Cool, Calm and collected :) !

[philbyil]

Today was a good day.
R&R'd the compressor and receiver/dryer, installed a new serp belt plus a new tensioner pulley (which I discovered in my parts drawer!) and it is now running as smooth as a sewing machine again. Didn't know what to expect so ordered a plethora of spares (O ring kit, expansion valve) and was prepared for a system "dismantle and flush", should there be metal discovered in the compressor and the oil.

The GREAT news was the the compressor, and the oil in it, were free of debris! So just a compressor and receiver/dryer R&R. I utilized the old pressure switch as the system was working just fine other than the rattling compressor. Added 3oz to the compressor and 2oz to the receiver/dryer, per a/c shop recommendations. They know BMW systems as the owner has a 740iL and have worked on a few before.

Our local a/c shop did an evac/test and recharge for $70. 3.42lbs of R134a and 5.8ozs of PAG46 in the system.

Total cost for the job in parts : $457
I bought a brand new NipponDenso compressor for $222 inc shipping from AMAZON!!!
The other misc parts I bought from Pelican Parts. Nice folks, great service.....

Time : just under 2hrs (Ok...I took a break for a fine English Ale ;))

The whole job really hinged on the internals of the compressor and the state of the oil in it, which turned out to be not an issue. Thankfully, no R&R of the expansion valve!!

Returning the EV to Pelican Parts (great service!) today for a refund :) and looking forward to our trip to the coast this coming weekend! Weather in the upper 80's but who cares.....newly tinted windows plus icy cold a/c. Can't beat it....

[Jr ///M5]

Way to go Uncle Phil, your work is sure to keep Deb calm, cool and collective...=) Enjoy the road trip! Sure would like to see the "Wolf in Sheeps Clothing" in her new tint. What shade did you end up deciding on? I'll bet it looks good too!

All the best to you and Deb,

Jr

[philbyil]

Howdy Jr.
Hope all is well with you and the family up in the Great White North ;) LOL!
I'll send you pics when we get back from the road trip as we are taking the camera with us.
Regarding the tint. I ended up going with Llumar High Performance in Charcoal (recommended by our local Tint Specialist). 30% on the side windows and 15% on the back window. Besides making the car look really "cool", it really made a difference to the interior! Especially noticeable was that the a/c activated less often. However, the big test will be this weekend on the drive down to the coast....

We did Deb's Subie Forester first but with a deeper tint (coz its an SUV you can use a deeper tint, don't ask my why but evidently that is the law in TX!). It really made a huge difference on our 4000 mile road trip in July. Very noticeable how comfortable the Forrie was as we were going through TX, NM, AZ, UT and CA during the hottest month. It reached 116F in Palm Springs while we were there....the trip was uneventful. Just over 4k in the car and 1.5k on the bike. The Subie towed the bike/Kendon trailer combo (around 1000lbs) with no problems in the hills whatsoever and we averaged 21mpg for the whole trip. And that with the cruise set at the max speed on the highway (70 or 75mph). Great vehicle and I would buy another in a heartbeat. It is a real "doddle" to work on too.....
I aim to keep the GQ around for some time......Deb even said she will "relearn" to drive stick after we get back. It has 64k on it and is as solid as a rock.