2014 n414 Newsletter

“Who is ZF?” you ask. You may recognize thename from the automatic transmission fluid

we sell, but ZF is far more thanthat: it is one of the top ten au-tomotive suppliers in the world,with 122 production companies

in 26 countries, employing 72,000 people.Of the multiple brands ZF offers, three are ofspecific interest to BMW enthusiasts: n SACHS shocks and struts, n Lemförder chassis components, n ZF automatic transmission fluid. All three brands are Original Equipment onmany BMWs. So if you want to regain that“ultimate” ride, just follow these steps:

n Step 1: Replace your worn shocksand struts with SACHS. SACHS twin-tube,low-pressure, gas replacement shocks deliver sure, immediate response across awide range of road and driving conditions.You’ll fall in love all over again with that“original BMW” ride. Plus all SACHS shocksare backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

n Step 2: Replace worn chassis andsteering parts with Lemförder. Lem-förder manufacturers the highest qualitycontrol arms, bushings, tie rods, swaybar links, ball joints and more. They’reidentical to BMW’s parts – just withoutthe BMW number. (Or price!) n Step 3: Changeyour automatictransmission fluidand filter. Fresh fluidrestores smoothershifting and prolongstransmission life. SinceZF makes most BMW automatic trans-missions, shouldn’t you use their fluid?

phone 800.535.2002 | fax 800.507.2002 | BavAuto.com

Fall 2014

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID BAVARIAN

AUTOSPORT

Bavarian Autosport275 Constitution Ave.Portsmouth, NH 03801

the newsletter of Bavarian Autosport

© 2014 Bavarian Autosport

Parts, accessories & knowledge since 1974.

CUSTOMER #:KEYCODE:

DIY: Seven “mustdo” under-carfluid changes.

Want to regain that “ultimate” ride withoutthe ultimate prices? ZF has what you need...

Everyone knows they should changetheir engine oil, but there are severalother under-car fluids that should bechanged regularly. See pages 6–7…

0 ye

ars

since 19744celebrating

THE ZF FAMILY OF PRODUCTS 1

PRODUCT FOCUS: PREPARE FOR WINTER 2 NOKIAN WINTER TIRES

PIAA BULBS AND WIPERS

HEX-O-MAT FLOOR & CARGO MATS

ASK BAVARIAN OTTO 3

PHOTO CONTEST ENDS THIS MONTH 3

POSTER: “HAIL” OTTO! 4–5

DIY: CHANGING UNDER-CAR FLUIDS 6–7 ENGINE OIL

TRANSMISSIONS

TRANS-AXLE

DIFFERENTIALS

TRANSFER CASE

OCTOBER SPECIALS 8

Table of contents

Now thru October 31st – 10% offall SACHS, Lemförder and ZF!

N414FallNews_October14.lyt16 LG_Newsletter 8/25/14 2:47 PM

2 | BavAuto.com Very simple installation. Relatively simple; your BMW may need to be raised.

product focusGet ready for winter with these money-saving upgrades...

Buy a winter wheel/tire package in October –we’ll mount, balance and ship them for free!*

With PIAA high-performance bulbs andwipers, you’ll see farther and more clearly.The worst weather of the year is coming for alarge portion of the country. BMW and MINIdrivers will be dealing with snow, sleet, fog,etc. In addition,the days will begetting shorterand darker. Twoof the best safetyupgrades youcan install are PIAA high-performance bulbs,and PIAA Super Silicone windshield wipers.

PIAA high-performance bulbs. Offered inthree versions: Xtreme White (brightest andwhitest); Night-Tech (brighter and longer-lasting than halogen bulbs); and Plasma IonYellow (less reflective than white light –better for fog/mist/snow).

PIAA Super Silicone wipers. As they wipe,they leave behind a microscopic layer of acti-vated silicone so water beads up and wipesaway completely. The silicone also eliminatessqueaks, reduces chattering and is more resistant to cold, ice and UV degradation, extending service life.

Want better vision in winter? Think PIAA.

