My 1991 325ix needs a clutch and heat - is this the END?

[ian ross]

Hello fellow e-30 enthousiasts.

I have '91 325ix. White on black. I love it. Just rolled 200k miles. California car - no rust!
Super strong motor.

But here's the bad news.

I started hearing a sort of whistling friction belt sound whenever I depressed the clutch.

My mechanic Erich from Precision Motors in oakland california said, oh yah you need a clutch my friend.

Says I'm looking at $1,500 or so.

And the heater died. Erich says he has to remove the dash to repair it. Another $1,300 estimate - and warned me that all sorts of plastic bits will break as part of the procedure.

Then he says to me, "I know you love this car - but you're basically buying it again if you do the work" And you'll probably buy it again next year - I can't predict what the issue will be - but at 27 years old and 200k, it will be something.

Anybody have any advice?
I suppose I could part with the cash - but 3k or so to keep this thing going - in the knowledge that the next shoe is about to drop - is starting to seem unseemly.

Please advise!!!

[323i E30]

Not sure about the prices in your area, but 3k is a lot of money for that.
I'm not jumping to conclusions that he's ripping you off btw, because there may be more to your situation than you described.
Anyhow, you could always shop a bit if another shop can do it for less.

Might also want to try and fix the heat yourself. There are diy's of everything for E30 issues..!

[vpilarry]

What part of the heater died? Dash doesn't have to come out unless you're replacing the whole HVAC unit. Fan is removable from the engine bay, heater core slides out into the driver's footwell.

[superj]

/\ yup

[ian ross]

What part of the heater died? Dash doesn't have to come out unless you're replacing the whole HVAC unit. Fan is removable from the engine bay, heater core slides out into the driver's footwell.

the defrost was kicking antifreeze onto the windsheild. couldn't see a thing.
so my mechanic bypassed the heater.

[ECSTuning]

As he said as these cars age more will go wrong, the nice thing about them is there isn't that much to go wrong! Personally, I'd repair her and keep on enjoying.

-James

[richardodn]

the defrost was kicking antifreeze onto the windsheild. couldn't see a thing.
so my mechanic bypassed the heater.

Heater core. Requires removal of the console and the trim panel under the dash. Does not require whole dash removal.

[vertbmw]

I would be inclined to fix it. What is the overall condition? Unless you get a car much newer you will have similar issues,what you don't spend on upkeep will be robbed by deprecation. You need to ask yourself can I get a more reliable car than I have for 3k plus what the car is worth as it sets?

[Jeffnhiscars]

Im reading more and more threads where supposedly "specialty shops" are saying the dash has to come out. Honestly, no matter what their reputation the moment I heard that I'd RUN. Clearly their e30 experience is limited.

Ive had at least 1 e30 or another non stop for 20 years and I've pulled a dash 3x.....to replace it...never to repair anything else.

[ChuckDizzle]

Im reading more and more threads where supposedly "specialty shops" are saying the dash has to come out. Honestly, no matter what their reputation the moment I heard that I'd RUN. Clearly their e30 experience is limited.

Ive had at least 1 e30 or another non stop for 20 years and I've pulled a dash 3x.....to replace it...never to repair anything else.

+1.

I would search for a more BMW-oriented service shop in your area.

[tomstin]

With these older cars, if you can't do a lot of the service yourself, its going to get expensive. Both prices seem high but every city is different. But one thing your mechanic noted that you need to keep in mind, again, with these old cars, it seems everything you touch is brittle or rusted and tend to put up a fight or break easily.

[Kershaw]

My ex-gf (who was willing, but not mechanically experienced) replaced the heater core in her e30 in an evening. It is not a difficult procedure. Although at 90lbs she probably had easier access than most, it's definitely an awkward angle but still totally doable unless you're 250lbs+. It's in the dash to the right of your right knee.

The clutch job at $1500 sounds reasonable, it's not drastically different from a RWD job except 6 more bolts to undo the front drive shaft. The first time around I made the mistake of installing the transmission with the transfercase installed. I would remove them together, but then separate them on the ground. Wrestling both them onto the engine was an absolute bear of a job. At 200k doing the clutch is actually a great opportunity. Your shift linkage bushings are completely worn and sloppy and now you get to replace all of them. It's going to make driving the car feel even better. There are plenty of bushings out there that are far superior to OEM now as well. Figure spending at least $200 on your shifter parts.

Definitely repair the car. After some quick googling, precision motors seems like a decent shop. Erich probably just didnt know the heater core could come right out. It should be an hour or two of labor. This is all stuff you could do if you have a garage and the patience as well.

If you want to get rid of the car, send me a message. I love IXs (because I'm masochistic) and I'll road trip it from CA to MD. :-P

Edit: $3000/year in maintenance is $250/month. How much would a new car cost? $5000 down and $300/month? Is there a new car that will make you just as happy? Used cars aren't free cars. You have to make a monthly payment on all cars. It's either to a loan or to maintenance.

[somecarguy]

Id sell (who needs ix in california) and get a nice 325is to replace it...

Ix bring good money even with needs.


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[Jeffnhiscars]

I can see $3k in year 1 catching up on maintenance and personalizing a newly acquired e30 but on an ongoing basis it's nothing near that.

[Kershaw]

Id sell (who needs ix in california) and get a nice 325is to replace it...

Ix bring good money even with needs.


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Apparently you've never one driven one. If you're still in MD, PM me and I'll show you. Lol.