New from Knoxville, TN

[ClimRox]

Hi all! My name is Brandon, and I'm from Knoxville, TN.

The car: 2004 Jet Black Sedan, Slick-Top, AT, Leather, Non-Cold Weather/Premium Package.

I found the car listed in December, and stalked it for about a month. I picked the car up in Tallahassee, FL with just under 70k miles in January of 2015. I left the dealership around 8pm, and promptly drove the 500 miles back home to Knoxville. It was great!

I'll see if I can gather all of the things I have fixed/added since I got the car in the morning, and also some of the things on my list for the near future. I'm glad to be part of such a knowledgable group!

18050
The day I picked it up from the dealership. :biggrin

[3ZHP]

Welcome


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[Stewbie]

Welcome to the forum.

[MiniD]

Also in Knoxville, welcome.

[danewilson77]

Yessss. Welcome to the Family.

The friendliest forum on the planet.

[johnrando]

Congrats on the get. Welcome.

[fredo]

Welcome, sir ! Your ZHP looks very sharp. Slick-Top ... not common.

[ClimRox]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I've never owned a BMW, but am having a good time so far. :cool

Fixes/Additions so far:

-Trunk roundel
-Driver window regulator
-WeatherTech floor liners
-Air filter
-Cabin air filter
-A/T filter, gasket, fluid (leaking when I got it)
-Tint repair on driver door
-New OEM kidney grilles (zip-tied when I showed-up at the dealership: good negotiating point)
-OEM A/C and Serp. belts
-INA A/C, Serp., and idler pulleys (upgraded the Serp. to the Hydraulic style)
-New OEM A-pillars, and a local upholstery shop did the sagging headliner, B and C pillars ($$ Ouch)
-Bentley manual
-Euro side mirrors
-Aluminum water pump pulley (the original cracked when I took the fan off the first time!)

To-do List:

-Replace my faded out lower mesh in the front bumper (I have a new piece, just need to find a good diy on the bumper removal)
-Have my exterior roof trim pieces repainted (faded from the FL sun I guess...)
-Diff fluid change
-center console refresh with the addition of an aux input
-Come up with some sort of hidden garage door opener button (would love to hear some ideas) as I understand the slick-top homelink assembly housings are different and impossible to find.
-Maybe heated seats at some point...
-VANOS
-DISA repair from G.A.S.

[fredo]

Wow, that's really good progress considering you got the car last month.

[Vas]

Welcome. Post more pics when you can. Black looks soo good.

[sixty5vdub]

Welcome to The Family.

[ELCID86]

Welcome and congrats. Nice work so far. Do you have reasons to do the VANOS and DISA?

[ClimRox]

Welcome and congrats. Nice work so far. Do you have reasons to do the VANOS and DISA?

Thank you.

VANOS- I have what I think is a VANOS rattle. From 2k and up I hear what sounds like the "rocks in a can" people seem to mention. 90% of the time...usually when warmed up., or maybe that's just when I start to listen for it.

DISA- No good reason other than fear of the pin falling out into my intake, and the excuse to inspect/buy more parts.

[NoVAphotog]

Thank you for the warm welcome. I've never owned a BMW, but am having a good time so far. :cool

Fixes/Additions so far:

-Trunk roundel
-Driver window regulator
-WeatherTech floor liners
-Air filter
-Cabin air filter
-A/T filter, gasket, fluid (leaking when I got it)
-Tint repair on driver door
-New OEM kidney grilles (zip-tied when I showed-up at the dealership: good negotiating point)
-OEM A/C and Serp. belts
-INA A/C, Serp., and idler pulleys (upgraded the Serp. to the Hydraulic style)
-New OEM A-pillars, and a local upholstery shop did the sagging headliner, B and C pillars ($$ Ouch)
-Bentley manual
-Euro side mirrors
-Aluminum water pump pulley (the original cracked when I took the fan off the first time!)

