E31 840Ci - first ever BMW (and a daily!)
Discussion
salmanorguk said:
Thanks very much!
I've heard of the Duke of London one (in fact their Instagram shows an E32 at the last event) but not the Wimbledon one. Would you please have details of it - can't seem to find it on Google!
The Wimbledon one is really simple which is why you can't find it on there, it started from a group of good (and interesting people) on Instagram, organised by a man called Charles Evans (douzecoupes on IG). It really is as simple as the first Sunday of the month, from 8.30am. SW194TG should get you there, or just googling Southside common. As soon as I see he has confirmed the next one I'll drop a note on here. All sorts turns up, even a Miura once. I've heard of the Duke of London one (in fact their Instagram shows an E32 at the last event) but not the Wimbledon one. Would you please have details of it - can't seem to find it on Google!
The DoL one is definitely worth checking out too.
lukeharding said:
The Wimbledon one is really simple which is why you can't find it on there, it started from a group of good (and interesting people) on Instagram, organised by a man called Charles Evans (douzecoupes on IG). It really is as simple as the first Sunday of the month, from 8.30am. SW194TG should get you there, or just googling Southside common. As soon as I see he has confirmed the next one I'll drop a note on here. All sorts turns up, even a Miura once.
The DoL one is definitely worth checking out too.
Thanks again - followed Charles and look forward to meet up soon.The DoL one is definitely worth checking out too.
lukeharding said:
You may have seen already, but this Sunday is the Southside Common meet at Wimbledon common, from 8.15am 
Went to my first Southside Hustle event today. Thanks to Luke for inviting me along to this and Charles for organising. Really enjoyed it - would recommend others to attend!
A very eclectic bunch of cars at the meet - with some very enthusiastic and happy to talk owners.
Some highlights include a Lancia Fulvia (!), a Carerra RS, a few Triumphs, a Volvo 240 vs Saab 96, new an old Aston Martin Vantages, Jaguar MK2 (?) and an Aventador.
Some crappy pics by yours truly at the link
Hope everyone’s having a good start to 2022.
My 2021 ended poorly car wise as the E31 had it’s paint damaged by the council’s recycle crew just before Christmas.
Seems one of them dropped a recycle box on the front wing, which cracked the paint, then they scratched the paint with their gloved hand (no doubt in an attempt to reduce the evidence) and lastly the truck scrapped the front bumper while they were scarpering.
Unbelievable.
And to top if off they left a quarter of the paper waste behind
There was no point going through insurance as it’ll impact me for the next 5 years and I’d have lost my NCB (didn’t realise if its less than 4 years you need to tell the insurer to protect it, even if you ticked it on a comparison site).
Heres the damage:
Really really annoying but hopefully luck will balance out elsewhere!
I spent a good few weeks trying to find the Holy Trinity, aka, a bodyshop that is well regarded, reasonably priced and can dismantle & put back an E31. After visiting a few places in and around London the E31 Whatsapp group came to the rescue and I found a place that's just a 15 minute drive away.
It’s going into the body shop tomorrow to get sorted with a full respray of the wing and possibly the bumper.
My 2021 ended poorly car wise as the E31 had it’s paint damaged by the council’s recycle crew just before Christmas.
Seems one of them dropped a recycle box on the front wing, which cracked the paint, then they scratched the paint with their gloved hand (no doubt in an attempt to reduce the evidence) and lastly the truck scrapped the front bumper while they were scarpering.
Unbelievable.
And to top if off they left a quarter of the paper waste behind
There was no point going through insurance as it’ll impact me for the next 5 years and I’d have lost my NCB (didn’t realise if its less than 4 years you need to tell the insurer to protect it, even if you ticked it on a comparison site).
Heres the damage:
Really really annoying but hopefully luck will balance out elsewhere!
I spent a good few weeks trying to find the Holy Trinity, aka, a bodyshop that is well regarded, reasonably priced and can dismantle & put back an E31. After visiting a few places in and around London the E31 Whatsapp group came to the rescue and I found a place that's just a 15 minute drive away.
It’s going into the body shop tomorrow to get sorted with a full respray of the wing and possibly the bumper.
