Events on the Horizon

Transcription

das Kummet
The Newsletter of the Tidewater Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America
March • April 2009
The BMW X Models: BMW X3, BMW X5, BMW X6
Events on the Horizon...
March 7th - Driving School
April 18th - Tech Session
March 28th - Tech Session
April 25th - Meet the Board
April 4th - Quarterly Dinner Meeting
May 16th - Eastern Shore Scenic Drive
Inside This Issue
OFFICERS & KEY PEOPLE
President
Bob Eveleigh (757) 491-0955
[email protected]
Vice President
Bob Avery (757) 340-2662
[email protected]
Secretary
Jeff Triplett (757) 620-4171
[email protected]
Treasurer
Ed DeLanis (757) 496-8720
[email protected]
3 Calendar of Events
4 Presidentally Speaking
5 Driving Schools Work
7 Driver’s Education
8 Project Car
9 New Members
9
10
17
18
19
Farewell Dinner
Resurrecting an E30
Classifieds
March 7 - Driving School
Food Bank
Activities Committee
Nick Jones (757) 839-5715
Sam Wood (757) 200-6920
Jeff Triplett (757) 620-4171
Tripp Racioppi (804) 514-4210
[email protected]
Membership Chairperson
Judy Semo (757) 456-9923
[email protected]
Member-At-Large
Curt Kiser (757) 410-4321
[email protected]
Webmeister
Curt Kiser (757) 410-4321
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Peter Florance (757) 496-0537
[email protected]
Driving School Events Chairman
Chief Instructor
Bob Brochu (757) 430-8124
[email protected]
Tech Session Chairman
John Eggleston (757) 473-1685
[email protected]
BMW Classics Chairman
Steve Waddell (757) 539-1305
[email protected]
Peninsula Rep
Jim Waldeck (757) 229-0836
[email protected]
Outer Banks N.C. Rep
Jack Robey (252) 480-3356
[email protected]
Foodbank Chairwoman
Chris Triplett (757) 620-6623
[email protected]
2
MEMBERSHIP
Tidewater Chapter: 1,185 as of 1-31-09
National Membership: 75,050 as of 1-31-09
ADDRESS CHANGES
Address changes can be made on the BMWCCA National website (www.
bmwcca.org) by logging in with your name and 6 digit member number. From
there, click on the ’Member Services’ link on the top of the page; then click on
the ‘Change of Address’ link.
Or write to:
ROUNDEL BMW CCA
640 South Main Street - Suite 201
Greenville, SC 29601
All changes done through the National office will update both your National
and Tidewater Chapter address information. If you are a member of our Yahoo
Group, [email protected], please also remember to update your
profile.
NEWSLETTER and PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS:
Your articles and photos are very welcomed by us. To be included in an issue
the materials must be received by the 10th of the month preceding the date
of next issue. To spice up the newsletter we always need photos of chapter
events. We may also use them on the chapter website. Send your contributions to [email protected]. Thanks!
Visit our Chapter webpage at:
www.tidewaterbmwcca.org
FINE PRINT NOTICE: Das Kummet is published bimonthly and remains the property of the Tidewater Chapter BMW CCA, P.O. Box 62145, Virginia Beach, VA 23462-2145. All information is for members and advertisers only. Ideas, suggestions, writings, and opinions are those of the contributing
authors without authentication by or liability to the BMW CCA, the Editors, or Officers of the Tidewater BMW CCA chapter. No information in das Kummet bears the status of “Factory Approved”
unless so stated and implies no endorsement or guarantees expressed. The Tidewater Chapter of
the BMW CCA is completely independent of and in no way connected with BMW NA or BMW AG.
The contents of this publication remains the property of the chapter. All BMW CCA chapters, with
permission, may quote or copy from the publication provided full credit is given to the author and
the Tidewater Chapter unless noted as “Copyrighted” and is not used for commercial purposes.
- das Kummet
Calendar of Events
We have events for most every interest in motor sports. If
you don’t see something you like, contact a Chapter Officer
with suggestions for new events. Our goal is simple - Provide
BMW owners and their families with a wide variety of events,
encourage greater participation by spouses and young drivers
and schedule “fun” events to relax and unwind from the daily
pace at work.
Some events are announced at the last minute on our Yahoo
Group called Das Kummet. Please sign up to join this group if
you have not already done so. Instructions can be found on our
web site under the Newsletters & E-mail groups tab. Expect last
minute announcements and event changes to be posted to this
group along with the large chapter BULLHORN email notifications.
Listed below are chapter events scheduled for the next few months.
These include events (shown in italics) held by other organizations
that our members regularly attend and may be of interest to you. For
members interested in High Performance Driving Events (HPDE),
racing and additional autocross opportunities, please see the
“Track Junkies” section of our Web Site - www.tidewaterbmwcca.
org
March
7th: Driving School – Langley Speedway in Newport News,
VA. Check the driving events tab at www.tiderwaterbmwcca.
org for details and required forms. 8:00AM – 4:00PM POC Bob
Brochu at 757-430-8124 or [email protected]
28th: Tech Session – Atlantic Autowerks.
10:00AM – 1:00PM, POC John Eggleston at 757-473-1685 or
[email protected]
April
4th: Quarterly Dinner Meeting – Bier Garden
438 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 6:30PM – 10:00PM POC
Jeff Triplett – 757-620-4171 or activitiescommittee@
tidewaterbmwcca.org
18th: Tech Session – Racewerks. 10:00AM – 1:00PM,
POC John Eggleston at 757-473-1685 or techsession@
tidewaterbmwcca.org
25th: Meet the Board – Coffee and Conversation
Coffee Connection, 768 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton, Va
23669 9:00 – 11:00AM, POC – Jeff Triplett 757-620-4171
[email protected]
das Kummet - March • April 2009
The Charitable Events Committee is
supporting the Foodbank of Southeastern
Virginia for 2009.
You can support this effort by bringing
canned goods to any Chapter event.
