Urgent help required: Buying a B3 3.3

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 2:55 pm

Ikule wrote:
It would certainly be worth having the tensioner problem as a sticky so you don't have to search for it

p.s. heres the link

http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/vie ... php?t=4536

My AC pump belt has been removed, is that the belt of which you speak?

Edit: No

Anyone ever repaired a rear heated screen? Mine can't clear the rain off it, and the fuse is in tact. Searching RealOEM, bimmerfest, TSN and e46fanatics hasn't yielded any useful info.

Ikule · Post by **Ikule** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:05 pm

No thats separate, the tensioner that causes the trouble is the one that drives the alternator, power steering pump and water pump,
if you look at the thread topic i linked too, on page 3 at the bottom there are pictures of mine before and after fitting

Ikule · Post by **Ikule** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:06 pm

joylove wrote:
Ikule wrote:

Edit: No

Anyone ever repaired a rear heated screen? Mine can't clear the rain off it, and the fuse is in tact. Searching RealOEM, bimmerfest, TSN and e46fanatics hasn't yielded any useful info.
sorry no i haven't

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:37 pm

Ikule wrote:No thats separate, the tensioner that causes the trouble is the one that drives the alternator, power steering pump and water pump,
if you look at the thread topic i linked too, on page 3 at the bottom there are pictures of mine before and after fitting

I did see those after I posted and understood then what was going on. I guess the name is a little confusing, Auxiliary belt!

Tomorrow it's at BMW to interrogate the ECU for stored faults, and I'll have a look for what tensioner is fitted.

Bruce M · Post by **Bruce M** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:10 am

Repairing a screen element is tricky.

You can buy conductive paint to bridge any gaps but if it is badly applied, the repair can overheat and potentially crack the screen.

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:50 pm

That's the way it used to be done, back when I had a 1979 mini

I can't even find the terminals to check it there is a voltage present. The whole thing is not working.

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:07 am

Can anyone help with this small list?

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 3:05 pm

Where would I go to get some trim replaced? My drivers' door handle has snapped mounts. Realoem doesn't seem to list the door card parts individually, which makes me think Alpina trims aren't on that site.

MarkWG · Post by **MarkWG** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 3:13 pm

joylove wrote:Where would I go to get some trim replaced? My drivers' door handle has snapped mounts. Realoem doesn't seem to list the door card parts individually, which makes me think Alpina trims aren't on that site.

I guess it depends how "Alpina'd" it is: if it has any blue & green, it'll be specific, & you should be able to order through any dealer, provided they're good enough - but it'll be big bucks. If it's not Alpina specific, I'd try a BMW breaker, there's bound to be bits out there. As far as I'm aware, though, the handles are not available separately.

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 3:21 pm

MarkWG wrote:
joylove wrote:Where would I go to get some trim replaced? My drivers' door handle has snapped mounts. Realoem doesn't seem to list the door card parts individually, which makes me think Alpina trims aren't on that site.
I guess it depends how "Alpina'd" it is: if it has any blue & green, it'll be specific, & you should be able to order through any dealer, provided they're good enough - but it'll be big bucks. If it's not Alpina specific, I'd try a BMW breaker, there's bound to be bits out there. As far as I'm aware, though, the handles are not available separately.

Damn, it's both blue and green and no-one is breaking Alpinas at the moment

MarkWG · Post by **MarkWG** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 3:38 pm

Might be worth trying a trim man, then, see if he's got a fix?

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 4:28 pm

It's pretty catastrophic, although I have all the parts, there are 4 structural breaks in the plastic.

Bruce M · Post by **Bruce M** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:05 pm

If the handle is a recovered BMW part a trim expert may be able to transfer the leather over to a replacement BMW piece.

However, if the mount is broken it is perhaps repairable with a little imagination.

If you post some close up pictures you will probably get a few opinions.

joylove · Post by **joylove** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:11 pm

I took a mosey to B&Q for some parts. Here's how I fixed the E46 door pull.

I removed the door card, and inspected the damage. The bolts holding the arm rest are about 3/4" long, and all the struts they screw into had snapped. Some strut material remained, and it is hollow down to the bottom.

You can see the damage.

Some M6*75mm and M6*40mm were purchased. M7 would give a tighter fit. M8 would burst the plastic. The M6 Grip well enough to work as a set.

It's not going to be enought to swing from, but it's a solid as new.

Added some cup washers, it was necessary to lever off one press on retainer for the airbag flap, which gets pushed back on after tightening and inspeciton.

Tighten and enjoy.

MarkWG · Post by **MarkWG** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:18 pm

Looking good, well done mate! I reckon a gentle wipe on the blue & green & you'll be surprised at how bright it goes, as well. I did the steering wheel thread on mine with handsoap on a J cloth & it positively glows, now.