BMW disaster - I've been abandoned by BMW and need help!

[sam1977]

Distressing story.

Catastrophic PAS system leak. Took to BMW. They sent me a quote by fax for Euro 4,000+ of repairs. Asked them to just fix the problem which I think is probably some high pressure hose. They refused saying the car has major rust issues and want to replace ABS controller (nearly 2,000), brake discs, pads and all sorts of other stuff including a wing mirror that is broken!! I pleaded with them just to fix what I asked. They flat refused and told me not to bother spending money on it.

So I collected it, filled it up with PAS fluid to get it home and there it sits unusable (the whole PAS system empties itself out from some rusty pipe in about 1 hour ..).

I love this car and I want to get it fixed. Its a 1998 2.8. Drives great other than this issue.

Any ideas if this is a common problem? What parts likely? Is it a DIY job without a vehicle lift?

Please help I now have a totally unusable BMW Z3. Car is a UK model which I bought from ebay and drive 2000 miles back to my house in south of Spain. BMW dealer is a Spanish dealership.

Please help!!! Thanks in advance.

[wabbitkilla]

Sounds like you need to diy diagnose and source the parts via the club, eBay, breakers, or parts finders.

Maybe if you describe the problem, give some pictures of the problem areas people will advise you what needs to be done.

It sounds incredible.that a garage would refuse to take your money to repair .... Hmmm, quite odd, they usually.fall over themselves to rip you off in the UK

from a planet somewhere nearby

[Deano1712]

Find out what hose is leaking. Find part number on RealOem. Get part from BMW. Fit part diy, which should be easy. Top up level. Done for <€100. Simples.

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[Del]

Those prices can only be from a BMW main dealer where many parts are costed as if they were gold-plated and labour charges are the same as for an NHS brain surgeon. Items like brake pads and new discs can be obtained relatively cheaply from places such as the attached link and much cost saved if you DIY.

http://www.carparts4less.co.uk/?gclid=C ... tAodpB8AEw

[sam1977]

Find out what hose is leaking. Find part number on RealOem. Get part from BMW. Fit part diy, which should be easy. Top up level. Done for <€100. Simples.

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Thanks it looks like a pipe which runs in front of the rack parallel to the rack, left to right as you look under the car - is this an easy DIY job if I can lift to car say on two normal trolley jacks? Do you have any kind of schematic which shows this part? Any special tools needed?

[sam1977]

Sounds like you need to diy diagnose and source the parts via the club, eBay, breakers, or parts finders.

Maybe if you describe the problem, give some pictures of the problem areas people will advise you what needs to be done.

It sounds incredible.that a garage would refuse to take your money to repair .... Hmmm, quite odd, they usually.fall over themselves to rip you off in the UK

from a planet somewhere nearby

Thanks for your reply. I am going to try and take a photo of this tomorrow and post it. Its too dark/late now unfortunately. I couldn't believe BMW's attitude, its disgusting really, basically telling me to scrap the car. Its almost like they couldn't be bothered.

[Del]

A similar topic was covered recently see attached link

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=35565

[TitanTim]

If you can identify the pipe thats leaking from RealOEM your BMW parts dept can order it for you. Any competant garage should be able to do the work.

I wouldn't atempt to go crawling under any car supported on just trolley jacks, use some axle stands.

Tim.

[Zee3]

A similar topic was covered recently see attached link

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=35565

This topic was mine. The hose that runs across the front of the steering rack went. The whole thing including hose,clips and fitting was 130 GBP. It will be simple to fix using a competent technician.

These hoses are prone to corrosion on cars this age, but it's a simple fix. You just need to get under the car to see which hose it is. I could see which hose had gone on mine without having to jack the car up.

[sam1977]

A similar topic was covered recently see attached link

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=35565

This topic was mine. The hose that runs across the front of the steering rack went. The whole thing including hose,clips and fitting was 130 GBP. It will be simple to fix using a competent technician.

