volume 2013 • issue 3 summer 2013 diezündkerze archive/2013 summer.pdfand service...
TRANSCRIPT
Summer 2013VOLUME 2013 • ISSUE 3
BMW Car Club of America Sonora ChapterdieZündkerze
The heat is on in Tucson! Greg Mondeau and Lenny Napier test their slot-car skills indoors in AC comfort at the Carrera Slot Car Circuit, and after the sun goes down and the lights go on,
take to the newly renovated Musselman Honda Circuit in rental go karts.
http://www.p1kartcircuit.com/
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CONTENT
3 Content
4 President’s Page
6 Wheel Detailing tech tip
7 Upcoming Events
8-9 BMW History in Tucson
11 Alternator upgrade tech tip
12 Wheel Detailing tech tip continued
13 Board of Directors
13 Membership Information
14 Want Ads
14 Chapter Toolbox
15 Computer 42
16 Back Page
Editor: Quentin Peterson
WHAT’S NEW
BMW Car Club
Sonora Chapter
Tucson, Arizona US
Webmistress: Julia Olsen-Peterson
The FINE PRINT: Information is correct at press time (as far as the discerning eye can tell...)
BMW Roadside Assistance, now currently ranked #1 by JD Power & Associates, is available to all BMW CCA members for an upgrade fee to membership - and it has lots of extras to make it worthwhile! For membership benefits see
http://www.bmwcca.org/index
Your BMW CCA membership entitles you to discounts with car rentals with Avis & Hertz AVIS 800-831-2847 Code: AWD#L358190
HERTZ 800-654-3131 code: CPD-ID#289425
If you would like to get email reminders of chapter activities, please notify us by sending a message to: [email protected]
We invite
you to forward this newsletter to
anyone who you think might be interested in BMW’s in general,
and our BMW CCA Sonora Chapter activity in particular.
Your contributions to the newsletter are invited and are welcome. Contact Quentin Peterson @ [email protected] to get published
You can take advantage of the interactive
format by clicking on any page number/title in
the “content’ section to the right. In-text links
are in red, and clicking linked advertisements
will take you to their business website.
Don’t forget to LIKE our Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/SonoraBMWCCA
Interactive format newsletter: it’s all about
you!!!!!
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OUR ADVERTISERS PRESIDENT’S PAGE: LENNY NAPIER We find ourselves in the middle of one HOT Southern Arizona summer, but as BMW enthusiasts we can always find great ways to enjoy our Ultimate Driving Machines and our fellow enthusiasts. The club is always working very hard to plan and put on events that all our members want to partake in, if you have any ideas in an event you’d like to see or feedback on an event you attended please let me know. In the past few months our national office sent out surveys for some members to take and see just what you liked or disliked about your local chapter and what types of events you would like to see more of. We should have the results of this first round of surveys in the next month or so and will be working hard to make sure you are getting the most of your membership in the largest single marque car club in the world. Speaking of our National club, I hope those
of you that were able to register for this year’s Oktoberfest are getting all ready for what is sure to be an amazing week. I have heard from our regional Pacific Zone Vice President that there are several surprises in store for those in attendance, so it will be an over the top event that you won’t want to miss! Also, in the next few months, BMW will start to roll out several new models, starting with the all-new 4 series and later the X5 and the much anticipated i3. We have teamed up with the great folks at BMW of Tucson and will be planning an event for all our members to come down and get an up-close debut as soon as they arrive. I want to thank all of our members again for making our chapter the great one that it is, I hope to see you all at an event soon and keep enjoying The Ultimate Driving Machine….
Lenny Napier
The BMW Car Club of America has set up a forum on the national site for each individual club. Ours is located at http://www.bmwcca.org/node/2380
At this time, there are some national events listed as well as national news. I am planning to move the blog there in the near future, and also you will find the newsletter archive there within the next
couple months.
