Not allowed out to fly

[Thruster88]

I have a $300 Ebay BMW. The kids and I have had a lot of fun drifting around the farm in it. The engine block from these were used to make the 1.5 turbo F1 engine that won the '83 championship. Power was up to 850hp.

[Bruce Tuncks]

There was a female phd researcher in the US ( of course the US ) who was investigating the essence of male sex attraction.

Yep, Nev got it in one... it is the smell of money.

[onetrack]

Thruster88 - But, when the "check engine light" comes on, you'd better have $3000 on hand to fix it. Or alternatively, the special $3000 BMW-specific, code-reader.

[Litespeed]

The r

[Litespeed]

The special code reader is about $120 and not real special.

 

Not harder to fix or costly than any toymotor.

[onetrack]

I beg to differ, as do many other mechanics and owners who have been shafted by the Beemer wallet-emptying schemes.

Not only is the scan tool BMW-specific, the BMW parts costs mean you have to hand over your first-born, as well giving them an arm and a leg.

 

And if you want to see shafting on a scale unparalleled, buy a 7-series BMW. I've seen people try to sell their 7-series, at 99,000 kms, because the 100,000 km major service runs to 20%-30% of the value of the vehicle.

 

This BMW fanatic says the Bavarian Technic scan tool is the only tool to buy, if you own a Beemer. The cheapest I could find it, was $470 on eBay, landed in Oz from the U.S.

 

[Litespeed]

A friend has just got one at $120.

 

If you go to Bmw for your 100k service you will be ripped off blind, just like most dealers that's how they make big bucks.

 

Lots of great places to get the parts all genuine OEM or direct from the maker in their box ie a radiator $200 or $1500 from BMW dealership.

 

Brake replacement is common including disk's at 100k KMs for many euro cars and is part of the service cost. They will charge till it bleeds.

 

Go find a jap car and get the same type of extensive service and it will cost 20-30% of its value as well.

 

BMW are not alone trying to get max dollar for services.

 

My mate has done BMW engines for 30 years. Many Honda and Mazda parts are far more expensive.

 

Just like a dentist dealers see you as a way to buy a new holiday home.

[Thruster88]

I beg to differ, as do many other mechanics and owners who have been shafted by the Beemer wallet-emptying schemes.

Not only is the scan tool BMW-specific, the BMW parts costs mean you have to hand over your first-born, as well giving them an arm and a leg.

 

And if you want to see shafting on a scale unparalleled, buy a 7-series BMW. I've seen people try to sell their 7-series, at 99,000 kms, because the 100,000 km major service runs to 20%-30% of the value of the vehicle.

 

This BMW fanatic says the Bavarian Technic scan tool is the only tool to buy, if you own a Beemer. The cheapest I could find it, was $470 on eBay, landed in Oz from the U.S.

 

 

It sounds like bmw dealers service cars to the same standard as aircraft, the only difference being it is a legal requirement for the LAME. Plenty of good servicable, expensive parts get changed out on aircraft.

[M61A1]

Thruster88 - But, when the "check engine light" comes on, you'd better have $3000 on hand to fix it. Or alternatively, the special $3000 BMW-specific, code-reader.

I suspect that to be an exaggeration of sorts. I have a Peak Research scan tool that cost me $200 that does all the OBD1 BMWs. Usually the only reason you will get a "check engine" light is a sensor failure, and they are all available in aftermarket parts at quite reasonable prices and are for the most part, not difficult to change. If one takes the time to research how the engine management system works they aren't difficult to troubleshoot without a scan tool. The cam sensor controls the fuel injection pules and the crank angle sensor controls the spark and timing.

I just helped my daughter swap her engine in her e36, as it had done over 300 000km and was (I thought) getting a bit tired, had some coolant weeping and we had picked up a low km engine cheaply.

After the swap I disassembled the old engine to check it's condition and the bores still have the hone marks and no discernible lip in the bore. The head and valves all look fine. The only issue was some corrosion in some of the coolant fittings in the head and that was because at some point she elected not to use a corrosion inhibitor after swapping an old hose out.

I'd like to think she learned a lesson there.

[kgwilson]

You can buy a Beemer if that suits your ego, wallet & floats your boat. Once it is a few years old it's just another (expensive) clunker. I bought my last car new in 2012. It is the first new car I have ever bought though I had a few new company cars during my working career. At the time it was offered with a 5 +10 year drive train warranty. This is no longer offered. I have just clicked over 170,000 km & nothing has gone wrong though I have replaced 1 interior light bulb & am on the 3rd set of tyres and second battery. The first 4 years I had a capped price service of $190.00 at 15k intervals. When that finished I asked what the next service would cost & was told $900.00. My local garage quoted $120.00 plus parts so guess where I went & the eventual cost was less than the previous capped price from the dealer.

