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Do
you have questions? Well we have answers, yes… BMW answers! These
local club members can help you with questions on repairs, modifications
or parts procurement for your BMW. They also have tips for what to
look for when buying one of these BMWs used. We also have someone
to answer your body work or restoration work questions.
Please
limit phone calls to these volunteers to between the hours of 9 a.m.
and 9 p.m. These fine folks are all friendly people, please don't
be afraid to tap into their knowledge!
Lance Richert
SIG Coordinator
lance@richertnet.com |
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E3 - 2500 / 2800 / Bavaria / 3.0si '68-'77
Wedgewood, married, Finance for Boeing
BMW afflicted for 25 years, my current stable has 3 BMW cars, all
more than 20 years old, motorcycles too. I've bloodied knuckles
on cars and 'bikes since High School. Conversant in all aspects
of the cutting edge 1970's technology on these cars: Carburetors,
points ignition, fully independent suspension, 4 wheel disk brakes,
electronic fuel injection. If I don't have the answer to an E3 mechanical
dilemma, I know eminent mechanics whose toolboxes I am not worthy
to carry who do.
I'm ready to chat, confer or debate on all aspects of vintage BMW
ownership: Acquisition lust, purchase, maintenance, repair, bankruptcy
and/or disposal.
P.S. If your pretty E9 Coupe isn't working and Ken Olsen
is out of town, drop me a line as E3 and E9 are virtually identical
under the skin.
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E9 - 2800cs / 3.0cs / 3.0csi '68-'75
Redmond, Married,
Architect
In 1994 the time came when we could look for a car that was strictly
for weekend fun. Having had a succession of 2002's since 1974, and
having solved the daily driver question with a series of 5ers, it
seemed only natural to start looking for a 3.0 Coupe. This decision
was made easy by virtue of the fact that, apart from the 507, the
Coupe is the most beautiful design to carry the blue and white roundel.
After a long search, our car was found in the basement of a local
independent Mercedes shop amongst other interesting consignment
cars. A fairly extensive renovation followed, and we have thoroughly
enjoyed the car ever since for touring and competition in vintage
driving events.
I do not purport to be mechanically proficient, certainly not amongst
the other luminaries on this resource list. I can help with parts
identification (I have the factory parts book), contacts to suppliers
and advisors (I am the NW representative for the CS Registry USA),
and advice from the national coupe registry e-mail list.
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E10 - 2002 / 2002tii '68-'75
Bellingham, Married w/ 3 kids, General
Contractor
I owned what I think was the first '02 in the B'ham area (at least
to be seen on the road) in 1974. From that point on I bought, fixed
and sold around 10 more to become the local enthusiast. Most folks
that came to town w/ their '02 were referred to me due to the lack
of information and knowledge in our area, and I kept a good supply
of the typical parts to keep them on the road.
I found out quickly how to make the car perform and that it was
naturally a great auto-x and track car w/ only a few modifications.
I'm active w/ the Chuckanut Sports Car Club and am on the auto-x
committee.
Currently I own a '74 2002tii, a '70 2500, a '67 2000cs, a '65
1800ti and misc. E30's. Although I am not a certified mechanic (I'm
a Contractor with a passion for BMW's), I have a full shop w/ hoist
and welcome people to stop by for assistance w/ their older BMW
needs. I would also be happy to show you all the mod's to my tii
and where they can be purchased or how to fabricate them.
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1500-2000Ti/Tii '62-72' / E12 - 5 Series '72-'81 / E23 - 7 Series '77-'86 / E24 - 6 Series '76-'89 / E32 - 7 Series '86-'94
While pumping gas after school, and doing basic tune-ups at a south
Everett Texaco in the mid '60s, I serviced a new BMW 1800ti. I was
overwhelmed by the owner's enthusiasm, and drawn toward anything
that could bring so much joy. Little did I know I'd have my own
BMW 1800, just months later.
In the early '70s just as the Seattle scuba club was divesting
itself of "club owned" equipment, our fledgling BMW club
was seriously considering investing in basic tune-up equipment.
