When I started this project I had one goal: to make an economical, mechanically simple yet comfortable commuter to try and keep my BMW 3 series wagon from reaching the end of its warranty miles (100K) a year before the warranty termination date (3/10). I think I have achieved my goal but I have had some small teething problems in addition to the long list of perceived problems I made before I started driving the Berlina daily.
At 83961 miles I put in 10.7 gallons in to fill it up. This morning at 84,300 miles I put 10.17 gallons in. 339 miles on 10.17 gallons of gas equals 33.3 mpg. Amazing for a 1750 with dual Dellortos and 10548 cams being driven ‘spiritedly’ as the Brit’s like to say! Even if my odometer is off by 10% I’m doing good. I guess the economical part of my goal is currently exceeding expectations. It can also be said that when the fuel gauge starts looking low I still have about 5 gallons of gas. I will take a few more MPG readings over the next few weeks and report. I will also try and check how many miles my car thinks a mile is.
Leaky Axle seal? Probably. Squeek from a loose sway bar mount? Maybe. Worn out trunion bushes? I hope not. In addition to the obvious leak I get a little more wiggle in the rear end in cornering than I am used to in an Alfa and some squeeks. I’ll probably have to stick my head under here this weekend.
My old list of complaints from Berlina #4: “The radio is SUPER quiet at full volume, the windshield wipers don’t work, the drivers side rear turn signal doesn’t work, the front brakes are wore-out, a good stink gets into the cabin through missing fire-wall grommets, there is no horn, the high beams only work on one side, there are no sun visors because the bosses are being used to hold the wink mirror, the drivers side carpet bunches up under the pedals, the drivers window regulator is almost dead, the parking brake is weak…”
The radio: It sounds low-tech but I stuck my hand in the back of the radio and jiggled the wires and the drivers door speaker came to life and has worked ever since. It even get s NPR in pretty good for having had vandals (or crackheads) rip the antennae off.
The windshield wipers: I noticed the #1fuse was bown so I replaced it and checked for power to the blue wiper circuit wires, yes, power. I toggled the wipers to on but nothing happened. While checking for loose connections I noticed the wires were getting hot like they were carrying a lot of amps trying to overcome resistance.  I reached out and gave a wiper arm a nudge and they came to life. I think they sort of froze in place from a lack of use. They have worked ever since.
Drivers side rear signal: Started working on its own once I put the new fuse in above. The signals, except this one,  worked for a bit so the fuse above must have blown after I started using the car. Maybe I left the wiper toggle on?
Brakes: Have improved though still are a little rough feeling. I think maybe there was some rust on the rotors as suggested by Andrew. Still need to check pad wear and maybe replace the rotors if the harshness persists.
Stink: The spare tire well is rusted out so I duct taped over the holes and the stink is greatly reduced. I’ll have to look elsewhere for a cheap buzz… A permanent fiberglass fix is probably in my future.
Horn: Andrew pressed on the horn button while test driving it and it worked. I guess it needed some driving vibrations to make it come to life.
Highbeams:Â Started working after a few days of driving.
The rest of the complaints have gone unanswered but progress, no matter how unintentional has been made.
Here’s a view of the rust from the underside.  The white is the sticky side of the duct tape patch I made seen through the holes.Â
Some teething issues: the drivers side headlight burned out yesterday morning with a flash and the throttle linkage came undone this morning. I spent 5 minutes roadside and got dirty but it’s a pretty light issue for such a major transplant.Â
This is the view a lot of my fellow commuters see as I make my way to work.
There you have it, even after all these years a Berlina is still a pretty good way to get around. I imagine my cost of ownership will be quite low if things keep to the current track.