pointillistic_practitioner
07-20-2013, 07:37 PM
Hey everyone I am the proud owner of an e36 (1998) 323is base model black on tan, approx 81000 miles!!! Compared to my previous car (1997 Honda accord LX...)the difference is night and day! I've always been a car enthusiast but have never been too exposed to the mechanical side of things or done any real repairs aside from detailing and radio installation. Guess you could call me a mechanical noob. I'd appreciate any diagnoses and/or repair how-to guides/suggestions. I appreciate any help I can get! I already posted this on the bimmerfest forums but I trust all of you too so I figured I'd also post here!
I should probably let you know the precious owner was twenty something, supposedly got the car from a female doctor who garaged it, and did most basic maintenance himself. He said he replaced brakes relatively recently (60% worn), tires a year ago, and said he did fan belts relatively recently.
Now for the problems I have noticed with the car ...
- Drivers door handle (both inside and outside) is loose until the very end of pulling it when it kind of "catches" and opens the door... you can see that both the inside and outside handles are not tight...they are loose...would that be some sort of cable? I don't want to neglect this only to not be able to open my car one day.
- driver's seat does not move back/forward... recline and the other up/down features work though. These are manual (not electronic) seats. I can lift up the seat adjustment tool until I hear sort of a click but nothing happens.
- Here's what worries me most.... when I engage the gears (whether I'm in drive or reverse but never park) I can sometimes, but not always hear a faint screechy noise. when I reverse quickly it gets quite loud. At idle in drive I heard it faintly again today, but it went away later. The noise seems to dissappear after I reach a certain speed but also increases as I drive faster until it disappears...whether it's after first gear or maybe just that I don't hear it with wind noise or whatever or if it actually does in fact stop I'm not sure. Could it be a wheel bearing? center support bearing or flex (gumbo) for the transmission? driveshaft? belts? These were all possible (and I use that term loosely) diagnoses I found while doing some googling... BY THE WAY I was told I need new front brake hoses when I got my prepurchase inspection done....could that have anything to do with it?
- the right part of the kidney grille is loose in the left corner...how would you suggest fixing that...are there clips?
- the right hand mirror (the glass) pops out of its housing easily, and the mirror adjustment fails to move the mirror (it does move it slightly but not the way it's supposed to go haha)
- My odo lights are very dim as are a few center cluster lights. If you look at the odo reading in daytime you can hardly see it at ALL but at night with lights turned up you can see the front numbers pretty well and the rear numbers hardly at all. The radio light is also dim as are a few center cluster lights. Did some googling and for odo lights found out maybe re-soldering would help??
- Radio says Code after I uninstalled it to install a new radio... but did not install radio b/c I was given the WRONG PARTS for installation! As I said just before the radio light is dim... does this mean my new radio light will be dim too? Also will the code be a problem when I put my aftermarket JVC radio in?
That's the major stuff! There are some rubber seals cracked (drivers door bottom, rear vent windows) and most seals are starting to corrode but seem okay for the time being. She needs a detailing too but that is easy...the above stuff are my main concerns. Thanks for the help in advance and have a good day! shoutout to any Bimmerfest forum members!
I should probably let you know the precious owner was twenty something, supposedly got the car from a female doctor who garaged it, and did most basic maintenance himself. He said he replaced brakes relatively recently (60% worn), tires a year ago, and said he did fan belts relatively recently.
Now for the problems I have noticed with the car ...
- Drivers door handle (both inside and outside) is loose until the very end of pulling it when it kind of "catches" and opens the door... you can see that both the inside and outside handles are not tight...they are loose...would that be some sort of cable? I don't want to neglect this only to not be able to open my car one day.
- driver's seat does not move back/forward... recline and the other up/down features work though. These are manual (not electronic) seats. I can lift up the seat adjustment tool until I hear sort of a click but nothing happens.
- Here's what worries me most.... when I engage the gears (whether I'm in drive or reverse but never park) I can sometimes, but not always hear a faint screechy noise. when I reverse quickly it gets quite loud. At idle in drive I heard it faintly again today, but it went away later. The noise seems to dissappear after I reach a certain speed but also increases as I drive faster until it disappears...whether it's after first gear or maybe just that I don't hear it with wind noise or whatever or if it actually does in fact stop I'm not sure. Could it be a wheel bearing? center support bearing or flex (gumbo) for the transmission? driveshaft? belts? These were all possible (and I use that term loosely) diagnoses I found while doing some googling... BY THE WAY I was told I need new front brake hoses when I got my prepurchase inspection done....could that have anything to do with it?
- the right part of the kidney grille is loose in the left corner...how would you suggest fixing that...are there clips?
- the right hand mirror (the glass) pops out of its housing easily, and the mirror adjustment fails to move the mirror (it does move it slightly but not the way it's supposed to go haha)
- My odo lights are very dim as are a few center cluster lights. If you look at the odo reading in daytime you can hardly see it at ALL but at night with lights turned up you can see the front numbers pretty well and the rear numbers hardly at all. The radio light is also dim as are a few center cluster lights. Did some googling and for odo lights found out maybe re-soldering would help??
- Radio says Code after I uninstalled it to install a new radio... but did not install radio b/c I was given the WRONG PARTS for installation! As I said just before the radio light is dim... does this mean my new radio light will be dim too? Also will the code be a problem when I put my aftermarket JVC radio in?
That's the major stuff! There are some rubber seals cracked (drivers door bottom, rear vent windows) and most seals are starting to corrode but seem okay for the time being. She needs a detailing too but that is easy...the above stuff are my main concerns. Thanks for the help in advance and have a good day! shoutout to any Bimmerfest forum members!