All posts tagged: bimmerzeit

E39 Touring Wagon Rescue Project Series

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Last year in the midst of the Pandemic, I, like many other car enthusiasts, decided to rescue a cheap project car. Many people dove into new projects as a way to cope with the stress of the pandemic, and to focus on something positive. Mine was a $900 E39 Touring I found for sale online back in February 2021. In typical enthusiast fashion, I quickly poured significantly more money into the car than it was worth. I changed the interior, body panels and overhauled the cooling system, brakes, engine and suspension. This financial loss was realized when I sold the car last summer for a loss of over $1,600. Well, at least I have this four episode series on YouTube to remember the good times. Knowing that this BMW wagon or “Touring” was made in very small numbers, I knew it was special enough to try to save. Besides, it was an experiment in creating a rescue series on YouTube for the Bimmerzeit channel. Did any of you buy a BMW project car during the …

What it’s Like to Own an E28 BMW for 30 Years

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Its July 1987: Full Metal Jacket is playing in movie theaters nationwide and the E24 M6 graces the cover of the July issue of Car and Driver. Gasoline hovers around 0.90 cents per gallon and U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For hit top of the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. I wasn’t even born yet – until December that year. The Summer of 87 is when the previous owner of my E28 began shopping for and ultimately purchased his 1984 533i from an ad in the local paper. The dealer invoice I have dated July 16, 1987 indicates a sale price of $19,000 which became $21,084.50 after tax and title. He would drive the car for the next 31 years until I bought the car in July 2018. Last week, I sent an email to the previous owner to ask some questions that I had hoped would help me understand more about the car and it’s long time owner. We hadn’t spoken since the pandemic began in 2020, but I knew I wanted …

BMW Ownership: A Decision Made in the Spirit

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Last week I came across an interesting document while browsing vintage BMW literature online. The document is a 1989 Preview Brochure for the 3er, 5er and 7er series BMW cars. In my 17 years of BMW ownership, I had never even heard of a preview brochure. I was shocked at how well the introduction was written; it really sums up our collective enthusiasm for BMW car culture in an eloquent and simple way. We have to appreciate how this kind of marketing material could only have come from a boutique, West German auto manufacturer in 1989, just months before the Berlin Wall fell. Back then, the company was not the corporate behemoth that it is today. One can recognize where the copy must have been loosely translated directly from German, as the wording has a kink or two. Today, that marketing copy would be so highly polished by the BMW executives that something like this would never see the light of day in the US market. Here’s what it means to be a BMW enthusiast. …

The Top 10 Most Common E53 X5 BMW Repairs

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Top 10 Most Common E53 Repairs So you’re the proud new owner of BMW’s first generation X5 SUV. What kinds of repairs will you encounter during your ownership journey? Well, have a look at the Bimmerzeit top ten most common repairs and failures of this model. None of these jobs are particularly difficult to repair yourself as a DIY, and you can follow all of my step by step BMW repair tutorials to help you along. To see all 83 of my X5 video repairs in a YouTube playlist, click here. 1. Exterior Door Handle Carrier Replacement The exterior door handle carrier is made with a unique design on the E53 which features a cable and aluminum frame that pivots to actuate the door lock mechanism. Over time, the cable (like a bike brake or shifter cable) stretches and no longer actuates the latch properly. I’ve owned two X5’s and have replaced the driver and passenger front carriers on both of them. Very common failure item. To order a new carrier, buy here. 2. X5 …

The Best Used BMW to Buy in 2020

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So you’re in the market for a used BMW? In this post I’ll share with you what I think is an incredible undervalued buy on the used luxury German market right now. This car also happens to be one of the best BMW’s ever made: my all-time favorite BMW, the luxurious and reliable E39 530i. In this post I’ll go over why the E39 is the best used BMW to buy today in 2020. Search for used E39’s on the eBay market here. First, let’s chat about the glorious piece of engineering that is the E39. I have created over 100 DIY videos on this fourth generation 5 series sedan over the last five years of creating on YouTube, so it is fair to say I know them pretty well. My E39 buyers guide here outlines exactly what to look for when considering the purchase of one of these fine machines. A midsize sedan, this five series was available in 525i, 528i, 530i, 540i and M5 configurations here in the US. Manufactured from 1995 to …

The Best BMW Wheel Cleaner?

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There are a ton of choices available when it comes to wheel cleaner detailing products and sprays. Everyone has a favorite, and they are without a doubt an essential part of BMW ownership thanks to those dusty factory organic brake pads stuffed into every production BMW out there. Ceramic brake pads are known for their low or zero dusting, coupled with excellent braking bite under spirited driving at high brake temperatures. I have tried several aftermarket brands of high performance ceramic brake pads over the years, and never really liked any of them more than the BMW factory pads. The factory pads dust a ton, but their bite is excellent for a daily driven car and they’re also very quite. 

The Best E30 Accounts to Follow on Instagram

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Instagram is one of my favorite social media platforms today. I think its one of the best places to do research through browsing hashtags and other enthusiast accounts. It is a great source of visual inspiration and a place to connect with other BMW enthusiasts. Today I’ll share some of my favorite accounts that I follow on Instagram.