Ecrabb's ZHP Vert Project Log [Archive] - BMW E46 330 ZHP For Sale Forum

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 07:58 AM

Overall condition is "good" I'd say. Not quite excellent, but close.

Exterior
- Paint is overall pretty good. Just a couple of small PDR'able dings, one on each side of the car.
- Passenger-side mirror was resprayed at some point, I believe. There's some overspray on the black trailing-edge on the mirror, and a crappy tape line in the reveal between the painted shell and black trim. Might have to get a new mirror if I can't clean it up. It's not like it's noticeable, but I know it's there.
- Front fascia has some rash on the bottom, and a pretty bad ding on the driver's side front splitter that's showing the black material underneath. I'll probably touch it up and than maybe get the whole piece cleaned up and resprayed at some point.
- Wheels are pretty rough. Backs aren't bad, but the two fronts are curbed pretty badly. The right-front took such a hit on something, it even took a piece of the shoulder off the tire.

Interior
- Interior is damn good for a car this age and miles. A little bolster wear on both driver's and passenger's seat.
- Aluminum cube trim is in excellent condition. Very few scratches anywhere.
- Interior just needs a good cleaning.
- Need to steam clean the carpets.
- Alcantera wheel is in OK shape, but needs cleaned. Definitely drooling over a set from Coby - Wheel, parking brake lever and boot, and shift boot - all with tricolor stitch.

Mechanical
I've only glanced under the hood, and I need to stop into the local dealer and sweet-talk them to see if they'll pull service records for me. Other than that, the radiator hoses look newer, and I think there's only a couple thousand miles on the oil change. Other than that, I'm in the dark at the moment.

Tires will need replacement soon. I haven't measured tread depth yet, but the right-rear is pretty worn, so the left-rear even looks different. Right-front has the aforementioned damage.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 08:22 AM

Performance...
We all know these aren't "fast" cars - especially by today's standards. But, so far I'm very happy and reasonably impressed. It definitely feels peppier than the automatic I drove a few years ago. Not sure if it's just the stick, that the other car was higher-mileage and needed VANOS and DISA, or probably both... But, I'm very happy with it.

I love the 6MT. Love. I've never daily-driven a stick, and the only stick I've really ever logged any significant miles in was a couple of my dad's 5-speed and 6-speed Corvettes, and a few friend's cars here and there. But, it came right back to me. Very smooth, and easy to drive. I suppose I wouldn't want to drive one in stop-and-go traffic all the time, but for a fun car, it's a blast.

First, the handling is freakin' AWESOME. Just like I remember the old man's Corvettes. You can throw the thing around a corner with power on, and it's nice and flat and totally confident. VERY NICE!

The only thing that's bugging me about the car right now is a throttle hesitation. I posted about it (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16249-Throttle-hesitation). Everybody seems to think it's the crappy OEM throttle map. If so, then I definitely want/need a tune.

I think it comes down to either the Shark or the Eurocharged tune. Here's the takeaway as I understand it on both...

A) The Shark is the great/classic tune from Jim Comforti, well-known BMW tuner. It's an all-around well-executed tune that makes some assumptions and compromises, so is therefore not the best for every situation, but is well-suited for a good all-around tune for an un-modded or lightly-modded car (intake, maybe exhaust). Fairly simple to DIY, and well-understood and used.

B) The Eurocharged tune is a newer solution, and comes with customization and emailable tunes so it can be customized for individual use cases, whether intakes, headers, premium/high-octane fuels, etc. Sounds like a great value with the customization, but appears to be a little more involved as far as the programming goes. I've skimmed a few threads, and I'm still not sure what hardware/software I need to even install the tune.

Based on that, and that I'm just getting my feet wet and the car is completely stock, I'm leaning toward the Shark to start with, then once I'm comfortable with the car and I've made a few mods, I can flip it and maybe go Eurocharged.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
SC

Ssparrow

06-19-2015, 08:24 AM

Looks awesome! Low miles too. I too have been wanting a coby wheel for a while now. One of these days my impulse will get the best of me and I'll pull the trigger on one

Vas

06-19-2015, 08:35 AM

Wow nice vert with low miles

BMWCurves

06-19-2015, 09:02 AM

Awesome, glad it made the trip safely to your garage after all the delays!

For the side mirror my bet would be you could pull off the cover and just repaint the trim black or scrape it off. From the description a different shade of black paint (due to age/sunfade) wouldn't really be too noticeable.

I had the same decision to make for a tune. I purchased the Shark Injector because it was on sale new from Turner Motorsport, but then saw the Eurocharged tune as an option. As you note, the Eurocharged tune is more involved but can be customized to your car's current modifications. Downside is there is no official Eurocharged dealer/mechanic local to me so I would have to mail them my DME each time I wanted to change something. Since I have no plans for engine modifications beyond a BMW Performance Intake (if I can ever find one in my budget) and maybe a catback exhaust way down the line, I decided I didn't need the customizability of the Eurocharged tune and kept my Shark Injector which I hope to install soon. You may be different.

Overall, looks like you've got an awesome car. And I saw elsewhere you believed you might have overpaid. I think you paid a decent price. The market is so variable and it's only getting harder to find low mileage examples. I paid $14k for my 2005 330Ci ZHP and it had 49.3k miles, 6MT and no additional packages. Granted, that $14k was after I haggled down from $15k because the seller spent his time flipping cars, and I had actually met him two weeks prior trying to purchase the car from the original owners who were selling it for $12k. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince the first owners to go above their asking price and the other guy had already offered to pay their asking price. Anyways, long story short, I think you got a great car for a perfectly good price. Enjoy it now that it's home!

johnrando

06-19-2015, 09:05 AM

Sweet!

JB3

06-19-2015, 10:53 AM

Hey man glad to see you finally ended the wait. Enjoy the car, looks like you got a great example.

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 11:02 AM

For the side mirror my bet would be you could pull off the cover and just repaint the trim black or scrape it off. From the description a different shade of black paint (due to age/sunfade) wouldn't really be too noticeable.
Yep, or since the overspray is light, I may even be able to take it off with a little solvent or light abrasive. It looks like crap, so not much to lose. If I screw it up, I can just replace it. Low priority, though. Nobody else will notice it unless they're really looking closely.

I had the same decision to make for a tune. I purchased the Shark Injector because it was on sale new from Turner Motorsport, but then saw the Eurocharged tune as an option. As you note, the Eurocharged tune is more involved but can be customized to your car's current modifications. Downside is there is no official Eurocharged dealer/mechanic local to me so I would have to mail them my DME each time I wanted to change something. Since I have no plans for engine modifications beyond a BMW Performance Intake (if I can ever find one in my budget) and maybe a catback exhaust way down the line, I decided I didn't need the customizability of the Eurocharged tune and kept my Shark Injector which I hope to install soon. You may be different.
I think you and I are on pretty much exactly the same page. Probably no mods for me short-term other than an intake, and no other performance mods long-term other than perhaps a cat-back exhaust. Like you, I don't have a local dealer and would be shipping my DME. Put those factors together, and I think the Shark makes the most sense for me, too. How often does Turner have a sale? ;)

Overall, looks like you've got an awesome car. And I saw elsewhere you believed you might have overpaid. I think you paid a decent price. The market is so variable and it's only getting harder to find low mileage examples. I paid $14k for my 2005 330Ci ZHP and it had 49.3k miles, 6MT and no additional packages. Granted, that $14k was after I haggled down from $15k because the seller spent his time flipping cars, and I had actually met him two weeks prior trying to purchase the car from the original owners who were selling it for $12k. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince the first owners to go above their asking price and the other guy had already offered to pay their asking price. Anyways, long story short, I think you got a great car for a perfectly good price. Enjoy it now that it's home!
Thanks! That actually does make me feel better. I see people getting cars for $10k, $8k, or even less, and it makes me a little uneasy. But, this car is really very clean, I love it, and I imagine I'll get at least three or four years of enjoyment out of it, if not more.

SC

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 11:04 AM

Sweet!
Thanks!

So, over in the other thread, you said this:

Eurocharged is a more complete tune than the Shark Injector from what I understand, and they have a mafia deal. Definitely check air filter, etc. as you said. But, for sure the drive by wire is an issue. So, a tune like a Eurocharged would be best, but at minimum, sprint booster or pedal box would address that. The good thing is that Eurocharged say they address throttle lag in their tune (some don't) so you might not need the "boxes" separately. My AA tune did not address throttle lag (it was before Eurocharged was in business) so I added a Sprint Booster to my tune, and it's night and day better.
From what I'm reading, the Shark addresses the throttle lag issue, so unless I'm missing something, it should be similar to your AA tune + Sprint Booster, no?

SC

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 11:06 AM

Thanks, guys!

Lord, it's hard to sit in my office and do work when I know my car is sitting at home waiting for me in the garage. Is it bad that I just want to go home and play with my car... And clean it, and touch it, and drive it?

Back to work.

SC

san

06-19-2015, 11:13 AM

wsmeyer

06-19-2015, 11:55 AM

Beautiful vert!

I went with a Shark Tune mainly becasue I could install it myself rather than shipping my DME off. It didn't make a significant difference in power but it ran noticeably smoother. I went with the PedalBox to reduce the throttle lag.

Personally I think one of the first things on your list should be a wind deflector. I couldn't imagine having a vert without one.

Also, if you're thinking about a hardtop Rando's neighbor has a silver one and the install kit he's itching to get rid of.

ecrabb

06-19-2015, 12:23 PM

Beautiful vert!
Thanks! Ditto! Would have loved a dark car (Sparkling Graphite is a fave), but with black interior, I think it would have been really hot here in the high-desert Utah sun.