By starting with the main site http://www.bmwcca.org/ you can see events for the whole country as well as news, forums, the Roundel, locate chapters around the country, and visit the Online Forum.
Newsletters will continue to be email blasted in color and linked to our local website:
http://bmwccasonora.org
DETAILINg TIPS: LENNy NAPIER UPCOMING EVENTS
WE WANT YOU TO WRITE FOR DIE ZÜNDkERZE Featured Member: 250 words, about a quarter page
Feature Article: 1,150 words includes one picture , a page
Tutorial: 650 words w/small picture, about a half-page
Article: 1,050 words or less w/pictures, about a page
Send submissions and story ideas to [email protected]
For the most recent updates to events, see the online calendar
http://www.bmwccasonora.com/calendar.html
We make every effort to verify your email address is correct and resolve sending issues, so that our news
gets to your computer.
We don’t share your email address with anyone else outside the club. We don’t sell your email address to our advertisers. We may at the discretion of the
ad manager, email announcements from one of our advertisers (once a year at the most)
We send a newsletter every 3 months, and send about 1-3 email announcement of chapter activities
per month.
If you aren’t getting email from us, send a message to Julia Olsen-Peterson
OUR ADVERTISERS
Wheel cleaning is probably one of the least favorite detailing jobs car owners want to do…they’re filthy and when you’re done cleaning them, you have brake dust residue all over you. Also, when you are dealing with extremely dirty wheels or ones that are well known for producing a lot of brake dust that is hard to remove (like most of our BMW’s), then cleaning them seems more intimidating to their owners. A lot of people simply choose not to put in the extra effort to clean their wheels but the more you ignore the problem, the worse the wheels look, and over time it can even start to cause permanent damage to the finish of the wheels. Remember that most of your wheels are clear coated just like the finish on your car, so you should treat them much the same as the paint on your car.There are many different types of wheel cleaners available on the market these days, but if you’re not careful to pick out the best one for your type of wheel finish, you could end up ruining them. Some wheel cleaners are either not effective enough or too effective, meaning they are too acidic and can ruin the finish on some wheels. Sonax has developed a wheel cleaner called the Full Effect Wheel Cleaner which can easily cut through even the most stubborn brake dust, but it is pH balanced which makes it safe on all types of wheel surfaces. The difference in this Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner is that it chemically reacts with the iron particles from your brakes and dissolves them for a cleaner surface.
Before and after photos of this product’s results on Ashley Napier’s X3 wheels. More photos and the rest of the story are on
page 12
August 7, October 2 & December 4: Board Meetings @ “Fronimo’s Greek Cafe” on Speedway, just East of Country Club 6:15pm
August 8 Dinner @ “Claim Jumper”; event coordinator is Patti Thibaut
August 15-24 Oktoberfest in Monterey, California
September 12 Dinner @ “Old Pueblo Grill”; our event coordinator is Patti Thibaut
October 10 DInner @ “Native New yorker” our event coordinator is Patti Thibaut
October 19, 2013 Tucson Classics Car Show 10am - 4pm on the soccer field of St. gregory Prepara-tory School 3231 N. Craycroft Road; a fundraiser for Rotary Club of Tucson charities. Proceeds benefit the “Reading Seed Children’s Literacy Program” and other local charities. www.tucsonclassicscarshow
November 2, 2013 Cops and Rodders Car Show 8am-4pm @ Hi Corbett Field parking lot: A Tucson Police Foundation Benefit Show. Free spectator admission, custom and classic cars, law enforcement equipment www.copsandrodderstucson.org
November 9 La Madera Picnic Beth Ritterbusch is coordinating this popular event
December 15: Fort Huachuca Holiday Homes TourTour Fort Huachuca’s 1880s-era senior leaders’ homes, decorated for the Christmas Holidays. Start with lunch at Sierra Vista’s La Casita Restaurant. The contact for this event is Ross Lampert 520-378-3607 [email protected]
