323i graduation present!! first bimmer!!

No autocross for me...haha I'm the typical soccer mom just earning her badge.

Originally Posted by Kells427

So if he puts the midgrade in and I use the premium will that be okay...I'm going to try to pump my own gas, but on family outings he's gonna be the one paying and pumping...
And, what is going to happen if he uses regular oil in the car....lil scared.

Well there are many long threads devoted to just these two topics alone on this forum. I suggest read them and see why certain things are stated.
But use synthetic oil and do it yourself. The initial cost may seem larger than having never bought synthetic before, but understand it'll also last longer than basic oil.

Originally Posted by Kells427

He's pretty sure of himself that as long as we use the non ethanol gas then we are fine, it doesn't need the premium gas.

Then there's the oil....really he just wants to be a cheap ass and I can't get him to do the math....he's thrown every excuse why we shouldn't use synthetic down to "well if the last owner didn't put synthetic in there it will junk up" I'm screaming no and he's like o I'll just top it off with the oil I got at home....

Talk him into joining the forum and then he can argue with us.

I can't wait to see how he feels about coolant (and distilled water vs. tap water).

Use the proper synthetic oil, otherwise you will be asking for problems.

Change it every 7500 miles, not the 15k miles and you will be plenty good.

As for fuel, if you are soccer mom, running around town, you can use 87 no problem.

If you start to hot dog the car, you will notice reduced performance due to the possibility of engine knock and timing being retarded, otherwise if you just putt around town, 87 octane should work out fine for you.

The higher octane rating is really for full engine performance.

I am sure there will be a lot of comments on my statement, but I have run many, many cars from turbos to 12.5 compression engines on less that what is considered "optimum" fuel and as long as you run the fuel for the type of driving you plan on doing you should be fine. At most you should be able to plan ahead by 300 miles if you want to Auto Cross or beat on the car hard!!

Originally Posted by wildirish317

Talk him into joining the forum and then he can argue with us.

I can't wait to see how he feels about coolant (and distilled water vs. tap water).

lmao...yea I haven't went there on the BMW coolant or the water yet...he did a backflip when I said I needed BMW oil and the gas part sent him reeling into laughter....

but everytime he drives her..he's like ahhh this nice...so I say nanana

Originally Posted by jfoj

Use the proper synthetic oil, otherwise you will be asking for problems.

Change it every 7500 miles, not the 15k miles and you will be plenty good.

As for fuel, if you are soccer mom, running around town, you can use 87 no problem.

If you start to hot dog the car, you will notice reduced performance due to the possibility of engine knock and timing being retarded, otherwise if you just putt around town, 87 octane should work out fine for you.

The higher octane rating is really for full engine performance.

I am sure there will be a lot of comments on my statement, but I have run many, many cars from turbos to 12.5 compression engines on less that what is considered "optimum" fuel and as long as you run the fuel for the type of driving you plan on doing you should be fine. At most you should be able to plan ahead by 300 miles if you want to Auto Cross or beat on the car hard!!

Thanks jfoj...I won the dispute over oil based on your post!...I compromised on the gas,,, hey I can always pump better gas I if choose!

Originally Posted by Kells427

Second, Im going to assume that the tranny is a rebuild or swap....reason...gulp...I heard a thud when I put her in reverse this morning. I warmed up the car completely before engaging reverse...I was hoping that it was just cold outside, but I paid more attention to it today and yikes. It could be all the doom and gloom posts I have read that has me ultra paraniod or what. I did make sure reverse was seated before I gave her any gas...how bad is it guys...and how much time do you think I have and anything I can do to prolong that time....

It may not necessarily be your tranny. If your tranny fluid is low, it could clunk like that. Many times, it will be rear end suspension parts. Could be rear lower control ARM bushings ( bushing that attach at the front of the trailing arm) or rear diff bushing.

