Best Of
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
So I received the following email from an out-of-state BMW dealer:
My team has discovered an opportunity for you to drive home a pre-owned BMW. Trade in your 2014 BMW M235i Coupe and enjoy the updated benefits of a newer 2020 BMW 230i xDrive Coupe.
Call me crazy, but I don't consider giving up 72 hp and being saddled with AWD to be "benefits."
But that's just me.
My team has discovered an opportunity for you to drive home a pre-owned BMW. Trade in your 2014 BMW M235i Coupe and enjoy the updated benefits of a newer 2020 BMW 230i xDrive Coupe.
Call me crazy, but I don't consider giving up 72 hp and being saddled with AWD to be "benefits."
But that's just me.
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
So, I've been working on my Q7 for the better part of the last week in order to fix the coolant leak (and oil leak, apparently) that it is suffering. It is a real PITA job, and I thought I would share just a bit so y'all could enjoy.....
All of these images are directly overhead on the engine, showing multiple layers as I dig my way down to the meat of the problem.
Removed some wiring/hoses, but this is basically the top layer showing the intake manifold (black part) in place:

Intake manifold removed; the "top layer" now is the EGR cooler:

After removal of the EGR cooler, you can see a "lake" of fluids surrounding the the oil cooler, which is the rectangular box directly below where the EGR cooler (and intake manifold before it) was located:

I spent a significant amount of time soaking fluids out of the valley here in order to bring the level of the fluids down below the bottom of the oil cooler. Once I finally did that and could see the bolts holding it in place, I removed it to leave only ONE LAYER left, which, I believe, is the Oil Cooler Adapter Plate. Nope, it's not complicated or anything....

If you notice in the lower left, you can clearly see where the coolant channel is for the oil cooler. I believe that it was either here, or at the gasket under the adapter plate, where the coolant leak originated. I still need to soak up 2"-3" of fluids in order to have the little pond there emptied out.
The truly crazy thing is that, technically, all of that wet, blackened area along the cylinder heads (left and right sides of the photos) and under the high-pressure fuel pump (top center of the photos) is *external* to the engine.... it should all be clean and dry. Yeah, not so much!
All of these images are directly overhead on the engine, showing multiple layers as I dig my way down to the meat of the problem.
Removed some wiring/hoses, but this is basically the top layer showing the intake manifold (black part) in place:

Intake manifold removed; the "top layer" now is the EGR cooler:

After removal of the EGR cooler, you can see a "lake" of fluids surrounding the the oil cooler, which is the rectangular box directly below where the EGR cooler (and intake manifold before it) was located:

I spent a significant amount of time soaking fluids out of the valley here in order to bring the level of the fluids down below the bottom of the oil cooler. Once I finally did that and could see the bolts holding it in place, I removed it to leave only ONE LAYER left, which, I believe, is the Oil Cooler Adapter Plate. Nope, it's not complicated or anything....

If you notice in the lower left, you can clearly see where the coolant channel is for the oil cooler. I believe that it was either here, or at the gasket under the adapter plate, where the coolant leak originated. I still need to soak up 2"-3" of fluids in order to have the little pond there emptied out.
The truly crazy thing is that, technically, all of that wet, blackened area along the cylinder heads (left and right sides of the photos) and under the high-pressure fuel pump (top center of the photos) is *external* to the engine.... it should all be clean and dry. Yeah, not so much!

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Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
Well, I see you’re working on the salesman skills.
Did she buy it?
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
Lots of people have been saying that for over a year now. Eventually they are bound to be right.

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Re: I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
This is one of my favorite cars. I paid $250 for it in 1981 and it had 81k. I sold it later for around $500. I put less than $100 into it. A decent return for a poor college student. It was a 65 Cutlass with factory buckets, tach, ps, pb, am, 330 4bbl, single exhaust. It was smooth, quick, fuel miser it wasn't.











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Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
One service per decade seems reasonable
He must have misread the service manual and though it said every 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first

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Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
What's going on with the G35?It blew a sensor. His wife blew a gasket and is now taking a master class from MRS @jmonroe1 on table chasing.
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
Did you try unplugging it and then plugging it in again?

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Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)
@breld said:
Keeping it somewhat car related…
That SUV is getting long in the tooth assuming you still have it🤣😂

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