Mystic Blue / Alcantara ZHP Sedan, OEM Performance

[illirep]

This thread has been long overdue.

I bought this one from Tennessee, with 92k miles on it, about 2 months ago from the second owner, who has owned the car since 2004 / 8k miles.

2003 Mystic Blue Sedan
Alcantara seats
Silver Cube
Heated seats (No Cold Weather = no fold-down rears!)
Xenons
Moonroof
Manual

[illirep]

.....

[fredo]

That's a nice ride, Bill. How does it compare to the IR you sold recently ?

[kakashi169]

OMG, this ride is so mint and I know bill collect mint cars only. This is so tempting.

[trancenation]

This car is a beauty Bill! Especially with all of the new goodies and maintenance items!

[illirep]

That's a nice ride, Bill. How does it compare to the IR you sold recently ?

That car had more maintenance done to it, with less mileage, so I would say that one was better mechanically. Plus it came with all those Dinan goodies. Imola / Natural Brown was a very very nice looking combo. The paint on that car was 9.5 out of 10, and the -0.5, in my opinion, was due to the Southern California sun, not owner neglect.

The mystic blue car had substantial money invested in maintaining the appearance (15+ detailing receipts at $150 to $200 each, every 6 months or so), and less money invested in preventative maintenance. When I get the bumpers re-sprayed and have the chance to do a good detail, I will legitimately be able to say the paint is 9.9 out of 10. It is really hard to believe how nice the paint looks!

[MiniD]

Perfection.

[ELCID86]

Very pretty. Love the combo. Don't go white on the wheels--my opinion.

[danewilson77]

:drool

[cakM3]

Damn Bill! Where do you find these ZHPs?????? Amazing car! :drool

[Stigissimo]

Umm, very quickly shot up to my top favorite ZHPs on this forum. Subscribed. Must haz moar pics.

[Avetiso]

That is pretty. Congrats! On a side note, my upcoming car also has heated seats without ZCW.

[E_Rak]

Absolutely gorgeous... Mystic blue is one of my favorites.

[derbo]

Very amazing car. Cant wait to see what else is in store :)

[kakashi169]

I want to know how much.

[spoonerDee]

Mystic blue :drool: my fav of the non M blues.

[E_Rak]

How do you even find these cars Bill? Through all the searching this forum does, you wind up with these gems that haven't even been noticed yet by anyone else on here!

[quikryptonite]

Wow, that thing is gorgeous.

[illirep]

more pics

[illirep]

panarama

[danewilson77]

Good looking car Bill.

[illirep]

Thanks guys. Feedback on my photography welcome. I'm a beginner.

[Torxuvin]

That color is money. Love the first pic on your second post. Really shows off the depth. I would have to say that this is one of my favorite ZHPs that I've seen. It so kills me when I see beauties like this that bmw didn't make a 4 door e46 m3. I would own one right now...

[E_Rak]

Duly noted Bill. Having the cash and the cojones to purchase a car sight unseen after a few key comments will certainly win you cars quickly. Thing is absolutely gorgeous...

[BRGcoopahS]

Duly noted Bill. Having the cash and the cojones to purchase a car sight unseen after a few key comments will certainly win you cars quickly. Thing is absolutely gorgeous...

My father bought a 91 NSX that was across the country sight unseen, and he had to have it shipped cross country. It was mint, like this one looks like it is.

This car looks showroom fresh. Wow.

[JupiterBMW]

Beautiful car Bill. I'm glad to hear you got your hands on another near perfect example. Not sure what your plans are for this one, but hopefully you enjoy it!

Agree with Shawn, do NOT paint the wheels white. Keep them OEM for sure. I like the other changes you've made. Also, I would work on getting the DRL coded off, they don't look very good. I used to like them, but after seeing pics of them, I can't say I'm a fan anymore!

Great pics, gorgeous car! :thumbsup

[johnrando]

Very nice. I agree in that pic the DRLs don't look great but that could just be the pic.

[illirep]

Thanks guys. I agree that the DRL aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing and I've thought about having them turned off. However, through my eyes, they give the car a bit of a 'vintage BMW' feel. Anyone else agree or see where I am coming from on this one?

[Stigissimo]

Thanks guys. I agree that the DRL aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing and I've thought about having them turned off. However, through my eyes, they give the car a bit of a 'vintage BMW' feel. Anyone else agree or see where I am coming from on this one?


Believe it or not, I love my DRLs just for that reason. I sometimes see my car's reflection in the back of other cars and it makes me think of old BMW touring cars, Like the e30 m3. (even though I don't think they ran DRLs in races - don't know why it makes me think of them)

[Avetiso]

I like DRLs; but I'm going to change my to either white or yellow.

