kerunt's snow white

[yura]

After about two months of searching for a car, I'm finally back behind the wheel of a BMW. Took her home today, drove for a few hours with friends, and everyone is in love with the car (me first and foremost).

The only decent photo I currently have is of the quick wash I did as I took her home.

http://i.imgur.com/KgCvfyk.jpg?1

And the details:

- 2007
- local (Vancouver, Canada)
- Alpine white on black
- Silver cube
- 6MT
- Sport (w/ M-Tech suspension), Cold Weather, Hot Weather, Lights, etc. packages
- 63k km / 39k miles
- bought from original owner
- full maintenance records from local BMW dealer
- only mod is a SplitSec TurboTuner (http://splitsec.com/products/turbotuner2.htm)

Car needs some minor cosmetic work, which I'll be getting done ASAP: full detail, wheel refinishing, fixing small tear in driver's seat. I'll also be doing an oil & brake fluid service on it this weekend.

Right now the car should be around 320hp at the rear wheels, and it feels plenty fast. No need for more, but a short shifter kit w/ a ZHP knob would be nice.

Planning to keep the car very stock, but will be doing some minor cosmetic / practicality / ICE improvements over time, and will use this thread as a log.

Eventual goodies wish-list in no particular order:

1. Trunk-lid spoiler.
2. BBS CH wheels; possible spacers for wider stance.
3. M-Tech body kit.
4. Short shift kit + ZHP shift knob.
5. iPod integration.
6. Tow hitch.
7. White angel eyes.
8. Radar detector (hardwired).
9. iPhone mount.
10. 335is muffler.
11. Tinted windows.
12. Wrapping interior pieces.

[Avetiso]

Looks great, bro. Glad you finally found a car to buy.

By the way, silver cube? Is that like ours? Didn't know anything else came with that.

[yura]

Looks great, bro. Glad you finally found a car to buy.

By the way, silver cube? Is that like ours? Didn't know anything else came with that.

Thank you!

Perhaps "Silver Cube" isn't the right option name - I'm not certain and am too tired to look into it tonight - but it's silver/aluminum coloured trim.

Forgot to mention that eventually I'd like to get an OEM Mtech kit, and a nice set of 18" BBS wheels - probably CH. These items would be a bit pricy, so they can wait until I have more money to blow (next spring / summer).

[Avetiso]

Is it US spec or Canadian spec?

[ELCID86]

Congrats.


Shawn in VA.
Via thumbs and Tapatalk.

[danewilson77]

Thank you!

Perhaps "Silver Cube" isn't the right option name - I'm not certain and am too tired to look into it tonight - but it's silver/aluminum coloured trim.

Forgot to mention that eventually I'd like to get an OEM Mtech kit, and a nice set of 18" BBS wheels - probably CH. These items would be a bit pricy, so they can wait until I have more money to blow (next spring / summer).

Silver cube is a common term for the interior trim of a ZHP that looks "silver"

Black cube would be for black.

[Hornung418]

Looks nice! The trim is What Marc has in his 135is. Glacier something or other.

From a GS3, this was sent.

[johnrando]

:thumbsup

[Torxuvin]

Sweet. Glad you found something you like. Looking forward to more pics

[yura]

Thanks, guys.

It's a local Vancouver car. Very fun and very smooth.

[zhpnsnv]

Looks nice! The trim is What Marc has in his 135is. Glacier something or other.

From a GS3, this was sent.

If it's the same as the E82, it's called Glacier Aluminum. Same material as Silver Cubes, but the Cubes are more like Hexagons and they're raised a bit. It seems to be less prone to scratches somehow.

It's inherently not as cool because it can't be referred to as Silver Cubes.

Henceforth, I shall refer to my interior trim as Aluminum Glaciers. Get some. Kerunt - congratulations on your Aluminum Glaciers. They won't melt.

[Hornung418]

:like

[Oli77]

Glad you picked the white car!

[KensZHP]

Good looking car. Glad you picked what you wanted. 320 hp is a plenty.

[zhpnsnv]

320 hp is a plenty.

Indeed. :mwah

[illirep]

Alpine White! Nice.

[yura]

eBay'ed an OEM trunk liner tonight and started looking into iPod retrofit options.

Also cleaned the interior and made an appointment for an oil service and brake fluid flush on Saturday!

[yura]

Oil change & brake fluid flush done today. Previous owner followed the on-board computer's recommendations, so there were only three oil changes logged in the car's computer over its 63k km / 6 years. Going to be changing the oil every 8-10k km from now on.

