Estoril Coupe Repair/Build Thread

[Isaac_Clark]

Hello everyone
This is my first time starting a journal on anything, but I'll try my best

I own a 2005 330ci ZHP in Sparkling Graphite Metallic with a black leather interior and an automatic transmission.
I bought it for $6000 in September of 2017 with around 113,000 miles.
The history of this car during my ownership is basically this:
I bought the car not thinking about the cost of ownership. Someone i knew owned a ZHP coupe, and after driving it, i knew i had to have one. I had saved up (with help) and bought one in 2017 while working part time and going to college. I looked through craigslist for a while before, and finally found my dream, a Sparkling Graphite ZHP coupe. It was love at first sight when i saw it back out of the owner's garage. I test drove it, and bought it a week later. I drove it to and from school, work, and every coffee shop around town, and the car seemed bullet proof. I never did any maintenance other than oil changes, and that seemed like enough. The friend of mine with his ZHP bought his from an older gentlemen that maintained his car to perfection, so he never did any maintenance. I thought i would be as lucky. For a year and a half i never did any maintenance on my car, but over that time i started noticing strange issues with my car. Issues that made me question the sanity of the previous owners. I started to think that the previous owners lied about the maintenance they performed, and the "special 100k mile maintenance" they had to do on the car. So i got a full time job a year ago and put effort into fixing all the issues on my car, and maintaining it like i should have as soon as i bough it. I found a great mechanic who i can trust to do the work on my car, and i got busy fixing.
I did, regrettably, get into a car accident a year ago. The left side of my car was hit and bashed in. The driver door and rear fender were bent inward. It could have been so much worse. The airbags didn't deploy, no windows broke, and the only mechanical damage was the rear left camber arm. The real damage came after. I didn't work full-time at the time, and my dad offered to take it to a "friend" for cheap repairs. The friend poorly pulled out the dents, which broke the door handle carrier, dislocated the driver side seat belt carrier, the interior b pillar covering, and the rear left door card. The friend then caked the left side of the car in bondo and painted over it. I've been horribly bitter ever since, and will never hand over the keys to anyone other than my trusted mechanic friend.

Now for all the issues with my car:
The first issue i noticed while test driving was that the steering was too light, and the wheel was much easier to turn than i remember while driving my friends'. I didn't think too much about it, since the looks of the car sold me before the test drive. While with my Mechanic, i found out that the previous owner switched the steering rack to another that my mechanic couldn't identify. The steering rack had over 3.2 turns to lock and was way too easy to turn. The previous owner probably put it in so he could steer faster and drift the car. I've since switched the steering rack back to the ZHP one.

The second issue is the AC. The AC doesn't blow very hard, only when i turn the fan speed up to the last 3 settings does the air current reach me. The side vents barely blow air at all, even on the high settings. Even weirder, if i close the air vents and turn the fan speed high, air will blow out from the dashboard, in between the gaps of the radio/hvac and storage compartments. The front windshield defrost also doesn't work. If i press the front defrost button, the vents on the back of the dash don't work, instead, it just turns the fan speed on max for the front facing vents. The AC does blow cold air, but it doesn't blow heat well. It doesn't blow hot unless i turn the climate control above 80°F at normal engine temperature, and then the heat "runs out" after 15 minutes unless i turn the temperature up higher.

