This site is mainly about my car, a E30 BMW 320i SE. It will also include information on other E30 3 Series
cars and information about the M20 engine which was shared with some E28 & E34 5 series models. There
will also be a section on all BMW cars. If you are unsure of what I mean with all these E and M numbers look here.
(apologies for the lack of pictures at present - will follow shortly)
History
First registered in 1989 the car is a limited edition SE (Special Equipment). The car is one of a limited edition of cars that came into Ireland
as part of the 21st anniversary of Motor Distributors Limited (so I am told), who import these cars into Ireland. There is a solid silver plate
on the dash near the steering column identifying her as the 16th out of 21 cars of this specification.
I bought her off a fella from Roscommon and am in the process of restoring all the little bits that he allowed
let go! There wasn't anything visibly wrong with her, she had one or two small patches of rust which had been treated and re-sprayed.
The Rev-counter, Temperature Gauge & Economy Gauge did not work due to the SI (Service Indicator) Batteries going dead. There were just over 109,000 miles
completed since February 1989! The car also had passed the NCTS
(the Irish National Car Test). Other than that she was perfect - a great buy!
My 320i SE Specification
The car came with a wide range of features. Many of the features
were not standard on other cars at the time here in Ireland as most people were
still broke then. The car is slightly different to a UK specification 320i SE.
Whatever the differences, it is still the ultimate driving machine!
The following features came with the car:-
Full M-Technic Bodykit
15" BBS Crossweave Alloys
Leather M-Technic Steering Wheel
Factory Fitted Sunroof
Electric Windows
Electric Mirrors
Front Fog Lamps
Rear Head Rests
Twin Exhaust (Some came with single, depending on date of manufacture apparently)
Breakdown Warning Triangle
First Aid Kit
Boot Tool Kit (almost complete)
1kg ABC Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher
Personalised Registration Plate (at least as far as you can get one personalised in Ireland)
The car also came with a Pioneer Sound System including a 6 CD Multichanger (this is a fairly new system)
The following features however did not come with the car:-
Rear Disc Brakes (which I may put on myself)
On-Board Computer (OBC) (again I may install one myself)
Leather Upholstery
Repairs to-date
Click here to see a description of these repairs
Since I got the car I have had to get a few things sorted. These include:-
Overhaul of the Clutch Master Cylinder
Clutch
New Brake Master Cylinder
Timing Belt (purely because I didn't know exactly when it was last changed)
Various Electrical Problems
Replacing the Ignition Barrell (which failed on me on a frosty saturday night at 4am!!!)
Some work also needs to be done on the instrument cluster - the brake wear sensor bulb has been removed as there is a bad connection to the brake pad wear sensors. I also need to replace the SI board.
In the next few weeks I want to do a complete overhaul of the cooling system. This will involve the replacing of the hoses, replacing the fan which has one blade missing and replacing the viscous coupling (fan clutch). There is also a slight leak somewhere near the front of the engine. All in all, a good Saturday's work!