All-weather mats. Our Hex-O-Mats arecrafted in the USA from a high-quality, non-cracking rubber compound. This compoundis molded with a handsome, raised honey-comb pattern on top that traps water,slush, sand, etc., over a wide area so theydon’t pool up in one area or slosh aroundwhen you corner hard. This innovativematerial is thencut with com-puter accuracy tofit your BMW’s orMINI’s footwellsor cargo area pre-cisely, providingcomplete coverage formaximum protection.On the bottom of themats, molded-in rubber nibs grab carpeting,etc., to hold the mats in place.And while our Hex-O-Mats were originallycreated as winter mats, a lot of our customerstell us they use their Hex-O-Mats to protecttheir carpeting year-round. They’re easy toclean (take them out and hose them off) andare backed by a Lifetime Warranty. (Yes, life-time.) When ordering, please specify matcolor and your BMW’s/MINI’s year, modeland (if appropriate) 2-door, 4-door or wagon.

Custom-fit Hex-O-Mats:protection plus style.

Color choices: gray (shownin car above), black, tan orclear (shown at right).If you need winter tires, choose Nokian –

they invented the snow tire. Nokian Tyre Co.of Finland invented the snow tire nearly 80years ago. And they’ve been leading the fieldever since. Over the decades, Nokian’s keyR&D principle has remained the same: to de-velop tires with maximum grip and durabilityfor consumers driving in northern conditions.The company’s ability to remain at the fore-front of their industry stems from a thoroughunderstanding of Nordic conditions comple-mented by innovation – a continuum of ideasharnessed to improve safety, durability andenvironmental friendliness. The results oftheir work are tested in conditions in whichonly the best can succeed. But don’t take just our word for it – in a recent test of winter performance tires by a leading consumer magazine, Nokian’s all-weather WR G3 tire (V speed rating) wasrated #1, and their Hakkapeliitta 2, a dedi-cated winter tire (R speed rating), wasrated #3. The test covered such categoriesas snow traction, ice braking, wet braking,dry braking, handling, hydroplaning, ridecomfort, road noise and more. Can you buy a cheaper winter tire? Of course.But after 40+ years of driving our BMWs andMINIs in crazy New Hampshire winters,we’ve yet to find a tire that combines thetraction, comfort and longevity of Nokian.

Rated #1 by a leadingconsumer magazine

For better vision inwinter, think PIAA.

Shown with optional hub caps.For hub cap choices, ask yourAdvisor or visit our online storeat BavAuto.com.

Choose gray, black or tan.

* Free shipping offers are limited to the 48 contiguous United States.

During October only, get free shipping* on PIAA headlight/fog light bulbs and wiper sets. Save $5-10 on Hex-O-Mat floor mats and

cargo mats, now thru October 31. See page 8...


Over 320 years of BMW/MINI experience isyours for the asking – free!If you add up all the years the Advisors at Bavarian Autosport have been working on BMWsand MINIs – and helping people like you work on theirs – it totals well over 300 years. That’s

a lot of knowledge under one roof. And it’s yours forthe asking. Have a question about your BMW or MINI?

Search Bavarian Otto’s knowledge base of more than 1,000tech Q&A at blog.BavAuto.com, or call 800.535.2002.

from blog.BavAuto.comAsk “Bavarian Otto”

800.535.2002 | 3Specific tools needed; repair experience recommended. Experienced technicians only.

No restart after running out of gas. Dear Bavarian Otto,I ran out of gas in my 2004 330ci. After getting a couple gallons of gas andpouring it into the tank, the engine would not start. I went and got twomore gallons and added it, but the engine still would still not start. Howmuch gas do I need to put in to get it started? This seems really odd, sinceI can normally run it for 10, 20 or 30 miles after the reserve warning lightcomes on, before the “range” shows 0 miles.Otto replies:We suspect that you may now have a failed fuel pump. The fuel pump onlater model BMWs and MINIs (as well as most other cars) is mounted insidethe fuel tank and actually uses the fuel to cool and lubricate the pump.Consistently running the fuel very low will limit the amount of fresh, coolfuel to keep the pump cool and lubricated, accelerating wear and shorten-ing the life of the pump. This also applies to earlier models that have exter-nal, in-line fuel pumps. It’s likely that this last episode of running out of fuelwas the “straw that broke the camel’s back.” This ends up being fairlycommon, especially if the pump has a lot of miles of use or is often run withless than 1/4 fuel level.We believe replacing the fuel pump will likely cure your no-start issue. Re-member to also replace the pump seal ring and have fresh hose clampsavailable to replace the original factory crimp clamps or rotten old hoseclamps. The Bentley repair manual for your model, will cover the fuel pumpreplacement procedure.

