All posts by Terry Pitts

Terry is a retired school teacher, retired Army Reservist, and retired civilian Department of the Army Civilian working about half the time as a pilot and flight instructor. He has been flying since age 19, adding gliders in 2011. He's been an FAA certificated flight instructor since 2013.
Improvement, Maintenance

Keys, please

THE CAR ONLY came with one key. That’s not really convenient for lots of reasons. I googled and found the BMW Mini Part Store recommended a couple of times as a place to get a real BMW key properly cut and coded at a bit of a discount. When the car was new it came with two regular “clicker” keys and one valet key. I decided to order one of each so I’d have the same as it came when new.

New BMW Keys
New BMW Keys

Once the new key arrived it was time to program it. To do this procedure you need to have one working key and one key that needs to be programmed.

  1. Get in and close all doors.
  2. Turn on the ignition and turn off quickly. (No more than 5 seconds) to start the process. Next action must take place within 30 seconds.
  3. Remove the 1st key.
  4. Hold the key up near your left shoulder (this is so it is closer to the remote receiver antenna.
  5. Hold down the unlock button and press the lock button 3 times. Release the unlock button and the doors lock which confirms the operation.
  6. Quickly repeat steps 4 & 5 for key #2 etc.

If it does not work, try doing the keys in opposite order. Key 2 then key 1, vs 1 then 2.

This alternate procedure also works if you accidentally “de-program” your good key.

If you do not have a working remote, there is an alternate procedure available. This alternate procedure also works if you accidentally “de-program” your good key. Don’t ask me how I know!

  1. Turn key to position 1 five times very quickly.
  2. Remove key.
  3. Hold unlock button then press lock button 3 times, release unlock button.
  4. If you have another key do the same button pressing within 30 seconds.
  5. Turn on ignition to finalize.

NOTE: This programming procedure programs the remote control part of the key. Any transponder chip for the immobiliser (starting of car) will not be programmed and must be done by a specialist.

These keys have a rechargeable, but not easily replaceable battery. The battery charges wirelessly when in the ignition. It’s important to periodically rotate the keys to keep them both charged. If the battery dies, there is a guy who can replace them named Scott Johnson. I had him do one of the keys on Gretel 2.0 (The 2003 328). It was nicely done. Scott also repairs the GM5 module that controls the remote locks and windows. If I ever have this problem I’ll send the module to Scott, though Gretel’s got fixed in Germany since it made no sense to mail the part 3,000 miles when 300km would do! (The X3 doesn’t use the GM5 for locks/windows.)

Cars

BMWs I have owned

I HAVE OWNED four BMWs, one of which I still have. In the process of owning these cars, I’ve become an avid tinkerer on them.

The first was a 1992 525i Touring (Station Wagon/Estate Car, depending one where you call home). I was recently arrived in Germany and needed a car. One of the guys in the office had committed to buying a car from someone who was leaving. His family didn’t like the car, so he needed to find a new buyer. I became the owner of a then 19-year old gold car. I paid $2,000 for it. It needed work.

I ended up having much of the work done, though in retrospect, had I known then how much DIY info is available online, I could have done a bit more. All in all, I was happy with the car. When I left Germany in 2013, I sold it for $2,400 as a much better car then when I bought it. It’s my understanding that at least as of early 2017 the car was still seen in action around Patch Barracks in Stuttgart Germany.

In 2015 I was back in Germany. I needed a car. An Army friend was leaving and had a 1999 318i Touring to sell. I bought it for $1,300. It needed work. Lots of work. I did all of it myself. After about a year, Melissa and I stumbled across what was going to become the next car. I bought number three. Number two several weeks later sold for $2,000 as a much, much better car than when I bought it.

Number three was a 2003 325i Touring I bought for $3,500. It needed work. Again, lots of work. It ended up being the nicest car I had ever owned at the time. I put many long weekends and evenings into fixing problems and replacing worn parts. One of the guys at the base Auto Skills Center laughed once when I told him what I wanted to do. Really. When I was done changing the crankcase ventilation valve, I told him if I ever suggested anything that painful again to stop me before I started! I put just over $1,700 in parts into the car. The labor was pretty much just my own sweat.

I was getting ready to leave Germany and found myself wishing I had purchased a US specifications car. With all the work I had put into it, I would have gladly brought it home with me. I found a US model 2004 BMW X3 that had lots of potential, but the seller/owner and I couldn’t come to terms on it. I sold the car for $4,200 as a really, really, really nice car and put the money in the bank.

Two days ago I got an email from BMW inviting me to test drive a new, 2017 X3. I had to laugh because I was on the way home with a 2006 X3! It needs work. Not a lot of work. It will allow me to tinker and improve another car. This one I will likely drive for a number of years.

None of the first three cars was intended to be a “flip” car, but it worked out that way. This time, I expect I’ll drive the X3 for a few years. This blog will be the story of how it gets better. I hope you enjoy reading about the projects as much as I expect to enjoy doing them!