Going under the hood...

There has been a deviation from what I had planned for this week.  First of all, on Monday, I was to have returned Sergio to the paint shop to finish the detailing work and whatever else needs to be done.  Instead, I test drove it to a friend's house in order to show off the result as they have been very curious about what was taking so long to finish the job.  I had warned everyone beforehand that the car was not yet 100% ready but after seeing it, they told me it was already above their expectation.  I pointed out what else it was that I was fussy about and said that by the next day, all of those will be gone.

Come Tuesday, I realized it was my number coding day and used that as excuse to do some DIY stuff and a further interior/exterior cleanup.  My work concentrated on the engine bay; both in terms of cleaning and making sure that everything was in its proper connection.  So far, so good.  Most of the rest of the day was spent just admiring the way the car sat in the garage.  In the evening, Tina and I went for a long drive down the SLEX, then had a late-night snack at one of the eateries along the way before heading home.  This also served as my long-distance higher speed test drive.  I must say the engine performed well with no problems that I could detect.  One of my worries after being stuck in the shop for so long was that the battery would go flat but I made it a point to have all the electrical accessories on and then start the engine to find out what would happen.  A one click start! 

I justified keeping the car yesterday, Wednesday, by doing a further test drive supposedly on the typical stop-go, hot weather traffic conditions which Sergio fortunately passed with flying colors.  Even with the aircon working at full blast, there were no signs of the engine overheating.

I also wanted to address the fluid leaks which were already there when I bought the car so I decided to pay a visit to European Motors in Makati.  I was already aware that that both hoses underneath the power steering reservoir needed to be changed but they added that another two of the hoses used by the automatic transmission also need replacement.  The good news is that it seems only those four hoses require attention and I'm hoping that there are no other sources of leaks.  I will schedule the repair when the parts become available sometime next week.

Since I was already in the mood to start on the mechanical side of the restoration, I brought the new set of Sachs shock absorbers purchased in HK, to Cruven Sucat for installation. They had previously done the lifters to raise the suspension and I am happy with their work. After the old ones were removed, I could see that three of them were leaking badly (as in fluid flowed out after the strut housing was removed). Although the shocks were far from their best, its a credit to the manufacturer to have them still work as well as they did given their condition. I honestly thought they were not in that poor shape.

I was debating with myself on what to do with my set of rear tires.  Both front tires have already been replaced last week but was hesitating on the rears as they still had plenty of tread left.  In the end, I just decided to go for it.  Safety is always my primary concern and I guess one cannot go wrong in making a decision with this in mind.  Besides, it makes the car look much better too.  A stop at the carwash ended my day out on the road.

Its my thought to bring Sergio back to the paint shop today, Thursday, but with all these new installations, further test driving might be required...

Home now...

Late Saturday afternoon, I was finally able to take Sergio home.  After more than three months in the paint shop, I am relieved to have him back where he belongs.  In my garage.

Its actually more of a temporary pass as the detailing work is not totally finished.  I asked to take the car out since the shop will be closed over the weekend anyway and also for me to be able to do some test driving in the meantime.  Actually, it was like trying out a new acquisition because I had to familiarize myself again with the location of the controls and other nuances of the dashboard layout.   Not to mention the added stress of making an effort to be extra careful on the short drive home. 

Notice my new garage sign specifically acquired for this occasion.  This is what it actually says:

I have listed down what I think needs to be worked on and for now, I am glad to report that they all of the minor variety.  Its just unfortunate that I will have to return Sergio to the paint shop for at least another day or two to have them done.  However, the best piece of news is that everyone has been very complementary of the result.  Its one thing when my close friends show their appreciation but a surprising number of strangers have come up to ask me for information on what I did with the car...

Just a few more details...

For all intents and purposes, Sergio is finished with the painting stage.  Only because my discriminating eye notices almost every little blemish, a few finishing touches will be needed.  Again, I have to give credit to Carchitect's staff because they point out and correct those which I somehow pass over.  Even then, I am letting go of some very minor ones so that I can enjoy the car already.  Its been in that doggone place far too long.  In fact, in the almost four months since my purchase, just twelve days have been spent at my garage.