Chris Triplett is heading up the
Committee. For more information or to
volunteer to help the Committee,
please contact Chris Triplett
[email protected]
Activities
Questionnaire
What type of activities would you like to
see the Chapter organize?
Rate the following activities from 1 to
10 according to your interest with 10
indicating your greatest interest.
Scenic drives to a lunch destination
Social dinners/ gatherings /where
Driving schools
Rally’s
Picnics
Scenic drive with an overnight stay
Tech sessions/how to do repairs
Track events
General information
When are you most likely to participate in
activities?
Kid friendly activities?
What other activities would you like to see
the Chapter host?
What are you not interested in?
Please respond to activitiescommittee@
tidewaterbmwcca.org
3
Presidentially Speaking
By Bob Eveleigh
President, Tidwater Chapter BMWCCA
Is Spring here yet? By the time you read this I
hope so. Due to the Editor’s requirement for early
submission of articles I am writing to you on a very
cold February day and hoping for an early thaw.
The year has started off strong. The Annual Banquet
attracted 72 participants. I was warmed to see Jim
Craig return for another year even though he left
the Tidewater area some years ago. Several other
members who first joined in the 1970’s also came
to the banquet and all found an opportunity to sit
together. I caught them telling tall tales once or
twice and it was good to have them all in our midst.
The Chapter will turn 40 in a few years and we are
lucky to have many long time members.
For those of you who have not attended a Banquet
before it is a fairly organized affair. For the first
hour we enjoy cocktails and a slide show of pictures
taken by members during the previous year. Some
of the pictures give rise to lots of laughter. You just
have to see them to understand. After cocktails
we sit down for a short presentation by yours truly
recognizing the leadership team and volunteers.
Then we start dinner. When dessert is on the table
I give a run down on the previous year and changes
coming for the current year. We also review the
calendar for the 1st half of the year. This year we
made changes to the Coffee and Conversation
events and added an Autocross school/fun
challenge with the Porsche Club and TSCC. See
www.tidewaterbmwcca.org or www.yahoogroups.
com for more info (our group is Das Kummet).
As dessert winds down we start the giveaways.
Despite a rather tough environment for getting
giveaway items this year we managed to collect
about 55 items. I cannot thank our Chapter
supporters enough for the generosity.
newsletter. With Chris’s help we now have a
dedicated volunteer to collect and deliver items
to the Food Bank. If you forget to bring items to
a Chapter event – call Chris. If you want to make
a contribution ($1 = 1pound of food) – call Chris.
With this new easy way to get contributions to the
Food Bank we hope to increase our support over
the 219 pounds delivered last year.
The last item on the agenda for this month is
volunteerism! We have the following needs:
Assistant Newsletter editor (not hard like other
newsletters, trust me), Assistant Webmaster
(we use simple text not XML, etc. so this is also
not hard, trust me some more) and a few more
photographers to capture the goings on at our
events. Call me, write me, show me the LOVE!
Seriously, we have a lot of fun in our volunteer
positions and you will get much more out of the
Club by being involved.
Until we meet again…
BERT’S
ALIGNMENT, INC.
B R A K E S
&
B A L A N C E
BERT E. VELLINES
OWNER
305 Rose Marie Ave. - Virginia Beach, VA 23462-2612
(757) 499-2828
“We true and balance wire
spoke wheels”
Switching gears, we have refocused on our
charitable effort – supporting the Food Bank
of Southeastern Virginia. Chris Triplett has
volunteered to collect food items and money to
support the cause. Chris’s contact information
appears on the inside front cover of this
4
- das Kummet
HPDE &
Driving Schools Work
By Michael Sackett
For those of you that know me or don’t, I want to
announce that I will be returning to Tidewater area
for my final tour in the Navy in mid-April 2009... I
am excited to catch-up and get the skinny on some
guy named Volker and his Cecotto-edition E30/
M3???
Ok, I have to admit, that when I heard such news, I
had to e-mail him…
Well on another note, I woke up this morning very
thankful that I am still alive... This feeling is because
of something that happened to me last-night. I was
driving from München to Stuttgart on the Audi A8
in the unrestricted (speed) zone when a delivery
van changed lanes into the left lane (the lane I was
driving in) with no blink or indication. At that same
time, I was approaching the van at approx. 120mph
(200kph) and at that speed your reaction time is
drastically reduced... Fortunately, the other MINI
Cooper I was cruising w/ immediately realized
what was happening and I immediately began
braking to avoid the van... The guy driving the van
then realized and moved back into the right lane...
Remember, I am moving at roughly 200kph still...
I believe I would not have been able to avoid this
accident without the expert instruction of Bob, Curt,
Mike, and Tom!
Those four chapter instructors taught me what
driving a BMW is really like and what these
vehicles are capable of... THANK YOU! What is even
more amazing is the quality and engineering BMW
put into the MINI Cooper... With all that said, I want
to encourage everyone to attend a driving school!
Trust me, it isn’t driving as fast as humanly possible
around some cones....
You won’t immediately realize it, but you will learn
what you and your vehicle are capable of. I hope all
is going well and I look forward to catching up once
I get settled in Virginia Beach.
Michael Sackett
1989 -2009
5461 VIRGINIA BEACH BOULEVARD
SUITE 101
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23462
20
Years of
Excellence
We are Hampton Roads leading BMW, MINI and SAAB specialists!
BMW & MINI Club Members Receive
OUR HOURS ARE:
MON. - THUR. 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
FRI. 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
5% off Parts and 10% off Labor discount on
all work except oil changes and diagnostics
$10 off for a pre-purchase inspection
$5 off for Virginia State inspection
Free tech inspection for schools and track events
1/2 off for the brake fluid flush if needed during inspection
We perform all factory services as well as vehicle upgrades and state
inspections. We are ASE qualified and factory trained!
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or
to make an appointment.
757-466-1269 or email [email protected]
5
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- das Kummet
I Didn’t Know Driver
Education Like This!