[Bruce Tuncks]

Once we were discussing markups, and the winner was an imported German car fuel pump. Cost to Lucas=$70 , cost to customer=$1400. The guy who came out with this had actually worked there at the time. He wouldn't tell us the exact car.

[M61A1]

You can buy a Beemer if that suits your ego, wallet & floats your boat. Once it is a few years old it's just another (expensive) clunker. I bought my last car new in 2012. It is the first new car I have ever bought though I had a few new company cars during my working career. At the time it was offered with a 5 +10 year drive train warranty. This is no longer offered. I have just clicked over 170,000 km & nothing has gone wrong though I have replaced 1 interior light bulb & am on the 3rd set of tyres and second battery. The first 4 years I had a capped price service of $190.00 at 15k intervals. When that finished I asked what the next service would cost & was told $900.00. My local garage quoted $120.00 plus parts so guess where I went & the eventual cost was less than the previous capped price from the dealer.

You won't find me buying a new one, the depreciation is huge. I paid just a few thousand for mine, but in 1996 when it was new they were $80 000. I saw one I liked last year at a dealer and thought the price was reasonable at around $50 000, until he told me that just two years earlier it sold for $120 000. I figured I'd just stick with my e36.

I am often amazed at people's perceptions though. A while ago I was at a produce shop, and the assistant was serving a lady and taking a bag of feed out to her car, a late model Landcruiser. When he asked if she was in the BMW she replied "Oh I wish".

[skippydiesel]

It would seem to me that if you are willing/capable to do most/all of your own servicing you can save a lot of $$$. This goes for all mechanical devices including aircraft.

We as a society have been encourage/inclined to move away from the do it yourself approach. This comes with considerable extra cost and the more "up market" your device/situation the higher the cost of service/maintenance.

As an extended family man, I do most of the machinery servicing - when a vehicle is under warranty I do the intermediate servicing (oil change & inspection) - out of warranty, I do all except for situations where high cost tooling (wheel balancing/alignments, tyre replacement, etc) may be required.

I used to be "in" old Mercedes Benz W123's 240-300D in a big way. So called luxury car, cheap to purchase, plentiful and cheap parts (when you know where to find) and soooo easy to work on, just magic. I have a 1985 Daihatsu 2.8 Turbo Rocky (from new) - parts expensive and very hard /impossible to find, now rebuild/manufacture the odd door mechanism/window winder. Good solid vehicle but not a patch on an old MB.

Currently own a 2013 Ford Ranger 3.2, 6 speed manual - no problems but do wonder about the "light" oils used throughout and am inclined to increase "weight" of transmission lubricants at the next service (I tow a heavy trailer in non "Rona" times). It seems that cars are not made to last, so have added what I hope may be life extending mods - A catch can to reduce/prevent crank case "glug" build up in the air induction system and an after OM filter filter/water trap that I hope will give me time to address any water contamination of the fuel supply, befor damage to the high pressure common rail delivery system. For my driving situation I have also fitted enhanced reversing safety devices (wired camera and proximity) reversing & driving lights. Other than new shock absorber's (home) replacement at 145000 km (probably should have been done @ 120) the car has performed faultlessly.

Most people dont even service the mower - preferring to take it down to the "mower man"(that's if they get it serviced at all). 1-2 L of oil + may be an oil filter + an air filter clean + fuel filter clean + a bit of grease, might cost the home mechanic $10 - $25. Don't know for sure (as I dont do it) but would be surprised if the mower man didn't charge $100 plus.

I check/inspect all our vehicles (including mowers) tyre pressures on a monthly basis or befor a trip away or change of duty (now rare) - basic safety and saving $$ but it does require you to go to the exorbitant cost of having your own accurate (I prefer $20 digital) pressure gauge and a compressor - I know a lot of people who leave this to the service mechanic - could be at 6 + monthly intervals or worse.

Same goes for your Jab/Rotax/LyCon - not hard to do a basic service and with a bit of tuition and some simple tools even a major service is within the reach of most intelligent people - save mega $$$ AND have the confidence that its been done on time, using the correct materials and just right.

Of course a lot of this comes down to self confidence and willingness to take responsibility, something we are not encouraged to express.

