Amazing Life Journal follows a '98 328is from 1998 to now! Must Read For E36 Owners!

[delmarco]

I'm not sure if this guy is a member here but I came across his website whiles googling for Spark Plug advice.

Basically it follows him and his car from when he drives it off the lot in 1998 to today. Everything that has happened to the car is causally recorded with pictures and DIYs along the way on this site.

I don't know if this was his original intention back in 1998 but it is an amazing journey of this guy and his BMW and everything he went thru owning it over a 10 year period.



http://www.dvatp.com/bmw/maintenance/e36/

Tons of funny stuff from run in with deers to what he did when the dealership warranty ran out to losing foglights and dealing with tow service!

[Bimuh007]

wow this is some great stuff

[328iJunkie]

Interesting...

[NickR23]

Thats a pretty cool report to read, nicely detailed and interesting, but I cant help thinking of all that money that guy keeps wasting (or kept, seemed to do more of his own service later on) going to the dealership and buying all 100% OEM everything. My jaw kept dropping at the amounts he spent every time he went in. I rebuilt my engine, with all new valves/head work, etc for less then some of those repairs!!! The guy needs to learn to shop around, but good read nonetheless.

-Nick

[delmarco]

Did you see his DIY section? It makes all the various BMW forum websites' DIY sections combined look like 10,000 BC cave wall scribblings.

Uhm...That guy also flies Airplanes and he factory orders his BMW directly from Germany ($$$) and he tends to buy the last model year 3 series and he has vacation homes in Maine and Florida (In one blog I think he is bored one weekend at his house in New Jersey so he gets in his private plane and flies down to his other place in Florida on the beach) so I am assuming he is living pretty well above the middle class layer.

Actually, that is what is amazing that this wealthy guy will put up with an E36 for 10 years doing all the DIYs and everything like we poor folks do when he can easily buy a new Porche or Mercedes.

That shows that the LOVE and APPRECIATION he has for BMW is extreme!

[espguitarist]

Another prime example of why deer suck.

[delmarco]

Another prime example of why deer suck.

Yeah that windshield replacement looked like a PITA!
I can't believe the NJ DMV demands that you replace any cracked or chipped windshield

I've been driving around NY with a chip in mine for the last 4 years. Hopefully I never get pulled over in Jersey they may lock me up for life.

[espguitarist]

Yeah that windshield replacement looked like a PITA!
I can't believe the NJ DMV demands that you replace any cracked or chipped windshield

I've been driving around NY with a chip in mine for the last 4 years. Hopefully I never get pulled over in Jersey they may lock me up for life.

Lol, I'm surprised that I haven't been pulled over for my missing foglight and my turn signal with the big cracked hole in the lens that's about to fall out being held in by gaff tape. It's seriously about a week away from falling out, if I were to get on the highway, I don't think it would last....I should probably go put more tape on it, since I have to go down to Lowes here soon and pick up some stuff for my CAI. I have the replacement lens in my room, but the fender and the headlight housing are so screwed up it wouldn't stay in. lol.

[m2pc]

Wow, that site is truly a fun read... from reading about him cutting open the fuel filter to "inspect the element for contamination" to reading about how he paid $350 in labor for the techs to tear apart his dash from a coolant smell in the vents, only to have it be a $2 hose clamp on the throttle body coolant line.

I wonder if he's on the forums?

[G. P. Burdell]

I wonder if he's on the forums?
Yes, he is. (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/member.php?u=73366) He's been a target of ridicule here in the past.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=686715

I wish more people maintained their cars and kept track of costs as meticulously as he does. They'd understand that the total cost of ownership of a car is a very large sum of money.

[m2pc]

I wish more people maintained their cars and kept track of costs as meticulously as he does. They'd understand that the total cost of ownership of a car is a very large sum of money.

+1 on that -- and if he ever sells it, he can just point the new owner at his site for the maintenance records! :D

[Enda Curran]

its amazing to see such care and attention, i recently saw a 1996 328 with only 17500 miles on it

[mchkc240]

He keeps his car really clean. But he kept hitting the deers??? Mmm seems like getting a 328is wont really drain my bank :D

[espguitarist]

He keeps his car really clean. But he kept hitting the deers??? Mmm seems like getting a 328is wont really drain my bank :D

I think that once you hit one you're cursed and they follow you around mocking you. After I hit mine, I think it was a couple days later I saw a dead one on the same road just a few miles back. It was dead and it still scared the living shit out of me, lol. Then about a week ago I was driving to work and there was a fawn on the side of the road just standing at the edge. I slowed down and it ran off. Then a few days later I was coming home from work and there was one running alongside the road a few yards ahead of me, so I slowed down and waited for it to run off before I passed it.

