Only you wizard would have a Geiger counter in your toolbox 😂😂

3:02 the sound of someone who is no longer surprised by the odd things you own

@Neil542

8 ай бұрын

such enthusiasm 😂

It isn't as much that these older BMW's are so maintenance heavy, it's that they are so badly neglected. Yes, BMW parts can be expensive, but if you keep up maintenance per schedule, the costs tend to spread out over the years. This car is just another example of people selling it before or when it needed some expensive parts to be replaced and then the next owner(s) simply drove it without performing maintenance, leading to everything being worn out by the time the Wizard bought it.

@victoria19853

18 күн бұрын

As a BMW owner you nailed it. Don’t forget to keep the cost way low FCP euro is life time warranty on genuine bmw parts including fluids.

@RiddlerG3

17 күн бұрын

Very true sir, been on the receiving end of both situations, well maintained car and sold before it blew up car. The well maintained car I kept for 200.000 miles and only replaced the suspension and brakes + whatever "expired" due to milage like fluids, belts etc. The next owner kept it for another 100.000 and never spent a penny on it. Bought it back for pennies from him as a donor car for some parts that were hard to find like seats, trims, etc. as the rest of the car was not worth fixing at that point due to neglect.

'BUSTED My Wallet!' And now you know what BMW REALLY stands for.

@SKuLLxKruSHeR

8 ай бұрын

Bring More Wrenches

@SupremeKid98

8 ай бұрын

N52 is the lords work

@alancrisp1582

8 ай бұрын

🤑 B.M.W, are laughing 😂 all the way to the bank, because they know stupid people will keep buying, and fixing their vehicles !!.

@Sailor914

8 ай бұрын

“Barely Mechanically Worthy”

@onlyrog5

8 ай бұрын

👌👌👌

The old Coleman lantern mantles used to contain Thorium which is somewhat radioactive. In 1990 they replaced the Thorium with Yttrium which is minimally radioactive. This reduced the light output by 20% so the older mantles are somewhat sought after.

@paulshannon4576

8 ай бұрын

Interesting. 👍

@felicetanka

8 ай бұрын

I thought in usa they only made useless flashlights.

@aussie2uGA

8 ай бұрын

Man, we had so many of those Colemans in the Boy Scouts mid-eighties! Maybe thats what brought on all the early hairloss...

@NVRAMboi

8 ай бұрын

@wilsonlaidlaw: Thanks for that. I learn stuff here.

@NVRAMboi

8 ай бұрын

@@felicetanka And automotive clocks.

Any update on the BMW that was left without contact details or notes on problems? Having a BMW with the M54 six made the Grimes run down on things to keep an eye on of great interest to me and, while the combination of age, plastic and electronic components can make a trip to the mechanic daunting, the pre-Bangle 6 cylinder BMWs have a way of rewarding the experience when you get them back on the road.

After all of the mechanical fixes you performed, when do you think the paint will receive a detail deserving of the respect you have given the mechanical issues?

Add some bracing to it, honestly it transforms them from soggy to tight as a drum, beautiful cars a design classic in my opinion

BMWs that were built 20 years ago are pretty stout. But now BMW has decided to go overboard with plastic all over the engine bay. That plastic dries out and when you have to replace it the cost is as much as a metal part.

"Wow that's shocking dear" and then he proceeds to continue to talk without hesitation lol. His wife is a trooper. They are a match made in heaven haha. :):)

Lot of granite countertops would set off that Geiger counter too.. Take it to the market when you buy seafood! 😂😂

I’m digging the new and frequent BMW videos, Wizard - I know it’s not usual but certainly unique!

The Z3 is a reliable car for being over 20 yrs old. Today we are seeing brand new American cars getting engine replacements within 40k miles. Very big difference in quality despite what the haters want you to believe. I've put more money into my husband's 2015 Yukon in repairs than my Z3 for example.