Nuff said have enjoyed "blowing my own trumpet"

[Litespeed]

After a life of running and playing with euro cars, they are bloody good value. Just let someone else loose the depreciation.

 

Peeps winge about big looses but it is all relative. A lot loose 50-60% in first three years, pretty standard. Except it's a big figure if the car costs 200 thousand.

 

In almost every case the only thing stopping a BMW or Merc is piss poor maintenance for cooling or oil changes. If you maintain the cooling and replace simple things like thermostats and any old brittle plastic connections, they are great. Same for oil, 99% of the time. It's oil sludge from no oil changes.

 

Yes they are thoroughbreds, but every car needs clean oil and coolant.

 

Twin has a Citroen wagon diesel and it is amazingly frugal and tough but comfy. Most run a mile so it's a dirt cheap car, purely on lack of knowledge of most. But they will buy a diesel cruiser and spend mega on the injection etc and defend it as awesome.

 

The average toymoter dealer will extract a huge price if you let them and quality of service is not what you hope.

 

Right now, I bet, I can buy a 12 year old 5series BMW for the same a as 6-8 yr old corolla. Both with the same KMs and know which is a better car and will cost the same to maintain. One was classed as the best sedan in the world, the other the most mass produced little buzz box.

 

Which would you choose?

[onetrack]

Mate bought his missus a Citroen C4. What a pile of crap. Key remote broke and Citroen wanted ... wait for it ... $800 for a replacement!

I got her a replacement remote case off eBay for about $25, and her truckie hubby pulled all the electronic gizzards out and installed it all in the new case.

But he got sick of paying out on too many other things that broke on it, so he sold it, and got her a Hyundai i30, which she's really happy with.

 

I once had one of the Missus' Camrys for sale privately, and one interested buyer sent around an RAC serviceman to inspect it for him. We started talking about cars in general, and their reliability.

He reckoned all the Jap stuff was pretty good, but then, out of the blue, he said, "Don't ever buy a bloody French car!! What pieces of crap they are!! 4 hrs to change a headlight globe, and you have to take mudguards and bumpers off, to get at the globes!! They are just CRAP!!"

He went on at considerable length, and I guess he'd developed a real hatred of them, because he had to fix them a lot more than any of the Japanese cars.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I'm one of your lot skippy. Big bucks for a car service and you don't know just what was done or how good the oil was.

My daughter couldn't believe that a car service would cost more than $20 at first. She sure knows better now.

This is what happened... she had left home and so we bought her a second-hand car. I said I would help her service it, and to bring some cheap oil and coolant. "how much? " she asked... and I said about $20, thinking of supermarket oil and cheapo shop coolant. There was a big silence on the phone, and then she used the voice reserved for retards... slower and louder than usual. " 20 dollars?... i'll just take it to a service station ". whereby I said how that was fine but would cost a lot more than $20.

An even longer silence... then, " Daaaad, nobody would pay $20 just to get a car serviced "

[Old Koreelah]

..."Don't ever buy a bloody French car!! What pieces of crap they are!! ...

Keep spreading this story- it'll keep down their used prices, so more of us can enjoy the impressive engineering and design features of French cars. Our Peugeot 407 is in its mid teens, has been round the clock a few times but is far more impressive than more modern cars.

[Litespeed]

Don't know about C4 models except, any car fob can be a problem and everyone charges like a wounded bull.

 

I would never take notice of a rac or NRMA guy but use a mechanic who works in a workshop. NRMA is "no real mechanics available".

 

I know mechanics who recommended Toyota for everything only to find out it was cause they earnt the biggest profit and most service hours for the fleet we had.

 

If it's a 5 hrs service via log book, you are charged 5 hours even if they do it in two.

[Litespeed]

What old car would I choose to do a variety bash or Repco trial........

 

 

Peugeot 504 best car of its era and still a awesome machine, just get a French one not a CKD made in Melbourne by AMI.

 

I agree, keep bashing the euro cars, makes me cheaper for me.

 

Please slander Alfa Romeo, please...

[onetrack]

My workshop neighbour Joe (since retired) had a Peugeot in his workshop several years ago, that he was servicing. He was ranting about "mongrel French engineering and costs". I inquired as to what was setting him off.

He said, "Come and look at this!". I went and looked under the bonnet to see what the problem was, and he pointed out the radiator hoses he was replacing.

 

The top radiator hose had 2 x 180 deg bends in it - because the top outlet on the radiator faced the exact opposite direction to the thermostat housing outlet mounted on top of the engine!