By Sam Wood
Anticipation in the teen years for that moment
when you’re almost on the verge of adulthood is
just about overwhelming. You tend to start planning
your extracurricular activities, dating strategies,
and work possibilities long before you actually get
behind the wheel for the first time. Your friends,
siblings, and neighbors may share stories as
motivating therapy…or you get GREAT driving
ideas from NASCAR, TV, and movies. Ooh,
I can’t wait to drive like Tom Cruise in
“Days of Thunder,” like Vin Diesel
in “Too Fast Too Furious,” or like
James Bond in, well, just pick any
of the 007 movies! Of course,
none of that can have the
lasting impression of your own
first time behind the wheel…
for real!
I’m not sure if it was the horror
stories of my older sister sideswiping a dozen or more cars
during her Driver Education class,
or my older brother getting stopped for
a combination speeding-illegal turn ticket
during his DE class, or maybe it was one of my 14year old friends stealing his dad’s car and driving it
directly into the local creek, but somewhere among
those (and other) stories, I just wasn’t as anxious
to learn to drive as most of my friends. Yes, I took
the ‘cursory’ mandatory DE classes in school. Yes, I
got my learner’s permit and occasionally drove my
mother as carefully as possible to and from church,
prayer meetings, and High School band concerts.
Yes, I snuck off on Saturdays to secretly ride dirt
bikes…oops, never mind - ‘nother story for another
time. I did learn some of the advantages of having
‘adult supervision’ during DE activities. “They”
were insured, and “they” were responsible for the
tickets! Anyway, as it turned out, I escaped the
trials and tribulations of teen driving (relatively)
unscathed.
I learned through the many years since then that
we all make mistakes, we suffer consequences
from most of those mistakes, and, occasionally, we
have to talk with John Law about one or more of
our less than stellar decisions. Through more than
a half-million miles of driving across this country,
and others, along vast, narrow country roads and
wide, multi-lane highways, including the thickest,
hottest, stop-and-park traffic on LA freeways, I have
learned even more about driving; mostly that the
rest of the world doesn’t know ‘how’ to drive! I think
(as do some of you) many of those other drivers
got their licenses from 7-11, a catalog, or out of a
box of Cracker Jacks! They obviously did not have
enough ‘adult supervision’ when they
were learning the tricks of the trade…
or maybe adulthood just started
earlier for them. Quick, hire the
teenager – while they still know
everything!
Such were some of the things
that formed our habits and
ideas of driving today. Yet, as
the commercials go – “but wait,
there’s more!” In my later years
I met a group of BMW enthusiasts
that LOVE to drive…and teach,
too! During my first trip to VIR last
year with Curt, Bob E., and Volker, I
was “edjumuhcated to a hyer level – I oughta
grajiate forf grayd afferall…er at leest perty soon”!
So, there I was, wrist-deep in engine parts,
scratchin’ my noggin wondering what these motorheads are talking about. Like that feller in “Days of
Thunder,” I ain’t knowed nuttin’ ‘bout meck-a-nickal
schtuff. Downt yonder in U. C. L. A. (that’s Upper
Corner of Lower Alabama fer y’all ferners) awls I
larnt wuz ‘bout drivin’! I hadduh com all duh way
tuh V. I. R. (Virginia International Raceway) tuh larnt
bout ‘seerus’ drivin’!
I spent the three days in awe (mostly) of all the
activity that was involved in getting cars ready
for the track…for each run. Specific time was also
spent each morning getting drivers ready for
the track. Rookies, veterans, and instructors all
had ‘refresher’ instructions…ensuring safety was
paramount for all of us. Before and between driving
runs cars were checked and often retuned to ensure
maximum performance.
continued to page 10
7
“Doesn’t Everybody
Need a Project Car?”
Part 2
Top Priority - A Roof Overhead
By Bob Avery
Part of my justification for purchasing a project car
was that I would be able to drive it on inclement
days, sparing the roadsters for days when the
sun was shining and the temperature was over
50 Fahrenheit. Now, if one intends to drive a car
in inclement weather, the need for a solid and
reliable roof is a matter that needs little debate.
Unfortunately, the worst feature of the E24 in hand
was that the sunroof was apart, and had broken,
mangled, and missing pieces.
When I drove the car back from DC, the roof panel
was actually held in
place with a wing-nut on
one side, some vise grips
on the other, and a spray
paint can top propped
up the back. The motor
was out. It worked, but
the gears didn’t turn. The
cables and various bits
were completely missing;
the headliner panel
was mangled, and the
covering was detached
and grimy. Please pardon
the pun, but I realized the roof would be my “top”
priority. I was temporarily calling the car, “Lady
Jane Gray”, in honor of the decapitated English
queen, who in a sense was equally topless as my
car.
Upon my return, I called Mike Robinson at Sports
and Imports to have him look the car over and help
me both to assess as well as to prioritize my car’s
restoration wish list. I knew Mike’s work well from
the years he maintained my previous 633 CSi. Mike
quickly pointed out a dripping fuel hose at the back
of the car that he had already replaced for me. Old
rubber parts would be another high priority on
the restoration hierarchy. It was sobering to realize
that I had probably driven a car slowly dripping
gas along I-95 on the way home from DC. Overall
though, the car was in decent condition, apart from
the sunroof.
Now, let me relate a story about a very honest man.
Mike told me that he did not prefer to restore old
sunroofs. They were hard to get parts for, difficult
to get properly sealed and aligned, and could be
time intensive. To Mike’s great credit in my eyes, he
suggested I take it to somebody who had greater
experience with sunroofs on older model BMWs.
To me, truth is the greatest virtue of all. Mike can
rest assured that I will be back to give him a turn at
helping with some other aspect of refurbishing this
old shark.
We members of the Tidewater Chapter are indeed
fortunate that we have so many outstanding
independent BMW mechanics in our area who
advertise in Das Kummet. I decided I would try one
of the others. By this time
I had the car for a couple
of weeks already and the
lack of a proper roof had
kept me from being able
to enjoy the car much yet.
Remember, dear reader,
the first rule of dealing
with old cars: Be Patient.