I went with a Shark Tune mainly becasue I could install it myself rather than shipping my DME off. It didn't make a significant difference in power but it ran noticeably smoother. I went with the PedalBox to reduce the throttle lag.
OK, so you're using the PedalBox *and* the Shark? The Shark is supposed to eliminate the lag by itself, right? The Turner page says:

The Shark Injector software modifies the part throttle and full throttle maps for fuel, variable valve timing, ignition, knock sensor control, and other areas to extract more power. The car won’t hesitate or lag, making the car easier to drive.

So, using both, you're sort of doubling-up on the curves, aren't you? I realize the PedalBox gives you a little more control, but I would assume that the map on the sport mode on the PedalBox and the map in the Shark are similar. Does it make the throttle super-touchy?

I think I might start with the Shark because I know I want it, and because it does more, see how I like it, than add the PedalBox later if I still want more throttle sensitivity. Make sense?

Personally I think one of the first things on your list should be a wind deflector. I couldn't imagine having a vert without one.
I got one with the car! Found out after I'd already bought the car. It's in the trunk. I haven't even taken it out yet because I haven't been in the car by myself with the top down. I'll probably have two kids in the back seat a good chunk of the time, but if my wife and I head up to the mountains without the kids, I'll definitely throw it on there and try it out. At this point, the newness of having a convertible means I don't even mind the buffeting and turbulence. ;)

Also, if you're thinking about a hardtop Rando's neighbor has a silver one and the install kit he's itching to get rid of.
Oooohh... Interesting. Ti Ag, even? My hoarder instinct just kicked in. It thinks I should grab that bad boy just to have it. The more pragmatic side says, "Yeah, but you're only going to drive this car on weekends and nice days, not in the winter at all, and probably very rarely even if it's raining, so isn't it just going to sit in the rack and collect dust?" and it would be right - unless I'm missing something.

Thanks for the info!

SC

johnrando

06-19-2015, 05:34 PM

If Shark does address throttle lag then go for it. But Dane has a Shark and he still needed an extra box for the lag. So did William. Throttle 'responsiveness' is different than the throttle lag associated with drive by wire.

sent from mobile device

fredo

06-19-2015, 08:37 PM

Well done, man ! Congrats.

danewilson77

06-20-2015, 05:32 AM

ecrabb

06-21-2015, 10:14 PM

Thanks, guys! Making my shopping list. Lots of stuff to buy. Long-term ongoing project.

Drove the car in the mountains today and had an absolute blast. The car is so damn much fun to drive.

I want to do some research on what's been done and do some of the other PM. Also thinking about new tires and wheel repair and thinking about cleaning up all four wheels and maybe powder coating with a darker gunmetal like a couple of others have done. Good winter project.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

06-24-2015, 03:17 PM

I haven't had time to do much else to the car other than tidying up the trunk and glove box a little. There's a few invoices for tires and oil changes, but no window sticker as some have found and as I'd hoped.

Went for a spin with the fam on Monday night. The car is intoxicating. Love the exhaust sound.

Didn't touch the car last night, but I did start assembling a file, and will pick up a binder this weekend in which to put everything.

I called the stealer this afternoon to schedule both safety and emissions inspections. The safety inspection is state-mandated and emissions are county-mandated. $48 for both, which seamed cheap for stealer. I think safety inspection is price-regulated. ;)

I must have missed the field on the service form for VIN because a young customer service kid called me back to get it. I gave it to him, he asked if it was my first BMW, I said it was, and so he started telling me a about service and inspections. He asked for the mileage and I told him just under 42,000 and I think he dropped the phone. "Wha? Wait... Wha?" 42,000? Not 142,000? LOLs. Low-mileage BMW's aren't that rare, are they?

Then, he started telling me about Inspection 2, that it was due at 60,000, and that it's usually $1600-2200. I didn't have the heart to tell him I wouldn't hit 60k miles for like 3-4 years, and that all that stuff would be done long before then, but I thanked him for the info and told him I'd talk to the service advisor about it when I was there on Friday morning.

I'm really hoping I can sweet-talk somebody into giving me some service records on the car, even if the owner info has to be redacted.

Been reading up on tires based on recommendations here, and researching wheel reconditioning and powder-coating locally.

Cheers,
SC

BMWCurves

06-24-2015, 03:37 PM

I'm really hoping I can sweet-talk somebody into giving me some service records on the car, even if the owner info has to be redacted.

I assume it is a state by state thing. When I purchased my car the owners had no records but had serviced it at a Portland, OR dealership its whole life. After I purchased the car I went to a separate dealership and requested service records. All they needed was proof of ownership which I gave via my ID and my registration for the car. They came back out with non-identifying records in about five minutes.

ecrabb

06-24-2015, 03:59 PM

I'll be finding out.

When I mentioned service data to the rep, he said they'll do a "key read" when I come in... That they'll stick the key in some kind of reader that reads all the service data stored on the key so they can tell me what needs to be done. That sounds highly suspect, since I'm not aware of any car models now (let alone 10 years ago) that have a flash drive on them for file storage. I assume the key itself isn't where the info is; rather, I assume they're simply using a key reader to pull a S/N, then lookup the VIN, which they can then use to access the car's history from a corporate/service database. That would save time and eliminate inaccuracy over having to go manually read the VIN off the windshield or from the door jamb and type it into a computer.

SC

az3579

06-24-2015, 06:00 PM

Low-mileage BMW's aren't that rare, are they?

BMWs that are that old with such low mileage are rare. You having only 42k on your car is very rare indeed. Most of these cars have well over 100k by now.

fredo

06-25-2015, 05:27 AM

I know the e90 keys have "key read" features. But, first time I hear about it on the e46.

I'll be finding out.

When I mentioned service data to the rep, he said they'll do a "key read" when I come in... That they'll stick the key in some kind of reader that reads all the service data stored on the key so they can tell me what needs to be done. That sounds highly suspect, since I'm not aware of any car models now (let alone 10 years ago) that have a flash drive on them for file storage. I assume the key itself isn't where the info is; rather, I assume they're simply using a key reader to pull a S/N, then lookup the VIN, which they can then use to access the car's history from a corporate/service database. That would save time and eliminate inaccuracy over having to go manually read the VIN off the windshield or from the door jamb and type it into a computer.

SC

az3579

06-25-2015, 06:56 AM

I know the e90 keys have "key read" features. But, first time I hear about it on the e46.

They did this to my key as well the very first time I've ever gone to the dealer with the E46.

san

06-25-2015, 06:58 AM

They did this to my key as well the very first time I've ever gone to the dealer with the E46.

+1

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ecrabb

06-25-2015, 07:21 AM

Maybe that explains why replacement keys are $250 or $300. ;)

I'll get the full scoop at the stealer in the morning.

Cheers,
SC

fredo

06-25-2015, 07:42 AM

The dealer quoted me $205 + tax for a ZHP key.

WOLFN8TR

06-25-2015, 03:19 PM

Hey Steve nice to see the ZHP is in your possession! Nice low miles and clean, winner! The inspection II costs that much at a dealer but not if you DIY. Here's a few things I did to my SGM ZHP when I had it I recommend.

- G.A.S DISA (http://www.germanautosolutions.com/index.php)
- Besian Vanos (http://www.beisansystems.com)
- Stewart Water Pump
- UltraGauge (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?9606-UltraGauge-OBDII-Gauges&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)
- ECS Alum Water Pump Pulley
- KONI adjustable Shocks
- Euro No Blind Spot Mirrors
- BMW Perf Intake
- BMW Perf CF Strut Bar
- Sprint Booster V2 (Sport Button Mod) (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7679-SprintBooster-button-gt-gt-M3-SPORT-Button-mod-doityourself&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)
- LED Angel Eyes (you have to bake the headlights to install thou)

Here's my old 2005 SGM ZHP 330CI (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?13369-Gary-s-ZHP-Maint-amp-Project-Thread&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)

BMWCurves

06-25-2015, 04:13 PM

Hey Steve nice to see the ZHP is in your possession! Nice low miles and clean, winner! The inspection II costs that much at a dealer but not if you DIY. Here's a few things I did to my SGM ZHP when I had it I recommend.

- G.A.S DISA (http://www.germanautosolutions.com/index.php)
- Besian Vanos (http://www.beisansystems.com)
- Stewart Water Pump
- UltraGauge (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?9606-UltraGauge-OBDII-Gauges&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)
- ECS Alum Water Pump Pulley
- KONI adjustable Shocks
- BMW Perf Intake
- BMW Perf CF Strut Bar
- Sprint Booster V2 (Sport Button Mod) (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7679-SprintBooster-button-gt-gt-M3-SPORT-Button-mod-doityourself&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)
- LED Angel Eyes (you have to bake the headlights to install thou)

Here's my old 2005 SGM ZHP 330CI (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?13369-Gary-s-ZHP-Maint-amp-Project-Thread&highlight=WOLFN8TR%27s)

Yup, a good list. Just wish those BMW Performance intakes and CF strut bars were more available/cheaper.

WOLFN8TR

06-25-2015, 04:40 PM

Ya no doubt. Oh there's links in my post above in case you didn't notice.

ecrabb

06-25-2015, 10:24 PM

Thanks, Gary. Yes, a lot of that is on the to-do list. I think l'll try to get through the summer, then do the cooling system and water pump like in December when I won't be driving the car until spring.

For now, the priority is now tires. I know the right-front was the old Pilot Super Sport, and it obviously looks old and is cracking. But, imagine my surprise when I washed the car and cleaned the wheels and looked up the date code: 1704. Holy sheep shit, that tire is older than the car itself. It's literally 11 years old and then some. Why in the hell wouldn't the previous owner have replaced that thing? Judas Priest. So, no more mountain cruises (or even interstate for that matter) until at least the fronts are replaced. 60 mph max and little driving the car until that tire is replaced.

