Hi
I've owned my 850i for almost a year. The car was originally intended as a short-term purchase (I am involved in a film in which it will appear, but that's another story). However, the more I drove it the more I liked it, and eventually I decided to keep it indefinitely as a second car.
At that point it became time to write down all the little (and not so little) things that needed fixing. While it was tempting to do a few jobs at a time, many of them were linked and so there was a certain logic to doing them together. Putting jobs off also doesn't make them any cheaper, and it delays the point at which you enjoy the benefit. (You see, it's easy to rationalise spending money on a 20 year old car!).
Anyway, the car has just returned from four weeks at Chris Burton in Rusper. I can't recommend Chris highly enough. Not only does he know these cars literally inside out, but his rates are very reasonable; indeeed, he did a lot of small items free of charge. This is a partial list of what was done:
1. Replace power steering pump.
2. Supply and fit HID lighting system to dipped beam front lights.
5. Replace boot wiring loom
7. Drivers seat twisting in to center tunnel – strip out and replace drive cable adjust and reset.
8. Remove roof card and A / C posts – re-trim in new auto roof fabric (light grey)
9. Examine rear sun blind operation – faulty rear drive motor. Remove interior seating (rear) remove motor from carrier and harness.
10. Re- trim parcel shelf with auto fabric (black)
16. Battery drain established as boot wiring issue
18. Fit Becker Indianapolis radio – complete re- wire speaker cabling through car as BMW line cables heavily modified from previous installation
21. Attend to rear shock absorber top mounts pulled through
22. Address excessive play in front brake reaction arms
23. Address excessive play in rear tie rod bushes to body
24. Address excessive play in rear upper control arms
28. Established Brake servo assist leaking from rear connection to brake master cylinder.
29. Front wheel alignment – due to track rod change
Plus lots of minor bits. Individually none of these issues stopped me driving the car (at least until MOT time) but the cumulative impact of getting them all done is surprisingly great - it literally feels like a new car. The particular ones I would recommend are the suspension fixes (no more squeaks and groans), new radio (the old one wasn't working; the new one sounds and looks great), the headlining and the headlight conversion (although it does make the remaining original lights look very weak and yellow, even with Nightbreakers). Little things also make a difference, e.g. not having to unlock the boot manually and being able to get the seat at the right height without twisting.
Having got this far, it seemed only appropriate to get the car detailed. Luckily there is a well-known detailing firm a couple of miles from Chris Burton, namely Invisible Touch. Christian did a great job, particularly given that the quality of paint on the car is at best uneven. I also got the seats reconnollised, as the leather was very creased and the colour had rubbed off in a few places. Unfortunately I forgot to take any 'before' photos, but this is what it looks like now:
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Overall I'm thrilled that the car has a new lease of life. Maybe the economics don't make sense (although hopefully in the long term the cost of all this is no more than the depreciation on a newer car), but there is certainly something more satisfying about keeping an old car in good shape rather than just selling it and buying a newer one.
Jonathan
PS If you've read this far, you will realise that I have taken out the old radio. In fact, I now have two becker Professional C RDS head units and two amplifiers. When the original didn't work, I tried a different head unit off eBay, then a different amp, but without success. Maybe some or all of these items work (you will see above that Chris had to change the wiring to get the Indianapolis to work) - your guess is as good as mine. At least some of the parts should be usable. Anyway, I would be happy to pass them all on free to a good home - I work in London W1 and live in London NW3, so you can pick them up in person at either place or arrange your own courier to collect (they are too heavy to post). PM me if you're interested, but please only take them if you are going to try to use them rather than to put them back on eBay!
I've owned my 850i for almost a year. The car was originally intended as a short-term purchase (I am involved in a film in which it will appear, but that's another story). However, the more I drove it the more I liked it, and eventually I decided to keep it indefinitely as a second car.
At that point it became time to write down all the little (and not so little) things that needed fixing. While it was tempting to do a few jobs at a time, many of them were linked and so there was a certain logic to doing them together. Putting jobs off also doesn't make them any cheaper, and it delays the point at which you enjoy the benefit. (You see, it's easy to rationalise spending money on a 20 year old car!).
Anyway, the car has just returned from four weeks at Chris Burton in Rusper. I can't recommend Chris highly enough. Not only does he know these cars literally inside out, but his rates are very reasonable; indeeed, he did a lot of small items free of charge. This is a partial list of what was done:
1. Replace power steering pump.
2. Supply and fit HID lighting system to dipped beam front lights.
5. Replace boot wiring loom
7. Drivers seat twisting in to center tunnel – strip out and replace drive cable adjust and reset.
8. Remove roof card and A / C posts – re-trim in new auto roof fabric (light grey)
9. Examine rear sun blind operation – faulty rear drive motor. Remove interior seating (rear) remove motor from carrier and harness.
10. Re- trim parcel shelf with auto fabric (black)
16. Battery drain established as boot wiring issue
18. Fit Becker Indianapolis radio – complete re- wire speaker cabling through car as BMW line cables heavily modified from previous installation
21. Attend to rear shock absorber top mounts pulled through
22. Address excessive play in front brake reaction arms
23. Address excessive play in rear tie rod bushes to body
24. Address excessive play in rear upper control arms
28. Established Brake servo assist leaking from rear connection to brake master cylinder.
29. Front wheel alignment – due to track rod change
Plus lots of minor bits. Individually none of these issues stopped me driving the car (at least until MOT time) but the cumulative impact of getting them all done is surprisingly great - it literally feels like a new car. The particular ones I would recommend are the suspension fixes (no more squeaks and groans), new radio (the old one wasn't working; the new one sounds and looks great), the headlining and the headlight conversion (although it does make the remaining original lights look very weak and yellow, even with Nightbreakers). Little things also make a difference, e.g. not having to unlock the boot manually and being able to get the seat at the right height without twisting.
Having got this far, it seemed only appropriate to get the car detailed. Luckily there is a well-known detailing firm a couple of miles from Chris Burton, namely Invisible Touch. Christian did a great job, particularly given that the quality of paint on the car is at best uneven. I also got the seats reconnollised, as the leather was very creased and the colour had rubbed off in a few places. Unfortunately I forgot to take any 'before' photos, but this is what it looks like now:
Overall I'm thrilled that the car has a new lease of life. Maybe the economics don't make sense (although hopefully in the long term the cost of all this is no more than the depreciation on a newer car), but there is certainly something more satisfying about keeping an old car in good shape rather than just selling it and buying a newer one.
Jonathan
PS If you've read this far, you will realise that I have taken out the old radio. In fact, I now have two becker Professional C RDS head units and two amplifiers. When the original didn't work, I tried a different head unit off eBay, then a different amp, but without success. Maybe some or all of these items work (you will see above that Chris had to change the wiring to get the Indianapolis to work) - your guess is as good as mine. At least some of the parts should be usable. Anyway, I would be happy to pass them all on free to a good home - I work in London W1 and live in London NW3, so you can pick them up in person at either place or arrange your own courier to collect (they are too heavy to post). PM me if you're interested, but please only take them if you are going to try to use them rather than to put them back on eBay!