Each small improvement
on a project car is a small
gratification, and project
cars can take years to
completely morph from
heap to classic. Second rule: Don’t give up. How
many project cars get abandoned by enthusiasts
who lose their enthusiasm when they hit the first
spot of trouble? I certainly have neither enough
fingers, nor toes to count them all.
I called David Pallister at DP Motorwerks because
by that time I really needed the help of a “Pal”.
Dave turned the wrenches on my infamous Dinan
5 back in the day, and he had just opened his
beautiful new shop on London Bridge Rd. I brought
the car in, and David suggested that he would be
happy to do the sunroof project. In his view, the
actual work was not difficult, nor would it require a
lot of hours of service. The trick would be sourcing,
ordering, and actually obtaining the right parts.
He would keep the car in the storage area of his
8
- das Kummet
Welcome New
Members!
My Farewell Dinner
We would like to give a warm Tidewater welcome to our
newest members. Remember our membership is our
lifeline of our Club and we invite you to join us at our
upcoming events and monthly Club meetings. We hope to
see you at our many events planned for this year. We look
forward to your ideas and participation.
I just wanted to thank everyone who could make it to
my farewell dinner last night at Franco’s. I was very
honored by this considering that I’m just one member,
like all the others. I will for sure not forget this gesture
and I will miss the club when I’m back in the homeland
of our fabulous cars. I’m looking forward to preparing
some grits and beans and rice with a Cajun touch in
order not to forget the southern hospitality I’ve received
while I was stationed here in beautiful Norfolk, VA.
Roger Whittington
Todd Zacker
Reynaldo Torres
John Mcgrann
Ryan Ingram
Terry Buchen
David Kersey
Kenneth Royster
Patricia Royster
Michael Alford
Crawford Anderson
James Subic
Sonny Deperio
Virginia Bergeman
By Volker Schlechtriem
Charles Callender
Travis Spratt
Kerry McDaniel
Andrew East
David Meyr
David Hamilton
Kristy Alger
John Kizler
Eric Haskell
Benjamin Ringo
Maria Navales De Garne
William Garne
Franklin Owen
I’m also looking forward to seeing you again someday,
being it here while I am on a TDY or in Germany if
someone will make it over there. Just in case you want
to touch base with me, here’s my email address which I
will probably check on a daily basis, unless I have to go
to a very remote area. [email protected]
I’m looking forward to hearing from you every once in
a while and thanks again for making my stay here so
enjoyable.
Take care ya’ll and God bless.
“Volker”
9
Driver Education
continued from page 7
During one engine check, my trio of fellow
Tidewater Club members looked like they were
performing the most delicate surgery on the
most sophisticated (see Curt, I can spell it!)
machinery the Germans ever invented. A wrench
here, a screwdriver there, hoses and wires all
discombobulated in the most cramped space I’ve
ever seen under a hood – at least, from this layman’s
point of view. But, heck, what do I know? It looked to
me like they had just finished the ‘some assembly
required’ directions and had a few parts left over.
I didn’t know until much later what it meant when
Volker said he “ventilated his engine.” I must have
missed that part of the DE course. So starts my
‘adult supervision’ for a VIR DE event. Although I
must admit, sometimes ‘adult’ seems downright
questionable!
After two days of hard driving…I realized how
driving could be so much work! I thought Bob
A Year Spent
Resurrecting an E30
By John Hudnall
It was on its way to being
a parts car. However,
the previous owner
decided to take one
shot at selling it, since
it ran well, and was
pretty much rust free.
That’s where my ordeal
started. I purchased the
1989 325is, manual, and black
with mostly black interior from the E-bay,
site-unseen in December 2007. It was a
risk, but if it turned out to be a lemon, I
could sell the parts and make my money
back.
I had been looking for a car of this era to buy cheap
and work on with my 14 year old son to teach him
how to work on cars. I figured we’d fix it up and I
would drive it around for a few years until he got
his license and then he would take it over. Then I
10
Brochu’s school of fine art of driving at Langley
prepared me for the long, arduous autocross
track at VIR. Hah! Nothing anyone can do in one
day could possibly prepare for two days of (what
I thought was) really hard driving! I was literally
bushed by midday on Sunday…ready to go home.
Lucky for me I had ‘professionals’ as adult
supervision for the weekend! Yes, all three of my
BMW Club mates count as adults when it comes
to driving instruction; they are ‘serious’ people! I
felt truly grateful and thankful that I had a team of
quality leaders to show me the “right” ways around
the track…and my car!
I look forward to more such opportunities and hope
that more of you will join us as well…Langley, VIR,
or even Road Atlanta for Oktoberfest!
See you on the track!
Sam-I-Am
could find something new to tinker on for myself.
One thing I underestimated was the short attention
span of a teenager. I spent many hours out in the
driveway/garage by myself getting one thing after
another, fixed. He would always wander out to see
what I was doing and sometimes help, but then
he’d wander off to something else. That’s ok.
The main thing I wanted him to learn with
this car and in general was that you can do
anything if you decide you want to do
it. Heck, most of the things I
did to the car were things I
had never done before.
Sometimes I would get
stuck on a particular
item and I would just
stare at it for a while
or reread the Bentley a
couple times until I figured
out another plan of attack, and I
always did.
Okay, on to the car. This is my third used BMW, but
first E30. I have always liked the E30 style and all
- das Kummet
Project Car
completely different roof mechanisms. 1982 was the
dividing line and Jane was born in March of 1980.
shop, disassemble the sunroof, see what could be
salvaged, and make a parts list. The car would be
kept indoors with the roof apart until all the bits
and pieces were on
hand, and then he
would assemble the
puzzle and make
the adjustments. I
was immediately
confident that I
had made the right
decision.
A word about parts
for old BMWs...
Actually, two words... “Mobile
Tradition”. BMW’s Mobile Tradition
department began in 1994, and
currently they offer over 24,000
different replacement parts for
BMW cars over 15 years of age
and motorcycles over 20. Anybody
with a 2002, Six Series, CS, etc. can
thank BMW for their commitment
to keeping the classics running
safely into the future. If you are not
familiar, I urge any enthusiast to check out their
online catalog. I was able to type in my VIN and
pull up a list of all mobile tradition parts along with
exploded view diagrams of each assembly group
that would be the correct parts for my early E-12
based E24. Again, patience is a key when ordering
Mobile Tradition parts, because they are often
made in small batches.