[BavarianZHP]

Gorgeous Bill! Nice work, if I could switch cars with you I would. :shift Hahaha. :devilish

[derbo]

I like the DRL too but I like the BMW euro city lights


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[az3579]

I like the DRL too but I like the BMW euro city lights


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You mean like the ones I have? :)

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa192/az3579/Automotive/BMW%20E46%20330i%20ZHP/Frosted%20Lights/IMG_2702_zps9f73db86.jpg


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[derbo]

Yes BP, but I would set it up as non-US turn signals and Euro City lights. :)

[az3579]

Yes BP, but I would set it up as non-US turn signals and Euro City lights. :)

That is exactly how I have mine set up. Turn signals do not illuminate with parking lights and low/high beams. I just happened to catch that pic with the blinker on (intentional). :)

There are two ways to do it;

1) The OEM way. Hook up wires to one or two pins on the LCM (I don't remember which ones), and then they'll be on with the parking lights and low beams.
or
2) The way I have it set up; via an angel eye harness. Mine fade in/out with the interior lights when locking/unlocking, as well as run as Daytime Running Lights since it's tapped into ignition. I also have a switch wired up so I can disable them at any time. :thumbsup


Back on topic,

Bill, I am blown away by how gorgeous the paint is on that Mystic. Mystic and Oxford Green are my two "unicorn" cars (in the U.S., Estoril is my real baby but only in Europe :(), both with a Natural Brown interior. I do have to admit, if it was down to a car in "okay" shape with NB interior and yours with Alcantara, I'd definitely choose yours; it is truly in stunning shape.

[SoarinZHP]

That is a gorgeous specimen.... If I didn't have the IR, blue would have been the shizzle....

[NorCal-Dimitri]

:jawdrop The beauty inspires me. Mystic Blue ftw!

[E_Rak]

As for the VANOS work, a rebuild is completely safe and mostly has to do with the performance re-vamp rather than an actual mechanical issue with the unit.

[johnrando]

Yes, you can def just do the Besian seals... that's really what the issue is with. Plus, you're replacing with better parts (the seals/o-rings) than OEM. You can do Dr. Vanos and from what I understand it works, but it's really about the seals. Besian is the cheaper and just as good (maybe better) way to go.

[illirep]

Thanks - I just ordered the Beisan kit and will return the Dr. Vanos kit.

I now realize the Dr. Vanos kit is for someone who will swap the unit as a DIY. Since my tech is doing the work, I'd be paying for the 'rebuild' twice with the Dr. Vanos kit.

[illirep]

I have also decided to return the rebuilt Disa valve and will go with a now ridiculously expensive new OEM unit.

I remember spending $170 for a brand new OEM Disa valve less than 2 years ago for a previous ZHP - now the part is close to $300!?

[johnrando]

Did you look at the price of the G.A.S. Disa rebuild kit, or their rebuilt Gold one? I'm not sure of the price diff but like Besian, they improved on the OEM one with a strong o-ring/flapper valve.

[danewilson77]

Most have been getting the disa kits offered by German Auto Solutions.

I actually posted a video of my rebuild.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[johnrando]

Yeah, I went the lazy way and bought the Gold DISA, instead of the rebuild kit. I guess eventually I'll buy the rebuild kit and sell my DISA rebuilt.

[alexandre]

1) Disa valve - does anyone have experience with the Dr. Vanos rebuilt unit? My indy didn't like the idea of a rebuilt unit as they are vacuum sealed plastic pieces. Should there be any concern about using one of these? The cost savings in only $100 on a $300 part, so I'm now thinking it may not be worth the risk....

2) Vanos work - he wanted to just do the Beisan vanos seal kit, which is $60 plus labor. I'm the type of guy that would rather have the whole unit replaced with a Dr. Vanos rebuilt vanos and avoid having to pay labor again down the road in the event the unit fails. My tech tells me that I'm wasting my money and the seals are all that needs to be done. Note that I don't have the tin can rattle. Can anyone else chime in on this? I trust him 100%, and love that he is trying to save me money, which is a rare characteristic these days. I just have the mindset that I'll regret not doing the whole unit for $250 in parts and just doing the seals for $60 in parts. The difference will be saved in duplicate labor costs down the road.

For the DISA - get the DISA gold valve from German Auto Solutions. They don't open it up, they simply replace the flapper and pin with a stronger setup.

For the VANOS - get the $60 seals and $60 rattle kit from Beisan. $120 in parts + bout 30 mins of work. Gives you the same result as Dr Vanos. I'd do the rattle kit right away as the ZHP cams will develop a rattle eventually and then you have to pull the VC again to do it.

