Ed's Mystic ZHP Project and Maintenance Log

[racer2086]

Hey guys! Some of you may have seen me in the ZHP wanted/for sale section looking for a car. Well one came up in the Charlotte area, looked decent, and had a good history, so I jumped on it. Flew up last Friday to carry out the transaction in person, after originally trying to get a family friend to help out, which just complicated things. I happened to have that Friday off by random chance!

This is a 2004 330i ZHP 6MT in mystic blue over alcantara
Acquired at 108,600 miles
I am the fourth owner: first owner = 7.5 years @ 8200mi/yr; 2nd owner = 6 years @ 5000mi/yr; 3rd owner = 9 months @ 6000 miles
No carfax issues, no accidents reported, no damage reported

I got a stack of maintenance papers from the PO, which dated back to when the car was new.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7882/46499502874_b5890d0583_c.jpg

Quick maintenance history from POs:
- Regular BMW maintenance performed at BMW dealer through 2012 up to 62k miles, including a few oil changes that were only 1-2k miles apart because it had been a year since the previous change
Drive belts @ 60k
Driver's window regulator @ 61k
2nd owner changed oil and filter every 5k miles
Car tinted @ 62k
A/C charged @ 77k
OFHG, valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, coolant expansion tank, lower radiator hose, rear rotors, pads, and sensors, oil change, and coolant flush @ 87k
A/C charged again @ 91k
Passenger window regulator @ 94k
Oxygen sensors, brake fluid flush #3, fuel system cleaned, fuel adaptations reset (?) @ 101k
Driver and passenger airbag recall @ 102k
OEM white turn signals, engine and cabin air filters, spark plugs, headlight covers and gaskets, ZHP shift knob, washer fluid pump, windshield cowl cover, black grills, thermostat, and coolant @ 104-108k
Headliner replaced within the last 9 months

Here it is outside the DMV, right before I got my temporary tag to drive home (more pics in following post):
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7813/40257086963_d4eb0de0f2_b.jpg



The car is not without it's issues. Here's my list to start, roughly prioritized. Need some help working these issues out as I learn these cars more. I know my E38 inside and out, but don't know the common issues / quirks of these E46s.

First two huge issues that drive me crazy:
1. Headlight reflector bowls burned. Can barely see at night. Need headlights pronto.
2. There are multiple misfires/stumbling through 2500-3000 rpm over more than 50% throttle (this is what threw my SES light halfway home on my trip down from NC, when I was in top gear and goosing it to feel the misfire. My OBD code reader read P2240: O2 sensor positive current control circuit / open bank 2 sensor 1.) I clearned the code and it hasn't come back, but the misfire is still there and very obvious. There's definitely loss of power through that band. Is this a common issue? Coils maybe going bad? Don't want to do any long term damage driving it like this.

- Exterior mirrors don't work. In fact, if the switch is in the driver's position, the mirror will move on its own in various directions. Very annoying
- Both passenger door vapor barriers are leaking, because water is getting on the door sills and seals. I hope it is not leaking inside...
- Rain sensor does not work. I noticed the windshield has been replaced because the glass is made my Fayuo, which I'm nearly certain isn't OEM. My E38 is Sekurit and the rest of the glass on this car is Pilkington. Not sure if that is the reason. I pulled the fuse for the drive so I could at least get the interval wipers working.
- Alarm does not make noise when locked and alarm light on mirror does not blink, but doors all lock
- Need to get Lamin-x for front lights (already got a rock into the passenger side new lens on the trip down that caused a small crack!!)
- The driver's front door tweeter is dead. Not sure if this is linked to the mirror issue. In the E38, the plugs can get swapped between the speakers and door memory buttons and can cause weird issues.
- The right rear midrange speaker in the back deck is not working (both subs in the trunk work)
- Need new rear ash tray roller
- Need new arm rest tray
- Arm rest is worn
- Steering wheel shows wear
- Front seat outside bolsters show wear
- Radio knob only turns up the radio no matter which way you turn it ???
- Headliner not quite hooked up right in the rear, so the CHMSL cover is hanging down on one side
- Moonroof sliding cover has high resistance (probably related to headliner install?)
- PO said oil pan gasket was damp. I know it's a common problem on these cars, so I'm not going to worry about it much right now, since it isn't a significant leak.
- Rear lights on trunk lid are cracking - want to replace all rear amber lights with white (ideally the LED ones I see on 06+ cars. can this be done?)
- Full paint correction with Griot's Polywax to finish
- Should probably replace transmission and diff fluids and an oil change
- Need new power steering cap o-ring

[racer2086]

Outside Walmart after grabbing some road trip supplies. It was raining the whole time, so couldn't take a bunch of pictures.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7821/46498655664_79a1395366_b.jpg

Stopped at my favorite place for lunch (Cookout!!) after driving for about 30 minutes and getting into SC:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7818/46498655424_ea7e249565_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7859/46499636084_5fc84e66e4_b.jpg

Cajun chicken sandwich, corn dog, fries, and banana pudding shake: $6 yesssss
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7860/46308594465_809417dbe0_b.jpg

It was overall pretty well maintained. I drove it all 10.5 hours back to my parent's place in south Florida for the weekend and then another 3 hours back to Tampa. It did 32 mpg driving down from NC to FL. Incredible. I didn't have any major issues to speak of on the trip down, except it threw and SES light, and I found out the headlights absolutely suck.

Snapped a couple pics at a rest stop in SC once the weather cleared up a bit. Paint's not bad, but definitely need a correction and good waxing. I don't think it's been clayed in its life and may not have been waxed in years.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7814/47169982742_3eb88b33b3_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7820/46498655004_7cb6ee3f62_b.jpg

Missed it flipping 109k, but caught 109,009
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7880/47169983152_5c5286faf5_b.jpg

The headlights were absolutely terrible. I drove with basically the fog lights. I stopped at Advance Auto in hopes it was just a bulb issue, but realized the headlights had to come out to get at the bulbs. Not gonna happen without tools. You can see the headlights are dimmer than the light on the side of the building!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7843/46498657274_a6766c25ae_b.jpg

Not much light to speak of:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7925/46498657594_4de5e13cc2_b.jpg

I posted on here and they suggested I take a look at the reflector bowls, which were exactly the problem. Burned to hell. I quickly sprayed them with some chrome paint just to hopefully improve things a little. It's marginally better but not much.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7868/47169987232_52060de167_b.jpg

Snapped this pic outside the American Airlines Arena in Miami before the Heat game. Got hooked up with some sick courtside seats. What a great weekend! What a great looking car couldn't be happier!
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7830/47169987032_022a09b468_b.jpg


So excited to be a part of this forum where you all seem to be a pretty close group! Hopefully I can work out these issues with the car for not too much more money, since with this list I have, I feel like I may have over paid a bit for the car. But then again with some of the other cars out there listed for sale with really high miles and little to no history, this isn't bad for not having not much over 100k miles. I just hope I don't find any major surprises...

