Driving my e30 5000 miles in 2 weeks... advice and suggestions

[Conrad311]

should be fine. i made an east coast road trip in my 87 and brought tools, an alt belt, plugs cap and rotor, coolant and oil. and all was well. took it like a champ. 230k on it too with a head with maybe 170?

also never road trip with out some duct tape, zip ties, hose clamps, jb weld, toilet paper and some stylish aviators. if you cant survive a road trip armed with those, your useless ;)

[sleepingbeauty]

oh yes, def change your oil before and after your trip. be nice you your 30.
And don't forget to bring pot.

btw, my buddy was arrested for having less then a gram of pot on him in your state during our trip from MA to CO, he had to return, cut his trip short, to go to court so he could pay $2500.

Illinois sucks. Chicago was fucken awesome when I went, loved it. cannot account for the rest of the state though.

[hexagone]

I've been looking into winter tires (all seasons on basketweaves now in the winter DOH!)... and it looks like I would have to go with 15"ers with what I've found on craigslist.

And incidentally, the only set of 15"s I have that would fit the car are a beater set of BBS RSs. Heh.

[Axxe]

Inspect your hoses before you go.

[evandael]

advice..

headlamp. so much better than flashlights. get your buddy one too
full size spare (if possible)
fuses
duct/electrical tape
zipties
AAA

and have a blast. its a journey. stay off the freeways, man. and be careful through the mountains

[Mlarsen]

I think you got it for stuff to bring. Before you go change the fluids, maybe a new air filter and plugs. Check the brakes, you know stuff like that.

[Lionel]

So I wanted any input from people that may have done this before, and the precautions they took or any extra gear they carried. My plan is to carry a spare alternator, water pump, starter, battery, belt, fluids, in addition to tools and swapping to a set of winter tires (mountain driving is foreseeable).

Other than that, I feel like I thoroughly trust the car... but anything can happen I guess. It's got 152k miles now. Advice?

Sounds like the car is in great shape and you'll probably be fine. Yet having made a 3,200 Mile/40+ hr trip from Monterrey Mexico up to Jersey in an e30 M3 I have the following suggestions.

as mentioned already,

spare Belts,
tools,
flashlight,
1 extra spare tire/donut
good jack
2 qts oil/1 gal coolant.
1 oil filter

I was very reckless when I made my trip and had none of the above.

GL.

Cheers,

L.

[merrrr]

MAke sure you have a nice bright flashlight, jug of coolant/water, oil, some sand (just incase) and umm a fleshlight. Oh and a toolkit in the trunk along with a baseball bat for when you travel through those rough areas.

haha yea dont forget your fleshlight

[sleepingbeauty]

ive done this from the east coast to west coast and back. It was a fun drive… suggestions… dont bother with a starter, tow cable will do the same trick, your manual right? not a hard jump, Ive pushed my car by myself and jumped it, go second gear, first locks up to quick. you should be pimpen though, just try to keep it around 100 for some good time. maybe a water pump gasket, doubt your water pump will go.

alternator? sure. belts, why not. I would suggest some coolant pre mixed and engine oil, your good to go

[HarryPotter]

MAke sure you have a nice bright flashlight, jug of coolant/water, oil, some sand (just incase) and umm a fleshlight. Oh and a toolkit in the trunk along with a baseball bat for when you travel through those rough areas.

[hexagone]

AAA Platinum... or whatever the one is called that gives you the free 200mi tow.

Having owned over a dozen old german cars, this has been a no brainer :p

[KenC]

AAA Platinum... or whatever the one is called that gives you the free 200mi tow.

[Denker]

If you're a member of BMWCCA, there is a guidebook called: "Friends of BMW." You will find hundreds of BMW owners in the book who would be willing to help you if you had a breakdown during your journey. In fact, many would be willing to put you up for the night if you let them know you are passing through their area.

[dannyyisntt]

Sounds like you'll be fine man. 152k isn't high miles in my book. Have fun!

[hexagone]

I never carried spare parts other than duct tape, and in retrospect maybe that was a little careless but it certainly added to the excitement.

Ahh duct tape. That could be a lifesaver.

... or necessary to shut my friend up after several days in the same car. Ha.