Tasks completed...

Its been three weeks since the last post and lest everyone think that was just idle time, I am now reporting on what has transpired. Actually not as much as I would have liked due to consecutive long holiday weekends but not totally unproductive either. Also, the essential parts I have ordered are taking longer to arrive. These are for two pairs of power steering fluid hoses and automatic transmission fluid pipes. The ones currently on the car look like they are still the originals and maybe because of their age, need to be changed as they are the source of the fluid leaks in both the P/S and ATF systems. Once the new hoses and pipes are installed, the most complicated portion of the mechanical repairs will be done. A routine tuneup and ATF/engine oil change will be the only other tasks needing attention.

Materials for the engine tuneup & fluids change:

There were noises coming from the vicinity of the front grille whenever the steering wheel was turned hard which I initially assumed was related to the P/S fluid leak problem. In the course of inspecting that area, I found out that the hydraulic fan shroud was cracked and will need to be replaced. Going on to further investigate why this happened, I noticed that the radiator was not properly mounted. One of the two clamps supposed to hold the radiator in place was broken and both of the rubber pads meant to cushion shock from any movement were missing. The end result was that everytime the car hit a pothole or made a quick turn, the lateral force would shift the radiator by a few millimeters; enough to cause anything attached to become misaligned. In this case, the spinning hydraulic fan from the engine block would hit the shroud mounted on the radiator and the impact of the fan blades was the noise I was hearing. As a related precaution, it will be wise to have the pulleys checked out to see if they are still ok. I am almost sure this also greatly contributed to wearing down the ATF pipes since they connect to the oil cooler at the bottom of the radiator. The constant twisting takes its toll on the connectors and combined with engine heat, will be more than enough to weaken them hence the leaks. Replacing the rubber pads and clamps is a very easy and inexpensive DIY job so it is beyond me as to why this problem was left to fester. A classic example of cheap preventive maintenance saving a ton of money in the future. Fortunately, the replacements were easy to find and I have lined them up to be done at the same time the new hoses are installed.

New fan shroud, clamps and pads:

I was also lucky in having gotten my hands on a new hood insulator. This is not a commonly available replacement item and I was not expecting to find one so easily. A call to Enkat, the Eurocar parts dealer in Evangelista, Makati surprisingly yielded good results as they had one last piece on hand. Whether or not to get a new one was a long-standing debate with myself because this thing is pricey, but in the end I just jumped at its availability. In the long run, I concluded it will be more difficult to find one and cause the price to go even higher.

New original BMW hood insulator:

Other fixes worth mentioning:

- a new aftermarket security alarm system has been installed
- the left rear power window motor has been repaired and all four sides are now working properly
- the airconditioning system has been checked out by Maxicon with the only minor concern being the fan speed knob not controlling the output level consistently.

I brought back the car to the paint shop for yet again another round of retouchings and it has stayed there for the last week and a half. A few more defects have come up on the hood and I wanted them fixed. The shop has decided to just scrape it back to metal and give the hood a totally new paint job. The mags were given another respray and now look much noticeably newer. Inspite of all the attention I gave to sprucing up the chrome window trim, the water mark stains were too entrenched so I decided to have them painted matte black instead.

The result will be out in a few days...

Adjustments done...

On Friday the week before last, I finally mustered the effort to bring Sergio back to the paint shop for the needed adjustments and finish off the detailing.  These final stages are difficult in themselves because even though the most intensive tasks have been done, its the small things which make a disproportionally large contribution to the final aesthetic result.  Instead of the expected overnight stay, it took almost a week to run through the list of issues which I prepared.  Among them were to remount the front bumper, buff the magwheels for a smoother finish, respray areas with a few paint chips/scratches due to the reassembly, correct some imperfections on the hood, roof, and lower grille plus a number of other things too trivial to mention. 

I was very much satisfied when all of them were fixed just before the holidays started.  My only concern now is how to remove the hardened leftover compound which has built up on the small gaps of the car.  This is an unfortunate side effect of buffing and to remove it is both tedious and difficult.  Because the color of this hardened compound is white, the alternative of leaving them there will be an unbearable sight for me.  The detailers at the shop have given Sergio the once over but it will be up to me to get it done to my standard.  Since I was just staying at home for the Easter break, I have used the time to get started and I am glad to report that progress has been good.  Still, it will be a continuing task for the next few days at least, letting myself work on one section at a time.  Even then, I realize that I will not be able to remove everything inspite of my best efforts as some spots are just too difficult to get to without damaging the surrounding area.  I just hope that over time, they will be gradually cleaned away or if not, naturally darken from exposure to the elements.

I have also decided to leave the car outside for the meantime in order to thoroughly dry out the paint solvents as quickly as possible.  With the current hot summer weather, it really is the best time for this and because of the continuing El Nino drought, there is no real worry about rain.

First, need the dirt to fall on the right places...