If you want something done right, ...

[JohnS]

I had my 74tii towed to what used to be a very reputable BMW shop in Santa Cruz to have the following items fixed after my guibo suffered a catastrophic failure which trashed my driveshaft and also the output flange on the transmission.  I hadn't been to this shop in a couple of years and was surprised that it was under new ownership.  The longtime owner had retired.  Bummer.

 

#1 - Replace Guibo (I provided new disk, bolts and locknuts (all original BMW parts).

#2 - Replace output flange on the transmission.  (I provided new BMW output flange and lock plate).

#2 - Replace damaged driveshaft (I provided new factory BMW driveshaft).

#3 - Replace transmission mount (I provided new factory BMW 320i type mount).

#4 - Replace stock 4-speed shift lever with one that I rebuilt using new internal parts.

 

So, I picked up the car late on Friday night.  I couldn't pick it up during the day, so I had arranged for them to leave it locked outside as I had a second key.  No problem.

First thing I noticed when I started the car was that the exhaust pipe was banging against the body of the car.  I had made that mistake myself before, so I knew exactly what the problem was.  Fail #1 - Exhaust pipe not adjusted correctly and thus hitting body.  Then I noticed that the shifter felt sort of strange, but I was able to shift and drive the car home.  I know that the stock 4-speed shift lever has a slight bend in it which tilts to the driver side just slightly.  Could they have installed it backwards?  I checked the next day and sure enough.  Fail #2 - Shift lever installed backwards.  So, today I jacked up the car to take a looksie at the guibo to make sure that they installed the bolts correctly with the nuts on the flanges.  Fail #3 - four of the guibo bolts installed backwards.  Then to my surprise.  Fail #4 - They had left the metal band on the guibo.  You're supposed to remove the band after you get the driveshaft all aligned properly.  Needless to say I was fuming at this point.  All I can say is that they will never touch my car again.  What a drag.  Moral of the story is that I should have done the work myself.  Live and learn.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day,

John

 

 

[Son of Marty]

John, even if you did the work your self your wife would tell you it's wrong?.

[bergie33]

Optimal or Catalpa? 

[JohnS]

1 hour ago, bergie33 said:

Optimal or Catalpa? 

Catalpa.  It makes me really sad.  I've been going there since the early 80's.  The original owner Wayne Strong and his sister Louise (RIP) we're so awesome and knowledgeable.  Wayne tuned both of my tiis to perfection and knew all the little details about our cars and was eager to share that knowledge with me.  I've never been to Nate Smith's Optimal Auto, but I'm going to check them out if I need something beyond my skills done.  I'm hoping they know the tii well.  We'll see.  Otherwise I'll have to travel a fair distance to get things done.  Cheers,

John

[bergie33]

That's too bad, Wayne really did love 2002s and had great knowledge of Tii's. 

[jgerock]

And this is why I try to do everything on my vehicles. Sad. Sorry you paid to have this done.

 

ps: Your gas tank is severely dented. Hope it doesn’t leak.

[JohnS]

Yes, the gas tank has been that way since I bought the car back in 1986.  I really should buy a new tank.  And of course I'd install that myself.  The only reason I chose to pay to have this work done is basically laziness and also I injured my lower back a while ago and am still trying to baby it a bit.  I really wish I had a lift ☺️

[Mike Self]

Yeah, our local 2002 go-to shop (Foreign Car Service) closed a few years ago; fortunately we have another good shop in the Dayton area with folks that know 2002s--and have demonstrated their competence, so all isn't lost.  

 

A small suggestion WRT your exhaust pipe:  the factory made the tailpipe a little too short; those exhaust stains on your rear bumper will eventually corrode the chrome, and cause rust on the bumper's back side.  This is especially true on 73s, with their extended rear bumper brackets, and all squarelights.  Your local auto parts store will have a short exhaust sleeve that will slip over the end of your existing tail pipe (with the chrome tip removed), and the chrome tip will then fit over the open end.  That'll extend the pipe just past the bumper and will prevent damage to the bumper itself.

 

mike

[tech71]

It's a shame to lose such a valuable resource and have it replaced by people who wont even crack open one of the readily available sources of data so they could learn how to do the job right.

[ray_]

Looks like they got the tranny mount installed right ;-)

 

... How close would you have been to buying a lift if you hadn't spent that money on labor?

 

Glad you have it sorted!

 

Cheers,

 

 

[AceAndrew]

Bolts in that orientation aren’t an issue. Well documented at this point.

 

There is certainly an old generation of knowledge that is moving into retirement.  However, I also have been privileged to watch a new generation of enthusiast shop owners begin to step up.

[JohnS]

52 minutes ago, AceAndrew said:

Bolts in that orientation aren’t an issue. Well documented at this point.

Oh really?  I guess I missed that in my reading on the topic.  That's good news.  That means all I have to do is get that little circlip off the lower part of the shift lever and rotate the lever 180 degrees and put the clip back on.  I'll also remove the metal band on the guibo (which is simple).  That's really good news.  Yesterday I started working on it by putting it up on jack stands and undoing the exhaust pipe.  I gave up after that because it was so frickin hot here in Santa Cruz and my lower back started acting up.  Thanks for the perspective Andrew.  I'll get'r done.  Cheers,

John

[JohnS]

3 hours ago, Mike Self said:

A small suggestion WRT your exhaust pipe:  the factory made the tailpipe a little too short; those exhaust stains on your rear bumper will eventually corrode the chrome, and cause rust on the bumper's back side.  This is especially true on 73s, with their extended rear bumper brackets, and all squarelights.  Your local auto parts store will have a short exhaust sleeve that will slip over the end of your existing tail pipe (with the chrome tip removed), and the chrome tip will then fit over the open end.  That'll extend the pipe just past the bumper and will prevent damage to the bumper itself.

 

mike

Totally understood Mike.  I will look into that.  For my 73tii I really care about such details.  On the 74tii, not so much.  It is a squaretail after all ?. It's been sort of a beater vehicle for me over the years.  I use it when I go surfing and it's been exposed to salt water and sand it's whole life.  I don't really want to fix it up too nice or else I'll get all anal about it (like I am with my 73tii) and not be able to enjoy it for going surfing as I do now.  I appreciate the advise though.  Cheers,

John

Edited May 30, 2022 by JohnS

[jgerock]

8 hours ago, JohnS said:

Yes, the gas tank has been that way since I bought the car back in 1986.  I really should buy a new tank.  And of course I'd install that myself.  The only reason I chose to pay to have this work done is basically laziness and also I injured my lower back a while ago and am still trying to baby it a bit.  I really wish I had a lift ☺️

I don’t have a lift in my little garage. I’ve done (2) 5 speed swaps on jackstands.

[tech71]

2 hours ago, jgerock said:

I don’t have a lift in my little garage. I’ve done (2) 5 speed swaps on jackstands.

I did one the jack stand way, that was enough for my aging back