The 02 Register Newsletter

The 02 Register
PO Box 726
Crows Nest 2065

The 02 Register is a recognised Register of
BMW Clubs Australia

We want to know who out there provides goods and services to 02 owners.

One of the most difficult aspects of owning an 02 is to find reliable suppliers of the goods and services we need to maintain cars as old as ours. In an ideal world, BMW's dealer network would fulfil our needs, but to many 02 owners, this is not the case. Not that I'm criticising the dealerships; it's just that some owners perceive them to be too expensive, or not interested in a problem unless you happen to be the owner of the latest model. Maybe dealership overheads are seen to be too great, what with the need to fit out and train staff for the latest high-tech cars and diagnostic equipment, especially given the simplicity of design of 02s.

One of the most common questions asked of the Register is to recommend a service provider or supplier of spare parts. This is an area fraught with danger for the Register; people have different requirements and different expectations of the services they are looking for and, as in all things, it's a case of caveat emptor- buyer beware. To overcome this problem, I've been using a list of companies who have or may be able to provide goods or services to 02 owners. I'd like to get this list more up-to-date and extend coverage to interstate owners as well. To do this, I need your help! I want you to tell me who you are using for the following goods and services: Accessories and Performance Parts; Insurance; Mechanical Repairs; Panel/Smash Repairs; Body Parts; Mechanical Parts; General Parts; Performance Tuning; Trimming and Dash Repairs; Tyres and Suspension; Wreckers; even books or models.

I'll need details such as the name, address, phone and fax of the company, a contact name, details of the goods or services they supply, brand names of products they stock and the availability of discounts to club members or 02 owners. Fax or phone Gary with details.

We can then publish an listing of these companies for the benefit of all 02 owners.

The BMW Car Club of America has published two accumulated ``tech tips'' articles for the '02, in September 93 by Scott Chamberlain and October 94 by Michael Self. The 160-odd tech tips will be presented over the a number of issues. The articles came with a guarantee that at least one tip will be useful to an 02 owner in the next 12 months. Here's the third and final part, with an extra tip or two thrown in.