The first BMW dealer in Tucson was also a Porsche dealer by the name of Alois Jobst. He was a Zuffenhausen-trained Porsche mechanic who just couldn’t get enough cars from Porsche to meet Tucson’s demand at the time. One day he brought home a neuclasse model BMW and he was very excited at how the car could slalom with the best at the weekend autocrosses and yet, at the same time, it had a backseat to take the kids to school and pickup groceries. From 1969 to the early 1980’s, his dealership sold BMW, and was located at 22nd Street and Cherry. In 1972, he became a member of the BMW ACA, that is, the Bavarian Motor Works Automobile Club of America, out of Los Angeles, Califor-nia. That was an independent club that finally merged at the end of the 20th Century with our own BMW CCA, Inc. Of course, after BMW ‘made their mark’ with the neuclasse models, their cars really sold well, and Aloise found a partner on his bank’s board of directors, “Bib” Stillwell. “Bib” was a former Formula 1 driver from Australia, and he had plenty of friends who really had to have a Learjet, and so the pri-vate jet company’s Board made him a President, and he came to sunny Tucson, Arizona, which was a Learjet manufacturing location at the time. The fledgling car dealership found a pool of talented sales and service representatives, and it was named “Gran Prix Motors”. “Bib’s” sales talent included his two sons, Chris and Robert, Ernest Buck, who had previously represented Bertone in the United States, Bill Horan, and Alois’ son, Chris Jobst. The crew sold BMW and SAAB. The first service manager was David Lansing, who now owns and runs his own shop, Little Germany on Speedway Boulevard in Tucson. Da-vid’s management was recognized by BMW with an Arizona - Southern California award of excellence, and then David left and opened his own independent repair shop, leaving a big gap in the service at the dealership. Stillwell then found a talented engineer by the name of John Horsman, and hired him as the service manager. John has so much experience with great performance automobiles, he could write a book about it, and in fact he has. “Racing in the Rain”, with forewords by Jacky Ickx, Brian Redman, Derek Bell and Vern Schuppan, details the years John spent with Aston Martin’s David Brown, the Ford gT40 program’s John Wyer, the gulf-Wyer Racing team, the Porsche 917 years and the Mirage pro-gram for Grand Touring Cars in Phoenix. John is the very model of an English gentleman. He graduated Cambridge University in Mechanical Engineering, with Honors. Beyond all that, John is simply the nicest guy you will ever meet. It is said that he never, in all the years of working as service manager, uttered a single cross-word, to anyone! And ask anyone who knows, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so as a Service Manager! Fred Gilmer was an early BMW Master Technician who also left the dealer-ship and worked for Little germany on Speedway before opening his own Fred’s Imports in 1983, at the Quonset hut on the Northwest corner of Stone and Prince. Fred retired after 22 years and sold his shop to Group One Motorwerks, but Little Germany is still going strong with Dave Lansing at its helm. The thing that distinguished the Stillwell dealership, Gran Prix Motors, on 22nd Street just west of Swan, so much, was their beautiful display showroom: A Ford GT40, an open-wheel, open-cockpit Maserati, the very Formula 1 car Bib used to race, and a BMW M1. Bib bought the Maserati to race in the Vintage Car Class, but it kept popping its spot-welds. In the first part of the last decade, Bib sold that car to a European collector for about half a million dollars. The GT40 was well-bought and it is now in Jim Click’s garage. And at the end of the 20th Century, Don Mackey bought the Gran Prix dealership at
with an eye towards selling the BMW Sports Activity Vehicles that were soon going to be out, but to do so, he had to build an exclusively BMW franchise to Munich’s specifications. The beautiful Formula 1 black & white murals were part of that deal, and they now grace the walls of the current dealership, BMW Tucson on Wetmore. If you would like to see some of the other photographs made by Balfour Walker set your browser to his website, http://www.balfourwalker.com/cars.html
Past Presidents of the Sonora Chapter BMW Car Club of America, Inc. Peter Beahan 1982 & 1983 Tom Micelli 1984 & 1985 Robert Napier 1986 & 1987 Corbin Smith 1988 & 1989 Quentin Peterson 1990 & 1991 Jerry Yang 1992 & 1993 Ken Knight 1994 Charles Spath 1995 Larry Peth 1996, 1997 & 1998 Kay Jessup 1999 & 2000 Mike Hornisher 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006 Scott Sanson 2007 & 2008 Al Price 2009 & 2010 Lenny Napier 2011, 2012 & 2013
