The Best Way to Detail a BMW Z3 Convertible Top

1. Rinse the top and surrounding areas of the Z3. You will want to wash the rest of the car after you wash the convertible top so that any dirt and debris from the top do not rinse off onto a freshly cleaned exterior.
2. Pre-treat any stains on the top (bird droppings, tar, etc.) with a convertible top stain remover, such as the kind from Wolfstein’s which is available online and from some auto parts stores. Spray the stain remover liberally onto any stains and let it soak in for a few minutes but do not let it dry. Rinse the stain remover off with water. Do not scrub the stain remover since it will just spread the stain around.
3. Wash the top with a soft bristle brush and a cleaner that does not contain detergents or conditioners. There are cleaners made specifically for convertible tops available online or at some auto parts stores. The bristles on the brush should be soft enough that you can rub them across your hand without hurting it.
4. Spray the cleaner liberally onto the top then gently scrub the top with the brush. Rinse the top with clean water then repeat the process of until the top is completely clean.
5. Dry the top by blotting the water off with a microfiber towel. Do not wipe the towel back and forth to dry the top. To clean the window, wet a microfiber towel with water then squeeze out most of the water. Wipe the window in a back and forth motion, then use a dry towel, wiping it back and forth, until the window is completely dry.

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How to Fix a Disabled BMW Radio

1. Locate the vehicle's personalized radio code in the car's manual. The radio code is usually located on a small white sticker on either the front or back cover of the owner's manual.
2. Place the key into the ignition and turn the vehicle on. Turn on the power button for the radio.
3. Use the station preset buttons to enter the radio code into the system and press and hold the 'Volume' button to complete the code. If entered correctly, the radio will become enabled and ready to use normally.

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How Do I Change an Alternator in a 2000 Audi A4?

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal, loosening the nut with a wrench.
2. Unplug the voltage regulator harness from the alternator. Remove the electrical wires from the alternator by removing the nuts with a wrench.
3. Turn the adjusting bolt counterclockwise with a ratchet and socket until the belt is loose enough to pull off of the pulley. Lift the belt off. Remove the mounting bolts from the alternator and pull it out of the car.
4. Put the new alternator in the car and tighten the bolts with the ratchet and socket. Place the belt on the alternator pulley and tighten the adjusting bolt until the belt is at the proper tension. Proper belt tension is when you can push the belt ¼ of an inch with your finger on its longest span.
5. Plug the voltage regulator harness into the alternator. Reconnect the wires and tighten the nuts with the wrench. Reconnect the battery terminal and tighten the nut with the wrench.

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How to Install a Timer in an Audi Turbo

1. Insert your flat-head screwdriver between your dashboard and the panel that sits on the driver's side end of it. Pry up to open the panel and reveal the fuse box.
2. Remove the 8 mm bolt on the side of the panel and the two 8 mm bolts that secure the kick panel underneath the steering wheel.
3. Grasp the dashboard panel on the left corner, and pull it directly towards you to remove it.
4. Disconnect the two wiring harnesses for the floor light and OBD port that are revealed after you remove the dash piece.
5. Open the hood, and disconnect the positive and negative terminals of your car's battery. Locate the thick black wire inside the car that comes down from the steering wheel and into the wiring harness under the kick panel.
6. Locate the power wire on your turbo timer, and wire it to the black 12V wire you located in Step 5. Using the razor blade, strip away some of the black wire's insulation and wrap the wiring from your turbo timer around the exposed wiring.
7. Connect the constant power wire from your turbo timer to the red wire that is near the black power wire you just stripped. Remove the nut at the end of the red wire using your 10 mm Allen wrench, and place the constant power wire from your turbo timer on the screw. Tighten the nut to secure the wire.
8. Connect the oxygen sensor wiring on your turbo timer to the brown parking brake wire that is located underneath your dashboard. Strip away some of the brown wire's insulation, wrap the oxygen sensor wiring around the exposed wire, and then insulate the connection with electrical tape.

