorail, we have 2 rail systems already. Current Exchange rate is about P56 - $1... yup it doubled thanks to our former President Erap.

Brandon, I'm considering tint as well. Will look for a light mirror tint. Big advantage though of having no tint, when entering villages with security check-points, I don't have to open the door or roll down my windows.

[jplacson]

Oh, my gearing... all stock... it's a bit frustrating in traffic... but what Bimmer isn't? Traffic isn't as bad here as it used to be. Just don't go out during rush hour!!! HAHAHA!!! Most of the day is pretty free, I can hit about 90mph (about 140kph) and average about 75mph (120kph) most of the time.

Being just a 520i, it's pretty good for our roads and traffic here. Not too big, and not too slow either. She's more at home at about 75mph than anything slower since she's running a 6. The newer 'econo' Bimmers here (316i and 318i) are running 4 cylinders so are much quicker on the take off, but strain when sustaining higher speeds. These are actually the best engines for the Philippines, but the BMW 6 engines (E30 M3 excluded) seem to be built better than their 4's.

[jplacson]

Thanks! :) Everything in her is pretty much stock (and was in amazingly excellent condition!), except for the following:

-front grille and hood (all original, even hood soundproofing. Installed by a dealer)
-rims (replica BMW style 95, 18x8.5)
-stereo system (Blaupunkt head w/ Thumber remote & 10CD changer, JBL fronts, Boston rears, Rockford Fosgate sub w/ dual amp:Alpine & Soundstream) This is really a great sound system... only thing is I lost about 1/2 of my trunk to the sub and amps.
-A/C system... previous owner converted it to a Japanese A/C (Sanden) which is more capable of handling our heat here, and is easily repaired by almost any car shop. Heater has been disabled (If I need heat, I open the window! hahahaha)

The previous owner did all the listed upgrades. I didn't have to do anything cosmetic at all, although a new paint job would be needed, paint is still original and is obviously showing a few signs of chipping in a few small spots.

The car was in immaculate condition when I got it, and when you see that the previous owner cared for it that much, you know it's a good deal. I was so amazed at how EVERYTHING looked new... upholstery is still original and was clean... other than the door frame felt coming lose, nothing was torn, or even discolored! Seats are still firm and original as well!

When I brought it in to BMW for an Inspection, it was neat to hear them say that the car was well taken care of. And that there were a lot of newer Bimmers, and other E34s, that were in much worse shape.

As far as I could trace, I know that I'm the 4th owner of my Bimmer. It was imported back in 1990 by some lawyer, then the first BMW dealer opened here in 1995... was maintained there until 1997, then sold around 1998, lowered to about 2 inches from the ground... then sold again in mid-2001..original ride height restored... then I got it Dec of 2003. Work done: Inspection II, PS pump, and suspension. I'm changing the timing belt tomorrow... just to be on the safe side.