EARLy DAyS OF BMW IN TUCSON: QUENTIN PETERSON
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There’s more than a little written lately about batteries and BMWs, and it’s important to note that the cars’ computers on the later models need to be reset once a new battery is installed. That requires a visit to the dealership, or else to a competent independent shop, such as one of our advertisers. On the earlier mod-els, there is no computer to reset, or else the car’s computer simply doesn’t have a feature to improve the lifetime of the battery (by optimizing charging from the alternator). And, as the alternator ages, the capacity to charge will typically fall short of the original specifications. Take a look at the photo of the original Bosch alternator sticker on my e30 M3. It says 14V and 90A. The car and the alternator have 190,000 miles on them, and so I wasn’t getting 14 Volts and 90 Amps output, even though the copper windings and magnetic rotors are in good shape on the stock alternator. The photo on the right shows the the regulator: the spring-mounted carbon contacts that protrude are called brushes and they pick up the electricity from the alterna-tor as the magnet spins inside a coil of copper wiring. Let the bushings holding the alternator to the engine become loose, and the alternator won’t be spun at a tight right-angle to the belt, and the unit will be trashed soon afterwards. The regulator bolts into and onto the alternator, and if everything else is good shape,
that regulator will be the part that wears out and causes less-than-nominal charging from the alternator. The brushes eventually wear away, or else their copper braiding connections fray and tear apart. The volt-age ‘drop’ between the positive and negative terminals (with the battery hooked up and the engine going), tells really quick if the alternator is giving the battery a good charge. Optima Batteries TM User’s Guide recommends: “When the engine is running this measurement should be 13.7-14.7v.” It also says that: “Fully charged starting batteries should measure ~12.8v.” (with the engine off)
If I extend the voltage difference between the regulator’s ground and the alternator’s ground, the regulator allows more voltage out. Without a modification, my unit’s voltage ‘drop’ is a ‘low’, 13Volts. A silicone diode has a constant voltage difference somewhere between 0.5V-0.8V and by soldering this between the the regulator’s ground and the alternator’s ground, I can extend the voltage drop by as much. A single 1N5402 diode (bought at Radio Shack or Elliott Electronics for less than a dollar) works. Solder the anode of the diode to the regulator ground and wrap the cathode around the bolt hole, removing the regulator tab (there’s plenty of wire on the diode), or else retain part of the ground tab and solder it to the cathode end of the diode, making sure the bolt hole lines up right. It’s really a good idea to test the whole alternator before bolting it back on the car, and Tucson’s Luna Electronics on grant Road will give a quick thumbs-up or down test of the unit, once the regulator is bolted securely to the alternator.
Article and Bosch label photo by:Quentin Peterson
(Regulator before/after photos taken from the internet)
OUR ADVERTISERS
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MEMBERShIP INFOBOARD OF DIRECTORSWANT TO JOIN BMW CCA?
It’s easy to join, and if you are a BMW enthusiast, it’s definitely worth it!
You will receive the monthly Roundel, a 120-page coffee-table magazine, published by BMW CCA, Inc. Other benefits and services that come with National Club membership include:
• Discounts on parts & supplies• Free advertisements on the BMW CCA website• Library/video services• Expert technical & maintenance advice
But wait, there’s more…You can also sign up to receive the “Friends of BMW” booklet, listing members across the country who can assist you …OMBUDSMAN advice to help with BMW DEALERS OR SUPPLIERS Valuable information coordinator to assist with insurance claims, purchase or sale…BMW Special Interest Groups (SIG) listed on the
internet…
The newest upgrade is called Membership“Plus” Roadside Assistance and it pays foritself, as well as provides peace of mind!
