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The ULTIMATE LEASE on the

THE ULTIMATE TANNING MACHINE. $3.981mon1~ The ULTIMATE LEASE.

The BMW 325i convertible, $398.00 per month plus tax, $4,480.94 delivers 72 months closed end lease. Cap costs $33,000, residual $14,415.86. Customer responsible for 1st month payment, refundable security deposit, and license/registration.

An incredible deal on an incredible car. The only convertible with the heart and soul of an 11 i series 11 BMW. From the only BMW dealer offering the tradition, service, and detail of a Phil Smart Company:

~ BMW~SEATTLE '1' A Phil Smart Company

714 East Pike 328-8787

Cover Illustration: This month's cover displays a piece of Kirk MacGregor's latest work . Kirk is now a full time stu­dent at the Seattle Art Institute.

Ziindfolge Staff

Editor-in-Chief Susan Herrero Susan Howard

Managing Editor Denny Organ

Creative Editor Jim Peacock

Art Director William Linder

Contributing Editors Thomas B. Nast Ron Newell Steve Worthington David Lightfoot Dan Patzer

Advertising Manager Ed Tanaka

Illustrator Kirk MacGregor

Circulation Linda Mierz

Photographers Greg Mierz Thomas Cox Paul Touby

Ziindfolge is published monthly (except November) by the BMW ACA Puget Sound Region, Office Of Publication: 2913 27th W., Seattle, WA 98199. Publication number USPS 715250. Subscriptions $10 annually(available only as part of $25 membership fee.) Second Class postage paid at Seattle, WA. Postmaster: send address changes to Ziindfolge: POB 1259, Bellevue, WA 98009

This magazine is the monthly publication of the BMW ACA, Puget Sound Region, and remains its property. All information furnished herein is provided by the membership for members only. Ideas, suggestions and opinions, technical or otherwise, are those of the authors, without authentication by or liability to the editors or the Club. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the Club endorses no person, product, service or business . Modifications within the warranty period may void the warranty.

In halt Vol. 18, No. 4 May 1988

Activities/ Calendar 2

May General Meeting at Eastside Auto Rebuild 4

M-Cars at BMW Seattle 5 oO oO

°' 1 ...., s ~

Stalls Stalls - by Thomas B. Nast 6

Board of Directors 8

Victoria Tour 10

Fest Northwest Preview 12

Buying A Used BMW, Part 2 - by Thomas B. Nast 14

Concours D'Elegance Preview 17

fg~i~~~! Technitips - - by Ron Newell 19

Check Out Your W .I.F .E. 24

Classified Marketplace 26

Club Discounts 27

Parting Shot 28

BMW Prices Go Up-Again BMW of North America, Inc. in­

creased the suggested retail prices of its automobiles by an average of $686 or 1.8 percent effective with shipments to dealers March 1S .

BMW's least expensive model, the 32S two door sedan, increased $600 or 2.S percent to $24 ,3SO, while the most expensive model , the 7SOiL sedan, increased $2,000 or 3.0 percent to $69,000. Prices of the $46,000 63SCSi and $SS ,9SO M6 are unchanged .

BMW prices were last increased in October and November as the 1988 models were introduced.

New base prices (not including des­tination, handling, and dealer prep . charges) for all models are as follows :

Model Base Price U.S./POE 32S 2 dr. $24,3SO 32S 4 dr. 2S , I SO

32Sis 28,9SO 32Si 4 dr. 28,9SO 32Si conv. 32 ,99S

32SiX 33,290 M3 34,800

S28e 3! ,9SO S3Si 36,700 S3Sis 37,800 MS 47 ,SOO

63SCSi 46,000 M6 SS ,9SO 73Si S4,000

7SOiL 69,000

NA's New Guidelines For Fuels And Fuel Additives

BMW of North American (BMWNA) has recently revised guide­lines concerning the proper selection of fuels and fuel additives. These recommendations are a result of their attempts to lessen the problem of car­bon buildup on intake systems, which is a problem affecting not only BMW, but many other manufacturers as well. In order to lessen the problem, BMWNA suggests the following actions

. -

Calendar May21

May26

June 1

June 18

June 29

July 8-10

be taken:

Track Day at Westwood, Port Coquitlam, B.C. Participants must have prior track experience. Cost is $SO Canadian, $7S for two sharing a car. Call Hubert Kan at ( 604) 266-1824 if you have questions.

General Meeting. Eastside Auto Rebuild will present a program on how to choose an auto body repair shop. The presentation will include demonstrations and a slide show. Todd Miller, owner of Eastside, will be our host and will be happy to answer your questions.

Wednesday Night Track Session. Our first of the year. Those with Level One signoff can just show up; others must call David or Lucetta Lightfoot at 282-2641 to arrange for an instructor. First cars out at about S P.M.

Engine Troubleshooting Tech Session at Bimmers Only. When your car isn't running right (or at all) there is nothing more valuable than a little knowledge. It may be that something simple is the problem. Find out more at this tech session. Space is limited; call Dan Patzer at 743-2002 to reserve your place.

Wednesday Night Track Session

Secom! Annual BMW Fest Northwest. Come and join us for a great BMW weekend! Activities kick off with a driving School on Friday the 8th. On Saturday, there will be an autocross and gymkhana at Sand Point, followed by a dinner which promises to be something special. On Sunday, the Concours d'Elegance will be held at the Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville. Details on these events are inside this issue, with more to follow in June.

I. Minimum octane requirements : 91 AKI for M3 , MS, M6. 87 AKI all others.

every tankful to be effective. Additives specifying "every third tankful" or "every 2,000 miles" have been found to benefit only the tankful to which they were added. 2. Avoid fuels with alcohol com­

pounds; eg. ethanol or methanol. 3. Use a fuel containing detergent

additives which keep intake valves clean.

4. If such fuel is not available, then an approved fuel additive should be used every tankful in the concentration specified on the container. BMWNA has found that additives must be present in

S. If you use a high quality detergent gasoline such as that specified in #3, do not use the fuel additive. Overconcen­tration of additive will occur, which could cause a dilution of the engine oil , resulting in possible severe engine damage .

Source: BMWNA Service Bulletin #13 OJ 88 (1564) Feb. 1988.

bday's German cars have some of the world's most advanced electronics under the hood. Electronics created by Bosch.

Bosch designed and produced your car's electronic ignition, fuel injection, anti­lock braking systems and other electronic components. So it makes good sense to bring your BMW service to a service center trained and equipped by Bosch.

Luckily, it's not hard to decide on where to go. There's only one authorized Bosch service center in Seattle- Hermann's German Auto Service.

And at Hermann's, we not only know Bosch, we also know Bayerische Motoren Werke. So call Hermann. When it comes to fine cars, we speak fluent German.

HERMANNS GERMAN AUTO SERVICE

6800 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle 522-7766

Bosch Authorized Service

Thorough, caring service ·Downtown shuttle • 12 month unlimited mileage warranty

May General Meeting: Auto Body Diagnostic and Repair

Statistically, the odds are against us as drivers. Whether through our fault or that of someone else, most of us will sooner or later be involved in an acci­dent. A daunting prospect - but one that can be handled if one is armed with a little knowledge beforehand.

