1995 BMW 320i

[17-Coffees]

On the drivers side there was a big rust wort, I decided to prod it to see if it was MOT worthy. Now there is small holes.

Rubbed it down, thrown on some zink paint and just away to throw some filler on.

 

THATS SONE PAYBACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THE CAPPUCCINO!

[Supernaut]

Yeah, you had to use a car key to get that tiny hole, whereas I simply prodded the Cappucino's wing gently with my finger and it went right through.

 

 

 

In other news, I investigated the electrics in the driver's door. The electric mirror controls and the speaker were simply unplugged. Plugged them back in and I now have all-round speakers and working electric mirrors.

The window? Well... the regulator has been cable-tied in place, and the motor that drives the window is completely absent. I think the motor should be attached to that black gearbox sort of thing there.

 

 

 

Looking on ebay, you can see what's missing from my door:

 

 

 

 

We also decided to do some badge engineering.

 

 

You can see the rust spot before primer in that picture too.

 

 

 

 

If it gets through an MOT without too much bother, it'll be getting a tide mark up to the rubbing strips in order to cover the rust 'repairs'

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It's got the original regulator still fitted though.

 

Notice the white door card popper clips are busted.  Fit nu onez m8.

 

You may find the plastic side panels that the white popper clip[s affix to are coming adrift from the door card. Araldite rapid set is your friend here, nothing else works anywhere near as well. The top plastic rail may well also have stayed behind on the door when the door trim came off. 

[Supernaut]

Yes, the regulator and everything else is there, but you can see that the grey cylinder is missing, which I assume is the motor itself.

 

Also the rails inside the door card have indeed come adrift. It's mostly just held on by the two torx screws in the grab handle area. I'm just going to see if it gets through an MOT then go from there at this point.

[320touring]

On the drivers side there was a big rust wort, I decided to prod it to see if it was MOT worthy. Now there is small holes.

B3837787-1399-486D-9978-FD7F17A97117.jpeg

Rubbed it down, thrown on some zink paint and just away to throw some filler on.

 

THATS SONE PAYBACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THE CAPPUCCINO!

Doesn't look as bad as I thought it would:)

[320touring]

Good news re the speakers and mirror too.

 

Hopefully a reg and a motor will see some uppity downitty restored

[320touring]

I take it the window never worked during your ownership?

Correct, I never even had the doorcard off.

[320touring]

Really?

It was hanging off when we picked it up?

Same as the way it came to me. I never bothered looking as window was up.

[Supernaut]

I have a bit of a conundrum regarding getting this in for an MOT.

 

I want to drop it off while a garage is open, so I can show them how to start it, but I work full-time. I could drop it off somewhere on a Saturday morning but nobody is available in the near future to give me a lift afterwards.

 

The other factor is that me and 17-Coffees are off on holiday from the 19th of February to the 1st of March, so I wonder if it might just be best to wait until after we're back, so I don't miss the chance for a free retest in two weeks. Hmmmmmm.

[Split_Pin]

Just wait until after you are back, its fine to drive it to a pre booked test in cases where the MOT has expired.

[Supernaut]

Thinking about it, there's a garage in the centre of Ellon, about a mile from Castle Coffees. I've never used them before, but I've heard they're ok, and they have a couple of E36s outside, apparently one of the mechanics there likes them.

 

Could give it a shot. I'll phone them tomorrow and ask about dropping it off this Saturday morning. This means I can just pick it up from Castle Coffees, take it to the garage, then walk back to get the Mondeo.

[Supernaut]

I just found out that the garage I was looking at in the centre of Ellon has a fancypants website which allows you to book MOT slots online.

 

10:30am this coming Saturday! Eek!

[Supernaut]

Unsurprisingly, it failed.

 

However, it's not catastrophic. I see it as a to-do list rather than a condemnation.

 

 

Reason(s) for failure

 

Offside Headlamp aim too low (1.

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage insecure (2.4.G.1)

Nearside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded on trailing arm (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded on trailing arm (3.6.B.2c)

Nearside Rear Upper Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Rear Upper Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush (2.7.4)

Nearside Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

 

Advisory notice item(s)

 

Rear registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (6.3.1d)

Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Nearside Front Suspension arm has slight play in a pin/bush bush round outer ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Suspension arm has slight play in a pin/bush bush round outer ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Nearside Rear Trailing arm has slight play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear Trailing arm has slight play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

 

 

 

 

As a sidenote, I rather like Ellon Car Clinic. I asked the mechanic if he could come outside first as I wanted to explain a few things to him. Showed him how to start it, and explained the bonnet needed pliers to open. I asked if he wanted me to ping it off the catches in the car park and he just said "Ach, it's fine! I've got E36s at home!" and he just cracked on with it. I'll be taking it back there for a re-test, definitely!

 

 

 

Anyway, my shopping list as it stands:

- Bonnet release cable and catches

- Driver's side window motor

- Rear shock absorbers

- Front ARB droplinks

- Possibly a screenwash nozzle (or might just swap one off the 316 for now then keep an eye out in the local scrap yard)

- Rust removal wheel for an angle grinder

- Vactan

- Black stonechip

 

I may just ask the garage to do the rear outer brake pipes.

