Lugy's BMW 740I and friends

Lugy's BMW 740I and friends

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Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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First of all I apologise in advance, I'm not the best at keeping these things updated and taking photos when I do things but I'll try and keep on top of this as I go!

Rewind back to this time last year and a message from a friend's dad that works in a local independent BMW specialist, it read "BMW 740, loads of miles, £350, want it?"
Needless to say a couple of days later this fine, 195k piece of JRG German engineering was outside the flat.

One rear wheel bearing, a hand brake cable and a track rod end later it was ready to smoke about in.


Unfortunately the dream was short lived, a few months later, the (only) key I had for the car went through the wash accidentally and the car never ran again. Cue loads of head scratching and research, even going to the expense of buying a new key but all to no avail.
Fast forward a few months, I started a new job with much better pay and kept saying how I was going to take the car to BMW to get it put on the diagnostic machine, well that never happened although the 740 itch was still irritating me.
Not to worry though, I've just bought another......



I did have more pictures but the camera seems to have had other ideas.

It's a 1998, 116k, MOT until July, Xenons, contour seats with special upholstery, special paint, M parallels, sat nav, rear blinds, hands free phone, electric steering column, Shadowline trim. It drives brilliantly and I can't really fault it.

This morning I got a few hours spent on tidying up the interior, it's still not perfect but it's a bit better, I think I'll try some of the Furniture Clinic gear at some point soon.




Exterior wise, there's a couple of rust spots and small dings but it's pretty sound for a 16 year old, although the paint needs a fair bit polishing to bring it back up, as you can maybe see....


Elsewhere, the Sat Nav screen doesn't work which doesn't help with using the radio, the remote locking doesn't work (although still works with the key in the lock which is a good sign), the cam covers are a bit leaky and the gearbox is probably ripe for a service at this age, along with the rest of the car.

Finally, let me introduce the "friends"....

My beloved Astra I use everyday


And my Cavalier that now gathers dust (though did go on an epic trip to Spain last year!)

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Sunday 26th October 2014
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Astonishing that you couldn't get the old one running again even with a new key, that's a big surprise, but its replacement look great. That interior is to die for lick and you're definitely not helping my hankering for a V8..

Look forward to seeing more!

F1GTRUeno

6,335 posts

217 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Great stuff, though the mismatching lights and black kidneys need serious changing. Looks like a barry got half way through barrying the thing then gave up.

Ambers and chrome all the way.

Barchettaman

6,280 posts

131 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Ooh, that's a good one.
Fuel tank OK?
Happy polishing.

LittleEnus

3,218 posts

173 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Check the cooling system- fan/ pump/ tank/ rad/ thermostat
Fuel tank

Other than that, it's a lovely colour and they are fantastic cars for sure.

PowerslideSWE

1,116 posts

137 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Very nice colour combination, sure would love the contours in my 750.

Shadowline and sport suspension stance does the e38 good imo.

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Monday 27th October 2014
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Cheers folks, I'm currently using my phone and can't work out how to multiquote so I'll try to address all points, the key issue is very annoying, I've tried just about everything a mere mortal can do but never got anywhere. The car is still sitting outside our garage but it's been destined for breaking. V8 itches need scratched before they're outlawed or gone altogether!

The kidneys and indicators will be getting swapped with the ones on the gold one.

The fuel tank has been repaired and seems fine with a full tank, if need be the gold one has had a tank at some stage so that will be being removed and kept.

I'll be looking at the cooling system when I service it, it appears to be in good shape at the moment though.

I'd agree about the stance comments, when BMW design a car they definitely know how to get it sitting 'right'.

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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Quick update,

Been using it more than I should have been, the only issue so far has been the alarm going of randomly, locking it with the key rather than remote has solved this for now though I'll need to look further into it. The cam cover gaskets are still seeping oil, though with the HVAC set to recirc mode it isn't smelly inside now! Now gaskets to be fitted this weekend though. I've even managed to average 21mpg doing mixed driving which I thought was fairly decent.

