DIY on e30?

[2wenty6]

Everyone,I'm looking for an e30 (most probably a 318) as my semi daily-driver. Wondering what are the hindrances to performing DIY maintenances on the e30? I'm decently competent with DIY stuff, if I can find a good DIY guide and have the proper tools for it I'll break it down into a few questions I hope you guys with more experience can help me Where do I buy the parts from? What I'm used to is looking up the part number on realoem.com and then ordering them online, how is it like in Malaysia?Are mechanical parts for the e30 easily available or are they special order parts, long wait times etc?Are there shops that'll do the work if I provide my own parts? Or do you always have to buy it from them?That's about all I can think of right away, will bug you guys later when I come up with more questions!Thanks

 

[evilnickwong]

I look up part numbers online as well on realoem/bmwfans, then get the parts from a BMW parts dealer here. Got a couple like Bavarian Auto, First Division, Inner Power, etc.

Most of the maintenance items and regular wear and tear stuff are easily available. Things that don't get changed often might not be kept in stock by the parts shops. Either have to special order or get from chop shops.

Yes, some mechanics will accept parts you bring and only charge labor. Others don't.

 

[chili e30]

1 & 2 question: part are easy to get,get the part number go jln ipoh inner power you can get it easily.so far i got no problem for part even i at melaka.

3 question:i think some of the workshop allowed you to bring your own part.try blue green motorworkz at batu 10 faderal highway.

 

[2wenty6]

Love quick replies

Alright, now we got the mechanical stuff covered..how about aesthetic stuffs - bumpers, moldings, lights, spoilers, trim pieces (interior and exterior)?

 

[chili e30]

Love quick replies

Alright, now we got the mechanical stuff covered..how about aesthetic stuffs - bumpers, moldings, lights, spoilers, trim pieces (interior and exterior)?

over here or mudah you can get used item or some of the item you can buy new like molding,light etc...

 

[evilnickwong]

Aesthetic stuff generally get used items. Otherwise, I might get new from ebay as well, some of them are acceptable copies even though not same quality as OEM.

 

[2wenty6]

Oh good point evilnickwong, you just reminded me of another question

When buying online internationally, are there any procedure to follow for the goods to clear custom or something? Or will they ship it straight to my house/business address?

I remember a friend shipping an exhaust system to Canada from US and the buyer ended up having to pay a few hundred dollars for taxes LOL

 

[evilnickwong]

So far I've only purchased small items like interior stuff and etc. Bigger items usually aren't worth it due to stupid shipping costs. But I'm pretty sure if you buy something that looks expensive, it'll get taxed at customs.

 

[fabianyee]

Oh good point evilnickwong, you just reminded me of another question

When buying online internationally, are there any procedure to follow for the goods to clear custom or something? Or will they ship it straight to my house/business address?

I remember a friend shipping an exhaust system to Canada from US and the buyer ended up having to pay a few hundred dollars for taxes LOL

In Malaysia, import of automotive parts are 'highly' taxable.. 30%+10% on the purchase price plus the freight charges. Which is why the expensive stuff are cheaper across the causeway.. But only worth it to get small but expensive items from S'pore.. Things like sensors. Otherwise, not worth the trouble..

 

[fabianyee]

E30, especially the M40, is a very easy car to maintain if you are a grease monkey. Getting new replacement wear and tear parts are easy.
As for extrerior parts, ie bumpers, trims, body panels etc still can order new ones if you have the $$$. used ones need to look at the 'chop shops'.

I have done some custom made parts for my E30 too.... if you're interested, we can talk.. hahaha...

 

[2wenty6]

Are there any new exterior parts vendor in Malaysia?

Fabian - I've seen some of your custom part thread, but I am still unsure of the direction I'm taking with this e30 I don't even have yet Nor do I have a good grasp of my financial capabilities just yet. But, I'd be lying if I say I'm not the least bit interested

 

[fabianyee]

Are there any new exterior parts vendor in Malaysia?

What do u mean by exterior parts? Body panels? lights? Bumper?

Like mentioned previously, original BMW or OEM items can be ordered thru BMW part vendors. U can even order a brand new dashboard but that'll probably cost 1/4 or even 1/3 of the car's current market value... it's probably not far off from the price for a brand new dashboard for the E46 or even E90.

As for aftermarket parts, there's no demand for them since the car is old. Vendors would stock parts for newer and current BMW models. Pure common business sense...

 

[2wenty6]

^ Yeah things like front and rear bumper, side skirt etc. I'm not a stickler for OEM parts, especially when it comes to aesthetic pieces.

 

[evilnickwong]

If you mean bodykit stuff and you're not particular about OEM, then there's plenty of fiber kits available new here as well.

 

[Aero]

If you mean bodykit stuff and you're not particular about OEM, then there's plenty of fiber kits available new here as well.

Pardon me....

Just a though where and how much can we expect a bodykit for a e30 m40 body. Contact would be better.

Cheers

 

[evilnickwong]

I usually see them selling on mudah or ZTH forums. I asked before last time, a full ACS kit for E30 M40 was around 1k I believe. I didn't go see the items myself, so no idea how the fiber quality is though.

 

[2wenty6]

Nick,

I remember seeing a thread about all the different bodykits available for the e30, but the pictures are all gone. Is there somewhere I can go to educate myself about all the different styles? I'm not familiar with the e30 styling options.

The one I've seen the most is the M-tech II style, but no clue about others. And what is it about the plastic and post '88 bumpers? Care to enlighten me please?

 

[fabianyee]

try google...
The available designs for E30 are:
MTEC 1 for pre facelift
MTEC 2 for post facelift
AC Schnitzer
Hartge
BBS
Alpina
Zender
Rieger

there's also the IS lip for the E30, found on the 318is and 325is (see front lower lip in pic)

There's also the IS side skirts but can't seem to find photos from google..
i have the IS side skirts but haven't find the time to have them installed.. hehe.. Buying the new clips and brackets alone aledi cost almost RM100...

 

[evilnickwong]

Also:

Racing Dynamics
Kamei

And each brand also got few variations for pre and post facelift.

Fabs, where did you get IS skirts? Those are hard to find for post facelift.

 

[2wenty6]

I've read that it takes a lot of work to fit a post-facelift bumper onto a pre-facelift car?

How do I identify a pre and post facelift car?