Our May General Meeting addresses this issue. It will be held at Eastside Auto Rebuild, 13212 Bel-Red Road in Bellevue. Todd Miller, owner of the firm, will do a presentation on auto body shops and what they can and cannot do. Produced for a national auto body trade organization, the slide show details some of the things one should look for when choosing a repair shop. Paint systems and employee training, as well as proper equipment are covered.

In addition to the slide show, there will be demonstrations of both diag­nostic and repair techniques. The importance of these cannot be over­emphasized; a poor job is not only an

aesthetic disaster, but may be structu­rally unsafe. So come to the meeting on May 26th at 7:30 P.M. It promises to be informative and interesting.

U L T M A T E

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BMW PARTS

SERVICE

823-1212 Gordon Kortlever

13MW Specialist Pete Jackson

Service Consultant

Ultimate Service tor the Ultimate Driving Machine 13635 N. E. 126th Place Kirkland, WA 98034 Telephone (206) 823-1212

April 28 General Meeting at BMW Seattle

BMW Seattle were our hosts for the Club's well-attended April General Meeting. Phil Smart Sr., Phil Smart Jr., and Sales Manager Rick Arendt opened the proceedings with warmly­received remarks concerning their com­mitment to their customers in general and the Club in particular. We appre­ciate all of the support that BMW Seattle has given and is giving us. Preowned Center Manager Terry Haigh paid Club members a tremendous compliment by saying that when he sees a Club decal in the rear window, he knows he's getting a car that has been taken care of far beyond the level of most owners. It's nice to know that when your car is traded in, there will be some sort of payback, and Terry's remarks lent credence to that feeling.

The meeting topic was the M Cars: M3, MS, and M6. Each of the cars was described separately by a member of the sales staff: Bob Kulwin talked about the M3, Michael Febert dis­cussed the M5, and Joseph Geraci presented the M6. After the presenta­tion, drawings were held for an oppor-

tunity to win a test drive in one of the three cars. The winners were: Lucetta Lightfoot, M3; Don Waye, M5; Betty Wilde, M6. Other drawings were held for posters and even for the BMW hat holding the numbers. Then it was time for periodic runs at the generous amount of food and drink kindly pro­vided by our hosts in between tho­rough inspections of the cars.

We greatly appreciate the time the staff at BMW Seattle took to host this meeting. In addition to those already mentioned, several others were there, including: from Service, Bill lgnich, Manager, along with Michael Van Matre and Patrick Hennessey; from Parts, Bryce Kelley, Manager, and Darren Remer. A special thanks is in order for Jackie Davis, Director of Marketing, for all her help in making the arrangements.

Again, our Club thanks BMW Seat­tle for their support.

Phil Smart Jr. (left) and Phil Smart, Sr. address Club members at the April meeting.

Extra Discount for May To further underline their commit­

ment to our Club, the folks at BMW Seattle are offering an extra l 0% dis­count on parts over and above the normal 10% discount for the month of May. So bring your membership card to the parts desk, and take this oppor­tunity to stock up!

Tom Williams

5~

Whither Brown Car II Brown Car II lives! But maybe you don't know the story

of Brown Car II , which, after all , dis­appeared from these columns long ago. Not surprising, considering how many times it has vanished over the years. But I can't resist retelling the story, now that Brown II has resurfaced.

Denny Organ, you see, does not spend money on advertising when he has a car to unload. He just calls me. First he sold me a 2000CS, which I have been unable to resell even though it's one of the cleanest in the country. It just keeps company with the Cessna most of the year. Then Denny sold me Brown Car I, a 1967 1600 with a bad clutch (turned out just to be a broken weld in the pedal assembly) and perfect suspension . (Make that a Perfect Sus­pension. Most of Denny's cars have Perfect Suspensions, even if the iron oxide content of his cars is sometimes a little high.) I made money on that car. Later came Brown Car II. (Still later he had a Re!@u#t Le Car to pedal (which is about the only way to get an R5 to move), but I drew the line there and Denny's sister-in-law wound up with it. She later traded it for a pair of wiper blade inserts for a Peugeot wagon.)

Brown Car II started life as a 1974 2002tii . Sometime around 1980 (it was then owned by Maabood Ghazanfar­pour, a Club member) it was stolen from Bellevue and later recovered sans engine and transmission. The insurance company sold the chassis for salvage, and Denny, who heard about the theft through the Club grapevine, bought it. Denny had steel fender flares fabri­cated, stripped the car to the gizzards and had it repainted in metallic brown, for which he apparently has an un­healthy fetish . Denny also cobbled together a 1969 engine on which he installed a double downdraft manifold but no carb, high compression pistons, and so forth. A fresh tranny was assembled . Between a divorce and , I

talls by Thomas B. Nast

suspect, a certain level of frustration , Denny decided to abandon the project.

I actually thought twice about get­ting into this one, which allowed me to haggle the price down to the merely steep before he sold it to me. Denny used to be much prouder of his cars than he is now (it's hard to be proud after spending half a decade flogging a car like the Green Car). The shell was trailered over to the infamous North Bay of my garage, and about a vanful of the innards followed .

Assembly took some nine months , as I recall. It was meticulous . The body was like new. The engine didn't like the Holley-Weber I gave it, so off it came and on went a Weber 32/ 36DGV, manual choke, of course. I went through about three sets of springs, shocks and bars getting the suspension balanced. New carpets and a thorough cleaning of the interior rounded out the package.

I actually built the car for My Sister the Pathologist in Los Angeles. (It was the wrong color for me, you see. But it came out so well I decided to build one for myself some time, one maybe just a little faster, which is how the 2002SC came to be.) It was a blast driving

Brown Car II down the east side of the Sierras, and teething troubles were limited to fuel pump and exhaust manifold nuts backing off during the trip (I had brought lots of tools , of course, but no loctite). My reward in Los Angeles, for my troubles , was my attending three autopsies. I'm glad my sister isn't a cardiologist.

My Sister the Pathologist rather liked the car despite biannual licensing hassles related to its rather meagre emission control system, if you call the oil vapor breather an emission control system. Thankfully, she resisted put­ting a "UDIEISPY" license plate on it, even though to do so would be in such poor taste that the State of California might even have waived the emissions requirements. At some later point Brown Car II blew a head gasket and , I think cracked the carb, but otherwise it gave good service excepting the paint, which developed severe exzema of the clear coat. After four years or so she sold it and bought a four door Volvo, which is the sort of thing doctors do after their first child is born.

Well, I received a mysterious letter from Glenn Brigham of Johnson City, New York last month. He recently bought a car, and "from the series of articles that you wrote I thought that you might have already rebuilt this engine." Apparently a copy of the Compendium followed the car out to New York . Glenn, who also confessed to owning a 530i, wanted to know what pistons, distributor, cam, etc. were installed . I wrote back that I have worked on hundreds of cars , but since his letter indicated this was a tii body with a carburetted engine, is this Brown Car II? Last week a letter came back that, yes it is, but it's maroon now. (I wonder if it was repainted correctly? D.O. 's repaint was thorough-bare engine bay, etc. Hard to imagine strip­ping all that paint off for a color change, except maybe a change to white.)

