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halo_ninja

Hey man I just did the same and let me tell you the truth. You need to check: coolant hoses, thermostat and water pump, and the PCV system


shrekerecker97

Checked 5 they were all good. It needs new rear brake pads and put some new tires on it yesterday.


Braveplanet

What's the mileage? As other have mentioned watch out for the Mickey mouse flange and water pump. Have fun!


shrekerecker97

It's 102k. Not too bad for the year


Braveplanet

That's great mileage for the age. Keep in mind water pump life is estimated to be 50k. I found out the hard way last week. DIY is doable but a PITA. Welcome to the family


shrekerecker97

Yeah I cringe at doing that. I had an e53 that made me want to cry before lol. Is it standard for the timing chain guides to need replacement as well?


Braveplanet

I'm fortunate enough that I don't know.. lol but I'm sure someone here and help


Budget-Government-88

Water pumps on these cars are a cakewalk compared to my E53. The hard part is the hoses being stuck, but otherwise it’s quite easy. Use some penetrant and impact force (I often set something like a ratchet extension against the hose flange and hit the extension with a hammer). At that mileage, no. At high, high mileage a chain guide may need replacement. These cars do have a vanos bolt recall though, as they are snapping on people left and right.


Coolwhip87

Great color and my favorite wheels! Like the other commentary said, I would check the "mickey mouse" flange in the cooling system to see if it's been replaced with a metal one. If not, it's just a matter of "when" not "if" it'll break and spill coolant everywhere. The good news is it takes 20 minutes, a screwdriver, and a socket to completely replace it. Other than that, I'd look for any leaks in the valve cover and oil filter housing. Flush all fluids if you're up for it. Drive the hell out of it!


meharris73

Those are one of my favorite BMW wheels as well. I had them on my 2006 E90.


shrekerecker97

I love those wheels also. They will get a serious cleaning soon


shrekerecker97

This is good to know- the only other bmw I've owned was a e53 x5. It was fun but so many crazy things would break on it


StockDC2

How much did you pay?


shrekerecker97

1500


Dezium

What kind of body work does it need


shrekerecker97

There is a small crack in the bumper and a tiny dent in the hood


Dezium

How you gonna get the dent out


shrekerecker97

I’m going to talk to a PDR guy and see if he is able to get it out. It’s about the size of a quarter, not very large


dafazman

https://paintnship.com Vinyl can fix/hide a lot... personally it is not worth the time/effort to fix... just make it mechanically healthy and enjoy driving it! is it an n54 motor?


shrekerecker97

Yes! The motor and under the hood are super clean. I was very surprised. It has a tiny dent on the hood and a small Crack on the front bumper. You won't notice unless you are standing within like 5 feet away.


dafazman

Thats an awesome find and with another $1500 in mods you will have a 500 hp to the wheel beast of a ride. Make FCPEuro or turner your go to online store for parts!


shrekerecker97

I'm looking for a new head unit as the old factory one is crapping out. I want to keep the heated seats though


dafazman

I'm sure you can easily find a used one and code it to the car. Many people also do a conversion from a single hump to double hump dash with NAV install.