Diagnosing “misfire” fault codes. From Bavarian Otto’s tech blog – blog.BavAuto.com:OBDII fault codes for misfires can often be troublesome and difficult totrack down and eliminate. They are commonly displayed as shown below:P0300 –Random misfires; this is indicating that the engine management system is detecting misfires intermittently on multiple cylinders.P0301 –Misfire on cylinder #1P0302 –Misfire on cylinder #2P0303 –Misfire on cylinder #3P0304 –Misfire on cylinder #4P0305 –Misfire on cylinder #5P0306 –Misfire on cylinder #6

P0307 –Misfire on cylinder #7P0308 –Misfire on cylinder #8P03xx –Misfire on cylinder #9–12 (where the cylinder number is the last two digits of the code)Today’s engines are designed to run within very tight parameters in orderto satisfy emissions requirements. Small variances in system functions cantrigger fault codes through the OBD-II (On Board Diagnostics, v-2) monitor-ing system. While there may be genuine problems within the engine man-agement system, keep in mind that short-trips, slow driving and prolongedidling can compound cylinder misfire issues by not allowing the sparkplugs to work at the higher temperatures required for “self-cleaning.” Inthese cases, an otherwise properly functioning engine can generate misfirefault codes due to minor spark plug fouling. Engines that see these types ofconditions may need more frequent spark plug changes.If you have fault codes for specific cylinder misfires, the first step is to swapthe ignition coil assembly from the indicated cylinder, with the coil assem-bly from another cylinder. Next, clear the fault codes and drive the vehicle.If the fault code now comes up indicating the new cylinder location (thecylinder that the coil was moved to), you can assume that the coil assemblyis at fault and replace the coil. If the original fault code returns...

Have you entered the 2014 Bavarian Autosport Photo Contest yet?You could be one of dozens of BMW / MINI owners to win $100 sav-ings certificates and have your car seen by hundreds of thousandsof automotive enthusiasts around the world. If you haven’t entered,there’s still time – we are accepting entries until October 31st.After that, there will be a two-week voting period – open to thepublic – to help us determine the finalists. Our judges will then retreat to an underground bunker to deliberate, emerging severalweeks later with the list of winners, blowing their trumpets andbegging for a shower. For complete rules and to enter the contestonline, go to BavAuto.com/photocontest.

Photo contest ending soon!

Read the rest of this post at blog.BavAuto.com/go/misfires.

Greetings from Kentucky!

Michael D. and his 1988 535is. When you have a classic like this in your driveway, every day is a beautifulday in the Bluegrass State.


800.535.2002 | BavAuto.com


Want to make this photo your computer’s or smartphone’s wallpaper? Go to www.BavAuto.com/wallpaper.

“Hail” Otto!In August, renowned automotive photographerKlaus Schnitzer spent a day with us, takingroad shots of various BMWs and MINIs for usein our future catalogs, newsletters, ads, etc. Inthe middle of shooting Gordon Arnold (a.k.a.Bavarian Otto) getting his E36 M3 sideways inour parking lot, a violent thunderstorm de-scended on Portsmouth.

After a few minutes of torrential rain and highwinds, the temperature plummeted about 25degrees and the precipitation changed fromrain to blueberry-sized hail. No sheet metal orpaint jobs were damaged, but it was impres-sive nonethelss... not to mention a little un-nerving. As soon as the storm began to diedown, Klaus and Otto quickly went back out tograb a few more shots before the hail meltedaway. The image at right comes from that ses-sion, capturing Otto’s M3 at the beginning of acarefully choreographed 180.

After this session was over, Klaus commentedthat he has taken photos with professionaldrivers at both Skip Barber’s Driving Schooland BMW’s M Performance Center, but Ottois, by far, the best driver he has ever workedwith, understanding not only how to controlthe car but to “pose” it during drifts and spins.High praise from someone who ought to know.