NATIONAL MEMBERShIP AUTOMICALLY INCLUDES membership in the Sonora Chapter, and as a member, you receive every publication of this
newsletter, which features local members,classifieds, car-related tech-tips & articles, as well
as notice on local club events, including drivingschools, autocross, car shows & club activities!
hERE’S hOWOn the web the membership application is located on bmwcca.org and find the ‘join’ button or call
their toll-free phone: ( 800 ) 878-9292… have your Visa/ Visa/MC ready…
Lenny Napier’s Wheel Detailing Story (continued from page 6)Board of Directors,
BMW CCA Sonora Chapter, Inc.
President – Lenny Napier 342-8446 [email protected]
Vice-President – Mark [email protected]
Secretary – Patti Thibaut 906-8116 [email protected]
Treasurer – Charles [email protected]
Newsletter Editor – Quentin Peterson331-3778 [email protected]
Membership Chair-Beth Ritterbusch 795-5667 [email protected]
Driving School Contact– Mike hornisher577-2785 [email protected]
Members at Large: Bill Farrell [email protected]
Ross Lampert [email protected]
If you would like to get email remindersof chapter activities, please notify us by
sending a message to:[email protected]
The website of theBMW Car Club of America, Inc. is
www.bmwcca.org and it has links to thischapter and all others nationwide
By the way, take a look at our chapter’swebsite: www.bmwccasonora.org
The first time I used it was on my wife’s 2008 X3 that is daily-driven. Rarely do I find products that provide such a serious “wow”-factor. I have to admit that during these tests, the Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner most definitely provided this type of reaction! After spraying the product on the wheels and waiting for it to work and react with the iron particles, the brake dust residue seems to dissolve completely away. If you have caked-on brake dust it will probably require some scrubbing of the surface, but the product does most of the hard work for you! Even though I love detailing cars, I must admit that cleaning the wheels is not my favorite part of my detailing work on a car. This product helps me cut the time I spend doing it. Sonax just recently brought over their full line of products from Europe and I was able to get my hands on each one to test them out. The Full Effect Wheel Cleaner stood above any wheel cleaner I had ever used before. It is on the higher end in terms of cost, but its performance makes up for the price!
The wheel cleaner is green but as it reacts with
the iron imbedded in your wheels it turns purple
as you can see in the photos
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One of the factors many drivers consider is the overall performance of a car. Up until recently, we had to take our cars in to have the computers read if we suspected a problem, but a number of apps can help spot problems early on, and help us improve our driving performance. Most of the apps use accelerometer, gyro, compass and GPS data from your smartphone to calculate fairly accurate performance results. All of the apps reviewed provide real-time driving style readouts on your smartphone, and some also can be placed on the dash to provide a heads-up display.
For iOS, Dynolicious Fusion ($12.99), gMeter ($8.99) and other similar apps turn your iPhone into a performance computer, providing details such as acceleration data, velocity, distance traveled and engine power, while greenMeter ($5.99) focuses on eco-efficient driving for reducing your carbon footprint.
For Android users, the only contender seems to be Car Performance ($4.00), which uses the GPS chip in your phone to provide real-time info on your car’s performance.
Using OBD engine data, a new generation of devices are available that connect directly to your car’s OBD Port and provides live data on your iPhone or Android via Bluetooth. Although you have to pay for the Bluetooth sensor, the apps are either free or low-cost.
BlueDriver from Lemur Vehicle Monitors is available for iOS: http://www.lemurmonitors.com/BlueDriver.html and it combines a Bluetooth plug-in sensor ($99.95 from Bav Auto) with a free app on the iOS App Store. It’s described as a premium diagnostic scan tool used by professionals, and provides repair reports, trouble codes, and much more detailed data than most of the consumer-oriented versions. You can even clear trouble codes via this combination.
