The New Family Member

As you may have guessed I have recently acquired an 1988 BMW 325i Touring (wagon). Ever since these came out on the market I have always wanted one and for whatever reason I have always had a thing for wagons. Last winter there was one regularly parked at the velodrome that I said I wanted if it ever went up for sale. Luck was on my side because at a club race earlier this year the former owner Dave told my wife he had one for sale...the one I wanted! Five hundred bucks later I am the proud owner of a CLUNKER!

Given the title of the blog you may have figured out it needs a little work; I use the term "little" loosely.

In the month since I got it I have so far managed to:

• reassemble the dash
• remove bubbled paint on hood and sand down to bare metal
• rip the dash apart (I know this seems redundant but there is a method to my madness)
• removed and replaced the drivers door connector and wiring in order to get the power windows, locks and mirrors working...no extra parts left over...phew!
• located a 13 button on board computer and harness...not quite working yet...don't know why, it works on the bench
• figured out why the turn signals and four-way-flashers weren't working, and repaired it
• repaired the headlight switch
• located but not purchased a hood yet
• removed some extraneous wiring and the siren from an alarm system that Dave removed
• got in trouble from my wife from spending too much time with the car
• apologized...back to the car

My goals for the coming weeks are:

• get the instrument cluster and on board computer fully functional
• figure out why the rear windows don't work
• figure out what is draining the battery
• repair/replace the headliner
• replace the drivers door vapour barrier so water does not pour in when it rains