The first thing one should consider when selling an old BMW is how you can sell it for more money. The technique, which most people seem to overlook, is to simply make it look absolutely fantastic!
This does not mean just washing and vacuuming it, although thats a excellent start. It is the overall preparation and detailing that counts. This is a well-known secret of most used motor dealers.
You would be surprised to see the condition of some of the vehicles they purchase, but after a few hours in the detailing shop you wouldnt think it was the same BMW! The best advice to anyone selling his or her BMW, is to have a professional BMW detail carried out. This will cost you around the $200 mark and it will be money well invested.
It will, in effect, save you hours of hard work trying to do it yourself with nowhere near the same result. This alone will add hundreds of dollars to your BMW, particularly when selling via the newspaper.
I know of people who have had their BMW detailed and fallen back in love with their BMW deciding not to go ahead with the sale.
Once the detailing has been completed you should make sure any small flaws are repaired. It is also important that you have the BMW service books and any relative mechanical history at the ready, as this is now becoming a major factor when buying or selling a used BMW. If a service is due or near due, make sure you have it done prior to selling. This will give a prospective buyer a good idea of how well you have kept your BMW.
What is your car really worth?
Before you start selling your vehicle, either privately or to a dealer, you must know its market value. There is nothing worse than advertising your vehicle with a highly inflated price tag.
One way to find out the approximate value of your vehicle is by studying the motor section of your local newspapers, which will give you a reasonable guideline. Another way is to look in dealership yards to see what price similar vehicles are being sold for, but you must remember these vehicles have margins built into them to cover the dealerships operating costs and over-stock.
Alternatively, the internet can provide a wealth of information on vehicle pricing. This is only web-based information and is generalised, so it does not give you accurate pricing on your own vehicle because of the specific condition and accessories fitted.
Sites where you can gather this type of guidance are the individual dealership web sites and vehicle pricing-guide sites such as www.redbook.com.au and www.glassguide.com.au
This data is only to assist you in making a qualified and rational decision when buying or selling your vehicle. Remember, these sites are to be used only as a guideline, they are not entirely accurate as they do not take into consideration the individual buying or selling parameters within the different states.
There are always variations to the rules about pricing, so you should follow your intuition when setting a price and be sure to leave room for negotiating in your asking price. Your starting price should be higher than the price for which you really want to sell your vehicle.
Use The Internet To Repair and Service Your BMW Cheaper
BMW service shops have always been a place at which people who know what is wrong with your BMW charge your week's pay for a turn of a screwdriver on the right place. It was a place that made children amazed and grown men afraid of hearing a squeak when driving their cars out of BMW warranty. Yes, overpaid BMW servicing with a license to charge whatever for the parts is why the BMW servicers become BMW servicers. But, communication technologies are creating many opportunities for you to be free from those muggers by providing you with an easy way to find the knowledge you need free, and the BMW parts you need at the cheapest price there is.
There are many BMW forums which specialize in only one make or even model of BMW, and discuss the BMW problems which occur with them and the best ways of solving them. People even post their video guides on how to fix BMW problems on youtube, and answer your questions, free of charge of course. You can fix all of the minor problems yourself, even those you thought required a new BMW part. And for those that do require replacing a part, you can find cheap car parts online. There are websites which are dedicated to advertising used BMW parts, and you can even check and see if the individual seller has gotten a bad review from a buyer stating bad quality or excess wear on the part. You should avoid incredibly cheap offers and sellers who have bad reviews, and know exactly which part you need before buying one. If you could not find any similar cases to yours, you can write a new topic on one of the BMW forums, and one of the BMW enthusiasts will step up to the challenge of finding out what the problem with your BMW is, for the fun and honour.
There are many BMW forums which specialize in only one make or even model of BMW, and discuss the BMW problems which occur with them and the best ways of solving them. People even post their video guides on how to fix BMW problems on youtube, and answer your questions, free of charge of course. You can fix all of the minor problems yourself, even those you thought required a new BMW part. And for those that do require replacing a part, you can find cheap car parts online. There are websites which are dedicated to advertising used BMW parts, and you can even check and see if the individual seller has gotten a bad review from a buyer stating bad quality or excess wear on the part. You should avoid incredibly cheap offers and sellers who have bad reviews, and know exactly which part you need before buying one. If you could not find any similar cases to yours, you can write a new topic on one of the BMW forums, and one of the BMW enthusiasts will step up to the challenge of finding out what the problem with your BMW is, for the fun and honour.