Brown Car II is now an inveterate oil burner, and Glenn's letter makes

me suspect that smoke rings are the problem. It will be getting a new engine soon. The Enkei wheels I had installed are off (hey, I got a good price on them, ok?) and Exim wheels are on with low profile tires. I don't know much more about it, including how the car got from California to New York, but it is gratifying to know that old BMW's never die, they just disappear.

11111~~~ 111:•1mn111;:~1111••~11111Bii!li!lll

~~---------------------------------------------------WTCU

Weyerhaeuser Tacoma Credit Union 909 So. :B6th, Suite 100 (206) 924-7530 Federal Way, WA 9800:1 1-800-922-WTCU (Inside WA) Mail Stop: ASB l-800-.B4 -WTCU (Outside WA)

Serving salaried Weyerhaeuser employees worldwide. (and all BMW ACA members)

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7~

Welcome New Members Fran Zanides '74 2002 Tom & Linda Brannigan '85 325e Frank Tsao '85 318i Joshua Go thin '69 2002ti David Axene '86 735i Robert Downing '84 528e Vince Miller '79 323i Wendy Moller & Marty Bask '86 325es David Vagianos '82 320i Sandy Smith '87 325 Catherina Brown '84 3 l 8i Heidi Eros '84 3 l 8i Quintin Quitlong '88 325 Stephen Driscoll '87 325is Gus & Sue Henicke '83 320i David Vaskeritch '81 528i P.J. Cristelli '77 320i Richard Lackey '84 528e John Browne '87 325i Mick Henning '87 325 Stephen Taylor 633csi Keith Baskett '82 320is

Alfa Club Track Day

Our friends at NW ARC (Northwest Alfa Romeo Club) have invited us to take part in one of their open track dates at Seattle International Race­way. The date is Wednesday, June 8. As an invited European marque, NW ARC requests that our club's par­ticipants bring a BMW to the track.

The event will consist of 45-minute open track sessions. Participants will be required to attend driver's meetings on the hour at 4, 5, 6, and 7 P.M. In addition, you will be expected to work a corner once during the evening. If all goes well, the first car out will be at about 4: 15 and plans are to run until about 9:30 P.M.

June is shaping up to be a fun month for those who like a lot of track time; we have two Wednesday nighters on the 1st and 29th, and now there is this event we can attend. If your registra­tion is postmarked by May 31, cost is

$30 per car; after that date, $40. To register, send a check payable to:

NW ARC Steve Moe, Treasurer 545 Rainier Blvd. No. Issaquah, WA 98027

BMWACA Puget Sound Region

Board of Directors 1988 President Tom Williams

P.O. Box 99428 Seattle, WA 98199 hm 283-1056

Vice Sharon Silverstone President 347 N.E. 52nd St.

Seattle, WA 98105 hm 632-6567

Treasurer George Shaw 2001 Western Ave. Suite 440 Seattle, WA 98121 wk 441-4039

Track Lucetta & David Events Lightfoot

2641 39th W. Seattle, WA 98199 hm 282-2641

Technical Ron Newell 2111 140th Ave. N.E. Bellevue, WA 98005 wk 747-6044 (8-5 only)

Ziindjolge Denny Organ Editor 2913 27th Ave. W.

Seattle, WA 98199 hm 285-1402

Ziindjolge Ed Tanaka Advertising 756 N. 72nd St. #203

Seattle, WA 98103 hm 783-8057

Include name, address, phone number, club affiliation, number of drivers, and make/ model of the car you will be using. If you have ques­tions, call Bruce Blair at 938-8190 or Steve Moe at 392-7308 (days).

Past Bill Linder President 14618 21st Ave. S.W.

Seattle, WA 98188 hm 246-5292

Secretary Michael & Mary Lee Helton

4700 Somerset Ave. S.E. Bellevue, WA 98006 hm 643-4729

Membership Keith Elliott & Erin Sullivan 1637 E. 32nd St. Tacoma, WA 98404 hm 272-5832

Roster Tom O'Dell Manager 2125 Squak Mt. Lp. S.W.

Issaquah, WA 98027 hm 392-8274

Autocrossing Paul Touby 9613 S. 240th St. Kent, WA 98031 hm 854-1986

Activities David Lightfoot 2641 39th Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98199 hm 282-2641

BMW ACA activities are partially supported by a generous grant from BMW of North America.

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15% DISCOUNT FOR ALL CLUB MEMBERS

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778-6844 60+ Ask about ferry compensation

9 ~

A small but enthusiastic group of Club members spent the weekend of April 22-24 in Victoria. The Clubs fourth annual tour provided the op­portunity to renew old friendships and make new ones, and have just a gener­ally fun "mini-vacation." Those mak­ing the trip were Tom and Sharryl O'Dell, Cy and Bonnie Flory, Peder and Eleanor Grimstad, David and Lucetta Lightfoot, Tom and Trish Wil­liams and Marcus and Lois Schack from North Vancouver.

After leaving a rainy Seattle, it was a pleasant task to get out the sunglasses by the time the border was reached. While it was a bit windy, the weather was quite acceptable: no rain fell all weekend with the exception of a brief squall encountered on the way to the ferry Sunday.

The lack of rain allowed us to do several things over the course of our stay. It enabled us to park on Andy and Gail's lawn during the welcome party, and thus relive a Club tradition. This lawn has seen more BMWs than any other stretch of greenery with the

T

Victoria Tour 1988 by Tom Williams

possible exception of the Ste. Michelle winery, even hosting a car wash one year.

Secondly, the fair skies enabled those of us who ventured downtown on Sat­urday to check out the peace march. An interesting group, this. Up Govern­ment Street they came, banners trail­ing in the wind. While one can hardly argue with the sentiments expressed, one wondered whether some of the participants weren't using the oppor­tunity to give things a little less serious air than some of the more ideologically­inclined would have liked. How else can one interpret such banners as "Bimbos for Peace''? A good time was had by all, however.

While some used Saturday to shop, others visited a few pubs, including Spinnakers, a brewpub overlooking the water in Esquimalt, which is just across a bridge from the downtown core. The only similar facility we have is Bert Grant's operation in Yakima. Saturday evening featured the usual feast at the Ratskeller restaurant. Cop-

Jim Kamp, Peder Grimstad and David Lightfoot stop to talk on the way to Sunday brunch. Subject - David & Peter's 77 320i's, naturally!

ious quantities of food and drink were consumed. The traditional glass boots of Schnapps were everywhere in evi­dence. Raspberry seemed to be the fla­vor of choice. Aquavit was the least liked, although Lucetta seemed to enjoy it, so much so she wanted to share it with others.

After the Sunday brunch, we reluc­tantly headed to the ferry . The time was once again too short; another day would have been so nice. Our thanks to all of our Victoria friends who made us feel so welcome again this year, with apologies to anyone I've forgotten: Roger and Bron, Ray and Jackie, Craig and Rosemary, Marcus and Lois, Boyd and Bonnie, and Jim Kamp. We are especially grateful to Andy and Gail Davidson. In addition to hosting the welcome party, they handled hotel and restaurant arrangements, which seemed to change every other day. The home brew was nice too! We look for­ward to seeing all of you at Fest Northwest if not sooner.

ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT PERFORMANCE?

We have seven years' experience making suspension and turbo systems. Thousands of hours of research and development have gone into these systems with many high

tech features not found in our competitors' products. Here is what the editor of the

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When you get serious about performance, give us a call.

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oO

~ II

11~

BMW Fest Northwest '88

Last year we celebrated the first BMW Fest Northwest. This year, the second annual BMW Fest Northwest will take place on July 8, 9 and 10. Actually, Fest Northwest isn't really an event, it's a series of events. By jamming BMW related events into a three day period, we make it conve­nient for our far-flung members to visit Seattle and participate in a number of varied club events. It's also a good time for locals to join in, especially if you've never attended a club event before.

This year's Fest Northwest is a little less elaborate than last year's. This is partially to make it easier on the Puget Sound Region organizers and partially because some things were found to be unnecessary last year. This year's Fest will not be centered around a hotel. We found that many of last year's out-of­town visitors had friends to stay within Seattle or a favorite place to stay. Advance registration is not necessary for any of the Fest Northwest '88 events except the dinner and the driv­ing school. Thus, you can attend as many or as few events as you like and make your decisions on the spur of the moment.

Included in this month's Zundfolge are articles about each of the events. Next month further information will be available. Plan now to participate in BMW Fest Northwest '88. Keep in mind that it is possible to take part in all Fest Northwest events. The driving school is an all day affair on Friday. The autocross and Gymkhana are separate events held on adjacent sites. They are very different events but both are a lot of fun. The autocross is a one person event, the gymhkana requires a

driver and "navigator." After all these events,Saturday night's dinner offers a relaxing respite. Sunday morning you can enter the Ralley which is a gim­mick type ralley and requires no expe­rience. It also is an event for the whole family and, best of all, ends at the site of the Concours d 'Elegance. The Con­cours is our biggest and best event each year. The Concours ends in early afternoon allowing those who have a long drive home to make their trip dur­ing daylight hours. All the events are fun. The more the merrier!

David Lightfoot

Driving School The first event of the 1988 version of

BMW Fest Northwest is a high per­formance driving school at Seattle International Raceway. The school will be all day on Friday, July 8th. This school will be different than any held by the club in recent years. Our usual novice schools feature drills at a number of stations in the morning and driving the full track in the afternoon. This school will feature full track driving all day long; no stations. In this way we hope to accommodate drivers of all experience levels. Novices who have never driven at a race track will receive slow and gentle introduction to S.I.R. from our experienced instructors. Those who have driven at S.I.R. before but have not yet achieved Level 1 can work on their skills. And those with lots of prior track experience can just come out and hone those skills. But, remember, this is a school and instruc- -tion will be provided to all levels of

•••• BMW Fest Northwest Schedule

students. And advance registration is required. This is not an open track day, just a school without stations. We plan on seven hours of open track. And with July weather, this is sure to be a great way to play hooky from work and spend a Friday. This format should also accomodate members of other BMW clubs who have prior experience but who are unfamiliar with S.I.R.

Next month's Zundfolge will pro­vide detailed schedules and a checklist of things to bring. For now just plan on attending the driving school and plan on attending a ground school/ tech inspection the night before. If possible, start making arrangements for a helmet as they are required on all particpants. And register now using the form in this issue. This special school is sure to fill to the 36 car limit.

David Lightfoot

Autocross and Gymkhana

BMW calls their cars Ultimate Driv­ing Machines. That implies that BMW s are meant to be driven and enjoyed by their owners. In that vein the club will again be staging an autocross and gymkhana as part of the annual Fest Northwest activities. The location of these events will be the Sand Point Na val Air Station. The autocross course will be fairly short and simple. For those of you that have never auto­crossed before this will be a great opportunity to try it. There will be plenty of experienced autocrossers

Event Day/Date Friday, 7 /8 Saturday, 7 /9 Saturday, 7 /9 Sunday, 7/10 Sunday, 7 / 10

Location Event Chairperson Driving School Autocross and Gymkhana Dinner Ralley Concours d' Elegance

Seattle Int'l Raceway Sand Point N AS Marrakesh Restaurant Seattle-Woodinville Chateau Ste. Michelle

David and Lucetta Lightfoot Paul Touby/Bill Muse and Ted Rodgers Sharon Silverstone Char Killien Tom O'Dell

'~

present to provide you with tips and advice.

An autocross is simply a course set up with traffic cones as markers for turns. Autocrossing has lots of turns, putting a premium on both car and driver reactions instead of raw speed. There is also a timed practice run prior to the three timed runs. There are dif­ferent classes for different cars accord­ing to model and modifications. That way 735s won't be competing against full race 2002s.

The cost to participate is $10 per person, and you will need a helmet to run. If not having a helmet is the only thing keeping you from coming out don't let that stop you. Somebody will

Name(s): 1.

2.

Address:

City

be more than happy to loan you one to use.

While the autocross is taking place, we will also be running a gymkhana. The gymkhana is a team event requir­ing a driver and a driver's helper or "navigator." Each team is timed through a course which may include sections run in reverse or in circles. The helper may have to do such things as ring a bell or throw balls through an old tire, all while the driver tries to parallel park! Fun to watch and more fun still to participate! Bring your spouse, friend, or just show up. There will almost certainly be someone who wants to either drive or ride. You don't even need a helmet to participate, and

Julys, 1988 Driving School Registration Form

cost is just $2 per team for two runs. Two of our club's craftier veterans, Bill Muse and Ted Rodgers, are putting together the course. So come join the fun at both events!

Paul Touby

Phones: Work: _________________ Home: ________________ _

Car(s): 1. Year _______ Make _______ Model _______ License# ______ _

2. Year Make Model License# ______ _

Enclosed: D $60 - One driver, one car

Make checks payable to: BMW ACA

D $90 - Two drivers, one car D $120 - Two drivers, two cars

Send Registration Form and check to: P.O. Box 1259, Bellevue, WA 98009

Track Driving Experience: Driver #1 Driver #2

D D None

D D None at club schools but some other experience

D D Have attended club school but not achieved Level I

D D Level I

D D Level 2

Systems And Inspections Chassis. The chassis has either been

hit or it hasn't (see "Crashes" last month), and you can tell the condition of the paint by looking at it. The main variable on a chassis is rust.

Rust is expensive and difficult to cure. "Curing," in most cases, means only a lengthy delay in its reappear­ance. I have seen some older coupes that would cost over $6000 to derust, and others that couldn't be saved at any practical price. Unfortunately, rust is easy to conseal for a while, so if you see new paint on an older car, your antennae should go up and the magnet should come out.

BMW got interested in rustproofing around 1974 when it started cavity coating, and got serious just before the '82 model run, using a waxoil under­coating and granting a limited seven year warranty ('82 and later models) . Although environment has everything to do with rust, the more recent BMW's are generally rust free so long as the surface coatings have not been damaged.