The third issue is the sound system. The previous owner installed an aftermarket radio, and messed a lot of things up. The radio was an ugly lcd screen that sat in an adapter plate, which took up the whole dash. The climate control was moved to the bottom of the dash, and hung loose in that spot without anything securing it. Inexplicably, there was a wire running through the outside of the dash, from between the gap where the climate control was housed, underneath the steering wheel, and into a gap between the underside of the steering wheel column and the dash. I pulled on the wire and it was attached to nothing. I've bought an OEM radio to install, but when i removed the radio, i found that it was not secured to anything, and was only held in place by the adapter plate. Even worse, after removing the radio, i found that the previous owners, or whoever installed the radio, cut chunks of plastic out from behind the radio's compartment in the dash, which exposed wiring and metal tubes on the inside of the dashboard. They also mangled the wiring for the OEM radio, and the harness is gone. I'll need to find an OEM harness and solder all the wires back to their original spot, but i've left the OEM radio in anyway to save me from that eyesore. I've also found out that the wires to the rear deck speakers have been cut, and the driver door tweeters don't work
While on the topic of wiring, when i first saw the car as the owner backed out of the garage, i noticed that the left reverse light was out. I thought i'd just fix it later. After i bought the car, i bought two new bulbs for the reverse lights. I took off the trunk carpet to install them, and for some reason, a random 5 inch wire was soldered in to the reverse light wire that led to nothing. It was soldered about 3 inches from the bulb housing. I installed the new bulb but the reverse light still didn't work. I followed the wiring and found that the wires had been cut at the point they enter the roof of the trunk. I soldered them back together and the reverse light worked again.
Another wiring issue is with the driver door speaker. At random times while the car is on, the driver door speaker will start to squeak loudly for minutes on end. The unbearable squeaking must be the result of the poor installation of the aftermarket radio. I thought it might be the AC's blower motor, but the squeaking continued after the AC was turned off. Even after the radio was removed, the squeaking persists, but goes away if i turn the engine off.
The fourth issue is the headlights. Everything about the headlights work except for one weird thing. On automatic mode, the headlights self-level and turn with the steering direction, but they don't turn left. The direction of the beams turn center to right, but won't turn center to left, like something blocks the travel of the projectors once they're back to center.

The fifth issue is the paint. The paint was in good condition when i bought the car, but i've had to keep my car outside 24/7 since i got it. Parents have dibs on the garage, and because of that, the clearcoat is fading on the hood above the engine, and on the whole roof.

The sixth issue is the suspension. The front strut mounts are cracking, and both the front pair and rear pair shocks/struts are different. I don't know the brands or types they are. I think the springs are correct though. The front springs have a white and red stripe, and the rears have three bluegreen stripes.

The seventh issue is the exhaust. The exhaust doesn't sound right. I watch videos of drives in E46 ZHP cars with the microphone in the car, and it sounds much different than my car does. I don't know if i can explain it right. My car has a deeper and lower tone while accelerating than in the videos, and my car doesn't make that sound of "rolling their R's" if that's a good example. My car's exhaust just sounds like a constant bass tone under acceleration. I've compared the sound while driving my car and my friend's ZHP, and i know the difference is there. I think the previous owner had changed the exhaust headers to something else. If i know how to check by looking at it.

The eighth issue is the driver side door and rear quarter panel. The person who said they'd fix the accident damage did a bad job. They didn't shape the door properly, and now the handle sticks out from the door a few millimeters, leaving gaps that the seals can't cover. The person didn't shape the fender correctly, and it's just a terrible job. The bondo caked over the fender is now cracking, from the top of the fender up to the ridge line in the bodywork. What i should have done is find another E46 coupe at a junk yard, cut off the fender, cut my fender, and weld the good one on, then repaint it. I also need to buy a used driver side door from another E46 and repaint it, then install it in the place of the ruined one.

The ninth issue is everything else cosmetic. The previous owner scratched the black cube trim on the left door handle to hell. The dash trim has some parts where the black color was scratched down to the metal, the driver seat stitching is torn all the way through on the bottom. The plastics on the center consol are scratched and the rubber coating ruined. The center arm rest lid is broken and sits only attached by the release mechanism. The fabric on all pillars has been peeled off. The rear right passenger seat back's metal bar that locks onto the rear shelf has been bent down, not letting the seat be locked in place. Under hard braking, that seat back will slam forward. The wheels are pitted and scratched and are the coating on them is fading.

Since i started working full time a year ago, i've put in around $5k fixing my car
I put in the OEM airbox (previous owner put in dumb cold air intake, which sucked in hot engine bay air)
Replaced oil pan gasket
Replaced valve cover gasket
Replaced the DISA valve
Replaced the CCV and hoses
New M3 engine mounts and transmission mounts
New front control arm bushings
Used left door mirror after accident
New radiator
Power steering pump hoses
Coolant lines
New fuel pump (when i replaced it, i found out that the car still had the original pump, after 135k miles!)
Bought a new battery
Put the ZHP rack back in
Needed a new secondary air pump
New left taillight (most of the LED's were out when i bought the car)

Now there's only one question i have. Should i keep trying to fix all these issues on my car, or would it be more cost effective to buy another one and try to sell mine?

