German Car Enthusiasts

Are BMW 5 cars hard to control on snow? What is your experience?

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:28:11 +0000

I rented one and it drove just great on the autobahn from Stuttgart to Baden-Baden. The next day, we had 5-7 cm of snow and I could barely control it. It would not stop well at all, I slid into a traffic circle at low speed and almost caused an accident. The forward traction was very poor- it would barley go up a small hill.

What is your experience?

My E39 5 series is the very worse car that I have owned in the snow. It will not get up a small hill and has trouble moving forward at any stop and go. I have seen many other owners have the same problem with this series. Only the M5 was offered with a limited slip read end in the E39 series. I’m not sure about your model.

The other days where the weather is good, I really enjoy the car.

What engine would be faster in a 2000 Volkswagen Passat?

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:28:09 +0000

Im looking at 2 volkswagen passats.

they are practicly the same car except one has an automatic 2.8L v6 and the other has a 1.8t inline 4 and its a manual

I realize the six cylinder has more horsepower but since the other has a turbo and is manual wouldnt it accelerate faster?

if the difference would be minmal then it doesnt matter. I always thought that the bigger motor the better but the turbo makes a big difference..

Personally I would go with The 1.8t. They would probably preform about the same. and you’ll get better gas millage with the 4 cylinder and the manual. I would be bored to death with the automatic too.

Where is Bank 2 Sensor 1 and Bank 2 Sensor 2 on an Audi A4?

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:28:07 +0000

I have a A4 Audi 2003 3.0L v6. I need to know where Bank 2 Sensor 1 and Bank 2 Sensor 2 so I can tell if my mechanic installed them right? Also will a Bosch sensor turn off check engine light or do you have to use audi parts from the company?

Bank 2 is the drivers side of the engine compartment. The sensors you are talking about are the oxygen sensors. Sensor one is in front of the catalytic converter and very difficult to see with the converter installed in the car. Sensor two is behind the catalytic converter. If you are looking down from above at the back of the cylinder head, you will be able to see this sensor. To replace sensor one, Audi says that the catalytic converter needs to be removed. This is a pretty big job and not for the faint of heart. The CEL will most likely not turn itself off. You will have to have the codes cleared with the correct scan tool.

What is the expensive part of owning a BMW the maintainence, the parts or the break downs?

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:28:03 +0000

you can maint yourself. check oil level,filter, change oil.

how far can i drive my bmw 5 series with no antifreeze?

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:20:25 +0000

pulled into the garage, stepped out of my car and into a puddle of antifreeze. no indicator lights and no other signs of any problems. obviously need to get it to the dealership, but don’t know how safe it is to drive with no antifreeze. tried pouring water in to see how long it would stay in and it leaks out immediately.

Fix it immediately. You no want to breaking your $45,000 beamer. Thanks you.

What type of oil should i put in my 2008 Volkswagen Passat TDi?

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:20:24 +0000

The manual suggests the VW507.00 oil (the only one which goes in both filtered and unfiltered engines) but I only have a choice of Castrol at the garage anyway…

Under the terms of the VW warranty, you must use an approved oil that meets the 507.00 specification. This specification is for diesel motors that use "Pumpe duse" (PD)injection type system on the diesel and the oil is designed to prevent wear to the diesel injection pump.

As it is, I know only the oil at the dealerships and Catrol Edge 5-30 (that says on the label that it meets 507.00) and Motul VW specific oil meet this requirement. The Mobil 1 ESP also meets this requirement (it must say meets VW/Audi 507.00 on the label) might be the easiest to find.

VW has been very strict about oil usage in dealing with warranty claims on motors and injection pumps. You must be able to prove that you’ve used the correct oil and filters to meet the factory requirements, failure to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt is reason enough for VW to reject a warranty claim.

It maybe more expensive, but either get dealer supplied parts or have the dealership change the oil. You might save a few dollars (yen, euro’s or whatever), but all of that will go to naught if you have a failure of a otherwise covered item.

So that you know, according to Mobil’s own specifications, 0-40 european formula DOES NOT MEET VW-audi specification 507.00~! Their listing on specifications show that only Mobil ESP meets this specification.

Hope this helps, a car nut.

Where can I purchase hard to find parts for my 1972 Audi 100LS???

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:20:21 +0000

I am searching for body parts, such as trim pieces, an exhaust system, a fuse box, a windshield motor….

look on eBay, or try Hemmings Motor News.

Where can I find interior replacement parts for a 1987 BMW 325i convertible?

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:20:16 +0000

I need a glove box with latch and the drivers side lower dash cover.

I would first try Ebay. If not then check your local salvage plant. Then check bmw themselves as a very last resort.

condensation in BMW 5 series car headlights. What are the easy ways of getting rid of it?

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:21:14 +0000

drill a tiny tiny hole in the lights. that will allow the condensation to leave and prevent it from coming back, or you could take out the whole headlight, remove the bulb and let it dry out and do that everytime you get cond. in it.

If i replace my digital odometer in a 1998 volkswagen passat would the milage reset?

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:21:12 +0000

its the 2.8 v6 the cluster broke and the one i found has higher mile will it reset to my original miles
so the milage is stored in the odometer or is it further in the car i just wanna know will it reset

No it will not. It will remain at the level of the replacement.

This can be altered to give a readout similar to the broken one.
However, check the cost before getting it done. May not be worth it.

You could also get the replacement one reset – which would probably be a lot cheaper.