Best products from r/BmwTech

Yeah, I'd hate to have you stress about that. You'll need to get a jump or a trickle charger or battery jump pack. Packs are super fun to have and you'll find a simple smart trickle charger (even a really old one) is a good investment to have if you own cars and have a garage or storage unit off your parking area.

So you want to learn how to work on your own car? Youtube specific things can help. But I also recommend you get a repair guide for your car. A real one, made by Bentley's if you can get one. They're expensive but worth it.

This is a good starting tool kit. https://www.amazon.com/Craftsman-230-Piece-Mechanics-Tool-50230/dp/B01GWD834I/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=metric+tool+kit&qid=1550301071&s=gateway&sr=8-5


You can also piece stuff together from harbor freight, a little tool box, metric sockets and wrenches. Stay away from power tools unless you want to invest in things like milwaukee cordless socket drivers (A gift from heaven). You'll need long and short screwdrivers, e-torx head sockets, stuff like that.


You'll need jackstands, a floor jack, flashlight, rags, an oil container and catch pans, gloves, rubber mats to protect your knees and feet if you're outside on the car or under it. You get started by buying a few proper tools and teaching and asking mechanics, both amateurs like myself and professionals.

You can look up information and repair steps on Technical Information System cloned and hosted here:

​

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/

As a BMW owner and self-repair person, you'll want to get familiar with REALOEM.www.realoem.com

​

Here's an example link to another e70 (since I don't know your precise model) car:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=GY03-USA-06-2011-E70-BMW-X5_M&diagId=11_4184

​

I also recommend you get a diagnostic tool or at least a coding cable for your car and if you have a laptop, or can buy a cheap laptop, download BMW Standard Tools for INPA (www.bimmergeeks.net has links and sells cables that are tested). This gives you the ability to start using your cars own internal diagnostics and learning how to do things like reset adaptations, trigger and diangose major systems and subcomponents.

But mainly, get started by doing what you're doing. You'll make mistakes, you'll break stuff, but in a few years of poking around you'll be helpful to someone else. The thing about being handy and learning, is that its often easy to turn right around and help other people. My son and I rebuild motors with people for fun. We swap car transmissions from auto to manual for fun. We swap harnesses, do all kinds of stuff. We learn, we do it, we get better and we can sometimes teach some of these skills to others.

Welcome. There's no stopping you now.

Got a smart phone?

Reader 1

Reader 2

I don't know how shipping works to Canada, but it isn't too expensive of a product, and I am sure you can find it locally. It is a very handy tool.

That sounds like pretty good fuel econ lol. With my tune my 335i gets around 14-18 MPG

Let me start by saying i think i over did it, but I am happy with the results

​

Let's start with what I purchased:

1. Turtle Wax 50764 Drill-Based Headlight Restorer
   
2. 3M 39008 Headlight Lens Restoration System
   
3. Turtle Wax T-43 (2-in-1) Headlight Cleaner and Sealant - 9 oz
   
   ​
   
   Then this is the process I used:
   
   
4. Start dry sanding with 3M #1 and then #2 Disc
   
5. Wet sand with Turtle wax #1 > #2 and finally 3M #3 disc
   
6. Buff with Turtle Wax compound, repeat this step until i was happy
   
7. Apply clear coat from TurtleWax kit
   
8. Apply sealant from TurtleWax kit
   
   ​
   
   I plan to touch up with the TurleWax sealant every 8 weeks.
   
   ​
   
   ​

I'm going to be straight with you. Save 50-100$ and buy yourself a bluetooth scanner. I bought this an installed the app Torque Lite (free) it has saved me so much cash it's not funny. BAFX Products - Wireless Bluetooth OBD2 Scanner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NLQAHS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XAQIDb05W5KSJ

Plug it in, itll pull the codes from your car, you can look them up on forums and boom. Diagnosis for free. I hope this helps!

I've been taken too the cleaners too many times. Those people run a business and need to make money. Some do it honestly, some dont.

Cheers!

Their this little paint dabber on Amazon. I used it for a similar scrape. Go to a paint shop and have them paint match ($10-$15) with the machine that way color looks at least 95% the same from a few feet away. Otherwise if you just buy the stock paint you will see a huge difference in what the paint looks like. I had mine clear + paint mixed. And it was pretty good. From 10 feet away you could barely see it.


Loew-Cornell Fine Line Painting Pen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YZXV8U?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I've been loving this:

CarGuys Super Cleaner - Effective All Purpose Cleaner - Best for Leather Vinyl Carpet Upholstery Plastic Rubber and Much More! - 18 oz Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071XB18BF/

I don't think you understood my question - Bank 1 and Bank 2 each have 2 sensors - B1S1 (Bank 1 Sensor 1 - Upstream), B1S2 (Downstream), B2S1 and B2S2.