WARNING: This photo was taken using ahighly-experienced driver on a closed course.For everyone’s safety, do not attempt this onpublic streets or private parking lots withoutthe written consent of the owner.

Gordon Arnold, a.k.a. Bavarian Otto, kicking asphalt in his M3.


Under-car Engine OilIn a previous video, we covered an engineoil change using the Bavarian AutosportOil Extractor, which allows you to vacuumthe oil out through the dipstick tube(blog.BavAuto.com/go/oil-vacuum). Asgreat as this tool is, it will not work onBMWs that do not have an engine oil dip-stick. For cars without dipsticks, oil mustbe drained in the traditional method, fromunder the car (which can be done on any BMW or MINI model, regardless ofwhether it has a dip-stick or not). Therefill procedures on these dipstick-lessmodels are a bit unique. In this video,we cover the under-car oil drain as wellas the procedures for refilling.

engine oil | transmissions | trans-axle | differentials | transfer case Do-it yourself

6 | BavAuto.com Very simple installation. Relatively simple; your BMW may need to be raised.

While we all know the importance of regular engine oil changes – and the conse-quences of neglecting them – there are other critical fluid changes that we tend tooverlook. Some of the most neglected maintenance tasks on our BMWs and MINIsare the regular changing of fluids in the under-car gearbox assemblies. This includesthe transmission (trans-axle on front-wheel drive), rear differential (all current BMWsand 4WD MINIs), front differential (4WD BMWs) and transfer case (all 4WD models).Just as with the oil in your engine, the fluids used in transmissions, differentials andtransfer cases perform two elemental tasks:

1) lubricate and prevent wear to the parts that are moving against each other;2) help cool the assembly by removing heat from the internal metal parts and

transferring it to the case, where it is carried away by the air passing over it.Unlike engine oil, these fluids do not get contaminated from combustion byproducts.They do, however, break down from heat and “shear” (i.e. the fluid’s molecular struc-ture being strained by the grinding action of the gears and bearings). Additionally,these fluids do become contaminated with minute, metallic particles that are thebyproducts of metal-on-metal wear. Using a magnetic drain plug can remove a lot ofthese metallic particles, prolonging the useful life of both the gears and the fluid. [Ed note: our magnetic drain plugs are on sale thru Oct. 31, 2014. See page 7…]

The best way to ensure that your BMW’s orMINI’s differential, transmission and transfercase fluids are doing their jobs is to replacethem regularly. These are relatively simpletasks; if you know how to change your ownengine oil, you will be able to change yourother under-car fluids with ease. How oftenshould each be changed? We recommendfollowing Bavarian Otto’s Ultimate Mainte-

nance Schedule for your BMW or MINI. You can find the schedule for your year andmodel at blog.bavauto.com/go/maintenance.There are four types of fill and drain plugs: 1) external hex (commonly 10mm, 14mmor 17mm); 2) internal hex (Allen-type; commonly 10mm, 14mm or 17mm); 3) Torx (internal-head; various sizes); and 4) E-Torx (external-head, various sizes). The D.I.Y.videos here will show you the basic procedures and tools needed for a variety of fluidchanges. Your model BMW or MINI may differ in plug locations; the applicable Bentleyrepair manual will cover specifics for your year and model.

DIY video – Under-car oil change:blog.BavAuto.com/go/oil-change

DIY video – Automatic transmission:blog.BavAuto.com/go/automatic

DIY video – ZF 6-speed automatic:blog.BavAuto.com/go/automatic-ZF6HP

DIY: Changing “must-do” under-car fluids on BMWs and MINIs.

Automatic TransmissionWe have previously posted videos on how to change the fluid and filter on automatictransmissions. You can view the videos atthe links below.

ToolsCommon tools needed for under-car fluid changes include a floor jack, jack-stands (in some cases drive-on ramps can be used), common mechanic’s tools (metric sizes)and the following special tools, all of which are available from Bavarian Autosport:n Drain pan(s)n Fluid transfer pump(s)n Oil filter removal tool(s)n Ultimate oil filler funneln Form-a-funneln Allen (internal hex) bit setn Torx bit setn E-Torx socket setn Garage Guard floor protectorn Pig-Mat oil absorbent pads

Above: Bavarian Otto’s UltimateMaintenance Schedule.