BMW Maintenance Tips San Diego
Believing that prevention is still better than cure, BMW of San Diego offers preventive maintenance tips to a lot of BMW users in order to avoid common BMW problems, frequent repair and car part replacement and thus, prolong the life of their BMW.
BMW of San Diego suggests a regular inspection of the vehicle's major and minor parts, including the cooling system, engine system, ignition systems and the electrical system components.
It is also important to check all fluids in your BMW such as the transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering fluid. They must be kept in normal level to ensure your safety.
Furthermore, you must make sure that the wheels are properly aligned and the tires are well inflated to ensure safety, better handling and ride quality.
In addition, BMW of San Diego provides a wide selection of auto parts for your BMW part replacement needs. This store provides wide array of BMW parts and so much more.
BMW Car part replacement is inevitable in your BMW's maintenance since all auto parts of the BMW are subject to wear and tear and malfunctioning; thus, they need to be upgraded, repaired or replaced in order for the vehicle to function normally or more effectively.
Among the BMW auto parts that wear out fast or gets frequently damaged are the body panels and other exterior parts such as the bumper, the door, the tailgate, and the wheels, including the tires. They are exposed to a lot of corrosive elements, which speed up formation of rust.
Sometimes, accidents happen and they too cause a lot of trouble to your vehicle no matter how much you have cared for your auto. The bumpers and the fender usually bear the brunt of the accident; thus, minor accidents are usually called fender benders. In most instances you need to replace them to restore the vehicle's gutsy looks and excellent safety.
Other parts of the BMW that need to be checked include the radiator, auto lights, catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, alternator, battery and other cooling, electrical and exhaust system parts. These auto parts perform very vital and difficult tasks and so they are also prone to abuse. They need to be checked every now and then as well.
Should you need replacement parts such as BMW exhaust manifold, BMW catalytic converter, BMW A/C condenser, BMW radiators, you can come and visit BMW of San Diego. This store offers only top rated BMW auto parts for almost all makes and models, including passenger cars, trucks, SUVs, vans and minivans.
BMW of San Diego suggests a regular inspection of the vehicle's major and minor parts, including the cooling system, engine system, ignition systems and the electrical system components.
It is also important to check all fluids in your BMW such as the transmission fluid, brake fluid and power steering fluid. They must be kept in normal level to ensure your safety.
Furthermore, you must make sure that the wheels are properly aligned and the tires are well inflated to ensure safety, better handling and ride quality.
In addition, BMW of San Diego provides a wide selection of auto parts for your BMW part replacement needs. This store provides wide array of BMW parts and so much more.
BMW Car part replacement is inevitable in your BMW's maintenance since all auto parts of the BMW are subject to wear and tear and malfunctioning; thus, they need to be upgraded, repaired or replaced in order for the vehicle to function normally or more effectively.
Among the BMW auto parts that wear out fast or gets frequently damaged are the body panels and other exterior parts such as the bumper, the door, the tailgate, and the wheels, including the tires. They are exposed to a lot of corrosive elements, which speed up formation of rust.
Sometimes, accidents happen and they too cause a lot of trouble to your vehicle no matter how much you have cared for your auto. The bumpers and the fender usually bear the brunt of the accident; thus, minor accidents are usually called fender benders. In most instances you need to replace them to restore the vehicle's gutsy looks and excellent safety.
Other parts of the BMW that need to be checked include the radiator, auto lights, catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, alternator, battery and other cooling, electrical and exhaust system parts. These auto parts perform very vital and difficult tasks and so they are also prone to abuse. They need to be checked every now and then as well.
Should you need replacement parts such as BMW exhaust manifold, BMW catalytic converter, BMW A/C condenser, BMW radiators, you can come and visit BMW of San Diego. This store offers only top rated BMW auto parts for almost all makes and models, including passenger cars, trucks, SUVs, vans and minivans.
Ways To Save On Your BMW
The upkeep of your BMW can be quite an expense - from initial purchase to insurance to BMW maintenance. And sometimes we get the sinking feeling that every time we need a BMW car repair, we’re going to get taken for a ride. (pardon the pun!) Actually there are some ways to make sure you don’t get a raw deal when dealing with a local BMW body shop.
After you get recommendations for honest BMW mechanics, call around to check out the prices for certain BMW repair jobs. It’s always smart to get a second opinion.
How about some preventative maintenance? Keep your gas tank filled. This will help you avoid the gas line freezing up in cold weather. Also, driving on “fumes” allows little pieces of dirt at the bottom of your gas tank to run through the fuel lines with the last drops of gas. This debris clogs up the fuel filter and can cause carburetor damage as well.
