I just Bought a 95 525i

[thunderman]

Oh my gosh, this is the most beautiful car I have ever seen. I have a brand new '03 camry and my "new" BMW drives and looks 10 times better :) . Since I am totally new to here, let me give you my story, and then a few questions.

I have always loved BMW's but never thought that buying an "older" car was a wise choice, so I settled for a new Jetta ( a poor man's BMW lol). I was in love with the Jetts and planned on having it forever until Bambino #1 was about 2 months from arriving, that is when I traded it in for the Camry. Now don't get me wrong, the Camry is a very good car, it is just boring as hell in the looks dept and even worse in the driving enjoyment department. The second I signed away my Jeta and stepped into the Camry I knew I had messed up big..... I bit my tongue........ "the camry was best for the family"....... "it's a great family car"........ "it will last forever"......... That is what I heard and told myself for the last year. Well, my wife decides it is time to stay home and not work anymore, and we decide to get rid of debt to make that possible......

Let me see, how does one get rid of debt when one has zero credit card debt? Ahhhhh yes, get rid of the 2 new Toyotas with a total of $800 a month.....

Ok, but what am I going to do for transportation? AHHHHHHHHHHHHH YES!!!!!!

So now I am the proud owner of a 95 525i with 113 miles on it, in perfect condition, well a small oil leak, and drives like a dream. It is dark green and automatic, with no modifications at all.

I do have some questions:

What size tires are on it, and what are the best ones to bet in terms of good tires that are not 5 million bucks?

What type of gas do you suggest putting in the Beamer?

What type of oil do you put in it, and what do you reccomend?

What tire pressure is best?

Does anyone have a small oil leak? I had it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic and he said there might be a small leak in a valve cover, how much should this cost to fix, and how imperative is it?

How much will I fall in love with my car, and will I leave my wife for it :D ?

Thanx in advance, Look forward to meeting all of you!!

Mike

[TheGeak]

1) Size Tires: It should say clearly on the side of the tire. Something like 245/75/15R Do you know how to read that? 245 = Width of the tread 75= height of the sidewall 15= Radius of the rim.

2) I would put mid-grade in. There's no chip, so premium isn't a requirement. Some people will say you can run 89, i just wouldn't personally. (side note: Bimmers are cars, BEEMERS are Motorcycles please take notice ;) )

3) Mobil 1 synthetic seems to be everyone's favorite.

4) Tire pressure is HIGHLY debated around here. Search for forums for 'tire pressure' and read what everyone has to say.

5) a leak in the Valve Cover, or in the Valve Cover Gasket? The gasket should be SIMPLE to change, an hour job tops (assuming you're slightly mechanically inclined) Should be rather cheap too, maybe $65 for the gaskets and thats from the stealer!

My advice: Get into a fight, make her force you to sleep on the couch. Then sneak out into the garage and spend the night with your REAL baby :-D

also, a GREAT site to check out (will i be the first person to direct you?!) is www.bmwe34.net. its run by a fellow by the name of Bruno (he is on this board fairly often)

Any other questions feel free to start asking! and CONGRATS!

[ryan roopnarine]

a 10.5-1 CR, your car calls for 91 grade gas though you DO have a knock sensor, so its up to you if you want to use the midgrade. bma, the board's preferred parts supplier www.bma.com, has the valve cover gasket set for about 13 dollars, autozone has one for 20 or so, though they are not likely to have many of the parts you need to fix your car, and if they do, they are usually at a slight premium in price (couple of bucks over a toyo camry or ford taurus)...the dealer is also another option, though they are significantly more expensive than anyone here likes to pay (for). VC gasket is an hour or two if you are just cleaning it off lightly.