Transfer CaseFound on 4-wheel drive models, the transfer case is similar to the manual transmission and differentials in that it typicallyhas a drain plug and a fill plug. (Some models have only a fill

plug and requirespecial stepsfor fluid evacua-tion, which willbe shown in theDIY video.) Like the front differentials, mosttransfer cases contain very little fluid; frequent fluid changes are recommended.Fluid quantities are noted in the model-spe-cific Bentley repair manuals

Still have questions? Ask Bavarian Otto.Between Bavarian Otto’s DIY videos and the Bentley repair manual for your year andmodel, these fluid change procedures should be thoroughly covered. But if somethingisn’t clear or we’ve left out some information, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Youcan call us at 800.535.2002, option 5.

Trans-axle (MINI)Being front wheel drive, MINIs use a com-bination transmission/front differential as-sembly, known as a trans-axle. (A 4-wheeldrive MINI uses a trans-axle AND a trans-fer case.) Since the transmission and thefront differential are in the same case, thefluid used is common to both parts of thetrans-axle assembly, making trans-axle fluids unique. This also means that usingfresh fluid is very important, as the twosystems within the trans-axle assembly are working the fluid heavily.The fluid change for a trans-axle on a manual transmission MINIis very similar to that for a standard BMW manual trans-mission, with both drain and fill plugs. And while thegeneral procedures for automatic transmissionMINIs are similar to BMW applications, we must notethat the fluid pan cannot be readily removed, as thelower cross-member is directly under the pan. Thecross-member must be lowered slightly in order toremove the fluid pan and access the filter. Consultthe Bentley repair manual for fluid capacities.

Manual TransmissionOn a manual transmission case, there are both a drain plugand a fill plug. The fill plug is normally on the passengerside of the transmission case, near the middle. The drain

plug is on thebottom of thetransmission,typically at therear or middle of the case. Mostmanual transmissions will need between1.5 to 2 quarts, or liters, of fluid for a com-plete change. Check the applicable Bentleyrepair manual for specific quantities foryour year and model.

800.535.2002 | 7Specific tools needed; repair experience recommended. Experienced technicians only.

engine oil | transmissions | trans-axle | differentials | transfer case

Now thru October 31, save $3 on magnetic drain plugs.

DIY video – Manual transmission:blog.BavAuto.com/go/manual-trans

Rear DifferentialAs with the manual transmission, a differential will usually have a drain plug

and a fill plug. The plugs are commonly in the rear cover of thedifferential, but note that some models have one or both plugsin the side of the main housing. Additionally, some late modelsonly have a fill plug (there is no drain plug on the assembly).These models require a unique procedure in order to evacuatethe fluid. (We address this is the video.) Most rear differentials

will need just over 1 quart, or liter, for a fluid change, but some mod-els require more than 2 quarts (liters). Check the applicable Bentley manual formodel-specific fluid quantities.

Front DifferentialFound on 4WD BMWs, front differentials are very similar to rear differentials but holdvery little fluid, comparatively. This makes it very important to keep fresh fluid inthese assemblies. (It wouldn’t hurt to change this fluid more often than even our Ulti-mate Maintenance Schedule recommends.) In most cases, less than one quart (liter)of fluid is needed for a fluid change. However, you should check the Bentley repairmanual before purchasing fluid to be sure you have the proper amount.

DIY video – Trans-axle:blog.BavAuto.com/go/trans-axle

DIY video – Rear differential:blog.BavAuto.com/go/rear-diff

DIY video – Front differential:blog.BavAuto.com/go/front-diff

DIY video – Transfer case:blog.BavAuto.com/go/transfer-case

The ultimate drain plugs.These magnetic drain plugs use the world’s

strongest neodymium magnets to grab particles that are too small for filters to

catch, prolonging the useful life of en-gines, transmissions, etc. More detailsin our online store at BavAuto.com.

product focus

Above: metallicparticles the filterdidn’t catch.


2014 n414 Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of 2014 n414 Newsletter