[704sw]

Looks great! Mystic is such a pretty blue (but let’s be honest all BMW blues are pretty)

Now I really want Cookout...

[fredo]

Congrats, man. Glad to hear this ZHP is in good hands. :thumbsup

[racer2086]

Thanks guys. Yeah, the blue is beautiful. I can't wait to compound and polish it.

Any thoughts on the misfire issue? And the mirror issues? Should I post a different thread for the misfires?

[johnrando]

Congrats, man. Glad to hear this ZHP is in good hands. :thumbsup+1. Yes, post the issues in another thread so they might get read by more people.

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[i_b_bass]

Congrats on the purchase!

[fredo]

Are you sure the car has factory alarm ? Run the last 7 of VIN thru mdecoder.com to find out.

[racer2086]

I guess it doesn't? Did BMW make cars without alarms? It has "S876A Radio frequency 315 MHz". What's the option code for alarm? Why would BMW not put an alarm in a 40k+ car?

[johnrando]

They definitely made them without alarms

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[RUS_ZHP]

Love it! Welcome to the family.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[az3579]

I guess it doesn't? Did BMW make cars without alarms? It has "S876A Radio frequency 315 MHz". What's the option code for alarm? Why would BMW not put an alarm in a 40k+ car?

Alarms were optional.

Also, you don't have to remove the headlight to get the to bulbs, but in your case new bulbs won't do anything until you replace those projector bowls. Your best bet and easiest option would be to source some AL headlights on eBay and swap them out directly. That will require no coding, no disassembly, and will probably be cheaper than if you pay someone to do a retrofit. The cutoff won't be as sharp, but at least your projector bowls will never burn out. You could swap in the ZKW projector lenses, but if you're gonna disassemble your headlight, then the next option is probably a better bet:

The cheapest option is to retrofit new projectors in if you're feeling frisky and don't mind disassembling your headlights. This is also the best option, IMO; you get better projector options this way.

[Yelkos]

Welcome, nice to see another Mystic among all these damn Imola ZHP's.
looks like a great car

[Vas]

Welcome and glad to hear you were able to purchase the car.

Some of your issues that you listed could be a result of bad repairs. I would take the door panels apart and see if everything is plugged in and that the vapor barriers are secure.

As far as the alarm, it seems like the visual part is turned on but you do not have the acoustic part is not working due to the car not having the siren/sensors installed. And the rain sensor issue could be that the windshield is the cause since the cheap brand glass for some reason have issues with working ( or maybe its unplugged behind the mirror? )

Enjoy the ownership

[az3579]

Welcome, nice to see another Mystic among all these awesome Imola ZHP's.


Fixed.


And the rain sensor issue could be that the windshield is the cause since the cheap brand glass for some reason have issues with working ( or maybe its unplugged behind the mirror? )

I'm not sure about all Fuyao glass, but I looked it up when I received Fuyao glass in my Touring. Apparently mine was made in the USA based on its DOT #1038. It's actually a very nice quality glass; I don't see any of the wavy crap I had with the PGW glass they tried to stick me with in the ZHP. That waviness was so bad I made them replace it with a OEM Pilkington glass. The Fuyao is holding up very nicely and don't see any visual imperfections in my field of view.

Was a new prism installed with the glass or did they try to re-use the old one? Does the rain sensor housing look damaged in any way?

[Yelkos]

Fixed.



I'm not sure about all Fuyao glass, but I looked it up when I received Fuyao glass in my Touring. Apparently mine was made in the USA based on its DOT #1038. It's actually a very nice quality glass; I don't see any of the wavy crap I had with the PGW glass they tried to stick me with in the ZHP. That waviness was so bad I made them replace it with a OEM Pilkington glass. The Fuyao is holding up very nicely and don't see any visual imperfections in my field of view.

Was a new prism installed with the glass or did they try to re-use the old one? Does the rain sensor housing look damaged in any way?

I typed "awesome" but my auto-correct changed it. :thumbsup

[bvli]

I planned to save my first post for introducing my self and my car, but I really need to comment on this car. There's nothing as beautiful as a blue (topaz- or mysticblau) facelifted E46 sedan with the mtech front spoiler. Congratulations! I love it as it is - especially with the ambers! I'd personally not replace the back lights - especially not with the led version - this car just looks nice!

/B :)

[racer2086]

Welcome and glad to hear you were able to purchase the car.

Some of your issues that you listed could be a result of bad repairs. I would take the door panels apart and see if everything is plugged in and that the vapor barriers are secure.

As far as the alarm, it seems like the visual part is turned on but you do not have the acoustic part is not working due to the car not having the siren/sensors installed. And the rain sensor issue could be that the windshield is the cause since the cheap brand glass for some reason have issues with working ( or maybe its unplugged behind the mirror? )

Enjoy the ownership

I was thinking that. I'm sure the vapor barriers are totally not stuck down on both passenger doors leading to the water intrusion.

Second I was thinking the wiring could be swapped around in the driver's door. But then I started reading about the crappy mirror ribbon cables and started to get sad again. I will have to take it apart.

There is no visual-anything with the alarm. No lights flash outside, and the light in the mirror does not flash. The doors just lock. I think I need the alarm parts and probably some coding. I should be able to score some of that stuff cheap in the JY. Is there a DIY around that explains the parts needed and their locations?