You need to replace B1SX - What's the X? You should find that out, rather than replacing both (which are about $100 a piece).

If it's a code that's being thrown, you should buy a cheap OBD2 scanner and download Torque (Android) or CarDoctor (iPhone) or another OBD2 app on your phone to read the codes. If you have an iPhone, they usually only support WiFi enabled devices, while Android phones support Bluetooth. I got this (https://smile.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-Bluetooth-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B005NLQAHS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1526942582&sr=8-4&keywords=ELM327) and it works great, but I have an android.

You can read out what the code is, and it will probably tell you which bank and sensor is throwing it as well (maybe not, but if he narrowed it down to that bank, its worth a shot).

Unlikely. The check engine light comes on for a variety of reasons but fuel economy and tire pressure is not one of them, not directly at least. What is causing the check engine light to come on may indirectly affect your fuel economy but it definitely won't come on just because the mileage has gone down or the tire pressure sensor light is on.

Get one of these ($13) and any one of the myriad programs for your phone that will read your codes. Torque is excellent if you have Android, and there is a free version.

I think I'm dealing with a similar but less severe version of your first issue on my '04 330i. When I start the car after sitting over night it can have a pretty severe bog/power loss when first setting off if I don't give the engine a couple revs first and creep with the clutch a bit, but it goes away once I fully set off. The other two issues I have are a fluctuating/dipping idle at stops that can rarely lead to a stall, and a stutter under heavy throttle demand as the tach approaches 3000-3500 rpm.

So far I've checked/cleaned the MAF, DISA, and ICV. I've also upgraded the intake, plugs, coils, and done the vanos seals. My only idea left is a fuel filter or vacuum leak but the car seems to make good vacuum.

I would recommend getting an OBD2 Bluetooth reader and the Torque Pro app. Together they'll set you back about $25 but it's awesome for seeing whats going on with your car. I got this one about a month ago and have loved it so far.

As for your second issue I'm guessing rear strut top mounts might be loose or rotten. They're behind the carpet on the sides of the trunk which would explain why you can hear it better with the back seats down. The car also pitches forward and back when getting on/off throttle so that could be why you hear it when you lift off. My second guess would maybe be the spare tire rubbing the inside of the spare well, or maybe rear sway bar mounts.

I just ordered this Heli-Coil thread repair kit. It seems like a good option to keep the stock bolts all 6mm:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KKPXK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Has really good reviews too!

Amazon has one: https://www.amazon.com/OES-Genuine-Auxiliary-Assembly-select/dp/B001G8HGPC

Im sure the dealer has one as well. I dont think they gonna be cheap though. Could look into just a universal aux fan and see if it works okay.

I don't know anything about any of that, but in mine I just purchased a $15-30 bluetooth receiver that works extremely well. In the e90 in particular it's nice because you can leave it plugged into the arm rest socket.

The unit is really just the controller piece, which you can stick anywhere on your dash (I stuck next to the iDrive wheel).

I'm talking something like this: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Bluetooth-Receiver-Magnetic-Handsfree/dp/B0168GBMCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493952251&sr=8-1&keywords=aukey+car+bluetooth

Hmm, I'm interested. Is there a reliable guide somewhere? It looks like this is the thing I need to buy alongside their $60 app? Quite a pricey app but it seems $120 is still cheaper than a shop. You said there are extras, is there anything cool I should know about what I can do with this scanner?

Do not go to a dealer for detailing work, ever. Dealer detailing departments are some of the worst things out there. I'm speaking both as someone who has 2 friends working at a BMW dealer, and someone who had a Ford dealer's detailing dept put scratches in the rear bumper of a brand new 2016 Mustang GT that won't come out.

I like using this stuff, you're going to need a few stiff bristle brushes as well

​

https://www.amazon.com/Sonax-543200-755-Engine-Cold-Cleaner/dp/B00OA1QJZU

​

if you need to go hard core

​

https://www.amazon.com/Gunk-FEB1-Foamy-Engine-Cleaner/dp/B000ABGA6W/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_263_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V91WZBBEDC95KC20P14J

​

join up on /r/autodetailing as well

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C3HAHCS/ref=mp_s_a_1_2

This works great if you just want to read codes.

Are you using a ground loop isolator? You can connect it between the AUX port and the device you're connecting it to. I use this kit and the audio quality has been perfect for me so far: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078W1HQCK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The lower control arm in the very last picture should not be bent in two places like that. The upper control arm is supposed to be bent and crazy looking, yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKGmRDhSS-A

https://www.amazon.com/Lower-Control-128i-335is-Front/dp/B07DPKVXSN

https://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/BMW-3-Series-E90/SUSPEN-Stabilizer_Bar_Link_Replacement/images_small/pic02.jpg

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=778726