[clashcity74]

I read much of the "this dude is insane" post... I can't believe some of the responses in there calling the guy a "tool" and other such names... bunch of young'n's I imagine who'd rather spend their money on angel eye headlights and carbon fiber dash pieces...

I found this great site long ago searching for steering wheel replacement procedure. Spent tons of time reading the various postings and came across the maintenance spreadsheet/log he created which has been a huge help to me...

I've converted it into an XLS from the OpenOffice format he used.

http://www.prgnetsolutions.com/maintenance_schedule.xls

Just enter your mileage at the top and clear out the mileages in "Last Performed" column.

[delmarco]

I read much of the "this dude is insane" post... I can't believe some of the responses in there calling the guy a "tool" and other such names... bunch of young'n's I imagine who'd rather spend their money on angel eye headlights and carbon fiber dash pieces...

I found this great site long ago searching for steering wheel replacement procedure. Spent tons of time reading the various postings and came across the maintenance spreadsheet/log he created which has been a huge help to me...

I've converted it into an XLS from the OpenOffice format he used.

http://www.prgnetsolutions.com/maintenance_schedule.xls

Just enter your mileage at the top and clear out the mileages in "Last Performed" column.
+1
Agreed!

This guy is my idol! That is why I no longer mess around with the junior BMW forums like Bimmerwerkz and Unitedbimmer; they are just filled with a bunch of acne ridden teenagers who just ONLY want to go fast, use their cars to get chicks and put shiny alteeza toys from japan on their BMWs that most likely mommy and daddy bought so they have no idea about what value and ownership is.

Then comes this guy who I'm sure has the money to do what the heck he wants but chooses to remain faithful to his first BMW.

I'm the same way with my 318i. My car is worth about $5,000 but my love for it and my big wallet will allow me to spent as much as I can to get it looking and driving the way I want.

Those are feedback from kids whose weekly allowances or Burger King paycheck allows them to only buy clear corners and tails and depo alteeza parts and cheap chrome rims with homemade speaker boxes in the trunk so I doubt the would understand why this guy paid $700 for an M3 Steering wheel to vamp up his interior.

Like I tell the forum kids; "this is grown man business, so if your wallet, your balls and your age is not large enough to understand what it is we do, please get the fcuk out of here and ask your pops"

[dwvcfii]

I wonder if he's on the forums?

Yup. :wavey

Been kinda busy lately on other topics but saw the spike on my site stats and figured I ought to see what was going on. :)

The E36 is a great car. Sure wish I could buy another one brand new, but since I can't, the only *reasonable* alternative is to keep this one running.

Keep 'em driving...

-Doug

[roarf]

Cool site man, will make for some great reading material when I'm bored at work. :buttrock

[m2pc]

Yup. :wavey

Been kinda busy lately on other topics but saw the spike on my site stats and figured I ought to figure out what was going on. :)

The E36 is a great car. Sure wish I could buy another one brand new, but since I can't, the only *reasonable* alternative is to keep this one running.

Keep 'em driving...

-Doug

Hey, there he is! Lots of great info on your site!

Yes, these cars are great, and you can save a ton of money (and learn a lot) from DIY projects.

Just curious: how's the newer Bimmer compared to your old E36 in terms of maintenance costs, build quality, etc? I'm sure an E46 or newer is in my future as I'll always be a BMW enthusiast.

[dwvcfii]

Just curious: how's the newer Bimmer compared to your old E36 in terms of maintenance costs, build quality, etc? I'm sure an E46 or newer is in my future as I'll always be a BMW enthusiast.

Can't really say anything of merit about maintenance costs on the E46 since I haven't done much of anything to it due to abnormally low mileage (about 4800 when I last checked), but I expect it to follow a path similar to the E36 when it becomes the daily driver in a few years. When you get into it, aside from the additional electronics (DSC, etc.) it's very similar to the E36 in design. More evolutionary than revolutionary. As evidence of this, from a DIY perspective, many of the "special" tools work on both cars. The same cannot be said of the E46 and E9x. Totally different beasts on several levels.

