I go to college out here at Bentley, and am not familiar with any bimmer mechanics. My abs light, check coolant level, brake light circuit lights have been on for some time now and I should get it checked on. I know the abs is not working for some reason, i think the brake light circuit thing is a short in the wires (all lights work), and the coolant level is fine so I'm not sure there.

Could you please recommend a place that will not rip me off. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person, also have low funds (i'm a starving college student). Thanks for any help!

Whatever you do do NOT go to Little Foreign Car Garage in Waltham.

I recommend Landshark in Natick - lots of people have had good experiences with them.

There's also Autobahn in Lexington/Natick. I'll be giving them a try soon as I need some stuff done and Natick is too far.

These problems are probably all related to bad sensors.

The brake light circuit warning occurs because either the brake light switch gets bad over time or one of the bulbs isn't making good contact with its base. You can clean out the bulb socket with some fine emery cloth and put some bulb grease in the socket, but most likely you have a bad brake light switch. It is around $12.

The coolant level sensor gets clogged with grime over time. You can either try removing it and cleaning it then reinserting it, or you can just get a new coolant level sensor. I don't remember how much these are, but probably like $20.

These are the minor problems, and it's possible to do these repairs "on the side of the road". You should look into the ABS problem though. It's a safety issue.

One of the sensors might have gone bad. These are around $90 each, but you can sometimes get them used in the classifieds section. You'll need to get the car scanned by a fairly advanced scan tool (not a Peake code reader) in order to determine what ABS fault code is being generated, and which (if any) sensors are bad. This is not that easy of a DIY if you have no tools etc.

Thanks FredK. I've had problems with coolant 1.5yrs ago...I had to replace the fan and a belt because while driving to school I started seeing smoke come out from under the hood and also my power steering went on me. I'm not sure if something was not 100% fixed of if it may be just clogged.

Yes, there is somehting wrong with the ABS...I know because I've tested it out in an empty p-lot with snow.

Also, I get a squeeking noise under the hood. It happens ranodmly, but when it does, the pitch increases as I give it throttle. Has nothing to do with the gears, but with acceleration. Could this be the timing belt needs to be fixed (not necessarily replaced).

The squeaking noise may have to do with one of the belts. There is no timing belt per se but there's a serpentine belt that drives the waterpump, alternator, and power steering pump.

The belt tensioner shock may have gone bad, causing the wrong amount of tension to be placed on the belt, or the tensioner pulley bearing is going bad. Any competent mechanic should be able to diagnose the problem. This isn't a terribly expensive fix either.

Good luck!

There's also Autobahn in Lexington/Natick. I'll be giving them a try soon as I need some stuff done and Natick is too far.

My iX is there right now in Lexington. I'll let you know what i think when i get it back.

I always use Advance Automotive on Watertown Street in Nonantum. Steve does a good job and is always reasonable. Make sure he knows your desires before you leave, ie. fix whatever, call me before fixing, OEM parts vs. generic, that idea.

Another vote for Landshark. I pass many other shops on my drive to go to these guys, because their prices are great, their knowledge level is amazing, and i get to stand right next to them as they work on my car. That is way cooler than any fancy waiting room...

Hey nixbimmr,

Can't help you too much with the mechanic shops around the area, but I have my SRS light on at the moment... seat belt tensioner issue , but I go to Bentley too! I must have seen your car around at some point, I am going to guess it's the lowered red 325 as there aren't many of us around, I'm in the Black M3.
Give me a shout if ya like,

-CT

Hey CT- Yeah, I added you on my buddy list and clicked on your link. I think you were in my digital photography class, and who I assume is your gf is in my 401 class now. I'll i-m you some time when i have get a chance

nmehta211- I would agree with your post just by reading thier website. You can tell that they focus on customer oriented, knowledge, and passion for bimmer enthusiasts.

haha.. well then :D