Checking in from South Carolina

[Yankeefan]

I've been reading these forums for months now and I figured it's finally time to join! I purchased an '04 Imola ZHP sedan 6MT in March from a guy in Asheville. I'm a new DIY'er but I'm very excited to keep messing with this car and make it what I want it to be. My last car, which I sold in March, was a '97 318i sedan 5MT. I LOVED that car, it got me through 5 years of college, dating, getting married, starting new jobs, etc. I'd love to own an E36 M3 some day.

The ZHP is running great right now. It's about to hit 124k. Since March I have done an Aux cable install, replaced the expansion tank and 2 radiator hoses due to a leak, bought a new battery, and done 1 oil change. Some things I'd like to do this fall:

New gloss kidney grills
Replace steering wheel (old wheel is super worn)
CDV delete and brake fluid flush with low viscosity fluid
Finish the cooling system overhaul
Shocks all 4 corners (ugh, money)

Hope I won't drive you all nuts with the questions I will inevitably ask. Looking forward to getting to know everyone and enjoying our cars!

30894

Anyone else on here from the Carolinas or the Upstate?

-Ethan

[fredo]

Welcome, Ethan. You will love this forum.

[mikebmooney]

Welcome and great looking car........I don't live in Asheville area but get there quite a bit

[Vas]

Welcome

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[ZHPizza]

Greetings from Charlotte! I also jumped from an e36 that carried me through college to a ZHP several years ago.

I can tell you now that you won't be longing for an e36 M3. I drove my last ZHP and my father's mint 1995 M3 back to back and the ZHP just felt better in every way. Quieter, more comfortable, quicker steering, and just as much power. It really is the ultimate daily driver.

Good luck with the car and don't hesitate to ask questions that you are having trouble searching for answers to!

[BMWCurves]

Welcome! You'll find this place to be very helpful.

When I joined, I was a pretty novice DIYer (still am in most respects), but there are so many guides, videos, and helpful people here that you can pretty much tackle any job if you have the time, space, and tools. It's a great car to work on.

With regard to your future plans, I'd say a few things:

If you're wanting gloss black grilles, you might want to move on that sooner rather than later, unfortunately. The BMW Performance ones I think are NLA (no longer available), so sourcing them will only become harder as time goes on. A recent member had to get the passenger side shipped from a Canadian dealership I think because he couldn't find any in the US. There are alternative brands, but I remember hearing even some of the respected brands like ECS Tuning are drying up.
Steering wheel: people are huge fans of Coby Wheel's alcantara rewrap. They're an affiliate (link at the top). I personally didn't want to have to deal with the upkeep of alcantara, despite it feeling great. If you want to go for a leather option, you could buy a used E46 M3 wheel, or maybe get it rewrapped. I had mine rewrapped by a California company called DCT Motoring. This is what they came up for me and I love it:
http://i.imgur.com/EsyW5k1.jpg
CDV removal is a great mod with no downsides
Cooling system overhaul is a great idea
Shocks: I went with Koni yellows (as have other members) and have nothing but high praise for them. Wait for a sale and you can pick them up for <$600. Others have sworn by the magic of Koni FSDs. Can't really go wrong with either, just depends on what your goals are for the car. I have a pretty decent suspension refresh thread for keeping the car "OEM+" that you might want to take a look at as well (link (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?16182-Help-with-Suspension-Refresh-at-50k-miles-10-years))

[danewilson77]

Welcome

Sent from my S8+

[Yankeefan]

Thanks for the responses already guys! Looks like it's time to start building that wish list...

Can anyone send me a link to a good CDV tutorial? Do you have to actually get a replacement valve, or is it ok to just remove it and pull the line at bit to connect it directly?

[BMWCurves]

Thanks for the responses already guys! Looks like it's time to start building that wish list...

Can anyone send me a link to a good CDV tutorial? Do you have to actually get a replacement valve, or is it ok to just remove it and pull the line at bit to connect it directly?

I have a replacement modified valve, but you don't need one at all. You can remove the CDV and directly attach the "soft" clutch line the the hard line without issue (most people do).

The guide I used (I think): http://www.bmw330ci.net/projects/cdv.php

[Yankeefan]

Thanks! Do you have a brake bleed kit/turkey baster that you recommend? Is this what you used?

[BMWCurves]

Thanks! Do you have a brake bleed kit/turkey baster that you recommend? Is this what you used?

I got a Motive Power Bleeder system. Worth the price

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-motive-parts/european-power-bleeder/motivepb/

[Yankeefan]

Thanks.

One more question, I bought some ramps a few months ago that work fine for oil changes and such. But lots of people on here seem to use jack stands. Are these safer? Do they get your car higher or have another benefit besides just allowing you to remove the wheels? And do you just need a standard car jack to lift the car onto jack stands?

[ELCID86]

Welcome. I'm from Aiken. Now in NoVA.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

[johnrando]

Welcome!

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[BMWCurves]

Thanks.

One more question, I bought some ramps a few months ago that work fine for oil changes and such. But lots of people on here seem to use jack stands. Are these safer? Do they get your car higher or have another benefit besides just allowing you to remove the wheels? And do you just need a standard car jack to lift the car onto jack stands?

I am not the foremost expert on that type of thing, but I have used jack stands purely because it's what I have on hand. As for a floor jack, get a low-rise floor jack or else you'll have to drive up on 2x4s or something similar to give the jack enough space to lift properly.

[san]

^ what curves said

Not sure what u meant by standard jack but I wouldn't use the jack the comes with the car to raise the car onto the jack stands. I bought a harbor freight low profile jack which has been serving me well.


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[holyc0w]

I would guess it's since the car doesn't clear standard ramps.

[Oli77]

Welcome to the Mafia

[Don Adolfo]

Welcome to the family.


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[RedAtom]

Wecome! Ditto about the E36 M

[Sockethead]

Welcome! What part of SC are you in? I'm in Charleston...

[Yankeefan]

Welcome! What part of SC are you in? I'm in Charleston...

Live in Spartanburg, work in Gaffney. I do love Charleston and hope to visit again soon.

[Sockethead]

Ahh yes, we have several accounts out there... It's a long drive from Charleston

[704sw]

Greetings from just up I-85.

[Yankeefan]

Yep yep. I-85 is my life. I grew up in Greensboro NC and went to Auburn, so I've put many miles on that stretch of road. Also, wow that Estoril is gorgeous.