As far as build quality, I'll say that the E46 is a tighter car overall and the interior is obviously far nicer than the E36. However, the doors seem nicely heavier on the E36 and close with a more reassuring thunk, while the E46 doors feel cheaper / lighter and sound like I'm slamming them when I'm not. The E36 also feels more connected to the road...I can feel every crack in the pavement...but the stability of the E46 at 100+MPH is a no-contest. Feels more like an E36 M3 on steroids. Truly breathtaking.

-Doug

[delmarco]

Can't really say anything of merit about maintenance costs on the E46 since I haven't done much of anything to it due to abnormally low mileage (about 4800 when I last checked), but I expect it to follow a path similar to the E36 when it becomes the daily driver in a few years. When you get into it, aside from the additional electronics (DSC, etc.) it's very similar to the E36 in design. More evolutionary than revolutionary. As evidence of this, from a DIY perspective, many of the "special" tools work on both cars. The same cannot be said of the E46 and E9x. Totally different beasts on several levels.

As far as build quality, I'll say that the E46 is a tighter car overall and the interior is obviously far nicer than the E36. However, the doors seem nicely heavier on the E36 and close with a more reassuring thunk, while the E46 doors feel cheaper / lighter and sound like I'm slamming them when I'm not. The E36 also feels more connected to the road...I can feel every crack in the pavement...but the stability of the E46 at 100+MPH is a no-contest. Feels more like an E36 M3 on steroids. Truly breathtaking.

-Doug


Interesting. I'm obliged to also think the same since moving from an E36 to leasing an E60. I'm not sure if it is also because of new-ness and low milage, but my E36 and my dad's old E39 definately felt more connected to the road. And they seem to be more alot plastics bits used on the inside of the new BMWs that make the interior seem light wieght and fragile. It definately looks nice or cute lilke the soccer moms say but definately has a cheap mass-produced feel.
I would say all the cabins fit the same E36-E39 and E60 (even the X5 has a tight fit feel) that was my biggest surprise between the cars. My gfriends 07 Accord has more room than all BMWs I've ever been in.

Of all the cars driven, I would definately say the E36 is way more fun to drive and handle, since you always have a direct connection to the road, you control the car easier with skill.

That said, The newer BMWs are more cushiony and damper alot of things that you would feel in the E36 so it is less exciting, but still a whole lot of heck more fun than any other brand car on the planet.

[roarf]

The E36 also feels more connected to the road...I can feel every crack in the pavement...
-Doug

I have heard this about the E46 on more than one occasion. In fact, the prev. owner of my E36 bought an E46 after selling me his E36 only to sell it a few months later for that very reason, and buy an E39 540i.

[randomy]

What a very impressive car log. This is a most valuable resource to any e36 owner. Thank you so much for your long continued chronicle of your vehicle. My 96 328i is 5000 miles shy of 100k, she'll be with me until one or both of us die.

[dwvcfii]

What a very impressive car log. This is a most valuable resource to any e36 owner. Thank you so much for your long continued chronicle of your vehicle. My 96 328i is 5000 miles shy of 100k, she'll be with me until one or both of us die.

When it comes to this car I can't help but think of the old saying "no man ever loves another woman quite like his first". The E36 is my first BMW and it will always be special to me long after she's gone. But when she goes, I'll rest easy knowing she's in that spotless maintenance shop in the sky where skilled German technicians work on her for free. :)

Until then, however, I have to get back to work so I can scrounge up the money for a new suspension, a/c compressor, new front seat leather, and those ridiculously expensive door weather mouldings and exterior window trim. Back to reality for me...:D

-Doug

[motorwerks]

When it comes to this car I can't help but think of the old saying "no man ever loves another woman quite like his first". The E36 is my first BMW and it will always be special to me long after she's gone.

-Doug

I've been saying nearly the same thing for years now...

[Zakko]

Is this site resolving to a PairNIC stub page for anyone else?

[AsIsAutoSales]

Yeah, I was in the middle of reading about the BMW performance driving school. That is where the link to the second page sent me.

