oh, I am so embarrassed. My son tweeted that.YsoSRS wrote:Saw this on the Twittershere (while trying to find a solution to my HTC 8X doing the dreaded NO SIM Error)
Vlad: The Zinno '87 535is
I'm sure you are all curious if we made it home safely.
We did.
Mission accomplished:
Car is awesome. Super awesome. As good as I had hoped. 21-22mpg over about 1000 miles. Didn't drink a drop of oil.
Everything actually does work**.
We got home.
My son can now drive a stick.
And the dog survived.
Note Vlad in the background. This was at Cal Poly, which my son loved.
Some more travel pr0n:
Stayed at my sister's in San Fran. E-brake works just fine
I had to check the Redding Pick-n-Pull just to really, truely, prove that the whole M535 thing was an April Fool's joke (no, seriously, my son had never been to one, so it was a good excuse to just check one out).
And, finally.... Home.
Now to wash him for the first time...
We did.
Mission accomplished:
Car is awesome. Super awesome. As good as I had hoped. 21-22mpg over about 1000 miles. Didn't drink a drop of oil.
Everything actually does work**.
We got home.
My son can now drive a stick.
And the dog survived.
Note Vlad in the background. This was at Cal Poly, which my son loved.
Some more travel pr0n:
Stayed at my sister's in San Fran. E-brake works just fine
I had to check the Redding Pick-n-Pull just to really, truely, prove that the whole M535 thing was an April Fool's joke (no, seriously, my son had never been to one, so it was a good excuse to just check one out).
And, finally.... Home.
Now to wash him for the first time...
Note the ** above?
I'm gonna start a list of things that need to be done:
I'm gonna start a list of things that need to be done:
- PO notes the voltage regulator has never been replaced and likely needs to be. After driving 1200 miles, a bunch at night in the rain, and seeing the stereo & my phone do some freaky things with Bluetooth, I tend to agree. New one ordered.
- Rear shocks are OK, but with my sister in the car, and my 245lb son in the rear seat you can clearly tell they are tired. I'm going to do the fronts at the same time (HDs).
- A/C button doesn't always stay in/come out. Advice?
- Indicator for fog light button does not light up.
- Driver's seat is a bit loosey/goosey. Power mechanism giving up ghost?
- Odometer makes a grinding noise. PO said it would. Says when new gearing was installed, it was not greased correctly. True?
- Car pulls slightly (very slightly) to the right (PO said it would, PPI said it did, but also the car is aligned to spec). Advice?
- Smell of burning clutch several times when we stopped after long highway runs (with me driving, so it was not my noob-stick-shift-driving-son). Advice?
- PO says the connector indicated in photo below needs to be replaced; apparently it's brittle & likely to break. What is it and where do I source one?
Glad to hear/read that your trip was successful and you are safely back home. Thanks for the write up and the great travel pics - we always enjoy seeing them! The connector you show in your pic (brittle, likely to break) appears to be the coolant temp sensor. You can get one from BMW, or likely from AutohausAZ.com. Get a copy of the Bentley Service Manual (Robert Bentley Publishers) for the "5 Series, 1982-1988" its the favored manual for DIY work and/or just to get to know these cars' mechanicals. Its available on Amazon.com and well worth the forty-something bucks.
I'll be visiting Seattle in mid June (grew up there and still have family in the area) - I'll keep an eye out for a gorgeous looking 535iS while I'm there.
Jim
I'll be visiting Seattle in mid June (grew up there and still have family in the area) - I'll keep an eye out for a gorgeous looking 535iS while I'm there.
Jim
Thanks Jim. Car came with a Bentley's; I just hadn't opened it yet.5280 JB wrote:Get a copy of the Bentley Service Manual
I'll be visiting Seattle in mid June (grew up there and still have family in the area) - I'll keep an eye out for a gorgeous looking 535iS while I'm there.
Jim
Enjoy your trip to Seattle!
After the first wash I put him up on the lift for a first look-see underneath.
Nothing too exciting. Everything looks in order.
As noted by the PO the rubber boots on these links have been replaced by some rubber hose and probably need to be redone correctly.
My first upgrade. Brand new floor mats:
My second 'upgrade'. Deleted the 3rd backup light the PO had installed by the exhaust tips!
My two German babies.
