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Used BMW Intercoolers
All used BMW Intercoolers listed on Breakeryard.com are tested, original (OEM) manufacturer parts and come with a 14 day money back guarantee. Breakeryard.com list cheap new OES or aftermarket car parts at discounted prices and used OEM car parts up to 80% cheaper than main dealer prices for BMW from premium breaker yards from across the UK.
About Intercoolers
The engine needs oxygen from the air in order for combustion to work. It's imperative that the car's engine is supplied with the correct amount of clean, filtered, cold air. In a combustion engine, the BMW intercooler functions to cool down air once it has been compressed. The overall result of this ensures the engine is working to its optimum, providing more power and fuel efficiency.
Intercoolers are either front mounted or top mounted in the engine. Front mounted intercoolers tend to work better because they are in prime position to get a continuous stream of air, enabling the intercooler to transfer heat more effectively. Though usually made of aluminium, intercoolers are manufactured to be vehicle specific and the material, size and design of the intercooler as well as the location in the engine will vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle. The BMW intercooler is made to be compatible with your car, specifically designed for the make and model of your vehicle.
In supercharged/turbocharged engines in particular, the air is heated to very high temperatures and the BMW intercooler functions to counteract the heat produced by the process of combustion by cooling the air once it has been compressed. Air needs to be as cold as possible before it mixes with the fuel and burns in the cylinders of the engine. The cooler the air, the denser it is, which increases the volume of air being fed into the engine. This leads to a better combustion process in the engine because more of the air/fuel mixture is being burnt in each engine cycle, which improves the overall power, performance and efficiency of the engine. Intercoolers operate with either an air to water system, or an air to air system. The air to water system pumps water through the intercooler and as the compressed air flows through the intercooler, the water being pumped through takes the heat out of the compressed air, cooling it down. The air to air system harnesses air from outside the car to soak up the heat from the air, which cools it after compression. Air drawn in from outside passes through the intercooler, while the hot compressed air from the turbocharger is sent along a network of tubes inside the intercooler which have little fins on the end. These fins act as heat conductors, removing the heat from the air in the tubes and transferring it to the cool air that is being pumped through the intercooler, so that the air entering the engine is as cool as possible. The BMW intercooler helps to provide a consistent, constant supply of cold air to the engine, providing the best conditions for optimum combustion.
As with most parts, over time and with continued use the intercooler will lose efficiency. Damage from stones and other road debris adds to the general wear and tear on this part. The intercooler can leak if the metal corrodes which can cause it to lose air pressure. A malfunctioning intercooler will affect the performance of the engine and make it less fuel efficient. Replacing this part with the BMW intercooler will ensure a part that's compatible with the make and model of your vehicle.
BMW trivia
- The very first BMW was named the 'Dixi'. They hadn't designed it (it was really an English Austin), and they dropped the name 'Dixi' very quickly, instead opting for the rather more grandiose BMW 3/15 DA-2. Rolls off the tongue!
- The BMW company was founded way back in 1916 and originally manufactured engines for planes. High demand for plane engines during WWI was good news for BMW, but they carried on making plane engines right up until 1945.
- Electric cars might be all the rage now, but BMW built their first one in 1972 and called it the BMW 1602e. It didn't quite make it to market though, thanks to the fact that it could only hold a twenty-minute charge.
- One of the reasons older BMWs keep their value is because it's easy to get spare parts for even the oldest models. That's because BMW has carried on making car parts, even for cars that were built in WWII.
- The main headquarters for BMW in Munich is designed and shaped to look like car parts. There was a whole new 'four-cylinder' building added on in 1973, and there's definitely the look of an engine about the architecture.