[Mr 4500 RPM]

Link does not work for moi :(

[carjoe]

I'm not getting through either :(

[delmarco]

Its working 4 me. Maybe his bandwidth is streched.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e377/WildTurkey007/Bandwidth.jpg

[hobo9912]

ha i like how he gets 93 octane gas.. and then complains thats its 3:01 cost.

[dwvcfii]

I'm not getting through either :(

Sorry guys... you caught me in the middle of switching to a faster server. DNS should have propagated by now but some lazy caches may still have the old addresses. Site should be accessible again. Any issues, let me know here or via email.

-Doug

[delmarco]

ha i like how he gets 93 octane gas.. and then complains thats its 3:01 cost.

LOL! I remembered in the summer of 2004 when I first bought my car and the first time I filled my tank gas was $2.19 in New Jersey for 93 octane.
That same summer I drove to hermit island maine and this rustic gas station had gas for $98 cents. That was probably the cheapest I've ever seen.
Two years earlier when I rented my first car in Miami, gas was $1.65 a gallon and lots of folks were complaining because it had spiked up from around the$1.20s

When Huricaine Katrina hit the following summer in 2005. Even before I got the news of the disaster I had just come back from a long road trip/camping to reach my 1st gas station in New York and find gas went from $2.90 a gallon to $4.00+ a gallon and I paid $80 to fill my tank and I was like what the HELL!

Now gas is $4.57 a gallon and I wish I was paying $4.00 a gallon.

[dwvcfii]

Now gas is $4.57 a gallon and I wish I was paying $4.00 a gallon.

You think that is bad...aviation gas (100 octane leaded fuel) is up to $6 at the outlying airports now. Some places at the bigger airports are charging over $8.00.

Hate to think of what would happen to this country if we see auto gas that high. Talk about severe recession. I have the choice of flight. I don't have the choice of a commute to make money to survive.

Just looked back through my fuel records and saw I filled up in 1998 when the car was new for $1.08. New BMW, cheap gas and dot-com money flowing like water. Good times.

[thedude60126]

Man thats a lot of deer hits

[kevinqjhps]

Hate to think of what would happen to this country if we see auto gas that high. Talk about severe recession. I have the choice of flight. I don't have the choice of a commute to make money to survive.





Gas prices have hit food, Airlines, State Parks, Hotels, and even Strip Clubs.:eek: :eek:

[roarf]

I remember when I was little (early to mid 90s) this one day gas got down to $0.65 at the Sunoco in town and $0.70 or $0.75 at the BP. It was insane! That was back when everyone got pissed when it went up to like $1.20. Why can't gas be $0.65 / gal. now? :(

[mkrazit]

Why can't gas be $0.65 / gal. now?

Speculation. That's why.

Back to the thread, I think it's great to see someone commit to such documentation of the care of their vehicle. I've kept service logs for my vehicles since 2005 (before that, just receipts and invoices), and they're quite the assets. I applaud you, Doug, for your diligence. :)

[delmarco]

Doug,
You are amazingly insane! You kept the gas reciepts from over 10 years ago!?
I got gas yesterday and I no longer have the reciept.

Yeah, the government and the energy lobbyists tell us right before they increase the taxes on gas that "...if people can afford private planes they can afford gas for it, if people can afford BMWs and car insurance they can afford to pay whatever we charge them for gas." So they will never car as long as their pockets are getting lined properly.

That is the inherent flaw in our modern civilization. Its the "parasitic economy" we live in that dictates when times are good and the money is flowing quickly from top to bottom, prices for everything go up to reflect that, then when people spend less money as a result and the economy is not so hot anymore people lose jobs and the money stop flowing at an exponential rate but the prices do not go back down!" . It has happened in the Luxury/Service sector, the Real Estate Sector and now the same exact thing is happening with the fuel/energy sector. Throw in credit cards and the whole credit industry in the mix and you got all the ingredients for a rapidly decaying civilization!

Not to digress or anything because Doug has a really nice website there.

[dwvcfii]

Doug,
You are amazingly insane! You kept the gas reciepts from over 10 years ago!?
I got gas yesterday and I no longer have the reciept.


I toss the receipts too (more accurately, I take them home and put them through my shredder) but have a 4x6" spiral bound notebook in the car in which I record the date, trip & total miles, gals, cost, mpg1 (which I reset every tank) mpg2 (which I never reset), the location I got the gas, and the price per gallon.