Fresh paint
Following on from the last post, after the recycle crew damaged the car I decided it was better to take the hit and get it painted myself.
Several helpful E31 owners pointed me in the direction of MT Craftsman in Isleworth. What most assured me was the previous owner of this car is a serial car collector and he had sent a few of his BMWs here and was happy with the result.
Two days in the bodyshop and the result was pristine – I truly can’t tell where the damage occured. Can really recommend Martin and his crew. As an added bonus he showed me around his immaculate FD RX-7 and got mates rates on polish/ceramic coating:
I know you can't see much - especially as I'm reflected in the paint - so please just use your imagination
Following on from the last post, after the recycle crew damaged the car I decided it was better to take the hit and get it painted myself.
Several helpful E31 owners pointed me in the direction of MT Craftsman in Isleworth. What most assured me was the previous owner of this car is a serial car collector and he had sent a few of his BMWs here and was happy with the result.
Two days in the bodyshop and the result was pristine – I truly can’t tell where the damage occured. Can really recommend Martin and his crew. As an added bonus he showed me around his immaculate FD RX-7 and got mates rates on polish/ceramic coating:
I know you can't see much - especially as I'm reflected in the paint - so please just use your imagination
Braking time
At the same time I felt I needed to get the brake pads changed as the (already weak) stopping force was diminished. Had my usual crew diagnose the issue and unfortunately turned out the front left disc was warped and both front callipers needed a refurb/replacement.
The usual crew were fully booked for a month so I took it to Moto-Craft… who happen to be in the same building as MT Craftsman – so that was handy.
The owner, Michel, also owns an E31 so I was happy to leave it in his hands. A few days later and the car was back with new front pads, discs, refurbed callipers and new brake fluid. Heres an atrocious pic (as I forgot to take it when the wheels were off):
(The wheels need a refurb! - If anyone can recommend a decent place near Heathrow/Twickenham area I'd appreciate it)
MOT time
A few weeks later it was the annual “crossing-all-limbs-and-praying” time as the MOT was due.
For some reason I had got it in my head that the car may fail the emissions test with the new exhaust system, but fortunately I need not have worried. The HC’s did jump from 7 to 35 (with the limit 200) yet it passed first time.
The only advisory was a rear tire that needs changing. b
ks. What I am rapidly discovering is that a lot of parts are NLA (I had anticipated this but not to this degree) and this is one of them. I need 265/40/17 which is unobtanium, so am now trying to find 275/40/17 or 255/40/17.
At the same time I felt I needed to get the brake pads changed as the (already weak) stopping force was diminished. Had my usual crew diagnose the issue and unfortunately turned out the front left disc was warped and both front callipers needed a refurb/replacement.
The usual crew were fully booked for a month so I took it to Moto-Craft… who happen to be in the same building as MT Craftsman – so that was handy.
The owner, Michel, also owns an E31 so I was happy to leave it in his hands. A few days later and the car was back with new front pads, discs, refurbed callipers and new brake fluid. Heres an atrocious pic (as I forgot to take it when the wheels were off):
(The wheels need a refurb! - If anyone can recommend a decent place near Heathrow/Twickenham area I'd appreciate it)
MOT time
A few weeks later it was the annual “crossing-all-limbs-and-praying” time as the MOT was due.
For some reason I had got it in my head that the car may fail the emissions test with the new exhaust system, but fortunately I need not have worried. The HC’s did jump from 7 to 35 (with the limit 200) yet it passed first time.
The only advisory was a rear tire that needs changing. b
ks. What I am rapidly discovering is that a lot of parts are NLA (I had anticipated this but not to this degree) and this is one of them. I need 265/40/17 which is unobtanium, so am now trying to find 275/40/17 or 255/40/17.Its broken… again
Cue this weekend. A nice drive to the local Tesco to do the grocery shop. Feeling happy as I used my £3.00 food voucher and got 55p off the gluten-free bread I need. On the way back and the temperature needle starts fluctuating.
Uh oh.
