Sagging Headliner- Over time, a common problem with the E36 is that the headlining material starts to sag and droop. This is due to the glue coming weak.
There are two options really. Replace the headliner with a new/second hand one, or repair/re-cover the old one.
Both processes require removal of the old headlining.
Quite a simple process if a little awkward.
1)Remove the passenger grab handles (two screws) take care not to damage the screw covers as this will look bad once re-fitted
2)Remove the sun visors (two screws each)if you have a visor light then unplug the wiring too
3)Remove the sun visor clips (two screws)
4) Remove the A,B and C pillar covers.
5) Remove the electric sunroof switch panel where applicable. Just slide down and remove wiring.
6)Remove the seal from the sunroof (aghhr aghhr)
7) Drop down the seals from the top of the doors.
This should leave the headliner free to drop down. Ensure you recline the seats and carefully remove via the front doors at an angle. It might be worth having a trusty assistant on hand as you don't want to bend it (unless you are binning it anyway, in which case see how many times you can fold it...)
If you are replacing with a new/second hand item then just reverse the removal process.
However if you are going to re-cover the old one you need to follow these steps:
1) Carefully remove all the old foam backing from the fibreglass shell of the headliner
2)Once all the foam/glue has been removed you can start to measure up the replacement material. It might be worth doing a few test pieces first to get used to the glue you are using.
3) Cover the headliner and material with the glue. Once it has started to get tacky you can apply to each other.
4)From the middle outwards remove any bumps and smooth out.
5) Once dried it is just a case of reversing the removal process.
It might be worth replacing the fabric on the A,B and C pillars too so they all match.
Broken brakes....
If ever there was an incident that proves the kiss of death was a scientific fact this would be it!
Wednesday night at a party we got talking about cars... I was saying how the BMW was running OK now after all the problems.
So on the Thursday morning I set off for work as normal. Drop off the wife at work and proceed to the park and ride. The steering started vibrating a little. This then turned into a very bad shaking. I pulled straight over to check it out thinking there was a flat, or the wheel was about to fall off!
A quick inspection showed no signs of a flat tyre. The wheels didn't wobble when moved by hand. However when I was down checking the near side wheel I could smell burning brakes. I touched the alloy, and sure enough, burnt my hand!
So it looks like a seized calliper then. The RAC came out and took a look, he said the wheel span freely so wasn't sure what it was all about. He recommended taking it to a local garage to put it on a brake test.
Long story short(er). It did look like a faulty caliper.
While inspecting this it appeared the discs (rotors) were not in good condition..
Very rusty and a large lip on there too.
So I decided to get the whole lot replaced. I'm glad I did as after looking at the discs that came off they were very shoddy indeed!
Can't fault the service at the garage at all. Didn't try to sell me having the discs and pads changed but showed me before hand. Also he took the car to have a wash and polish as it was really dirty due to the snow, grit and salt on the roads.
Very reasonable cost as well. It's a new outfit in an industrial unit, I never even knew existed!
The guy who runs it used to have a BMW E36 328 coupe so could advise on bits and peices too.
Lesson learned, don't tempt fate!!!
Wednesday night at a party we got talking about cars... I was saying how the BMW was running OK now after all the problems.
So on the Thursday morning I set off for work as normal. Drop off the wife at work and proceed to the park and ride. The steering started vibrating a little. This then turned into a very bad shaking. I pulled straight over to check it out thinking there was a flat, or the wheel was about to fall off!
A quick inspection showed no signs of a flat tyre. The wheels didn't wobble when moved by hand. However when I was down checking the near side wheel I could smell burning brakes. I touched the alloy, and sure enough, burnt my hand!
Ouch!
So it looks like a seized calliper then. The RAC came out and took a look, he said the wheel span freely so wasn't sure what it was all about. He recommended taking it to a local garage to put it on a brake test.
Long story short(er). It did look like a faulty caliper.
While inspecting this it appeared the discs (rotors) were not in good condition..
Very rusty and a large lip on there too.
So I decided to get the whole lot replaced. I'm glad I did as after looking at the discs that came off they were very shoddy indeed!
Can't fault the service at the garage at all. Didn't try to sell me having the discs and pads changed but showed me before hand. Also he took the car to have a wash and polish as it was really dirty due to the snow, grit and salt on the roads.
Very reasonable cost as well. It's a new outfit in an industrial unit, I never even knew existed!
The guy who runs it used to have a BMW E36 328 coupe so could advise on bits and peices too.
Lesson learned, don't tempt fate!!!
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