Sometimes a problem with your BMW’s electrical system results from a simple blown fuse. Check to see if you have any blown fuses before investing in a tow truck!
Keep track of how much oil your car uses. A sudden change in oil consumption means you need to see a BMW technician.
Save your BMW brakes by having your brake fluid changed every 30,000 miles.
Check your tire pressure once a month. This simple maintenance check can add up savings at the gas pump!
Stop and go traffic causes excess wear and tear on your BMW. Go ahead and give your BMW a nice twenty minute ride at 55 mph on the highway every couple weeks if you “major” in short trips.
There are other ways to save money on car expenses. Let’s look at the insurance payments.
If you’ve budgeted for possible out-of-pocket expenses in case of a car accident, you might want to consider increasing your insurance deductible to $500. This will lower the cost of your insurance.
Talk to your insurance agent. If your car is as old as the hills, you might want to drop collision coverage to save money.
BMW car insurance companies offer a variety of discounts. Ask your agent if the company offers reductions for driver training courses, anti-lock brakes, car alarms, air bags, mature drivers, good students or maintaining a good driving record.
Before you purchase from a BMW dealer, ask about the BMW dealer's return policy, get it in writing and read it carefully. BMW Dealers are not required by law to give used car buyers a three-day right to cancel.
Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.
In most cases, using cruise control on the highway will save gas.
Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your BMW's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. This isn’t going to cost you an arm or leg either.
Do your homework when buying a BMW from an auction. Many vehicles that have been damaged by floods and hurricanes are going on the market. These won’t last long – leaving you with a flood of bills. Be a little concerned if the carpet looks too new, and check carefully for signs of rust.
If you use your BMW for business, keep track of miles traveled so that you can use this for a tax deduction. Get more info at irs.gov.
When you consider all the ways you can save money on your current BMW, you might be persuaded to put away the extra each month for a new car down the road!
After you get recommendations for honest BMW mechanics, call around to check out the prices for certain BMW repair jobs. It’s always smart to get a second opinion.
How about some preventative maintenance? Keep your gas tank filled. This will help you avoid the gas line freezing up in cold weather. Also, driving on “fumes” allows little pieces of dirt at the bottom of your gas tank to run through the fuel lines with the last drops of gas. This debris clogs up the fuel filter and can cause carburetor damage as well.
Sometimes a problem with your BMW’s electrical system results from a simple blown fuse. Check to see if you have any blown fuses before investing in a tow truck!
Keep track of how much oil your car uses. A sudden change in oil consumption means you need to see a BMW technician.
Save your BMW brakes by having your brake fluid changed every 30,000 miles.
Check your tire pressure once a month. This simple maintenance check can add up savings at the gas pump!
Stop and go traffic causes excess wear and tear on your BMW. Go ahead and give your BMW a nice twenty minute ride at 55 mph on the highway every couple weeks if you “major” in short trips.
There are other ways to save money on car expenses. Let’s look at the insurance payments.
If you’ve budgeted for possible out-of-pocket expenses in case of a car accident, you might want to consider increasing your insurance deductible to $500. This will lower the cost of your insurance.
Talk to your insurance agent. If your car is as old as the hills, you might want to drop collision coverage to save money.
BMW car insurance companies offer a variety of discounts. Ask your agent if the company offers reductions for driver training courses, anti-lock brakes, car alarms, air bags, mature drivers, good students or maintaining a good driving record.
Before you purchase from a BMW dealer, ask about the BMW dealer's return policy, get it in writing and read it carefully. BMW Dealers are not required by law to give used car buyers a three-day right to cancel.
Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.
In most cases, using cruise control on the highway will save gas.
Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your BMW's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. This isn’t going to cost you an arm or leg either.
Do your homework when buying a BMW from an auction. Many vehicles that have been damaged by floods and hurricanes are going on the market. These won’t last long – leaving you with a flood of bills. Be a little concerned if the carpet looks too new, and check carefully for signs of rust.
If you use your BMW for business, keep track of miles traveled so that you can use this for a tax deduction. Get more info at irs.gov.
When you consider all the ways you can save money on your current BMW, you might be persuaded to put away the extra each month for a new car down the road!
BMW Car Repair Tips
The more you notice about your BMW, the more likely you'll be able to head off repair problems. Yep- even if you're mechanically challenged. You can detect many common vehicle problems by using your eyes and nose.