Bubbles under the paint are a sure sign of trouble, of course. On older cars, take off the front turn signal lenses and look at the sheetmetal-this is where the first, most gruesome rust often forms. Check the front fenders toward the doors, another trouble area. Give the rocker panels close scrutiny, including where the inner fenders box them in. Put the car onjackstands and check the floorplan. Check the lower lip on the front of the car and seams (inside) where the front sheet metal is welded to the fenders. Look on the bottom lip and flange of the doors . Check the hood and trunk lid inside edges. Give everything else the once over.

Buying a

Cracked cylinder heads are all too common on nearly all models. This has become less of a problem over the years, but any purchaser of a used BMW should be sensitive to the poten­tial. Head gasket problems are not uncommon, but few sellers of a used cars would try to peddle their wares with a defect as obvious as this. The failure to use antifreeze results in severe corrosion of the alloy BMW uses, and it is a good idea to pull a water hose off the cylinder head and look inside for corrosion. I have seen corrosion on removed cylinder heads so bad that the head gasket could no longer seal the water jacket from the combustion chamber!

The cooling systems in BMW's have traditionally been marginal and deli­cate. Water pump failure is frequent, the hoses need regular inspection, radiators lose efficiency (as noted above) and leak at the seams, radiator caps fail, thermostats fail, overflow tanks split seams, etc. The resulting lack of coolant is one reason why heads crack, and also is a motive for not using antifreeze-after all, the owner may have been adding water daily for weeks before getting the cooling sys­tem sorted out. Great excuse, but bad result. Watch out for these cars.

A minimum engine inspection should include a {;Ompression test, inspection of the spark plugs, a look under the valve cover at rockers arms, shafts and cam, and for sludge build-up (a sign of overheating or infrequent oil changes), a look under the distributor cap for shaft bushing wear and advance and return spring integrity, a check for water in the oil and vice versa, and a listening and driving test. Sniff for exhaust gases under the radiator cap, a sign of a cracked cylinder head . If available, a cylinder leakdown test is highly recommended, and exhaust gas analysis of fuel injected cars can be informative. I also look for general long term cleanliness of the engine and engine compartment.

Motronics. No, Motronics is not a new age band from Detroit. It is the Bosch fuel injection system used on all eta and 3.5 liter engines. Electronically it is a reliable system, but in applica­tion it has been somewhat trouble­some. I am told that this is due to the fuels available today, though one must wonder how rational it is to design a fuel system incompatible with availa­ble fuels . Does Bosch intend to open a chain of gas stations? By using techro­line (which BMW sells very reasona­bly), the fuels can be made to work with an engine which is already clean, minimizing future running problems, but my engineering genes remain

troubled by the whole affair.

It seems that the fuel now sold (and it is chemically different from what was sold ten years ago) causes carbon deposits, principally on the back of the intake valves. Among other problems, these deposits cause the temperature and 02 readings fed to the injection computer to be erratic. The computer then injects an erratic amount of fuel causing an erratic running condition of the engine. One fix was the "yellow band" airflow meter, which has an adjustment screw to tailor the meter to the individual motor. That was not enough, and the present fix is to clean the carbon out. BMW just spent beau­coup bucks on an engine campaign cleaning out carbon, using walnut shells, and they insist that techroline be used in the fuel thereafter.

What this tells you is that a poor running BMW with Motronics may just need cleaning and adjustment. If the seller doesn't know this (and if he does, why doesn't he get the work done?) you may be in a position to get a deep discount on the car.

Clutch. Clutch wear is really a func­tion of owner abuse. BMW clutches are not particularly strong, given the output of the engines and weight of the cars. The throwout bearings are nota­bly weak, and will not tolerate the owner resting a foot on the clutch pedal between shifts. Cheap part, expensive installation.

Clutch hydraulics are also a weak link, perhaps because the fluid is not flushed regularly. It almost always comes out filthy. This is true across the entire range of BMW cars.

Automatic transmissions. A great percentage of the six cylinder cars have been imported with automatics. Any six with a Borg Warner 65 will need a new transmission (one made by ZF) - it's just a question of when. Figure $1500-$3000 for the conversion. Parts for the BW 65 are hard to find and they're not worth fixing anyway. Look on the passenger side of the tranny, just above the oil pan, for the BW 65 identifying plate. Any six cylinder automatic built between 1972 and 1975 will have this gearbox.

The ZF and Getrag automatics are much better, and if I was buying a six cyl. automatic that's what it would be.

It is difficult to recommend a four cyl. BMW with an automatic, as the margin of performance just doesn't allow it. If you insist on diesel perfor­mance from a BMW, the newer the car the better off you are. The fours have used ZF transmissions. For the 2002, the tranny is very maintenance-sensitive and the parts situation is getting touchy. The 320i had a fairly respectable automatic, and the 3 l 8i had a decent slush box.

Exhaust. A BMW which is driven daily may get four plus years out of the exhaust system. A BMW which is driven two months a year will be lucky to get two years out of the same exhaust system. The rear muffler is almost always the first component to go, except for cracking in the plumb­ing of catalytic converter systems. Most systems rust from the inside out, so the trick is to determine the condition of the inside. This is done with a set of channel lock pliers when the owner isn't looking. If you can crush the pipe with the channel locks, it's rusting out. You may want to be a bit more gentle on the muffler can itself, but if you can hear metal crunching in there, plan on replacement.

The six and seven series cars have painfully e,xpensive exhaust systems, so these are worth special inspection. The four cylinder cars have very rea­sonably priced systems.

Stahl headers and stainless steel ex­haust systems are worth an enhanced offer for a car, but almost nothing else is. Prima Flow systems are nice, but not worth paying extra for. Deduct dollars if a Midas-type system is installed.

Driveline. All four cylinder cars can expect routine replacement of the guibo (rubber doughnut), which leads a diffi­cult life just behind the transmission. Also routine but less frequent is replacement of the driveshaft carrier bearing. Watch for these weak points. They seem to fail less frequently on the larger cars.

All BMW's have had driveshafts with sealed U-joints since the early seventies, which means they never need greasing but you get to replace the driveshaft (expensive) when the U­joint fails. They will all fail, it's just a question of when. Again, failure is less common on the large cars than on the smaller ones.

The boots covering the constant velocity joints on the half shafts used to split with undue frequency on the four cylinder cars, but this seems to have abated as materials technology creeps forward.

Brakes . Overall BMW has had excellent brake performance and reli­ability. Problems are mostly mainten­ance-related, such as failing to change the brake fluid annually. I am no fan of factory brake linings, which wear out quickly and dust badly. Try Repco linings'.

The drum brakes used in 2002/ 320i models are at best mediocre compared to rear discs. The 2002 drums need frequent adjustment, and the adjusters will freeze if they are not lubricated and moved regularly. Round off the adjuster and you get to install a new backing plate, which is a pain. The drums seem to wear almost as quickly as the linings, and the ·handbrakes are commonly misadjusted or out of spec. However, it's hard to spend over $200 on rear (drum) brakes if you do your own work.

The vented rear discs used on 3.0CS, 630CS and 633CS sell very well, indi­cating a problem. Likewise 320i vented front discs and 318i discs . Finally, 320i master cylinders, in both aluminum and iron versions, seem to be failing often.

1 It has been suggested that Repco lin­ings cause brake disc warpage because the Repcos are harder pads requiring greater pedal pressure. This suggestion neither comports with my personal experience nor does the reasoning behind it convince me, but I duly note it for the record.

