One year in storage! ...Advice needed.

[AJundEinser]

Hey all,

So I am deployed again for a year and am smack dab in the middle of it. Here I am trying to plan my attack for when i get back.

Situation: The car, 2008 m-sport 135i 6m (35k miles) Dinan S2 (15k miles), is covered and sitting in Germany. It will be sitting untouched for one whole year.

Advice needed: What are the first things I should check/replace when I get back? Oil service, trans flush, coolant flush, brake fluid, tires, intake/cooling system, fuel system, valve timing belts???

Assumptions: FMIC will be replaced (including charge pipe), waterpump upgrade, HPFP upgrade, SS brake lines, walnut blasting is needed, suspension modifications are a must. Do not consider cost in your formation of an opinion, quality is of utmost importance.

[AJundEinser]

Also, i plan on getting a BT scanner. Oh and a new battery. What is the coding process all about?

[swagon]

From Mike Miller's schedule pdf:

Whether stored inside or out, close the HVAC system vents by shutting down the system, stuff stainless steel wool into the tailpipes and air intake, and put some mothballs under the hood. This is about all you can do to protect the car from rodents. Use the recommended amount of Sta-Bil (read the bottle) fuel treatment at the gas station before filling up the tank and driving to the storage location.

Use of a Battery Tender Plus (www.batterytender.com) or the equivalent BMW Advanced Battery Charging System is required, or your battery will be history long before you return from a trip or military deployment. A modern BMW will discharge its battery in a couple of weeks, rock dead. This is due to the number of electronic control units that are powered up all the time even when the car is in sleep mode.

Upon return, change the engine oil and the brake fluid, and if the coolant is more than two years old, change that, too. Do not forget to adjust tire pressure and remove the stainless steel wool and moth balls.

I'd also detail the car inside and out properly.

[ItsHectic]

Cant you get a family member to drive the car around for 10minutes each week?

[AJundEinser]

Family lives in the US. The US Army has made this difficult. I had just moved there prior to being deployed, so I had no one to trust with access to my child, I mean car.

[andrey_gta]

Take care of your battery while in storage. or have a spare one handy. Mine had weak signal after 4 months.

[kobeballer96]

Originally Posted by AJundEinser

Family lives in the US. The US Army has made this difficult. I had just moved there prior to being deployed, so I had no one to trust with access to my child, I mean car.

Welcome to my life. I'm deployed too, my 1er has been sitting in Germany for 7 months now under a car cover in the storage lot. All I did was change the oil and clean the inside and out and put the winter/water treatment in the tank so there wouldn't be any moisture. And I put the car in 1st gear with the ebrake down.

[corab]

Never heard of an upgraded water pump, for cars with an elctronic water pump, care to share any details

[spun]

Just disconnect the battery while in storage.

If you're worried about it getting stolen then pull the ECU fuse.

I don't know where you're keeping it but if its possible put it up on stands.
If not, check the tires when you get back to it.

I read your not supposed to keep fuel in the tank but its a PITA to get it out.
You might need a stabilizer when you get back to it (condensation=water in the tank)

[Dackelone]

There is no timing belt on N54/N55 engines. Just a chain and a polly ribbed belt for the accessories(alt/AC/PS).

I would change the engine oil and filter, trans and diff fluids, brake fluid and probably coolant - since its original(probably). You can buy a AGM battery from your local BMW Zentrum here. Mine only charged 40 euros to code the battery to the car.

Besides the BT tool, another option is the Torque App used with a BlueTooth dongle for the OBDII - althought it won't code a new battery to the car. But Tq App is good for checking and clearing codes.

It might make sense to replace the water pump and electronic thermostat when you change the coolant. Seems like lots of '08's and '09's water pumps fail early(~50K miles or so). There is no upgraded pump - as far as I know. I do think BMW has changed the supplier(and maybe the design) bc the later cars failure rates seem lower(in my water pump poll).

Dack

[TheSt|G]

Definitely change the belts when you get back, and if you could lift the car off the tires, that would be ideal.

[Fume]

There was that thread a while ago where someone disconnected their battery with their rear seats up and closed their trunk which pretty much locks you out of the trunk. So DON'T do that.

[gyrfalcon]

Originally Posted by Fume

There was that thread a while ago where someone disconnected their battery with their rear seats up and closed their trunk which pretty much locks you out of the trunk. So DON'T do that.

'08s still have a manual key opening for the trunk. I did the above for my deployment no issues.