1988 BMW 325i Maintenance Questions and Other Input wanted

Hello All, I own a 1988 BMW 325i convertible and I have a couple questions regarding general maintance

Such as replacing the Oxygen sensor, is there a certain brand I should buy I was thinking Bosch as I have noticed my car idles rough at times.

Also I have to ask what is the general MPG you would get with an E30 I looked it up on Kelly Blue book it says I should be getting around 22 mpg, however I am not sure if I am.

Also I will be changing the oil this coming Tuesday, I currently have synthetic oil in the BMW brand is Mobil one but I'm curious to know which brand I should use?

I recently replaced the spark plugs with Bosch plugs as the old ones were in horrid shape.

Any other ideas on what else I should either replace or change?

It'd be greatly appreciated as I will be doing a lot more driving with the car I want to prevent any minor issues now so they don't evolove into a bigger issue later.

Thanks again
-Wolfy

Do you know when the timing belt was last changed?
Air filter, fuel filter.
Gearbox oil, diff oil.
I don't think oil brand is a huge issue any main brand name should be fine, everyone has their preference.

Any more input?, thanks though and Im not sure the box says replace at 200K miles.

Originally Posted by Wolfy

Any more input?, thanks though and Im not sure the box says replace at 200K miles.

What box, Wolfy? The plugs need to be changed more often than that.

If belt history is ? - change it. PS and AC belts can be binned at the same time as this work is done. Check and clean battery terminals and connections.

which bosch plugs did you put in?

The Mechanic changed the timing belt and on the fuse box he wrote in permmant marker "Change Timing belt at 200K miles" so it has been done recently.

As for other odds and ends I placed in 6 new Bosch PLATINUM PLUS spark plugs, I also had to install a new Alternator recently like a month ago.

I want to increase fuel effeicntey as my car has not lived up to the 22 MPG I would like to see so I ordered a new Bosch Direct OME Oxygen sensor and a new MANN air filter to help the car idle better.

Is there anything else I could do to my car to make it perform better?

Also what brakes should I buy, as I will have to replace them as soon as possible.

Thanks for the input everyone so far its a lot easier with advice of other e30 owners.

ditch the platinums and put in coppers. these cars like the cheaper ones for some odd reason. ngk or denso are what i found out to be the best.

as of brakes, if you do aftermarket pads, you have to put on aftermarket rotors. bmw makes their brakes out of softer material which improves braking and life. so you throw on aftermarket pads on bmw rotors, the rotors wont last the life of the pads. i liked my brembo blanks with posiquiet ceramic pads. ebc pads are good too.

Originally Posted by downhiller

ditch the platinums and put in coppers. these cars like the cheaper ones for some odd reason. ngk or denso are what i found out to be the best.

as of brakes, if you do aftermarket pads, you have to put on aftermarket rotors. bmw makes their brakes out of softer material which improves braking and life. so you throw on aftermarket pads on bmw rotors, the rotors wont last the life of the pads. i liked my brembo blanks with posiquiet ceramic pads. ebc pads are good too.

I'll wait on the spark plug change again since I've already spent the money and I'm a broke college student.

As for breaks do you have a recommend replacement like if you had the free time could you advise me off of rock auto parts.com or another website and which is better staying with stock or after market?

Also I just got my Air Filter and new Oxygen sensor in the mail today so that is a win.

Originally Posted by downhiller

ditch the platinums and put in coppers. these cars like the cheaper ones for some odd reason. ngk or denso are what i found out to be the best.

as of brakes, if you do aftermarket pads, you have to put on aftermarket rotors. bmw makes their brakes out of softer material which improves braking and life. so you throw on aftermarket pads on bmw rotors, the rotors wont last the life of the pads. i liked my brembo blanks with posiquiet ceramic pads. ebc pads are good too.

Correct me if im wrong but im sure many aftermarket pads are fine and similar to factory spec of the oem ones. Reading your comment give the impression non oem pads will eat your rotors in no time really? Have never heard this before?

Also.. Ditch the platinum plugs asap, it is well documented the m20 engine don't like them.

Originally Posted by tim96

Correct me if im wrong but im sure many aftermarket pads are fine and similar to factory spec of the oem ones. Reading your comment give the impression non oem pads will eat your rotors in no time really? Have never heard this before?

its not like their gunna take the rotors to nothing in 2 blocks. but from what ive heard, is instead of going and doing say a pad swap every 25k miles and pads and rotors every 50k, you have to change pads and rotors at the same time every 25k.

this is fair knowledge from well respected bmw techs from about 6-7 shops including the dealer

bavauto.com has some pretty good deals for whole car brake replacements, front and rear with sensors. theres 2 of them, one for 230ish and the other for 320ish.

Get the injectors cleaned when funds permit. Not a pour in the gas tank job - they are more probs than they are worth. Get a rig clean, flow and leak test. Check fuel rail presure at the same time.

Update:

I replaced the oxygen sensor on Tuesday and I must say the old one was in horrible condition I replaced it with Bosch 13231 Oxygen Sensor, OE fit which now has the car when Idling it idles with no issues.

I replaced the Air filter with a Mann-Filter C 26 110/1 Air Filter, it was a pain to get everything out but it was needed and past due, the old filter had random junk in it and now its smooth running.

Also did some research while I was in class, which was where I did the changes since I'm studying to be a Mechanic we can do all the modifications in class as part of class work which is awesome since the teacher is a mechanic who takes 100% pride in his work as he was once a marine and worked on war vehicles.

Now what else should I replace?

I was thinking fuel filter as I have no idea when it was last replaced.

I also have an issue with my speedomter where the bulbs aren't all working as well as the fact that my RPM gauge was never hooked up which I'll try to do in class if anyone knows how difficult a job it may become.

Thanks again,

-Wolfy

pulling the cluster isnt hard. little tricky with the steering wheel in place but doable. bulbs would probably need to be replaced.

Originally Posted by downhiller

pulling the cluster isnt hard. little tricky with the steering wheel in place but doable. bulbs would probably need to be replaced.

How about attaching the rpm gauge?

if it just came unplugged, then youll have to plug it in when reinstalling the cluster.

Also which is the best break pads to get I got this light on the dash saying "Break Lining"

Originally Posted by Wolfy

Also which is the best break pads to get I got this light on the dash saying "Break Lining"

I'll bet you a hundred bucks it doesn't say "break".

Originally Posted by hornhospital

I'll bet you a hundred bucks it doesn't say "break".

Damn smart phone and auto correct, but anyways you know what I mean by brake.

the best pads are really up to the beholder. i like my posiquiet ceramics and ebc reds. but when you do the pads you also need to get new sensors (there is also a chance that your sensors are faulty but you dont know til you look at them)

.

You won't get the brake warning light out until you change the sensor. No tool required to reset, just replace the unit.

we have r and lots of early bmw 3 series what u looking for im in brooklyn ny doors complete fenders lights emao; me your list at Audi0000ssss@gmail.com thank u