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1998 Audi 2.8L Blower Motor Replacement Instructions

1. Park the car. Open the passenger's front door. Pull the trim off the end of the dash, where it seats against the door when the door is closed. The trim is held on with clips and can be pulled off by hand or gently pried off with a flat-blade screwdriver.
2. Open the door on the glove box. Remove the bolts that hold the glove box to the dash, using an 8-mm socket and ratchet. Unplug the wiring harness that goes to the glove box light. Remove the glove box from the dash -- the rear, lower edge of the glove box clips in place and is simply pulled up to release it.
3. Disconnect the wiring harness that plugs into the blower motor -- the motor is the round, black part that is bolted to the bottom of the dashboard. The wiring harness is on the rearward portion of the blower, and is a little difficult to reach.
4. Loosen and remove the bolts that fasten the blower motor to the underside of the dash, using the socket and ratchet. Set the old blower aside.
5. Plug the wiring harness into the new blower motor. Turn the ignition key to the 'On' position, then turn on the fan to ensure that the new blower functions properly. Bolt the new blower to the dash, using the socket and ratchet.
6. Reinstall the glove box with the bolts. Tighten the bolts with the socket. Plug the wiring harness back into the glove box light. Clip the dash side trim back into place. Enjoy your functioning heating and air conditioning.

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How to Charge a BMW Car Battery

1. Open the trunk and pull up the luggage compartment carpet and floor using the small black looped handle to expose the spare tire and battery compartments.
2. Turn the lock nuts on the battery compartment cover 1/4 turn counter-clockwise. The battery compartment is on the right side of the trunk.
3. Lift the battery cover off the battery to expose the battery terminals.
4. Before you plug the charger in, connect the red (positive) alligator clamp on the battery charger to the positive terminal on the battery. Connect the black (negative) alligator clamp to the negative terminal of the battery. Then plug the charger in. Following this sequence reduces sparking and the chance of and explosion.
5. Turn the battery charger on and set the charger to charge the BMW's battery over a period of 12 hours if the battery was completely dead before the charge.

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How to Install a GTI 1.8T Timing Belt

1. Jack up the car and place it securely on jack stands. Remove the passenger side wheel as well as the plastic liner inside the wheel arch.
2. Remove both engine covers, the upper timing belt cover and the belly pan. These are held on with spring clips.
3. Remove the lower charge pipe by removing the hose clamps with a flathead screwdriver.
4. Remove the sound-dampening shield that is located behind the lower intercooler tube. There are two tabs that are bent back with a screwdriver, allowing the shield to be pulled down and out.
5. Pull out the timing plug on the gearbox so that you can see the TDC (Top Dead Center) mark located on the flywheel.
6. Loosen the tensioner on the accessory belt with a 16 mm wrench. Lock the tensioner in the loose position with a small allen wrench or similar tool. Remove the accessory belt.
7. Remove the intake pipe from the throttle body hose. Finish removing the tensioner with a 13 mm wrench and set aside.
8. Remove the pulley located on the harmonic balancer. Turn the engine to TDC by placing a 19 mm socket on the crank bolt.
9. Place a jack under the motor with a piece of wood between the jack and the engine, and jack up the motor until the weight is supported by the jack.
10. Unscrew the two screws holding the coolant reservoir in place. Using a 10 mm deep socket, loosen the power steering reservoir so it can be pushed out of the way.
11. Remove the six bolts that hold the engine mount to the chassis and bracket. Slide the mount out of the top of the motor.
12. Jack the motor up a two or three inches. This will allow you to remove the rest of the engine mount.
13. Remove the five bolts that hold the middle and lower timing belt covers on with a 10 mm socket.
14. Make a mark on the timing belt and a corresponding mark on the crank gear and cam gear with paint or something similar.
15. Remove the small timing belt tensioner pulley ad the entire tensioner. Remove the timing belt.
16. Unbolt pump by removing the three 10 mm bolts if you are replacing the water pump (recommended). Pull and wiggle the pump to remove it.
17. Install new pump with a new O-ring. Wet the O-ring with coolant.
18. Transfer the marks from the old timing belt to the new timing belt. Install the new tensioner idle pulley.
19. Align the marks on the cam gear with the new belt. Place the belt on the crank gear with the marks in the right spot. This may take several attempts to get lined up correctly.
20. Install the new tensioner. Use a small allen wrench to keep the top bolt hole in alignment by sliding it through the bolt hole. Install the lower bolt, then the top bolt. Check to ensure that the marks on the belt, crank and cam have not shifted.
21. Turn the engine over with the crank bolt to ensure that the flwheel and cam gear line up with their TDC marks. The cam gear has a corresponding mark on the valve cover.
22. Reinstall all other components in the reverse of removal and top up the coolant.

