Re: 91 850i failed leak down compression test (archive)

Make that 140,000 now! Well, my secret is to keep the oil and filters changed and use synthetic 20w-50 in the summer and 5w-30 in the winter (I use Castrol-which is BMW OEM supplier for oil). (Here it gets down to the 20's F. and up to the 100's F.). Otherwise I am somwhat reluctant to have anyone touch it unless something goes wrong. My motto is: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I know a lot of people on this board lean towards the preventative maintenance measures, but I have found that the techs at the dealerhips and shops know so little about this car that they can cause more damage than they repair, unless I am there to point out each and every 8 feature that they are unfamiliar with due to the small numbers they encounter. (whew, was that a run-on sentence or what!) Maybe that is not so true in LA, Miami, NY, etc. where the techs probably get LOTS of these cars. However, here in Oklahoma, the techs seem to know less about the car than I (except for the engine since it is also found in the 7's).

Case in point on the techs. I ordered new belts the other day and they asked me how many alternators the car had! They said it could have 1 or 2. Does ANYONE out there have 2 alternators? I'm very curious.

I am sure that part of my secret is that about 80% of the miles on my car are highway miles, flat-to-slightly rolling hills type highway driving.

Jim Surdick
'92 Laguna Green 850i 6spd 140,000 miles

Follow Ups:

Re: 91 850i failed leak down compression test Mike 17:42 8/03/2000 (2)
- Auto tranny fluid/filter change schedule? Jim S. 10:53 8/04/2000 (1)
  - Re: Auto tranny fluid/filter change schedule? Mike 11:33 8/04/2000 (0)

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