After a couple of weeks, the parts list was complied
and David had ordered a mixture of new and
used parts. Now all we had to do was wait for
the suppliers. Some of the new parts were back
ordered, while others were readily available. In
some cases, salvage yards were contacted to find
parts from a suitable wrecked donor car. Eventually,
new cables and seals and clips and screws showed
up. A straight used headliner panel frame was
found located along with whatever remained.
Vigilance and attention to detail were necessary
because salvage yards weren’t always cognizant
of the fact that the early Six and the later Six had
The parts trickled in over the next two months,
and then David knocked out the installation and
adjustments in about a week as promised.
The roof slid and tilted smoothly and the
seals were new and tight. David and I
agreed that when the time came for Jane to
have a new coat of paint, he wanted to pull
the sunroof panel so the body shop would
be able to work it without messing with
the roof mechanism. When presented with
the bill for his work, I was impressed by
how reasonable the price was, considering
that he had kept the old girl safely indoors
while she was roofless. With
her top fully restored, Jane
was still gray in color, but
now she could be known as
just, “Plain Jane”. She was
once again just an early
4-speed car with a proper
roof, and no cup holders
to be found in the plain
black interior. Now, the old
gray shark could be driven,
but there were still other
priorities on the list, which are best savored for the
next installment in this series.
Before I bid you goodbye for now, until we
hopefully meet again at the next Tidewater Chapter
outing, I need to say a word about the generous
sponsors of the annual banquet in January, 2009. As
chapter VP, I was tasked with obtaining door prizes
for our premiere annual social event. Despite tough
economic times, several sponsors stepped up to the
plate, and I wish to offer them my sincere thanks for
helping to make my job a little bit easier.
Checkered Flag BMW was able to provide a couple
of very nice gift certificates, and also heavily
discounted their scale model car fleet, which
allowed the Chapter to purchase quite a nice
collection of miniatures to hand out.
Turner Motorsports provided a Conforti
Performance chip for an ‘85 – ’95 non-OBDI BMW of
winner’s choice, along with some neat T-shirts, pens,
11
12
- das Kummet
Resurrecting an E30
the research I did said they were easy cars to work
on. The research was correct, most everything
has been pretty easy to fix/replace. Immediately
after trailering the car home, I put in a new battery,
drained and refilled all fluids, new fuel and air
filters, tune-up, new valve cover gasket, and a
complete brake job which included new rotors,
pads, rebuilt and painted the calipers, and flushed
the brake fluid. That was a long, cold day last
winter. I fixed all of the lights and had it inspected
so that we could start driving it, since that’s the best
part of owning a BMW.
The next thing on the list was the suspension. The
suspension looked to be original, if not, it was
OEM, worn out, and the car was begging to be
lowered. So, Bilstein sports, H&R sports, Suspension
Techniques sway bars, and all the necessary
replacement mounts and hardware were ordered
and two long days later, it was looking much better
and riding a lot nicer.
On to the interior. It was in decent shape, with
only a few broken and worn out bits. Since the
seats, dash, and door panels were all black and
the carpet wasn’t, new black carpet was ordered.
We stripped the whole interior out and cleaned
and cleaned and cleaned. We single handedly
increased greased lightning’s sales that month. We
lucked out in one area. Once the floor pans were
exposed, there wasn’t a speck of rust on them. The
headliner appeared to be a greyish color, so it was
spray dyed black and looks great now. The rear
shelf was stripped and lined with new material.
That was an easy fix that made a big difference.
After all the cleaning and spray painting of plastic
bits and pieces, it was time to put everything back
in, starting with the carpet. I had never installed
new carpet before and figured out quickly why
the OEM carpet would have been worth twice the
price. After market carpet just doesn’t fit very well.
We got it in and it looks pretty good. The rest of
the interior went back in and all broken parts were
replaced with new or used. Ebay and the various
bulletin boards are great places to find the used
bits for cheap.
The next and most annoying thing to be fixed
was the driver’s seat. The seat back had a bit of a
lean to one side when you sat down. I had taken a
cursory look at it when I had it out while doing the
interior but didn’t fix it. Now it was back out and
with the mechanical mechanisms exposed on both
sides, I was determined to figure out why one side
worked and the other side didn’t. So, more of my
staring at the way the parts worked while trying to
figure out how to fix it. Then I noticed that one of
the metal gear-like plates on the bad side seemed
to be out of place. I stuck my screw driver in and
pushed on it and wham, it sprung back into place
and it’s worked ever since. Sometimes you get
lucky.
And sometimes you don’t. Its spring now and we’re
driving the car a lot more and have a nagging
problem; the temp gauge runs right up to the red
line after 20 minutes or so of driving. As long as
we’re moving it stays fairly close to normal, but
jumps right back up when stopped. We started
with replacing all hoses, belts, and the thermostat.
They needed to be replaced anyway and we also
changed out the heater core since it was leaking.
This was another all day job and had no affect on
the over heating problem. Next up are the coolant
temp sensor and the fan control switch on the
side of the radiator. No change. I notice that the
small auxiliary cooling fan never comes on and
jump it to make sure it’s working. It does work, but
the resistor needs to be changed. It now comes
on when it’s supposed to but doesn’t fix the over
heating problem. So, I finally break down and buy a
new radiator and that takes care of it.
The AC doesn’t work and this is one of the few
things I decide not to tackle; it’s off to the shop to
get that fixed. Curiously, fixing the AC creates a
new problem that is unresolved to this day. When
you run the AC and the headlights at the same
time, the fuel pump doesn’t get enough juice to
run properly and the car just stutters and stumbles
and won’t drive very well. A new alternator, new
grounding cable, and new/used battery cable
haven’t fixed this problem yet. Oh well, at night on
warm days, it’s windows down.
