New BMW owner on a lark

[BradleyinDC]

Did check CarFax (D'oh!)


01/05/2016 Maryland
Failed emissions inspection

07/30/2013 Maryland
Passed emissions inspection

08/10/2011 Maryland
Passed emissions inspection

07/31/2007 Maryland
Passed emissions inspection

09/02/2005 Maryland
Passed emissions inspection

01/27/2005 76,802 Heritage Honda Westminster
Maintenance inspection completed
Electrical system checked

03/01/2004 63,428 Heritage Honda Westminster
Brakes checked
Engine/powertrain computer/module checked

12/15/2003 60,238 Heritage Honda Westminster
Oil and filter changed

08/18/2003 55,517 Heritage Honda Westminster
Maintenance inspection completed

03/26/2003 50,199 Heritage Honda Westminster
Brakes checked
Exterior light bulb(s) replaced
Fog light bulb(s) replaced
Oil and filter changed

06/29/2002 BMW of Bayside
Emission system checked

05/20/2002 BMW of Bayside
Vehicle serviced

02/02/2002 BMW of Bayside
Maintenance inspection completed
Front brake pads replaced
Oil and filter changed
Rear brakes replaced

08/16/2001 BMW of Bayside
Blower motor resistor replaced

06/19/2001 BMW of Bayside
Maintenance inspection completed
Emissions or safety inspection performed

01/11/2001 BMW of Bayside
Vehicle serviced

12/11/2000 BMW of Bayside
Thermostat replaced

09/27/2000 BMW of Bayside
Headlight bulb(s) replaced

08/22/2000 BMW of Bayside
Oil and filter changed

01/17/2000 BMW of Bayside
Pre-delivery inspection completed
Maintenance inspection completed
CD player/changer reinstalled
Emissions or safety inspection performed

[BradleyinDC]

Most urgently, I can't get the driver's side hood latch unlatched so I can't open the hood so I can't change the alternator or do anything else. There are some YouTubes about taking of the front grills (I did that) and manually popping the latch, but for the life of my I can't figure out how to do it. <extremely frustrated> I squirted PB Blaster and then some door lock/latch lubricant hoping that would work. No luck so far.

I'm considering jumping it tomorrow morning and hoping to make it to Annapolis. I charged the battery overnight with a trickle charger, but it's not enough to start it.

[JamesAustin]

I'm considering jumping it tomorrow morning and hoping to make it to Annapolis. I charged the battery overnight with a trickle charger, but it's not enough to start it.

I just found out BMW of Annapolis is only giving the club five lifts for five hours this time; they want us there by 7:45 and out by 1:00. But if you can get the car started and trust the car to drive to Annapolis, even if you can't reach the DIY in time, the Maryland Seafood Festival is 5.5 miles away...

[JamesAustin]

Most urgently, I can't get the driver's side hood latch unlatched so I can't open the hood so I can't change the alternator or do anything else. There are some YouTubes about taking of the front grills (I did that) and manually popping the latch, but for the life of my I can't figure out how to do it. <extremely frustrated>

I found this BAVAUTO blog post. That seems to be an excessively common problem...

[John in VA]

Bimmerforums.com & bimmerfest.com have good E39 forums with many FAQs & DIYs. M5board.com has good stuff, too - not all M5-specific.
Putting hood + release in the search box, I found:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release

[BradleyinDC]

Thanks, John!

A friend came over last night and eventually he got it unlatched (and we removed right side one temporarily). Got the (new to the car) alternator installed and I got a new battery today.

Bimmerforums.com & bimmerfest.com have good E39 forums with many FAQs & DIYs. M5board.com has good stuff, too - not all M5-specific.
Putting hood + release in the search box, I found:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...t=hood+release

[BradleyinDC]

Good meeting James, Philip, Patrick, Mark and others today. Yes, the $350 BMW does exist and made it all the way to Annapolis and back (now with few codes already). Good to have an initial checklist. I need a short version of what I need to get through DC inspection, and then the full list of all of the 200k miles maintenance to do. Between my OBD II reader, the club's more sophisticated one and the visual inspections and input, there should be enough to keep me busy. Always open if anyone wants to host or help! BMW engines are quite different than Miatas.