I'd seen the problems with equipment storage, distribution, abuse...etc,
so I suggested that I'd just teach club members the basics and they'd
learn which equipment they'd need.
About this time the U of W began the "Underground College"
consisting of non-credit courses taught by qualified instructors.
I taught the "Care & Feeding of BMWs" at my Home Shop
20 blocks north of campus. My overflow classes left me frustrated
as the assortment of vehicles owned by my students was as varied
as their problems & questions. This left most non-motor heads
wanting me go get back to their model, so I began decreasing my
class sizes preferring to teach one-on-one.
This BMW hobby income got me thru school, and launched me into
my second home shop 20 miles north of Seattle, where I raised our
two children, while teaching owners the care of BMWs, and thinking
about getting a job. My kids are graduating from college now, I'm
into my dream shop, and I'm still thinking of getting a job, but
I've just been too busy teaching BMW owners the care and feeding
of their cars and bikes.
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E21 - 3 Series '77-'83
Seattle, Married, Radiologic Technologist
I've been playing around with BMWs ever since I first bought my
1969 2002 in 1974. Turned out the front strut was bad so 1 week
into ownership I had to fix it. Been wrenching on BMWs ever since.
In 28 years of owning a 2002, I've done almost everything possible
on the car myself from engine rebuilds to rear end work. I had to
rebuild my daughter's E21 320i after an accident. I took her engine
and mechanicals and put them into a donated bare shell and ended
up with a winning concours car. So if you've got questions on the
E21, I can probably help. I've even put a 325i motor into a 325es
for myself just recently. I've done the "been there done that"
with my cars from autocross to track to concourse detailing. I find
myself monitoring 4-5 different BMW email digests to keep up with
the things people do to their BMWs. I joined the Puget Sound chapter
in 1977 and have been President, Historian, motorsports chairman,
and roster manager. I still have that original 2002 that has served
me for 430,000+ miles and now drive an '86 325is and my daughter's
'80 320is. I play around in my garage to maintain my vehicles and
to work on others.
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E30 - 3 Series '84-'91
Auburn, Married/2 Children, European Technician
I was born and raised in Germany where my father was an engine
builder and my mother was a bookkeeper, both for BMW. I started
my education of automotive repair with my father at a very young
age. After I graduated from Technical School in Austria, I moved
to the states with my family where I worked in a dealership and
subsequently for my father in his shop. For the past 12 years I've
worked at Auburn Foreign Car as a European Specialist. As a technician
it is my job/hobby to maintain the reliability of the cars I work
on, but I truly enjoy the opportunity to play with and apply the
technology integrated into all of the available upgrades.
BMWs have always been my favorite car with E30 M3s holding my highest
esteem. I purchased my '88 M3 in '96 and have spent the last 6 years
acquiring pieces of the quickly depleting supply of original Euro
parts and aftermarket upgrades. My philosophy for BMWs is to personalize
the look and performance without compromising the original integrity
already perfected by BMW. I look forward to helping those who appreciate
the E30 series as much as I do!
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E34 - 5 Series '88-'95
Bremerton, Married, Automotive Teacher
I have owned for the past two years a 1991 E34 M5; build date of
01/90 (we also have a 1995 E36 318ti). I am ASE Master Technician
certified (and have been ASE certified since 1981) I hold a B.S.
in Auto/Diesel Technology from Oregon Institute of Technology and
also a M.Ed. from Oregon State University. I believe I may have
the best job in the world, I teach automotive full time for Olympic
College in Bremerton. I love cars. I am senior instructor with a
six bay facility, service tools and literature for virtually every
make and model of car and light truck from mid-1950's to today.
I have an obligation to remain current with new technologies and
also keep our program current with tools and equipment plus practice
with these tools and technologies whenever possible.
