To describe the process of finding a specific part I will relate the story of finding a new turn signal relay, one that took place last week.
One day my car's turn signals ceased to work and the logical conclusion was that the relay had failed. I determined through talking to a couple of people that BMW had made 3 different relays for the 2000; a 3-pronged, a 4-pronged, and a 9-pronged version. I was informed that the 3 and 4 prongers were relatively easy to find but that the 9-pronged specimen was both expensive and rare.
The reason for this complicated scenario may be summed up due to BMW's efforts to comply with American hazard signal regulations in the 1960s. Apparently the turn signals had to be interfaced with the hazard lights and so that is why they produced the 9-prong relay, which was placed only on cars that were exported from Germany to the United States.
I first contacted a German supplier; he was horrified at the notion that the 9-prong relay would be available in Germany - still feeling resentful about the interfering American rules, I suppose.
I then got in touch with some different American suppliers. Miracle of miracle, one of them had the correct relay sitting in the warehouse next to his office. He sent me a photo with which I verified it to be the proper part (by comparing the device to the old one that had been removed from my car). After I transferred immediate payment through Paypal he sent it out the same day via UPS 2-day delivery.
And so my problem, nearly insurmountable at first, was resolved. In total I spent nearly two hours doing the research required to locate the relay.
The famous 9-pronged relay: 9-prolig relais in German
One day my car's turn signals ceased to work and the logical conclusion was that the relay had failed. I determined through talking to a couple of people that BMW had made 3 different relays for the 2000; a 3-pronged, a 4-pronged, and a 9-pronged version. I was informed that the 3 and 4 prongers were relatively easy to find but that the 9-pronged specimen was both expensive and rare.
The reason for this complicated scenario may be summed up due to BMW's efforts to comply with American hazard signal regulations in the 1960s. Apparently the turn signals had to be interfaced with the hazard lights and so that is why they produced the 9-prong relay, which was placed only on cars that were exported from Germany to the United States.
I first contacted a German supplier; he was horrified at the notion that the 9-prong relay would be available in Germany - still feeling resentful about the interfering American rules, I suppose.
I then got in touch with some different American suppliers. Miracle of miracle, one of them had the correct relay sitting in the warehouse next to his office. He sent me a photo with which I verified it to be the proper part (by comparing the device to the old one that had been removed from my car). After I transferred immediate payment through Paypal he sent it out the same day via UPS 2-day delivery.
And so my problem, nearly insurmountable at first, was resolved. In total I spent nearly two hours doing the research required to locate the relay.
The famous 9-pronged relay: 9-prolig relais in German
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