The rain sensor could be unplugged, but the auto-headlights work, which I thought used a light element in the same prism? I pulled the fuse to the rain sensor and the auto headlights still work, so maybe they are not related. The plastic around the mirror looks fine, but I'll pop it apart and inspect. I hope it is just disconnected.



I'm not sure about all Fuyao glass, but I looked it up when I received Fuyao glass in my Touring. Apparently mine was made in the USA based on its DOT #1038. It's actually a very nice quality glass; I don't see any of the wavy crap I had with the PGW glass they tried to stick me with in the ZHP. That waviness was so bad I made them replace it with a OEM Pilkington glass. The Fuyao is holding up very nicely and don't see any visual imperfections in my field of view.

Was a new prism installed with the glass or did they try to re-use the old one? Does the rain sensor housing look damaged in any way?

The glass seems pretty good. No waves, very clear, and no distortions at different angles. Honestly, I didn't even think to look, except the rain sensor wasn't working. I'll do some exploring regarding the prism. The housing looks perfect.

Interestingly, I retrofitted a rain sensor into my 98 E38. I glued the prism on my glass using an even bead of clear silicone adhesive, so I wouldn't have to replace the windshield. I know people make a big deal about the prism, quality, and adhesion. But I smooshed it down all the way, took off the excess, and initialized it in INPA, and it's been working flawlessly for years.

The actual sensor part in my dad's E46 went bad years ago, which I just replaced with a unit off ebay. So it could be so many things.


I typed "awesome" but my auto-correct changed it. :thumbsup

Haha! :shifty


I did just drive to the dealer and bought a key (since I only have one). On the way back I got my SES light again. This time two codes: P2240 current fault (O2 sensor positive current control circuit/open bank 2 sensor 1) and P2237 pending fault (O2 sensor positive current control circuit/open bank 1 sensor 1).

So is this the result of a vacuum leak or what? I'll post a thread in the mechanical section.

[az3579]

There is no visual-anything with the alarm. No lights flash outside, and the light in the mirror does not flash. The doors just lock. I think I need the alarm parts and probably some coding. I should be able to score some of that stuff cheap in the JY. Is there a DIY around that explains the parts needed and their locations?

Strange. With no alarm, the outside lights should still flash upon locking/unlocking, just no beeping. The clown nose is supposed to blink too with factory coding. A quick way to tell if you have an alarm; look on your headliner in the middle and take off that center "mount" thingy with the "vents" on either side. If you have a module in there, that's the motion detector, meaning you have an alarm. If there's nothing in there, no alarm.

Coding can take care of the visual acknowledgements for locking/unlocking.



The rain sensor could be unplugged, but the auto-headlights work, which I thought used a light element in the same prism? I pulled the fuse to the rain sensor and the auto headlights still work, so maybe they are not related. The plastic around the mirror looks fine, but I'll pop it apart and inspect. I hope it is just disconnected.

With the sensor unplugged, I believe the auto headlights will work only in the capacity that they will automatically just turn on regardless of what the actual lighting conditions are. So, they will be on at all times if left in the auto position. I haven't unplugged my sensor to test this, but I do know for certain that if you put in an Auto light switch into a car without the rain and light sensor, this is how it behaves. Might we worth looking at. If your auto lights are working properly with the fuse/connector plugged in (off in the daytime, on when it's darker out), then it's possible your rain sensor just needs initialization/calibration.



This time two codes: P2240 current fault (O2 sensor positive current control circuit/open bank 2 sensor 1) and P2237 pending fault (O2 sensor positive current control circuit/open bank 1 sensor 1).

So is this the result of a vacuum leak or what? I'll post a thread in the mechanical section.

I would look at things that affect both banks. It isn't giving a lean code, so the first thing that pops into mind is the MAF. You said the car stumbles above 50% acceleration. Unplug your MAF and see if your car runs any better at above 50% throttle. If it does, your MAF needs to be replaced, and may be causing those codes. If that makes no difference, make sure there are no intake boot leaks; these boots are known to go back. If unsure, you could always have it smoke tested as well to make sure it's not a vacuum leak somewhere.

[racer2086]

I planned to save my first post for introducing my self and my car, but I really need to comment on this car. There's nothing as beautiful as a blue (topaz- or mysticblau) facelifted E46 sedan with the mtech front spoiler. Congratulations! I love it as it is - especially with the ambers! I'd personally not replace the back lights - especially not with the led version - this car just looks nice!

/B :)

Thanks! I love the blue. It was the primary color I was looking for. I love the front with the white lights and blacked out grills. It just looks odd to me having the white lights up front and the ambers in the back. Maybe I'll get used to it.

[az3579]

It just looks odd to me having the white lights up front and the ambers in the back. Maybe I'll get used to it.

Yeah, someone started to convert it to euro lights and either forgot to do the rears or just couldn't finish...
You might as well finish it off with the proper RCR's. :)

[racer2086]

RCRs? What's that stand for?

[az3579]

RCRs? What's that stand for?

Red/Clear/Red, the euro tails. Like mine:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/14850898009_3b1ed42ec7_b.jpg

[KendrickC]

I actually want to go in the opposite direction with my car. I want RYR for rears, and amber turn signals up front... I guess that's because Euro is what we have down under.

[racer2086]

I'd swap with you, but the shipping is probably as much as new lights!

[KendrickC]

I'd swap with you, but the shipping is probably as much as new lights!Very true. To buy new is ridiculous

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[racer2086]

Just an update. I took both passenger door panels off to figure out the water leaks. Figured it had to be the vapor barriers. Sure enough, definitely was. The previous repair of the right front window regulator didn't even come close to getting the vapor barrier on right. It was flopping in the wind. The rear right only had a corner off that seemed to be just from age and maybe heat. It debonded and left the corner detached. Also found out they used a Taiwanese regulator on the front right. Ugh. I guess I'll just wait until it breaks.

