BMW 3 Series Problems

There's no reason you can't fit conventional tyres to your BMW, although BMW people and some industry experts would tell you that you   would affect the handling of the car. The BMW suspension has been tuned to run the run flats, which have a hard sidewall that contributes to the overall springing of the car, so fitting a conventional tyre with softer sidewalls will affect that springing and the handling will be altered to a degree. But lots of people have changed to conventional tyres without any trouble. As far as the run flat sensor goes, the BMW doesn't have one. It uses the ABS brake system to determine when a wheel is running at a different speed to the others, thus indicating a flat.

Your first port of call is to the mechanic. He fitted the part and it’s his responsibility to sort the problem out, including any damage the failed fan caused to other parts. If the part he fitted is determined to be faulty, he is the one who should make the claim against the manufacturer, not your daughter.

The BMW service intervals are set by engine time and indicated on the dash when you first turn the ignition on. If you choose not to follow that changing the engine oil and filter every 10,000 km would be fine; the transmission oil is normally drained at every Level 2 inspection and service, and that generally equates to around 80,000 km.

Take it back to the dealer and insist that they investigate it. It sounds like there could be a wiring problem in the steering column. I wouldn't continue to drive the car until the problem is found and fixed. If the dealer won't do anything, contact BMW and enlist their assistance, if all else fails go to an auto electrician.

I DON'T know of a kit for the E36 BMW. It's one of those cars for which there is little demand for a kit and no one has bothered to develop one. There are universal kits available that could be adapted to your car, but I wouldn't recommend converting it. The 318i in my experience is quite economical, so there's not great savings to be made, but more importantly it's a breathless little beast as it is, and converting it to LPG would rob it of some of what little performance it has.