Finally going to get a new M3 coupe (it's on order). Was pretty hard set on a manual trans for this car but after test driving the new M-DCT I had to change my mind. It was an incredible re-alignment of my dreams and goals. What an iconoclast, that DCT. Now I can't wait for it. During a long spell of unemployment, an old friend of mine and car enthusiast signed me up for the BMWCCA as a gift (thank you Jess). I really appreciate Roundel. My first intro to the CCA was through this same friend encouraging me to contact Mike Miller about an issue I had with my 750 engine and his advice was appreciated. I'm a gearhead and do all my own work. I even have my own hydraulic lift (bought off of ebay) at home. My car I'm retiring is a 1990 750iL with 215k miles. I can attest it is just like Mike Miller says "nobody except for a BMW mechanic should ever own an out of warranty 7 series". After a cooling system failure and an unsuccessful attempt by a local independent shop to restore the V12 engine to it's full glory, I bought an engine (from a wrecking yard) and installed it myself - thus the lift .... Unfortunately, with problematic rings it smoked pretty bad at first but eventually cleaned up and I managed to get a few years of service out of it before it could no longer pass smog. I replaced the engine again 2 years ago but this time from a more reputable BMW engine recycler. Unfortunately, I got the same result. That is so much work that I couldn't bear the thought of a 3rd attempt and I'm too cheap to put a rebuilt V12 in a 22 year old sedan. So now I suppose I will either find a BMW mechanic to pass it to or off to the boneyard it goes. I hate to saddle anyone with the repair liability even if they are as handy as myself. It's hard to let go of such a beast but I think it won't take long for the new M3 to obscure my memory of my ultimate driving machine. Frank So. CA
Welcome to the asylum! You might give Carl Nelson a jingle regarding the 750i. . . I know he's moved a few of them in the past few years!
Ouch! TWO engine swaps?!? Sorry to hear of your misfortune! Best of luck with your new M3 and welcome to the club =) BTW I love my '89 750iL but thank heaven for the '88 325iS, never lets me down!
AugustneverEnds, I share your enthusiasm for the 750iL. That's why I hung onto mine for so long through thick and thin. How do you afford to keep it up though? I do all my own work and the electrical is so complex that it is a full-time job. How many miles do you have on the V12?
I suppose it has just been luck in some respects. Right now the car has 102,000 miles. My late father purchased the car in 1998 and did not really drive it much until 2004. Essentially it was a 70,000 mile car for all of those years. Also I reside in upstate New York and do not drive my BMWs in the winter. So far the worst repairs I've weathered with the 750iL is new Sachs LAD shocks (replaced by myself and a friend), the final stage blower resistor (purchased a rebuilt unit), new fuel tank and sending unit (again my own labor), new ignition wires (not difficult to replace just viciously expensive), a Lamp Control Module and a few normal wear and tear items i.e. rubber bits, strut arms etc.. On the electrical front I've gotten away relatively well though now on the topic the factory 6-disc CD changer is not working right now and occasionally the tail lights prefer to remain dark. I will keep the car one way or the other as it was my Dads and I'm really a fan of 1980s BMWs. Hey love is not cheap but I have my Bentley manual and a bucket of patience! PS Has your M3 arrived?
If it was your father's 750iL, you best keep it up. It is a joy to drive. The Bentley manual will serve you pretty well but there are control modules that are just a black box as far as Bentley is concerned and it doesn't help you to troubleshoot when something goes awry. Beware of leaks to come (power steering, crankcase, etc). I replaced the steering box the first time I did the engine swap. The M70 engine has both an upper and a lower oil pan. The gasket between the block and upper pan can deteriorate and leak severely. Each of the times I dropped an engine in mine, I first disassembled the bottom and re-gasketed them. Don't know how on earth to do that with the engine in the car though. Still waiting for the M3. They give you a production number (like a UPS tracking number) so you can see what stage it is in on its way to you. Unfortunately, mine is still at the "order documented" stage and has not begun production.
Thanks for asking. I'm tracking it on the website but it hasn't even started production yet.That's a late start. A bit disappointing. I'd be curious to learn from others how long it has taken them to get their car once production is done. I'm led to believe about a month or more.
Car was supposed to be here this month but after some run around, I was told yesterday that they expect to build it the week of March 18. That's a two month slip in delivery!
Wow, two month delay? What could be the hold up with production? The wait must be killing you. I couldn't imagine going through that agonizing ordeal. It's even worse than waiting for your car to come stateside after ED. At least there you've already had a chance to bond with it. Good Luck. PS. It's funny, we all think current BMW's are more maintenance intensive than they used to be, but reading the comments about the E32 make me wonder if it's about the same as it used to be.....
Well of E32s I think the 750iL was a maintenance case far beyond its 735 and 740 cousins. However compare the maintenance needs of BMW lineups then and now; the 7-Series (and 8-Series) of the late 80s and early 90s were huge leaps over Bimmers past in terms of how many functions were reliant on electronic, not mechanical, parts. But while the E31/32s were on one end of the spectrum, E30s were still available new and their reputation for reliability and relative ease of maintenance is well known. It seems today, whether you buy a F01/02 or a F30, both will require expensive dealer-only service. I suppose it's inevitable that every new generation of BMWs follows this trends as consumers demand more tech in their cars and Luddites (myself foremost) hold onto E30s, E28s etc...
The first time I saw a sealed electronic box under the hood of a car, I knew there were things beyond my capacity to fix—or even understand! That's why I keep a '69 Saab around: to remind me of the days when I knew how to do things!
Hey your skills are always good, you'll always know how to do things. I'm 25 and I'm the only person I know not in possesion of an iPhone or Android but the only one I know with a torque wrench and an ammeter and, minimal, knowledge of how things work. Maybe in a few years kids playing with Xboxes today will think nothing of rewriting source codes for ancient E46s, E9Xs and F30s.
You have no idea how pleased we are to have you among us! But you are hereby allowed to buy an iPhone! (How else are you going to get "Hitchcock Railway" downloaded to yer car?!)
I figured it was a song, and it apparently it is, by Joe Cocker - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=hitchcock railway
I'm more of Prince fan. Besides I spent years collecting all the CDs I wanted so I might as well play them until I can't hear the lyrics through the skips..
I don't know the song so I just took a quick glance at a few top google results - look a page or two in, there's apparently a New Zealand band named Hitchcock Railway, mentions of Jose Feliciano, Claire Lynch, and looks like youtube vids of a couple different live performances by Joe Cocker, and something from a movie in 1969. What version you talkin' bout? @ August - consider dubbing your cd's to a dedicated hard drive(s), and listening via ipod or usb memory stick, and you can preserve your cd's.
