door panel and gas octane

[94bmw540i]

I read the procedure to open the door panel to get to my stuck winow (pass front). Unfortunately in 94 540i it has a thing in the center that will not come out and I ended up reinstalling everything and not wrok in the window. If some one has tried this please let me now.

Other question I have is from the website again after reading the chip upgrade procedure and its drawback of using Octane rating of 91 and higher. Does anyone use Octane less than 91 with the stock chip? Any issues or drawback with using loer octane.

Andy

[AllanS]

Using lower octane gas isn't good- you could get pre-detonation, or if you've got knock sensors on your car (540=you do) than the timing will constantly be retarded by the computer, negating the benefit of the chip. What a chip does is advance ignition timing, which is why you need to use a higher octane gas- the stock chip has relatively conservative timing so that it'll run on crappy gas if you inadvertantly put some in the tank.

Personally, I would use 93 octane on the 540 if it has a chip. I'm not sure, but your manual may recommend using 91 to begin with, regardless of the chip. It's not THAT much more expensive, really. It probably already costs $40+ to fill up your tank, so a few cents won't make a big difference.

[632 Regal]

when all the clips are loose you have to lift the panel straight up to pull free...good luck

[Phil M]

The gas cap calls for 89 octane (US grade). I do that with a stock chip. You have to use 91 octane if you got an EAT chip.