I need a break from the ranting or i'll get so mad at the previous owners i'll pop. Sorry about all the errors in grammar, Goodnight everyone!

[Oli77]

Dang, that's a lot of facts and background on the car. Nice that you took the time to describe it all.
Sounds like the previous owner did only cosmetic crappy things to your poor car and it will take a lot of help, money, time and effort to bring it back to normal.
Then it will take even more money to continue maintaining it.
I would move on or be ready to drop some $$ on fresh suspension at least, then wheels, then this, then that and the other.
My 2 cents.

[fredo]

Well, that's a long list of issues. If you aren't a DIY guy, it may be wise to sell and buy another car. Labor can get pricey very quickly. But you already completed a lot of repairs, sounds like you are almost done. I have a couple of ideas.

- You can refinish the wheels and they will look brand new. Locally the price is around $125 per wheel. So $500 will take care of this issue. When I bought my 2006 e90 I didn't know about the refinish option. I went to the trouble of finding another set of wheels and then selling my old set.

- The AC system has a temperature knob. For the heater, make sure you have it all the way to the red. I don't have my ZHP handy, but I found this pic from an e90 so you have an idea. Check the top of pic.

36521

Good luck on your decision.

[Isaac_Clark]

Thanks for the replies, Oli77 and fredo!

I'm so indecisive about selling or keeping my car. If i do decide to sell it, i want to fix more of it's issues first so the next owner doesn't have to deal with them. I'm about to replace all my brake rotors and pads, and upgrade to stainless steel lines. Hopefully within two months i can refresh the suspension with Bilstein B6 all around and an M3 front sway bar.

Also, i should've remembered to say, but i do turn the dial for temperature all the way hot. I keep the dial between the center vents on the three red dots, and still the heat runs out. The heat lasts a little longer if i turn off the AC button

I'll also post pictures of everything once i make a photobucket account. I don't have as many pictures as i'd like, but after i wash my car today, i'll take pictures of everything

[Oli77]

Could have your coolant thermostat stuck so it does not transfer hot coolant to the inside radiator that heats the cabin. It is worse in the winter?

[Isaac_Clark]

Could have your coolant thermostat stuck so it does not transfer hot coolant to the inside radiator that heats the cabin. It is worse in the winter?

I'd say it was the same in the winter. I didn't think about the coolant thermostat, i'll have to ask my mechanic when i visit him this weekend. I did notice though, that the issue got worse when i removed the aftermarket radio, and saw the big hole behind it in the dashboard. That big hole must have something to do with the AC not working properly, whoever dug out the plastic to make the radio fit must have damaged something back there. It must be where the air is coming from, that's blowing through the gaps in the radio and storage.
I'm also thinking that whoever cut out the plastic damaged a solenoid or something that activates the front windshield defrost, that switches the direction of air to the rear vents in the dash for defrost.

[Oli77]

Oh my, that's pretty drastic hacking going on behind the radio.
Does you engine temp reach normal levels (middle of the range)? If it does, then its not the thermostat. Perhaps related to the internal demolition behind your radio!

[johnrando]

Awesome! What they said. Good luck!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[sillieidiot]

Yeah that sound like it's in pretty poor condition for a 6k car. That's what I see when I shop for 2k cars tbh. Just doing the door and fender is going to cost like at least another 3k. It shouldn't even have clear coat failure. I mean I park my car outside too. I don't have a garage so it's always outside. I didn't have any clear coat failure. Although, my car has been repainted by now cause mods.

Yeah the A/C issue, is definitely from the cutting. When I read that part, it sounded like they attempted to install a double din, which requires cutting that area. I know that if you fuck up, it fucks up all the vents lol You basically no longer have control on how you want to vent anymore. There's like this little arm that you can't break. I forgot what, but I've done the double din install a couple of times and it's always a bitch to not break anything while doing the cuts so you could fit the metal bracket.

I would just sell the car for cheap, like as a project car for someone or something. You don't need to fix the issues as long as you're upfront about everything. But it's going to be a big loss. I don't see it going for much.

But if you're planning to keep it and fix it, I might have some parts I could donate to your cause. You're going to have to drive down here to get it lol I have a door (from e46 m3). I also have rear fenders (because I'm doing m3 fenders). I'm pretty sure I saw them sitting somewhere at the shop.