That is a cool and lovely little scooter for the Mrs. Nice Job. New Coleman mantles use Yttrium not nearly as radioactive compared to the old-style mantles that used Thorium. Coleman used Uranium glass in the glass lamp shade in the old-style gasoline lamps (used indoors). The trade name was Kremelite or Kremax. Due to uranium military usage in WWII, the Kremelite glass was no longer available from the late 1930s. The glass glowed in the dark and when exposed to a black UV light. The mantles emit alpha particles - not really that harmful - just don't breath in the smoke created when you burn in new mantles.

@ptv16

8 ай бұрын

The hazard with the old mantles when they were used with a flame (in the active mantle), they transitioned into a hard metal oxide matrix. If these mantles were disturbed, (crushed by hand, etc.) they turned into a fine dust, which could be ingested or inhaled, which stays with you forever.

as a German speaking, these old BMWs are very reliable if you do preventitive maintance. Most parts are cheap here and if you take care of your car, its value rises quickly

@chadhaire1711

8 ай бұрын

Bullshit...BMW's require no more maintenance than other cars.....replacing lots of parts is not "preventive maintenance"==it is called REPAIRS.

@houseofno

8 ай бұрын

Exactly what I said. Pretty easy to pick out the BMW enthusiasts who understand these vs. the trolls and haters simply regurgitating the same phony garbage being circulated on the Internet. Those that KNOW, just KNOW. There's quite a number of very popular KZreadrs who understand these cars much better than the trolls I see here, including Jonny the Car Ninja and Sreten at M539 Restorations. Sreten in particular has built a remarkably large and loyal KZread following for his willingness to take on restoring a number of BMWs from the 80's through late models. Remarkably, he even took on a very difficult and challenging restoration of an E60 M5, replacing the notorious camshaft bearings on that car before they failed, which would have turned that E60 M5 into a very large and very expensive paperweight were it not for his timely intervention.

@chadhaire1711

8 ай бұрын

@@houseofno STILL MONEY PITS...period

@SereneSpeed

8 ай бұрын

@@houseofnoDang the cam bearings are also notorious on E60 M5s? I thought it was just the rod bearings, & a bakers dozen of other expensive issues, as reported by multiple BMW mechanics.

@user-ue6iv2rd1n

8 ай бұрын

I don't see how they're reliable if you have to replace half the car. I would say a Toyota is reliable since they don't need any of this work doing in the first place.

Glad you are able to count your Geigers. Most well-prepared tech I have seen. 😀👍

This is all normal deferred maintenance for a BMW with 100K on the clock. This is a solid car. But wait - no sagging glovebox?

It's the old adage; "If you can't afford a new one, you can't afford a used one". Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Wizard! Enjoy the car! ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

After watching Ms Wizards video on why she quit teaching I think she deserves to have fun and really enjoy life. Cool Z3

Needs a full detailing for sure! VanGo? Awesome car! Love the 90's Bimmers

I don't get why he always slates German cars. Would 25 year old American car not need new shocks, bushes, hoses, etc? These parts are made of rubber, they will disintigrate at the same speed on all cars.

@GadgetMart

8 ай бұрын

Any car would, I agree ridiculous comments. He spent as much as the car was worth because the car was dirt cheap. Those are totally the wrong tyres, guys clueless

@edkalsbeek1765

8 ай бұрын

Miata that age wouldn’t be any different or cheaper

@houseofno

8 ай бұрын

Actually I've seen a number of the earlier BMW's he didn't mind working on: I've seen an E24 6-series (1977 to 1989) as well as a beautiful black little E21 3-series (1977 to 1983) that were the lucky recipients of the Car Wizard's magic touch.

@BigBearBjorna

8 ай бұрын

Because he is american not german. Same in germany and Europe, people like german but critisize american made. What you do not know and do not feel attachments to is much easier to critizise, than something you might either have nostalgia or nationalistic tendencies for. If one dear brand has all sorts of issues it is easy to just find excuses, while if something foreign has issues it is easier to call it what it is, junk.