The butyl on these vapor barriers is hard to get a solid, perfect seal on just pressing it back together. I don't want to have to use new butyl and glob that much more on there. I have a trick to getting the old butyl clean and super sticky, so the vapor barrier resticks like glue and seals great. I fold up a paper towel and spray 3M adhesive cleaner on it. I dab that wet paper towel all along the butyl surface on the door frame and on the vapor barrier. Give it a minute to dry and then press the two pieces together firmly and evenly. The buytl will fuse together and you will not be able to peel the vapor barrier off easily. That's how you know it's sealed. Done. Works great on all BMWs. Been doing this on my 7 for a while.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7836/33382513118_e7aabea8ac_b.jpg

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Next on the list is to pull the driver's door panel, check the plugs for the mirror, switch, and tweeter and see if any are mixed up or unplugged. I'll check the vapor barrier while there. I need to also pull the mirror trim and check the rain sensor. Hopefully it's just unplugged. If not, I'll have to get INPA going and reinitialize it.

I'm out of town for a wedding but will pull the MAF when I get back and go for a drive. The SES light goes on and off based on the day. Depending on the day, I can feel the car struggling between 2500-3000 rpm. I'll smoke the intake and check for leaks. It's seriously down on power on the highway inside that RPM band.

[racer2086]

Time to update after some more work done to the ZHP. Some good news and some bad.

Went to the junkyard and scored two front tweeters, a rear midrange, auto dimming mirror, rain/light sensor and prism, passenger side AL projector and reflector, some trunk tools, a rear ash tray in great shape, a driver's door mirror with ribbon cable in Mystic Blue, all the pieces for the alarm retrofit, a new map light, and a few other things for a grand total of $104. Bam!

Driver's door:
After fixing the two passenger door vapor barriers, I pulled the driver's door panel. I found nothing wrong with the mirror or speaker connections. Darn. I also looked at the window regulator because the window would go up so slow for the bottom half of travel and then get better. It appears the rear regulator track is broken and the cable is out of it. So the window is going up and down on the front track and binding in the seal as it goes up, until is rises to the point where things even out. Guess it's time for a new regulator.

Speakers:
I tried out the new rear speaker, but it appears that there is some other problem. Both my original speaker and the new one work, but are very quiet. Now, I'm wondering if this is a radio or amp problem? My radio knob acts all crazy also...

I put all the alarm pieces in and coded the car with DIS. So now the alarm works. Yay!

The rain/light sensor I got is bad...after getting home I can hear something rattling around. And out came some small SMD parts that look like capacitors. So need to try to get a new one of those.

I'm not sure what to do with the AL projector and reflector. I would love to just put the reflector in my ZKW light, but I'm not sure it will fit and it is more involved due to the bi-xenon solenoids. I hate these damn headlights. This shouldn't be an issue.

Also, while back in the trunk area putting in the tilt sensor for the alarm, I noticed another loose hanging wire that seems to be coming from up in the rear deck area. Anyone know what this is for? (pic below)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7896/47319243062_1bb920258e_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7841/47319242902_34ac7a2c11_b.jpg

[fredo]

That was an amazing find … all those parts for only $104. GL on fixing the issues you mentioned.

[KendrickC]

That wire's for the battery tender they use for before delivery to a customer. Or some part of that system.

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[ZHPizza]

Nice haul! If you decide to swap just the AL reflectors in, I'll happily buy the lenses.

[racer2086]

That wire's for the battery tender they use for before delivery to a customer. Or some part of that system.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

Oh that's interesting. Would be nice to use that for a battery tender now.


Nice haul! If you decide to swap just the AL reflectors in, I'll happily buy the lenses.

I only have one unfortunately. The driver's light was gone. If I can figure out how to swap the reflectors, I'd be happy to sell the lenses. I'm going to go back tomorrow and see what else I can find, including headlights, etc

[Chaplian]

That's an awesome score, and good luck with your build! I'm pretty sure I was actually looking at this car before I scooped up my Touring, haha.

For the rain sensor, I picked one up last year for $15-20 off of eBay (used) so they're not too badly priced.

Also, any pics of the E38?

[Will]

Great find, congrats on your new acquisition! It's great to see project threads like this where solid cars are saved from aging. Looking forward to further progress.

[racer2086]

That's an awesome score, and good luck with your build! I'm pretty sure I was actually looking at this car before I scooped up my Touring, haha.

For the rain sensor, I picked one up last year for $15-20 off of eBay (used) so they're not too badly priced.

Also, any pics of the E38?

Oh god so many pics of the E38.

Every rain sensor I pulled out of JY cars had the same 151 SMD cap rattling around inside. I'm going to take it apart and see if I can resolder it to the circuitry pads. I have a hot air reflow station, so I'll give it a try. I'm afraid that all used rain sensors will suffer from this. And I think they are all the same capacitor that is up next to the heating element on the board.


Great find, congrats on your new acquisition! It's great to see project threads like this where solid cars are saved from aging. Looking forward to further progress.

Thanks! Sometimes I wish I wasn't so OCD about getting everything perfect and would just drive the thing. But there's an element of fun and pride to it too :)


The E38. Has 237k miles now. Most of these pics were at 175k. For all the pics I have, I haven't uploaded any in the last 2 years probably. These pics are probably 2 years old. I have since got the proper staggered M-parallels on it, slightly increased the rear ride height after dropping it all around, and completely paint corrected the entire car.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/25368673499_4e42b55d05_b.jpg

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And here's my '85 Mustang my dad bought new, since I never get to show this off. Needs a head gasket at the moment. Has 215k on it. These pics were at various times, all on older cell phones, all at over 170k miles. (My family keeps cars for a looooong time).

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4818/47398095261_d68da8dcfc_b.jpg

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[KendrickC]

I unfortunately have no appreciation for old muscle, so I don't know if it's a beaut or not, but I admire that you still have an original from new car in your garage.

Your E38 though. I want one now, but in afraid of the maintenance lol

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[racer2086]

If you can work on these BMWs yourself and don't mind spending the time, then it's manageable. There is nothing like it for the highway.

With FCP for most things, the main big things are the chain guides for the V8s and auto transmission rebuilds when due. The cooling systems have issues but that's easy stuff to fix relatively speaking. I've done it all, minus the transmission rebuild I'm having done now. Can be done if you have a second car.

[johnrando]

Good stuff.

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[KendrickC]

If you can work on these BMWs yourself and don't mind spending the time, then it's manageable. There is nothing like it for the highway.

