Beiträge von POK

pinned down to oxy sensor..........not a cheap problem to fix!!

145000 miles, but the gearbox was completely rebuilt less than a year (approx 6000 miles) ago; it works perfectly.
jd, sorry I can't open either file, try e-mailing to perterok@easynet.co.uk
thanks folks

Tech help please. I have a persistent problem with my 850Ci. Slowing to idle or prolonged idling leads to intermittent very rough idling, so much vibration that the rear-view mirror is shaking so rapidly you can't see anything out of it. This can be cured by accelerating, all becomes smooth and peaceful until slowing again. Shifting into neutral or reverse prompts the EML light to come on, and one bank of the engine to shut down. The diagnostic saya "Stepper Motor Control 1" which means the right bank as you look at the engine, or the left as you sit in the car. The stepper motor itself is less than 18 months old. I no nothing at all about the diagnostic system, though that seems to be marginally more than my local BMW dealer (Rydales, Cardiff, go sit in a corner & poke sharp sticks in your eyes whilst setting light to a large pile of £20's and that's about the feel you get with them ) who want to sell me a new gearbox.
I digress. Is the error message related to the engine management system, or to the motor itself? It comes up on the EML section of the diagnostics rather than the engine section. New chips or a new stepper motor? All help, advice & sympathy thankfully received.

With the exception of a grey interior it sounds like my car to a T!! Let me know what you paid for it if you don't mind (personal message or peterok@easynet.co.uk) I'm in need of some advice on market prices. And if any of the peoiple who offered to buy yours would like to think about mine, I'd be happy to contact them. Where did you find the info about the number of your car in the series of RHD cars?

did you buy one? are you still looking?

Going to be selling my blue 850Ci; if you are interested get in touch

Yeah I know I know. Not impressed with 6, went to look when they came out & was amazed how little extra there was on my 8 despite 15 years or so of 'progress'. Vanquish is beyond my proce range, and I like to be able to reverse once in a while; they do sound awesome though. It is gonna have to go, that much is beyond negotiation, it's just the how really. Like I said I would really like it to go to a good home,

The windows do wear especially drivers side & misalign; not a difficult job to fix for an expert but not too difficult to do. Not the seals as such, there is adjustment to the orientation of the glass inside the door but if W&T has taken too much of a toll then you'll need to have the mechanism replaced.
I agree with bimmerman about the speakers; I was told that the stock BMW speakers are ok, but the head unit is crap & went with Alpine huge improvement. Any good audio shop will help, but the loom etc. is seriously quirky so you'd be well advised to ask specifically if the shop has worked with 8's before cos if they haven't they will learn their lessons at your expense. there was something on bimmer.com about a complete speaker refit a few years ago, you will still find it if you are prepared to dig deep enough.
The pixel thing is fixable with a display fiddle but these are old LED's which will continue to cause problems, best bite the bullet and get a new 'puter with a new display.

There's a reason. If you go down to the woods today.............been into the back of your local BMW dealer lately? If not you'll be surprised at what you see. Loads & loads of new (<3yrs old anyway) cars with their bonnetts up & laptops plugged into them. Not for diagnostics but to re-boot the cars. And at 'normal' labour rates with a 10-14 hour turnover time thats all well and good while the warranty holds, but when it's honest Joe Public who's picked up a 'bargain' bimmer and is presented with a nearly 4 figure bill for re-loading software, what price the second-hand value of the current generation of 3, 5, 6, and especially 7 series motors? Thats why they are going for a song. I wouldn't touch one with somebody elses barge pole. And I here some serious bad things about the current M5's air intake system melting (yes its plastic ) you heard right melting under 'strenuous' use (why else would you by an M5 Doh!) and BMW refusing to accept it may be a design issue. Obviously all those owners are microwaving them or something. I digress. A bargain in the car world is never, ebentually, a bargain.

Allen you have got a lot of problems with your car! Where are you based? You need to find a good solid helpful local(ish) specilaist who can help you out otherwise you'll drive yourself mad. And broke.

Have you got a Kinematic rear axle? If so, it will lock under a number of circumstances and you'll get a failsafe warning. The car is perfectly safe to drive though doesn't handle quite as well at speed. It can happen if your control unit is faulty (water through the rear windscreen seals seems to be the main cause for this rare fault) IF your suspension is out of alignment than the software will give up trying to correct the faulty geometry and pick up its ball beofre sulking off i.e. failsafe is engaged. there are also a few sensors in the mechanics of the unit itself which can go on the blink. Most importantly you need to find someone who understands what they are doing with this system and most BMW dealerships don't.