@fuckgoogle8661

2 ай бұрын

@@BigBearBjornaone of my best best friends brother in law works for ford, he was ordered to design them to be pieces of shit and calls them that. I’m aware of a few other of these sort of things but in short no one I know who works for an American car company I’ll buy or drive American. What does that tell you.

You can fix it Wizard! I wish I had your skills so that I could take care of my lady's car like you do. 👍🏻

@garrypritchard1658

8 ай бұрын

He don't do the work the man's full of shite

Streten from M539 would not even call it half sorted. Parts arent that expensive. The labor to do it is. Easy car to work on

@houseofno

8 ай бұрын

Anybody who knows Sreten from his videos truly understands these cars. The man's ability to turn BMW junk into BMW gems is well deserved and so is his success on KZread. His KZread channel is truly a DIY must-see.

I love how the wizard thinks spending all that money will prevent the car from breaking down three months from now

@NVRAMboi

8 ай бұрын

I used to not get his purchases of vehicles he doesn't recommend for his customers/viewers, but I think I get it now. He's a total car geek who likes the unusual and can (hands-on and financially) repair, enjoy and indulge his interests. He'll indulge an impulse until he's content with it, then sell it and grab another. Confession: I kinda envy him for that.

@TorquilMcLeod

8 ай бұрын

@@NVRAMboi Agreed. His recommendations are also for most people, whereas he's in the position to get parts at cost, and either not pay shop labour or only the labour of his employees.

@kinoromantic

8 ай бұрын

I ended up replacing almost everything in the engine bay of my mini Cooper S except for the engine block itself, and it still gave me gremlins. These cars are perfect when they are new, but as they age single parts replacement no longer results in reliability, because by virtue of their design individual parts are meant to work within the same level of precision with which they were put together from the factory (The German way). They are nice and fun to drive though if you're willing to put up with their temper tantrums :D

@splok2

8 ай бұрын

@romanaldaine6210 was yours an R53?

@user-sf7kl9uh7k

8 ай бұрын

The M52's actually a very reliable engine. I'd want the manual version but each to their own.

Nice Z3, these and the Z4s are the easiest BMWs to work on. Love em.

Cool Z3 but missing a pedal 😢

I know all about Uranium glass! It is also called "vaseline glass". I don't have any pieces, but they are less than about 2% Diuranate, and while they will fluoresce under a black light, they pose no real radiation threat. There are plates and dishes from the 1960's called Fiestaware that use diuranate, and they need special care, since they have a bit of tiny radioactivity.... GREAT video!

"It can add up so fast" *laughs in Land Rover*

Did anyone else notice The Wizard's magic trick at 5:01 as he asks if we are prepared to be amazed? ☮

That Smiths clock for the rolls royce silver cloud depending on condition is worth anywhere from $300-$800 USD.

Anyone else first think the green Christmas tree was a butt plug? Asking for a friend....

"Wow that's shocking dear" I absolutely love the tone of voice that Mrs. Wizard used.

Love Mrs. Wizzard's reaction to you having the geiger counter. LOL

Guys let’s say you bought z3 for 7 k spend mor 5k the bring the car really good shape still cheap for you have nice convertible to cruise on weekends !!!! Stop cray

That's a bud vase for masking the old car stink with flowers.

I have an 05 Ram 1500 140K stories to tell, owned since 07, and an 02 Durango with only on 71K. All need cars need maintenance. Hoses, control arms, W/pumps, batteries, belts, O2 sensors, tranny service,, head gaskets, manifold gaskets, etc. No car is bullet proof. The most dependable car I ever owned was my 01 Porsche 996 twin turbo. 13 years ownership, other than standard maintenance, brakes, oil, I only had to replace coolant reservoir, they tend to crack from compartment heat, and shifter cable. Car was drop dead - call the cops solid. I'm dishing out $9K for a 2000 Z3 2.5L with 79K miles tomorrow morning. It's in great shape, (I hope) the only leak a low pressure power steering line. It's amazing what they're going for today... Your videos are making it easier to sleep at night,,thank you for posting

I had a BMW Z4 for 6 years. It was a fun car to drive but I never had a visit to the dealer's shop that cost me less than $1,000.

