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After Market Cruise Control

On Thu, 01 Aug 1996 11:19:33
Brent Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'd like to put cruise on my 318 5-speed. I called the local BMW
>dealership and they said $630 for parts, plus 3 hours labor. Once I
>picked my chin off the floor, I started looking around. I called a loca
>install shop and they said they couldn't do it, then I found the old
>J.C. Whitney Co. and they have several types eletronic/vacuum to choose
>from. Anyone out there put cruise on their BMW as an afterthought? I'd
>welcome your thoughts. My past experience with J.C. Whitney has been
>buyer beware. I'd like to spend around $200 - $250 if possible or am I
>dreaming?

>Regards
>Brent.

>Also thanks for all of the positive "real" BMW responses.


Brent:

  I faced this exact situation back in 1987 when I bought a 325 that
did not come with cruise control. I tried to get a Sears unit that I had
used on another vehicle to work but I gave up and went with a factory
BMW unit. The Sears unit was a mess... there were pick-ups and switches
to mount in various places, a large servo to find a home for, and
numerous wires and cables to route and hook up. After all my effort
trying to get it to work, I learned from the factory who made it that
it just plain wouldn't work on a BMW because the pick up signal was
being "lost" in the transmission tunnel. Then, I bought a factory cruise
control kit. It went on with very little effort - worst thing was I
had to remove the steering wheel which isn't a big deal...

  You might try locating all of the pieces needed for the factory system
at a salvage yard. I think you need the actuator switch, the servo, the
control box, a harness or two and a throttle cable. Mine went together
easily and worked first time, every time without a hitch. It also looked
much neater under the hood with the factory unit.

  Good luck.

Ron Checca
'90 M3 Street
'88 M3 Track
'87 325es Road