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Car Care

How to Repair a Water-Damaged BMW

Your garage or street was sunk by a flood or storm — and now that the waters have receded, you can see that your car has sustained some serious water damage. Water damage is one of the worst things that can happen to a vehicle — often damaging every part of the car or effectively totaling it.

However, water damage isn’t necessarily a death sentence for your car. Often, it’s possible to repair or reduce the effects of even serious water damage. 

Below, we’ll cover the steps you can take to repair a water-damaged BMW.

Dealing With BMW Water Damage

Start by flushing the water out of the engine and fuel system. Do this by flushing the oil, cranking the engine with spark plugs removed and draining the gas tank if there is any water inside. Then, change the oil and test the engine with the spark plugs in. If the engine runs, and the oil doesn’t look cloudy or watery, the engine will probably be functional in the short run — however, you may need to repair or replace it in the near future.

Fuse boxes, control modules and other electrical equipment will likely need to be replaced. Some of these components may even work for a time after the flooding, but flood damage is almost always going to irreparably shorten their lifespans. Even if you can’t or don’t want to replace those components right away, you should plan to replace them in the future.

Next, you’ll need to air out the car and clean the interior as well as you can. This will take some time, and you’ll probably need some heavy-duty fans or shop vacs. You may need to remove the parts of the interior that have been water-damaged and cut out a significant amount — or all — of the interior carpeting or leather.

Any part of the car that relies on fluid — brake fluid or power-steering fluid — may have been compromised by the flooding and should be inspected.

If your car was soaked by saltwater, these steps probably won’t be effective. Saltwater flooding will generally wreak havoc on sensitive electronics and cause your car to rust rapidly after the fact. While freshwater damage can be mitigated or repaired completely, saltwater flooding is likely to damage a car beyond repair — especially if it relies on a lot of electrical and computer components, as BMWs often do.

You should also know that many mechanics won’t work with flooded vehicles due to liability issues, and the amount of work it can take to get a flooded car road-ready. However, depending on the extent of the damage and the value of the car, you may find your mechanic or dealership willing to help you out.

Avoiding Flood Damage

There are also steps that you can take in the future to make sure that your BMW won’t be water damaged again. These can be especially useful if you live in an area that’s flood-prone.

If you have control over where you park, try to avoid parking in low-lying or flood-prone areas. If you don’t, you can use water-resistant materials to help make sure that your garage or car storage space is water- or flood-proof. 

If you know that a flood is coming and you can’t move your car, you can seal it as best as you can. Keep windows and doors tightly closed. Repair any cracks or damage to rubber seals if possible. You can also disconnect your battery, which can help save sensitive electric components. 

Try to keep your car out of water. If you have to drive during a flood, avoid puddles and other drivers, as they can create waves and expose more of your car to floodwater. Keep the engine revving whenever your car is partially submerged.

Saving a BMW From Water Damage

It’s not always possible to rescue a car from flood damage, but it is possible some of the time. If you want to try to repair flood damage, you should start by checking the engine and any car systems that rely on fluids — like the oil, power steering and brakes. 

In the future, you can also take steps to avoid flood damage — like not driving through water, moving your car out of areas that might flood and keeping your garage or car storage space as water-proof as possible.

Maintenance

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Weird Noises in Your Bimmer

Most of us drive our cars so much that they become an extension of ourselves — and when they start making a weird noise, we notice almost immediately. The trick with these weird noises is that they can be difficult to locate, especially if you’re trying to figure out where they’re coming from while you’re behind the wheel.

It can also end up being really expensive to take your Bimmer to the shop to have the mechanics there troubleshoot it. Here are some tips and tricks to help you figure out where those weird noises are coming from and fix them without emptying your wallet in the process.

1. Locate the Sound

Between engine noise, road noise, etc., you’re going to hear a variety of sounds when your car is running. Since some engine noises are fairly unavoidable, you may not have a problem at all. If this becomes a nuisance, using heat-resistant barriers for engines is an option for soundproofing those persistent noises.

However, you can usually tell immediately when a sound is not just routine. When that happens, the first thing you need to do is figure out where the sound is coming from.

One tool that can be helpful for locating strange sounds under the hood is a mechanic’s stethoscope. It looks like a doctor’s tool of the same name, only instead of having a flat plate at the end for hearing heartbeats, it has a long thin piece of metal that can easily be threaded into tight spaces to help you identify sounds.

Once you determine what exactly the noise is, take a look online. You can find resources to help you locate and identify it.

Once you’ve located the sound, now it’s time to troubleshoot!

2. Figure out What the Problem Is

There are so many moving parts in your car that nearly any one of them could start making strange noises when it starts to fail. The trick is figuring out what is causing the sound before the part quits completely. Knowing where the sound is coming from helps you narrow down the possible causes. Let’s take a look at some of the most common sounds and their causes.