But, now I'm thinking if I'm going to get new tires, maybe I should go ahead and get the 135s refurbed at the same time. Wasn't really planning on dropping well over a grand on the car two weeks after I bought it, but it's a major safety issue.

SC

ecrabb

06-25-2015, 10:25 PM

Here it is:

20472

NoVAphotog

06-26-2015, 03:29 AM

Ah, the catch 22 of a low mileage ZHP... :roundel

fredo

06-26-2015, 03:35 AM

Hard to believe. Glad you noticed the 1704 sooner than later.

az3579

06-26-2015, 04:32 AM

Ah, the catch 22 of a low mileage ZHP... :roundel

Small price to pay. :thumbsup

NoVAphotog

06-26-2015, 05:46 AM

Small price to pay. :thumbsup
:)

Sent from an HTC One

ecrabb

06-26-2015, 03:17 PM

Yeah, a low-mileage older car is definitely a double-edged sword, but I'll take it. ;)

20475

Took the car in to the dealer this morning as planned. Nice experience. Out on the edge of town, it's a little more quiet and laid-back than the urban dealer. Got my emissions and safety inspection. Car passed both, but they caught the tires and said the state rules would typically force them to fail a car with mismatched brands of tires of different different wear levels, but she could tell by the condition of the car I'd be putting new tires on. :) That seems suspect given the rolling turds I see on the roads, but they gave me the certificate to license the car, along with a quote for about a grand to replace three tires - the two backs and the one really old front - to match the newest of the four on the left-front. I thanked her and said I'd consider it. ;)

I did ask about service records, and she said there was no way she could pull any service records on the car for me. She said the only thing a dealer can see that was done at another dealer is in-warranty work, for instance the airbag recall or under-warranty oil changes. The last oil-change she could see was at a dealer in Colorado when the car only had 20k-some miles on it. I think that might have been on the Carfax, too. She said the only way I could get any service records was from the original owner or from the dealer that actually performed the work. Great.

I think what I might do is email the seller and ask him to call the dealer and the indy shop where the car has been serviced for seven or eight years, and give them both permission to release any records they have on the car. Considering the tires, the least he can do is make a couple of phone calls. I just want to see what's been done on the car and when. Like, it appears as though the radiator hoses are newer. The question is, are they only a year or two old, or are they four years old and they just look a year or two old.

She did have a key-reader at her desk, and did stick my key in the reader to pull up what records she could access. She confirmed it was just reading a serial number from the key, then using that info to cross-reference with VIN and display the records on the car.

Looking at either a whole set of new tires and refurbing the wheels at the same time, or throwing a cheap set of used tires I found on the front for a month or two and recover from the financial shock of buying the car. ;)

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

06-28-2015, 06:41 PM

Check this out... The LCD on the radio was mint in my car when I took delivery last week. Perfect. Not a single dead pixel.

Then, last weekend, I drove the car in the mountains. The next day, I noticed a couple of pixels in each of two locations dead.

Last Thursday, I took the car to the dealer for safety and emissions inspections. From there, I drove the car to work and left it sit outside in the sun all day. This is what the radio looks like now:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/28/0c6887ab30041163e8c154ef64f4335d.jpg

Yay! New project. The thing is perfect for all of 11 years, then fails epically a week after I buy it.

Already found the tutorials on replacing the screen. Sigh.

SC

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BMWCurves

06-28-2015, 09:34 PM

Ouch. I wonder what's causing that. Just old age, or something like a voltage issue that is frying the screen? (I know very little about electronics)

ecrabb

06-28-2015, 09:45 PM

I'm guessing it was heat.

The first time the two blobs showed up was after the day in the mountains, so the screen would have been exposed to a little direct sunlight, but it was also with the top down, so hot, but not too hot.

Friday, the ambient temp was just over the century mark, so the interior was probably in the 130 ballpark. Just guessing. If the screen took any direct sunlight, and the car interior was 130, the black screen itself could have easily been what, 150 degrees?

I'm bummed because I really didn't want to drive it work and leave it in the sun, and I even had the appointment set for Saturday, but the stealer called me back and said they only do emissions testing on weekdays. Should have driven home and put the car in the garage.

Oh well, I guess it was going to happen anyway. Looks like a new screen is $160 or so, so the money isn't bad. But, it looks like a pretty crappy job, though.

SC

johnrando

06-29-2015, 02:39 PM

ecrabb

06-29-2015, 02:49 PM

This OEM Nav? I've got an OEM nav with the lcd screen recently replaced that I'll sell you for $180. I had the screen replaced not that long ago but now I'm putting in a Dynavin. No dead pixels, scratches, etc. Lmk and I'll send pics if u want.

Yes, OEM nav.

Umm... That would be awesome. I was looking at about $150 w/shipping for a display all by itself. Then, there's the half-hour whatever tearing the head unit part to replace the LCD display - and that's on top of removing the head unit from the car and reinstalling.

How long ago was it replaced? I will almost certainly take you up on that. No rush, and I'd love to see a photo whenever you have a few minutes. I'm sure it's immaculate, but you know...

I'll need to plan my aux input upgrade and order whatever I need so I can do that when I have the head unit out. I'd love to do a couple of other stereo upgrades I'm thinking about at the same time, but I absolutely need to get to the mechanical stuff first.

Regards,
SC

johnrando

06-29-2015, 03:19 PM

Hmmm, maybe 6 months ago? But I don't drive every day, I work from home. I'll send pics.

ecrabb

06-29-2015, 10:06 PM

Hmmm, maybe 6 months ago? But I don't drive every day, I work from home. I'll send pics.
Sounds great to me!

I used to work from home too, but I'm back to the daily grind. Didn't really miss wasting 45 minutes a day in the car and rolling on another 100 miles a week. Nothing compared to what some people do, I know.

SC

ecrabb

06-29-2015, 10:12 PM

Posted this in a thread in the wheel subforum, but I thought I'd put it here. Tires are now a priority, so I'm thinking about moving up the wheel refurbish so I don't have to do it later and mount/balance all over again.

[Thinking about refinishing the 135's in a gunmetal color - about half-way between black and silver. I found a thumbnail from Vortex Tuning googling "bmw style 135 gunmetal". I've been sitting on it a few days, but the more I look at it, the more I love it. I think it might look really awesome with Titan Silber. I did a half-assed mockup in Photoshop. Another benefit is that it wouldn't look filthy two miles down the road from the carwash.

After looking at a bunch of pictures of 328's and M4's, it looks like Mineral Gray Metallic is very close.

It's my car and I'll do what I want ;), but anybody have opinions they'd like to share?

Cheers,
SC

20501

20502

fredo

06-30-2015, 03:16 AM

az3579

06-30-2015, 03:31 AM

Have a look at Ferric Grey. It's the color BMW uses for a lot of their newer factory darker grey wheels.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20505&stc=1

ecrabb

07-01-2015, 09:46 AM

Sounds like you worry about brake dust. That was an issue on my e90 as well. However, I installed Akebono ceramic pads and the problem is gone ! Granted, if you plan to track this may not be the best option.

I wouldn't say I worry about it so much as I'm just finding it annoying after finally cleaning up the wheels to have them be filthy again in no time flat. I don't really plan to track the car, and if I do, it would just be for half an hour of fun laps with my boy or something, not hammering away for two hours trying to shave seconds off my lap time. Long story short, thanks for the recommendation on ceramic pads. I'll definitely look into that!

SC

ecrabb

07-01-2015, 09:48 AM

Have a look at Ferric Grey. It's the color BMW uses for a lot of their newer factory darker grey wheels.

THANKS! That might just be the ticket. From googling a little, it seems like a lot of guys don't particularly like that color, but I think it'll probably look good with TiAg, and again - it's my damn car. ;)

SC

az3579

07-01-2015, 09:49 AM

THANKS! That might just be the ticket. From googling a little, it seems like a lot of guys don't particularly like that color, but I think it'll probably look good with TiAg, and again - it's my damn car. ;)

SC
I wonder why they wouldn't like it. I think it looks pretty good in person. You should check it out at a dealer before you pull the trigger to see if you like it. It is an OE color, after all. ;)

ecrabb

07-01-2015, 09:53 AM

I wonder why they wouldn't like it. I think it looks pretty good in person. You should check it out at a dealer before you pull the trigger to see if you like it. It is an OE color, after all. ;)
Visit a BMW dealership? No, I couldn't possibly do that. I HATE visiting the dealer and looking at gorgeous new cars!

Kidding!

Yeah, I will absolutely do that.

SC

johnrando

07-01-2015, 01:27 PM

Pics otw. They aren't great but for sure no pixel issues, etc. Mine has a CD player.

johnrando

07-01-2015, 01:28 PM

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/01/9cb35b6aa1913ed8a61d2a36533e4c77.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/01/cc8b4c732759e4b9e457634d361a7dc8.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/01/d2932af38c86e8fb21cd302dae625d8f.jpg

sent from mobile device

ecrabb

07-01-2015, 02:52 PM

Oh, so you already have the new head unit in your car?

Hard to tell from the blurr-o-vision :) , but looks great to me. Other than perhaps being slightly older, I'm pretty sure it's exactly like what I have. Mine is a CD also.

Since it's out of the car with the screen flipped out, how do you get it back in and/or ship it with the screen sticking out?

Also, need to figure out how to update the maps. Did a little reading, and it looks like I need to download and upgrade some software so I can get the 3D/perspective view (maybe that's already in this head unit), then it sounds like I need to buy a map DVD or something. Haven't finished reading up on that.

Regards,
SC

johnrando

07-01-2015, 03:37 PM

It just slides out the front, no biggie. Slides back in same way.