With FCP for most things, the main big things are the chain guides for the V8s and auto transmission rebuilds when due. The cooling systems have issues but that's easy stuff to fix relatively speaking. I've done it all, minus the transmission rebuild I'm having done now. Can be done if you have a second car.Fair. I've done most of the work on my car as it is, and some jobs I helped friends do (like trans swap, diff build etc).

Might have to look into an E38... Once I decide I can swallow the cost of petrol around town

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[racer2086]

From what I hear in the E38 forum, they have held their value over there in Australia. Here they are worth pennies. But I notice a slight uptick in value lately, especially for well-cared-for vehicles, since they are getting harder to come by

[KendrickC]

That's interesting. I've seen some for 3800 aud, which is stupid cheap for a 4.4 V8 haha. Can't speak for maintenance history though.

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[racer2086]

Headlights:
Put some replacement ZKW reflector bowls in the headlights and whoa! Let there be light! PO must have adjusted the headlights up thinking the dimness was an adjustment issue, because as soon as I replaced the reflectors, I was lighting up the trees. Readjusted them down to what looks normal and what a night and day difference.

Now I just need to figure out how to see if the self leveling works. When I turn on the headlights, I expect them to cycle up and down, but they don't do that. Is there a way to test them?

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7881/46748698064_27144686a2_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7831/33595362218_6cd9ea29b2_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7897/47419081062_c5927a8d4f_b.jpg

Audio:
So my front left tweeter has been totally dead and the right rear midrange up in the parcel shelf is very quiet. In a quest to fix the weird speaker issues, I first picked up a new midrange and tweeter. The midrange is easy to swap, so tried that first. No dice.

Then picked up a Harmon Kardon amp from the JY thinking that was the issue. Nope.

That basically narrowed it to the radio, which interestingly enough has a dimmer display than the rest of everything and the volume knob only turns the volume up no matter which way you turn it. Guess I should have started with the radio. I got lucky and found one in a car that looks to be in near perfect shape. That immediately fixed the right rear midrange, but the front left tweeter is still dead. Probably just the speaker. I will replace that when I do the window regulator soon.

Unfortunately, the PO broke some of the plastic tabs off the silver cube trim piece above the glove box when he must have wired in the Aux input. That explains why the two trim pieces were fitting loose. So I have to try to fab up some glue to make a tab to hold that silver pin in place, because it appears this trim is hard to find and expensive.

Rain sensor:
After trying a few rain sensors, I think I got one that actually works. Hopefully it stays functional with my windshield and doesn't reinitialize to useless. But putting my hand over it triggers the wipers, so that may be a win for a whole $4.

Rain gutter trim:
I'm working on the rain gutters now. I took the passenger side off this morning and had to shake my head. PO used double sided tape to "affix" the back of the trim to the body. This resulted in it coming loose easily, which lead to scratching the paint and rubbing some areas of paint straight away. So absolutely frustrating. If you're going to go to the trouble, why not do it right?

I have new clips to replace the missing clips that go in the body. I pried the white fasteners off trim at the JY that I will glue on to my trim where they are missing. Then I should hopefully be able to reinstall it THE CORRECT WAY. Sheesh

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7826/46748697874_30a41abd17_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7823/47419080732_015648552b_b.jpg

[johnrando]

A bit of work going on there. Re: trim... not a bad idea to glue as a temp fix, but keep your eye on part outs on e46fanatics and maybe you can get that trim piece cheaper down the line.

[ZHPizza]

Self leveling happens at startup (at least in my coupe). I can watch the DRL's level on my garage wall or the headlights if I left them on auto.

[racer2086]

A bit of work going on there. Re: trim... not a bad idea to glue as a temp fix, but keep your eye on part outs on e46fanatics and maybe you can get that trim piece cheaper down the line.

I pried some old clips off some chrome trim in the junkyard. I'm going to glue the clips back on my trim to get it to sit right. Hopefully.


Self leveling happens at startup (at least in my coupe). I can watch the DRL's level on my garage wall or the headlights if I left them on auto.

That's what I thought. It doesn't do that. Neither light. The linkage on the control arm is there and hooked up. Where would you look first? I doubt both headlights are bad. Maybe the actuator on the control arm. I'll see if I can pull some codes from the leveling module.

[ZHPizza]

I pried some old clips off some chrome trim in the junkyard. I'm going to glue the clips back on my trim to get it to sit right. Hopefully.



That's what I thought. It doesn't do that. Neither light. The linkage on the control arm is there and hooked up. Where would you look first? I doubt both headlights are bad. Maybe the actuator on the control arm. I'll see if I can pull some codes from the leveling module.Did you code the auto leveling lights in PA Soft? Was this a retrofit or fixing what was already there? Can I scroll up and find this out? Probably

[racer2086]

Lol. Same lights that came on the car. No retrofit. I only replaced the burned bowls. I'll have to hook up INPA and look up codes.

[racer2086]

Fixed the rain gutter trim on the driver and passenger sides. Wuf, that was a bigger job than I thought. Lot of prep work.

The passenger side trim was fine up to the C-pillar. All 3 glued on clips were gone, which is why it was flapping in the wind every time the door was opened, leading to the paint scratches in the earlier pictures. When I was at the junkyard, I took the clips off the trim from a car that was there in order to glue them onto mine. It also gave the opportunity to practice taking the trim off.

It's actually surprisingly easy to get the trim off UP TO the c-pillar. The c-pillar then get's a little more technical. The key part is getting the c-pillar part off and on without breaking clips. This does a pretty good job of explaining it. Full BMW instructions here: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e46-330i-lim/repair-manuals/51-body-equipment/51-13-trim-parts-covers-handle-strip/AzMts9D

Here's how it looked when it came off, missing all 3 clips and the foam tape cushion to go against the body:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7920/46596801545_1a48b3d762_b.jpg

First thing was to get everything nice and clean using my trusty 3M adhesive cleaner and then etch some lines in the metal to help align the clips once the glue is on. I used one of those electric engravers I had kicking around.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7920/46596801545_1a48b3d762_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7920/46596801545_1a48b3d762_b.jpg

I chose this glue I found at the store. It seemed perfectly suited for my job. It bonds plastic to plastic (really good I might add) and plastic to metal.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7838/46596802515_20f7f85102_b.jpg

My biggest mistake, though, was not roughening the metal up. The two upper clips came off when I went to install the trim. The epoxy sticks to COATED metal, meaning epoxy coated which this is not since it is just painted, so roughening it up helps with the micromechanical retention of the glue. These next pics are the first gluing before I scuffed it with the dremel.

