VIN decoding, Diagrams, Obtaining Parts, and Online Forums.

So you've dedicated yourself to owning a classic BMW, and plan on doing most of the repairs yourself. First, take some time to know your bimmer, from its VIN, stats, production date, and anything that is unique about the car. Especially when trying to order parts, it is very important to receive the correct items. In a bind the local dealer will be able to help you, but you will pay a significant amount for that convenience. Education and preparation will save your pocketbook. Don't try to just walk blindly into a local parts shop and expect to get what you need. Either they won't have it or will special order the wrong part for you. One of the best free resources out there is http://www.realoem.com/bmw/ Enter in the last 7 digits of your VIN and get very detailed diagrams for almost everything on the car. The diagrams also have the OEM part numbers for reference. In addition, obtain a service manual as soon as possible. You can skip alot of guesswork on repairs by using an official reference source.

To decode your VIN you could go to a local delearship and ask nicely, or look online for a decoder. Don't forget to look at the plate stamped into the inside of your driver side door jam. It includes date of production which is sometimes critical in ordering the right parts. For a quick VIN decoder online try http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/ in German, or http://www.vehicleidentificationnumber.com/bmw.html in English. If you're good with translation you'll find the German site includes the plant location where your bimmer was produced.

For online parts I have had the best luck with PartsTrain. They were especially helpful when the listed slave cylinder they sent didn't match up. Even with part numbers, diagrams and the official service manual, every now and then something I need to repair just doesn't match up with what's in print. When that happened with PartsTrain I sent a photo via email of the slave cylinder off the 318is and one of the techs in the warehouse matched it to the right one. They sent it out asap and even sent a box to return the wrong part. Pelican Parts is also a good site.They have some very helpful technical articles for most needed E36 projects. The DIY's are detailed with photographs and clear instructions.They also carry some OEM parts at fair prices.

Online forums are additional sources of information. Most problems you encounter have been met before by other E36 owners. By running a Google search on your problem you'll find a lot of 'answers'. Read as many as you can, take notes, sort out the reasonable stuff, and proceed with caution. While some forum posters have found great solutions either from experience or trial & error, some like to take shortcuts and fix things with a sawzall, hammer, torch and duct tape. So far I've had luck finding useful answers on Bimmerforums and BimmerDIY. Each forum one seems to have its own unique personality and collective knowledge. Find a couple groups that that you can relate to and start your searches there.

Last, but not least, great places on finding resources for parts are local scrap yards. The best and most fun are the 'you pull it yourself' junk yards. Not only are these excellent sources of inexpensive parts, it gives you the ability to carefully select the parts you need. For me an afternoon in one of these pick-a-part yards is a very peaceful Zen experience, like choosing the best ripened grapes from a vineyard in making a great wine. On the flip side its also like being a kid in a candy store, and sometimes you'll end up getting many more parts than you need just to fill your, 'But really I just might need this someday' parts box at home. Best advice, take a shopping list with you before you go and just enough cash to pay for the parts you need.