Of course, this is nothing. You should see the records I have to keep for the airplane just to maintain its airworthy status in the eyes of the FAA. Would make your hair stand on end. Pilots have an old saying...flying is like going to the bathroom...we're not finished until the paperwork is done. :D

-Doug

[delmarco]

I toss the receipts too (more accurately, I take them home and put them through my shredder) but have a 4x6" spiral bound notebook in the car in which I record the date, trip & total miles, gals, cost, mpg1 (which I reset every tank) mpg2 (which I never reset), the location I got the gas, and the price per gallon.

Of course, this is nothing. You should see the records I have to keep for the airplane just to maintain its airworthy status in the eyes of the FAA. Would make your hair stand on end. Pilots have an old saying...flying is like going to the bathroom...we're not finished until the paperwork is done. :D

-Doug

LOL! That is good stuff. With the price of gas going up everyday and the price of everything else going up every month I've been getting into the habit of doing this as well. So I know what I'm spending and where.

Each month my car seems to be running me $300 in nonsensical repairs. Plus I haven't finished the DIYs (18 OBC upgrade, Cabin LEDs, Cupholder Lights, HU upgrade) that will most likely cost me as much. And I've yet to save up $600 to $800 for my front bumper repair/repaint

[dwvcfii]

Each month my car seems to be running me $300 in nonsensical repairs. Plus I haven't finished the DIYs (18 OBC upgrade, Cabin LEDs, Cupholder Lights, HU upgrade) that will most likely cost me as much. And I've yet to save up $600 to $800 for my front bumper repair/repaint

When I buy cars (and for personal use I always buy...never lease), I either pay all cash or put at least half down to keep the payments manageable in the neighborhood of $500/mo max. My original payment on this car was $470. I wound up paying it off a year early, but that was the gist of it.

The funny/not-so-funny/strange/annoying thing is there have been times in the last several years in which I have paid near or over the equivalent in a new car payment on maintenance and upkeep on this car. It's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison due to the down payment, but it's scary sometimes to realize that I could almost buy or lease a new car for what I pay to maintain this thing.

Fortunately the educational value of the DIY work exceeds the real cost, and there is real value in not having a car payment every month to contend with in the event of "financial reversal" (code for losing one's job or having a bad month in business). Gotta be prepared for that.

-Doug

[Wrenchmonkey]

Fortunately the educational value of the DIY work exceeds the real cost, and there is real value in not having a car payment every month to contend with in the event of "financial reversal" (code for losing one's job or having a bad month in business). Gotta be prepared for that.

-Doug

Love your webpage, I completely understand but personally I don't like to add up the total cost of ownership, it can get depressing.
I also have friends who are pilots and it seems like they spend as much time preparing to fly, documenting thier flights... as they do flying.
I like cars, if they break down I don't die I just call a friend to pick me up and try to fix the car before he gets there:)

I am fanatical about modifing cars, if you are bored check out my swaping a 93 VR4 engine into my 91 VR4 and my most popular swap putting a 3.5L Pajero Engine into my 92 Twin Turbo Stealth. Both completly unnecessary but I couldn't help myself. Just like I could help but to polish the oil pan once i realized it was aluminum.

wrenchmonkey.com

I bought a 98 328i for the wife with 100,000 miles on it. Its a beautiful car and I have already spent almost $200 fixing the sunroof, brake light switch... and i have not spent the time yet to figure out why the A/C doesn't always work. Ah the joys of ownership

[delmarco]

when I bought my 318i a few years ago my payments were $200 a month to the bank and I paid it off in 3 yrs. But my car insurance because I was under 25 and living solo in New Jersey with NY plates was about $400 a month. And this was before I learned of forums and DIYs so anything that went wrong I went to the dealership.
Which totally broke me but I survived and quickly learned to and fix DIY almost 70% of what can, will and have gone wrong with my car.

[dwvcfii]

But my car insurance because I was under 25 and living solo in New Jersey with NY plates was about $400 a month.

I didn't own a car until I was 25. Told everyone I drove a Vette, errr...my mother's CHEVette. :) I bought the 328 when I was 28 and I paid $2500 a year. Nearing geezer status ten years later, I now pay about $2K to insure both cars in NJ. And here's the kicker -- due to exposure, it costs me slightly more to insure the ten year old 328 as my daily driver than it does the two year old 330.

-Doug