[Thunderguts]

I replaced a few things on the ol' N52 this weekend...

The tensioner and belt were a breeze. The N52 is surprisingly easy to work on for many things. You've got much more room to work than a FWD car.

As for the hoses, nothing was too complicated, but the two quick release fittings going to the radiator were stuck on there pretty good. I cut part of them off with a Dremel rather than risk breaking the radiator neck. The thermostat and water pump proved a little easier than I expected, but the hardest part was getting the clamp on the hose from the engine block to the thermostat.

For anyone who cares, the total cost of hoses was $340. I used two BMW hoses and the rest were Rein. In retrospect, I don't think I'd replace most of them again. None of them were in bad shape. Oh well, I plan to keep this car for a long time and I'll probably never need to replace any of them again.

The only downside to everything is that I mistakenly tried to remove the radiator control sleeve rather than the drain plug and it automatically destroys itself when you do. Now I need to wait until Monday to get the replacement and fill it back up with coolant.