I also changed the indicators for gingers and swapped over the chrome kidneys from the gold one, though found they didn't stay in too great. I'm a little unsure of the chrome ones still, I think black suits the Shadowline trim.
http://s181.photobucket.com/user/lugy1988/media-fu...

Oh, I had suspicions that it might have been an 'Individual' though it wasn't sold as such. I also thought they had Individual on the kick plates which mine doesn't. According to the colour plate it is though....
http://s181.photobucket.com/user/lugy1988/media-fu...

Not much else to report, next things to do are the gaskets mentioned above and hopefully a full service next week!

ETA- IMG code doesn't seem to work on my phone, so I've just put in links for now!

Edited by Lugy on Wednesday 19th November 20:38

gf15

980 posts

265 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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Beautiful car. The Buffalo leather is quite rare and by far the nicest leather I have seen in a car. It also wears superbly.
Mine had "individual" on the turret just like yours. Mine was Oxford Green and the piping on the seats was also a oxford green.
My gearbox went a bit clunky at 120k miles when you floored it, kick down was very harsh. My specialist updated the gearbox SW and it felt like a new gearbox. It was a real quality piece of kit. I sold mine at 200k miles. Superb cars
thumbup



stuart-b

3,643 posts

225 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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I actually think the other grills and white indicators look better - now it looks dated.

Great car, that interior is amazing. My seats have been used for 40k and look more worn than yours!

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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The clear indicators looks worse in the flesh than the pictures, they were a bit too blingy compared to the headlights. Maybe if they were the facelift ones like what it looks as though gf15 had on his car they'd be a bit nicer!

gf15 said:
Beautiful car. The Buffalo leather is quite rare and by far the nicest leather I have seen in a car. It also wears superbly.
Mine had "individual" on the turret just like yours. Mine was Oxford Green and the piping on the seats was also a oxford green.
My gearbox went a bit clunky at 120k miles when you floored it, kick down was very harsh. My specialist updated the gearbox SW and it felt like a new gearbox. It was a real quality piece of kit. I sold mine at 200k miles. Superb cars
thumbup


Cheers!

A gearbox oil change is on my list, hopefully I'll get it done when I service it, the 'box is very smooth in mine, but prevention is the best cure as they say!

Remagel2507

1,456 posts

191 months

Wednesday 19th November 2014
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Car looks really nice OP, I really do need to finish mine off now its been sat for way too long.

Your original gold car looks identical to one we had in a good 6 or 7 years ago, IIRC there were no keys or only 1 key for the car and it was a non runner, I think we attempted to get it running but in the end the customer didn't want to spend any money on it and took it back.

Edited by Remagel2507 on Thursday 20th November 10:45

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Wednesday 26th November 2014
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Remagel2507 said:
Car looks really nice OP, I really do need to finish mine off now its been sat for way too long.

Your original gold car looks identical to one we had in a good 6 or 7 years ago, IIRC there were no keys or only 1 key for the car and it was a non runner, I think we attempted to get it running but in the end the customer didn't want to spend any money on it and took it back.

Edited by Remagel2507 on Thursday 20th November 10:45
What's up with your one?

The gold car might actually be saved at the eleventh hour, I'm hoping to get someone along in the next couple of weeks to see if their diagnostics can help towards getting it started, that'd mean I wouldn't need to get my hands dirty by breaking it!

Took the Green one out down the coast on Sunday and got a couple of pictures....




Still waiting on my cam cover gaskets to be delivered so no real progress on that.

In the meantime, here's a wee bit on the other two cars in the fleet (Vauxhall content I'm afraid).

Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 2.0 16v

I bought this back in April '12 when the Vectra I was running died, it popped up on eBay, low owners, 122k, standard and with good history. We popped down to Blackburn, £500 changed hands and I happily plodded back up the road (for free - the car came with 3/4 tank of fuel!).