Full detail scheduled for next Thursday, so a myriad of pics will be coming that evening :).

Also updated the first post with a wish-list of mods I want to eventually do.

[Avetiso]

Nice. I'd change my oil a little more often on a boosted car as well.


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[yura]

Nice. I'd change my oil a little more often on a boosted car as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

Yup, for sure. I'm also contemplating changing the filter once in between every oil change (ie. every 5k km). Might be overkill, but filters and cheap and quick to change, so why not?

[yura]

Picked up the car from the detailer today. Unfortunately it turned out to be a cloudy day, so pics aren't as great as I had hoped for, but still get the gist across :).

http://i.imgur.com/Vl9ShG0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/685fUB8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/OgzT8VZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ujspcnI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/N7SFmUB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/H5OOWjo.jpg

[Avetiso]

dayum. That's hot.

[yura]

Tomorrow I'm picking up my V1 radar detector and hard-wire kit and will probably wire it in straight away. Trunk liner should also have arrived.

[Pip]

Looks great! I love my V1 and it was easy to hard wire so should be a piece of cake.

[BavarianZHP]

Always loved the E92 look...

[johnrando]

Nice. You looking into V1 Connection which puts the alerts on your phone too?

[fredo]

How did I miss this one ? Oh, yes. The title "snow white." I thought we were talking about mountains or something. :biggrin

Congrats ! Hope to grab a similar one when my 2 y/o boy gets older. Right now, it's not convenient for my family.

[yura]

Valentine V1 is hard wired, and trunk liner in place. Basic essentials about half done now :). Need to figure something out for iPod connectivity.

[Stigissimo]

lemme see dat V1! Did you get the concealed display?

[yura]

Not much to see, really. Here's a crappy iPhone pic:

http://i.imgur.com/70xbnrJ.jpg?1

No concealed display for now. Might look into it in the future.

[Stigissimo]

you might not need it with the V1 in that position. Looks good!

[yura]

New Pilot Power Super Sports all around yesterday (at 64,500km). Yum yum.

[yura]

Some goodies arrived today.

ZHP shift knob - what a world of difference. I didn't realize how crappy the stock E90 shift knob is. So good to have a proper one!

http://i.imgur.com/DMKqeNU.jpg?1

ProClip phone mount - fantastic quality. Expensive, but upon receiving it, I think the price is very much worth it.

http://i.imgur.com/SVkk0oh.jpg?1

... slides around on that panel, too. I can have it on the left (as it is now), or on the right. The angle is fully adjustable (side to side, up, down, etc.), and it rotates into horizontal position, too. This will be awesome for Navigon navigation.

[yura]

Mafiosos,

My 2007 E92 335i 6MT loses power under medium-hard acceleration (has happened 6-7 times over the last month, in pretty much all gears) and throws check engine light. When attempting to accelerate after this happens, the car "shakes" and accelerates very slowly. The engine also sounds strange, with a ticking noise of sorts. Almost as if not all cylinders are firing... Shutting the car off and turning it back on clears the check engine light and things go back to normal.

Mileage is only 69k km / 43k miles.
HPFP had been replaced under previous owner.

I don't have a code reader (will be getting one - suggestions?) so I can't say what the error code is.

The only mod on the car is the SplitSec Turbo Tuner (http://www.bimmian.com/92/STT/) which was installed by the previous owner and has been on the car since '08.

Coils? Injectors? Any advice?

Here is a video of what the engine sounds like when this happens. Note the distinct, high-pitched "ticking" that isn't normally present. Again, shut the car off and immediately back on after this video and everything went back to normal.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDdhpbW6vY

Thanks in advance.

[HokieZHP]

Almost 100% chance it's an Ignition coil or spark plug. Happens to tuned cars. I've blown out 3 ignition coils and just replaced all my plugs with ones that are one step colder. Go over to e90post and read through the engine n54 section and there's an entire thread about it.

Easy way to diagnose is swap the coil from the misfiring cylinder to another and see if the misfire moves. If yes then it's the coil. If not then it's the plug most likely

[Avetiso]

I think refreshing all of the parts would be prudent, especially with boosted cars.

[HokieZHP]

Don't need to replace them all at once unless you want to. Won't make any difference. Just need to replace the ones that failed. Otherwise it's just replacing good parts.

[Avetiso]

Don't need to replace them all at once unless you want to. Won't make any difference. Just need to replace the ones that failed. Otherwise it's just replacing good parts.

It sounds like more than one failed. What's the reason they fail like that? Multiple at once?