  • Clunking or Thumping When you Turn the Wheel – This could be a sign that your CV axle, which transfers the drive train power from the transmission to your wheels, is starting to fail. This is an expensive fix – new CVs are pricey – but is a fairly simple one. Simply jack up the car, pull out the old axle and install a new one.
  • Whining Under the Hood – This is usually a sign that a bearing is going bad. Use that mechanic’s stethoscope to locate the whine and replace the offending bearing.
  • Whirring That Changes with Engine RPM – This could be a number of different things. Start by checking your power steering fluid levels and making sure they’re correct. If you’ve got enough fluid, you may need to replace the power steering pump. It could, depending on where the sound is coming from, be a sign of a bad compressor which you will need to take to a mechanic if you don’t have the right tools.
  • Popping from Under the Hood – This is another sound that could indicate a number of problems. It could be as simple as a dirty air filter, or as complicated as an internal engine problem. Start by changing your air filter, and checking your car’s ignition system – plugs, wires, ignition module or distributor depending on how old your Bimmer is.

There are some noises you might hear under the hood that mean you should stop driving your car until it is repaired. Knocking or pinging sounds mean there are moving parts in your engine hitting each other that shouldn’t be, and continuing to drive the car could damage the inner workings of the engine.

3. Repair the Problem

This step is hard to outline without knowing exactly what sounds your car is making, but we do have one tip to offer. Purchase a Haynes manual for your vehicle. These repair manuals will walk you, step by step, through everything you need to do to complete most repairs on your own. They’re available for most cars, regardless of the age of the car, and they cost about $25.

There may be some things you can’t fix on your own, either because you don’t have the knowledge or the tools necessary to complete the job. For these problems, you should definitely take your car to your favorite mechanic. It might be more expensive, but you’ll be sure the job is done right.

You don’t have to run to the shop every time your Bimmer starts making strange noises, though. A couple of troubleshooting steps might point you to a very easy-to-fix problem you can handle in the comfort of your own garage.

Car Care, DIY

Easy Repairs You Can Do on Your Own BMW

Having a BMW is awesome, but it can be costly to maintain if you take it to the shop or the dealership. Luckily, there are plenty of easy repairs you can do on your own. If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few things you can do in your own garage or driveway to keep your BMW running smoothly.

First, Have Somewhere to Work

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have somewhere to safely work on your car. If you have an attached garage, that will be ideal, but if you’re like most of us, your garage is probably a catch-all for everything you don’t have space for in the rest of your home. Before you get started working on your car, take some time to sort through your junk and organize your garage. Not only does this give you somewhere to keep your car while you’re working, but it also makes your work area safer and less cluttered, too.

Change Your Oil

Changing your oil is one of the most straightforward repairs you can do — and it can save you a lot of money in the long run. You need:

  • Fresh oil – Check your owner’s manual for the correct oil.
  • A new oil filter.
  • Tools – A wrench or socket to remove the drain plug and an oil filter wrench.
  • An oil catch pan for your old oil.

Jack the car up and place it on jack stands. Never work under a car that’s only up on a jack. Locate the oil pan and position your catch basin under it. Remove the drain plug and let the old oil drain out. Set the old oil aside and replace the drain plug.

Use the oil filter wrench and loosen the old oil filter. Remove and discard it. Put a little bit of fresh oil on the gasket on your new oil filter and screw it into place — not too tight, though. You don’t want to use the filter wrench to tighten it. Then, refill your oil to manufacturer’s specs, check for leaks and you’re done.

Replace Your Drive Belt

A broken drive belt can leave you stranded. For cars that use serpentine belts, it runs your alternator, your power steering, your air conditioner and your water pump. Replacing them is simple, though. You’ll need:

  • A replacement belt.
  • Tools – A socket wrench with a long handle or breaker bar.
  • Belt map – Usually located on a sticker under your hood or in your owner’s manual

Remove the broken drive belt. Study your belt map and locate all of your pullies. Thread the belt through the pullies as detailed on the belt map until you reach the belt tensioner. Use your socket wrench and breaker bar to pull the belt tensioner back until you can place the belt over the tensioner, then slowly release it to place tension on the belt. Done!

Replace Your Battery

This can be a little trickier, depending on where your battery is located. Some BMWs have their batteries in the trunk or under the back seat. The only difference between these and batteries under the hood, though, is that these have a vent that needs to be placed correctly.

You will need:

  • A replacement battery.
  • Tools – Open-ended wrenches or sockets.
  • A car memory keeper

First, plug in your memory keeper. This helps to keep a charge in your car’s systems to prevent problems with the engine’s computer — as a bonus, it also keeps you from losing your pre-set radio stations! It isn’t required for all cars, but it is recommended.

Once you’ve located your battery, remove your terminals — negative first, then positive. Then loosen and remove your battery hold-down. Finally, remove the battery itself, replace it with the new battery and reattach your terminals in reverse order. Unplug the memory keeper, and you’re good to go.

Taking care of your BMW is easy if you have the right tools and plenty of space to work. Take some time to organize your garage and pick up a few tools, and you’ll be turning wrenches in no time.