e36 328 ownership experience

[Vincent Hor]

Lee, the master sifu of 328i, I knew you would pen your invaluable comments. Thanks and appreciate it.

Here are some of the bills for parts changed from mid 2006 (labour not inclusive)

1. A/Cond Micro filter (CKL Tayar) RM185.0007/06/20062. Replace ATF (M-Power) RM200.0017/06/20063. Coupling (M-Power) RM160.0017/06/20064. P/S Repair Kit (M-Power) RM365.0017/06/20065. G/Box mounting (M-Power)RM100.0017/06/20066. Auto Filter (M-Power) RM60.0017/06/20067. Auto Gasket (M-Power) 2 item .RM106.0017/06/20068. Selector Oil Seal (M-Power) RM40.0017/06/20069. Steering Bellow (M-Power) 2 items RM70.0017/06/200610. P/S Hose (M-Power) RM350.0017/06/200611. Oil filter housing gasket (M-P) RM125.0017/06/200612. Dip stick hose (M-Power) RM60.0017/06/200613. Coil Spring (F) (M-Power) RM530.0017/06/200614. Coil Spring (R) (M-Power) RM530.0017/06/200615. Long Shaft oil seal (M-Power) RM72.0017/06/200616. Fuel Filter (M-Power) RM85.0017/06/200617. Radiator (M-Power) RM850.0017/06/200618. Whole car heat & sound proofing (sika foam)RM1740.0024/06/2006Sykt Central Car Cushion19. Steering leather rewrap (Central Car cushion)RM350.0024/06/200620. A/Cond compressorRM750.0023/06/200621. Cam shaft sensor (M-Power)RM375.0001/07/200622. Side Rod (M-Power) 2 UnitsRM360.0008/07/200623. Flywheel oil seal (M-Power)RM85.0008/07/200624. Converter oil seal (M-Power)RM80.0008/07/200625. ATF (M-Power) 6 ltrRM150.0008/07/200626. Water Pump (M-Power)RM185.0014/09/200627. Fan Clutch (M-Power)RM340.0014/09/200628. Thermostat (M-Power)RM78.0014/09/200629. Fuel Pump (M-Power)RM700.0013/01/200730. Fuel Pump ??? (M-Power)RM150.0013/01/200731. Michelins Pilot Preceda 2 (205/55/16) CKL Tayar 144K kmsRM1600.0006/02/200732. 2nd hand a/cond control panel (Digital)RM780.0010/02/200733. Oil pressure switch (CKL Tayar)RM88.0021/05/200734. Oil Pipe (Heap Woh Auto)RM165.0022/05/200735. 2nd hand alternator (Heap Woh Auto)RM480.0022/05/200736. Oil pump (Heap Woh Auto)RM350.0025/05/200737. Oil sump gasket (Heap Woh Auto)RM130.0025/05/200738. Water hoses (3 pcs) (Heap Woh Auto)RM188.0021/09/200739. A/Cond Air filterRM165.0014/09/2007




Good suggestion, I will have the oil stains area cleaned and check again after 1 - 2 weeks.

Will also do as suggested for the rear end vibration. This car has not been driven hard and your suggestion on the carbon could be valid. The previous owner hardly brings it up to 110 km/h

Will also monitor how the g/box acts up for the next month or two before. Maybe during one of the TT you could check it out.

BTW I am Xtracooljustin's (E34) dad. If you know him. Maybe he will bring it to one of the TT's when he is back from JB.

 

[Strider]

i believe item no. 1 and 39 are the same, but how come it is so expensive if compare with what i had been billed by my mechanic, or is he giving me the imitation one. He only billed me RM65 for the micro filter including installation

 

[Vincent Hor]

i believe item no. 1 and 39 are the same, but how come it is so expensive if compare with what i had been billed by my mechanic, or is he giving me the imitation one. He only billed me RM65 for the micro filter including installation

I too realised that it was changed a year ago. Previous owner is 66 years old retired professional, maybe these workshop knows that he can afford to pay without much question, that's why so many things were changed.

Not too sure about the pricing though. It would be good if someone can clarify.

 

[flash]

I too realised that it was changed a year ago. Previous owner is 66 years old retired professional, maybe these workshop knows that he can afford to pay without much question, that's why so many things were changed.

Not too sure about the pricing though. It would be good if someone can clarify.

Wow, someone feeling young again... kudos for your buy. Might have done the same if not for the continuous and troublesome house maintenance which I have to endure annually. Just spent another bomb during the Raya week-end repairing my house.