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[HokieZHP]

It's normally just one. At least mine have failed one at a time. It's the tune that makes them fail.

[yura]

Went for another short drive, CEL stays on constantly now, but otherwise car drives fine.


Almost 100% chance it's an Ignition coil or spark plug. Happens to tuned cars. I've blown out 3 ignition coils and just replaced all my plugs with ones that are one step colder. Go over to e90post and read through the engine n54 section and there's an entire thread about it.

Easy way to diagnose is swap the coil from the misfiring cylinder to another and see if the misfire moves. If yes then it's the coil. If not then it's the plug most likely

Thanks, will look for that thread.

Is there an easy way to tell which cylinder is misfiring?


It's normally just one. At least mine have failed one at a time. It's the tune that makes them fail.

By the tune, do you mean my SplitSec Tuner? Does the same thing happen w/ JB4?

[HokieZHP]

I use my open flash tablet to read my codes. Pretty much any tune causes it to happen

[yura]

Guess I need to get a code reader pronto! :)

I think this is the thread you were referring to earlier? http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=631829 The video in it is fantastic.

[yura]

Okay, doing some preliminary research... as far as spark plugs go, NGK or Bosch? http://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/2007/BMW/335i/Base?siteid=214672&vehicleid=188675&diagram=1946130&diagramCallOut=2

[Avetiso]

Okay, doing some preliminary research... as far as spark plugs go, NGK or Bosch? http://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/2007/BMW/335i/Base?siteid=214672&vehicleid=188675&diagram=1946130&diagramCallOut=2
For the E46, at least, most people go NGK.

[yura]

For the E46, at least, most people go NGK.

I've got NGK plugs in my bike, too.

[HokieZHP]

I put in NGK 5992 plugs gapped to spec. I think it's .056. If you search NGK 5992 on e90post you'll find the correct gap.

Since I've put on a more aggressive tune and haven't had any issues

[yura]

I put in NGK 5992 plugs gapped to spec. I think it's .056. If you search NGK 5992 on e90post you'll find the correct gap.

Since I've put on a more aggressive tune and haven't had any issues

Good stuff.

I just ordered a Actron Autoscanner Scan Tool CP9575 for the error codes (mostly based on danewilson's recommendations in an old thread on a different forum :D), and a spark plug socket. Will order a set of plugs, too. Even if they're not the problem, it's time to replace them and ~$100 isn't the end of the world.

[HokieZHP]

Good stuff.

I just ordered a Actron Autoscanner Scan Tool CP9575 for the error codes (mostly based on danewilson's recommendations in an old thread on a different forum :D), and a spark plug socket. Will order a set of plugs, too. Even if they're not the problem, it's time to replace them and ~$100 isn't the end of the world.

Good stuff. Also just get oem Bosch coils if you replace any.

[yura]

Just ordered the same spark plugs. $70 shipped. Nice.

[fredo]

Just for the record, guys. I got Bosch spark plugs for my e90 330i this week. I looked on several places online. At the end, the best deal was in Oreilly Auto Parts. The only inconvenience was the plugs were not in stock, so I needed to stop by on 2 different times. I saved around $10 compared to the best deal online (amazon).

[yura]

Can I ask one of the powers that be to move all posts from this thread into my "car thread (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)" (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)? I'll be posting updates once I get the ordered parts, and think it would be good to have all updates relating to my car in a single thread. Should have just bumped that one with this question... Thanks!

[danewilson77]

Can I ask one of the powers that be to move all posts from this thread into my "car thread (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)" (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)? I'll be posting updates once I get the ordered parts, and think it would be good to have all updates relating to my car in a single thread. Should have just bumped that one with this question... Thanks!

I'll do it tomorrow. Still digging out from the move. :)

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[yura]

I'll do it tomorrow. Still digging out from the move. :)

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Thanks, boss!

[yura]

I've been neglecting the interior cleaning for a few the last few months and decided to do a proper detailing job today. Cleaned out about two pounds of dog hair from the car today; the rear seat covers took over an hour to vacuum completely! Took off a ton of winter grime, too.

http://i.imgur.com/0vCUSpd.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/opMZs6z.jpg?1

[Avetiso]

Posts about cleaning interior, puts up picture of exterior. :rofl

Car is looking great.

[yura]

Posts about cleaning interior, puts up picture of exterior. :rofl

Car is looking great.

Haha, I know. The pics were an afterthought, and with the poor lighting and my iPhone for a camera, I doubt the interior would have turned out as anything other than a black blur.

[cakM3]

Posts about cleaning interior, puts up picture of exterior. :rofl

Car is looking great.

