It is common to see older European cars from the 1930’s through the 1990’s with yellow headlights. It is even more common to see cars of all generations, even present day, with yellow fog lamps. Is this purely a cosmetic feature or is there a practical application for this? The answer is that yellow
What is the BMW VANOS system? VANOS: From the German “VAriable NOckenwellenSteuerung” (Translation: Variable Camshaft Timing). The BMW VANOS system allows variable camshaft timing of the engine. The intake and / or exhaust cams vary in relation to the crank shaft to optimize engine performance at different engine speeds. Early models only varied the intake
The BMW E46 has important data stored within the car at two primary locations. The instrument cluster and light switch module. This ensures that data cannot be lost if one device goes bad. It is similar to why aircraft have redundant flight controls if one set goes out there is another system in place as a
What is wheel offset? Wheel offset is the distance from the centerline of the wheel to the mounting face of the hub (the face touching your rotor). Traditionally this measurement quantified in millimeters. What are the three types of offset found on wheels? Offset comes in three types: zero, positive, and negative. Zero offset means
The BMW E9 3.0 CSL is similar to the E30 M3 in that it was manufactured as a homologation special to allow the car to be eligible to race in the European Touring Car Championship. The 3.0 CSL was unveiled in 1971 at the Geneva Motor show, production ran from May 1971 thru October 1975 for
What is rear end gearing? When talking about rear wheel drive BMWs, rear end gearing refers to the gears found in the rear end differential. These gears come in different ratios, which greatly affect the performance of the car. What is a rear differential? The rear differential is the “box” where the rear drive shaft meets
The E39 M5 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor show in 1998 and production started in October of that year. For the first time in a M car a V8 power plant was offered, significantly increasing power of the outgoing E34 M5 allowing for an unrestricted top speed of 186mph. In total, 20,482 units were
What is spring rate?Spring rate is the amount of weight required to compress a spring one inch. The lower the spring rate the softer the spring, the softer the spring the smoother the ride. If one applies a 200 lb load to a spring and it deflects an inch in length, the spring would be
The BMW E36 M3 was produced from 1992 thru 1999 with a total production run of 71,242 units worldwide. Initially the E36 M3 was only offered in a coupe version, however by 1994 BMW offered a convertible and sedan version as well. The E36 M3 was the first M3 initially designed to be a road car
When talking about suspension geometry, toe alignment is defined as the difference in length by which the wheels of each axle differ from each other, front to rear, in the straight ahead position. Both front and rear wheels are capable of having toe adjustment. Toe is measured in degrees or fractions of an inch.Toe alignment is
The BMW tool kit contains many interesting tools, everything from basic screwdrivers to spark plug pullers and even emergency tools. But many of the toolkits found in the older BMWs appear to be incomplete with multiple open spots. The BMW tool kit trays are shared with multiple models. The OEM BMW small tool kit tray, OEM part number
The BMW E30 M3 was the first ever M3 BMW produced. It was manufactured from 1986 thru 1991 with a total run of 17,184 units worldwide. The main reason for its production to the public was to be eligible to compete in Group A racing which required the entry cars to share the majority of its components
Everyone knows a BMW is, mostly associated with a car, motorcycle or maybe even a vintage aircraft engine. Within the BMW community the terms Bimmer and Beemer (or Beamer) are commonly thrown around as slang. But do the two slang words mean the same thing? Where did these words come from and what do they mean?
Established in 1972, the BMW M Division started with only 35 employees and grew to 400 by 1988. Development of the Motorsport vehicles eventually found their way from the race track to the road cars and rest is history. The first use of the famous M stripe colors was seen on the E9 3.0 CSL
The BMW E46 M3 was produced from 2000 thru 2006 with a total production run of 85,744 units worldwide. The BMW E46 M3 was only produced in a coupe and convertible options as the sedan option was dropped from the previous E36 M3. BMW offered 14 color options in total for the E46 M3, 4 being solid and
