Diy-able or not?

A

abzthemanc

Member
So just had the Z serviced and its generally in good shape barring a fair bit of corrosion underneath owing to it being from Scotland originally.

List of advisories is below, certainly looked scary at first sight, but was told its fairly normal for the age and provenance of car.

I am wondering out of the list below what's do-able by myself? I don't have much experience with working on cars other than a few headunit swapouts, once wiring up an amp/subwoofer, and changing headlights. I am happy to get my hands dirty and and fairly handy with home DIY such as plumbing and always happy to learn new things.

Reason for wanting to do the work myself is more for enjoyment and learning than saving cost. Got the MOT on Monday so that will obviously dictate the priority... was told Hand brake cable and steering track rod could fail depending on tester.

  • O/S Handbrake cable split and corroded.
    N/S Front brake disc backing plate missing.
    O/S Front brake disc backing plate loose.
    Steering track rod corroded - replace both.
    Gearbox Sump pan heavily corroded.
    Exhaust downpipe to Centre sections, buts and bolts corroded.
    Alternator Belt Perished.
    o2 sensor bank 2 after cat showing as faulty.
 
I always see working on cars like giant meccano, but with the occasional seized joint that requires some effort and swearing to release. The majority of it is following a guide and if you're pretty DIY capable (as it seems you are) you'll be fine.

However, having tackled some of those jobs myself I can tell you where the difficulties may lie:

O/S Handbrake cable split and corroded - the connection to this (as far as I remember) is above the exhaust and heatshield so requires those to be removed first.
N/S Front brake disc backing plate missing & O/S Front brake disc backing plate loose - these are rather annoying as BMW designed it that they fit these before the hub and so they cannot be fitted over the hub which has to be removed first. There are easy ways around this though which is to cut the old ones off and then cut a slot in the new ones so they can be slid on behind the hub.
Steering track rod corroded - replace both - Pretty easy job but almost always requires a blowtorch as both ends of the arm get seized.
Gearbox Sump pan heavily corroded - Don't know much about this one I am afraid, sorry!
Exhaust downpipe to Centre sections, buts and bolts corroded - had this exact problem recently after mine completely separated after a track day. It was not possible to fix myself as I need an exhaust shop to cut it and weld on new brackets and then bolt it up. Cost around £120 IIRC.
Alternator Belt Perished - Quite a simple job and easier from under the car. Take a picture to remember the routing of the belt!
o2 sensor bank 2 after cat showing as faulty - Again quite a simple one as its usually just replacing an O2 sensor after the exhaust manifold. Access can be tricky, but isn't too bad with a UJ. Unplug the sensor before unscrewing it from the exhaust, makes it a lot easier. Also make sure you replace the right one!
 
Is it an automatic? Never heard of a gearbox sump on a manual car or of one corroding on an automatic car! Rusty engine sumps then yes, I've heard of that before a few times.
 
Cheers - I'll get watching some videos and see what I want to try and tackle first.

Silly question but when working under the car, whats your average home setup like? Is a decent jack plus 2 axle stands/wheel blocks sufficient and safe?
 
I have a gravel driveway. I do front/rear stuff separately with the car supported on axle stands (under the side jack points) with emergency protection of the jack under something solid and each wheel under the sill.

I tend not to get fully under the car when I work on it on my driveway as the gravel makes it dangerous. So I tend to use a neighbours block paved driveway, a friend's unit with a 2 post lift or TIYG (https://thisisyourgarage.com/).
 
I have gravel too.
Axle stands supported on paving slabs which makes them pretty stable.
I also have a pair of ramps which I can run either end up on if I'm doing work that doesn't involve wheels coming off.
 
Might be worth checking out the availability of the the gearbox sump. Although I wonder too whether the examiner meant engine sump / oil pan. I had to replace mine because of corrosion issues around the oil level sensor orifice, so I tend to follow threads on this topic and I'm sure I've read a couple of articles recently which have referred to long lead times or unavailability of replacement items.
 
Strange the backing plates are an advisory unless they are catching. Changing them is easy but you do need a decent impact driver as you have to remove the hub nut and hub. I’d replace the bearing while your there which is also easy. If you don’t want to go to this hassle then removing them completely just requires some brute force
 
All on that list is doable by someone with DIY skills, biggest pain is going to be the handbrake cables being replaced, need to drop the exhaust to get at the lever end. Trolly jack used in conjunction with good solid axle stands on firm solid ground should see you safely. A pair of drive on ramps can also be a useful addittion to your toolkit. Always advice on here if you run into problems.
 
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