“See No Evil”
Is there a little stain or a drop of fluid under your BMW? It may mean absolutely nothing. But you do want to check the wet spots immediately - just to make sure.
What color is the fluid under your car? Yellowish green, pretty blue or neon orange colors indicate an overheated engine or an antifreeze leak caused by a bad hose, water pump or leaking radiator. Not good. I remember the yellowish green ooze from my Chevette as the tow truck took it away to its final resting place. Get to a BMW repair shop while you still can!
A dark brown or black oily fluid means the engine is leaking oil. A bad seal or gasket could cause the leak. This is how my first car met its demise.
A red oily looking spot indicates a transmission or power-steering fluid leak. Also, not good.
A puddle of clear water usually isn't a cause for concern. It may be normal condensation from your vehicle's air conditioner. Whew!
“Smell no Evil”
Take a whiff, and you may detect your BMW's problem.
Do you smell burned toast? This odor often signals an electrical short and burning insulation. Have someone come look at your car. Don't drive it anywhere until the problem is diagnosed.
How about the smell of rotten eggs? This usually indicates a problem in the catalytic converter. Get to a repair shop! Pheee-yew!
A thick sharp odor usually means burning oil. Look for the sign of a leak. This problem needs to be addressed immediately if having transportation is important to you. You may also notice a bluish smoke coming from your BMW. Ask me how I know. Ahh… memories.
The smell of gas after a failed start may mean the engine is flooded. Wait a few minutes and try again. If the odor continues, there may be a leak in the fuel system - a potentially dangerous problem that needs immediate attention.
A chemical odor may mean overheated brakes or clutch. Check the parking brake. Stop and let the brakes cool after repeated hard braking. Light smoke coming from a wheel indicates a stuck brake. Call a tow truck.
Do you notice a sweet odor? This may indicate a coolant leak. Watch your temperature gauge and warning light and drive to a repair shop. Now, if you see steam from under the hood, stop and pull over. If you keep driving an overheated vehicle, your engine will be seriously damaged. Call a tow truck.
The basic rule of smell is that if you do notice an unusual odor - get to a mechanic or get one to come to you. Pretty simple!
A little extra attention to what’s coming out of your car or truck could save you the cost of a new BMW payment! Keep those eyes and that nose on the job!
“See No Evil”
Is there a little stain or a drop of fluid under your BMW? It may mean absolutely nothing. But you do want to check the wet spots immediately - just to make sure.
What color is the fluid under your car? Yellowish green, pretty blue or neon orange colors indicate an overheated engine or an antifreeze leak caused by a bad hose, water pump or leaking radiator. Not good. I remember the yellowish green ooze from my Chevette as the tow truck took it away to its final resting place. Get to a BMW repair shop while you still can!
A dark brown or black oily fluid means the engine is leaking oil. A bad seal or gasket could cause the leak. This is how my first car met its demise.
A red oily looking spot indicates a transmission or power-steering fluid leak. Also, not good.
A puddle of clear water usually isn't a cause for concern. It may be normal condensation from your vehicle's air conditioner. Whew!
“Smell no Evil”
Take a whiff, and you may detect your BMW's problem.
Do you smell burned toast? This odor often signals an electrical short and burning insulation. Have someone come look at your car. Don't drive it anywhere until the problem is diagnosed.
How about the smell of rotten eggs? This usually indicates a problem in the catalytic converter. Get to a repair shop! Pheee-yew!
A thick sharp odor usually means burning oil. Look for the sign of a leak. This problem needs to be addressed immediately if having transportation is important to you. You may also notice a bluish smoke coming from your BMW. Ask me how I know. Ahh… memories.
The smell of gas after a failed start may mean the engine is flooded. Wait a few minutes and try again. If the odor continues, there may be a leak in the fuel system - a potentially dangerous problem that needs immediate attention.
A chemical odor may mean overheated brakes or clutch. Check the parking brake. Stop and let the brakes cool after repeated hard braking. Light smoke coming from a wheel indicates a stuck brake. Call a tow truck.
Do you notice a sweet odor? This may indicate a coolant leak. Watch your temperature gauge and warning light and drive to a repair shop. Now, if you see steam from under the hood, stop and pull over. If you keep driving an overheated vehicle, your engine will be seriously damaged. Call a tow truck.
The basic rule of smell is that if you do notice an unusual odor - get to a mechanic or get one to come to you. Pretty simple!
A little extra attention to what’s coming out of your car or truck could save you the cost of a new BMW payment! Keep those eyes and that nose on the job!