Next month Sir Thomas will begin a review of specific models, highlighting some of the unique characteristics of each. - Ed.

BMW Fest Northwest '88 Concours d'Elegance

Fest Northwest offers a unique sampling of the types of events that your club has to offer. Not the least of which is the Concours d'Elegance. For those of you that are new to this, Con­cours d 'Elegance is a judged contest to determine whose car is in the best con­dition. By "best condition" I do not mean whose car has the stickiest tires, fanciest wheels, or the most powerful turbo system. All of that may have meaning out on the auto-cross course or out on the race track but has little or no value here. What we have is an opportunity for members who have devoted time and care over the years (or months) to keep his or her car in better than "normal" shape, to proudly display the fruits of their efforts.Now I don't mean to say that cars that have had a suspension lowering done here or a spoiler added there are going to suffer for it in the judging, but rather they will all be looked at in the same light.

Probably you are wondering just what will be looked at during the j udg­ing. The car is broken up into several areas. They are as follows:

1. Interior 2. Trunk 3. Exterior 4. Engine Compartment The area that will require the most

attention will have to be the engine compartment. Just by nature it has lots of nooks and crannies to be cleaned and many of them can be seen easily but not reached easily. What usually happens is our natural creative instinct takes over and we see such everyday items such as a Q-tip as a new and neat tool for removal of accumulated grunge. One area of grace on the engine compartment however is the undersides. We will only judge on what can be seen from looking down into

the engine compartment from up above. Good news for some of you potential entrants.

The exterior of the car requires more polishing and rubbing than degrading and the only hint is spend more time than you want to. That dazzling shine will always command the attention that you desire.

Interior and trunk areas of the car are probably the most frustrating. While the flaws that occur on the exte­rior of the car can always be blamed on the unavoidable environment that we all must drive in, the interior of the car is subject to the environment that we create such as that ball point pen that

was in our back pocket when we sat in the seat.

The Concours will be held at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville on Sunday July 10th, the final day of the Fest Northwest. The winery offers an enchanting setting with the charm of the Chateau and garden areas and plenty of open space. This event will be equally interesting for the entrants and spectators alike and you never know what exotic cars might show up in surprise (last year we had two Ml exoticars).

Next month I will have a more in­depth article on the preparation of your car for this event. Plan on it.

Tom O'Dell

17 ~

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Possible Fire Hazard If you own a four cylinder BMW

(1600, 2002, 320i, 318i), be aware of a possible oil fire hazard. The upper ~xhaust manifold studs thread directly mto the upper end of they cylinder head, which is exposed to oil lubricat­ing the valve train. If a stud becomes loose, oil will seep out the threads of the stud and directly onto the hot exhaust manifold. If the stud backs out completely enough oil will flow out to almost certainly cause a fire.

In recent years, I have seen this too often. One engine fire is one too many. On every tune-up service, I recom­mend that the exhaust manifold heat shield be removed and the nuts secur­ing the exhaust manifold be checked for tightness. This check should be done with the engine cold. If all goes smoothly, you should only need two tools: a IOmm socket/ ratchet and a 12mm end wrench. Use the IOmm socket to remove the four heat shield bolts. This will expose the four upper exhaust manifold studs and 8 x l 2mm copper exhaust nuts. Both the upper and lower exhaust nuts should be checked and tightened as required. On occasion;fr will find an exhaust stud that has backed out and rattled loose for awhile. This loosens up the threads and makes for a poor fit. In this case you should take the stud completely out, clean the 8mm hole in the head and the threads on the 8mm stud and reinstall with a liberal amount of thread sealer such as permetex.

Bolts or Nuts Frozen? There will be times, when working

on your car, that you will encounter fasteners that just will not budge. If you apply undue force onto a frozen nut or bolt, you will most likely shear the bolt or the round head. Neither one of these alternatives is pleasant. A bolt with a rounded head simply may be impossible to get out using conven­tional tools . A sheared bolt or stud will require special pliers or drilling and

by Ron Newell

easy-outing the remaining piece. This is usually not an easy task, therefore, learning how to avoid these problems is important.

The novice mechanic can find out the shea_r force of a bolt or stud by performmg the following simple task. Find an assortment of 6mm and 8mm bolts and nuts. Place a nut into the center of a vice. Insert the appropriate bo.lt into the nut and tighten. Try tight­ening the bolt slowly until it breaks. Notice the hardness rating on the bolt. The hardness will usually be printed on the bolt head. An 8.8 grade bolt is sof­ter than a 10.5 grade and so on. After a few tries with various common 8.8 grade bolts you will find yourself antic­ipating when it will shear.

If you have a good feel as to when a fastener is going to shear, then you11 know when to stop. If you encounter excessive resistance on any fastener, try using a penetrating lubricant and lightly tapping the fastener with a small hammer to vibrate the penetrant into the fastener. Let it sit for at least Yi hour. Once a frozen bolt is cracked free, then work the bolt back and forth a little to loosen it up. Try unscrewing one turn and then Yi turn back in. In this manner, continue to remove any hard to remove fasteners.

It seems you can always see the results, in cuts and bruises, on the

inexperienced mechanic. When too much effort is exerted on a fastener the hand often times encounters a~ immovable object which is usually sharp. Think about what you are doing. Play little "what if' scenarios in your mind when working on on your car (or whatever). What if .. . this bolt shears while trying to remove it? Where will my hand end up with 60 pounds of unimpeded force and inertia? Anyone who has worked on any kind of machinery could probably relate to this. Be careful.

Alignment Tip Many BMW owners have been

ripped off because they thought that BMW front suspensions were like those of American cars, and needed expen­sive alignment on a frequent basis.

There are three measurements of front suspension geometry - caster, camber, and toe-in. Caster involves the degree of rake of the front struts camber measures the verticle position~ ing of the wheels (if the top of the wheel leans out, it is positive, if the bottom is out, it is negative), and toe-in (or toe­out) indicates whether the front wheels are running parallel. The normal set­tings are not necessarily horizontal / ­vertical / parallel, but rather what was designed into the car

On a BMW, the only normal ad­justment is that of toe-in. If the caster or camber is out, it is usually an indica­tion that a very solid obstruction has been encountered, and quite possibly will require replacement of one or more suspension components or even cold bending of the strut assembly.

Rough streets, over a period of time, have a very bad effect on BMW tie­rods and center track rods. If your car "clunks" as it encounters pavement separations or chuck-holes, and the tie-rods and or track rod has not been recently replaced, you might be ready for a bit of maintenance.

Harmon Fischer Bayou Chapter, BMWCCA

Y. ~· - ..:1i:.\·~:.'="~''-1'ft(l!~i'' 'urn Your 32. ·h •• - ,.M:·~".:'f°:J..'7i-~!,, ... t1r-..;

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21 ~

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23 ~

11Check Out Your W.l.F.E." (Wiring, Ignition, Fuel, Emergency Procedures)

Coming from the flighty side of mil­itary life, I was raised on acronym check lists . Such as preflight C.l.G.A.R. (Controls, Instruments, Gas, Attitude, & Run-up.)

These memory references are meant to augment, not replace official manu­als, placards and procedures.

