New E24 Owner

[Scratchy2]

Hi everyone, recently purchased a 88 635csi 5sp last week. Someone on the board mentioned that 'if your just thinking about buying a 6er it's to late, you will eventually buy one' well thats what happen to me.

I'm not a stranger to BMW's, this will be my 4th ( '76 2002, '80 320i, '89 325i) The E30 is my current daily driver which i've owned for 19 years and have over 300,000 miles on the clock.

I have a few questions concerning maintenance on the 635; do most of you use 20w/50 oil and if using synthetics what weight is recommended, any specific oil filter preferred, will probably need to change the brakes and rotors soon any preferences on type? Also I noticed that there is not a Bentley manual for the 635, have anyone bought the factory repair manual on CD-ROM from bavauto for the 6 series, is the $89.00 worth it.

Thanks in advance,
Scratchy2

[sixseries]

get the bentley 5 series (e28) manual from amazon its like 35 bucks. and dont use synthetics unless you like a leaky engine. these engines weren't designed with synthetics in mind. i do use 20w/50. castrol FTW! oh and lets see some pics! not sure on the rotors or pads...just check with steve haygood

[jbd5015]

Hi everyone, recently purchased a 88 635csi 5sp last week. Someone on the board mentioned that 'if your just thinking about buying a 6er it's to late, you will eventually buy one' well thats what happen to me.

I'm not a stranger to BMW's, this will be my 4th ( '76 2002, '80 320i, '89 325i) The E30 is my current daily driver which i've owned for 19 years and have over 300,000 miles on the clock.

I have a few questions concerning maintenance on the 635; do most of you use 20w/50 oil and if using synthetics what weight is recommended, any specific oil filter preferred, will probably need to change the brakes and rotors soon any preferences on type? Also I noticed that there is not a Bentley manual for the 635, have anyone bought the factory repair manual on CD-ROM from bavauto for the 6 series, is the $89.00 worth it.

Thanks in advance,
Scratchy2

Congrats on picking up the big coupe!! Im sure youll love the cruising ability of the car when compared to the E30. Great find with the 88 and 5spd! A lot of us stick to the 20w50, and some run the 10w30 when it gets really cold, but being in florida, i dont think youll have much to worry about. You want to get an oil that has the zinc phosphates or whatever, they keep the M30 happy. Your best bet is in the castrol gtx, brad penn, or rotella (made by shell). Rotella is a heavy duty truck oil, used in big rig diesels haha, but deisels need the good stuff like our M30s do!

As sixseries said, the E28 bentley is the way to go. Ive heard that ATE makes a great set of pads and rotors for the cars, not sure what haygood sells, but im sure its top notch!!

welcome to this section of the site, and go to southeast sharkfest next year! Not to mention you are in an area of some great E24s, log onto roadfly and get in touch with the florida guys there! You had the quote just right as well, if youve thought of buying one, your going to buy one!!

-Jeff

[CW6er]

Welcome !

Here is a good discussion on oil recommendations:
http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1402

A discussion on brake pads: http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5014

The OEM rotors are relatively cheap and good quality, but if you are thinking of a brake upgrade at the same time, here is a good article on which BMW brakes are a direct bolt on upgrade: http://bigcoupe.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2137

Get the 5-Series Bentley manual first, The Factory CD is terrible. It is in a style that I call Military Moron. It has a series of poor 2" x 2" pictures with minimal instructions with little information next to them, like: "Remove screw 1 and remove part 4"

_______________________________________________

Here is a cut & past of some standard information I've gathered, maybe you have already seen it, but if not it may be of use:


There are no aftermarket repair manuals for the Six, but it shares the same engine, drivetrain, suspension and many systems with the 5-Series so the Bentley BMW 5-Series '82 to '88 (Green cover, $38 at Amazon.com) Manual works very well. The "Driveablity" and the fuel injection sections alone are worth the price.
http://www.amazon.com/BMW-5-Service-Manual-1982-1988/dp/0837603188/ref=sr_1_3/105-9530707-1070056?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181794459&sr=8-3


The other is an ETM (Electrical Troubleshooting Manual). Here is a free download of a PDF file for your year ETM:
http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm

There is also an online ETM for an '85. It has much clearer component location pictures then the downloaded ETM's:
http://www.stormpages.com/countchocula1/bmw/etm002.htm
(The component location listings and pictures at the end of the ETM are invaluable as you find your way around the new car)

A gold mine of articles and how-to's: BigCoupeGroup Tech Library : (different then BigCoup.com)
http://www.normgrills.net/bcg/

An online Vin Decoder:
http://www.bmw-z1.com/VIN/VINdecode-e.cgi

And last but not least, there are 3 online parts catalogs:

RealOEM.com, the original and I still find it the fastest to navigate if you are still on dialup:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=&kind=P&series=E24&arch=1

BMWFans, more graphic, so slower for dialup, but if you click on the part number in the right hand column, it will show you all of the other cars the part was used on. Very handy for hunting at the salvage yard:
http://bmwfans.info/original/E24/Cou/

Maximillian Importing, they will sell you the part, but the price isn't much better then the dealer:
http://www.bmwmobiletradition-online.com/bmw/


For parts, the lowest prices I've found on the net:

http://www.Stevehaygood.com/
http://www.AutoHausAZ.com

Below are good references, and sometimes they have things the others don't, The prices aren't the lowest but sometimes they surprise, so I check all 4 when looking for parts:

http://www.Pelicanparts.com
http://www.BavAuto.com (Great Catalog, order it, it's free)

[Scratchy2]

WOW!! Thanks for the replies. I ordered the 5 series Bentley manual today as well as oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, plugs,....... Looking forward to participating in the Shark Fest next year, have a location been set or is it to early? Will try and post a few pictures tomorrow.

Scratchy2

[jbd5015]

No location as of yet, this should be released sometime in november or something like that...doesnt matter where it is haha!! Although i heard rumors of trying somewhere in virginia, im assuming somewhere in southern virginia near n.c. if it is there...

if you need help with the pictures (you need a higher post count to put up pics) just shoot me an email and ill get them up for you...

-Jeff

[dm635]

Welcome. I came across my 1st 6 when I wasn't even looking. I do remember admiring them when they first started roaming the hwy's. Took a while to distinguish the 6 from the 7 series when they were coming towards you, back then they were very similar at first. I also remember thinking back then, that the rear of the car just had something missing. From the front & the side it was a beautiful car while the rear just looked plain. Don't feel that now of course, looks good from any angle. Started out driving e30's, but while seaching for a car for my daughter, I ended up joining the madness myself. Went to see a guy for a Volvo (for the daughter) & in the corner sat a tired, worn-out, & neglected 85 635. For an extra $500 the 6 was mine & the rest is history.

As far as the oil & filter, I use Castrol 20/50. And for the filter, I use Wix or Napa gold. They're same filter in different boxes.