Comments

1. David R. Hicks says:

   December 27, 2006 at 1:05 pm

   Rating

   Wayne Dempsey’s new book should be a companion to, not a substitute for, the Bentley repair manual. Wayne tries to generalize a how-to article enough to cover 18 years and 5 different engines. It can be annoying, although a few of the projects are car- or engine-specific. Most such projects are specific to the e36 cars, rather than e30s. For non-specific projects, e36 photos are generally used. If you have an e36, the photos alone are worth the price of the book. They are much better than the Bentley. Even if you own an e30, the photos are still very helpful.

   The great thing is it has a more narrative form than the Bentley, and explains a little more of the why and how, rather than just step-by-step instuctions. Wayne also spends a little more time talking about logistics. For example, the Bentley hardly even mentions the horrible top-bolts holding the transmission to the engine, but this book spends a couple paragraphs going over techniques and possible combination of tools to remove them.

   Also, the word “performance” in the title is a little misleading. Most of the projects are general maintenance items.

   Bottoms line — it’s a nice book to have around for any 3-series DIYer, and arguable a must-have for a e36 owner.
2. morten loenning says:

   March 9, 2007 at 3:33 am

   Rating

   This is a great book for Bmw owners who enjoy doing repairs and modifications yourself.Though this is mainly a mechanics related book,it offers info and tips on bodymods,wheels and exterior.

   The book is easy to read and is backed up by some great pictures showing each step of the prosess.The colourpictures are great for showing what the parts and problem area looks like.In all the projects featured in this book,the author also gives hints on brandnames and price. It is useful not only for those who wants to upgrade their car,but also for the DIY mechanic who needs info on those everyday smalljobs of replacing worn parts and general maintainance.

   Highly recomended as a supplement in your BMW toolbox!
3. nomis3613 says:

   March 22, 2007 at 1:03 am

   Rating

   It’s always helpful to get a 2nd opinion. Which is why having this book is so helpful. So the Bentley manual is THE BIBLE for E30 BMWs, but 101 Projects is good in its own right and also worth having to cross-reference against. Probably a bit more useful to the E36 owner than E30. I recommend if you want to start fiddling with your BMW E30/E36- get both.
4. N. Terho says:

   May 23, 2007 at 11:21 am

   Rating

   just a great addition to a factory repair book, great pic and explanation for different projects
5. Chip S says:

   June 4, 2007 at 12:16 am

   Rating

   This is a clear, well written, helpful book containing many tips not listed in any other manual. It is organized by project, and within 15 minutes of opening it i found 3 projects i had paid over $600 to perform because i feared the complexity, only to find now that i could have completed them, probably by myself, in 3 or 4 hours of patient work. His pictures are better than any in any other publication, and I’m certain of this because i own them all.
6. Alex Barbera says:

   August 28, 2007 at 1:38 pm

   Rating

   If you are looking for a book about Bmw e36 maintenance projects this book is for you! But if you are looking for performance projects that transform your stock car in a power beast, well this book has little about it, it covers little about CAI, chip, turbo, hp gains and torque, there’s is nothing about big bore throttle, sport header, flywheel, pulleys, fan delete etc the mods you usually would do to bring your 192 bhp car to a 250 bhp monster. It covers little about others models.
7. Thomas R. Leconey says:

   April 17, 2008 at 7:05 pm

   Rating

   I certain it is a fine book but I bought this book soon after buying my 99 sedan and it (99 and 00 e46 3series sedans) ARE NOT covered.
   
   the title really really needs to say 92 to 2000 E36 MODELS only, since that is the way everyone names the cars
   
   That is my only complaint.
8. Murray Paulsen says:

   May 11, 2008 at 10:32 pm

   Rating

   This is best “workshop manual” I have used. By far the easiest to understand – love the coloured arrows.
9. D. C. Whitacre says:

   December 17, 2008 at 9:25 pm

   Rating

   This book is very helpful in making repairs or doing maintenance on your BMW 3-series E30 and E36. The book focuses on the most common tasks you will likely have to perform, but is not super technical about rare issues. A very helpful part of this book is that it includes pictures of critical parts and fasteners that you need to identify. I am a competent, but thoroughly amateur “mechanic”, and this book is probably appropriate for all levels between technical-but-inexperienced up to expert-but-no-knowledge of BMWs. I highly recommend it.
10. Mr. Jeffrey P. Holt says:

    April 9, 2009 at 6:57 am

    Rating

    This is an excellent book and one every owner of an older BMW Three Series should own. The articles do highlight performance upgrades, but not in an extreme fashion. I find the book most useful for walking me through basic repairs. I have even tackled more advanced repairs and upgrades with confidence saving me easily more than a $1000.00 in repair bills. I am no super mechanic. The descriptions and excellent pictures make it easy to visualize the work and the author frequently gives you good alternatives to buying expensive, very specialized tools. The broad span of coverage for different model years does present limitations, but once you figure out the basics it is easy to apply the procedures from one model year to another. All in all a well crafted and extremely useful book for BMW owners.