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How to Install a CD Player in a BMW E32

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery. Grasp the front of the passenger's side rear seat and lift it up. Slide the seat forward to reveal the battery.
2. Loosen the bolt that secures the negative battery cable clamp to the negative battery terminal with a 10 mm wrench. Lift the cable from the terminal and set it aside.
3. Open the glove compartment. Reach under the front edge of the compartment and locate the four screws that span the length of the compartment's opening. Remove the screws with a Phillips head screwdriver. Remove the dash trim panel on the front of the dash, just above the glove compartment.
4. Pull the small trim panel next to the stereo away from the dash by hand.
5. Remove the two screws on either side of the stereo (at the top two corners) with a Phillips head screwdriver.
6. Slide the factory stereo from the BMW's stereo dock.
7. Disconnect the stereo wiring and antenna cable from the back of the factory stereo unit.
8. Insert the installation sleeve into the stereo dock. Feed the stereo wiring and antenna cable through the back of the sleeve.
9. Bend the metal tabs at the opening of the sleeve downward with a flat head screwdriver to secure it inside the dock.
10. Plug the stereo wiring connectors into the leads of the wiring harness adapter.
11. Plug the wiring harness adapter lead connectors into the outlets on the back of the new CD player. Plug the antenna cable into the FM antenna outlet located on the bottom left corner of the CD player's rear panel.
12. Slide the CD player into the stereo installation sleeve until it snaps into place.
13. Secure the two screws (one on either side of the stereo) using the Phillips head screwdriver.
14. Position the small dash panel against the dashboard on the right side of the stereo and press it back into place.
15. Place the trim panel above the glove compartment and replace the four screws on the other side of the glove compartment opening to secure the panel to the dash. Close the glove compartment. Return to the rear seat.
16. Place the negative battery cable clamp back around the negative battery terminal. Tighten the cable's clamp to the battery post with the 10 mm wrench.
17. Slide the rear seat back onto the rear seat bench and press down to snap it back into place.

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How to Replace a Cabin Air Filter on a BMW

Behind the Glove Compartment
1. Open the glove compartment and remove all the items from inside of it.
2. Remove the glove compartment assembly retainer screws with a Phillips head screwdriver. Refer to the repair manual for your specific year and model series BMW for the exact location of the screws or carefully look around the perimeter of the interior glove box assembly to locate the screws.
3. Locate the lower trim panel retaining screws behind the glove box assembly. Remove the screws with a Phillips head screwdriver and then remove the panel.
4. Remove the foot-well air duct.
5. Loosen the retaining screws of the control module box to all you to lower it down.
6. Turn the cabin air filter panel retaining knob counterclockwise to open the panel. Pull the filter removal tab outward to remove the filter.
7. Use a shop vac to clean out any noticeable debris from the cabin air filter housing interior.
8. Insert the new filter and reverse the order to reassemble the foot-well air duct, the trim panel and the glove compartment assembly.
Under the Hood
9. Open the hood and locate the cabin air filter housing. The housing is located near the cowling on the top section of the firewall. Some models place the housing in the middle of the cowling, on both sides--left and right--of the cowling or on the passenger side cowling. Removal of the cowling and placing the windshield wipers in the upward position may also be required on certain models. Some 7-Series BMWs place the filter housings on both the left and right side undercarriage of the hood.
10. Release the cabin air filter duct clamp. This can either be released by unclipping the air filter duct by pressing a retaining lock with your fingers or using a flathead screwdriver to pry off a retaining rod.
11. Lift the cover upward--or downward on hood-installed 7-Series BMWs--to reveal the cabin air filter.
12. Remove the cabin air filter from the air duct. Vacuum the air duct with a shop vac.
13. Insert the new cabin air filter(s) and reassemble.

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How to Change a Fuel Pump Relay

1. Disconnect the cable from the vehicle battery's negative terminal to shut off the power. Disconnecting the positive terminal is also a good precaution.
2. Open the hood and check inside the fuse box in the engine compartment. The fuel relay is located here on most cars. Check the underside of the fuse box lid for a diagram showing the fuses/relays in the box and their locations. If the relay is not in the fuse box, check the manual or with your mechanic.
3. Remove the fuel pump relay, which is a cube-shaped object that connects with prongs like an electrical plug. Disconnect the plug-in (and fuse, if needed) to the relay to remove it. If the relay is within the box, pry it out carefully with the help of a flathead screwdriver.
4. Use the old relay as a guide to get the correct replacement at an auto supply store. A new relay can range in price from $12 to $45. Some relay brands can be more reliable than others. Check with a store specialist for the best relay brand for your vehicle.
5. Install the new relay into place in the vehicle. Reconnect the plug-in, fuse and any other connectors. Reconnect the battery cables.
6. Repressurize the fuel system, as it should have depressurized after removing the relay. Make sure the gas cap is secure, then turn the ignition on for 2 seconds and shut it off for up to 10 seconds. Repeat at least 5 times; the recommended number can vary, depending on the vehicle.

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