The day I bought it.


The car turned out to be deadly reliable, racking up loads of miles and only needing a few minor parts here and there, right up until the timing belt snapped. A few nights and £200 later I had fitted a new head/gasket kit/belt kit and service was resumed.

At the VBOA Rally at Billing 2012.


On a wee trip up to Applecross and beyond.


That winter I took the car off the road after buying £330 worth of V70.


During that time I took care of some welding and changed the rear brakes, fitted H&R springs along with some Bilstein rear shocks. The Volvo was then sold (for £650!) and the Cavalier MOT and taxed.

Back on the road in March ‘13.


Various adventures followed, when in September ’13, myself and the OH had a couple of weeks off work, we decided to go on a bit of a road trip.

First the 450mile trip to Dover for a boat.


Then a 550 mile detour to avoid paying tolls through France, Belgium, Luxembourg and back into France to head for our first night in Gex

Next over to Nimes for the night (which we hated!).


From there we booked 4 nights in a cheap holiday hotel in Calella on the Costa Brava and headed down the scenic coastal road.









After relaxing for a bit, it was time to head home, we stopped in Limoges, where we bought the biggest KFC box I’ve ever seen and camped out.


The next part was a boring 900mile hoof from there to our door. The car was absolutely faultless throughout the 3200miles/7 days, even in the 30degC plus heat we were lucky enough to get in Spain.

That was the car’s final outing last year, following that it got a bit of a refresh; new LUK clutch, all new front suspension bushes, new front brakes, Bilstein shocks up front along with other bits and pieces.

All it’s really done this year is a couple of shows, the rest of the time it’s been tucked away.


I had advertised it for sale though I’ve since decided to keep it. It might drive horrendously compared to more modern cars but it always seems to attract a thumbs up or a smile wherever it goes and it might not be worth much in monetary terms but sentimentally it’s worth a lot more, even if I haven’t actually owned it for that long!

Vauxhall Astra Coupe 2.2

This car doesn’t have quite as rosy a story, originally bought as a non runner last April through my dad’s garage (timing chain failure) I had planned on repairing it, running it through the summer and punting it on.



Initially it lay around for a couple of months before I could get round to dealing with it.
Eventually I got the head off, rebuilt it with a few new valves, bought a new timing chain kit and head set and it came back to life. For a week.
Turned out the exhaust cam had a slight bend in it which led to it wearing away the cam carrier. Bugger.
Fortunately a mate had a spare engine that had a knackered bottom end but good head so I had that of him.
Swapped the head over and got it back in action. Now it was getting used, it became apparent that it was using oil and loads of it. 1l for 100miles!
After lots of diagnosing, we decided it could only be the rings, so cue a bottom end engine rebuild.


Third time lucky…..

Heading to September last year and with the car running sweetly, we had originally planned to take the Astra on the above road trip. Me, being the forward thinking guy I am, decided to give it a service, seeing as I had no idea when it was last done.
Came to the last spark plug and “crack”, the head had cracked between the plug hole and water jacket, turning a good head into scrap instantly!
The car was abandoned at the garage and we went away for the week. The following week, yet another head was sourced and fitted. Since then, touch wood, the car has ran fantastically!


I’m quite glad I stuck it out, it’s turned out to be a gem of a car, it’s since been fitted with Eibach springs, Dunlop SP Sportmaxx tyres and had an Astra VXR front brake conversion. Slightly numb steering aside, it’s a brilliant car to drive with a good compromise between comfort and “sportiness”, grips the road well, it’s well built, hasn’t rusted after 11 years and IMO is quite a good looking car, especially for something designed in the 90s. Of course however, being a Vauxhall, it is none of those things.



So, that’s it!