BMW of San Diego - Change Spark Plugs
One basic tune-up procedure for just about any car on the road is the replacement of your spark plugs and spark plug wires (where applicable). On the BMW E36 six-cylinder engines, BMW has eliminated the use of spark plug wires by integrating six small spark plug coils that sit on top of each spark plug. While this configuration may be a bit more expensive than the typical single coil, single capacitive discharge box configuration, it makes the car's ignition system more reliable by removing a component that constantly wears out and fails (spark plug wires). It's a pretty cool setup, not commonly found on older cars. As manufacturing components has become increasingly inexpensive, ignition setups like these have become more common.
I recommend replacing your spark plugs every 10,000 miles, or about once a year. In reality, you can probably go longer than that, however, you never really quite know how long the plugs are going to last, or you may forget to do it if you don't setup a yearly schedule. Needless to say, replacing your spark plugs is one of the easiest tasks to do on your BMW - provided you have the proper information, which I will provide here.
Begin by prepping the car. The only thing that you really need to do is to make sure that the car is cold. If you try to remove or install spark plugs in a hot car, then you may encounter problems with the spark plugs gumming up or damaging the relatively delicate threads in the aluminum cylinder head. Just make sure that the car is cold, or at the bare minimum, only slightly warm to the touch.
Let's talk about the six cylinder cars first. The first step is to remove the top plastic covers from the engine. These serve no mechanical purpose - they are there only for decoration and to prevent dust and debris from getting into the recesses of the engine. On the six cylinder cars, there are two covers, a long thin one on the top of the car, and a wider one towards the left. Speaking of left, for the purpose of this particular tech article, I will refer to the left side of the engine as being on the left as you are standing in front of the car looking at the engine. The right side would, of course, be opposite to that. For reference, the windshield washer bottle would then be on the left, and the air filter would be on the right.
On the two plastic covers, there will be two small, snap-in plugs on the top. Carefully remove these plugs (don't drop them into the engine) with a small screwdriver, prying them up as you grab them. Underneath you will find a nut that holds the cover onto the top of the engine. Remove the four nuts on these two covers, and they should both simply slide up out of the way. The engine with the center cover removed.
Underneath the left cover, you will see the six spark plug coils that sit on top of each of the plugs. You need to remove each of these carefully, in order to gain access to the plugs. Using a screwdriver, release each connector from each coil. There is a metal retaining ring on the rear of each one that fastens it to the coil. Once you lift up on the retaining clip, then the connector should simply slide out of the coil. Carefully remove all of the connectors from each coil, taking care not to bend the wire harness too much. These wires are stiff, and generally don't take well to being bent in multiple directions. Just be gentle with them.
To assist with your maneuvering of the wires, detach the center clip that holds the wires that come from the center channel. Gently place the wires off to the side and out of the way, without bending them terribly.
With the wires detached and placed slightly out of the way, you can now remove each of the six coils. Each coil is fastened to the valve cover using two screws. On two of the coils, there are two small ground straps that connect the coil to the stud on the cylinder head. Take note of these ground straps - they must be installed properly when you are finished, otherwise your car may encounter problems.
Remove each of the two nuts that hold each coil to the valve cover. At this point, the coil should be able to be easily pulled right off of the engine. The coil has a small coil pack on one end, and a spring-loaded spark plug connector on the opposite end. Simply remove the coil/plug assembly and place it off to the side. All of the coils are the same, so it doesn't matter which cylinder bank it came off of - unless you are specifically trying to troubleshoot a bad coil fault code that was displayed by the main computer.
With the coil removed, you should be able to look down the hole and see the spark plug hiding in there. The top of a normal looking spark plug looks like. However, as you remove the plugs, you may discover something peculiar. The way that the ignition system is designed on these BMWs, there is the opportunity for the spark plug holes to completely fill up with oil, if you have a leaky seal on your valve cover. When you pull out the spark plug connector / coil combo, you may find that it is completely submerged in engine oil. Looking down the hole, you may not even be able to see the spark plug because the entire hole is filled up with oil. While common sense says that this is not a good thing, the reality is that this is actually quite common, and doesn't seem to affect the performance of the car one bit. If you do find this oil in your spark plug holes, I would suggest that you go one step further and replace the valve cover gasket. This replacement procedure is very simple, once you have the coils removed, and should only take you about 20 minutes more, providing you have the actual gasket on hand. If you find oil in your spark plug holes, then you should definitely replace the gasket.
