by joseph » Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:29 am
Well, you purchased an old BMW for 1500 bucks, there are bound to be problems. I assume you knew about these prior to buying? But, all of the problems sound fixable.
1) Replace the speedometer with one off of ebay. I had a 93 325i that had the speedo stop working and i purchased a used one off ebay. Make sure you keep the old one though and note the actual mileage. If you do change gauge clusters the mileage will not transfer over and thus you might have a hard time selling it if someone asks about mileage.
2) Ebay again on the window. It sounds like it could be your switches. They are cheap on ebay, just make sure you take the old ones out first and make sure you have the right color on the back of the switch as the one you are ordering or it wont work. If that doesn't work, it might be the position switch inside the doors that tell the window if it is all the way up or down. They could be messing with the system. I would change the switches first then if that doesn't work go for the sensors in the doors.
3) Old BMW sunroofs are know for not working. Could be that its cold, or it could be that you need a new motor. Wait till it warms up and see. If it still isn't working, you should check on ebay for a used motor. You can also open the sunroof with an allen wrench if it does get stuck. Check the owners manual to see how to do it.
4) The aftermarket stereo could be so many things that I cant begin to help you with it. BMW's have a special amp that is used in the trunk that is bypassed when an aftermarket stereo is put in. Could be an issue with the bypass, could be a fuse, could be the stereo itself. I would take it to like a cartoys or bestbuy and have them look at it.
Just FYI, the electrical systems on any old German car is going to be its weakness. The engine will run forever, its just that the whole car around it will start falling apart. I would recommend getting the Chiltons or Haynes manual for the car and learn about it, it helped me a ton when i owned 2 of the E36 BMW's like you have.