Hmmm, some of the prices might seem steep... but then again, my prices (the days when I had my E36 325i) were 3 years back.

 

[ALBundy]

A little wet around the g/box oil pan (gasket), steering rod has signs of leak(repair kit?), fly wheel oil seal may need attention plus the power steering hose also need some attention.

flywheel oil seal? do you need to top up the oil? flywheel oil and engine oil are the the same?

Geoffrey, I just taken delivery of the car 4 days ago. Too soon for me to tell if I am losing engine oil. But from the records, the last service was 1,500 kms earlier. Dip stick still shows full.

Sorry for confusing you, the area is "stained/oil marks" not exactly dripping wet. Actually the previous owner had attended to this in June 2006. There is a huge bill (RM4,600) from M Power which included the change of rad, coil springs, tranny flush, water pump, thermostat, fuel pump, clutch fan etc. According to the owner this was preventive maintenance.

So my question, is it common that the problem reoccurs after 1 1/2 years?

Normally leaks from an improper installed or worn oil seal is minimal. Of course its annoying to see oil marks on the driveway every morning. In my own experience the oil seal should last a long long time, unless it wasnt properly installed in the first place.

 

[Lee36328]

Vincent,

Happy to share our experience with you. Yeah, I know xtracooljustin. So, another beemer fan, like father like son, eh?

Happy to meet up anytime to compare notes. Just let me know.

Cool.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Wow, someone feeling young again... kudos for your buy. Might have done the same if not for the continuous and troublesome house maintenance which I have to endure annually. Just spent another bomb during the Raya week-end repairing my house.

Hmmm, some of the prices might seem steep... but then again, my prices (the days when I had my E36 325i) were 3 years back.

Flash, yeap those prices are high. Albert would be much more competetive in pricing. I did not show the labour charges that he incurred which I considered is quite a premium over a lot of workshop.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Normally leaks from an improper installed or worn oil seal is minimal. Of course its annoying to see oil marks on the driveway every morning. In my own experience the oil seal should last a long long time, unless it wasnt properly installed in the first place.

Albundy, I agree with you. But it's sad that M-Power being one of those big names around did those fixes and yet it's begining to fail again after such a short time.

I had done similar fixes on my previous E32 735iL, Justin's Red E34 and his currect silver E34. Till now there's no complain.

I can bear with some of the leaks like PS hose (easy fix) but not the flywheel oil seal which is quite a major job. For such jobs, we cannot compromise but to use only original parts.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Vincent,

Happy to share our experience with you. Yeah, I know xtracooljustin. So, another beemer fan, like father like son, eh?

Happy to meet up anytime to compare notes. Just let me know.

Cool.

Lee, yeah we have had quite a few Beemer's before namely E30 (320i), E23(728i), E34 (525i) (2) - 1 converted from 520i, E28 528i, E32 735iL and now this one.

 

[Vanquish]

Hi Vince,

Looks like you've found the right source of authority for all things 328i if you ask me. Master Lee is the right man to speak to about your concerns & etc as you can see. My apologies for not being able to reply you earlier - was travelling over the last 2 weeks and had limited access to my mails and the net. Still, congrats on your purchase and welcome to The 193 BHP Club!

Regards,
VaN.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Hi! Van, I knew you must have been away. Your have always been very prompt in your replies. Agree with you, it's a very nice car to dive. Leave it on "S" and it's fun seeing the tacho sweeping to the RED line.

 

[flash]

Hi! Van, I knew you must have been away. Your have always been very prompt in your replies. Agree with you, it's a very nice car to dive. Leave it on "S" and it's fun seeing the tacho sweeping to the RED line.

Yeah, tell me about it... I miss my E36 :bawling: ...the surges to the RED line and that is only a 325i. SLOTH, well, what can I say, is very SLOTHY.

 

[heng1028]

you definately got a good buy there, i got my 328 E36 in July at 42k but its year 96

 

[Lee36328]

Good to see the spirit of e36 fans going strong!

We all have our experience to share, and if my learning curve can help someone else, I am only too pleased.

Club 193, that sounds like a good name! :rock: How many fellow afficionados do we have?

Wow, Mr Vincent, that's a LOT of beemers you've had. How does the e36 328 compare with the previous ones so far?

So far, if I'm to be honest, its been a case of ups and downs, like anything else in life.

