I just placed an order with my local dealership. My car has been making some interesting noises/shuddering at high torque/low rpm levels and I'm thinking it's my guibo. I replaced it at 60k miles, and am just 20 miles short of 120k, and with my higher-rpm 3.46 LSD, I'm thinking it's time for a new one. I'm stuck in Miami and can't get under the car to confirm it's the guibo, but I'll be home tonight and will get the car up on ramps/jackstands and see what's what.

Here's what $450-ish gets you in St. Pete:

1) Guibo, 6 bolts, 6 nuts (I always replace wear parts - not replacing $2 parts here or there isn't worth my time later)
2) Center support bearing, snap ring, and dust covers (ditto above)
3) Engine mounts (for the "my car makes a rattling noise when idling with the AC running" problem) and 4 nuts
4) Tonneau lid "shocks" (for the "my top bangs into the convertible lid" problem)
5) Trunk lid "shocks" (for the "my trunk doesn't get up like it used to" problem)
6) Push button for my glove box (the plastic prongs that hold it in place snapped and the button came flying out!) and replacement spring

Now to get some beers and other more essential supplies on my drive home. :)

I'll be doing all these projects this weekend plus I will be mounting my BSW ib108 Subwoofer amp in my trunk somewheres.

Anyone want me to take some pictures of any of these projects as I do them?

Any "tips and tricks" to share with me? (Besides Mparallel's well documented suggestion to remove the tonneau lid - that's already planned)

Anyone in Tampa Bay/St. Pete want to stop by and help throw wrenches? I'll buy the beer and pizza...

BB

p.s. Mentioning I was a BMWCCA member saved me about $100 on this total order. :redspot

I need that glove compartment thing, do you have a part? I need to tinker with bungee cords also because my installer claims he never heard of this after putting in new tension straps that still did not fix it. :(

take pics of all of them!:)

...what's a guibo?

...what's a guibo?
where's the search button?

I need that glove compartment thing, do you have a part?

X2 Mine still sits in there, but the clip broke a long time ago.

No pics - sorry. Left my camera in Miami...

Glove Box Button (beige): 51168170673 ($2.51 realoem)
There's a spring too, but I can't find the p/n. Realoem is your friend... This is a 2 second repair - if you're driving around with your busted push button in your cupholder, man up and go to a stealership to get the part. It's relatively cheap. And once you fix it your car will look less "ghetto". Yes, your friends are laughing about this behind your back...

I did the guibo (aka flexdisk - BMW broke the drivetrain in two and connects it using the flexdisk - vibrations are reduced and expensive parts are saved by this planned wear part). Now the car accelerates silky smooth. Nice. And many strange vibrations/rattles are now gone.

Tip I learned from this: Don't assume that many vibrations in your car are there "just because" you have a convertible. :nono If it shakes an excessive amount (enough to drive you nuts) it's probably because of something worn out...

Gave up on the center support bearing - I may regret this later but the part looked perfect from when I replaced it at 65k miles. I ran out of time and my helper bailed on me, so I had to start putting parts back on. The joy of operating on your daily driver/only car...

The engine mounts were a b*tch for one simple reason - I didn't have a 16mm DEEP SOCKET handy. I borrowed one from a neighbor and it was simple after that. Hellrot325's write up in the "general" e36 forum tells you all you need to know except for two things: the convertibles have a different type engine mount (it has metal flanges on both ends and is roughly cylindrical vs. the standard one which only has a metal bottom and is roughly cone-shaped). Also, I suspect the convertible one may be a bit longer (which may be why the deep sockets help). It also may require 'vert owners to jack the engine up higher. Oh, and removing your crossbar should help with this too.

The trunk shocks were super-easy to replace and made a drastic difference. Should take like 10 mins total to replace and requires a small screwdriver (to remove the clips) and maybe a rubber mallet. Now my trunk springs up.

I didn't do the convertible lid shocks yet - will do next weekend and will take pix then. I'm glad I did the trunk shocks already - they look just like the convertible lid shocks, only bigger. Getting some practice with the retaining clips in an open-air environment like the trunk helped. Lid shocks should be simple.

You might find this useful when you replace the gp springs for the softtop lid. See post #7.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=775778

Thanks for the tip. What did you use to make your tool?

I started with a piece of flat iron stock 1/8" x 1/2" x 10". I clamped it in a vise and put 90 degree bends at each end, about 1" long. The clip is a piece of coat hanger that keeps the spring from popping out of the holder - you could use a zip tie and just cut it after the spring is in place.

Also, the gp spring has a gooves on both sides on the end with the clips. You can position the clip in the groove near the far end to intall it and then just slide the clip up and it will snap in place to lock the spring to the ball stud.

I started with a piece of flat iron stock 1/8" x 1/2" x 10". I clamped it in a vise and put 90 degree bends at each end, about 1" long. The clip is a piece of coat hanger that keeps the spring from popping out of the holder - you could use a zip tie and just cut it after the spring is in place.

Sweet! Home Depot here I come!

Also, the gp spring has a gooves on both sides on the end with the clips. You can position the clip in the groove near the far end to intall it and then just slide the clip up and it will snap in place to lock the spring to the ball stud.

Yup - did that with the trunk ones - worked like a charm.

Thanks.