All of the major interior parts are now back in place.  The onboard computer indicates all the electronics are working properly but we will do a road test soon to find out if any gremlins come up.  What remains is a complete detailing of everything.  It will be done on the interior, exterior, glass, trunk and engine and deservedly so.  As is typical after a paint job, a combination of hardened rubbing compound and other accumulated dirt has crept into the various nooks and crannies which need to be painstakingly removed with a small brush. 

Here are few more pictures of what has been done.

The seats are back in place:

Engine covers repainted:

First bath in three months:

While hanging out at the shop to oversee the work on my car, it so happened there was a Honda City being put back together after having gotten the same kind of makeover as Sergio.  While both looked very good on the outside, the big difference was on the inside.

BMW:

Honda:

It does not take expert knowledge to conclude that the City's floor was in poor condition.  The surface was deteriorated and there were chunks missing in the insulation (front passenger side).  As to how this could happen, I don't know.  My first thought was the floor was still up for painting and cleaning but on closer look, I saw there was already some sort of topcoat applied.  So I guess this was good as it was going to get.  True enough, the carpet was reinstalled a few minutes after I took the picture.  And to think that this car may be up to eight years younger than mine.  It may come as a surprise that my floor did not even need a repaint at all and just received a thorough clean up instead.

For those who are wondering if buying and restoring Sergio makes sense, my argument goes along this line of thinking.  From a financial standpoint, I anticipate that my total outlay will be enough to buy a typical brand new Japanese or Korean compact car.  While it would be a perfectly good decision to choose the new car, I will not hesitate to say, that barring any misfortune, my BMW will keep its value and comparatively be worth more over time.  If I can manage to keep it in tiptop shape for the long term, there may even be a probability of appreciation although I need to point out that profit is not my underlying motive in doing this. 

The intangibles are priceless...

Moving along well...

A progress report on what has been done recently.

New set of front tires purchased and installed:

Refurbished door sidings installed:

New dampers installed so the hood no

longer slams down in gusty winds:

My first look at the complete headlight system

with the kidney grille back on:

And rear lights too:

Even with all the dirt, notice how the paint maintains its shine:

If its shiny now, wait till I get my hands on it!

For almost all of the parts I have accumulated, it is the first time I am seeing them go where they belong.  They were ordered in advance from a wide range of local and overseas suppliers and then kept in storage for the last couple of months.  Admittedly, there is some risk in doing it this way because there might be missing components, problems in the fit, or are already defective to start with.  Returns or exchanges are out of the question since the cost of shipping alone would negate any savings.  Plus the time lag would make it extremely difficult to make a justifiable claim.  This was something I had to accept but it was also a calculated risk since I did a thorough researching of what I needed.  I made sure through the RealOEM.com website that the part numbers matched and further verified it visually through the exploded diagrams.  A major reason for why I have been taking a lot of pictures of the car from various angles is to be able to compare actual sections with the diagrams whenever I need a reference point.  I made a conscious decision to source parts locally if I was not certain of what to get or had doubts as to quality, regardless of the price differential.  All else being equal except for a slightly higher price, I would still choose to buy locally for better peace of mind, greater convenience, and consider it as my way of helping out the economy.   I also thought it would be counterproductive to nickel and dime my purchases.  Especially for relatively small-ticket items which are available right there and then, it makes no sense to still continue looking for a cheaper source.  There are a lot of sellers in Ebay who tout goods supposedly produced by OEMs, look good in pictures but are way inferior in quality when on hand.  Let's face it though.  A Sachs shock absorber will always be a Sachs shock absorber no matter where in the world and the same would be true for items produced by other established manufacturers.  Its in situations like this when comparison shopping becomes worthwhile. 

In the end, the rewards outweighed the risks as everything is working properly and I was able to save a good amount from the overall budget.  I was very fortunate in that I had my Hong Kong address to receive shipments from all over the world.  Since HK is a freeport, there was no need to worry about being taxed and even more importantly, the postal system is very reliable.  There never was a doubt in my mind that I would receive at my door whatever was sent to me and that they would be in good order upon arrival.

Remember an earlier post (Old vs New...1/31/2010) when I held out a blackened bulb holder?  With the new tailights installed, the usual diagnostic tests from the onboard computer show no more fault readings on that system and it would therefore be safe to conclude that the warnings really came from a badly corroded connection.  That's another problem off the list.