[Coupenut]

Bradley, I checked my 528i yesterday and couldn't find a visible hose similar to the one that we were looking at during the Annapolis BMW DIY on Saturday. My guess is that it connects to a port somewhere under the intake manifold . There are a number of hoses running from the front to the back under the manifold. Perhaps one of the diagrams on the Realoem website will help you to identify it.

[BradleyinDC]

Thanks, James. That seems to be the consensus, but which one?! I have several codes, but half are cylinder misfires and half are fuel/air mix (and one O2 sensor) so I think figuring this out will go a long way.

[BradleyinDC]

A quick update on some progress on the car: so far I've change the spark plugs (old ones were swimming in oil), ignition coils and valve cover gasket as well as a vacuum hose on the passenger side right next to it that disintegrated in my hand as I was replacing the valve cover gasket. Those removed nearly all of the OBD II codes (every cylinder misfire and some fuel trim bank ones).

Also changed the oil and oil filter and tightened up the bolts on the weeping oil pan (I have a new gasket for it, but replacing that is more of a job than I anticipated).

Replaced the automatic transmission fluid filter and pan gasket. Having a hard time getting the fill plug off--suggestions?

Replaced 4 or 5 tail light bulbs that were burned out, but the dash indicator still comes on for the rear passenger side. All lights work now so I'm not sure how to get rid of it.

New brake pads, rotors and sensor arrived. Anyone want to host a brake change party?

[John in VA]

Replaced 4 or 5 tail light bulbs that were burned out, but the dash indicator still comes on for the rear passenger side. All lights work now so I'm not sure how to get rid of it.

Is the bulb for the center high-mounted stop light (at the base of the rear glass) good?

[BradleyinDC]

Is the bulb for the center high-mounted stop light (at the base of the rear glass) good?

Ah, good question. I'll have to check that, thanks!

[JamesAustin]

Replaced the automatic transmission fluid filter and pan gasket. Having a hard time getting the fill plug off--suggestions?

Replaced 4 or 5 tail light bulbs that were burned out, but the dash indicator still comes on for the rear passenger side. All lights work now so I'm not sure how to get rid of it.

What's the problem with the fill plug? Is it frozen, or just unreachable?

As for the tail lights, BMW is into "adaptive brake lights" which show drivers following you how drastically you're slowing down. So far I've failed to confirm whether your car has them, but one of the ways BMW has implemented them is with extra bulbs that only light up during hard braking at speed. They don't light up at any other time, so unless someone follows you in a place where you can safely brake hard from speed, there's no way to test them. Try going back in there again and just looking for bulbs behind red lenses that don't seem to have any reason to be there. One other way BMW has implemented this is with brake lights that get brighter when you brake harder; maybe they use dual-filament bulbs and you have one with ONE blown filament?

I know all this because the very first issue I ever solved with my E91 was a burned-out adaptive brake light bulb. Neither wandering around my car with something blocking the brake pedal, nor watching my car's reflection in a glass-walled building as I pumped the brakes, ever revealed them.

[JamesAustin]

Thanks, James. That seems to be the consensus, but which one?! I have several codes, but half are cylinder misfires and half are fuel/air mix (and one O2 sensor) so I think figuring this out will go a long way.

How is the search for the missing end of the mystery hose going? If you can get out to October 8th's DIY at AKTIV Automotive in Gaithersburg you might find some fresh eyes to look at the problem...

[pseto]

What's the problem with the fill plug? Is it frozen, or just unreachable?

As for the tail lights, BMW is into "adaptive brake lights" which show drivers following you how drastically you're slowing down. So far I've failed to confirm whether your car has them, but one of the ways BMW has implemented them is with extra bulbs that only light up during hard braking at speed. They don't light up at any other time, so unless someone follows you in a place where you can safely brake hard from speed, there's no way to test them. Try going back in there again and just looking for bulbs behind red lenses that don't seem to have any reason to be there. One other way BMW has implemented this is with brake lights that get brighter when you brake harder; maybe they use dual-filament bulbs and you have one with ONE blown filament?

I know all this because the very first issue I ever solved with my E91 was a burned-out adaptive brake light bulb. Neither wandering around my car with something blocking the brake pedal, nor watching my car's reflection in a glass-walled building as I pumped the brakes, ever revealed them.

The adaptive brake light is really a rear fog light in the e9x; I'm pretty sure e39s did not have them.