@ron8566

8 ай бұрын

No surprise, but these are super simple cars to work on if you do the work yourself. And they are super reliable if you take care of the couple of trouble issues inherent to any and all cars. Oh, NEVER MIND - scratch all of this because if I let the secret out I won’t be able to buy these on the cheap and fix them myself on the cheap.

I'm not a beamer fan by any stretch...but that thing is sweet! Also, you could try some AT-205 in the transmission and see if that small leak goes away. It worked to stop a very small leak at the axle seal of rear diff in my 2006 Matrix 4WD. I just removed filler plug and transfer AT-205 to spray bottle, and sprayed some in. I would suggest adding about 1/2 of what they recommend for such a small leak and go from there.

Great Selection Mrs. Wizard. I have a 2001 and love it! I bought mine for $5,000 and then also spent $5,000 to get everything checked and fixed. Car Wizard was spot on with cost!

I see your rear window still has the crease. Please use the blanket provided with the vehicle to keep the crease from getting worse. I had 239,000 miles on mind and the rear window was still clear with no crease when I sold it.

THIS WAS A JOB FOR THE CAR NINJA!!!!!

A few years back I was looking for a convertible. I was looking at a BMW Z3 and went to some BMW forums and realized they are money pits. The first owner gets to about 60,000 miles and they fall apart and everything is expensive. I bought a 2003 Ford Thunderbird. That was also a money pit but I bought the Ford Premium Care and luckily it only cost me $100.00 per incident and there were a lot of incidents. I still have the T-Bird but glad I did not get the BMW Z3.

I sold my near perfect 1998 BMW Z3 M Roadster years ago with 25k miles on it. The only car I regret selling. Despite the mentioned maintenance costs, enjoy yours.

The new intro is much better. It's nice and short too. 🎉

At least you can still find the parts. Many cars after ten years old have no parts available.

I've replaced all the things he mentions under the hood on my car aswell. He doesn't mention the fan clutch, the actual plastic fan and the intake rubber boot. But those should be replaced too.

Yo all I've driven for 15 years is BMW I've owned 9 different BMW models I currently own a E-46 M3 and a '06 🆉🅷🅿 both are convertibles I have seen and done Soo much with BMW models and E-46 Models are my favorite ones though I'm trying to sort out my M3 at the moment so I have some emergency services done before I can drive it before I get some things replaced I'm really looking for to getting my M3 all done this Z3 looks really clean glad you can get this back in Ultimate condition Wizard 💯

Nice refresh Dave. I recently bought a non-running '98 1.9L Z3 with 135,000 miles on it and look forward to discovering the real cost, but fortunately for me I got it for AU$2500 plus AU$695 shipping from interstate. Considering they're north of AU$10k in good condition there's ample wiggle room for this to still be a bargain buy. Mine is Anthracite metallic with black leather and is a 5-speed manual. Oh, and the sunroof is perfect. 🙂

I did not know the Z3 could have all these issues, but people still love it since it was in the James Bond film GOLDENEYE, though the Ferrari F355 actually has even worse issues and tend to just fall apart all over the place. The Bond people picked the Z3 over the Aston Martin DB7, when the DB7 was having immediate issues. Thanks for another great video!

Hey wizard! As old bmw like these can be plagued with cooling issues, the Achilles heal for these motors are the plastic thermostat housings. Many people who refresh the coolant will replace them with metal housings, which are plentiful and available. Since you did replace it, I wouldn't worry so much, but it is a good reliability mod. Another good mod would be to replace the rear subframe bushings with polyurethane. It won't cause NVH, but it will ensure that the diff mount won't shear off at the spot welds.

@stephencurry8552

8 ай бұрын

david: Those metal thermostat housings are not well made.

