2019-04-01 BMW Car

78 BMWcar

OUR CARS

As dedicated BMW enthusiasts, the BMW Car magazine staff

all like to run their own cars and write about them. This is their

chance to share experiences – both good and bad – and report

on what’s happening with their BMWs

Our

Cars

BOB

HARPER

2006 E61 530i

SE TOURING

1976 E3 3.0L

Just when everyone was

beginning to think my E3 was

nothing more than a fi gment

of my overactive imagination,

it’s broken cover and is out on

the road. There was a certain

amount of consternation

in the Harper household

this month, when our local

council announced its plans to

introduce a controlled parking

zone that would include our

road. With four cars – my

E61 and E3, Mrs H’s X3 and

the MINI One that belongs to

the kids – this will be a very

expensive introduction should

enough local folk want it to

happen. I must get around to

selling a car or two!

After last month’s expensive

shenanigans with the Touring’s

PDC sensor, I was hoping for a

cheaper month for the 530i.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be. It

developed a fault whereby

every time I started it up, the

glass section of the rear tailgate

would pop open. Hopping out,

closing it and moving off would

sort it out, especially as I have

the car set to lock all doors

after pulling away. It was mildly

irritating but, when it started

popping open every time I

switched off and tried to lock

the car, it started to become a

right royal pain in the backside.

As I was pushed for time, I

didn’t fancy the trek over to BM

Sport (as much as I love the

chaps there, I’ve been seeing

far too much of them, of late!),

so I had a quick Google and

discovered that, for the vast

majority of owners, replacing

the tailgate microswitch had

cured their problems. Thanks to

the wonders of shaky camera

work on YouTube, I was able

to watch several videos on

how to replace it and, seeing

as it looked pretty simple – ie,

within my limited skill set – I

decided to order a microswitch

and see if I could fi x it. If it

didn’t work, then it would have

I’ve been enjoying driving the E3 on

local trips and, so far, the rest of the

family are enjoying the car, too.