Take the dremel and clean the old glue off the clips.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7832/46596802825_5b2f30bc87_b.jpg

Some important notes about the clips:
- The clips are right vs left! The two upper clips have a taller wall that faces the outside of the trim, so don't glue passenger side clips on the driver's side trim.
- Additionally, the upper most clip has the stop towards the bottom, whereas the lower clip has the stop towards the top. This is critical, because the lower clip stop is what lines the bottom of the c-pillar portion of the trim to the door trim and the breastwork on the quarter panel. The upper clip stop prevents the trim from sliding forward towards the front fender.
- The placement of the clips is critical. Too high or low, and the trim won't sit right. Too close to the edge and it will sit too far from the body when mounted on the car. There was a tiny bit of residual glue left on the trim that helped me pick the right position for them and then etch lines in the metal. But for future reference, I measured 10 times and the height position for the top edge of the bottom clip is 51mm from the base of the trim, measured from the first crease in the metal.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7825/47459431802_39aa5f09c2_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7843/46596803635_8845883231_b.jpg

Now that the clips are on, I had to come up with a way to replace the thin rubber edging that sits on the edge of the trim on the body side. It runs from the joint where the c-pillar portion is glued to the rest of the rain gutter down to the bottom. There is no chance you find this in a store, so I cut up some old windshield wiper blades and glued them on. Not exactly like factory, but better than $420 for new trim.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7851/32569979807_a5f2a86bbf_b.jpg

Next was replacing the missing foam strip. I got the right width foam at the store, but it wasn't as thick, so I just double layered it.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7837/32569979727_7b1cc35591_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7917/46596821085_71f2fe9d82_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7920/33635579888_a73f7eeb73_b.jpg

Cleaned up the area on the car. I don't have mystic blue touch up paint, but I do have jet black and clearcoat for my E38. So I cleaned the area well and coated the bare areas with the clear coat just to seal things up. This is FL, so no salt around, but just being thorough.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7875/46788418374_28e2473065_b.jpg

New clips on the body (pn 51138204858):
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7876/47512265211_16786fc9c6_b.jpg

And the finished product! Note the position of the bottom of the trim. When fully slid down against the stop on the clip, it sits right at the crease in the quarter panel.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7915/47512265311_5a516224de_b.jpg


Here's the driver's side piece. The c-pillar part only had the lower clip debonded, but the clip was still on the car. The upper clip was split in half. Additionally, the C-pillar portion was separated from the rest of the rain gutter, so the two would slide apart and the rain gutter would run down into the front fender. I ended up using traditional JB weld to glue the two pieces of metal together.

But first, I had to repair the c-pillar clips. I think someone in the past tried to re-glue it with the trim still on the car because there was glue on the body, glue on the trim, and where the glue remained was not even close to where the clip should be to make the trim sit right.

Cleaned off the trim and made my alignment marks...upper line 51mm away from bottom.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7879/47459597802_f8738d894f_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7885/47512410401_8ed6bec35a_b.jpg

No more pics of that side. I got lazy. But it's back in business!

[KendrickC]

I need to do this. Expect a PM from me later tonight. You seem to have it well sorted haha

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

Nice werk

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[racer2086]

Fixed my possessed side mirrors. I had to pull the fuse on my road trip home after I bought the car because they would move on their own while I was driving, which was so bizarre and really dangerous. They also didn't respond to the mirror switch, making things wonderfully infuriating. Some research and reading indicated that a lot of E46 owners have this issue and no one came up with a definitive solution. Some say the ribbon cables, some say the driver's mirror motor, some say the passenger mirror motor, some say the switch, no one really seemed to know.

Well for one thing, the ribbon cable is all one with the motor, so you have to replace them together. In my case, I can confidently say it was the driver's mirror motor, as my ribbon cable looked perfect and swapping them proved to be a success. Of course, take the donor mirror and plug it into the car first to make sure it fixes your problem. As soon as I did, the mirror switch immediately worked and controlled both mirrors. Once you pull the good motor and ribbon out, do the same test just to be sure everything still works and nothing got damaged.

Here are some pics...I grabbed a driver's mirror from a '04 Mystic blue E46 in the junkyard. I couldn't just swap the whole mirror mainly because the base was matte black and not the gloss black of the ZHP. Plus it was more beat up than mine anyway.

Remove the glass to expose the motor assembly. I've already removed the 3 screws that hold the motor to the housing.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7802/47515395602_bc770b55b8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2foLPGE)20190401_191505 (https://flic.kr/p/2foLPGE) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Remove the mirror cover and foam to expose the ribbon cable where it wraps around the housing and dives into the base.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7869/46652901065_e7d1bb416e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yj8c)20190401_191519 (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yj8c) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Remove the cover on the under side of the mirror so you can get better access to were the ribbon cable comes through. Pry from the middle of the cover...the edge closest to the outside of the mirror has a tab that will pull out. The opposite side toward the base has two long tabs on it that will not pry out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7846/46652902945_c332ca7498_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yjFB)20190401_191948 (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yjFB) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7838/46652903875_061f5d2f36_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yjXD)20190401_193949 (https://flic.kr/p/2e5yjXD) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Mark the ribbon cable for each connector. You will be removing the plastic connectors from the ribbon cable so you can slide the ribbon out of the housing. If you look close on the connectors, you will see where it is marked for pin 1 and 3.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7803/47515396552_9846747417_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2foLPZ3)20190401_191723 (https://flic.kr/p/2foLPZ3) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7915/47568307041_caf34fca40_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fts1qR)20190401_191719 (https://flic.kr/p/2fts1qR) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7882/47568307341_e8749933bc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2fts1w2)20190401_191911 (https://flic.kr/p/2fts1w2) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Remove the foam on the base to make it easier to get the ribbon cable out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7922/32625892677_85b43d5c96_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RH3edZ)20190401_191941 (https://flic.kr/p/RH3edZ) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Watch how the ribbon cable is routed so you can put it back the same way. If you notice, the ribbon is wrapped at places with black tape. You will have to play this by ear, since some will slide through, but others you may have to unwrap to pull through the base and the rewrap after. The wrap is where the cable is folded and taped for protection.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7924/33691525778_e128fc529f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TkcSPu)20190401_191944 (https://flic.kr/p/TkcSPu) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7897/47515397512_36e6b99f4e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2foLQgA)20190401_191952 (https://flic.kr/p/2foLQgA) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7927/46844506574_e3d7de5014_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2enukLs)20190401_192916 (https://flic.kr/p/2enukLs) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7846/33691526938_7c5654ccce_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/TkcTau)20190401_192039 (https://flic.kr/p/TkcTau) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Then it is just the reverse to slip that good motor/ribbon into your good housing. Then, enjoy your newly working mirrors :)