Into the summer and fall and more maintenance
parts are replaced. Tie rods, control arms and
bushings, new exhaust, and a new catalytic
converter since the old one decided to rust its way
apart and drag down the road one day. It took a
13
AMSOIL
ATE
AXXIS
BILSTEIN
BOSAL
BOSCH
BREMBO
CASTROL
EIBACH
KYB
MANN
NGK
PIAA
SACHS
TOKICO
IMPORT CAR PARTS
Major parts brands for BMW and other import cars.
11246 Jefferson Ave., Newport News
7655 Granby St., Norfolk
757.599.3360
757.440.0004
612 First Colonial Rd., Virginia Beach
757.425.7100
or on the web at www.BAp-geon.com
$80 diagnostics
We specialize in affordable service & repair of BMW’s and other European &
import cars. We also can provide & install performance parts. Our customers know
we possess the ability to do all these things and more. So should you!
Air conditioning service – Suspension – Brakes – Tires – Exhaust – Repair Parts
FREE Tech Inspections for Tidewater BMW CCA Members
Authorized Tire Rack and Discount Tire Direct Dealer
1800 Park Avenue
Chesapeake, VA 23324
Conveniently located off I-64
and Battlefield Blvd
Owner: Mike Robinson
14
Open 8:00 – 5:00 Monday-Friday
(757) 545 - 9394
www.sportsandimports.net
- das Kummet
Project Car
license frames, and information.
Meguiar’s provided 6 detailing kits, proving once
and for all that Barry Meguiar must be at least as
Car Crazy as we are right here in Hampton Roads,
VA.
Bavarian Autosport donated two generous gift
certificates for parts, and new catalogs for all in
attendance.
Atlantic Autowerks provided several nice gift
certificates for service, and some wheel detailing
supplies and fuel injector cleaner. Even though
they were unable to attend the banquet that night
as they customarily do, their quite reasonable
excuse was that Bob Brochu was celebrating the
20th anniversary of his shop along with his crew that
very same evening.
2002 Turbo, and the Avery family donated a framed
concept art print of the Z4 roadster, a Burago metal
kit of a M3 GTR, and a few nice items retrieved at a
recent IT conference. I would venture to say that no
couple or family group left the banquet completely
empty-handed.
Please support these fine vendors with your
business as it applies to your own automotive
needs. To the vendors who contributed, I express
sincere gratitude. I plan to make excellent use of
their goods and services regularly in the continuing
saga of the Perils of Plain Jane. To the vendors who
were not able to participate this time, I ask that you
try to bear us in mind next time and give support
if you can, because this is a good opportunity to
bring your goods and services to the attention of
our active community of automotive enthusiasts. If
you would like to be added to my list of potential
sponsors for next year, just shoot me an email to:
[email protected] and I will add you and/
or your company to the contact list.
Mike Robinson’s Sports and Imports provided a
very nice certificate for service, along with some
logo gear from his shop, two nice sweatshirts and
two ball caps.
DP Motorwerks also provided two very nice gift
certificates to add to the mix, so despite quite a
lot of last minute additions to the guest list, there
was nearly a 1:1 correspondence between door
prizes and guests. A couple of prizes actually
showed up the night of the banquet, including some
replacement door plates for E-30, E-32, and E-34
cars from Koala Motorsports via Curt Kiser. Jim
Craig donated a wonderful framed art print of a
Gary Wickstrand, AAI
M. Gary Wickstrand Ins. Agency, Inc.
Elite
Commercial Agent
1604 Hilltop West, Suite 318
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Phone (757) 417-6501
Fax (888) 449-2454
[email protected]
15
16
- das Kummet
Classifieds
NOTE: Due to space limitations some
ads could not be published this month. A
complete list of ads may be found on our
website www.tidewaterbmwcca.org.
CARS FOR SALE:
1988 BMW 528e - Pristine condition inside and
out, Kashmir Beige, black leather, AT, 173K miles
(less than average), only one other Southern
California owner, all original, garage kept. Sun
roof, fog lights, power windows, locks and seats.
Maintained by Atlantic Autowerks, all records.
Extra radio, set of rubber mats and nose bra.
$8,200. Contact Vic [email protected]
(Entered 24 Jan 09)
1994 325i cabrio - Red with tan int. includes
hard top, new radiator, waterpump, etc.
Needs head gasket. Auto, garage kept. body
and interior very good condition. $2000.00
[email protected] or 757-648-0367
(Entered 24 Jan 09)
Two BMW 633csi’s - 1983 and 1977 - $1000
Too many projects so these guys have gotta go!
1983 633csi - 5-spd man, red, black interior.
runs and drives 160k overheats, probably needs
a headgasket. Light rust.
1977 633csi - built by Karmann, auto tranny,
white with blue interior. Was running but won’t
go over 20mph (probably the transmission).
Been sitting for 2 years, both have some rust,
not bad, no time to part out. Local pick up only.
Please help them find a good home. $1000 firm
David Brown 757-350-5233 or 757-822-5072,
[email protected] (Entered 6 Jan 09)
2002 BMW M3 - Oxford Metalic Green, 22k
miles, never tracked, sunroof, 6 cd changer,
comes with BMW roof rack. Jason at
[email protected] or call (757) 962-8978.
(Entered 21 Oct 08)
2006 BMW M5 - Excellent Condition, 31,000
Miles, 7 Speed SMG Transmission, New Tires,
Interlagos Blue Paint, Silverstone Leather, Olive
Ash Wood Interior, Comfort Access, MultiFunction Seats, Heads-up Display, Sirus Satellite
Radio. This car is fully loaded. $66,500.00.
Contact Jay 757/435-3523 or jaymeagher@
fidelitysound.com (Entered 21 Oct 08)
2001 BMW 330 CiC Convertible - Steel
Blue, 5-spd steptronic, Gray leather, Black
top, Premium Package, Sport Package, 18”
aftermarket BBS style wheels (originals incl).
