When is a Sport not a Sport?

You've got to remember Seb that its most likely over 10 years old now and even those dreadfully exciting Japanese things are going to have the odd deficiency at that age.

If you totted up the bits that needed doing you only need to allow that when you make your final offer. The overall condition,feel and general demeanour of the vehicle should give you more information as to whether its been chersihed or treated badly. If its the latter then walk away as their seems to be a few around....but theyre all at least 10 years old!

I think its the invoice from the dealer.

How do you tell if you have EDC and whats the benefit of it?

Seat Motor

Seb

The seat motor hasn't "gone"!

There is only one motor for the lift function - with two "Bowden" cables (one each end of the motor) going to two screw jacks. What's happened is that one "inner" cable has shortened and slipped out of the motor causing one side to not move.

Fixes are covered extensively on E31 FAQ web site - cheapest about US$2, but you might have to take the seat out of the car!! Heavyyyyyyyyyyyy!

" discovered that the air con wasn't working - pressing the a/c button had no effect on revs which to me says broken compressor. "

Hi Seb, I wouldn't be too sure about that, pressing the ac button in my 97 850Ci has no discernable effect on engine revs - don't forget the engines are a big mill and ain't going to be too bothered by an iddy biddy aircon pump. The real test is to check to see if you can get the aircon to give you cold air. Crank the temp dials down, switch on the AC and give it a minute or two to see if it delivers the goods. My car can go from tropically balmy to arctic barmy in a couple of minutes.

The "twisting" seat is a pretty common fault (so I'm told) my driver's seat has developed this recently and I researched the various cures available. It looks to be a pretty straight forward job for the do-it-yourselfer, i.e. £0.00

Good luck with your 8 hunting,
Jason

Zitat von argonaut

" discovered that the air con wasn't working - pressing the a/c button had no effect on revs which to me says broken compressor. "

Hi Seb, I wouldn't be too sure about that, pressing the ac button in my 97 850Ci has no discernable effect on engine revs - don't forget the engines are a big mill and ain't going to be too bothered by an iddy biddy aircon pump. The real test is to check to see if you can the aircon to give you cold air. Crank the temp dials down, switch on the AC and give it a minute or too to see if it delivers the goods. My car can go from tropically balmy to arctic barmy in a couple of minutes.

Easiest way is to look at the compressor directly, when off the centre part won't spin with the pulley as the clutch is disengaged. Once it's on the whole thing spins as one. Very obvious once you've seen one both off and on.

The other thing to add is that if the gas pressure is low the compressor won't turn on. This is because a pressure sensor disables the compressor to prevent damage to the system in the case of a gas leak. So don't assume the compressor has seized even if it doesn't start -- it may well be a simple re-gas is required, although it's possible the gas is leaking in which case futher diagnostic and repair work would be required.

In the case where the gas pressure is low, you can actually force the compressor to start by jumpering the clutch relay, to check whether the compressor is actually spinning properly. I don't recommend this unless you know what you're doing, and even then run it only for a few seconds. Bear in mind that the compressor has been disabled for a reason.

Facinating

Like most on here I assumed that the 840ci Sports was a standard production model from the word go - great marketing as the sport version looks much better in my opinion although driving up and down ramps can be a headache because of the overhang. For the first time thanks to the stirling work above I can see what I've got on my car (Dec97 individual) and what it could have had. Can anyone tell me what the comfort opening of side windows means?

Colin
Hampshire UK

You can either have EDC or Sports Suspension.

Not both.

840ci Sport

My car has the M-Sport Aerodynamic package and all of the sport extras, but on the UK Logbook, it says 840ci. Is this normal?

I guess it depends on who filled out the form to present to the DVLA.

Under Model/Type, my logbook (V5C) states 840CI SPORT AUTO.

Thats what I thought. Perhaps a call to BMW will confirm...

Zitat

Like most on here I assumed that the 840ci Sports was a standard production model from the word go - great marketing as the sport version looks much better in my opinion although driving up and down ramps can be a headache because of the overhang. For the first time thanks to the stirling work above I can see what I've got on my car (Dec97 individual) and what it could have had. Can anyone tell me what the comfort opening of side windows means?

Colin: without having the build sheet for your car in front of me, I have no idea which option code you're referring to --- please provide the Opton Code number from your build sheet and I'll look it up.

Cheers,

Jud

Zitat

You can either have EDC or Sports Suspension.

Not both.