If you find that you have oil in your spark plug holes, I suggest that you take some paper towels and attempt to soak up as much of the oil as possible, before removing the spark plug. If you don't get rid of the excess oil, then it will leak into the cylinder head through the spark plug hole when you remove the spark plug. This will cause your car to run sooty when you first start it up, and it may even foul your brand new spark plugs that you just installed!
Spark plug removal is easy - you just need the right spark plug wrench. I have one that I love - it's a spark plug socket with a rubber insert that catches the plug. In addition, it has a built-in swivel on the attachment end. This is especially useful when trying to remove plugs in hard-to-reach places, as they are always located on Porsche engines (BMW engines aren't really that bad with respect to spark plug access).
Using a breaker bar, grip the plug and turn it counter-clockwise until it is loose. Then pull out your tool and grab the plug. When the plug comes out, you may want to take a close look at it. The spark plug is really the best way to visually ‘see’ what is going on inside your combustion chamber. You need to pull out all of the spark plugs to replace them, so you might as well take a close look at them while they’re out. While today’s modern fuels make plug-reading much more difficult, you can still glean a lot of information from looking at them. A good, well-balanced engine will produce a plug that is light brown in color, and dry. If the engine is running too rich, the plug will often be coated with a lot of extra carbon. Keep in mind that the rest of your combustion chamber probably looks the same. An engine running too lean will have a powdery white coating on it, and the outer porcelain ring may have a burned appearance.
When reading spark plugs, pay close attention to the white porcelain ring around the plug. This white area will give you an excellent background to inspect the color of the plug, and to help determine how your combustion chamber looks inside.
If the plug is wet with oil, then that indicates that there is significant leakage into the combustion chamber past either the valve guides or the piston rings. This is generally a bad sign, and an indicator that a future compression test may not yield good results.
An unusual spark plug with all four of its electrode eaten away. I would hazard a guess that this plug was improperly plated from the factory, and as it progressed through it's life, the repeated sparking slowly ate away at the electrodes until they were gone. A plug in this condition would misfire often (if at all), and would generate poor performance for this particular cylinder. Surprisingly enough, none of the rest of the spark plugs in this set exhibited this type of damage. This is what leads me to believe it was defective from the manufacturer.
The brand new Bosch Platinum spark plug. While I don't have any specific preference for any specific manufacturer of plug, you should definitely make sure to get the proper ones for your car. Spark plugs have varied over the years as engines have been changed slightly due to smog regulations. The important thing to remember is to get the proper ones for your car (they are scaled by electrode type and also by heat range), otherwise you may encounter odd ignition problems. Spark plugs are cheap - I would go with a brand name like Bosch or NGK, choosing to avoid the no-name brands. Make sure that you measure the spark plug gap (if single electrode) with a spark plug gap tool before you install the plugs.
Install your new plugs using a torque wrench to measure the amount of torque applied to the plug (Figure 18). This is very important, as it is easy to over or under-tighten spark plugs. Make sure that the plug is firmly seated in your spark plug socket as it is very easy to insert the plug into the head and have it cross-thread. This means that the threads of the spark plug don't mesh properly with the ones in the head, instead choosing to "cut their own path." This damages the threads on the head, and in extreme cases, may destroy the threads in the cylinder head entirely. Trust me - you do not want this to happen. Proceed carefully and cautiously here.
Install each plug into the cylinder heads without using any anti-seize compound. Torque the spark plugs to 25 Nm (18.4 ft-lbs). While writing "How to Rebuild and Modify Porsche 911 Engines", I discovered that Porsche doesn’t recommend the use of anti-seize compound, as detailed in Porsche Technical Bulletin 9102, Group 2, identifier 2870. The bulletin applies retroactively to all Porsche models and the theory is that the anti-seize tends to act as an electrical insulator between the plug and the cylinder head. This could have detrimental effect on the firing of the spark due to the loss of a good, consistent ground connection. Keeping those findings in mind, I would make the same recommendations for the BMW cars.
With the new plugs installed and properly torqued, you can replace the coils, don't forget the small ground straps and reattach the coil connectors. Snap the wires back into their center holders and replace the top two plastic covers. When you're done, your engine should look back to normal
Changing plugs on the 318 4-cylinder cars is a bit different and a bit easier. You remove the spark plug cover in a similar manner. There should be a handy little blue spark plug wire pull tool under the cover. Use it to remove the plug wires from the ends of the spark plugs. With the wires disconnected, remove and reinstall the plugs in a similar manner to how I described the procedure for the six cylinder cars. You will also want to replace the spark plug wires every 30,000 miles or if they look cracked and worn out.
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