I've updated the s/w on this unit, so you're all set. That gives you the 'perspective' view, night view, speed traps, etc. All you need is the map DVD.

Those pics aren't the greatest but it is as advertised. If it's not, just send it back and I'll give you your money back.

Do you know how to remove it? If not, plenty of DIYs but I'll tell you the trick if needed. Not hard but getting the tabs pushed in "just right" to release the unit can be a little of a trick.

ecrabb

07-01-2015, 09:37 PM

No, never removed it. I'll definitely check out the tutorials. Thanks for the info.

Hitting the road tomorrow, so if you don't mind waiting until early next week, I'll send you money.

Thanks!

SC

johnrando

07-07-2015, 09:13 AM

Sent you a PM.

ecrabb

07-07-2015, 09:24 AM

Sent you a PM.

Replied.

Traveling for the holiday and not back yet. Missing my car. ;)

SC

ecrabb

07-07-2015, 09:40 AM

I did swing by the local stealer yesterday to look at some wheel colors. Several of the nicer cars had what looked like the Ferric Grey color, but exactly none were all painted. They all had brushed aluminum faces/accents, so it was hard to get a feel for the all-gunmetal look.

There were some other auto dealers nearby though, so I moved on and cruised the lots and tried to find a silver car with gunmetal-style wheels. I found a Mazda 6 with darker all-painted wheels. Nothing silver, but I did find a couple of cars with gunmetal wheels.

- Mazda has a dark painted wheel on the 6 that looked really good on a white and darker silver car.
- Lexus has a nice gunmetal wheel on a few of their F-Sport models. Didn't see any lighter cars, but I liked the look.
- The new CTS-V has a gunmetal wheel option that looks really nice.
- The Z06 has a Spectra Gray finish option that looks awesome on a silver car just looking at the configurator.

In short, I'm very much sold on the look. I just have to nail down the right color to use. I want to use a BMW color, and I want to make sure it will work well with Titanium Silver. I think it'll give the car just a little nudge of a modern look, but still stay true to the look of the car.

Cheers,
SC

BRGcoopahS

07-14-2015, 03:44 PM

20475

Its amazing how much better the ZHP (vert) looks against those newer BMW's

ecrabb

07-14-2015, 03:52 PM

Its amazing how much better the ZHP (vert) looks against those newer BMW's

Yeah, I agree. I hate to be "that guy", but I just can't really get into the newer cars much. The e92 M3 is pretty sweet looking, but most of the rest of the cars I can sort of take or leave. I don't hate them... I just don't love them like the E46.

SC

BRGcoopahS

07-14-2015, 03:56 PM

I actually find the e92 to be my least favorite 3 series. Believe it or not I'd rank the E46 first and F8x 2nd. Thats a new design I immediately fell in love with, but only on the M models

ecrabb

08-31-2015, 05:03 AM

It's been awhile since I've done anything besides cleaning and just generally enjoying the car. I did finally place an order from ECS and received the box Friday: BMW Gloss Black kidneys, aux input for nav, Mann cabin air filter and cabin air filter cover.

I replaced the kidneys before Cars and Coffee Sunday morning and I think it made a nice improvement.

SC

Before:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/a385383fb1b7b35d618b3c7a211a4e2a.jpg

After:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/813f5c41f5c1bde1c571a38e9afadb12.jpg

ecrabb

08-31-2015, 05:12 AM

Sunday night, I thought I'd take a crack at the lower grille, but decided it was more than I wanted to tackle because I decided I wanted to go ahead and pull the front bumper to clean the radiator and front end. Instead, I thought I'd go ahead and take care of the cabin air filter and cover and do a little detailing in the engine compartment.

Pulled the cabin air filter and it was filthy. According to the date code, it's likely the original. Cleaned the inside of the cabin air intake box, installed new filter and cover. Spiffy.

SC

Old:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/83e194a3814c71ff61026a80f9ea195d.jpg

Nasty filter:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/d58ea0ba6d249a73cf47fd6193520f2f.jpg

That's an "04" - pretty sure it was the original:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/ae087d18fae36bf03afba7bb5e7a79b4.jpg

New filter and cover installed:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/65025f3a519f258642d822ae070c206d.jpg

danewilson77

08-31-2015, 05:21 AM

Good work crabby.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

ecrabb

08-31-2015, 05:21 AM

So, since the cabin air filter had never been changed, I thought, "Well, may as well check the air filter and see how old that is.

Ho Lee Shit. I now give you a 2004 BMW 330 ZHP with what I believe is likely the original air filter:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/65598ce59d635efe9b90800c2e6955ab.jpg

Doesn't that look like a 2004?
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/31/794ef994812212ebab027c5b11b15045.jpg

It was in surprisingly good shape - at least in terms of not being full of crap. Most of what was in the folds of the filter was the foam which had long ago broken down to "foam dust".

I'm trying to figure out how it could possibly have been that clean with 42,000 miles on it. Original owner had a spare from when he bought the car and installed it at 20,000 miles?

Crazy!

SC

Vas

08-31-2015, 05:21 AM

Good choice on the performance Grills

ecrabb

08-31-2015, 05:22 AM

Thanks, guys! Lots more to do!

SC

BADCLOWN

09-02-2015, 02:53 AM

dirty ass filters..........im sure your car is breathing much better now.

BMWCurves

09-02-2015, 07:31 AM

Nothing like an 11 year old air filter. Good investigative work.

ecrabb

09-04-2015, 06:47 PM

The car parts gods delivered some goodness the last couple of days...

First, new OE air filter:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/04/891be0a0b5eddc7e0661c4b60bde6b5e.jpg

Ahhhhhh... Much better!

SC

ecrabb

09-04-2015, 06:49 PM

While I was in there replacing the air filter, I see where the intake boot is cracked. I should buy stock in a couple of the parts resellers.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/04/0614fdaab4e9c1673c3288c5d04cde6a.jpg

Off to order intake boots.

SC

ecrabb

09-04-2015, 07:11 PM

Aaaaaand... One more little project for Friday after work.

Before:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/04/8904c62a54dbb1627f366ab67ca3f1d3.jpg

After:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/04/c047ce9a340af416a3a45544e3f2ef86.jpg

Pretty happy overall. It was stupid cheap. Fit, or rather my installation, was about a B or B-. I'd prefer an A. I would have liked a slightly better termination on the passenger side, and a touch less reveal.

I'll see how much it bothers me, and either buy another and keep a spare, or buy some trim adhesive and redo it.

Overall pretty damn thrilled with a $39 part.

A shout out to Dave Martinez for linking me up to the right product on Amazon!

SC

BMWCurves

09-05-2015, 09:54 AM

Nice work, I like the small spoiler. I didn't realize that convertibles didn't come with it. Which intake boot is the one that's cracked?

ecrabb

09-08-2015, 10:07 AM

Thanks. I'm getting used to it now and I really like it. It's noticeable even in the rear-view mirror. I can see how BMW's styling guys wanted to leave them off, because it does just "stick up" out of nowhere, from an otherwise very flat surface. But, I just really like the sporty look.

The bad cracking is in the lower boot, the part that goes out over to the idle control valve if what I heard in the videos is right.

I'll try to post the pics and narrative from the bumper removal later today.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

09-08-2015, 08:50 PM

OK, so this weekend, I decided to tear into the front end to replace the old worn-out lower grill with a new one I ordered from ECS. The old one had Titanium Silver overspray on it from when somebody just masked it to repaint the front end. That work wasn't disclosed by the seller, but based on his age, from speaking with him about, and the fact that he was the third owner, my guess is he honestly had no idea it had been done. It was obvious to me though. The job really isn't acceptable on a car of this caliber, so I may get the bumper stripped and painted at some point if I decide to keep the car long-term. My guess is I'll break down and do it at some point. Lots of other more important stuff to do before then.

I ended up really cleaning up the front end, and it turned out great. The radiator had dozens of old crusty grasshoppers, bees, wasps, and other larger insects stuck in it. Rocks. Looked like crap. I cleaned all that up. It looks awesome now. This is my weekend/fair-weather car, so it made sense to me to spend the time. If it was a daily-driver, I probably wouldn't have done it.

Before I post the how-to, here's a couple of before/after shots.

Worth the work? Probably not to some, but I'm happy with the time spent.

Cheers,
SC

Before:

21518

After:

21519

Before:

21520

After:

21521

BMWCurves

09-08-2015, 10:44 PM

ecrabb

09-08-2015, 10:51 PM

ecrabb

09-08-2015, 10:59 PM

It definitely looks better. I'm of the mind that it's the little details that add up that really make a car feel well maintained and cared for. Did you paint the plastic thing in front of the radiator, or is that just from you cleaning it up? If so, did you just rub it down or use a specific cleaner?

Totally agree. The little stuff really adds up.

No paint there. Just a good cleaning. A soft-bristle wheel brush, a little stiffer nylon brush, and a little dish soap and some Pine-Sol in a pail of warm water and a few minutes of scrubbing.

I also used the same treatment on the radiator. Cleaned and dried it, but I still wasn't happy with the look on the lower radiator where it takes the bulk of rocks and bugs, so I masked it off and gave it a light misting of black enamel spray. Massive improvement.

Before...

21525

After...

21526

Here's a side-by-side showing the old grid next to the newly installed one...

21527

SC

danewilson77

09-09-2015, 05:15 AM

That write up would be at home and very much appreciated in the diy subforum.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

Whammy

09-09-2015, 06:56 AM

OK, I assumed this would be a couple-hour job: Remove bumper, install the new grille, and put it back together. How hard could it be?

The first problem was scope-creep. I thought, "Well, gee... While I have the front bumper off, I may as well pull some of the other plastics off, clean them up, clean up the radiator, etc. So, what was a couple-hour job turned into four hours one day, and a couple hours the next. I have a wife and two young kids, so there's always something. If I were alone and focused, it probably could have been done much faster.

