grijo's e28 M5

[grijo]

New to the site. Here are some pics of my car. Got it last March and I am 3/4 of the way done. Mostly need to do costmetic work to make it an 8 out of 10.
Guido
http://www.servfiles.com/1646/
http://www.servfiles.com/1647/
http://www.servfiles.com/1648/
http://www.servfiles.com/1649/

[Drake]

That is a gorgeous car. Enough said

[motoyen]

Sweet looking car. Are those 17" BBS RS wheels? I love the engine shot. All the news cars these days the engine is covered in plastic.

[royalflush313]

Sweet looking car. Are those 17" BBS RS wheels? I love the engine shot. All the news cars these days the engine is covered in plastic.

That engine, actually looks like an engine :) It's true, newer cars, you open up the hood and all you see are plastic covers (which is nice for cleanliness, but only to some extent).

grijo, your M5 is sweet. Do you have any mods planned? (Euro bumpers? :D )

[grijo]

Wheels are 16", I do not know if they are RS. Wheels are 7 of 10, they are coming off next month to get refinish. I agree with you, I hate all the plastic covering the engine compartment.

Running late for my son hockey game. I'll post more information tonight.

Here are some pics of the dirty engine the day I drove the car home:
http://www.servfiles.com/1652/
http://www.servfiles.com/1653/

Here is another engine shot after I cleaned:
http://www.servfiles.com/1654/

[Chris]

grijo, it's a beauty! I'd like to know how you clean the engine bay... products and methods etc.

[VtwinVince]

Still one of my favorite cars.

[grijo]

1. Let the engine run for a minute or two to warm it up. Grease and other gunk is easier to remove when the engine is warm (NOT HOT).
2. Go to the kitchen and get plastic wrap and aluminum foil. First use plastic wrap and then use aluminum foil on top of the plastic wrap. Cover any exposed electrical components and anything else you do not want to get a bunch of water on.
3. Get a denture brush (my son had one to clean his retainer) is harder than a tooth brush. Get a couple 3M pot cleaning pads and a strong sponge (got mine at Home Depot).
4. Get a can of engine degreaser from your local auto store...I used GUNK Engine Degreaser. Spray it liberally on everything! Don't be shy... used the entire can. Let is sit for 10-15mins so it can breakdown and loosen all that grime.
5. Get the hose out and spray down everything to remove all the degreaser and dirt and grime. Do not use a nozzle...just the hose is enough pressure. You do not want to blast water into all the engine components.
7. If the engine is still dirty (mine was). It is time to get the Simple Green or Orange Degreaser and got to work on those stubborn areas with the denture brush, 3M pads, or sponge. Which ever is appropriate. As you can see my engine was extremely dirty and the dirt was caked on the engine bay. Scrub the areas where you have stubborn dirt and grease. Use the sponge on the engine bay paint.
7. Rinse again with water.
8. Let the water run off for a few mins (beer break)
9. Remove the plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
10. Start the engine and let it run for 1 minute to help dry some of the water. You can also use a rag to dry all areas.
11. Sprayed the entire engine bay down with WD-40. Used an entire can and spray it on EVERYTHING!. The engine should look BRAND NEW.
12. Let it sit overnight or for a few hours.
13. Start the engine. You will see a lot of smoke.

I stole the idea from another forum and adapted to my needs. Here is the link to the original post:
http://www.bmw-forums.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1436

Good luck,
Guido

[grijo]

Would love to change to Euro bumpers. I believe they are hard to find. I still need to address other areas, like: a) The paint needs some TLC, some swirls and scratches on hood and roof. Also some weather damage that I need to buff off. b) Need to replace the dash, it has a few cracks. Being looking for one without luck, may need to buy the bullet and get a new one. c) Need to refinish the wheels, plan to do it over the winter.

Mechanically the car is sound. Rides like a train.

Thanks,
Guido

[grijo]

VtwinVince,

Thanks for the comments. I love the 2002/e28(sharks era)/e30 body styles. It seems that after the e28 and e30, BMW got on the aerodynamic bandwagon (like most of the car manufacturers) and the bodies became rounder.

To me most of the cars today look like an upside down bathtub (including my 98 VW Passat). Some bathtubs look better than others, but they are all rounded.

Maybe I am getting old!! :)
Guido

[Drake]

Looks like it's brand new. I would have never thought to use WD-40.
Does the WD-40 attract dirt?