If I stop for longer than 10 sec it starts to move one click to the red, and immediately as I set off goes back to centre. I take a slightly more scenic route so if I need to pull over I can, but thankfully it doesn’t go any higher than the one click:
Once its cooled I check and it has coolant, I can’t see any leaks, so am unsure what the problem is.
Checking in with my new best friends, the E31 Owners WhatsApp group, diagnosis varies from a simple air lock to hoses/thermostat/water pump/etc being perished. Having spent a fair bit already this year, this is not what I need.
Today I’ve dropped it off at Moto-Craft again to look into the issue and also source some tires. I saw this E31 while there so not sure if it’s a good omen or not!
I’ll find out this week how many premium bonds I’ll have to sell to fund this latest issue.
Cue this weekend. A nice drive to the local Tesco to do the grocery shop. Feeling happy as I used my £3.00 food voucher and got 55p off the gluten-free bread I need. On the way back and the temperature needle starts fluctuating.
Uh oh.
If I stop for longer than 10 sec it starts to move one click to the red, and immediately as I set off goes back to centre. I take a slightly more scenic route so if I need to pull over I can, but thankfully it doesn’t go any higher than the one click:
Once its cooled I check and it has coolant, I can’t see any leaks, so am unsure what the problem is.
Checking in with my new best friends, the E31 Owners WhatsApp group, diagnosis varies from a simple air lock to hoses/thermostat/water pump/etc being perished. Having spent a fair bit already this year, this is not what I need.
Today I’ve dropped it off at Moto-Craft again to look into the issue and also source some tires. I saw this E31 while there so not sure if it’s a good omen or not!
I’ll find out this week how many premium bonds I’ll have to sell to fund this latest issue.
The last pic is just an 8-er in it's natural habitat! I'd love one but the apparent running costs are too steep for me.
I had a similar issue in the Z (and a friend in his E46 actually). I went and ordered a new OEM fan as it was never kicking in. Went to fit it and noticed one of the cables was corroded. So I pulled the plug apart, ordered some new crimps and done the job properly and voila, it worked! Cost was about 60p, but I had to sell the fan second hand and lost about £200!
I had a similar issue in the Z (and a friend in his E46 actually). I went and ordered a new OEM fan as it was never kicking in. Went to fit it and noticed one of the cables was corroded. So I pulled the plug apart, ordered some new crimps and done the job properly and voila, it worked! Cost was about 60p, but I had to sell the fan second hand and lost about £200!
Nice work here. There's a black E31 that's parked out in Kew that i see every couple of weeks and love the colour on these.
How would you rate MT Craftsman's work? I live close to them and the wing blew a fence panel onto my e24 just when i had pulled it out of the garage for spring so i need a deep scratch painted over on the rear arch. My usual bodyshop has gone bust so need a new recommendation.
How would you rate MT Craftsman's work? I live close to them and the wing blew a fence panel onto my e24 just when i had pulled it out of the garage for spring so i need a deep scratch painted over on the rear arch. My usual bodyshop has gone bust so need a new recommendation.
mumbojumbo1 said:
Nice work here. There's a black E31 that's parked out in Kew that i see every couple of weeks and love the colour on these.
How would you rate MT Craftsman's work? I live close to them and the wing blew a fence panel onto my e24 just when i had pulled it out of the garage for spring so i need a deep scratch painted over on the rear arch. My usual bodyshop has gone bust so need a new recommendation.
Ha! It could be mine as I work in Richmond and frequent the Gail’s in Kew for coffee?How would you rate MT Craftsman's work? I live close to them and the wing blew a fence panel onto my e24 just when i had pulled it out of the garage for spring so i need a deep scratch painted over on the rear arch. My usual bodyshop has gone bust so need a new recommendation.
Unlucky on the E24 - hope it’s easy to fix and not too costly.
MT Craftsman were excellent. Owner is called Martin, drives a mint FD RX7 and they always have high end work there. When I dropped my car off for the coolant issue (at the sister company) they were working on a Porsche, BMW and something else.
Best recommendation I can give is the BMW collector (who, turned out, owned my car) had sent an E30, E39 M5 and 8 series all to them in the space of a week to fix; and in the WhatsApp group everyone rates them (a member had his fully resprayed there recently).
