Category Archives: DIY

DIY

How to Start a BMW Collection

We all love our BMWs, but eventually, we reach that point where we want to have more than one car in our garage. Starting a BMW collection might sound like an expensive proposition, but you don’t have to break the bank to start your collection. You might even end up making you some money in the future.

It’s important to note that while we’re talking about specifically starting a BMW collection, you can apply most of these tips to any new or classic car collection.

First, Learn the Market

If you’re just in the car collecting game to collect, then this step isn’t as important. If you’re collecting cars as a possible money sink or thinking about collecting cars that you can sell later, learning the market is the best thing you can do for yourself.

The classic car market has cooled a lot in recent years. As long as you’re smart about it, you can still make some decent money with a car collection.

Pay attention to price trends for the cars that you’re considering adding to your collection. Talk to industry experts, especially those that specialize in BMWs. Gather as much information as you can before making a purchase — especially if you’re planning on selling later or want to flip the car and sell it after.

Keep Storage in Mind

You’re not going to want to park your collectible cars out on the street where they could get damaged from the elements or stolen. You want to make sure that you have enough space for your collection, whether you’re planning on storing two cars or 20.

If you have a garage attached to your home, that might be enough for two cars, as long as you’re not expecting to have a lot of extra room. If you’re going to have more than that, it might be worth it to invest in a free-standing garage or storage area on your property.

If you’re going for free-standing storage, consider investing in commercial style garage doors. Not only are they stronger and more secure than most residential options, but they also come in a variety of styles, and you can customize them to make them match your home’s aesthetic.

Maintain Them Well

There’s no point in purchasing collectible cars if you’re going to let them sit and rot in your garage.  Take the time to maintain them well, even if you don’t drive them all regularly. Try to get BMW-branded replacements if you need to replace any parts, whether they’re inside or outside the car. Aftermarket parts will do the job in a pinch, but keeping everything BMW-branded will increase the value of the car.

Start Your Collection

Once you have storage and market knowledge handled, it’s time to start picking up some cars. Experts recommend starting with three cars — a daily driver, a show car and one for occasional use. This gives you a fairly balanced portfolio to start out with.

Don’t worry about going cheap if you’ve found a car you love. If you have a model that you’ve got your heart set on obtaining, why not find one that needs a little TLC and turn it into a project car? It might take some effort to turn it into something suitable to show at a BMW concourse, but if it’s a car you really love, it will absolutely be worth the effort.

Start Small

You don’t need to break the bank to start a collection — unless you really want to, but we don’t recommend it. Start out small and build your collection one car at a time. Take your time to turn it into a collection that you’ll be proud of for years to come.

Car Care, DIY, Maintenance

Tools You Need for Working on Your BMW

Making the commitment to work on your BMW rather than sending it to a shop is commendable, but even with the money you save in labor, you’ll need to make an initial investment in tools. We’re not talking about spending thousands of dollars for BMW-specific VANOS adjustment toolkits from Germany, just the basics.

There’s nothing worse than getting halfway into a job and discovering you haven’t got the tool you need to fix your car. With a little bad luck, this could mean undoing all your work so you can drive back to the auto parts store. Rather than have that happen, get these essentials in your garage before you get started.

A Socket Set

Many BMWs come with a small toolkit that folds down from the top of the trunk. In it, you’ll find around 10 basic tools you can use to do basic jobs on your car, including box wrenches. You only need to try removing a battery with a box wrench once to learn the value of a good ratchet and socket set.

A Torque Wrench

The service manual says those head studs should be tightened down to 100 ft. lbs., but, hey, if you guesstimate, what could go wrong? The answer is, quite a bit. Instead of being unsure and putting expensive BMW parts at risk, get yourself a torque wrench so you know when you’ve tightened things to the proper spec.

An Air Compressor

An air compressor is a particularly handy tool for cars that do weekend warrior duty at the track. It’s easy to let air out of your tires, but how do you air up without visiting a gas station? Install a compressor in your garage and you’ll be able to stiffen up those sidewalls before your track session. Just make sure you allow them to cool before letting air out — you could damage tires if you don’t wait.

A Multimeter

Why isn’t that new head unit you installed working? Should you be worried about the life left in your alternator? Is that broken window switch just not getting power, or is something else wrong? These questions and many more can all be answered by the handy electrical multimeter, a tool all car do-it-yourselfers should own.

A Work Light

Is a light a tool? We say yes. When the sun goes down and you’re still knee-deep in a project, a work light lets you get the job done. Besides, if you fail, all the people at cars and coffee are going to give you crap about BMW reliability. Actually, they’ll probably do that anyway — but the point remains, don’t be that Bimmer owner.

An Impact Gun

When you’re working on suspension components, wheels have to come off. When you’re working on other components, sometimes you need to get to suspension components. Impact guns make this easy, and they can remove or install a whole lot more than just wheels. Plus, they make the coolest sound of any car tool, so who wouldn’t want one?

This list will get you off to a good start, and there are many more wise additions to your toolset you can make from here. Equipped with a solid set of tools, your BMW repairs will be cheaper, your bond with your car will be stronger — and, most importantly, your bank account will be fatter.

DIY

Why You Should Work on Your Own BMW

Taking the plunge into BMW ownership is intimidating to many enthusiasts. Maybe you’ve always wanted to experience what it’s like to drive a well-appointed car with fine-tuned handling dynamics, but are concerned the maintenance costs will drive you into penury. Horror stories about the cost of parts and all the things that break are usually just that — stories.

Yes, the cost of maintaining a BMW is going to be greater than the cost of maintaining a Toyota Camry, and the driving experience is going to be more rewarding, but this isn’t the kind of life decision that keeps your kids from going to college. One of the best ways to offset these maintenance costs is by working on your BMW yourself.

Where to Begin

We always recommend you have a mechanic inspect a car before you buy it. That one simple step can save you a fortune in repairs. Assuming you don’t end up owning a lemon, you can begin to service your BMW on your own on day 1.

Like any car, your BMW has an oil cap, wheel lugs and spark plugs that all need to come off and on every so often. It has fluids that need to be replaced, and a battery that will also eventually need to tag out.

Every time you pay the dealer to do these things, you’re adding approximately $60 per hour in labor, and probably an extra premium on the parts. Just because there’s a roundel on the hood doesn’t change the basic procedure — if you can change the oil on a Bronco, you can change the oil on a 3-series.

Getting Organized for Projects

One of the best ways to make working on your own car simpler is to have a usable workspace. Usually, that means getting your garage organized and having the right tools.

A good garage for car projects should be well-ventilated. It should ideally have a sealed floor that will keep spilled fluids from staining, and a power door with modern safety measures, such as a manual override and a laser sensor to make sure nothing is blocking the door.

You’ll also want to have a few cleaning supplies like microfiber towels, window cleaner, automotive detergent, and wax. A penny saved on detailing is still a penny saved on owning a Bimmer.

Advanced Repairs

When you’re feeling more comfortable and perhaps have bought a factory service manual, you can attempt more involved jobs. Online resources like forums offer a wealth of knowledge and step-by-step DIY instructions from people who’ve actually done these projects, so be sure to read up.

As you become more involved in the car community, you’ll meet other people with common interests. The car community tends to be very friendly when it comes to trading favors and sharing information, which is another way you can keep the costs of owning a BMW from draining your bank account.

In the end, a little common sense is the best tool you have when working on your own car. We don’t recommend jumping into the hobby on an unloved early-production 8-series. The truly rare and exotic models will be more expensive to maintain — however, many of BMW’s finest works are easy to find, cheap to buy and simple to work on.