 

I'm utterly floored by the complete lack of even an advisory for rot though.

[Split_Pin]

As long as its not the front to rear pipes you'll be fine.

[Supernaut]

As long as its not the front to rear pipes you'll be fine.

Aye, I've heard they're a bastard. Luckily it's not, it's the outer parts of the rear pipes. The 316 failed its last MOT on them, too!

[Supernaut]

I can get the shocks and droplinks from GSF for £66.44 with the 56% off code this weekend. Hmmmm...

[Supernaut]

Fuck it. Ordered the GSF stuff.

 

I'll swing past the local scrap yard on my way to the shops and see if they have any E36s with screen wash nozzles, as the passenger side one on the 320i seemed a bit blocked. Not surprised it was a failure point.

 

Otherwise, a pair of brand new ones can be bought from ebay for £10, or £5 from Hong Kong but they would take an age to get here.

 

I suppose I could buy the Hong Kong ones, and whip one off the 316 just to get the 320 through its MOT in the interim...

[320touring]

Did you order new topmounts for the rear shocks? That's the bushes being referred to on the MOT.

 

Seems to have been not too bad an MOT - glad you found a garage you like!

[Supernaut]

Piss!

 

GSF don't supply the rear top mounts for home delivery. It's collection only.

 

I've found these though. Hmm, trust them or not?

[320touring]

Lemforder is decent. Pretty much OEM.

 

The standard go to tip top top mounts is an E46 M3 Cabrio topmounts.

 

Dealer only, and no cheap. The 320i has nowhere near enough grunt to need them.

 

New rear dampers and top mounts will make this a much more pleasant thing to drive.

 

Not the worst of jobs either on a saloon or coupe.

 

Good luck!

[Supernaut]

Lemforder rear top mounts ordered.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Forget trying to separate the rear steel pipes from

The flexies- you won’t. Replace the whole lot - flexible pipes and copper metal lines but use E46 flexy pipes as fitted to late E36’s. This gets rid of the stupid S pipe and two flexies for a much easier and neater job.

[320touring]

I'm utterly floored by the complete lack of even an advisory for rot though.

Just like my Oxford (not)

 

I knew it was a solid enough base - work you're doing should see it run a while yet!

[17-Coffees]

Told yah the rear Number plate would be an issue...  

As promised, "If the cars not condemned I'll buy it a set of pressed plates".  

 

Guess this means I know what I'll be helping you to do over the next few weeks.

[320touring]

Told yah the rear Number plate would be an issue...

As promised, "If the cars not condemned I'll buy it a set of pressed plates".

 

Guess this means I know what I'll be helping you to do over the next few weeks.

1 project and sufficient time is a good thing.

 

I have 3 to sort concurrently, and an Oxford that is more holy than Jebus h Christo himsel

[Supernaut]

So tell me if I'm being silly, but once the MOT failures are sorted (probably mid-March now, seeing as I'll be busy this weekend, then out of the country for two weeks) I'm quite tempted to tidy up the cosmetics on this, as well as sorting out the bonnet release and the driver's window motor obvs.

 

 

First, I'd like to get hold of some Vactan or similar rust treatment stuff, plus some black stonechip.

My plan would be to give it a sort of tidemark on both sides, for example;

 

 

This is because it has the rust wart on the driver's side, and on the passenger side it has some bubbling on the leading edge of the wheel arch.

 

My plan for the bits higher up the wheel arches is unclear at the moment. A stripe of black stonechip around the edge of the arch might* look a bit shit, so maybe I'll get some Boston green for that. At least it's on an edge so to speak, so if the paint match isn't spot-on it shouldn't be too noticeable.

 

 

 

Another brilliant* idea I've had is to try and offer up all the wheels I have for this for swap on a BMW forum or Facebook page. I'd ask for a matching set of 4 wheels with reasonable tyres (plus a spare of the same size but not necessarily the same design) in return. I'd really like some of these:

 

 

I've just found out these are called Style 13s

 

 

 

Then, I've also found these on ebay:

 

 

£28.95 isn't too bad.

 

Then I'd plan to give the whole car a good polish. It'll never be perfect, but I reckon I could get it looking alright with some scratch removal polish and some black trim gel.

 

 

 

The goal would be to turn up to Shitefest in June with this all nicely 'restored'

 

Silly, or the spirit of autoshite? Hmm. Part of me reckons it would look GR9 next to the 316i at shows.

[320touring]

I'd paint the side body colour - paints4 u are a good match.

 

And stick with the 16s - easier to get tyres for. 15s wear gawdoffal 205/60 or summat like that

[Supernaut]

The 15" steels on the 316 wear 185/65

 

I'll have a look at paints4u too, thanks for the pointer.

[Split_Pin]

No point doing all that work and then making it look crap with a Fiesta MK3 style tidemark.

 

Just grind out the hole to good metal and then get some fibreglass behind it and fill on top. A smooth down and some Boston green, together with same in the arches should tidy it up.

[Supernaut]

I'm not very experienced with that sort of thing, so any help is appreciated!