The second problem was that I simply didn't know exactly how the front bumper came off. If there's a good DIY around, I couldn't find it. I read comments about how it only takes ten minutes. Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with that. Maybe if you'd done it once already, and maybe if you didn't count half the work it takes to get up to the point of removing the bumper.

Anyway, let's get on with it. This is for a coupe. A sedan has the trim strip, and I think some fasteners under the trim strip. Not sure.

Bumper Removal

To get started, put the car on stands, or at least some short ramps. I parked the car on some 2x6's on some 1/2" OSB (so 3" total), then layed on a 1/2" workout mat, and just had room to slide under the car. I'm a little bigger than average. Stands would be better. You'll need to remove the front fender liners, and it's extremely difficult without removing a wheel, at least temporarily. You could probably do it by starting the car and turning the wheel back and forth, but I thought it was easier to just remove the wheels. I don't have any stands currently, so I just did it one-by-one. I'll write as though the car is on two stands at the front.

1. Remove the front wheels - 5-10 minutes.

2. Remove the "engine compartment screening". It's the plastic debris cover directly below the engine. I think it was seven philips-head screws - three along the back edge, and two on each side toward the front. It's a coarse-thread screw, so it only takes a couple of turns. I just dropped it and slid it back under the car. - 2-3 minutes.

3. Remove both of the front/lower wheel well liners. They're called "covering left/right" on RealOEM. There are three screws up high, and a couple down on the bottom of the splitter. Be careful on the driver's side, as you'll need to remove the air temp sensor. Use a regular screwdriver to open the clips, and it should just slide out. Set them aside. 10-15 minutes.

4. Pull the foglight trim. Just grab it and pull it, and it'll pop off. It's just a friction/snap fit. - 5 minutes.

5. Unscrew the single screw securing each foglight, remove the electrical connector, and set them safely aside so you don't break the glass. Pull the foglight wiring/connectors through from the backside and let them dangle. - 5 minutes.

Now, for the fun part. Actually removing the bumper. At this point there are only two bolts holding the bumper on the car. Some write-ups call them "reverse torx". It's just a "male" torx bolt as opposed to the typical female torx screw. I never found any photos, so I was totally unclear what was actually the bumper, and what was fastening it to the front end. I figured it out and took a few photos.

6. Get into position under the car. Slide in just far enough that you're looking up between the cooling fan and radiator, then slide over and look into the space on one side of the radiator, up toward the backside of the bumper. You'll see a large male torx bolt protruding from a white plastic guide called the "carrier sleeve". It looks like a horn. Those two bolts (one on each side) are all that really hold the bumper to the car. The part I was unclear about was what was coming off the car and what was staying. The aluminum member you can see is called the "carrier". It's what bolts to the front end, and the bumper cover is just attached to the carrier. - 5 minutes to look and understand what you're going to do and relax on your back while you're looking at the car. ;)

The view:
21522

I took this photo on reinstallation, and hadn't yet installed the bolt, then forgot to take another picture after the bolt was reinstalled. You can see the white carrier sleeve where the bolt would be, though.

7. Remove the big torx bolts. It's tight getting your hand up there with a tool. What I found was easiest was to lay to one side, and work on the opposite side. I just reached up and did it blind. If you have stands, you may be able to lay directly under the bolt you're working on. I didn't have a torx socket, and I'm not sure I could have even gotten a 1/4" ratchet up there if I did have one. I assume the pros use an 18" extension straight up through the bottom of the fascia. I ended up using a very small "box" or closed-end wrench. There was very little play, and the bolts weren't too tight. Loosen them until you can spin them with your fingers, then spin them until they disengage. They'll fall, but only until they hit some small fingers in the guide. You'll have to pull them the rest of the way out past some plastic tabs on the guide. 5 minutes.

The bumper is now loose, but don't make the mistake I did and just pull it off. There are still two wires connected to the horns mounted to the underside of the aluminum carrier.

8. If it isn't open already, make sure the hood is open.

9. Pull one side of the bumper away from the car, keeping the other side retained with your knee or a helper. Pull it away far enough to reach in and pull the horn connector off. Yes, like all automotive electrical connectors, it's a little tricky. Let the wiring drop down and slide the bumper back on the mount. Now, reverse and do the same thing to disconnect the horn on the other side of the car. 5 minutes.

10. Remove the bumper by pulling straight out away from the radiator. It could offer a little resistance when the rubber trim strip meets with the headlight trim, but just be gentle yet firm, and wiggle, and it should slide off. The bumper isn't heavy, but it's a little awkward. You may want a blanket or rug or something laying underneath in case you drop it, or just to have a safe place to lay it when you take it off. Lay it face-down. 2 minutes.

There. Breathe a sigh of relief. Probably will take about 45 minutes or so to get to this point.

Grille Replacement

I didn't take photos of the grill replacement process so I can't do a step-by-step, but it's fairly intuitive. There are two pieces - the "grid", i.e. grill, and the "adapter". If I'd known, I would have purchased both pieces. Since I didn't have the "adapter" piece, I used plastic paint and painted it.

If I recall correctly, the grille snaps onto the bumper, then the adapter piece snaps over that.

21523

Bumper Reinstallation
If your bumper has been sagging, this would be a good time to readjust the plastic guides. They're held by two bolts, and it looks like they're fairly easy to adjust. I chose not to open this can of worms even though I wouldn't have minded a little less gap between bumper and fender.

To reinstall the bumper, basically just follow the removal in reverse, including the little one-side-on/off jig to reinstall the horn connectors. Don't do what I did and just climb under the car, pull the bumper all way toward the radiator with your knees, and crank the bolts down. If you do, you'll likely slide out from under the car and find that the bumper isn't at all aligned with the fender. Instead, align the bumper with the fender on both corners, then climb under and tighten the bolts down.

Should take probably 30 minutes or so to put together.

Parts
Center Bumper Grille
Mfg Part #51117893062
ECS Part #ES#74878
http://www.ecstuning.com/ES74878/

Parts I wish I'd had:
Mfg Part #51117893066
ECS Part #ES#74879
http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/51117893066/ES74879/

Thought I'd flesh it out here and if it looks good, I'll put this post in a separate DIY.

Cheers,
SC

Thanks SC! I need to take my bumper off to repaint the plastic grill.

BMWCurves

09-09-2015, 07:35 AM

That write up would be at home and very much appreciated in the diy subforum.

+1

I was about to say, you should make it a standalone post in the DIY subforum.

Nice work, exactly what I was hoping for! I really appreciate it. I'll hopefully tackle this soon since I plan to have it up on jackstands for a brake job in the next couple of weeks (finally get on those BMW Performance rotors :drool). I'd do the bumper at the same time. I think I'll also tackle spraying the air ducts black, they're faded like the lower grille.

Is the replacement grille part you bought "thinner" than the original? That's what it looks like from the pic.

Thanks SC! I need to take my bumper off to repaint the plastic grill.

Be careful, I think sedan bumpers have added pop rivets underneath the plastic trim on the front that you have to remove as well. Ecrabb's guide is for convertibles and coupes.

ecrabb

09-09-2015, 08:15 AM

I was about to say, you should make it a standalone post in the DIY subforum.
Will do! This forum has been incredible - the most friendly, most supportive, and super-informative... Just an awesome place to be. I'm actually really glad I can pay a little something back to the group.

Is the replacement grille part you bought "thinner" than the original? That's what it looks like from the pic.
I don't think so. I think it's an optical illusion because the old piece is up much higher and closer to the camera in that shot I posted. If you look further back at the top of the photo, where the grille sits right in front of the "adapter" piece, the bars look more similar.

Be careful, I think sedan bumpers have added pop rivets underneath the plastic trim on the front that you have to remove as well. Ecrabb's guide is for convertibles and coupes.
Good advice. I know the trim strip comes off on the sedan, and there are fasteners behind it that need to come out, but I don't know what else is similar or different. I believe there's a YouTube video or a DIY on the sedan. Definitely do a quick google and YouTube search if you're doing a sedan.

Off to create a DIY thread.

SC

ecrabb

09-09-2015, 09:21 AM

That write up would be at home and very much appreciated in the diy subforum.
Das is done.

DIY: M-Tech II Coupe Bumper Removal (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16673-DIY-M-Tech-II-Coupe-Bumper-Removal)

If you're bored, maybe you could change the thread title to "DIY: M-Tech II Coupe Bumper Removal/Grille Refresh"

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

09-09-2015, 09:24 AM

Nice work, exactly what I was hoping for! I really appreciate it. I'll hopefully tackle this soon since I plan to have it up on jackstands for a brake job in the next couple of weeks (finally get on those BMW Performance rotors :drool).
Jealous of the rotors. I was so tempted to buy those, but there are so many other things that are higher-priority on my car. Trying to keep my eye on the ball!

I'd do the bumper at the same time. I think I'll also tackle spraying the air ducts black, they're faded like the lower grille.
Do it. You'll really be happy to delete the appearance of tired plastic. It's stuff you see every time you look at the lovely front-end on these cars.

SC

johnrando

09-14-2015, 08:27 PM

Good stuff

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

ecrabb

09-14-2015, 08:55 PM

Thank you, sir.

I have a box with some goodies sitting in the garage next to the ZHP. Both intake boots ready for install, along with a pair of Meyle HD FCABs. Before I can tackle the FCABs, I need to pick up a jack and stands.

The ZHP project is on hold for a couple of weeks as I have a car to clean up and sell. I drove over to Denver with the family over the weekend to pick up the wife's new daily driver - a 2007 E83 X3. It's Alpine White with Sand interior.