So this entailed an unnecessarily long hose with 2 x 180 bends in it, to enable it to connect the two outlets. The combined cost of the radiator hoses was $180, and he could only acquire them from a Peugeot dealer!

[Flightrite]

Being an ex motor mech (in another life) I soon learned what cars to avoid especially the ones where the indicator stalk was on the wrong side!? All the Euro trash we had in was a day spent swearing, and the owner selling his kidneys for a service, the home grown product was a day spent "how can we make more money out of this billy cart?" The jap cars? Well they drove in, we lifted the hood marvelled at the amazing ergonomics signed the book and they drove out trouble free year after year. All that stood me well over my nearly 50 years driving, never bought a new car (crazy) only ever bought Jap cars and the odd Ford, must have saved enough to to buy a plane, in fact 5 of them over the years? I'm not attracted to shinny ball balls, thank Christ!?

[Old Koreelah]

...Peugeot 504 best car of its era and still a awesome machine, just get a French one...

Plenty of 504s still being driven around rough west African roads, decades after they disappeared from Europe.

[turboplanner]

Being an ex motor mech (in another life) I soon learned what cars to avoid especially the ones where the indicator stalk was on the wrong side!? All the Euro trash we had in was a day spent swearing, and the owner selling his kidneys for a service, the home grown product was a day spent "how can we make more money out of this billy cart?" The jap cars? Well they drove in, we lifted the hood marvelled at the amazing ergonomics signed the book and they drove out trouble free year after year. All that stood me well over my nearly 50 years driving, never bought a new car (crazy) only ever bought Jap cars and the odd Ford, must have saved enough to to buy a plane, in fact 5 of them over the years? I'm not attracted to shinny ball balls, thank Christ!?

When buying any piece of high value Capital Equipment (cars, trucks, dozers, aircraft) I always recommend the first elimination being the culture of the manufacturer. It's beginning to show up now that we have a few years up with the European cars again.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Fair warning - I am these days relatively ignorant of cars.. was a petrol-head in younger days, but now they are just a comfy way to get around without having to share my smelly space with other smelly people crammed in a train, bus or tube.

 

I think it's the age-old adage - they don't make them like they used to. My brother swears on his old Peugot 504s.. Loved them. Of course, these days, they aren't quite so ergonomic and the creature comforts are lacking. He has some other Peugot today - swears at it more often than on it I understand.

 

When I moved to the UK, I bought an old SAAB 900 Turbo (second hand). Was a great car.. although has some natural speed limiter as it would start whining at about 85mph. I paid next to noithing for it, had it for about 2 years before the wiring loom was burned through by some design flaw that saw an exhaust pipe too close to it. Sold it.. Bought a 5 year old Audi A6 2.8 litre '96 model. I had it serviced once by an Audi dealer which was the dummest move I have ever made. Back in 2001, £800!!! No wonder they had a defibrilator installed. OK, it was a major service (80K miles) but they replaced pollen filters at some un-godly price - I remarked I don't suffer hay fever and it is not like the streets of London are overilled with flowers.

 

Next service was with the local garage, but was still around £125. Poop, that is expensive. I never got it serviced again. But, every year, one was to get their car, if it is over 3 years old, MOT'ed (RWC). For the first few years no issues, then various advisories would start being recorded. One year, the fuel lines were rusting and would proably have to be replaced by the next MOT for sure. Well, I can tell you, that car had self-healing properties, because by the next MOT, the advisories written for the previous year by the same mechanic mysteriously fixed themselves, including, apparently, the fuel lines no longer being rusty. Apart from the cost of the MOT, the only thing I had to pay for on that car was a new set of reak brakes - not pads - but the whole assemblies. We left it out for about 6 months as we were travelling and the rear brakes seized completely. Never changed oil - and never replaced the front brake pads. Admittedly, we only did about 60,000 miles in the 11 years we had it, but it purred like a kitten. We only got rid of it because it was getting harder to pass the MOT because of new emissions rules and it was a thirsty car at the time when petrol prices were going up.

 

I wish I never got rid of it.. We bought near new cars and they are always having some minor problem here and there. Apparently newer A6s blow radioators and hoses all the time. You can't fix them yourself without fangled equipment and they are not built to last.

[onetrack]

I can't believe the newer car designs where you have to pull the engine right out to do things like timing chains or turbos - because they're mounted on the back of the engine, and can't be got at, without engine removal!

Or the Range Rover or Discovery - where you lift the body off instead, to carry out engine maintenance!!

 

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/range-rover-sport-split-in-half-by-mechanics-just-to-repair-the-engine-video-102295.html