The thud sound might be as mentioned, the rear diff bushing. But, it might also be the center support bearing (csb) to driveshaft. If that...then exhaust and heat shield come down...and you install a new giubo (spelled guibo here) (aka Universal Joint...flex disk coupling)

You'll save money and the engine using synthetic. I run over 10K on oil changes...don't worry about it if it's 12K. Our recent 300K mile car got 15K intervals. You use an OE filter and you don't have to worry about it if you're using an LL-01 oil. You do not want to use any synthetic...and you don't want to buy the oil just by the two numbers. It'll say 'approved...bmw LL-01' in tiny letters somewhere on the bottle. Interestingly, BMW oil from the dealer is usually the cheapest. Use OE filter too--Mann brand

HTH

jeeez a lot of miles on that bad boy

Originally Posted by JoeyLovesM3

jeeez a lot of miles on that bad boy

Yea I know it is alot but...for 3000 I think I scored...I was floored at how much folks ask for their beat up pos honda out here...I really hate any other style car and I had to make a choice with this car....risk the mileage..knowing I may have to flip the tranny..

with that said on to the duct tape....now I gather from the sentiment already portrayed here some folks may not like this but here is day 1 really getting underneath the hood....

The belts look great ...should note car had Inspection 2 last year and then sat in a garage for 3 months....hoses are soft and gushy still oil is still a nice pretty color and full....I will be changing it soon but since I am not driving daily since Im looking for a job with my new degree!! not working full time, I'm going to wait...and the air filter looks brand new

the coolant level was full but the tank is missing the cap....A) we need to burp the system because Im having the cold air blow issue with the heater when idling...B) hubby said that couldn't cause anything because they have a pretty solid redneck fix going on that is working...but I'm just going to buy a whole new tank

so onto my great redneck fix with the duct tape...the intake air hose...the scrunchy one thats all hard...(I did say I'm a girlie girl lol) well its busted wide open and they used black electric tape really tight around the hose crushing the hose even more....my temporary solution..I ducked the hose in the shape of it then stole some of hubby's stiffer sheet metal duct tape and wrapped that a few times....end result hose is the same shape and dimensions it should be and its firm.

other than that it was a little warmer out today but still much to cold to start prying at plastic clips that are brittle and could easily break. ...speaking of which...what is the round housing that sits next to the coolant tank...I didnt want to break the clips but oddly I can pick the whole thing up like its not bolted down...

Took her for a ride afterwards and enjoyed every minute!!

Okay, we need some pics (of the car, not you, keep us in suspense on that). The "duct tape purse" solution to the air intake is a bit sketchy, but I'm not sure which side of the filter box you are describing. Upstream of the filter is okay, from a functional point of view. After you get through the filter, you don't want any air to enter the system from outside. The missing ET cap is "quite alarming" as RayPooley would say (he's from England, you'll meet him soon enough, very sensible chap). The missing cap may be hiding a leak in the system that only shows when the system is pressurized. Replace the cap (with a cap, not duct tape) and get the engine up to temperature and check for leaks.

Originally Posted by Kells427

lmao...yea I haven't went there on the BMW coolant or the water yet...he did a backflip when I said I needed BMW oil and the gas part sent him reeling into laughter....

but everytime he drives her..he's like ahhh this nice...so I say nanana

He'll be doing cartwheels once I get done with him.

Premium gas: technically, you don't need to use it. The computer will adapt accordingly. You'll have reduced performance and possibly spend more in the end versus using premium. In other words, there's no reason to NOT use premium. You aren't saving anything and you're hurting performance.

Oil: Again, you can run Bob's motor oil for all I care. BMW (as well as other German auto manufacturers) specify strict qualities for their engine oils. They must meet strict high performance and extended drain criteria. Will your engine explode if you use Bob's motor oil? Probably not. But over time, the effects of using sub-par motor oil will have long-term effects on wear characteristics especially if the car is driven hard. The proper stuff is also as cheap or cheaper than the WRONG oil.