Harmon Kardon, Heated Seats, Rain sensing
wipers, many other options. Garage kept, 85K
miles. Outstanding condition, no bodywork,
won’t find a nicer one for the year and miles.
Maintained at dealer and Sports & Imports. All
service records. KBB & Edmunds value $16,700...
selling for $16K even. Call Rick (757) 344-2989
or [email protected] for pictures.
(Entered 20 Sept 08)
2006 BMW 650i Coupe - One owner, 7,200
miles, Black Sapphire Metallic, Creme Beige
Leather, Birch Wood Trim, Cold Weather
Package, Premium Package, Sports Package,
Comfort Access, Heads Up Display, High
Definition Radio, Tire Pressure Monitor,
Clear Bra, Tinted Windows, Coco Mats.
Excellent condition, always garaged, No
dings, dents,scratches, Still under BMW Full
Maintenance Program, All services performed,
Zaino’d numerous times. Asking $64,900 OBO.
Contact Michael at 757-570-9990 or email
[email protected] (Entered 20 Sept 08)
2000 BMW 323i Convertible - Grey/blue
color, blue convertible top, grey leather interior.
Six cylinder, automatic trans., 99,000 miles.
Power top, power/heated seats, multi-disc CD
player in trunk. Car has been well kept. NEW
PRICE...$12,000 - call Mike Moore 757-864-9158
or email to [email protected] (Entered
20 Sept 08)
1986 M5 Euro - Silver with Brown leather
interior, 86K miles, 5 speed manual, Euro
bumpers, front and rear fog lights, headlight
wipers, sunroof, front and rear spoilers. Exterior,
interior and engine compartment in exceptional
condition. Have all service records and DOT
import documentation, second owner since
1997. Asking $22,995 OBO plus shipping.
Contact Glenn: H 757-479-0456 C 757-619-3692;
E-mail [email protected] (Entered 18 Aug08)
1995 BMW 740iL - With approx 40+K miles,
vehicle has been parked for 2 years. Vehicle is
in Norfolk, VA. Must see to appreciate. $6,000
OBO, need a quick sale due to relocating.
Contact me via email only. Al Schneider at joal@
lpemail.com (Entered 20 April 08)
1990 BMW 525i - Body is in good condition.
new tires. engine needs work. 230k miles. must
sell leaving area for overseas deployment.500.00
OBO. Anthony Patelunas 717 8705795
(entered 29 Feb 2008)
leather interior, Convertible, Extended warranty
purchased, heated seats, Programmable seat
positions, Cruise control, Trunk Z-4 pocket
carrier, All-weather floor mats, 6-CD changer,
AM/FM radio, and three of the four run-flat tires
replaced. Asking price is based on research
from multiple source documentation: $23,500
reduced to $21,500. Contact me by email @
[email protected] (entered 28 Dec 07..
updated 3-3-08)
1974 BMW 2002 - Non-TiiCar bought for
project. After disassembly, realized we had time
nor expertise to bring back to shine. 77,xxx
miles. Through rust on driver and passenger
floorboards and spare wheel tire well. Make a
reasonable offer, and we will see what we can
work out. 757-646-7936 or email Christopher at
[email protected] (entered 23 Nov 07)
2003 BMW 530i - 50K miles, Dark Blue Metallic,
Premium Package -- Black Leather, Moon Roof
--Cold Wx Package -- Seat Warmers, Headlamps’
Washers -- 5-sp Manual Trans, AM/FM/CD Player,
Side and Rear Window Screens, impeccably
maintained by BMW dealer, like-new condition
inside and out. Extra set of “Dunlop Sport 2000”
255/40 ZR 17 (rear) 235/45 ZR 17 (front) on OEM
17-in BMW alloys. Asking $19,000 (bought ‘08
335i Coupe). Joe, 757-229-0281 (Williamsburg),
[email protected] (updated 18 July 08)
2002 BMW 330ci coupe - Metallic Silver Ext/
Black leather Interior, Sport Package, Steptronic,
Heated seats, new tires Excellent condition/1
owner, nonsmoker/86K miles, Blue book $21k,
asking $18k. Contact Chris James at 757-6924000 [email protected]
(entered 25 Sept 07)
PARTS FOR SALE:
Full Oil Filters for 2007 - 09 1 and 3 series
BMW…a lot of 10 Full brand filters for $55. This
is far below any comparable price available for
any brand filter. Comes with complete with seals.
Filters recently bought, but car gone! Please call
Frank 481-7664 or e-mail at [email protected].
(entered 15 Nov 2008)
2001 BMW 740iL - 83k mi., fully serviced, 6CD
player, GPS, all options, $16,675/obo. Contact
Jon Eichler at (757) 623-3121 or via email at
[email protected] (entered 22 Feb 2008)
2002 BMW 745Li - 73k mi., All options fully
serviced, 30 day/3,000 mi warranty, $24,995/
obo, color: champagne. Contact Jon Eichler
at (757) 623-3121 or via email at eichlerjon@
hotmail.com. (entered 22 Feb 2008)
2003 Roadster Z-4 - One owner; Color: Merlot,
3.0 liter, excellent condition, garage kept at
home and work, Mileage ~ 37,000, 2-seated tan
Classified Ads are for Tidewater chapter members
only... see ad rules on page 15. Ads for the newsletter and/or website can be emailed to: Editor@
tidewaterbmwcca.org.
It is imperative the you notify the Editor when
your ad changes, need to be removed, or needs
to be renewed (three issue period enforced).
Thank You!
17
March 7th
Driving School
and lane change teach you to ‘look ahead’ and
avoid an accident.
You will learn what ABS is and how it works; driving
Is your Ultimate Driving Machine missing The
the car and keeping under control through extreme
Ultimate Driver? Here’s a good start to get those
conditions. Most people rarely use their ABS system
skills to really enjoy your
in everyday driving, but here
BMW. Check out the March
you can activate your car’s
What You Will Need:
7th driving school at Langley
ABS and learn how to use it to
Speedway in Newport News,
• Filled out tech and medical forms
control the car in an emergency
VA.