The Downs

1. Things break from time to time
2. Fuel consumption, at 21sen/km on VPower, is not exactly cheap
3. The road tax...
4. 17" rims and KL roads are not made for each other
5. The way the negative camber eats up tires :bawling:
6. The growing stack of receipts on the work done on my car; I hear my mechanic's kids have graduated college and are going into postgrad studies

The Ups

1. The bassy growl of the exhaust when you wake it up in the morning
2. Makes every journey something to look forward to
3. Makes traffic jams bearable, soothing even
4. The Hoffmeister kink
5. The 'S' button
6. The way the negative camber eats up corners :wink:
7. The kickdown when you need it
8. Makes you deliberately late for meetings so you have an excuse to drive faster to catch up :burnout:
9. The mods I have done to improve the handling
10. The mods I plan to do to improve the power, but must resist the temptation for now... endure... endure...
11. The urge to turn around and catch a final glimpse as you walk away

 

[flash]

The Downs
Fuel consumption, at 21sen/km on VPower, is not exactly cheap
QUOTE]

21sen/km and you call that a down? My SLOTH used to average around 28sen/km but now it is closer to 31sen/km due to leaky injectors. And my crap PV6 is at 20sen/km. Oh, all that at 60% highway and 40% urban driving and not forgetting I am using the normal green SHELL petrol. YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY!

 

[Lee36328]

31 sen/km on normal green shell is quite heavy.

Have your engine looked at and rectified. Cheaper in the long run, unless you don't use it much.

 

[VNP]

25. ATF (M-Power) 6 ltr RM150.00 08/07/2006
26. Water Pump (M-Power) RM185.00 14/09/2006
27. Fan Clutch (M-Power) RM340.00 14/09/2006
28. Thermostat (M-Power) RM78.00 14/09/2006
29. Fuel Pump (M-Power) RM700.00 13/01/2007
30. Fuel Pump ??? (M-Power

Hi all sifu,
I am driving an E36 318i A yr 1996 and my friend who is a mechanic charged me RM265 for the water pump and RM210 for the thermostat. How come the parts for E36 328 is so much cheaper? Labour charge is separate. Suspect that I was being slaughtered by my mechanic. Any comments?

 

[Lee36328]

25. ATF (M-Power) 6 ltr RM150.00 08/07/2006
26. Water Pump (M-Power) RM185.00 14/09/2006
27. Fan Clutch (M-Power) RM340.00 14/09/2006
28. Thermostat (M-Power) RM78.00 14/09/2006
29. Fuel Pump (M-Power) RM700.00 13/01/2007
30. Fuel Pump ??? (M-Power

Hi all sifu,
I am driving an E36 318i A yr 1996 and my friend who is a mechanic charged me RM265 for the water pump and RM210 for the thermostat. How come the parts for E36 328 is so much cheaper? Labour charge is separate. Suspect that I was being slaughtered by my mechanic. Any comments?

Prices for the same parts can vary noticeably even within the KL and PJ area. I take it that your mechanic is in Seremban, which would compound the variance. So, it never hurts to ask around and compare the price AND the level of service you are getting with the rest of the market.

A common method some shops employ is to charge reasonable prices for regular oil service, and charge a premium for any major part replacement once you've gotten used to their service. I saw a case like this just 2 weeks ago.

A reliable, reputable, and cost-effective mechanic is hard to find, and once you find them, it's a valuable, long-term relationship.

 

[Vincent Hor]

Managed to catch a bit of time to go to the workshop today. There ain't any leak from the engine, flywheel oil seal, g/box or the rear diff.

PS leak is due to clamp not well fasten. However there is a small leak at the steering rack. Hopefully new seals will resolve this.

Other than this the car passed with flying colours. My mech check the computer and found no error codes. Reset the computer and whola the g/box is now very much alive.

Lee, the beemer that I had like the E23 & E32 are very nice and comfy cars. Especially the 735iL with hydraulic suspension and huge the leg room.

http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8521

The E28 528i eventhough aeging (1983) can put a lot of newer cars to shame.

The E34's 525i comes in between comfort and moderate performance whereas this E36 328i is really a fun car with lots of torque and good handling. It pulls faster and handles better than my Merc 300CE24V. Overall I am very happy with this buy.

The other cars can view from here : http://xtracooljustin.multiply.com/photos

 

[Lee36328]

Vincent,

Quite a collection you have there. :top: It's nice to be able to own and experience a range of these babes, kinda like a sheikh and his harem. :wink: You can enjoy the one that strikes your fancy at the time.

Unlike a harem resident however, it's good to hear she's nice and dry down there.

How does a Vanos engine compare with non-Vanos engine? Can you feel it kicking in at about 3000 rpm? It feels like a further shift (like into another gear, but more subtle.)