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Re: Air conditioning

>...an '86 325...
>Is there any way to tighten the air vent louvers? They are so loose in
>their
>brackets that the weight of the adjusting mechanisms makes them point to
>the floor.

YES!  After many years of living with this I  finally figured out 
a way to fix it.

First remove the cylindrical vents from the vent assembly.  To do
this, tilt them all the way down then pry out gently on the top of
the cylinder.  It should snap off of the pins that hold it on either
side.  If you have trouble doing it with the vent in place, they
come out easier with the whole vent assembly (both cylinders, etc)
removed - but it is hard to get the assembly out without scaring
the dash, so don't pull it out unless you just can't get the
cylinders to snap out with it in place.  To remove the assembly: 
It is held in by two tabs set back half an inch 
or so on the top.  Insert a thin tool between the assembly
and the vinyl and slide it back and forth to find the tabs, then
work the tool to pry the tabs free of the dash.  Pull the assembly 
toward you and free of the dash.  Then tilt the cylinders down and
push on them from behind to snap them out.

Now take a look at the vent cylinders.  On either side you will see
a curving cut-out that leads to the center of the cylinder.  In the
center there are two "ears" that snap around the pin in the vent
assembly to hold it in place.  The vent is kept from tiping forward
by the friction of these ears on the pin.  When they wear it tips
forward because it is front heavy.  What you have to do is bend the
pins in to hold the pin more tightly.

What I did was to CAREFULY soften the plastic ears using a lighter. 
Be very careful or they will catch fire and burn right away!  Then
quickly bend them inward slightly with a thin screwdriver.  It takes
a little fiddling to get it down.  Once you have bent all 4 ears in
a bit (2 on each side), just snap the cylinder back in place in the
assembly and it should hold tighter.  Mine did.

Hope that helps,
rick
'87 325es
'90 325iX
both with tight vents again :-)