[az3579]

For the VANOS - get the $60 seals and $60 rattle kit from Beisan. $120 in parts + bout 30 mins of work.

30 minutes of work? What are you smoking? lol
If you can do it in 30 minutes, I think you're superhuman!

[alexandre]

30 minutes of work? What are you smoking? lol
If you can do it in 30 minutes, I think you're superhuman!

I mean once the core VANOS unit is on your work table!! That's what it took me last week to do both :shifty

[az3579]

I mean once the core VANOS unit is on your work table!! That's what it took me last week to do both :shifty

Took a while to get the rest of the stuff out of the way though. I would consider this an involved project... I guess that's just me. :dunno

[alexandre]

Took a while to get the rest of the stuff out of the way though. I would consider this an involved project... I guess that's just me. :dunno

Yeah of course. But his mechanic is already doing VCG - considering this, it's only 6 extra nuts to remove lol.

[E_Rak]

All together, VCG included and the rebuild, the job took me about 6 hours, first run through. Not much more to dig into once you are at the VCG.

[illirep]

Well my wallet hurts now, but I have a 'like new' ZHP! Added mod / preventative maintenance list to post # 2 above.

[kakashi169]

damn, the perfect zhp. gj bill

[illirep]

Thanks - wouldn't say 'perfect' yet. I would still like to get the bumpers resprayed and wheels refinished, but I think that is for another time as I didn't expect all those maintenance items to hit at once....Once those items are done, it will damn close to mint!

[derbo]

Very nice sir. Mint is a nice thing to have. Great example of a properly maintained ZHP.

[BavarianZHP]

Damn, every time this thread gets bumped I have to stare at your pics Bill. I can't imagine what it looks like in person. Drop Dead Gorgeous. Mad props!

[E_Rak]

My goodness I would love to own that!

[Vas]

Dang I bet that was a hefty bill for that work.

Did the rear diff bushings need to be replaced?

[illirep]

Most have been getting the disa kits offered by German Auto Solutions.

I actually posted a video of my rebuild.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

I must have missed this. I'm now learning that you can buy rebuild kits for these instead of spending close to $300 for a new one. It is unfortunately too late now, but now I know for next time - this won't be the last Disa valve I'll need to replace! Thx.

[illirep]

Dang I bet that was a hefty bill for that work.

Did the rear diff bushings need to be replaced?

The bushings needed to be replaced. My car was on the lift and he showed me where the rear was cracked. The fronts weren't that bad but at $15 each, he recommended doing them at the same time. Especially since the exhaust was off the car already...

The bill will be hefty, but half of what it would have cost going through Princeton BMW. I also could have done some of this myself but I just don't have the time right now.

I've been billed roughly $1k for the following ($700 of which was parts and fluids, etc.):
Oil and filter service
New cooling system: radiator, water pump, thermostat, expansion tank, hoses, etc.
Differential fluid flush
Transmission fluid flush
Brake fluid flush

I haven't received the bill for this yet:
New font and rear differential bushings - estimated $300 parts and labor
New valve cover gasket / New spark plugs - estimated $250 parts and labor
New crank case vent valve - estimated $300 parts and labor
New Disa Valve - part was $280, no labor charge since he was already in there for other work
Beisan Vanos rebuild kit - kit was $85 including expedited shipping + $60 per hour x ??
New OEM Performance Exhaust installed - $800 in parts and labor
New OEM Performance SSK installed - $200 in parts and labor

It taught me that no matter how clean a ZHP is or appears to be, both mechanically and aesthetically, there is always preventative maintenance to be done. The ultimate buyer of this car will be a very lucky individual as everything is already done!

[derbo]

I want your car afterwards :)


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[illirep]

Got my car back on Sunday - wow! Feels brand new. Maintenance log updated!

Also did a little rehab work on the Alcantara front seats. Purchased a fabric trimmer from Amazon and went to town. Posted below are the most prominent before and after pic's.

[Avetiso]

I don't see pictures of the Alcantara.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[illirep]

Also installed new bosch euro wiper blades / arms and laminex clear headlight / foglight protective film

[illirep]

I don't see pictures of the Alcantara.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

Try again, took me a while to load them

[Avetiso]

Bill, that looks great! Definitely going to try that with my upcoming seats.

Sent from a junkyard via GS4.

[illirep]

Thanks - the tool cost $16 shipped as well. I figured why the heck not?

[fredo]

Wow, that clothes shaver REALLY works !

[danewilson77]

Bill, is this zhp for sale?

[MiniD]

Bill, is this zhp for sale?

Yes, there's a thread in the Classifieds section.

[danewilson77]

Yes, there's a thread in the Classifieds section.

Ok. Thanks Mini.

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