New owner needs some overall advice

[raquadri]

Hey everyone! I'm a college kid who recently picked up a 95 318ti. I consider myself somewhat car savvy. I can maintain and upgrade a car decently but when it comes to upgrades I am a little inexperienced. I don't have much money but in the near future I am looking to do a little work on my car. I was just wondering what upgrades would benefit me the most for the least amount of money, in other words, best bang for my buck. I don't need my car to sound or look great but I do want a little better mileage or better low rpm acceleration. Any suggestions on what my first upgrade should be? Sry if I come off as ignorant. I just want to learn as much as I can.

[jca]

If it were my ti, the first thing that I would do (before I did any mods) would be to change all the fluids and all the filters in the car. That is your cheapest insurance against the failure of expensive components; engine, transmission, differential, power steering, etc. The first mod that I would do is to replace the headlight relay under the dash to the left of the steering wheel with one that gives you daytime driving lights...a very nice safety feature. Search the internet and you will find how to instructions. Your best bet to a better mileage and low rpm acceleration is a tune up which is simple on these cars: new spark plugs and a new fuel filter; that's it. Good luck and welcome to the site. John

[raquadri]

Thank you and I did all of that (except the day light , good advice) but I changed the tranny fluid and the differential fluid along with the oil, oil filter and air filter. I have changed the spark plugs (which I will) but I still have a few hundred to spend (did it all myself and saved tons of money) will the lights and plugs cost that much? I was actually thinking about getting some better tires as well mine still have tread but half of it is gone so idk how much longer I have on the plus they aren't the best.

[teen ti]

i might take a look at refreshing the cooling system they're notorious for going

[jca]

Originally Posted by raquadri

Thank you and I did all of that (except the day light , good advice) but I changed the tranny fluid and the differential fluid along with the oil, oil filter and air filter. I have changed the spark plugs (which I will) but I still have a few hundred to spend (did it all myself and saved tons of money) will the lights and plugs cost that much? I was actually thinking about getting some better tires as well mine still have tread but half of it is gone so idk how much longer I have on the plus they aren't the best.

The replacement headlight relay is about $60, I think. Plugs are not expensive at all. Recommend you use Bosch plain vanilla copper core plugs. Fancy plugs are a waste of money. I forgot about the cooling system. I would change out the thermostat and water pump as a preventive measure to avoid an overheating incident which can be fatal for the ti's aluminum engine. If the temp gauge ever gets over the half way mark, pull over fast and find out what's wrong. Always use BMW coolant and change it every two years. Enjoy your ti! John

[raquadri]

Awesome I'll definetly do this and let you all know when I'm ready for something else (next couple of paychecks) one last thing I'm using medium grade gas is that ok or do you recommend something else?

[jggonzalez]

I always use premium gas. Running a mid-grade may save a few pennies per gallon and that might add up to a hundred or two per year, but I think its worth it. Our engines will adjust to compensate for mid-grade, but I don't think you get the full economy and performance that they are capable of.

[raquadri]

Cool I'll do that then. Thanks again everyone.

[GrandpaTuner]

Welcome to the club.

[RAiMA]

Strip out all the weight. Your car will benefit from less weight from the suspension, to the brakes, to the tires, to the drive train, to the engine. It will also give better fuel economy and parts won't wear out as fast.