Post in classifieds; if anyone has any helpful suggestions or knows someone looking for a good unusual 850 please let me know

Hi one and all. After nearly four years, the time has come for me and my 850Ci to go our separate ways, the temptation of a Z8 is proving too much and my head has been turned to the dark side. I am looking for thoughts, advice, (interest even!) in selling my current chariot. Mauritius Blue with Grey interior and 17" BBS alloys (original BMW extra). I've put 22000 miles on her in 4 years so there is now 141000. Full (yes completely) bmw service history. Originally ordered by a cardiologist in London, then a sfx company car for a couple of years, then mine. The unusual things about this car are that it came with EDC (both rear dampers replaced in my care) & Kinematic Rear Wheel Steering (replacement control unit last year), plus a rear sun blind, meaning that the only 'extra' not ordered on the original spec was heated seats although these are the 'Sport' versions. I've put Autothority engine management chips in (claimed 350 brake) which essentially means this is in effect an auto-CSi. New stainless steel custom exhaust from the manifold gaskets on down, rebuilt gearbox last year, new sunroof, 4 tyres with less than 1k miles on them, MOT for a year. New computer (pixel dropout drove me mad so I changed it) and a fab Alpine radio / CD although the original CD autochanger is still there its not wired into the current system. Seats work, climate control & air con works, windows work, lights work (both front buckets re-built & re-alaigned last year). I can't honestly say there's been no expense spared cos I can think of things I'd like to do if I kept it like the rear diff, though my wife & bank manager would not agree. I paid £12.5k for it in 2002 which was top dollar but it is such an unusual car I went for it. Its probably had twice that again spent on it over the last four years. I'd love for it to go to a good home, but I would also value some input as to the best way for that to happen and also a reralistic price to ask. This is not a 'concours' car, the interior and exterior have a few blemishes like stone chips on the front spoiler and bumper, and a couple of marks on the leather transmission tunnel cover in the rear (this car is used, driven & enjoyed!)but it is a very unusual 8 series and it's in very good condition with loads of extra bits and bobs and has been well looked after. Any thoughts?

It was a hideously expensive option new. The car will drive just fine in failsafe although the rear wheels don't necessarily lock straight so the car can 'crab'. Seat problems usually motor related, take it out & strip it down don't need a BMW rate of labour charge to sort it though.

You have the only other 850Ci I've heard of apart from mine with the Kinematic rear axle. Only way to know is to take it to someone who can run a diagnostic for you. The axle has locked in fail-safe, which means as far as I know one of 4 things. The axle has mechanically failed (rare, expensive +++), the control unit has failed (usually due to water ingress, expensive +++), there is a sensor failure (tedious as parts take ages to turn up but relatively cheap) or you've got suspension misalignment so badly that the software can't compensate for it & has thrown the failsafe card in. I had all three of the latter over the years & it cost a small fortune to sort out with the car off the road for parts for ages. Good luck, I don't envy you soring it out.

Does your car have EDC as well?

spent a few hours on roadfly but theres nothing similar. It might well be worth draining & flushing the box but I can see no reference to the same problem. The actual shift lever moves normally with normal feel & no extra resistance plus the instrument display repeater changes normally. The mechanical link from the leaver to the box is intact & appears to move normally. But the 'box itself remains stubbornly locked in park regardless of the shifter position. I had a couple of 'false neutrals' selecting reverse in the week before this happpened but shifting into neutral & then re-selecting reverse did the trick. Anyone know who's any good at rebuilding ZF boxes in South Wales?

Never heard of this, someone may be able to help. My transmission is stuck in park. Shift moves normally. Linkage is intact. But there is no drive at all. Had to put a trolley jack under the rear to move the car. I know if I go anywhere near a BMW dealer they'll insist on replacing the whole 'box. I thought that these things were bomb-proof; anyone come across anything similar? Any thoughts on what may have happened & whether it's fixable or do I need to look for a new tranny?

well it's back. It was recovered about 2 miles away! Needed to have all locks changed (nightmare) & had been kerbed, so new nearside front suspension set-up. Now fab! Thanks to all who kept an eye out & for alkl the support.

Well, well, well...........I'm not a fan of the 'year zero' philospophy when major cultural changes happen, and there is no doubt at all that PB invested a considerable amount of personal time, effort (?money?) in establishing clubE31; however he does not walk on water & his shit will smell just as bad as everyone elses. He isn't here, and hasn't been for some time. The site is in disrepair, albeit it would be much worse I'm sure if it weren't for the likes of Jud & Al doing everything that they can. He has had my money, all 20 euro's of it, on the basis of what is, in effect, a contract which he is in breech of (enhanced content, members-only areas etc., read the 'gold' marketing play) which did sound more than reasonable when I signed up. I think that the facts speak for themselves. Regardless of the reason, he is not fulfilling his obligations in spirit or in law, and there has to come a point where tolerance & understanding give way to pragmatism & self-determination. He may be a number of things: dead, sick, distracted, imprisoned, bored, missing, gloating, laughing, lting on a tropical beach somewhere, who knows. But whatever he is, he isn't here, he isn't looking after 'his' members or 'his' site, and he isn't communicating with anyone. So either we wait for a missive, or we move on. Personally, I'm done waiting and more for moving, which isn't a personal thing against Phillipe, he just isn't holding up his end of the deal so it's gonna be bye-bye unless something really significant happens PDQ.