German Engineering: What's Your Limit
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I was nervous buying my 2008 E82 initially. Just like any car, once you become more familiar with it, it becomes easier to work on.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another N54 or N55 powered car. BMW is still using these motors on brand new models.
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Nothing newer than an e30 simply because I'm not a fan of how bmw's newer than that look. Nothing to do with mechanicals.
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Nothing newer than an e30 simply because I'm not a fan of how bmw's newer than that look. Nothing to do with mechanicals.
thats a whole other can o worms.
Dan
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thats a whole other can o worms.
I live dangerously
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In almost every scenario, newer BMWs don't require additional tools to what you would use on any other older German car. If you have a bunch of extensions, basic metric sockets, ratcheting wrenches, u-joints, e-torx up to E18 and torx up to T60, then the only thing that limits you in regards to a newer model BMW is going to be the electronics in terms of coding.
The coding issue is the biggest hurdle of working on any modern BMW exclusively by yourself (i.e. not having to take it to the dealer for coding when you are done), bar none. Luckily in the N-series space which is when coding REALLY started to become more prevalent for BMW, we now have cracks available for it.
People I think get daunted by the sheer amount of "stuff" that's in the way of the motor, though. If you are a DIYer, then It absolutely takes longer to work on a newer BMW if you have to do invasive repairs/modifications. But if I'm someone like Snap who already sits on cars for years at a time without them driving, then why the hell would I care? It really boils down to taking your time and not being retarded about things.
A few special cases for me - one example is I would not tear down an S65. The clearances are super tight on the internals and you really need to be familiar with it to guarantee you aren't gonna screw it up.
Other than the few outliers, I don't really have a limit.
2011 E92 M3 6MT ZCP - ESS 625 supercharged
2007 Z4MR
2003 E39 M5
2002 E46 M3
2021 X5 40i -
Never owned anything newer than my M3, and it's my first OBD2 car at that. I really enjoy the simplicity of the older cars. I will probably never have something newer than an e36 as a project car, but they are starting to get too old to be a viable DD. Yes, if you are super aggressive about keeping up with maintenance they can be great, that's what I have done with all of my cars, but there is always something needing attention as things just naturally wear out and 20+ winters start to take their toll....
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i think it has less to do with being afraid to tear shit apart and more so with i dont want to fuck with it. there is something to be said about (relatively) cheap simplicity
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DrLeadfoot's E46 not starting is a good example. Without an extremely detailed service manual, I wouldn't suspect the hood being popped to be a possible cause for a no-start condition.
I remember the first time this happened with my E82. It was hilarious.
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Initially the newer bmw's are a pain to get over the technology hump. Take it from me, I came from the audio world initially and basic engine work on my own domestics or Japanese cars. It took a while to figure out how the N54 works, but I'd never be afraid again. I'd honestly prefer an older bmw like an e30 though for simplicity. The really trying part of these new cars is when something acts up intermittently and you have to diagnose. A good challenge for all and it will test your troubleshooting abilities... Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.
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Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.
lolol truer words never spoken
I will say after jumping into this turbo swap, I stand by my original statement that understanding how a car is put together and how things work together combined with diligence/patience will allow you to get through most things. However, it is astonishing just how much crap you have to remove to get at anything on newer BMWs. I spent about 6 hours just to clear the area to get to the turbo, and I spent probably 1.5 hours of that time just simply observing and taking stock of everything I was looking at because it's rare that I get an upclose look at the n-series this way.
It's fascinating, but I'm with you - preference still goes to like an E30 or something. I think back to the first car I ever worked on seriously when I was old enough to realize what I was doing (16), which was a 1956 Bel-Air with a 289 v8 that only ran on 7 out of 8 cylinders, and I could literally just stand inside the engine bay with my feet on the cement below.
2011 E92 M3 6MT ZCP - ESS 625 supercharged
2007 Z4MR
2003 E39 M5
2002 E46 M3
2021 X5 40i -
Chris Welter said:
Although I'm a bad example since mine went from oem to full retard in about 2 months.
lolol truer words never spoken
I will say after jumping into this turbo swap, I stand by my original statement that understanding how a car is put together and how things work together combined with diligence/patience will allow you to get through most things. However, it is astonishing just how much crap you have to remove to get at anything on newer BMWs. I spent about 6 hours just to clear the area to get to the turbo, and I spent probably 1.5 hours of that time just simply observing and taking stock of everything I was looking at because it's rare that I get an upclose look at the n-series this way.
It's fascinating, but I'm with you - preference still goes to like an E30 or something. I think back to the first car I ever worked on seriously when I was old enough to realize what I was doing (16), which was a 1956 Bel-Air with a 289 v8 that only ran on 7 out of 8 cylinders, and I could literally just stand inside the engine bay with my feet on the cement below.
Lol I am happy someone agrees with me [emoji3]. Yes it is overwhelming at times and you question why you are doing it over and over again in the process, but the end result is so sweet. Installing it is the first challenge, tuning it is the second. I came to a point that I was going to sell my car, then it was a 2jz swap with driveline changes, but after realizing it'd cost more for the same power and a more crappy powerband I decided to stay put in N54 land. Remember if you think about giving up just remember "at least it isn't an xdrive".. lol [emoji23]
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