— these are available on the website:
– a real confidence builder.
www.tidewaterbmwcca.org. Click on
Students are surprised at how
The driving school is
the Driving Events link in the left
quickly their cars can brake;
designed for the novice
column.
even in the wet (we run the
or anyone who wants
• Cleaned-out, tech-inspected car.
school rain or shine).
experience pushing their
Check with your mechanic – they
car past the limits of the
probably provide this service. If
In the afternoon we put it all
normal everyday driving
not, many of our advertisers provide
together. This is a fun and
events. The focus of
this service.
full day with enough track
the school is improving
• Extra air in tires – You should fill up
time to wear you out; you’ll
your skills so you will be
your tires the day before – 2-4 pounds
get plenty of seat time. Of
better prepared to face
above recommended pressures.
course, experienced drivers,
emergencies on the open
autocrossers, and road race
• Rain Gear, hat, sunscreen, lip balm road.
drivers are also welcome! We
and lotion, and garbage bags (in case
of rain to cover any removed ‘cargo’)
thrive off of their expertise and
On the skid-pad, you can
as March weather.is unpredictable in
knowledge to make us all better
safely experience traction
Tidewater.
drivers.
loss and learn how to
•
Water
and
any
snacks
you
might
recover control. It’s a real
Don’t miss this school – the next
want. Water is important – it’s easy to
confidence builder. The
get dehydrated.
one isn’t until September!
other drills such as slalom
Resurrecting an E30
while, but I finally figured out a way to get those
new control arm bushings in, BFH and a couple
pieces of wood.
Now it was time for new paint. I debated for months
what to do. Pay a significant amount of money to
have it painted or do it myself. I decided to save
the money for parts and do it myself. Of course,
painting a car is something I had never done before
and so I did a lot of research about various ways to
do it on the internet. I finally decided to give the
$50 paint job on a budget roller method a try. Paint
a car with a roller you say, I was skeptical at first but
decided to give it a try. After who knows how many
hours of prep, fixing small dings and dents, and
the endless sanding, I was ready to start painting. I
18
prepared the paint per the instructions and started
rolling away. Six coats later, with more sanding in
between, the car actually looks pretty good. It’s not
show quality, but for a daily driver it looks good. I
also found a great product. Wurth satin trim paint.
I used it on all of the black plastic trim on the front
end and around the windows and they look like
new.
The windows were tinted, driveshaft replaced, and
now it’s January 2009 and it’s done. Well, except for
that leather that needs to be re-dyed, that small oil
leak needs to be taken care of and ...
- das Kummet
Food Bank Charity Drive 2008
You’ve Got Mail !
FREE E-mail News & Reminder
Service
270
300
60
210
180
219
30
240
90
150
The chapter has an easy way to receive
time sensitive news and event reminders
via email.
You can subscribe by sending an email to:
[email protected]
AND
[email protected].
Please provide your name and address
so we know that you are a chapter
member. You will receive a confirmation
and a “Welcome” message when you
are added to the list. The CALENDAR
automatic reminder feature is very helpful for planning and keeps you informed
of event time, dates and changes.
For assistance just email Curt Kiser at
[email protected]
or call (757) 410-4321.
The year ended successfully
with 219 lbs of canned good
for the Food Bank.
Many thanks to everyone that
contributed.
120
For more information, please
contact our Foodbank
Chairperson, Chris Triplett
(757) 620-6623
[email protected]
Advertisements
Club TOOLBOX
The following tools are available for members use. A deposit may be required and
will be refunded upon return of the tool in working condition.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Lockstrip Tool
Service Light Resetting Tools
• 17mm Trans. Drain Socket
- Very Useful
• Advance Timing light
Tie Rod Separator - Pickle Forks
• Brake Bleed System - Very Useful
Fuel Pressure Gauges and fittings
• Freon Leak Detector
Remote Starter Switch
• Coil Spring Compressors
Clutch Alignment Tool
• NEW!! Peake-Code/Reset Tool - all
Pilot Bearing Puller
models - can be connected under
Fan Clutch Wrench & Bar
hood or dash
Electric Impact Wrench
Call Bob Parsons at 587-7423 for your needs.
Club MERCHANDISE
The following items are available for members. New shirts NOW IN STOCK! (M, L, XL)
Men’s T-shirts (logo front and back)
$
Ladies Stretch T-shirts
$
Polo short sleeves
Men’s - old logo (white)
Men’s - new logo
Ladies (lavender and tan)
Windshirts (logo front only)
10
22
Ladies Fleece Sweatshirt
(pullover & v-neck)
$
35
BMW CCA Map Grille Badges
$
16
Hats - new logo
$
15
18
$
20
$
25
License Plate frames
35
Various BMW CCA Decals
$
$
Chapter Logo Decals FREE at club events
FREE at club events
CALL!
Contact Nick Jones at (757) 839-5715 or [email protected]
Non-commercial classified ads are free
to chapter members. Ads will run in
three published issues and then may
only be continued in subsequent issues
only by contacting the Newsletter
Editor. Ads submitted are limited to
200 words per ad including name,
address, phone number and email
address if available. Items offered for
sale must be the personal property of
the submitting member or family and
not of a business.
Commercial ads are available to
members and non-members. Such ads
must be accompanied by payment in
full. Rates shown below are per year
(approximately 6 issues). All ads must
be submitted in a usable digital format
or as camera ready. “das Kummet”
reserves the right to edit or reject any
ad submitted.
Full page
…$90 per issue or $480 per yr.
Half page
1/4 page
Biz card
…$75 per yr.
19
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE PAID
NORFOLK, VA
PERMIT NO. 256
BEY EM VEY, Inc.
Tidewater Chapter BMW Car Club of America
P.O. Box 62145
Virginia Beach, VA 23462-2145
Inside this issue....
Calendar of Events • Presidentally Speaking
Driving Schools Work • Project Car • Driver Education
Farewell Dinner • Resurrecting E30 • March 7th Driving School
Featured Car will return next issue.

Events on the Horizon

Transcription

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