[Isaac_Clark]

I'm going to my mechanic friend's shop tomorrow to solder the radio harness back in. I'll take a few pictures of everything going on and post all my pictures after.
I just remembered that i left a CD in the affermarket radio.

I think i'll settle after i replace my car's brake rotors/pads, then replacing the shocks/struts and mounts. Then save up for something better, and sell mine for anything i get

[thinkpad240]

Well Isaac, I hope your car brought you enjoyment and learned on how to maintaining these E46. I bought the same car as yours 5 months earlier with 20k more miles for the same price. I noted all the must-fix items and costs($2800) after I did a PPI. I also made sure it was kept\looked OEM and all little electrical things worked before I bought it so I can keep it that way thereafter as my daily driver. The $2,800 went for new suspensions, mounts, fix leaks engine which is what every E46 with 125k will need if it does not already have them done but it's an opp to buy cheaply since those owners will bail out on a good car. I also knew I wanted to better options now than later so got some Micheline PSS and etc . I don't know what to suggest unless I see your car. Just remember it will not be your first car or E46. If you are that dedicated to fixing a car, maybe you can also put that energy amd money in a good (but lucky find) replacement car also. Let us know..

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everybody!
Sorry for taking so long. I can't get Photobucket at the moment, and most of my photos won't upload to ZHPMafia for some reason.
I'd rather not pay for Photobucket to only use it once, i need to figure something out.

My mechanic friend took a look at the wiring and was able to cut and solder everything back into the OEM radio harness, but i found even more bad news. The previous owner spliced his own wiring to the speakers, so even though the wiring to the radio was fixed, there are completely separate wires running to the speakers. We took a look in the trunk, and the amplifier, bracket for it, and the radio tuner computer were gone, and the wires and harness leading to them were messed up also. I forgot to mention in my first post that the subwoofers and their housing have been taken out by the previous owner.
Basically, my friend fixed the wiring to the radio, but couldn't do more because of limited time, so i have to go back in the future to fix the wiring from the radio to the speakers. I also have to get an OEM H/K amplifier/bracket and radio tuner computer for the radio to work. And get the OEM subwoofers/enclosure/amp.

My friend also temporarily fixed the AC issue! it feels sooo nice to have good working AC. My friend used the strongest bonding tape he had in the shop, and walled up the part that the previous owner cut out to fit the radio. That simple fix restored all functionality of the AC system. It seems like the whole system runs by the air pressure inside the core, and now that it's been restored, everything works. Before, the climate control didn't change the direction of air from window/face/feet/front defrost. Now that the tape is holding the air in, i can hear the motors in the AC core working, opening channels and changing the direction of air when i press the modes on the climate control. Even the front defrost works now! All thanks to tape! But i know this fix is only temporary. The summer heat could wear out the glue on the tape, or if it lasts until winter, blowing heat through the AC in the winter could wear out the glue, and i'll have to redo the patch. My mechanic friend told me he could cut some plastic panels and seal the core with urethane and it might do the trick, or install another AC core into my car. But that would be very expensive for the labor to take out the whole dashboard for this fix. He said that wouldn't cost any less than $1k. still, im happy having AC and i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

While at my friend's shop i also replaced my car's brakes. I bought StopTech sport brake pads front and rear, and StopTech stainless steel brake lines. Over a month ago i ordered StopTech slotted rotors for my car, but they were delayed in shipping three times. After waiting a month for the rotors to be shipped, i canceled the order and asked my friend to order rotors for me. He doesn't have StopTech available to him, but he got me Zimmerman drilled rotors instead. I wish i could have gotten a full StopTech setup, but my rotors had formed a lip on the outside edge and i didn't want to drive with them any longer. I had the rotors, pads, and lines installed a week ago and they feel so nice.