126. A baulky heater temperature control lever is often caused by a sticking valve. It can be reomves (but leave the lever attached to the cable), dismantled, cleaned and lubricated.
127. A scissor-type jack is far more efficient and safer than the one-legged unit supplied by BMW.
128. Don't ever lift or jack a 2002 by the rocker panel jacking points. They're probably rust and weak by now. Use the subframes.
129. Lubricate the windshield wiper linkage periodically.
130. Always carry a fire extinguisher - in a location where you can reach it quickly.
131. You can retrofit inertia reel seat belts to pre-'73 2002s.
132. Make your stock driver's seat more comfortable by: raising the front end of the seat track with 6-8mm thick washers and by installing extra padding in the seat back to give your lower back more support.
133. If the turn signal flasher bulb on the dashboard flashes intermittently but both front and rear turn signals are OK and flash properly, clean or replace the fuse before suspecting the flasher unit itself.
134. Any reluctant or non-working electrical item should have its fuse checked first. The German cartridge fuses wear out and should be replaced every few years.
135. Use spray rustproofing in the perimeter seams of the boot and bonnet lids. These two panels invariably rust away around the edges, from the inside out.
136. Periodically lubricate ther slides and pivot points of the heater control cables under the dash. You don't want to have to replace a broken cable!
137. If you normally park your car on an incline, make sure the door drain holes are clear.
138. If your rocker arm shafts have worn so that you can no longer adjust the valves to the proper clearance, any good machine shop can make oversized (0.5-1.0 mm is fine), case-hardened adjusters for a lot less money than the cost of removing the head and replacing the shafts. Take an old one along for use as a pattern.
139. A constantly-varying idle (both speed and smoothness) points to a vacuum leak. Check to ensure the vacuum advance/retard diaphragm in the distributor doesn't have a leak.
140. A sloppy shift lever can be rebuilt for about $40 worth of parts and a few hours time.
141. A driveline vibration occurring in a specific speed range can be caused by a worn or broken rear transmission mount and/or a broken or cracked Guibo. Check them before suspecting a bad driveshaft, centre bearing or rear universal joint.
142. Periodically peel back the carpets covering the front wheel wells (under the dash, ahead of the doors) down at the bottom to check for rust.
143. A piece of ribber, rubber-backed carpet cut to fit the boot will help prevent things from sliding around under vigorous cornering (and that's all you do in an '02, isn't it?)
144. It's also a good idea to pad the sides and back of the boot (pre-'73 models) to prevent migrating objects from denting the quarter and rear panels.
145. With a little patience, you can remove the lenses from a round taillight housing (note: real 02s only) if you need to replate the chrome rim. Look for a small set screw on the inside of the chrome rib that divides the lens segment. The set screw and sealer hold the lens in place.
146. Periodically inspect the rubber boots on your rear axle CV joints, particularly if you drive on gravel roads a lot. Temporarily patch a torn or leaking boot with layers of kitchen food wrap secured with tape.
147. A group 26R battery fits a 2002 just fine and usually has a higher CCA rating than an equivalent group 42 battery.
148. Erratic electrical accessory problems can be caused by a deteriorated or broken battery-to-body strap.
149. Once a year, take the battery out, clean the tray with baking soda to neutralise acid, touch up rust spots and replace the battery. There should be an acid-resistive paint available. Pre-74 battery boxes unbolt from the body; later ones are welded in.
150. A door that is difficult to close properly taht isn't missing the little plastic latchbolt cap may have a loose latchplate (the plate bolted to the door frame).
151. A door lock that's sluggish in cold weather can be lubricated by removing one or both screws that hold the rubber guide wedge on the door. Poke the extension wand of a can of WD-40 through the screw holes and squirt. This saves taking the upholstery panels off just to lubricate the lock.
152. A dead windshield washer pump can often be resurrected by a careful dismantling, cleaning and lubricating of the motor. And failing that, the washer pump from an older VW or Audi is a perfect replacement.
153. Periodically check the tightness of your tailight lenses where they meet the bodywork. Loose lens assemblies are prime culprits for water leaks into the boot which will rust out the spare tyre well and/or the fuel tank mounting.
154. A thumping or soft banging sound coming from the rear of the car may be loose or worn upper rear shock absorber mounts.
155. The early and late style fuel pumps are interchangeable on all non-tii 2002s; however, they use different thickness insulator blocks and different length pushrods.
156. If you are fortunate enough to have 2002 factory alloy wheels, coat the mating surfaces of the stainless steel centre caps with anti-sieze compound before installing them. Otherwise, they'll sieze to the aluminium wheels and be damaged when you try to remove them.
157. If you have alloy 2002 road wheels and a steel spare, be sure to carry a set of steel wheel lug nuts. They don't interchange.
158. Pre-'74 2002s have very weak rear bumper mounting points. They can be considerably reinforced by cutting two 100x150 mm plates out of 6mm steel and drilling to match the bumper bolt holes. Install between the bumper mounts and the body. Be sure to seal the plates to the body with caulking to prevent rust or leaks.
159. A good substitute for Armour-All and similar products is made by Dow-Corning. Called 4-Compund, it's a plastics lubricant and sealant and is particularly good on rubber bootlid spoilers. Apply, work it in, then buff excess off.
160. A failed cold-start relay on tiis can be expensive to replace. Wiring the cold start injector to a small push-button switch on the dashboard can overcome the problem. The injector must operate for at least a second during cranking, and holding the switch for a second or two when starting works every time. It can be an anti-theft trick for those who don't know the switch is there.
161. The new LED brake light arrays (as used in rear spoilers) will fit inside the rear window. Screwed into the lip of the air vent at the top of the window, with wiring down the C-pillar to the taillight assembly, the array forms a very effective third brake light for 02s.

The future funding of the 02 Register is something which will have to be addressed, and I'd rather be pro-active by addressing the issue now, rather than having to react to a request to do so from the management of BMW Clubs Australia. In this way, I hope to show that the Register is a good ``corporate citizen'' and prepared to pay its way.

There was some discussion at the National Meeting regarding the level of funding which BMW Clubs Australia should provide to Registers (not only the 02 Register), and I could see that there was a majority view that the Registers should pay their way. Up until now, with the register database still not finalised, the direct mailing of newsletters to members has not been possible, especially due to limited funding. After all, no charges have been levied on members by the Register. Our costs are quite straightforward. There is no cost to produce this newsletter. Letterhead and envelopes are made available through the supply channels from BMW Australia, who provide stationery for the clubs. The only real cost is in postage.

There are a number of possibilities open to us for future dissemination of the newsletter. For example, you can pick up a copy from your state 02 representative at a club meeting or event. You can get the information if your state club publishes the 02 Register newsletter in their club journal. You can read the newsletter from the Web page on the Internet, (found at http://www.BMWClubs.asn.au), or we can arrange to post copies. For the latter case, there would have to be a charge of, say $5 per year, payable as either cash or postage stamps.

Another option is to have a membership fee for each member, or each car, with any surplus being used to build up a small working fund to stage special events at the Clubs Australia Nationals, or for building up a parts or tool library, for example.

I'd like to know what you think. Please contact me directly at any of the numbers below, and I'll keep you posted on the outcomes.

	Directory
ACT	Bill Kinnane	(06) 231-2001
NSW	Gary Speechley	(02) 570-3870
QLD	David Burnett	(075) 35-2473
WA	Graeme Finlayson	(09) 381-7182

Contacts and contributions for the Newsletter:
Phone:	(02) 570-3870 or (015) 01-4879
Facsimile:	(02) 570-3870
Internet:	Gary.Speechley@dsto.defence.gov.au