If you want to use OBD for Android, you have Torque http://torque-bhp.com which is available through Android Apps on Google Play ($4.95), but you can download a free/basic version to see how it works. A list of Bluetooth adapters for this app are at http://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Bluetooth_Adapters . Prices range from $20 - $200
Automatic Link is the ‘up and comer’ for both iOS and Android, and the Bluetooth device is available for preorder ($69.99) at http://www.automatic.com/. This startup claims the device will work in every gas powered vehicle since 1996.This looks like it has lots of potential, and in comparison with other similar devices, the price is right. A good review along with video is available using the link below, and the company will be shipping me one shortly to review/demo with the club - so far I’m very impressed with Ljuba’s communication - and with any luck I’ll have one for Monterrey! I can’t wait to try it out!
http://www.xconomy.com/national/2013/04/26/automatics-app-puts-your-smartphone-in-charge-of-your-car/
Julia
FOR SALE:1973 BMW 3.0s, four-door se-dan. All original except seat upholstery. It’s a well maintained & always garaged classic, looks and runs great and the AC blows cold! Only 97k miles, beige/red. Located in Sierra Vista. Asking $10,000. For additional infoma-tion,contact Quentin Peterson at (520)331-3778 or email [email protected]
For Sale: 1999 528i sedan.Oxford Green Metal-lic w/Tan leather. Automatic transmission, Sport and Premium packages. Multi Disc CD, 184,000 miles.Second owner. $4,800 Call Charles (520) 975-4259, or email [email protected]
FOR SALE: Pair of OEM Kidney grills for a 2006 325i asking $20. Pair of OEM Tailights for a 2006 325i asking $75. If interested, please call Dave (360)649-0110 or email [email protected]
For Sale: 2003 Bmw 330i sedan. black/sad-dle, auto-sport transmission, dual leather seats, Pre-mium and Sport Packages, custom chrome wheels, all the options, new transmission, many new parts, all the repair records. 150k miles, want $8,400. Seller will consider offers. Call Chris (520) 429-2266 or email [email protected]
COMPUTER 42: JULIA OLSEN-PETERSON Sonora Chapter Toolbox Availability is subject to reserve: for more information, or if you have additional tool requests or donations, please call Mike Hornisher at 327-4981. For our club members, we have available an assortment of loaner tools, equipment and some factory repair manuals.
Torque wrench (10-75 ft-lbs) M-engine valve tool Torx drive set micrometer Allen drive set Strut spring compressor Metric-drive set Parts catalog (CD-ROM) Spark-plug socket G-Analyst oil-cartridge remover Dwell/timing light windshield trim applicator tie-rod pullerlazer-pointer thermometer O2 sensor tester Thin 32mm box wrench 2.6mm x 50mmbolts Service interval reset tool Haynes & Chilton manuals
TOOLBOX
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Sonora Chapter BMW CCA, Inc.PO Box 42166 Tucson, Arizona 85733
Die Zündkerze Presorted StandardUS POSTAGE
PAIDTucson, AZ
Permit No. 792
BACk PAGEDie Zündkerze
(translated the sparkplug),
is published by and for the Sonora Chapter of BMW CCA, Incorporated. This organization is not affiliated with BMW NA. All information furnished herein is provided by the membership of the club for use by members only. Unless otherwise stated, maintenance and modification procedures herein are not “Factory Approved”, and their use may void your BMWwar-ranty. Ideas and opinions are those of the writers—andno authentication or approval is impliedby the editors or publishers, who assume no liability for information contained within.
Any material published in Die Zündkerze may be reproduced by other BMW CCA chapters, provided that propercredit is given to the author and this publication, except thefollowing: material specified as copyrighted has beenpublished with the written permission of its author, and itrequires subsequent permission by its author for any reprduction.