To-do List:

-Replace my faded out lower mesh in the front bumper (I have a new piece, just need to find a good diy on the bumper removal)
-Have my exterior roof trim pieces repainted (faded from the FL sun I guess...)
-Diff fluid change
-center console refresh with the addition of an aux input
-Come up with some sort of hidden garage door opener button (would love to hear some ideas) as I understand the slick-top homelink assembly housings are different and impossible to find.
-Maybe heated seats at some point...
-VANOS
-DISA repair from G.A.S.

Welcome! I picked up my ZHP in Knoxville! Loved the trip and the city (only got to see a small portion, need to go back)!

Great list so far! You are right about where I am mileage wise, I would say out of everything, fluid changes are great to do right off the bat, they are a low intensity way of getting under/familiar with your car! As far as noticeable refreshes, I'm glad to see you've done the pulleys. They were pretty much on their way out @66k on my ZHP. Car feels punchier and I've had an increase in mpg since replacement.

Also, take a video of the VANOS noise and we all can lock down whether you need to do that yet, I would do an oil change (BMW 5W-30 or Mobil 1 0W-40) if you haven't yet and see if anything changes noise wise. If you do VANOS you can add the Valve Cover Gasket Kit (OEM Valve Cover Gasket Kit getbmwparts.com (https://www.getbmwparts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=MorePartInfo&PartID=789943&siteid=214672&catalogid=4462)) and Spark Plugs (NGK BKR6EQUP (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GX9FSY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)) to the list as they are "along the way" to the VANOS.

That said, couple quotes to look forward to :thumbsup :

"While you're in there" - see: my comment above concerning VANOS/plugs/VCG

"Nice car, is that a ZHP?!" - passersby at Cars & Coffee

[danewilson77]

Thank you.

VANOS- I have what I think is a VANOS rattle. From 2k and up I hear what sounds like the "rocks in a can" people seem to mention. 90% of the time...usually when warmed up., or maybe that's just when I start to listen for it.

DISA- No good reason other than fear of the pin falling out into my intake, and the excuse to inspect/buy more parts.
:waldo

"No flamesuit required"

[ClimRox]

NoVAphotog - Thank you for the links and tips! Come back to Knoxville anytime, and I'll be happy to show you around.

I'll try to figure out how to get a video with the rattle and upload it to this thread. The dealership did a fresh oil change, but admittedly it was a Hyundai dealership...

The pulleys were squeaking when I got it, and the serpentine belt was pretty cracked. I'm confident it was all original.

Thanks again for the kind words.

[ELCID86]

^ change it so you know what's in it.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[NoVAphotog]

^ change it so you know what's in it.


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

+1

SUPER easy DIY, gets the car up in the air with you taking your time and knowing exactly how much/what type is going in. Can check for leaks, etc while in the process as well.

[TheFinanceGuy]

Congrats!! Looks very good!

You can add a BMW homelink garage door opener. The part can be found on eBay for less $50 if it is the same for slick tops.
Might want to just one. The access panel there (if you have one) and see.

I have never been in a slick top E46.


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[ClimRox]

An oil change is definitely on the list in a few weeks, as you all have confirmed my uneasiness of the dealership service.


Congrats!! Looks very good!

You can add a BMW homelink garage door opener. The part can be found on eBay for less $50 if it is the same for slick tops.
Might want to just one. The access panel there (if you have one) and see.

I have never been in a slick top E46.


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Thanks! Yeah, I think the actual homelink part is the same, but I don't have a sunroof panel where it would go normally. See http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=648603

Post #5 and #7 appear to show an OEM solution way back when, but I haven't been able to find it on RealOEM or anything similar now.

Love the color of your car btw!

[TheFinanceGuy]

Oh i see. You could always retrofit in an E90 mirror.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-BMW-Auto-Dim-Rear-View-Mirror-M3-M5-3-5-6-7-Hidden-Compass-with-Homelink-/141571611815

[ClimRox]

Thought I would add a few interior shots. I treated the leather with Gliptone products last night.

1807518076

[ELCID86]

Minty.

[danewilson77]

Minty.
Freshhhhhh

"No flamesuit required"

[Vas]

Nice

[Oli77]

Superb! Great looking car. Welcome.

[twisted125]

Nice ride!

[Raptorman5174]

Welcome to the community

[Fenrir]

Gorgeous ride. Welcome ^_^!