You'll learn that often times the barnyard or "home brew" mentality people bring to BMWs with the intent of saving money/being smart actually ends up costing more AND hurting your car.

Intelligent ownership, not cheap ownership.

Above all else, see the links in my sig. DO IT ALL!

Kells, not sure what you may be referring to. Could you be referring to the cold air intake that sits above the radiator and connects thru a flex duct to the filter housing? Take a picture of it and let us look at it, or use Realoem.com to refer to it.

Originally Posted by BMWCaptain

Kells, not sure what you may be referring to. Could you be referring to the cold air intake that sits above the radiator and connects thru a flex duct to the filter housing? Take a picture of it and let us look at it, or use Realoem.com to refer to it.

Thats exactly the part i duct taped...and yes I will be replacing it...just a quick fix for now....we kinda have lots going on right now...we just moved cross country and bought a house so its baby steps for now with the car until she's actually drove full time...plus with the cold weather idk how much I can take my knuckles getting banged....

Ever heard the saying happy wife happy life....well we settled the oil and gas issues

Originally Posted by wildirish317

Okay, we need some pics (of the car, not you, keep us in suspense on that). The "duct tape purse" solution to the air intake is a bit sketchy, but I'm not sure which side of the filter box you are describing. Upstream of the filter is okay, from a functional point of view. After you get through the filter, you don't want any air to enter the system from outside. The missing ET cap is "quite alarming" as RayPooley would say (he's from England, you'll meet him soon enough, very sensible chap). The missing cap may be hiding a leak in the system that only shows when the system is pressurized. Replace the cap (with a cap, not duct tape) and get the engine up to temperature and check for leaks.

Yea Im definitely looking into at least replacing the cap...I'm interested in replacing the whole tank really....

Originally Posted by Kells427

Yea Im definitely looking into at least replacing the cap...I'm interested in replacing the whole tank really....

Well, if you've read Mango's links (I'm pretty sure you have), then you should figure on replacing the tank (which includes the cap), followed by the belts, pulleys, water pump, and hoses. You can replace the tensioners too, if the budget allows. These items all tend to fail within 6 months of each other. It's an age/mileage thing. The plastics in the cooling system tend to fail at more or less the same time (the radiator may last longer, it's a big point of debate on this forum, but it doesn't fail in a catestrophic manner, so you have a little time to plan to replace it). The upside is that once you replace them, you are good for a few years. The cooling system is the primary cause of being stranded in a BMW. Most other things will give you some kind of warning (except the fuel pump; jfoj has a good thread on this).

If you're on a tight budget, focus on oil changes and cooling system. Put money aside from each paycheck to do the other things and have a reserve for the unexpected "gotta do this now" things. Once the cooling system is in shape, the BMW has similar maintenance requirements of other cars that are the same age.

[QUOTE=wildirish317;15215131]Well, if you've read Mango's links (I'm pretty sure you have)QUOTE]

Yes I have been through his, BMWCaptain, and jfoj threads...bookmarked tons of stuff to my toolbar...haha direct access!! Mango is why I was thinking just replace the whole tank before you mentioned just the cap..

right now I'm searching to figure out what something is on the car...I didnt want to open it because the plastic can be so brittle in the cold....its black, round, and it sits next to the coolant tank...plastic housing that clips together midpoint...I'll take a picture tomorrow and post if I cant find it online tonight...I found all the other filters and this thing isn't bolted in so I'm quite curious

I really haven't took any pics yet...but these were the pics posted on the craigslist ad....except for the night time one...that's the first time she sat in my driveway...awwwww

In for pics...

Originally Posted by willsbma

In for pics...

I'm curious willsbma what kind of basics have you had to switch out in the car (not mods)...and how many miles...we seem to have the same model..is yours manual....if so I'm jealous! but I'm sure I'll get used to the automatic....then give it to my husband when I find me a manual I like!!