Polls

Which of the following do you use in your car?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

BMW Blower Speed High Only

Q I have a 1991 535i. The blower speed switch only works on High. It is annoying because if you want heat or A/C it has to be cranked all the way up on High. I was wondering what the problem could be.

A The problem of the blower motor only working on the high speed

Continue reading BMW Blower Speed High Only

Long term vehicle storage guidelines

Otto receives a load of vehicle storage questions from BMW and Mini owners as we head into the fall and winter months. Additionally, we see these questions in the spring when “snow birds” are storing their southern vehicles and heading north for the summer. Whatever the cause for the extended vehicle storage, if we follow

Continue reading Long term vehicle storage guidelines

Okay, let’s start our under-car inspection…

1) Remove all under-car splash panels. You may have as many as three separate panels, starting just behind the bumper, to under the engine, to under the transmission (figs. 6A & 6B)

BMW Splash Pan

2) Check the front wheel bearings. Grasp the tire at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions. Alternately push and pull

Continue reading Okay, let’s start our under-car inspection…

Preventive maintenance, part 1 – under the hood.

This is the first in a series of articles designed to help you save money by showing you how to perform some basic inspections yourself. Not only will you save by not paying someone to perform the inspection, you’ll be able to identify potential issues/repairs before they become an expensive problem. In this article we

Continue reading Preventive maintenance, part 1 – under the hood.

Replacing your MINI or BMW fuel filter

In previous issues of Fast Times, we have recommended periodic replacement of the fuel filter. (See the Winter 2008 issue for Otto’s Ultimate Preventative Maintenance Schedule.) This has generated a common question for Otto: “Where is my fuel filter?” In this article we will show the locations for the fuel filters on most models and

Continue reading Replacing your MINI or BMW fuel filter