Automobile drivers could also use some basic checklists for routine and emergency procedures. When you go to start a car, it either starts, or it doesn't. If it starts, it either runs right, or it doesn't. If it runs right, it either gets you to your destination, or it doesn't.

There are three prerequisites for internal combustion. Fuel (includes oxygen), compression and ignition source (on diesels, the compression doubles as the ignition source.)

We will limit our discussion to BMW gas engines. Properly tuned engines in good repair seldom fail to start due to mechanical breakdown, but more likely due to electrical, ignition or fuel related difficulties. Starting at the ignition key, which turns a mechanical switch thru a lock mechanism, we see a chain of interdependent devices working toward getting it going. Keeping it simple: if the engine doesn't rotate with

the key in the start position, did the idiot lights dim, or weren't there any lights to begin with? No lights, or lights dimming indicate no, or low battery voltage. Referring to our check list; W.l.F .E . (Wiring, Ignition, Fuel, Emergency Procedures).

**Only attempt these procedures if you are equipped and experienced to do so.**

W - Wiring: Let's see if we have electricity and if it's getting where we need it. With key in run position, turn on headlights briefly. lfyou have pow­erful headlights, you have good bat­tery power, if not you may get started with a careful jump (refer to operator's manual and disconnect dash-pad computer on equipped cars). On many BMW's there is a square 9-pin recepta­cle on the driver's fender, or within the fuse box. Bridging pins l & 7 will ener­gize the coil & starter solenoid bypass­ing the ignition switch (be sure to be in park or neutral with brake on and key in run mode). This may start the engine even if the key didn't. Such a start may indicate trouble in the ignition switch. No reaction during this bridging could mean a loose or failed wire to the star­ter or the solenoid. Cleaning of the battery posts & terminal clamps may

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help (battery precautions apply) remove ground strap (braided cable) first and install it last. Inspect clamps closely for cracks. A cracked clamp must be replaced. If the battery has a good charge and you still cannot get the star­ter to react, resort to E - Emergency Procedures.

I - Ignition: If the engine rotates, but does not fire, there may be ignition failure . With the key off a quick check of the wires to & from the coil & dis­tributor is in order. Gently push in all wires at the distributor cap and coil top. Remove distributor cap and check the center carbon and rotor. Still no response . . . If you 're very brave and extremely careful, remove a spark plug lead and attach it to a spare spark plug which is adequately grounded (laying atop rocker cover is OK.) If this plug sparks as the engine is turned over, then install the plug (using anti-seize & proper gap). Now if the engine pops and almost starts, maybe your plugs need cleaning or replacing. Do it!

F - Fuel and other fluids: I know as well as you that your tank is half-full, but add a bit more if you've got it. It might just help. On carbureted cars it was relatively easy to remove the air cleaner top and peek into the carb

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throat for the presence of liquid gas (usually found too much meaning you'd flooded it). With fuel injection finding fuel gets very dangerous. First check the fuel pump fuse. To find out if you've got incoming fuel you could "crack-loose" the fuel plumbing at the cold start valve and bump the key. If there's fuel there it'll come out at 75+ PSI depending which m!Jdel you have. This is extremely dangerous. If there's no fuel, check, or bypass the fuel pump relay.

If this gets function, you can bypass the relay until you can get another. The relay is necessary to shut down the fuel delivery system in case of an accident so don't even think of normal driving without the relay. If bypassing the relay didn't work, you can run a wire directly from the battery to the pump & another to ground for diagnostic purposes. If electricity directly to the pump doesn't get pump action, the pump has failed . Go directly to E ...

Action on the mechanical pumps can be checked by unbolting the pump from the head, hold it in hand with hoses still on it. Using a screwdriver etc. push on drive mechanism the same way the push rod would. After several complete strokes iffuel isn't forthcom­ing check the fuel filter & hoses includ­ing the ones at the tank. This test method can also be used carefully using a small gas container with the pick-up hose dangled into it. The other fluids mentioned include oil, brake fluid, & engine coolant. Dramatic loss of any fluid may indicate a deeper problem.

E - Emergency Procedures: Safety first! Don't attempt diagnostics or repairs beyond what the circumstances will allow. Most cold start failures occur at home (stay home) or work (catch a cab). Hot start troubles after 20-40 min. in a store. Engine not hot enough for hot start . . . not cool enough to be recycled for cold start. Go back shopping for a while more.

Most mid-trip failures are also fuel

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or electrical problems. Get yourself and the car if possible to safety. Go immediately to E ... ! ! For those want­ing hands on failure experience under controlled circumstances, Bimmers Only will beholding a W.I.F.E. seminar on Saturday, June 18. there will be 3 I-hour sessions starting at 9 a. M. Each session will be limited to 3 students to allow maximum hands on experience.

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Class slots will be on a first call reser­vation basis. There is a phone machine to take your reservation if I'm not there. 743-2002 (SHE-BOOB).

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Classified Marketplace

FOR SALE: New Bilstein shocks for 630CSi ( 10 / 77-9 / 82), will fit Bavaria and 3.0CS with Bilstein 7mm spacer. P36-229 HD front, B46-802 HD rear, $80 each (plus shipping); P36-229 HD front , B46-802 HD rear, $80 each (plus shipping). 3.0L and 2.8L rebuilt short­blocks, $1600 plus shipping. · Ron Woodruff. (206) 696-2979.

FOR SALE: 2800 CS , 1970. Tan, leather, auto, a/ c, straight, not rusty exc. spare tire well, needs caring owner. $7,500. (509) 525-8927 (509) 522-0072 eves or message. Ask for Randal.

FOR SALE: '69 Sunroof 1802. No damage history. '84 re-paint, '85 ti eng. & accessories & complete Bilstein sus­pension & brakes. QI's, Michelins, am/ fm stereo. 743-2002

FOR SALE: '74 Bavaria automatic -new short block. 743-2002

FOR SALE: 15 x 7 BBS wheels for 5, 6 or 7 series. Perfect condition . $500/ 0BO 733-1304 or 371-1238 Dick Holloway.

FOR SALE: '72 Bavaria. Green. One owner. Excellent body and interior. Runs well, never wrecked. Kept in gar­age. New tires $3500. Randy Kirk 747-0326.

FOR SALE: '83 320i, 5 speed, air, sun­roof, blue. $6,000. Call John at 723-0383.

FOR SALE: '72 2002tii, fiord blue, new paint, no rust, new clutch, trans, top-end, exhaust, glass and rubber, absolutely stock quality condition, best reasonable offer, 206-943-9459.

FOR SALE: '72 Bavaria, parting out, complete. Shop manual for '80 320i, $75. Getrag 4-speed conversion for Bavaria, $700 plus shipping. Recondi­tioned 6-cyl head $600 plus shipping. Ron Woodruff 206-696-2979.

FOR SALE: Set of 4-silver 14" BBS wheels, 5 lug w / servicable l 95VR to Continental tires . Fits any 6 cyl. BMW $400/ offer. Go-Fast Kit for 4 cyl. BMWs. Manifold, linkage w/ dual 45 D .C .O .E. Webers. Very potent package - $450. Dusty - 627-7639 / 759-4999.