I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks

[motoyen]

That is an amazing engine detail. Which parts did you cover up? Why the WD-40 at the end? Did you apply anything to the BMW M Power lettering to clean them up?

[grijo]

I covered the ignition coil, engine fuse box, MAF sensor, plug for the code reader. I think that was it. I used 2 coats of plastic wrap + on coat of aluminum foil on each electrical component.

I let the engine degreaser sit for about 10-15 minutes and then began scrubbing the CAM cover with the denture brush. It is a stiff brush and it has a fat handle for a good grip. Use a mechanic glove to save your fingers, otherwise you'll end up with lotta cuts.

Rinse and check the result. My engine bay was still VERY DIRTY. I went at it with full strength Simple Green. Again use the denture brush, 3M pads or sponge depending on the area. Paint -> sponge, Black engine components (i.e: CAM cover, intake plenum) -> denture brush, unpainted metal (i.e: bare aluminum, CAM/valve area, intake trumpets, A/C tubing, etc.) -> 3M pads.

Before I began the whole process, I covered the fenders with old towels to prevent any of the chemicals to get on the outside paint. You can wedge the towels on the fender edges (around the fender seals). I also jammed old towels along the firewall edges.

WD-40 is what gives the shinny look. Once the engine is warm, WD-40 dries to a nice shine. Every time I wash the car and to maintain a clean engine, after I finish drying the car I use the wet drying towel that I used to dry the car on all the engine bay components. It takes less than 5 min and keeps the engine clean.

Good luck,
grijo

Disclaimer:
If you want to have a happy marriage, you know who's the REAL boss, DO NOT take good cotton towels from the closet. Ask your wife to give you the old towels for the garage. :)

[Drake]

Great info. You didn't wrap the headlights at all?
Got me laughing there too.

[royalflush313]

wow... that really is an amazing detail job. How did you manage to scrub clean all the detail?

Do you guys ever notice that your car runs better when its cleaner? :boobies: :lol: :screwy:

[VtwinVince]

Grijo, I totally agree with you, all the new stuff looks identical from a distance. I almost bought an E28 M5 a few years ago, what a beautiful car. It even had the Canada-spec buffalo leather seats. I still kick myself when I see some other clown driving it around town. On the subject of new cars, I went for a "spirited" night drive up to Squamish (our local twisty road) last night and gave the new cars a hard time, as usual. Old-school rules!

[motoyen]

I'm going to give that cleaning technique a shot. I've been real paranoid about putting anything on my engine because last time I tried to polish the letters I totally ****** it up and they looked like shit. I was so pissed off at myself that I had both the valve cover and intake plenum re-done. In the spring when my car gets back on the road I'm going to give it a shot.

[grijo]

I did not cover the headlamps.

To get all the details clean all you need is patience. It took me about 2 hours to get the engine REALLLY clean. After I was done the area underneath the car was a real mess of dirt and grease residue. Make sure you scrub every possible area.

Someone asked if WD-40 attracks dirt. I cannot tell, because I wipe the engine every time I clean the car.

[Chris]

grijo, thanks for letting us in on the secret! Like Anthony, as soon as spring time rolls around, I'm going to get that engine bay clean.

Thanks!

[E30Ty]

That is the best engine detail I have ever seen.

I want to eat off of it. Can I?

[grijo]

Chris, Motoyen: Weather is still fair in NJ. If you guys want to drive to NJ during the US-Thanksgiving weekend we can do some detailing in my driveway. :laugh:

I was in the Vancouver area about 7yrs ago for a wedding. that is a beautiful please to live.

Send me an email after you clean the engine in the Spring.
grijo

[cacostar]

Hello, Love you car. I have on too. How did you post your pictures? I am trying to post mine.

Thanks
Chris

[cacostar]

Where in New Jersey. My wife is from Englishtown. Is it far from there?

Chris

[grijo]

cacostar,
Saw your post. Nice car. I am in Basking Ridge, NJ. To post the pics you have to place the URL within ... . For example:
http://www.servfiles.com/1793/

I send you an email when I get home tonight

[Chris]

There is a Canadian legend surrounding the 2nd M5 delivered to a Canadian dealer. Apparently the car was caught on the aircraft based highway speed trap travelling around Ottawa. The car outran the Cessna 152 that was flying over the highway and the police officers couldn't identify the car's license plate. The police had to contact the dealership to find out who owned the car. Without knowing who was driving they couldn't issue anything other than a warning. Good stuff!