Now going over the PO's files and documenting all prior work in a spreadsheet. This is going to take a while...
Nothing too exciting. Everything looks in order.
As noted by the PO the rubber boots on these links have been replaced by some rubber hose and probably need to be redone correctly.
My first upgrade. Brand new floor mats:
My second 'upgrade'. Deleted the 3rd backup light the PO had installed by the exhaust tips!
My two German babies.
Now going over the PO's files and documenting all prior work in a spreadsheet. This is going to take a while...
Last edited by tig on Apr 07, 2013 9:03 PM, edited 1 time in total.
Going through a car's history as a new owner can be fascinating. Thing's I've learned:
I am, in fact, the 3rd owner (as advertised by the PO).
The car was purchased originally from Saddleback BMW in Irvine, CA on February 27, 1988. The car was BUILT in September 1986. For some reason it sat on the lot for quite some time!
It had a 1200 mile service on March 22, 1988. Quite a few things were addressed at this service, including the front & rear glass moldings, a speaker grill, tachometer, L seat headrest inop, MPG needle stuck, front spoiler loose.
Inspection I happened at 14,968 miles on Jan 6, 1989. Engine oil leak fixed. PS pump replaced (leaking). Etc..., etc...
Looks like the 1st owner serviced it exclusively at the dealer until he sold it to the guy I bought it from on October 6, 2000. The 'bill of sale' indicates it sold for $4K. I'm sure that was for tax purposes.
Other interesting finds:
"Stellar" keyless entry system was installed in 2002. It still works great, except for the trunk because the new trunk gasket made it too tight a fit for the actuator.
The driver's door was damaged in 2005. The PO had gotten an estimate for refinishing the front air dam at the same time, but apparently opted out of that. He had to return it to the shop to have them blend the paint on the passenger door and fender better.
The 2nd owner did much of the work himself and keep very detailed notes. Every time he put oil in the car he made note of it. I guess I better keep up...
I am, in fact, the 3rd owner (as advertised by the PO).
The car was purchased originally from Saddleback BMW in Irvine, CA on February 27, 1988. The car was BUILT in September 1986. For some reason it sat on the lot for quite some time!
It had a 1200 mile service on March 22, 1988. Quite a few things were addressed at this service, including the front & rear glass moldings, a speaker grill, tachometer, L seat headrest inop, MPG needle stuck, front spoiler loose.
Inspection I happened at 14,968 miles on Jan 6, 1989. Engine oil leak fixed. PS pump replaced (leaking). Etc..., etc...
Looks like the 1st owner serviced it exclusively at the dealer until he sold it to the guy I bought it from on October 6, 2000. The 'bill of sale' indicates it sold for $4K. I'm sure that was for tax purposes.
Other interesting finds:
"Stellar" keyless entry system was installed in 2002. It still works great, except for the trunk because the new trunk gasket made it too tight a fit for the actuator.
The driver's door was damaged in 2005. The PO had gotten an estimate for refinishing the front air dam at the same time, but apparently opted out of that. He had to return it to the shop to have them blend the paint on the passenger door and fender better.
The 2nd owner did much of the work himself and keep very detailed notes. Every time he put oil in the car he made note of it. I guess I better keep up...
Thanks. I made a typo above and said "brake light". I've fixed it to say "backup light". If you look at older pictures of the car you'll see what I mean.gaberdee wrote:Nice pics, nice car. Enjoy. If you mean the third brake light above the parcel shelf, it looks like an afterthought, but it was standard equipment for that year. And oh yeah, keep those wheels!
I'll keep the wheels, but I'm going to put winter tires on them...
Congratulations on the purchase and the successful drive home. A belated "Welcome" to our fair state of California; did you take someone with you? (old joke. But no, really did you?)
SLO is a great school and great town; your son should love it, provided he can get in. Most of the programs like Engineering and Architecture are impacted which means the waiting lists are long especially for out of state students (good thing he's still a junior in HS). I'm sure you're aware of this by now, though.
good luck with the new ownership. Look forward to seeing you and this car come July in Portland.
SLO is a great school and great town; your son should love it, provided he can get in. Most of the programs like Engineering and Architecture are impacted which means the waiting lists are long especially for out of state students (good thing he's still a junior in HS). I'm sure you're aware of this by now, though.
good luck with the new ownership. Look forward to seeing you and this car come July in Portland.