After that, I decided to wash her for the first time (yikes, I know). Threw a quick layer of wax on for protection. I was trying to hold out until I had enough time to clay, compound, polish, seal, and wax. I was surprised the paint wasn't as bad as I thought. The trunk lid has a bunch of scratches on it. Will be hard to get those completely out. But overall not bad. Cleaned up nice and looks so good with the wheels cleaned. Sorry for the night time shots...doesn't do the paint or the color justice. I LOVE this blue. Was thinking Orient, but I wouldn't have been happy with how dark it is. This still looks blue in darker lighting.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7914/46844507914_86492a289c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2enumay)20190402_200841 (https://flic.kr/p/2enumay) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/7897/40602394583_d4c7b388a3_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24RTTkV)20190402_200835 (https://flic.kr/p/24RTTkV) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

[racer2086]

Oh, and flipped 111k on Sunday.

https://live.staticflickr.com/7847/46845295254_bee5681ac9_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2enyodo)2019-04-08_11-56-44 (https://flic.kr/p/2enyodo) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

Still gotta smoke test the engine to find vacuum leaks. SES light is on and off.

[az3579]

I absolutely hate those stupid ribbon motors. I've wanted the tilting feature since my E30 days, and when I bought my ZHP with poorly retrofitted M3 mirrors, it didn't work. I was so bummed. I've replaced motor after motor and none of them worked 100% properly. Sick of dealing with these stupid ribbon motors.

[racer2086]

I absolutely hate those stupid ribbon motors. I've wanted the tilting feature since my E30 days, and when I bought my ZHP with poorly retrofitted M3 mirrors, it didn't work. I was so bummed. I've replaced motor after motor and none of them worked 100% properly. Sick of dealing with these stupid ribbon motors.

Yeah, I mean looking at it, they seem so fragile and not a great long-term material for something that gets weathered, moved, and used fairly regularly. I mean if you fold the mirrors in manually parking in the street, that's twisting that ribbon cable.

I'm surprised you've replaced the motor and still have the problem. Maybe you got a couple bum motors?

Took this today just because. Will never see 111,111 again.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7832/46849899194_3fbcbb8c39_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2enXYNE)2019-04-09_02-58-44 (https://flic.kr/p/2enXYNE) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

[racer2086]

Haven't updated this thread in a long time. The car has been very spoiled in the last 2 months...

Both front window regulators have been replaced. The passenger side had a crappy aftermarket one that sounded like you were tearing nylon when the window goes up or down. It was something inside where that cable wraps up that was doing it. Both regulators I zip-tied like the thread on here, so hopefully they don't go bad for 10+ years.

Next, I got a switch center from an M3 with the tire pressure button and sport button. I ran a wire to the DSC for the TPMS and also installed a v2 Sprint booster I bought new off Ebay. The TPMS I coded, but doesn't work because my module is CI-12 and not CI-13. Bummer. But the sprint booster works great. I wired it in totally different from the write up on here, and made a schematic of the two-wire sprint booster button, for others in the future:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036841273_c17d472861_b.jpg
Measuring the voltage across the black and red wires going to the switch, voltage is near 0 volts when the thing is in normal mode. In green mode, the voltage is positive ~5v and in red mode, the voltage is negative ~-5v. That's why the red LED needs to be flipped in circuit to work.

I did not unsolder anything from the sprint booster switch itself. I just added wiring to the relevant spots and ran the Sport button and new LEDs in parallel with the sprint booster components.

Here is the sprint booster untouched:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036841563_a90369d8dc_b.jpg

And here it is with the wiring soldered:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036903422_b8f82e9c98_b.jpg

I added a BMW connector to the new wires, which will go to the new wires from the switch center. This way things can be easily disconnected if removal is necessary in the future.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036843348_1e3aa18cfb_b.jpg

I will make another post with what I did with the switch center. I used the factory pins in the back for the actual switch, so no switch replacement or modification is necessary (from the factory, the switch is designed to just ground the pin it goes to on the DME), and only added wires for the new LEDs.

[racer2086]

For the sport button, I bought LEDs off amazon and used some thin gauge wire I had to solder to them. I did not glue them to the button circuit board, but rather just glued them together and then soldered to them with the wires. It's pretty delicate, so getting it back in the switch panel is tricky. But cut the plastic cage for the button with a dremel so the wires have room to go through.

Amazon LEDs: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CUGAFEC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here are the LEDs set into the button. REMEMBER -- the red LED needs to be reversed! You can see where the wires go through the plastic:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036905077_407439955e_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036905622_798aa0584a_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036904947_4740fa4a1e_b.jpg

This is the wire that goes from pin 17 of the switch center (this is the line from the sport button switch that grounds the DME in the M3 to signal sport engaged). In line with my wire is a resistor that simulates the 1k resistor in line of the sprint booster button as shown in the schematic above. This wire plugs into the BMW connector plug that connects to the sprint booster switch.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036905952_b0e55480d9_b.jpg


Success! Makes the car feel like it has 30 more HP.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036907452_9410894c14_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036845938_c85c1b5cf5_b.jpg

[racer2086]

Found a set of metal pedals in the junkyard. They were for an auto, so I just used the dead pedal.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036907887_3154f0317b_b.jpg

And then it got a full compound, polish, and seal with Griots Poly Wax

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036928267_4df5d2f0c7_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036928302_f0d486cbe8_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036825221_a39a69da99_h.jpg

[fredo]

GREAT job on the Sport button. Ty for sharing.

