update on this problem: i went to a mechanic close to my house (Black Mountain European Auto Repair) and the guy in there said (w/out running diagnostics), that he is 99% sure that it is the control idle valve. and if i replace it, everything would be fine. he gave me an estimate for replacing the valve and two hoses that connects to it for $280.
but i went to l.a. for a couple of days, recently just got back and i found this shop on colorado st. in gledale, ca (off the 5 freeway). it looks like a its a reputable shop. its clean and they only work specifically on bmws. looks like they have a lot of repetitive clients. seems to me that the mechanics know the owners of the cars. just about when i was already gonna talk to somebody my girlfriend suddenly felt like buggin me to go eat lunch. so we left. i called that shop a few hours later, and i was suprised. the guy on the other line actually talked to me! he didnt just blow me off and told me to just bring the car in so they could look at it. i told him about the problem and he told me that there's no way that it could be the idle control valve. he said it might be the air flow meter or the computer box. he asked me if there are any indication light that comes on whenever the problem occurs.. but theres none. so he said, 10% = air flow meter and 90% computer box. his explanation was: if there's anything wrong, the computer would tell you, but if the computer itself is causing the problem.. then of course it wouldnt.
ive decided to just bring it in to a local bmw dealership. we'll see what they have to say on this one. |