My M5 has not experienced any major failure but I have needed to
perform typical twelve-year-old car maintenance. Within an instructional
setting and with students present, we have opened, inspected, measured,
analyzed and evaluated most every mechanical, electrical or electronic
gadget or function of the entire car. I am currently in the process
of performing a R12 to R134a a/c retrofit. It is neither difficult
nor expensive to do this change over. Depending on the year and
model of car, the conversion could be less than $100 in parts (including
the newR134a) and then be freed of the very expensive R12 dichlorodifluoromethane.
I would wish to share what I can with other E34 owners (I'll even
try answer a question or two from non E34 folks). The E34 is a handsome
yet very functional automobile. The build quality was superb but
for the metallurgical detail within the V8's - nobody is perfect.
The E34 is a wonderful example to the type of details to which BMW
engineers pay attention. Let's get together and enjoy some of those
BMW details!
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E36 - 3 Series '92-'99
Shoreline, Married, Retired Program Manager
My first Bimmer was a 1994 325iS purchased new from BMW Bellevue.
I did the usual up-grades such as ECU chip and 17 inch wheels before
becoming interested in driving events. At my first BMW ACA Driving
School at Bremerton I made the mistake of driving a fellow student's
E36 M3. Three days later a Hellrot 1995 M3 was sitting in my garage
and the trusty 325iS was for sale. As I participated in more driving
events it become evident that I must learn to perform basic maintenance
on this Ultimate Driving Machine if I was to be able to afford this
rather expensive hobby. I advanced from oil changes to changing
brake pads and rotors to rebuilding brake calipers. I've accumulated
many BMW special tools and have a fully equipped shop with floor
jacks and E36 adapted jack stands. I've performed many repairs to
include radiator replacement, drive belt install, guibo replacement,
damper and spring installation, and trailing arm bushing replacement
to name a few. My garage, tools, and technical expertise are available
to fellow Club E36 owners. I can also share with you parts sources
and modifications to your E36.
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E36/7 - Z3 '95 -
Sammamish, Married, System Administrator-Programmer
I have always had an interest in cars, modifying cars and driving
cars. High performance was an interest of mine but unlike most of
my friends, straight-line performance was not my main goal, maintaining
that performance around a corner was always my intent.
Carroll Shelby designed my "dream car" in the Cobra and
then he took it to Europe and thumbed his nose at Ferrari (…wearing
coveralls to boot…). These were the cars I wanted to have.
Not having the money for a Cobra I had to "build one myself".
I started my learning curve with a 1966 Mustang Fastback, moved
on to a pair of Alfas (a Spider and a GTV-6) then to my first BMW,
a 1985 325e. I made extensive modifications to all of them but the
BMW, that I left stock (…I had to have something dependable
to drive…).
I ordered my 1997 1.9 Z3 in October of '96 and received it the
day before Thanksgiving. The changes I have made to it are too many
to list here but be it said almost everything has been changed on
it with 98% of the work being done by myself. What I have is my
version of a "Cobra" that I drive every day to work, the
grocery store or the track.
I am on a first name basis with most of the national BMW tuners
on Z3 related issues as well as a frequent follower of the Z3 message
board as well as the Z3 Registry. If I can't answer your question
I do know whom else to ask. The best way to contact me is by e-mail.
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Accident and Physical Restoration (all models)
Kirkland, Single, Network Specialist
I've owned, fixed and/or repaired one of almost every modern BMW
model to date. I began this BMW journey 20 years ago when I purchased
a 2002 that needed some "paint work." When I found out
what this was going to cost, I figured out pretty quickly that if
I couldn't do it, it wasn't going to be painted. This turned into
a 15-year profession in the body shop business as an automotive
painter.
I've moved onto a cleaner line of work, but I still love my "hobby."
If you are thinking of restoring an old "family friend,"
or are trying to compare fixing versus buying new, I may be of some
assistance. If you have a trusted steed that was just totaled by
an insurance carrier, and you are wondering about the feasibility
of putting it back together, let me help crunch the numbers. There
can be some huge savings in doing some of the simple tasks yourself
and jobbing out the difficult stuff. I have some crash books to
determine shop hours for repairs and extensive knowledge on actual
difficulties in repairing rust, or painting in your garage at home.
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