[racer2086]

PDC Retrofit also done! And at the same time, I re-clearcoated the top of the back bumper. The clearcoat was entirely stripped from the bumper above the black trim. I figured I should do all of this, while I was retrofitting the PDC, since the bumper had to come off and the trim swapped out.

It turned out pretty good. From 6 feet away it looks great. Up close you can see some orange peel even after 2 rounds of wet sanding. And up near the rear wheel wells, you can see the line where the remaining clear coat starts despite trying to bevel it. It's not that bad, though.

Here are some pics of how things looked before the clear coat.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036928892_ca18fe9114_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160358 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRPnW) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036929282_79023844f3_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160402 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRPuE) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036869368_eb80854660_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160407 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRvFE) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036869478_8f4ea7557c_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160410 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRvHy) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036827421_186ef2eb58_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160413 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRidr) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036870828_a1237d2d78_h.jpg[/url]20190602_160422 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRw7Q) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr


Here it is with the clear coat dried before any wet sanding or polishing. I used Wurth Clear Coat, which says it gives 2k performance without the two parts. Wurth provides a lot of material for German car manufacturers lines. I'm happy with it.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036871148_02e6cab007_h.jpg[/url]20190602_181118 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRwdm) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036931877_f38908b1d5_h.jpg[/url]20190602_181122 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRQgp) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036871458_4621ffd0f4_h.jpg[/url]20190602_181128 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRwiG) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036829616_2b4f153d6e_h.jpg[/url]20190602_181139 (https://flic.kr/p/2gbRiSh) by racer2086 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/racer2086/), on Flickr


Wet-sanded:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036872743_850bc225ec_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036934552_bd42bbe495_h.jpg


And finally compounded and polished:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036831481_57bc7612ff_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036935647_efe7f4f533_h.jpg


PDC Trim installed:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036935857_66c6e41775_h.jpg


And back on the car with sensors in place:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48204991292_3c7eb24571_h.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036875943_e4199dbe27_h.jpg

I was shocked to see how just cleaning the base layer of paint and coating with clear coat brought the metallic right back out. It appeared to have zero metallic left without the clear coat, but once painted, it popped again like the rest of the car. So cool. All in about $30 for the clear coat and wet/dry sand paper and about 4 hours of time, including dry time.

[704sw]

Really impressive results

[Chaplian]

Holy crap, that all came out great. Now I need to go outside and detail my wagon...

[Gordo_GT]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036904947_4740fa4a1e_b.jpg


This is really cool. I really dig the stock look.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[racer2086]

I'll have to add mileage and log this stuff to the first page, but about 500-1000 miles ago, I replaced all 6 coils with new Delphi ones from FCP in hopes that would take care of the 2800 rpm studder.

This is what the coil on plug #5 looked like vs #6. Definitely something going on there.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036784206_5731ce8164_b.jpg

I pulled the plug, also, so I could clean the carbon off the plug.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036891857_545d3b2ec4_b.jpg

Previously, I cleared engine adaptations, which seemed to take care of the studder issue until the adaptations readjusted and it slowly came back. So, I cleared the adaptations now when replacing the new coils and threw the plug and coils in. Wow! What a difference in the responsiveness. I didn't expect that at all. Honestly, the normal non-sprint booster throttle made me feel like the sprint booster was on. Now the car pulls great and feels legit fast with the sprint booster. BUT, the studder is back at the 2800 rpm and has thrown another code here and there for the bank 2 O2 sensor. Boo. Even after cleaning the MAF, no changes. So I'll probably get the DME flashed, as most have, once I get my other car running again, in case the worst happens.

More to come!

[racer2086]

Cleaned up the silver cube trim with a toothbrush, soap and water. You don't realize how dirty it is until you brush it, rinse it, and dry it. They really pop once cleaned. Not great pics sorry

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036878423_190595b32b_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48036940797_2a50467a1f_b.jpg


Also picked up a set of AL and ZKW xenon headlights out of the JY along with the AL mounts. The goal was to swap the ZKW lenses into the AL lights with the metal reflectors and install halo rings at the same time. This project took a while just due to no free time, but once going it only took a day or two. Now the ZKW assemblies and AL lenses will be up for (cheap) sale.

Comparison of the mounts:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273932177_db0dd58b8e_b.jpg

All the posts on the forums talk about changing the light adjustment and removing the whole assembly inside. You don't need to do that. For the ZKW lights, you don't even have to disassemble the ZKW lights or remove the outer lens to get the projector housing and lens out. Just remove the bowl, pop the bezel off, and then slide the projector out the back. You will probably need to remove the outer lens to get the bezel back on, but can get lucky without it. The AL lights are a little harder, as those projectors and lens won't come out the back, so the front cover has to come off, bezel off, and the lens assembly removed from the front. Then it's a simple swap of lenses after that. Installing the halo rings wasn't too bad either.

Reassembled with the angel eyes and new MM lenses:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273849341_edb9b549a3_b.jpg

Here is the cutoff without anything adjusted; sharp but messy:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273931042_c2f35a82e2_b.jpg

They were pointing to the sky when I drove, so adjusted them down and kinda left/right. Problem is my driveway is a pretty decent incline and I don't have anywhere else to adjust them. Also don't know the specs for adjustment.

Here they are after some adjusting. They really light up the road now though. My biggest gripe is that the cutoff isn't parallel with the ground, as I expected, but slightly angled off parallel. Both lights are like that, and I don't know how to fix it. There's no tip adjustment, right?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273848651_f2ff80a876_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273848786_3613aa8317_b.jpg

And the AEs installed and wired with remote trigger to interior lights and normal trigger to ignition voltage:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273931342_90f5733f25_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273931417_c99928db33_b.jpg

Phone has a harder time with the bright lights in dimmer ambient lighting. Think it looks good though. Love this car :)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48273931957_1a8eb52c34_b.jpg

[Will]

Wow, that trim cleaned up nicely. You're right, it's hard to tell how dirty it was until it was clean.