The X3 was delivered in New Jersey. New late spring '07, leased for three years to about 20,000 miles, sold as CPO late spring 2010 to the second owner, who then put about 22,000 miles on between 2010 and 2015. Judging by some of the nooks and crannies around the roof rack, it must have sat outside under a carport or trees or something.

We probably paid a little too much for it, but the interior is immaculate - almost like new. The exterior is also pretty clean, though I did find something I'd missed in the in-person inspection. There's a small area on right-rear quarter panel above the hipline, between the tailgate and the rear window, that was re-painted and has a few defects in the clear-coat. The color is excellent, so I'm hoping I can clean it up to make it a little less noticeable. I'm the only one who will see it.

The only two major things it needs soon are a valve cover gasket and a new sunroof gasket to address a very common wind-noise issue. Otherwise, it's a beautiful car, and my wife is thrilled.

Unfortunately, I need to put all the BMW projects on hold to spend the next week or so getting her '12 Altima cleaned up and listed for sale.

SC

BMWCurves

09-14-2015, 10:17 PM

Jealous of the rotors. I was so tempted to buy those, but there are so many other things that are higher-priority on my car. Trying to keep my eye on the ball!

Do it. You'll really be happy to delete the appearance of tired plastic. It's stuff you see every time you look at the lovely front-end on these cars.

SC

I'm excited to get the rotors on soon with some Hawk HPS 5.0 pads (currently in the mail from TireRack. Guy helped me find them on sale!). I have to drop it off at the indy to have some stuff done on Wednesday and an alignment from a separate shop on Thursday, but after that I will have some time to tackle the rotors, pads, and paint the calipers! At any rate, I think you're wise to be more efficient with your money. The rotors were a bit of an unnecessary impulse purchase, but now that I have them I might as well use them.

As for the ducts and grille I have to figure out what paint to use. Is the grille you replaced your old one with a matte black, a piano/reflective black, or somewhere in between? My fall back plan is PlastiDip, but there might be other options. Not sure.

Anyways, congrats on the X3!

Let us know how the install of those other parts for your ZHP goes.

ecrabb

09-14-2015, 10:34 PM

As for the ducts and grille I have to figure out what paint to use. Is the grille you replaced your old one with a matte black, a piano/reflective black, or somewhere in between? My fall back plan is PlastiDip, but there might be other options. Not sure.

Great question. The plastic is typical ABS injection-molded plastic. I'd say it's sort of a "satin", i.e. not flat, not glossy - sort of in-between. The plastic paint I used was called a "satin", but sprayed on that shroud (support?) piece behind the grill, I'd say it was probably just a tad glossier than I would have liked. Not that glossy, just a little glossier than I was expecting.

I'll definitely update on the X3 and the ZHP upgrades.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

09-23-2015, 11:25 AM

I'd ordered some stuff from AutoHausAZ a couple of weeks ago: a upper and lower intake boots, and a pair of Meyle HD FCABs. The FCABs have to wait until I get a jack and stands, but the intake boot was more critical. The lower boot on the car was badly cracked and I knew it was only a matter of time before the car whined about it. Still, I can procrastinate with the best of 'em. ;)

So, Saturday we drove the car to a local chapter BMWCCA meet at BMW of Pleasant Grove. Stayed for an hour or so, looked at some purdy cars, and chatted with a few nice guys I've seen at other BMW events. Drooled on a minty black on black E39 M5. Drool. Good times!

From there, we grabbed a late lunch and headed up toward Provo Canyon, up past the Robert Redford's Sundance resort to the Alpine Loop (http://utah.com/scenic-drive/alpine-loop). It's a beautiful drive. About 20 miles of very narrow, twisty, tree-lined road. Most of it is 20MPH. It was gorgeous day. Mid-70's in the mountains and sunny - perfect day for a vert. Some of the western part of the drive is completely covered in a canopy of Aspens. They had a hard freeze in the mountains a couple of weeks ago, so the leaves were more green with brown edges and we'll probably miss the beautiful golds, but it was still a gorgeous drive.

About halfway up the loop, the SES light came on. I had a pretty good idea what it was. The car ran fine and I checked the codes at home, and sure enough - 171 and 174 - banks 1 and 2 lean. Almost certainly the intake. So nice of the car to wait until I had the parts on-hand! Thank you, ZHP!

Here's the view on the way back down. This looking west into American Fork Canyon toward the Timpanogos Cave.

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Forgot to take a photo of the freakin' car up there, and at the BMWCCA meet. Duh.

So, Saturday evening after it was cooled off, I tore it all apart. I wish I had good photos, but because the tools I had weren't ideal, and because BMW engineers attached all the clamps in a position convenient for plant assembly (and very inconvenient for repair), I ended up getting angry at trying to remove the clamp a sixteenth of a screw rotation at a time, and resorted to using a knife to cut the lower boot in half so I had more room to get at the clamp. An hour later and some change, I had it all apart, but I was too tapped and annoyed to get into putting it back together.

Here's a piece of the lower boot, the small elbow that I think runs over to the idle control. It's a really crappy design IMHO.

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Sunday morning, I ran to AutoZone and grabbed a 1/4" drive 6" extension, a 1/4" drive U-joint to use with my 1/4" rachet and sockets, and some latex gloves so I didn't have to spend 10 minutes cleaning up my hands. This made reassembly much easier, and it all went back together pretty smoothly. About 90 minutes for the store run, to put it back together, and clear the codes and test drive.

Cheers,
SC

BMWCurves

09-23-2015, 12:21 PM

Nice work, beautiful view! :thumbsup

johnrando

09-24-2015, 06:43 PM

:like

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

ecrabb

09-28-2015, 11:54 AM

I've had things to take care of on my H3 (brakes) and a couple of to-dos on the wife's X3 (valve cover gasket), so the ZHP is waiting on some attention at the moment. But, I did grab a Horrible Freight aluminum racing jack this weekend so I could get a few more things done*on all the cars. Still need to order some Esco stands to go along with the jack... The FCABs I bought a few weeks ago are sitting there on the shelf just mocking me every time I open the cabinet.

Had some fun on Saturday... We drove the ZHP to Oktoberfest at the Snowbird (http://www.snowbird.com) resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon (https://goo.gl/maps/beBsmrcRqoQ2). We took a couple from our neighborhood that I just happened to run into on a walk a couple of weeks ago... I noticed they had an Iowa sticker on one of their cars, so I stopped at their house and struck up a conversation and it turned out they both attended my alma mater in Iowa, and had been in Utah a couple of years longer than us. Woot! New friends!

I was amazed at how nicely the ZHP drove even with four full-sized adults in the car. I killed it a couple of times because I wasn't used to the additional weight, but the handling was still excellent.

Every time I go to the mountains, I'm struck by the number of people who live near mountains, but don't know how to drive in the mountains. The whole way down, all I could smell was hot brakes. Some people...

Cheers,
SC

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johnrando

09-29-2015, 09:29 AM

Nice

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 10:56 AM

OMG, I haven't updated my thread in forever!!! I guess I kept posting stuff in other threads. Doh!!!

A lot has happened, so I'll bring it up to speed, shotgun style!

October...
To get started, here's a shot from a fall afternoon family drive. We ended up in a little mining town only 10 minutes or so from the house... Right outside of town, was this cool, little cemetery with some very old (for the west) markers of first-gen immigrants and a significant number of young children. Grabbed a couple shots of the ZHP before we left. Just an iPhone shot, but I used the "Noir" filter. Turned out pretty cool for a phone snapshot.

Man, I love this car!

SC

25810

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 11:14 AM

November...
Went out to drive the car one day and noticed the right-rear tire was flat.

25825

I knew after I got the car the tires were in rough shape, but I was hoping to get them replaced before this happened. I don't want to buy brand new tires and have the car sit there on them for three months, but it's still pretty nice in Utah in November, so I went and picked up a cheap pair of run-flats just to get me by until spring. They're a little noisy, but no worse than the junk Goodyear Eagle F1s that were on the rear of the car.

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 11:26 AM

In November, I decided I didn't like my Utah "Skier" plates anymore. I thought the red/blue would work with the silver better, but the last time I was on a ski slope was 15 years ago, and I cracked a couple of ribs trying to snowboard. ;) The "Arches" plates would match my other two cars, and they'd match my personality better. As long as I was getting new plates, I may as well get personalized plates.

I posted in the license plate thread to solicit feedback, and really liked E46 ZHP, and so it was...

SC

25826

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 11:37 AM

It was a chilly night in Utah in February, but not too cold to keep everybody away from the monthly "Meetballs" meet at IKEA.

SC

25827

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 11:57 AM

Grabbed a set of BMW Performance pedal covers from @squashman702 last fall. They sat in the parts cabinet for months, and I finally got motivated to get them installed.

Before...
25828

Installation...
25829

Finished!
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I think they turned out really nice!

I've talked to a couple of people that had issues with them being slippery. I think if you had to daily a car, wear dress shoes, and drive in rain and snow, they wouldn't be a good choice. But for a weekend/nice weather car, when you wear comfy soft-soled shoes, I think they're outstanding!

Need to steam clean the carpet, and I really need new mats. Stat. I'm thinking black.

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 12:03 PM

Drove the car to work on a beautiful February day in Utah.

25832

This was about the time I started shopping for tires and realized I needed to get my ass in gear on getting the wheels powder-coated and the interior bits refurbished by Coby Wheel if I didn't want to screw up some of the nice spring meets and drives.

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 12:08 PM

It's the little things...

Another thing from the parts cabinet. Last fall, I'd ordered some stuff from ECS, and threw this on the order, too. The plastic grill under the hood cowl vents was all grey and had wax all over it. Probably could have cleaned and painted it, but the new part was only like $20 or so, IIRC. I think it really cleaned up the appearance.