Dario, if my interior was very dirty I would do the same.....it's sort of like not airing your dirty laundry for everyone to see.....;)

[Mtnman]

There is another option of what might be causing this. Have you ever had the carbon cleaned out from the engine? The n54 has major problems with carbon build up. They do a media blast to clean the carbon out of the engine using walnut shells. I have 43k on my car and and having this done hopefully friday. I have been told that it can feel similar to a bad coil. (Which i have already had on my car and i dont have a tune yet). My car has a hesitation under load right now and i am hoping this cures it. Good luck, keep us posted on the outcome.

[yura]

I just noticed a single, black, plastic hook-like thing in my trunk. Seems to be attached via one of the cut outs in the top of the trunk. What the heck is it and how much extra horsepower is it good for?

http://i.imgur.com/WOFnoKt.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/KIN9bvQ.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/FkxPa4Z.jpg?1

[HokieZHP]

If it's a carbon issue and it's just beginning you can try to burn some of it off. From talking with some "experts" the best way is every 5-7k miles go on the highway in 3rd gear around 4500rpm for 30 mins or so. Clean the carbon right out

[HokieZHP]

There is another option of what might be causing this. Have you ever had the carbon cleaned out from the engine? The n54 has major problems with carbon build up. They do a media blast to clean the carbon out of the engine using walnut shells. I have 43k on my car and and having this done hopefully friday. I have been told that it can feel similar to a bad coil. (Which i have already had on my car and i dont have a tune yet). My car has a hesitation under load right now and i am hoping this cures it. Good luck, keep us posted on the outcome.

If you're going to do the carbon cleaning. Shop around because lots of places run specials or group deals.

[yura]

E90Post fellas solved the mystery. This is what it's for:

http://www.roadfly.com/new-cars/wp-content/uploads/gallery/2007-bmw-335i-coupe-first-drive/bmw-335i-trunk.jpg

[Avetiso]

Handy feature.

[LivesNearCostco]

How/what do they blast with the walnut shells, the cylinders? Do they remove the head or find some other way to blast walnut shells into each cylinder then extract them?

[johnrando]

Cool. +3 HP.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[yura]

There is another option of what might be causing this. Have you ever had the carbon cleaned out from the engine? The n54 has major problems with carbon build up. They do a media blast to clean the carbon out of the engine using walnut shells. I have 43k on my car and and having this done hopefully friday. I have been told that it can feel similar to a bad coil. (Which i have already had on my car and i dont have a tune yet). My car has a hesitation under load right now and i am hoping this cures it. Good luck, keep us posted on the outcome.

My mechanic warned me about the carbon issues. He suggested installing a ~$200 meth kit, which supposedly cleans everything out and keeps it that way. Have you looked into that at all? I understand that doing the cleaning via BMW is pretty expensive, around $1500 or so.


How/what do they blast with the walnut shells, the cylinders? Do they remove the head or find some other way to blast walnut shells into each cylinder then extract them?

I saw photos of it once. Some sort of multi-hose system that blasts walnut and sucks it out at the same time.

[ELCID86]

Now that is a neat little do-dad.

[jakksfor20]

I read this a couple of months back after it was posted on a local FB page.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682116

Local page I'm on had a group discount going on at a local shop. Significant savings over the dealer price.

[HokieZHP]

Walnut blasting can be done for way less than $1500, more around like $600-700. I would suggest against a cheap meth kit. A poorly designed meth kit can lead to safety issues. If you're going to do meth, get a trunk mount kit and not one that keeps the tank under the hood. Make sure it's a reputable company also. You can search around on e90post for some good kits.

[danewilson77]

Can I ask one of the powers that be to move all posts from this thread into my "car thread (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)" (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?10516-kerunt-s-snow-white)? I'll be posting updates once I get the ordered parts, and think it would be good to have all updates relating to my car in a single thread. Should have just bumped that one with this question... Thanks!

Finito

[yura]

Thanks for the info, all. I'm also a bit wary against going the methkit route. I did do some research and there are some fairly accessible ($300-500) options, but it's not ideal. If I can find a local shop that'll clean the carbon for $600-700, that's the way I'd go. Getting a walnut blaster and doing it myself would be awesome, but I already have more tools than clothes in my apartment, so space for new goodies is lacking... not to mention the cost.

And Dane, thanks for merging everything!

[yura]

On another note, found a BMW INPA/Ediabas K+DCAN USB Interface on eBay for $80, saw the seller is local, and talked him down to $50 ;). Will be picking it up in about an hour, and with some software I *believe* I'll be able to see error codes and such.