These hoses are prone to corrosion on cars this age, but it's a simple fix. You just need to get under the car to see which hose it is. I could see which hose had gone on mine without having to jack the car up.

Thanks - I think its the same thing looking at your link. The question is then if I buy the bits is this definitely something I can fit myself? If not fine I can find a local garage to do it but I am just curious. Will post a photo in the morning so you more experienced owners can confirm what it is

[Zee3]

If it's the same hose, one end is crimped onto the other hose it mates to. I didn't fancy doing it, so I got a tech to do it. it's worth paying for it to be done for peace of mind. The diagram on my thread should help you identify which hose it is.
The new hose comes not only with the metal pipe but with the flexible hose already attached to it, it's the flexible hose that has to be crimped. make sure you buy the clip for one end and the washers for the other end. This is bolted, so the tech should be able to use the original bolt, he'll just need the copper washers.

I'm off to the Lotherton Hall meet all day, but I'll have another look when i get back.

[c_w]

Sounds like you need to diy diagnose and source the parts via the club, eBay, breakers, or parts finders.

Maybe if you describe the problem, give some pictures of the problem areas people will advise you what needs to be done.

It sounds incredible.that a garage would refuse to take your money to repair .... Hmmm, quite odd, they usually.fall over themselves to rip you off in the UK

from a planet somewhere nearby

I'm sure a UK garage would have just fixed it though not given the car a once over to find ever suspected fault! Best bet is buy the hose from BMW and get it fitted at an independent garage if you know a good one in Spain.



Carriage to Spain isn't too bad, so perhaps look as suggest on ebay etc and get it sent over as an option.

[pingu]

Have a day in Marbella and get English Mobile Mechanics on the case. We might see you on the telly .

[BladeRunner919]

I know a good place in the Alicante area, but I think you're down near Gib judging from your profile?

[EnthuZiaZT]

It makes you wonder nowadays, if main dealer mechanics are capable of repairing older cars, as far as I can see, their arguement is "If we replace everything associated with the problem, we will solve it. If we replace the defective part alone, it may lead to the failure of an associated part or parts, so we may look like we don't know what we are doing."!!!!

Also, I have noticed they have great difficulty indentifying individual parts at fault without a computer, unlike the old experienced guys!

[Robert T]

I take mine to an old experienced guy with a computer.

And yes, he's a main dealer.

Cheers R.

[dallantan]

I take mine to an old experienced guy with a computer.

And yes, he's a main dealer.

Cheers R.

Seconded.

[DT_Photography] 07712 415 619.

[sam1977]

A similar topic was covered recently see attached link

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=35565

This topic was mine. The hose that runs across the front of the steering rack went. The whole thing including hose,clips and fitting was 130 GBP. It will be simple to fix using a competent technician.

These hoses are prone to corrosion on cars this age, but it's a simple fix. You just need to get under the car to see which hose it is. I could see which hose had gone on mine without having to jack the car up.

Hi - sorry for the amazingly long time I have taken to reply to everyones suggestions on here. I finally got around to looking at the car last weekend. It is the exact same pipe that you had go and which appeared on your photo (although like you I could not identify on the two diagrams on your thread). The pipe itself is absolutely corroded to buggery. Just gripping it with my bare hand left a lot of rusty bits stuck to my hand. I cleaned it up a bit with a scraper and then sand paper but the metal pipe is shot to bits. I found the actual leak - in fact I carried out the most Heath Robinson temporary fix you have ever seen - one finger from a rubber glove and 4 circlips just so I could take the car out around my village to run it!!! It stopped most of the leak but clearly I need to replace the whole part. I don't want to do the crimping thing to the existing hose on the right of the pipe or fiddle about with any kind of bodge fix, so I would rather just buy the whole part with everything attached. Can you tell me which part this is and do you have a diagram of this actual piece (given as you said I couldn't identify it from the diagrams on your thread and which are the same ones I find when I do a Google search) so I can understand where the ends of whatever I am to buy actually connect?