SC

Before...
25833

Side-by-side...
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After...
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ecrabb

05-15-2016, 12:09 PM

More to come...

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 05:03 PM

The beginning of March, I ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sports - a pair of 255/35R18 and a pair of 225/40R18. It took about a week for them to arrive. Details in this post in the Tire Recommendations (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16259-Tire-recommendations&p=476677#post476677) thread I started way back when I got the car with total crap tires on it.

Need to figure out why my attachments are broken.

SC

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ecrabb

05-15-2016, 05:29 PM

At some point over the winter, I'd ordered a new gloss black metal license plate frame and a smoked acrylic plate cover, but hadn't gotten it installed. I was having no luck finding hardware that was the right length to accommodate both the frame and the smoked acrylic plate cover. So, I went to the hardware store and bought screws that were the right length, then simply primed and painted the screws.

Cheers,
SC

Here's the screws primed...

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Here's the finished product. Much cleaner than a bare plate, I think. I like how the plate frame and the screws match the Shadowline trim.

25838

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 05:44 PM

Next up, wheels! When I got the car, the front two wheels were badly curbed - yet another thing the dealer PPI wasn't clear about. Their description was along the lines of "Yeah, the passenger side front wheel has a little curb damage on it." More like... The wheel is trashed and barely usable. They also didn't mention that wheel had the one remaining original Michelin Pilot Sport that came on the car. Yes, a 12-year old tire on the car. Anyway...

After a LOT of deliberation staring at color chips and looking at photos online, I decided to go dark. I'd talked a couple of times to a well-regarded local powder coater, and settled on a color from Kingsport Grey from Prismatic Powders (http://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PMB-5027/KINGSPORT-GREY/).

The ZHP on stands in the garage...

25839

Wheels and tires all loaded up in the truck to go to the powder coater...

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Dropped off in the parking lot. Can't wait to see ya all fixed up, Style 135's!!!
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Here's the right-front... This was "a little curb damage to a BMW dealer in Louisiana."
25842

They sent the front two out to BTI Wheel to be checked over for structural integrity. It turned out the right-front had a crack that needed repair, and the left-front was out of true. That was another $200 on top of the $400 worth of powder coating.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 07:21 PM

Shoes off... Waiting.

SC

25843

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 07:29 PM

OK, so while the car was on stands and not drivable anyway, I thought I may as well get the wheel sent off to Michael at Coby Wheel to work his magic. The wheel was pretty dirty and ugly, as was the shift knob and boot and parking brake lever and boot. It's a low-mileage, low-use car, and I've seen way worse interiors... I'm sure I could have cleaned it up some, but since this car isn't a daily driver I wanted it to really look sharp. This was the state of things when I took it all apart...

Coffee stains, dirt, and just general nastiness. My wife was pretty grossed out by it.

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25845

25846

25847

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 07:48 PM

So, I sent it all off to Michael at Coby Wheel via FedEx Ground. I think I sent it on a Thursday. He received it the following Tuesday, sent it the next day, and I had it back when FedEx Ground dropped it off. He endured half a dozen emails back and forth with me while I decided what to do and confirmed pricing, the turnaround was insanely fast, the quality of the work exception, and he even sent me a few photos before he sent the box back to me. The transaction was exceptional from start to finish.

As for the wheel and other parts, I think it all turned out absolutely beautiful. The look and feel of nice, new Alcantera, without any grime or coffee stains is just amazing. It wasn't cheap, but I think it was worth every penny. Even my wife was thrilled with it. Here, you be the judge...

SC

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ecrabb

05-15-2016, 07:57 PM

I put all the Coby stuff back on and did a little detailing in the interior while it was cold and rainy and the car was still in the garage on stands. I shot those interior photos in the last few days. But, about a week or so after I handed the wheels over to Armor Coatings, I picked them up and brought them home...

Stacked next to the car awaiting reinstallation..
25853

I was waffling on whether to put the newer-style center caps on that I'd purchased, or stay more true to the original car and use the old caps. The new caps were just so nice and clean, I couldn't pass them up with the spiffy new powder coating.
25854

Looks great with the center cap and new ///M stickers.
25855

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 08:02 PM

Anyway, mounted them up with brand new BMW lug bolts. It wasn't cheap, but it was a blast mounting up fresh wheels with new tires, new lug bolts, new center caps, and brand new ///M stickers. Everything spiffy clean!!!

So, here it is... Out of the garage for the first time in about three weeks. Freshly restored wheels and brand new Pilot Super Sports...

25856

25857

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ecrabb

05-15-2016, 08:31 PM

OK, the wheel color... At first, I felt like the Kingsport Grey color was too dark. But, I'm starting to get used to it. It depends heavily on the lighting. In dim lighting, the wheels look almost black, which was something I kind of wanted to avoid. I love the Style 135's... It's one of the things I love about the ZHP... So, I wanted to keep the design very visible. The more I get used to it, I think they're very close to what I wanted. If they would have been just a hair lighter, I think it would have been perfect.

But, overall, I love the look of the wheels on the car, and the look of the car overall. A couple of times since I've had them mounted up, younger kids have stopped and said "Hey, nice car!". One kid even stopped to talk to me in the driveway. None of those things ever happened once happened last summer.

My wife and son and I were talking about it, and we feel the the silver wheels on the silver car - especially the vert - had a bit of an "old guy" look to it. We all think the darker wheel color made the car look "younger" and definitely a little more "sports car".

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ecrabb

05-15-2016, 08:47 PM

With the new tires on, and before I put any miles on, I replaced the FCABs so I could take it and get it aligned...

I used Meyle HDs because I hadn't gotten the memo that people were liking the Lemförders better. I thought about returning them, but it all seems to anecdotal... One person says theirs only lasted 10,000 miles, while another says they're fine. Who knows who's driving what roads, how hard, etc. I was hoping I'd gotten them from FCP Euro, so if they sucked I could return them, but they came from AutohausAZ. I probably will put like 3,000 miles a year on the car, so if they only last 6,000, that's two years before I'll have to replace them.

Old. Shot. Toast.
25862

Spanky new.
25863

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 09:06 PM

So, with the new wheels and tires on, and the FCABs replaced, I took it to get it aligned...

25864

Here was the final report...

25865

I didn't notice until later the front-right caster that actually got worse.

The rear camber he had to go more conservative on. The right-hand lower control arm is bent. It looks like somebody either tried to jack the car up with it, or it hit something. Regardless of cause, it's a tad shorter because of the bend, so he adjusted the other side to match. I'll have to replace the control arm - or both of them - and have them realign it.

Once I had a few miles on it, and I was confident everything was all solid, I hit a section of less-traveled road with excellent visibility and no side roads and ran it up to about 110 or so, and it was smooth as silk. Quiet, stable, smooth... No vibration, no tire noise. I could drive all day long at 100 in this car.

I love this car!!!

SC

ecrabb

05-15-2016, 09:30 PM

Once that was done, I installed the GruppeM intake I got from the group buy (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?17763-Group-Buy-Gruppe-M-330-Intake-(Feeler-Status)) that @FungShui organized.

Before...
25866

After...
25867

OMG, is this thing fun. Way more money than I ever thought I would have spent on what's basically eye candy, and not performance. But, when I heard a couple of people talking about the sound, that's when I decided to give it a try.

What really put me over the edge was that I figured if I didn't feel like it was worth, I could probably sell it for something close to what I paid. But, somebody will have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

The sound... OMG, the sound. You don't really hear it at idle unless you're in front of the car, which is a little "air" sound. At about 1/4 throttle, there's a little bit of a hiss/whistle sound, which sounds a little hinky... Like a turbo or something. You need the windows down or top/sunroof open to hear it, like cruising up a side street at 25 or 30 in third gear.

But, as soon as you go past half throttle, when the DISA opens up, that's where the fun is. OMG, the sound is a total blast.

I have a little fit issue to take care of, which appears to be a problem maybe only on coupes and verts with Xenons, but once that's done, the GruppeM is a total success.

That's it! My project thread is now current. I didn't realize how much work I'd one until I updated the thread... That's a lot of little projects to pack into about 6-8 months.

Still on the list are:
- New matts
- Install Shark Injector flash
- Exhaust mod (haven't decided exact details)
- PDR on a couple of minor dings
- Replace the rear lower control arm(s)
- Replace NAV head unit or screen to fix dead pixels
- Install aux input at the same time

.... And keep enjoying the hell out of the car!

OK, kind of feel like I'm talking to myself at this point, so I'm out.

SC

slater

05-16-2016, 03:47 AM

looks great!!!

i would suggest that you have them even out your front camber values when you go back with the new rear control arms.

ecrabb

05-16-2016, 09:44 AM

looks great!!!

i would suggest that you have them even out your front camber values when you go back with the new rear control arms.

Yeah, I noticed later that the camber didn't change for either side. Seems like maybe he just didn't touch that adjustment, which seems weird. I'll get the control arm(s) swapped out, and then have them address it then.

Thx!
SC

fredo

05-16-2016, 10:30 AM

...
OK, kind of feel like I'm talking to myself at this point, so I'm out.

SC

LOL ... Too much info to digest in just a couple of days, that's why.

ecrabb

05-16-2016, 10:55 AM

LOL ... Too much info to digest in just a couple of days, that's why.

Hahah... I know. It's overwhelming. Where do you even start to respond, right?

I should have spaced the updates out, but I know how that would have gone... I'd post something, and two months from now, it would still be out of date. At least this way it's current again. I'll try not to get so behind this time. I was doing the car projects... I just wasn't keeping my thread updated.

I'm doing my project thread more as kind of a diary. If nothing else, if I sell the car at some point, I can show somebody how much though, time, effort and money that went into the car.