[HokieZHP]

Yeah I would try the italian tune up before walnut blasting to see if it helps. Also check the codes and see if replacing a coil or the plugs helps. Always do the cheaper stuff first haha.

[yura]

On another note, found a BMW INPA/Ediabas K+DCAN USB Interface on eBay for $80, saw the seller is local, and talked him down to $50 ;). Will be picking it up in about an hour, and with some software I *believe* I'll be able to see error codes and such.

Got this cable, and boy does it take a lot of effort to get set up. I think I'm *mostly* where I need to be as far as software goes, but am still in the process of downloading a required ~5GB file. Spent about 2.5 hours reading dozens of forum threads, installing and configuring 5-6 pieces of software, etc., etc. Crazy.

[yura]

Yeah I would try the italian tune up before walnut blasting to see if it helps. Also check the codes and see if replacing a coil or the plugs helps. Always do the cheaper stuff first haha.

Not sure the Italian tune up will do much for the carbon build. Did some google'ing and people are suggesting it would be a waste of time w/ the N54, as gas never touches the valve. Same reason adding SeaFoam wouldn't do anything... thoughts?

[HokieZHP]

It's a controversial topic. I got my info from a BMW master tech who's friends with my mechanic. It's the heat that makes the difference I guess. It won't fix the issue if there's a lot of build up. It helps prevent additional build up and get rid of it if there's only some. Since you don't know if the buildup is the issue or not or if there's even a lot of it, I just mentioned it may be worth a shot. I do it on mine because I have very minimal build up in my car and I'd like to keep it that way

[yura]

It's a controversial topic. I got my info from a BMW master tech who's friends with my mechanic. It's the heat that makes the difference I guess. It won't fix the issue if there's a lot of build up. It helps prevent additional build up and get rid of it if there's only some. Since you don't know if the buildup is the issue or not or if there's even a lot of it, I just mentioned it may be worth a shot. I do it on mine because I have very minimal build up in my car and I'd like to keep it that way

Yeah, that's essentially what I've got from this thread about the same subject: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=873409.

I doubt my valves have ever been cleaned by the previous owner, and from the photos I've seen of other people's cars, I'm expecting there to be a ton of buildup by now. Once I've figured out whatever my current issue is, I think I'll start thinking about a walnut blasting cleaning...

[HokieZHP]

Oh sweet. Well yeah guess it's the general consensus then.

[yura]

Just enabled rear fog lights on my car using a piece of LEGO in place of an OEM BMW part. Win! Up until last night (when I discovered this mod) I didn't even know such things as "rear fog lights" existed.

10 minute job using this tutorial: http://www.fastm.com/e92m3/rearfog.html

Only on my '07 I didn't have the second (unused) white piece (visible in the photo from Step 8), so I used a piece of LEGO in its place. Works like a charm.

Also got the OBDII reader and confirmed that I have a misfire in cylinder 2; will be swapping spark plugs later tonight.

[Avetiso]

Just enabled rear fog lights on my car using a piece of LEGO in place of an OEM BMW part. Win! Up until last night (when I discovered this mod) I didn't even know such things as "rear fog lights" existed.

10 minute job using this tutorial: http://www.fastm.com/e92m3/rearfog.html

Only on my '07 I didn't have the second (unused) white piece (visible in the photo from Step 8), so I used a piece of LEGO in its place. Works like a charm.

Also got the OBDII reader and confirmed that I have a misfire in cylinder 2; will be swapping spark plugs later tonight.
No way it's that easy? Looks awesome, man.

[yura]

No way it's that easy? Looks awesome, man.

Yup, I love it. Tailgaters will now be receiving a face full of AHHH IT BURRRNNNSSS!!! :) I've wished for something like this for years!

[yura]

Got the NGK spark plugs today, gapped them to the recommended 0.056mm and swapped with my originals. Also swapped the coils between cylinder 1 and 2 (which was the misfiring one) just in case. Cleared the error codes and went for a drive on the highway. Did about 10-20 floor to the pedal pulls (up to ~120mph) in various gears and everything's perfectly fine now. Scanned the error codes once more when at home and came up empty. Car purrs like a kitten, and while it may be a butt dyno effect, it seems to be idling and generally running much smoother. Very happy E92 owner over here :).

[yura]

I also followed this example (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87352) and installed two Audi trunk-mounted bag hooks. These work great :)

http://i.imgur.com/YSVTVGr.jpg?2

http://i.imgur.com/zqJX7b3.jpg?1

[HokieZHP]

Those plugs do make a difference. From what I've read tuned cars should use a step colder plugs for every extra 100hp added.