BorkFactor

7,258 posts

157 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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Great write up, I enjoyed reading that! smile

Cavalier is really nice, I can't remember the last time I saw one on the road. I had an Astra 2.2 hatchback for a while, I agree about them being under rated cars. I actually miss mine a little bit!

What did you think of the Applecross road? I live in Inverness so have driven over there quite a lot, never fails to entertain!

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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BorkFactor said:
Great write up, I enjoyed reading that! smile

Cavalier is really nice, I can't remember the last time I saw one on the road. I had an Astra 2.2 hatchback for a while, I agree about them being under rated cars. I actually miss mine a little bit!

What did you think of the Applecross road? I live in Inverness so have driven over there quite a lot, never fails to entertain!
Cheers, I've done the road a few times now, quite a good jaunt, when we went up in the Cavalier, I had the pleasure of following some Porsches up the hill, the noise was quite something, though I prefer some of the other roads in the area, the A87 from Invergarry to the Kyle probably being my favourite.

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Not really got a particularly exciting update here, I ended up in hospital a few weeks ago, culminating in getting my gall bladder removed, so I've not been able to get much done. I've just replaced the cam cover gaskets though which was the most important job on the list. Typically it didn't go to plan, the RH bank went without a hitch but after stripping the LH side down I discovered that I'd been supplied with a sealed bag containing the wrong gasket (a RH gasket with the LH part no.) which had no chance of working.


Fortunately our workshop is next to a garage who we get on well with so I got him to order in the right one, still it left me like this overnight.


The gasket turned up this morning (a genuine one too!) and half an hour later the car was running again.
I popped outside to give it a bit of a wash and began giving the bonnet a polish, glaze and wax (Menzerna P203/yellow pad on a rotary polisher, Prima Amigo and Dodojuice Blue Velvet for anyone interested) - not a perfect job but a step in the right direction. I just need to start building the motivation to do the rest of the car.



I'm going to leave the car in the garage and try to finish the polishing, get the wheels off and paint the brake calipers, clean up the engine bay and give it a service

Oh, I bought a new key ring, sad I know but hey!



iacabu

1,348 posts

148 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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I was just looking at these 7s the other day, this is a really nice example.

What's the colour called?

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Thursday 18th December 2014
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Cheers, it's not perfect but it gives me something to aim for! It's an individual colour called Barbados Green.

Lugy

Original Poster:

830 posts

182 months

Wednesday 31st December 2014
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Just another little update, been using the car a bit more since the cam cover gaskets were changed. Much nicer now there isn't a smell of burnt oil in the cabin.
At the weekend I took the car on the PH Ecosse Festive Run. It's been the longest run I've done since buying the car, I think around 340 miles. For such a big car it's quite enjoyable in the twisties, it really does hide it's mass quite well and seems to show little body roll from the driver's seat. Grip in the wet is rather good too but then the tyres are so wide it'd be weird if it didn't. It sounds quite good but definitely very muted, it'd be nice if it had a little burble like Jaguar seem to manage. I think we were the comfiest by the end of the trip too.

A few pictures from the day....




Today I spent a bit time looking in to why the in car monitor wasn't working, some fiddling and unplugging the Nav drive the screen popped into life. To say I'm pleased is an understatement, I had expected major expense having to replace everything....


Also gave it a wash, some Autoglym Super Resin Polish and a coat of Collinite 915 wax, it's come up quite well, though I'll give it a better go in the spring when I find my jar of motivation....





Still gathering parts for a major service but first in line for some love is the Poop Coupe (Astra), given it's used most of the time it could be doing with a service and it's probably due some Waxoyl now. Not sure if I'll run it for another year or replace it. Given it seems to be running spot on, I'm loathe to replace it.

Cemesis

771 posts

161 months

Thursday 1st January 2015
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The nav unit is broken. When it's unplugged the screen goes into a default basic view as yours has in the photo. Get a mk4 replacement and fit that in place of the mk1/2 you have now.

You can also fit a widescreen screen to the E38 too if you fancied it