This is a true statement. Based on a thorough analysis of M62 840Ci vehicles, there were no instances of a vehicle having EDC with Sports Suspension. Why? Because they are vastly different approaches to suspension and putting them together in the same car would not make sense at all. It's either one approach or another.

Now that the Germany market version colors are online, I will pursue a complete accounting of the UK 840Ci Sports. For now, enjoy these preliminary findings in terms of vehicles equipped EDC and whether they were called Sports versions or not.

From what I understand, to be an official 840CiA Sport, “five” core "standard" option codes had to be employed:

704 M SPORT SUSPENSION (optional on non-sport)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
782 M LT/ALY WHEELS SYSTEM II (optional on non-sport)

BMW UK explicitly details in “pre-retail” build sheets that these five items combined constitutes a sport edition. (“Pre-retail” means before BMW UK got the BMW AG factory ordering system to accept its package of options for the 840Ci Sport edition). If these five options were not included from the factory, it was considered a base 840Ci.

In regards to EDC-equipped M62 RHD 840CiA's, I ran several queries in the Inventory Project database, and this is what came out of it:

• 139 – the number of M62 RHD 840CiA’s shipped with option code 223 - ELECTRONIC DAMPER CONTROL (EDC)

• 14 – of those 139 had no option code 710, 715, 775, 782 and 704 (10.1%)

• 115 – of those 139, the number of 8’s that came with option code 710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (82.7%)

o 111 – UK
o 2 – Australia
o 2 – Unidentified countries

• 105 – of those 139, the number of 8’s that came with option code 715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE (75.5%)

o 104 – UK
o 1 – Australia

• 103 – of those 139, the number of 8’s that came with option 775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE (74.1%)

o 103 – UK

• 70 – of those 139, the number of 8’s that came with option 782 M LT/ALY WHEELS SYSTEM (50.4%)

o 69 – UK
o 1 - Australia
o 0 – of those 139, the number of 8’s that with option 704 M SPORT SUSPENSION

There were a few plain 840Ci’s inexplicably given the 840CiA Sport designation within “pre-retail” special order period from January 1997 to early April 1997 that had EDC even though it did not meet the criteria as an official Sport version. I’m reviewing each build sheet to figure out why since it’s contrary to official BMW publications at that time. It’s possible that some early EDC-equipped cars were characterized as Sport editions.

Ready for more confusion? There were 77 840Ci’s out of the 139 8’s with EDC (55.4%) that were given a special option code called: 337 M SPORTS PACKAGE --- now that could be a new wrinkle as to why there’s debate about EDC-equipped 840’s being called Sport Editions….and it merits some deeper research on my end. A further 709 non-EDC equpped 840Ci’s came with this option code out of the ~1,056 deemed as Sport Editions.

Before I post anything more online, I need to figure this out as the data from the build sheets tell a few different stories vis-à-vis official BMW UK publications, etc.

Stay tuned.

Jud

It's a EF82 840ciA Sport if you have followed order (for no-cost option).

4 ways

704 M SPORT SUSPENSION (optional on non-sport)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
782 M LT/ALY WHEELS SYSTEM II (optional on non-sport)

or
223 ELECTRONIC DAMPER CONTROL (EDC) (optional to replace 704)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
782 M LT/ALY WHEELS SYSTEM II (optional on non-sport)

or
704 M SPORT SUSPENSION (optional on non-sport)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE (optional on non-sport)
299 LT/ALY WHEELS W MIXED TYRES

or
223 ELECTRONIC DAMPER CONTROL (EDC) (optional to replace 704)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
299 LT/ALY WHEELS W MIXED TYRES

If you don't have one of this four combination, you have a 840Ci, not a 840 Ci Sport.

The Anthracite roof lining is not only desirable but very luxurious to the touchthe only thing when I looked at my new 8 that made me happy was that it did not have the God damn aweful switchable suspension[who actually needs that],however, thefact it may or may not be a true sport model makes NO difference to the value of the car, be guided by service history & condition only;-)

"Vive la difference"
Got EDC; love it.
Two cars in one.
I obviously need therapy - - and perhaps my car confiscating?

"Vive la Vida" - I too have a CI Sport with EDC and its brilliant:
223 ELECTRONIC DAMPER CONTROL (EDC) (optional to replace 704)
710 M LEATHER STEERING WHEEL (optional on non-sport)
715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE
775 INDIVIDUAL ROOF-LINING ANTHRACITE
782 M LT/ALY WHEELS SYSTEM II (optional on non-sport)

The car is softer and smooth for motorway cruising, instantly switched to stiffer for those twisty lanes - best of both worlds!