Thanks again

[colb]

This is a diagram for a left hand drive 2.8 01-98 from OEM site, is your pipe on here?


If its No 10 on the diagram this is the part number: 10 Return pipe 1 32411094452
If its No 3 on the diagram this is the part number : 03 Pressure hose assy 1 32416754173

Colb

[sam1977]

This is a diagram for a left hand drive 2.8 01-98 from OEM site, is your pipe on here?


If its No 10 on the diagram this is the part number: 10 Return pipe 1 32411094452
If its No 3 on the diagram this is the part number : 03 Pressure hose assy 1 32416754173

Colb

Hi thanks but I can't see that its either of these - and I cant see the pipe on the drawing. If you look at this link:

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... =5&t=35565

The guy there has the same problem - you can see the long pipe running left to right in the photo (albeit his looks very new!!) in front of the rack. On the right the pipe joins a flexible pipe and runs up somewhere. I cannot see this on the diagram you show. I think the guy who's link it is I have posted had the same exact issue. Note as well, albit I don't think it makes any difference, the car is RHD not LHD.

I don't understand why I can't see this on the diagram - have a look at the link you'll see what I'm on about !!

Mod Edit: Link fixed.

[Zee3]

The link you posted was to my thread.

If it's the hose that runs across the front of the steering rack that is leaking on yours, then it's nose number 10

[Robert T]

If this is part of the power steering, then there are only two possible diagrams it could be on, the one above and this one:


Power steering - BMW parts catalog

My suspicion is that either the diagram is not 100% accurate - the same diagram is used for LHD and RHD even though the part number of the pipes is different - and it may even be a diagram that has been reused from a 3-series. Or the pipe is not a separate part at all - normally the diagrams are the correct way round to the front of the car, but lets imagine that this is a picture of an LHD part, and that it is reversed for RHD - you will see that there is a pipe that runs along the back of the steering rack and comes up behind it on the right attaching to the side of part the steering column connects to - this would appear to be a part of the steering rack and not available as a separate part.

Looking at Mike's picture all the parts for the cooling loop are hidden apart from the ends of the rubber pipes on the right, and that is not the pipe you are referring to if you mean the one bolted to the steering rack by a tab.

I may be wrong - it would need a friendly dealer to help sort it out.

Cheers R.

[Zee3]

i don't think it's either of the hoses that are in the second diagram. And your right, the 1st diagram don't show it very clear either.

The pipe runs across the front of the steering rack and then joins onto a flexi hose which then fixes onto the cooling loop via a crimp fastener.

When you buy the metal pipe it come's attached to the flexi hose which goes onto the cooling loop.

think that makes sense !

[Robert T]

If it joins onto the flexihose, then it can only be part #10 below, and if you look closely, it shows a tab on it, it just doesn't look like it is metal, but then the LHD may be rubber and the RHD one metal if it has to go over to the far side of the steering rack. I can't tell if that is a junction just before the tab or not. Hopefully this diagram is a little clearer than the version of it above:


Hydro steering-oil pipes - BMW parts catalog

Cheers R.

[sam1977]

i don't think it's either of the hoses that are in the second diagram. And your right, the 1st diagram don't show it very clear either.

The pipe runs across the front of the steering rack and then joins onto a flexi hose which then fixes onto the cooling loop via a crimp fastener.

When you buy the metal pipe it come's attached to the flexi hose which goes onto the cooling loop.

think that makes sense !

Hi thanks - I'll take your word for it as you've done it yourself - looks a lot longer in reality than on the diagram but perhaps its schematic - not clear though is it. Can you tell me what part number that is? How much did it cost you to buy and fit (did you fit yourself?)?

I am hoping this is going to be quite cheap and DIY!!!!

By the way was that actually your car in the photo's on the link?! It looks bloody clean?!

[Robert T]

Click on the diagram, or the link below it and all will be revealed.

It is preferable to put you car details in when checking part numbers. If ordering from a dealer, get them to do it, then it is their mistake if they order the wrong part.

Cheers R.

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