In the course of my regular visits, I have come to a better understanding of the difficulties mechanics face in doing their job.  It does not help that they work in a very hazardous environment but most obvious are the physical demands like heavy lifting, squatting, squeezing into tiny spaces, crawling under the car, or just even from the very hot weather. For instance, I was surprised to see for myself that reinstalling all four door sidings took the whole afternoon.  I was expecting that it would be done in an hour or two at most.  I failed to take into account that there were other details which go into this task such as attaching the latches, positioning the lock, inserting the rubber insulators, etc.  The presence of fastidious clients (such as myself) certainly adds to the stress since they know their work is being scrutinized thoroughly.  Inspite of everything, they are very good natured amongst themselves and often share food during a merienda or snack break.  Since they see me almost everyday, they have grown a bit comfortable with my presence and share jokes with me too.  

When the car is finished, I have told myself that everyone will be getting a very good merienda as a token of my appreciation...

Almost there...

Definitely moving forward. The resprayed topcoat is now dry and settled, and thankfully there has not been any recurrence of the previous paint blistering. The finishing stage is progressing quickly and some interior reassembly has begun.

Almost all of the car's exterior has been buffed. I was very pleased to see four people working on Sergio when I visited Carchitect this afternoon. Two were doing the final stages of buffing the exterior, another was reinstalling the windows and door fittings, while the fourth was detailing the carpet.  Make that five.  Actually, I did not realize that the master painter was also contributing to the work until he brought in the front grille, door handles, and various body mouldings after giving them a fresh coat of flat black paint.  Now I can be certain that all the bases have been covered as I cannot anymore think of what else needs a paint job.

By the time I left, this is how the car looked:

Tomorrow, I will bring in most of the other interior fittings and all of those for the exterior. I had previously left all the lights and the two front seats in the shop. The foreman has promised me that they will concentrate on putting back the interior for the next day or two.  Because of the current drought, it was good that there was absolutely no rain at all throughout the painting process.  On the other hand, I just hope that everything can be finished before the dreaded long brownouts start.

So much to look forward to but after all the delays, I am keeping my fingers crossed...

The devil is in the details...

Just a few more pictures of the work recently completed.  I am trying to recall all the small details which need painting as these spots are very easy to overlook .  Once the interior is reassembled, they will be covered by other components or will just be too bothersome and time-consuming to go back to.  But taking care of them now will definitely have a significant impact on the overall fresh look of the interior.

The trunk interior after being sprayed and cleaned:

The automatic transmission selector lever's paint was badly faded but not anymore after this:

A few other things were attended to but I hope I didn't forget anything else...

A new coat of paint...

Sergio got it yesterday.  When I visited the shop late in the afternoon, spraying had literally just been finished a few minutes before so I was still able to see for myself the gleam of wet paint.  The whole car was given a new topcoat in order to achieve an even finish after the extensive corrections done on the previous coating.

Today, I saw that the interior and trunk compartments had been cleaned.  This is the first time since the car went in for painting that these areas got attention.  Previously, they were used either as space to store various car parts, a dump site for raw materials, or simply just covered up with old newspapers to protect against overspray.  I consider the cleanup to be an absolutely significant sign that we are headed in the right direction. 

Which is to go home...

History is being rewritten...

In the previous chapter, I had thought that painting was all but done with except for the expected retouchings here and there.  As it turns out, there has been some scattered paint blistering which necessitates more extensive work than mere retouching.  The hood, trunk, and left side doors have been particularly affected and they are back to being in the priming stage.  I have been told by the master painter that this probably was caused by an inferior quality paint job done previously which in turn causes the new paint to runoff.  Since I am not really in a position to judge if this is true, I have no choice but to take their word for it. 

To their credit, the paint shop has taken the initiative to correct these imperfections.  I had seen some very small blisters (they actually look more like drippings of extra paint) during my routine visits and pointed them out but what they have fixed covers a greater area than what I saw.  The only thing now is no one seems to have any idea of how much longer it will take to complete the work as the management has informed me that they will ultimately do a complete respraying of topcoat to even out the finish.  First though, the repairs need a little time to dry out and settle before going on to the next step so things are running on an "it depends" basis.
                         

In the meantime, Sergio is just cooling his wheels in the paint booth while waiting for the new topcoat.  Not to be overly dramatic, but I am wondering if my car can leave that place while I am still young...