[ELCID86]

I also followed this example (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87352) and installed two Audi trunk-mounted bag hooks. These work great :)


Ooh, I like. Just ordered 5 off ebay for ~$9/each.

[yura]

Ooh, I like. Just ordered 5 off ebay for ~$9/each.

Might be tricky installing 5. The problem I found is that if you just drill a hole and screw in the bolt, you can't get it very tight as there's really nothing to be screwing it into (apart from sheet metal which doesn't do much). The kits come with little backing plates (I don't know what they're called), which usually slide over an existing piece of plastic/metal (with a hole) and provide something to screw the bolt into. These are very common with motorcycle fairings. This is what they look like:

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSE4n51gcTrMAwpbaZh3vgtPh0_rYCuB Aml2usula_UzO0u9r55LA

... what I did was look for existing holes/cut-outs in the trunk's roof (there are numerous), and position the hooks such that I could reach the holes I'm drilling through one of the existing cut outs, to place this metal part there to act as a nut for the bolt. Took a whole lot of uncomfortable finger twisting, but it worked. Anyways, I doubt there will be enough cut outs for you to do this with 5 hooks.

[ELCID86]

Might be tricky installing 5. ... Anyways, I doubt there will be enough cut outs for you to do this with 5 hooks.

I have two 330i's and an Accord and a TSX (might already come built in, i need to check). :-)

[ELCID86]

The kits come with little backing plates (I don't know what they're called), which usually slide over an existing piece of plastic/metal (with a hole) and provide something to screw the bolt into. These are very common with motorcycle fairings. This is what they look like:



... what I did was look for existing holes/cut-outs in the trunk's roof (there are numerous), and position the hooks such that I could reach the holes I'm drilling through one of the existing cut outs, to place this metal part there to act as a nut for the bolt. Took a whole lot of uncomfortable finger twisting, but it worked.

That's a good idea. I was also thinking of a self-tapping screw that might have enough bite to hold it. Your idea may be better.

[yura]

Threw on new wipers. So nice to not have to listen to that SCREEEETCH SCREEEETCH sound now.

[yura]

Taking the car in for window tinting tomorrow. I've always had my cars tinted as dark as possible, but have been holding back on tint since getting the current one. There's just something so clean and professional-looking about non-blacked-out windows. I'm leaning towards a 35% tint all around (with the exception of the windshield) - any thoughts?

[Avetiso]

Get a cleat film for your windshield. It'll help with heat and UV protection.

I'd go with 20%, but that's just preference.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

^clear? That would help. I've hear of ppl doing it on the windshield as well.

[Avetiso]

^clear? That would help. I've hear of ppl doing it on the windshield as well.

Yeah, clear. My bad.

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[yura]

I didn't know such things existed - I'll ask whether that's an option! We definitely can't have 'normal' tint on the front windows.

[SoCalZman]

I have 3M crystalline clear tint on all my windows, including windshield. They make various shades. I went with the lightest because I wanted the benefits but not reduced visibility.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=66666UgxGCuNyXTtnxfVMXTXEVtQE cuZgVs6EVs6E666666--&fn=Crystalline%20Brochure%2098-0150-010

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[yura]

I'm at the shop now, playing the waiting game; got another 2.5 hours to go :(.

I decided to go with 50% tint on the front side, rear side, and rear windows, and 20% on the sunroof.

Tinting front windows is actually illegal here, but I've had my ZHP's fronts at 35% before (with 5% on the rear three) and got away with it for about 1.5 years before getting a warning and being forced to take the front tints off. The 5% tint on the rear three really made the car (& thus fronts) look a lot darker than they were, so I'm aiming for a less "attention attracting" tint this time around. Plus, I no longer like seeing fully blacked out windows - there's something very classy to be said about light tint IMO... we'll see how I like it in person :). Two hours 23 minutes to go...

[Avetiso]

Front windows is "illegal" here as well. Good luck!

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[yura]

Also got a 5x3' dark "carbon metallic" vinyl that I want to wrap the interior trim in. Hopefully tonight. 35 minutes of waiting to go... lol

[SoCalZman]

Front windows is "illegal" here as well. Good luck!

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Yup. It is in California. But the tint on my front window is 90%. Can't. Even. Tell.

[yura]

The guys finished - a dog hair was caught under the rear window's tint, so they'll be redoing that next weekend :(. Taking that tint off right now. Bummer.