For my work he charged £400 all in.
f1ten said:
265 40 17 are the same size my sl 9n amg wheels has and yes can be difficult to get. Hancook are about all that's left to get these days. Even then 1 Yr ago there was none so when some came up I ordered a spare set!
I would have liked Hankooks but couldn’t find any for the fronts. The only options were Continental (with a long wait), Nankang or Toyos. I went with the Toyos. Just read the whole thread - that was quite a journey! I've had 3 of these. The first was a 96 840i I bought for £2500, the second a 95 4.0 I bought for £2000 and the third was an 850i (£6k). The latter was nowhere near as good as the 4.4.
I've had a number of BMW V8s and the cooling systems are always a pain. One thing I will say is replace the S-shaped hose that runs from the back of the block towards the aux wp. It split on two of my M62's and left me stranded.
I've had a number of BMW V8s and the cooling systems are always a pain. One thing I will say is replace the S-shaped hose that runs from the back of the block towards the aux wp. It split on two of my M62's and left me stranded.
e28525e said:
Just read the whole thread - that was quite a journey! I've had 3 of these. The first was a 96 840i I bought for £2500, the second a 95 4.0 I bought for £2000 and the third was an 850i (£6k). The latter was nowhere near as good as the 4.4.
I've had a number of BMW V8s and the cooling systems are always a pain. One thing I will say is replace the S-shaped hose that runs from the back of the block towards the aux wp. It split on two of my M62's and left me stranded.
Thanks for reading and the commiserations/support I've had a number of BMW V8s and the cooling systems are always a pain. One thing I will say is replace the S-shaped hose that runs from the back of the block towards the aux wp. It split on two of my M62's and left me stranded.
Any chance you could put the part number or (provided it’s the right page) point out the number here:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=EF83...
I’ve had a look at a few and they all seem to be US based and out of stock!
I’ve also found post 2 on this page if it helps recall anything:
https://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/threads/e31-840ci-1...
salmanorguk said:
Thanks for reading and the commiserations/support
Any chance you could put the part number or (provided it’s the right page) point out the number here:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=EF83...
I’ve had a look at a few and they all seem to be US based and out of stock!
I’ve also found post 2 on this page if it helps recall anything:
https://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/threads/e31-840ci-1...
Tbh, at this point, I'd be replacing all of the hoses at the back! Any chance you could put the part number or (provided it’s the right page) point out the number here:
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=EF83...
I’ve had a look at a few and they all seem to be US based and out of stock!
I’ve also found post 2 on this page if it helps recall anything:
https://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/threads/e31-840ci-1...
This may also help: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?...
I have enjoyed reading your post - douchebag thievery notwithstanding.
I have been using my 840 as a daily for 20 years and 110k miles (total now 205k) - yet I don't know about the WhatsApp group..! Can you give me some information on how to join?
I have been using my 840 as a daily for 20 years and 110k miles (total now 205k) - yet I don't know about the WhatsApp group..! Can you give me some information on how to join?
Edited by wildatheart on Sunday 27th March 13:33
wildatheart said:
I have enjoyed reading your post - douchebag thievery notwithstanding.
I have been using my 840 as a daily for 20 years and 110k miles (total now 205k) - yet I don't know about the WhatsApp group..! Can you give me some information on how to join?
Thank you - and wow what a great looking car. Love the bonnet and Rondell wheels. Anything else you’ve done to it?I have been using my 840 as a daily for 20 years and 110k miles (total now 205k) - yet I don't know about the WhatsApp group..! Can you give me some information on how to join?
Edited by wildatheart on Sunday 27th March 13:33
No problem on the group - can you PM me your name and mobile phone number and I’ll get you added to the group. Really useful in terms of knowledge and sourcing parts!
Thanks! I haven't strayed too far mods wise - just gently upgraded it over the years with M5 bushes, camber plates, slight lowering, stainless exhaust - and the grilles and wheels, as you said. I had the headlining done recently (and changed from black to grey) which looks lovely
The 190 is for my daughter (though she is only 16 so I'm a bit keen
Will send PM now
The 190 is for my daughter (though she is only 16 so I'm a bit keen
Will send PM now
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