BTW, I wasn't annoyed anybody wasn't posting... I posted up a ton of stuff in the time span of just a few hours. But, after spending the time to bring everything up to date, I was just done with the computer. I turned the computer off and watched an episode of Justified! ;)

Cheers,
SC

Vas

05-16-2016, 10:56 AM

I like the finish of the wheels. Good choice

danewilson77

05-17-2016, 01:56 PM

Great updates Crabby.

S7 Edge, out

ecrabb

05-17-2016, 03:33 PM

I like the finish of the wheels. Good choice

Danke! They're definitely growing on me.

SC

ecrabb

05-17-2016, 03:34 PM

Great updates Crabby.

Thanks, Boss! I was busy with other stuff Saturday, then the weather sucked on Sunday so I skipped a nice BMW drive, so I'm very much looking forward to driving the car this weekend!

Cheers,
SC

WOLFN8TR

05-17-2016, 04:54 PM

The ZHP is looking Great! Love the Gruppe M intake!!

BMWCurves

05-21-2016, 04:18 PM

Nice bringing this all up to date. I'm the same way, my project/maintenance thread is as much for other members as it is for me to help me keep my records together.

ELCID86

05-22-2016, 02:36 PM

I like your pedals. Consider doing the dead pedal with one of these?

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160522/e9b31cf4d236c4c658b172c25301a3d4.jpg

ecrabb

05-22-2016, 08:51 PM

The ZHP is looking Great! Love the Gruppe M intake!!

Thanks! Feels really good to be getting a bunch of this stuff knocked off the to-do list!

SC

ecrabb

05-22-2016, 08:52 PM

Nice bringing this all up to date. I'm the same way, my project/maintenance thread is as much for other members as it is for me to help me keep my records together.

Plus, if we ever sell our cars, we can just point them to the thread, and they should have a very good feeling about all the effort that's gone into the cars. I know I would.

SC

ecrabb

05-22-2016, 08:56 PM

I like your pedals. Consider doing the dead pedal with one of these?

Absolutely. I love the look and feel. But the price tag makes it less likely. I have it on the to-do list, and a standing search on eBay.

With or without the fancy dead pedal, this is turning into a really, really nice car. It already puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, but my love for driving this car just keeps growing as time goes by.

SC

ELCID86

05-24-2016, 03:25 PM

Absolutely. I love the look and feel. But the price tag makes it less likely. I have it on the to-do list, and a standing search on eBay.

With or without the fancy dead pedal, this is turning into a really, really nice car. It already puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, but my love for driving this car just keeps growing as time goes by.

SC

I need to install mine. Hopefully soon.

Kimber

05-25-2016, 04:08 AM

Love the wheel color, exactly what i am thinking of doing to mine. So glad i have a car to see what they look like now. Love them!

BMWCurves

01-30-2017, 07:37 PM

Any updates?

ecrabb

02-01-2017, 03:35 PM

Any updates?

OMG, it's been months and months since I've updated my thread! I'm a giant slacker!

So, I got a new iPhone and turned off notifications for everything including Tapatalk and kind of just got out of the habit of checking it (and the forum). Shame on me! I also run a home theater group on Facebook, so I've been necessarily hanging around there more.

Give me a minute, and I'll post up some updates and get my thread current. Thanks for the bump!

SC

ecrabb

02-01-2017, 03:50 PM

So, picking up after the alignment back at the end of April '16...

I think it was some time in May or June, I had a local indie shop that's managed by a BMW enthusiast do my exhaust mod. I talked about it extensively in another thread, so I won't bore anybody here, but to make a long story short... I told him exactly what I wanted and didn't want, and give him plenty of detail about what I liked and didn't like. I wanted a little more volume and throatiness and burble, not just "loud", and I definitely didn't want "16-year old in a Civic". I didn't want attention on me; I just wanted to hear the car make a fun sound when I mash the throttle.

So, his recommendation was a "cherry bomb" type glasspak. It sounded good in the parking lot when I picked it up. It sounded fine cold, and good at idle, and even sounded good revving it up in the parking lot. But, immediately on the drive home, I realized I hated it. Instant buyer's remorse! At anything over half-throttle, it sounded like total crap. It was all "hissy" and kind of a "metal bottle" sound. It was awful, and I hated it. With a passion. My car!

I didn't have the heart to bust the first guy's balls over it, so I just sucked it up. I tried to live with it awhile to see if I'd get used to it, but it was terrible. I literally didn't even want to step on the gas. So, after a month or so of that, I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered a Vibrant 1149 and took it to different shop to get it installed.

Success!!!

Here's the Vibrant just out of the package:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/58b4e1a154b185cd8e68269812352392.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160817/615e29c81c37bfca95b4c7588b043d07.jpg

And here it is on the car...

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And here's what I said in the Vibrant thread...

Oh, I made a little video, too. The audio in the moving clips are terrible, but you get a good idea of how bad the old setup sounded and how good the Vibrant setup now sounds.

https://youtu.be/89hhX-Cq2ik

In short, I like to mash the fun pedal again.

Cheers,
SC

ecrabb

02-01-2017, 04:41 PM

These cars are about the fun you have with them, so here's some photos from some of things I actually did *with* with the car as opposed to just what I did *to* it...

In August, my son and I took the car up to Salzee Utah (http://salzseeutah.com). It's an all-Euro show held at the Snowbird ski resort in the Wasatch Mountains above Salt Lake City. Took lots of pictures of beautiful BMWs, McLarens, Lambos, Ferraris, Porsches, Audis, and plenty of other cool stuff. All those pictures and I forgot to take a picture of my own car there. Face palm. Next summer. The only evidence of my car being there is in a couple of shots I took with my iPhone from a rooftop patio.

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The next day the same weekend, we took the car to Utah Motorsports Campus (http://www.utahmotorsportscampus.com/en/) for the Pirelli World Challenge and Utah Supercar Grand Prix. I took lots of DSLR photos of the racing, and it's a fun event. We got Utah BMW Enthusiast paddock parking" inside the track.

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End of September, we did a drive with a BMW group out I-80 to Wendover on the UT/NV border, and stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Took a few good photos with the DSLR, but this is one of the stops on the way. At one point, we had a section of clear road and I had fallen behind the group leaving a stop, so I got the stretch the legs out, *well* into the triple-digits. Flat, smooth, and confident. Didn't miss a beat. I could drive this car at well over 100MPH all day long with zero fatigue.

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In early October, we did a fun day trip up into the canyons east of Salt Lake City, out into the hills on the way to Wyoming, and back to Park City for dinner. The scenery is stunning for most of the trip. We're planning a lot more of these for this summer.

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anandoc

02-01-2017, 04:50 PM

Awesome pics! I have done the drive from SLC to Wyoming (and eventually to Colorado) on the I80 and its very picturesque.

ecrabb

02-01-2017, 04:52 PM

Beginning of November, I took the car into the dealer to do the airbag recall.

After half an hour or so of waiting, they gave me the keys and I went out to the car. Fired it up and went to leave and the hazards were stuck on. The button was physically stuck. I went back in and told the service advisor, he said it was a common issue, and he just grabbed the keys from me. Ten minutes later, he handed me the keys back and said I was on my way. Brand new hazard button, no invoice, and no charge. Nice! The whole thing didn't take 45 minutes.

And I got a spanky new airbag and steering wheel roundel...

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Daddy like!!!

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ecrabb

02-01-2017, 04:58 PM

Around the same time as the airbag recall, I washed the car and took some photos. It was a stormy and just about to rain, so I was in a hurry and didn't put the top down.

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I shot a few photos in these two different positions, and it started to rain. I high-tailed it out of the ramp and drove the opposite direction and got the car in the garage before it got very wet.

These are the only really nice pics I have of the car. I need to make an effort to shoot some more in the spring - with the top down. The E46 is really a pretty car and photographs really nicely.

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ecrabb

02-01-2017, 05:29 PM

In December, I gave the car a good cleaning, topped the gas, added Sea Foam, took it out on the highway to stretch the legs, took it back, vacuumed it, then put it in the garage and put the cover on for hibernation where it's been since.

Oh, here's a thing! So, I like the black M3 strut tower brace, but I just can't bring myself to spend $450 because that's just crazy. Even the $389 for the regular one is a little ridiculous. I mean, it's a bar, a couple of cast metal pieces and some hardware and a couple of rubber caps.

So, I just started watching and waiting. I added them both to my "wish list" on ECS. Then, early last summer at some point, a guy listed a black M3 bar - just the bar - on eBay, and I got it for $20 shipped! Score!!!

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When it came in, I threw it in the parts cabinet and kept watching for the hardware, but no joy.

Fast forward... It's a week after Thanksgiving and I get an email from ECS that the price dropped on the regular set (with the chrome bar)...

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$142!!! Hot damn! I clicked and bought it instantly, and it's been in the trunk of the car waiting for the garage to warm up a little. Now I just have to decide whether to use the new chrome bar, or the used black one (that has a few nicks on it). Originally I was thinking black, but the chrome one does look kind of neat in pictures I've seen. I'll have to post up some pics with both bars and see what you guys think.

I still need to pick up a new set of black mats; mine are trash. I need to do diff and transmission fluid. I'm hoping the transmission fluid change makes my shifter a little less "notch-y". It takes a few tries to get it into first gear sometimes.

Oh, and I've been kind of cheating on my beloved ZHP... I keep finding myself looking at E93 M3's on AutoTrader and CCA and cars.com. I can't resist. I'm in no hurry to get rid of the ZHP because I really do love the car, and there are things I actually don't like about the E9x M3, but I keep thinking about that and the sound of the S65 is like a siren song... Maybe a 2018 project. We'll see.

Cheers!!!
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