[ELCID86]

Consider going one shade darker on rear since you have the opportunity.


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[yura]

Consider going one shade darker on rear since you have the opportunity.


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Not a bad idea - will think about that one. The other windows do definitely look 'dark enough' right now, but I'm not a fan of being blinded by tailgaters at night, so a darker tint on the rear might happen...

[yura]

Spent the last ~3.5 hours wrapping the interior pieces and am nowhere near done. This stuff takes a very long time to do properly. Got the main dash piece done and installed, but am not crazy about how a few corners turned out, so I'll be re-doing that one. Here's a teaser of the small dash piece:

http://i.imgur.com/TakAvLy.jpg?1

Getting the "interior" corners done cleanly (after the vent is installed) is very hard. The corners on this piece are still not as perfect as I'd like them to be, but I doubt I'll be able to get it any better. I'm very happy with the colour/texture, though.

[tkundhi]

Looks nice. I'm going to attempt this on my touring. Trying anthracite CF vinyl. Did you do anything to prep the surface? Heat on the corners?


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[Avetiso]

Wrap isn't as easy to work with as everyone says. :)

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[yura]

Looks nice. I'm going to attempt this on my touring. Trying anthracite CF vinyl. Did you do anything to prep the surface? Heat on the corners?


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I cleaned the trim with warm water, but that's it as far as prep goes. The shop I bought this vinyl from tried to sell me primer ($22 for a tiny can), but I passed - I'm worried about the primer damaging the actual trim. The vinyl sticks on well enough as it is.

Now that I've slept on it, I have another idea for how I might be able to wrap those inner corners better. Will try again on this same piece in a few hours.

// edit - and yes, heat gun was helpful

[yura]

Door trim!

http://i.imgur.com/sJCXFsS.jpg?1

[danewilson77]

Nice!

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[yura]

Got the main trim (around the shifter) done, and it's 99% perfect. Also tried to re-wrap the trims on the dash, but sadly can't get them perfect, and it's bugging me. At this point I'm peeling the wrap from those sections off and I don't think I'll be doing them again. Leaving the door panels for now.

In total I've spent 6 hours today and about 3.5 hours yesterday doing this wrap... this is it for me. Not worth any more of time. Good experience, but not good enough result overall. Perhaps someone more skilled could work wonders where I couldn't (inside panel corners).

I've also discovered some photos of a "piano black" trim and fell in love with that. haha

[Avetiso]

It takes a lot of patience.

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[yura]

This is what it looked like before I peeled the wrap off (note the imperfections around the vent corners):

http://i.imgur.com/WWyNVal.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/elcUD6X.jpg?1

I've left the wrap on the doors to minimize nicks on the aluminum trim. Overall I'd say this was a small waste of money ($60) and a huge waste of time, but I'm glad I got it out of my system.

Now I'm lusting after some VMR 703's :D

[ELCID86]

^too funny. Looks good. I do like the VMRs.

[yura]

Installed the larger clutch stop today - wow, what a difference. It's like a short-shifter kit for the clutch pedal. Absolutely love it!

[yura]

So I'm thinking about plasti-dipping the window trim to a black colour. OEM trim is ridiculously priced at nearly a grand, and plasi-dip should be simple enough to do...

Also considering plasti-dipping the rear 335i badge, in either black or red. I think a dark red could look pretty nice on a white car. Opinions?

[HokieZHP]

I'd go with black unless there are other red accents on the car. Otherwise it'll stick out. Why not just debadge it?

[yura]

I'd go with black unless there are other red accents on the car. Otherwise it'll stick out. Why not just debadge it?

Black is probably the safer bet, yeah.

What's involved in removing/re-attaching the badges? (I could get black ones on ebay pretty cheap). I'm worried about the re-attached ones not sitting right, peeling off, etc. Am I being overly paranoid?

[HokieZHP]

Removing them is a matter of using a hairdryer or heat gun to warm up the adhesive on the back of them then just simply get some floss and drag it back and forth behind the badge and they'll come up. I did mine in 30 seconds or so.

I meant why not just debadge it permanently? Personally I think it cleans up the back a lot. Every one of our cars in my family is debadged.

[yura]

Removing them is a matter of using a hairdryer or heat gun to warm up the adhesive on the back of them then just simply get some floss and drag it back and forth behind the badge and they'll come up. I did mine in 30 seconds or so.

I meant why not just debadge it permanently? Personally I think it cleans up the back a lot. Every one of our cars in my family is debadged.

I'm not a fan of de-badged cars - I've never liked it. And yeah, I'm not too worried about the removal of the current badge, more so about how the re-attached version will sit.