@JohnHoganN8

8 ай бұрын

A good mod would be replacing it with a Toyota.

@stephencurry8552

8 ай бұрын

@@JohnHoganN8 Never had problems with my BMW's.

@violetgt5727

8 ай бұрын

@@JohnHoganN8 yes, the solution to having a fun car is to replace it with regular ass traffic.

@21Piloteer

8 ай бұрын

​@@stephencurry8552 And the lie detector test determined......that was a lie.

Wizard, you should bought that red Mercedes 450 SL from Euro Asian Bob for Mrs Wizard!

All of the uranium glass I have seen is much more green than that. Not all old green glass is uranium glass. Best to use a black light to really check it.

Dude that little Christmas tree is the coolest thing in the box (that's actually kind of funny...). Anyway, love that!!

BMW Z3, ​​cool, I'll watch it! You get distracted for a second, and suddenly there's a radioactive Christmas tree!

We used those Coleman lanterns when I was a Boy Scout in the late 1950s - early 1960s. The lanterns hissed. I was always afraid that they would blow up.

I'm thankful that you produced this video - I've been taking a good look at some Z3s on marketplace and I think I'll stop looking now.

I bet those old glow in the dark wind up wristwatches would set that geiger counter off big time!

Shine a UV light or laser pointer on the “Christmas tree”. 😊 Also try that with the lamp mantles.

The salt and pepper shakers might be Waterford Crystal. You should check them out as it was with other Rolls-Royce goodies. As for the radioactive things.... check out a banana: Bananas are radioactive due to the radioactive isotope of Potassium it contains...

Trust BMW to be the only brand where the damn BADGES are a maintenence item 😂

@shedtime_au

6 ай бұрын

Oh no, Alfa Romeo are as well.

That was fun!! I FOUND IT FASCINATING,,,,Mrs. Wizard reacted exactly like my wife would have!! Lol

I love coleman lanterns... Still use the pump up lantern and cook stove when i camp today.

Van's 'mystery box' is very cool. Enjoyed that. Grimes s/get the RR fender protector for Christmas! The moral of this channel: don't buy expensive exotics unless: a) you're an automotive brainiac car fan who owns his own shop, and b) see addendum a). Thanks Wizard! (And thanks Van.)

@houseofno

8 ай бұрын

Not necessarily true. You obviously haven't seen Sreten on M539 Restorations. He started out with fairly basic tools, skills, knowledge, didn't even have his own shop. He built a solid reputation on KZread the old fashioned way - he earned it through honest work, restoring over a dozen formerly non-running BMW relics. He has truly one of the best BMW DIY channels on KZread.

The mantles are coated were coated with thorium nitrate. Sometime in the 90s the thorium was replaced with yttrium but they are not as bright when used.

My girlfriend of 20 years has been going to the cancer center for the last year since she got out of Cleveland Clinic after a month and half in January and I’m sure that thing would be off the charts there. There signs in the bathrooms about washing really well after going to the bathroom and making sure the toilet is flushed and wiped off. I know it’s not appropriate but I’m assuming if someone was to take that into the bathroom it would being going off the charts.

That's not a Christmas tree, its an antique automotive bud vase that was mounted in the interior. They fit into brackets which held them upright. They were a popular aftermarket item during the early days of cars and came lots of different colors and designs.

Iconic car, beautiful color! Best owners possible. Ty Mr & Mrs wizard for the great content

I recently bought one a 97 for $1600. It was it in the garage parked for many years. It still runs and drives but I’m in the process of doing the cooling system. I’ve already done the front suspension. I’ve still gotta do the bushings in the rear, I’ve installed drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic brake pads and of course it needs tires from sitting

Not trying to get those Rolls Folks upset - But Grey Poupon is really great with Spam!

I'd suggest sticking with name brand USB chargers, as a lot of those cheap ones don't provide the best quality power (though this is more of an issue with AC chargers which need to convert to DC). These days, it's usually better to get ones with USB-C outputs for the sake of support of rapid charge standards such as Power Delivery. I've had an Anker PowerDrive Speed+ for years now and it continues to work great with every device I throw at it.