FOR SALE FOR 325E: 2 wheels & studded Dunlop tires - 500 miles, set 3 belts, factory map light, new shop and electrical manual, '88 rear view mirror w / map lights, 3 roof racks - standard -bike - ski, oil filters , sheepskin seat covers, BMW floor mats - Jim Keough 525-6183.

WANTED: Two MSW type four 15X7 alloy wheels, Ron Woodruff 206-696-2979.

Bicultural Commute Cont. from page 28

observation (while sitting in traffic) and a few conversations with traffic engineers, I think I've gotten it mostly figured out.

Many years ago, Seattle switched to a system of mostly one way streets. Of the main avenues, Second and Fifth are southbound, Fourth is northbound. First and Third are both directions. Most of the cross streets, running east and west, are also one way. The one way street system has many advan­tages. First, the lights can be timed both directions. One can go north on Fourth Avenue in Seattle during rush hour and clear the entire city without stopping because the lights are timed for the normal flow of traffic. Bellevue has no one way streets. It is impossible

to time the lights fo r both directions with two way streets . One way streets also avoid the dreaded left turn prob­lem which plagues Bellevue. And with one way streets, the lights have a shor­ter cycle since there aren't as many dif­ferent directions of traffic that each need their turn. This type of grid of one way streets is called a coupler system

by traffic engineers. It works very well. I have never seen a suburb with a coupler system. And it's not just Bel­levue with this problem; have you been to Kent or Lynnwood recently?

Bellevue's lack of coupler system is further aggravated by no on street parking. In Seattle, on street parking allows one to zip in somewhere. But, most importantly, the on street park­ing can be cleared during rush hour to provide extra lanes. Seattle's Fourth A venue has two extra lanes between 4:00 and 6:00 to accommodate peak hour demands. Bellevue has no ability to do this.

Bellevue has one other major problem- the giant grid system which was adopted long ago. In downtown Bellevue, every other street is an alley. Bellevue has only half, or less, the number of streets a comparably sized older city has. Thus, when fully deve­loped, Bellevue can't possibly have suf­ficient street space. I've been told that the long time Bellevue city planner, now retired, dreamed of a double­decked road system in downtown. Double-decked roads are being pro­posed for freeways in some parts of the country, especially Los Angeles. This is probably a good idea for limited access highways since the acquisition of land to build more freeways would be expensive and politically difficult nowadays. But can you imagine a double-decked road system in a down­town business area? How would it work? It seems to me every intersection would need a cloverleaf. And think about the businesses with frontage on these double-decked streets. Can you just wait to see the driveways?

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Bicultural Commute

by David Lightfoot

For the past several years I have lived in Seattle and worked on the East side. So, I am part of a steadily grow­ing number who make the reverse commute each day. This gives me the opportunity to compare Seattle with Bellevue and the other East side com­munities. The cities are very similar, being only minutes apart, but there are a number of differences. While Seattle is a good-sized city which has evolved over a long time, by West coast stand­ards, Bellevue is smaller and has expe­rienced its growth much more recently. The East side cities are still mostly bed­room communities for Seattle. But Bellevue has reached what I call "criti­cal mass" in its development and is now generating its own growth. This was greatly aided by the zoning change four or five years ago which lifted the height restrictions in the downtown Bellevue core. This allowed the build­ing of empty highrises.

Bellevue has become large enough that it is difficult to make generaliza­tions, still, for a city of its size it is very affluent . Seattle has its wealthy neigh­borhoods, but it has poor and middle class ones, too. Bellevue starts at the middle class and goes up from there. Usually as I drive across the bridge there is a parade of nice cars coming from or going home to Bellevue. Bimmers and Benz are common and there is the occasional Aston-Martin Lagonda, Maserati and Ferrari. One morning I saw, side-by-side, on the bridge, a Citroen 2CV and a Triumph Herald . It was great.

Amongst the glitter, examples of two of the ugliest cars to come from France and England, respectively. Cars so ugly, they're cute.

My driving style has afforded me the chance to become acquainted with police enforcement of traffic violations on both sides of the lake. Both Seattle and Bellevue use radar extensively. In Bellevue, you can call a special police department number and find out where the radar units are operating on a given day. This is the sign of a city with a healthy tax base. Seattle police tend to enforce the spirit of traffic laws more than the letter. I have found Seattle police to be pretty reasonable. Belle­vue P<?lice tend to be pickier. I got a ticket for taking a right turn while a pedestrian was in the crosswalk. Never mind that the pedestrian was five lanes away, a car is supposed to yield. And back up traffic behind them, I guess.

The Bellevue police use an interest­ing system for marking their cars. The traffic units (as they call them) says "TRAFFIC" on the side. The "real" policemen drive cars that say "POLICE" on the side. A "POLICE" car will stop at an accident scene but only until a "TRAFFIC" unit arrives to take over. It's an interesting approach, but I wish Bellevue would take things one step further and be totally honest. I think the cars should be marked either "POLICE" or "REVENUE." And the officers working the traffic detail should be known as "Revenue Officers." Just like the IRS.

Both Seattle and Bellevue use motor­cycles but the Bellevue motorcycle cops are striking because they all look the same. Each of them has a bushy, brown mustache, a flat stomach and thinks he's Erik Estrada. Why they all think they're so cool is beyond me because they are the ones charged with enforcing all the petty traffic infrac­tions in downtown Bellevue. These guys are so preoccupied with this that I call them the Petty Officers. I think they should paint "PETTY OFFICER" on the gas tanks of the bikes. There is one guy that is such a stickler that he has been known to give tickets to members of his family. If you get

stopped by Officer Hassinger, forget it. You won't talk your way out of it. He sbould be called the Chief Petty Officer.

The Seattle and Bellevue traffic court systems are markedly different, in style if not in substance. In Seattle you make your way into the bowels of the Old Municipal Building to find the check-in place. There you are met by a surly city worker who can't speak Eng­lish or at least disguises it well. The clerk will stare at the counter and mumble something like, "kin eye hep ewe." After expending this major effort, one should not expect more than a one syllable response to any inquiry. You will get long waits and the scum-of­the-Earth treatment. Judging by the rest of the "customers", the treatment may be warranted. If this is a cross­section of society, we're in trouble. Bel­levue is very different. The Bellevue traffic court is located in a nice, new building. The counters are staffed by a bunch of bright, cheerful women in their 30's and 40's dressed in neatly pressed Calvin Kleins and gleaming Reeboks. They are all attractive and pleasant. It's like they're dong volun­teer work for Childrens' Hospital rather than dealing with traffic criminals. Bel­levue is the only city I know with Designer Bureaucrats. Refreshingly, the magistrate I visited was fairly mean and nasty . But then she let me off by paying only court costs.

Another major difference between Seattle and Bellevue is the manage­ment of traffic within the downtown cores. Seattle operates amazingly well for the huge volumes of traffic it accommodates. Bellevue operates hor­ribly with a lot fewer cars. Downtown Bellevue has awful traffic jams. And it can only get worse since the develop­ment of the downtown core has only just begun. I've often wondered about this . And not just about Bellevue, because the traffic systems don't work in any of the suburbs. After much

- continued on p. 26

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