[johnrando]

They re-attach/stick just fine, but I'd be careful washing them as that could wipe them off. Plus, there are the guides so you know just where to put them.

[yura]

They re-attach/stick just fine, but I'd be careful washing them as that could wipe them off. Plus, there are the guides so you know just where to put them.

Okay, thanks!

I think I'll hold off for now and see how I feel about this in a week or two.

[yura]

Got the rear window re-tinted today. Liking it!

Need to wait until it fully dries and we get good weather so I can do a proper photo session :)

[yura]

Took some night-time photos after a wash tonight. Unfortunately of the ~100 photos I took, I only got a few that were somewhat decently focused; the rest were blurry as all hell :/.

Anyone with tips for taking sharp photos at night?

I was using a tripod, F1.8 50MM lens. Shooting at 800ISO, F1.8, 1sec shutter. Perhaps higher F-stop/lower-ISO and longer shutter speed? The lens' automatic focusing was also useless, so I had to eyeball it for every shot...

And what's a good way to get correct white balance at night? None of the presets in my camera produced a great result (ie. compare the colour of the car in these photos vs my sig photo).

Anyways, on to the pics:

http://i.imgur.com/2pusd5s.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4pbKcc0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/kflUWu8.jpg

[gmurphy]

Looking good!


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[danewilson77]

Nice kerunt.

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[Avetiso]

Car looks awesome.

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[johnrando]

Maybe post these in the 'photo editing thread' and ask... Seth might have some tips.

[ELCID86]

You may need more light (flash).


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[yura]

Got tired of stuff bouncing around the trunk, so I threw in a trunk organizer and used a few bungee cords to lock things in place.

The tie-down spots in the back of the trunk came in handy for this. Unfortunately the ones in the front are in an awkward position, so I had to look for spots under various covers, but it worked out well.

And before anyone asks about the water - I go hiking with the dog a lot, so having water in the trunk is convenient.

http://i.imgur.com/z8tg4Y5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SyIkn6k.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/IMq4KV7.jpg

[danewilson77]

Looks good.

Samsung Galaxy S5...

[yura]

Going camping tomorrow and decided I want to bring the 10x10 foot canopy which I own, but can't fit into the car (with the dog and camping gear). Then I remembered that I've still got Thule roof racks (from my ZHP) laying around in my storage, and I could strap it down to the top of the racks. An hour later, tada:

http://i.imgur.com/EWtnIac.jpg?1

Perfect fit, direct bolt-on. Note: OEM BMW racks are not swappable between E46 and E90/E92.

One bummer is that when I stored these, I wrapped them up in painters tape (to hold them together). After nearly a year in storage, the glue from the painters tape became so attached to the racks that it's impossible to take it off (spent 20 minutes soaking them in hot water and then scrubbing with everything imaginable - tons of residue still left), so I've got a ton of nasty glue/scratch spots on these racks. I've decided that later this week I'll take them off, sandblast them, and paint them. The question is - what colour? They've got a black rubber strip that runs alongside the length of each rack, so that'll be contrasting with whatever colour I choose. I'm mostly thinking either white, black, or another metallic (gunmetal?) colour. What does the mafia think?

[fredo]

I think your wheels look fantastic. Oh, wait a second. I think you can try Goo Gone before painting. I used it the other day, and with the help of a toothbrush to scrub, got good results on the area next to the grille. GL, man. :biggrin

[yura]

I think your wheels look fantastic.

Thanks :) Part of the reason they're looking nice is because they were just washed by the body shop, which fixed my car after a semi truck decided to change lanes into me on the 20th. He hit my rear quarter panel behind the wheel on the driver's side, left a nice dent, scratched up bumper and tail light, etc. Oh, and he almost spun me out in the process... on a bridge no less. I'm fully convinced my ninja reflexes (floored the gas and counter steered) are the only things that "saved" both me and the car from that pit maneuver. Anyways, the body shop I took it to (No. 1 Collision in Richmond, BC) specializes in BMWs and they did an amazing job. Lifetime warranty, too.

This is what the car looked like right after the hit:

http://i.imgur.com/PyZg7dt.jpg


Oh, wait a second. I think you can try Goo Gone before painting. I used it the other day, and with the help of a toothbrush to scrub, got good results on the area next to the grille. GL, man. :biggrin

Yeah, I've got Goo Gone and I know it works wonders... there's just so much residue left all over the racks that it would take forever. Well, maybe I'll give it a shot.

[Avetiso]

Paint them white.

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