[DeTomaso] NPC Anybody know a good mechanic in Daytona?

[Rob Dumoulin]

I drove down to Daytona yesterday to pick up my stranded son. Luckily, he
has friends there and was able to stay the night. The fan clutch locked up
and sent the fan blades hurling away at a rapid pace. There is a line of
bumps in the hood and about 4 actual holes where debris came all the way
through it. It also reeked havoc on the oil filter lines, eliminated the
fan shroud, ruined the under-engine plastic drip guard, punched a hole in a
coolant overflow bottle, and took out coolant lines and fittings in its
path.

My son says the bang was loud when it happened. He initially thought he hit
something and looked back. The check coolant light and chime came on about
2 seconds later, the engine quite, and he said there was a smokescreen of
steam engulfing the car. When he told me that the engine died, I was afraid
there was engine damage, but it started right up yesterday and sounded
fine. If the damage is limited to what it appears to be, there are no major
mechanical issues, I'll get the car going and fix the cosmetic damage. This
is my second 7 and my last. It's such a great driving car, but not
reliable. Nor was my first 7, but I liked it so much that I was a sucker
for the second. It'll become an in-town car and I'll be in the market for a
5-series for my wife and new road car.

On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 10:05 AM, Sean Korb <spkorb at gmail.com> wrote:

> This isn't as helpful as I'd like, but don't get ripped off.  The
> water pump on my 2003 325i was one of the easiest procedures I ever
> did on a car.  I popped out 4 tabs to remove the radiator fan, and
> then 2 more to remove the radiator after the hoses.  The water pump
> itself was just a couple of bolts and I drove it out using some long
> bolts in the holes helpfully provided on the pump.  Since it used an O
> ring, installation was just the reverse.  If the 7 series is a V8 it
> might be more complicated, and it sounds like some other parts were
> damaged... parts are *expensive* but labor doesn't always have to be
> long term.  Take a peek at it.  Maybe a 12mm and 10mm wrench and a
> screwdriver is all you need to replace it yourself.
>
> sean
>
> On Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 10:14 PM, Rob Dumoulin <rob at dumoulins.net> wrote:
> > My son's car was needing work, so he drove my wife's 7 series BMW to
> South
> > FL. Well on his way home for Christmas break this evening in Daytona the
> > water pump and fan disintegrated and poked a few holes in the hood on its
> > way out. Seriously. I've got business meetings in the morning but will be
> > heading to Daytona early afternoon. I'd rather get it fixed there than
> tow
> > 2 1/2 hours home. Anybody know a mechanic there that does BMW's?
>
>
>
> --
> Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
> '65,'68 Mustangs,'68 Cougar,'78 R100/7,'60 Metro,'59 A35,'71 Pantera #1382
> "The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
> "Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso
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