Almost 1 million subs! Congratulations

loveley z3! i like the older beaers more than modern ones. Love watching your videos from Cape Town SA. For several years. Keep up the good vids.

@shedtime_au

6 ай бұрын

Yep. When I drive mine I'll be imagining that it's a 1600 GT.

I've been rehabbing various BMWs as part of my car hobby. A friend has a mint Z3 that's fantastic. I ran into a Z3 at a repo auction that was obviously someone's project car. Even though I do all my own work, the parts cost to replace everything that was broken or missing was more that what the finished car would be worth. I'll still get one if I can grab one in better condition.

@07wrxtr1

7 ай бұрын

My girl has a 2010 535i w 184,000 miles… tips?

I have plenty of memories doing used car safety's on these back in the dealer day's

are they bud vaces for old cars in the1920 to hold flowers

So Wizard how much did it cost to get fixed?

I've used a Coleman propane lantern with those mantles fairly recently. The warmth plus light was nice to have in a yurt with no electricity or stove on a chilly night.

Good job on the BMW but you might want to test that Nissan Figaro you've got just in case it was a Fukushima car... as I've heard of a few cases of cars from that area of Japan being sold at auctions for export.

VANOS still strikes me as a name for a comic book villain…

5:05 when you tested the mantel piece , the camera brightened 😮

There are many people that collect Uranium glass castings. You can make a few bucks auctioning them off. BTW - they also glow in the dark under UV lighting. As for the BMW - I like the tall sidewalls; they give a better ride over rough road conditions and are less likely to rupture on damaged surfaces. As for people saying that they hurt handling - that's a myth. Proof? Formula One cars pull 3 to 4g on the track. They do NOT run low profile tires. Low profiles are for looks - nothing more.

@jomaoliveira7949

8 ай бұрын

You are technically right but quality tall sidewall tyres aren't available anymore. Sadly, quality tyres are offered only on low profile sizes.

Had a ex girlfriend who was into uranium glass. Was wild to sit in the collection with a black light in the dark.

You forgot the vanos seals ...make a big difference in gas mileage and Acceleration

Those thorium-rich mantles are exactly as radioactive as I expect them to be! I used them for a while, but the noisy nature of the Coleman lamps led me to switch to battery-operated lamps.

6k on a 6k premium car is not bad. Total 1.2k equals to a monthly rent for my studio. 😒

The 1995-1999 Nissan Gloria/Cedric parked next to the Silver Chevy Z04 is so beautiful.

I wonder if anyone has invented plastic windows for convertible tops that don't scratch/haze easily? Every top with that type of window looks so bad after just a few years.

You might could make that cig lighter outlet a switched one. My versa has a switched outlet and saves me a lot of grief

Rolls Royce coffee cups... Do they leak constantly??

Nice! I have a 1998 M-Roadster. Bought it back in 2009, I have never seen the CEL on.

At least you didn't have the mechanic bill! I knew there was a reason why i didn't go camping when i was younger in th 70's.

The car looks gorgeous and like new . Have I ever mentioned that I love your beautiful voice? I wish you many many miles of safe and happy travels in your BMW. A word to the wise...keep it out of the snow ❄️

Mrs wizard seemed so surprised "wow that's shocking dear"

The show and tell about the box contents was so random lol but i enjoyed.

What Ms. Wizard said at 3:03 is so relatable

Car Wizard, you are AMAZING. Love your videos

If I find a lens cap, I need to buy a camera to attach it to. Now that you have a Rolls Royce fender cover...

If you want to spend more money, take that car to that detailed Hoovie has used. They will make that paint glow

YOU ARE A SCIENCE WIZARD DAVID!!!!!!!!!

with Bring My Wallet the Wizard IS going to get that phone call in 3 months or sooner 🤣🤣