Two issues:
1) The PO had installed window switches in the pop-out slots on either side of the stereo. The one on the right was never connected to anything. The one on the left was previously used to run the remote trunk release, but that was pulled out when the new trunk gasket was installed...it no longer could release I guess.
2) The USB port on the stereo is to be used for a USB memory stick with music on it. I can't use it to power my phone. The 12V cig lighter is for the Valentine One that's on it's way. And even then, 1 power outlet is not enough for a gadget geek like myself.
Other data:
PO left me with both of the original filler plates that go on either side of the stereo. One is un-blemished. The other has a hole in the middle, just the right size of a LED. He also left me two additional filler plates that don't actually match the texture of the console, nor do they fit correctly.
What I'm going to try to do:
Replace the dummy window switch on the right with a two port USB plug, using the insides of this adapter I bought off Amazon for $9.
Here's what it looks like on the insides. Nice and clean. 3.1 amps total. I'll put an inline fuse on it and wire it to the power for the stereo so that it's only on when the ignition is on (the 12V you see above is always on).
Here's the challenge:
How do I cut the two rectangular holes in the blank cover so they are perfect? The need to fit the size of the USB connectors perfectly and I want it to look sharp.
I plan on using the cover with the LED hole because this Lighter/USB adapter has a red LED and I can put a piece of semi-opaque plastic in the hole, letting the LED shine through when the adapter is hot.
All this raises another question: If I frak up and ruin one of these covers, anyone have more? The PO obviously tried to find some and was unable to (hence the two that don't match/fit). I can't tell you the part # right now because the one without the hole (and readable part #) is in the car and I can't take out until I pull the stereo which I'm not going to do until I have the adapter mounted.
Thanks.
-
Kyle in NO
- Posts: 17638
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
- Location: Nasty Orleans------> Batten-Rooehjch------>More Souther LA
The two that don't match go in the rear part of your center console, between the seats. They cover the access holes for the rear console retaining screws.
Also, you don't want to plug your V1 into the cigarette lighter slot. The lighter hole is slightly larger than standard and it will only work intermittently and drive you crazy. Instead, I use one of these:
Plugs into the flashlight socket in your glove box and actually has the proper sized socket for all your accessories.
Also, you don't want to plug your V1 into the cigarette lighter slot. The lighter hole is slightly larger than standard and it will only work intermittently and drive you crazy. Instead, I use one of these:
Plugs into the flashlight socket in your glove box and actually has the proper sized socket for all your accessories.
Ah. I didn't know that because the PO has installed this:Kyle in NO wrote:The two that don't match go in the rear part of your center console, between the seats. They cover the access holes for the rear console retaining screws.
I didn't want to go into it, but I actually am getting a remote display for the V1, so I won't be using the lighter socket except temporarily.Kyle in NO wrote:Also, you don't want to plug your V1 into the cigarette lighter slot. The lighter hole is slightly larger than standard and it will only work intermittently and drive you crazy. Instead, I use one of these:
Neat. Where'd you get?Kyle in NO wrote: Plugs into the flashlight socket in your glove box and actually has the proper sized socket for all your accessories.
FWIW, the BaT comments on this car made a big deal about how disco the LED lighting the PO installed must be.
For the record, it is extremely (perhaps too) muted.
Not quite sure why he bothered as the LEDs he used are so small hardly any light is put off.
It would have been a really nice touch if he had used slightly brighter LEDs. But I can also understanding wanting to be conservative in light output.
For the record, it is extremely (perhaps too) muted.
Not quite sure why he bothered as the LEDs he used are so small hardly any light is put off.
It would have been a really nice touch if he had used slightly brighter LEDs. But I can also understanding wanting to be conservative in light output.
Love the attention to detail. This seems like it may be something you'd appreciate. Another nice "attention to detail" piece from George Graves.
Interior light delay w/ auto dimming unit.
Interior light delay w/ auto dimming unit.
x2 these are really nice.leadphut wrote:Love the attention to detail. This seems like it may be something you'd appreciate. Another nice "attention to detail" piece from George Graves.
Interior light delay w/ auto dimming unit.
If George is out of them (contact him to be sure) I ended up with an extra one; brand new in the bag from George. PM me for details.