The time has come to let go of my well-loved 1986 E30 325e. It has a clean title, is registered in California, and located in Colorado. I got this car in 2016 from my grandfather who was the original owner. I’ve put in a lot of work - prioritizing mechanical safety and reliability. The engine, transmission (automatic), and steering performance are all great for the age and mileage. Overall it runs well and has no major known issues.
Work completed within the last ~25k miles
- Brakes
- New brake master cylinder, new brake hoses, new front rotors, pads & sensor
- Steering and suspension
- New steering rack and sway bar links
- New front strut inserts, shock tops, bump stops and bellows
- New power steering suction and return line
- New right front wheel speed sensor
- New inner and outer cv boots
- New tie rod boots and locking plates
- Replaced differential oil fluid
- Cooling
- New radiator, water pump, coolant temp sensor, and expansion tank
- New fan clutch and auxiliary fan thermo switches
- New fan shroud
- Transmission
- Engine
- New timing belt and engine drive belts
- New distributor cap & ignition rotor & spark plugs
- New fuel filter
- New engine mounts
- New thermostat
- New valve cover gasket
- New idle control valve
- New air filter
- New ignition wire
- Exhaust
- Misc
- A/C system retrofit
- New battery
- Replaced windshield washer pump and washer t-connector
- Routine oil changes, fluid drain & fill, filter changes, etc
Outstanding issues
- Cracked windshield
- Control arm bushings are old
- Cam seal has minor oil leak
- Both tie rod ends have a minor amount of play
- Driver side rear axel boot leaks
- Tires are old
- Odometer stopped working at 342k
- Cruise control handle does not work
- Front window motors work, but are weak
- Sunroof motor needs replacing
- Original paint
- Front seats need reupholstery
- Sometimes the electronic locking system only works from trunk
- Antenna doesn’t go up/down
- Very minor head gasket leak (typical of this make/mileage and not an issue)
- Brake lining light stays on
- Dent on rear driver side
- Front dash is cracked
- A/C needs recharge
- Tinting on rear driver window has a torn spot
- Passenger rear window does not roll up/down. I mistakenly replaced it wrong size
Other things included
- Two keys (including original master)
- Spare tire, jack, nearly complete tool kit
- Bentley Service manual
- Chains
- Removable bike rack