Looking at the damage behind the radio really made me appreciate all that goes into building a car. I saw that anything is fixable if you know how it works. I fixed most of the issues on my car already, and just because the last few are more expensive doesn't mean they're impossible for me. I'm feeling as good about my car now as i did the day i first saw it. I'm definitely going to keep it and fix everything up, and improve it in a few ways.
I need to redo the wiring of the sound system and install the missing amps/subs/control module, and that'll be fine. The Harmon/Kardon sound system sounds very good to me, and i don't need much more.
I need to replace the shocks/struts, and i will with Bilstein B6. And i will add an M3 front sway bar while i'm at it, or something bigger.
I want to replace the front seats with M3 seats. My car's seats don't look very nice anymore, and the driver's seat leather is ripped at the base. Also, i'm a taller guy, and my head is less than an inch from the roof even with the seat at the lowest height. Hopefully i can find good condition M3 seats with manual adjustments, which i've heard sit lower than power seats.
Then everything else after that will be cosmetic fixes, like new black cube trim, alcantara parts from Coby Wheel, replacing the faded rear parcel shelf, ect.

But i'm still indecisive even now. I've been thinking about repainting my car or changing the color. I saw a titanium silver coupe with silver cube trim in Classifieds that i love. i don't know if i should modify my own car, or just save up and buy one how i want, because this same thing will probably happen if i buy another car.

Sorry about the rambling, I hope this update was enough without the pictures

[sillieidiot]

Use Flickr. It's free. That's what I moved onto. Or you can use imgur, there's lots others.

Good progress. Honestly, it sounds like you're going to keep it. Just do it. Go ahead and practice and DIY on your car as well. What's the worst that could happen? I would leave the repainting for the last thing you do though. I'd try to fix all the other stuff you found first. It's a lot easier to DIY when you can worry less about breaking shit.

[fredo]

Good to hear your A/C is working fine. And I can see your pic.

[t.er]

Your car doesn't look so bad in the pics, but to be fair it's from an angle and from further away. I definitely feel for you - I've had both quarters repaired on my car, but luckily they seem to be holding up. Obviously if you have a keen eye you can tell it's been repaired, but unless you get your face up to it (like you're going to kiss the paint, lol) you can't really tell.

[johnrando]

Yup, agree. Was gonna say flickr too. Also agree, DIY and then paint last.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[SureShot434]

The second issue is the AC. The AC doesn't blow very hard, only when i turn the fan speed up to the last 3 settings does the air current reach me. The side vents barely blow air at all, even on the high settings. Even weirder, if i close the air vents and turn the fan speed high, air will blow out from the dashboard, in between the gaps of the radio/hvac and storage compartments. The front windshield defrost also doesn't work. If i press the front defrost button, the vents on the back of the dash don't work, instead, it just turns the fan speed on max for the front facing vents. The AC does blow cold air, but it doesn't blow heat well. It doesn't blow hot unless i turn the climate control above 80°F at normal engine temperature, and then the heat "runs out" after 15 minutes unless i turn the temperature up higher.


Sounds like maybe that could be a faulty Final Stage Unit (FSU). When mine went out the lower fan speeds wouldn't work, and at times it would change speed on it's own. You could also have an issue with the baffle that moves to push the air the the different vents when selected.

The heat issue could also be the FSU, or a thermostat, or the Heater Core Temperature Sensor. I was not getting any hot water to the heater core, so I unplugged my heater core valve and bam...I had heat and plenty of it. Turns out the temp sensor was bad, and causing the valve to stay shut. If both of those are good, and the heat just cuts out when you speed up, then you may have a thermostat that isn't closing all the way.

Beautiful car!!

[Isaac_Clark]

Thanks for telling me about Flicr!

Here's the earliest photos i have of my car:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/M8eX7z

Here are the photos of the damage from the accident:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/2916kz

Here are current photos of my car just before i went to replaced the brakes:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/SUD0gd

The are surrounding the door handle is like that because the "friend" who "fixed" the dents in the door and fender took out the handle and didn't put it back when he gave me my car back. The key's battery died, and i didn't want to pay $260 for a new key at the dealership, and i was afraid of messing anything up if i attempted to replace the battery, so i had to get in by unlocking manually. When i got my car back, the guy showed me that i can stick my finger in the gap of the door where the handle goes in, and pull a lever in there to open the door. He told me he didn't put the handle back in because the stick key lock's cover is missing, and to find one and paint it before i put the handle back in, and that it just snaps back in when i want to put it back. I found a cover, painted it, and tried to put it back in but i didn't know there was a screw to hold the handle in, i thought i was doing something wrong, so until i could find it out, i put duct tape over the opening so nothing could get in. I left the tape on there for months, getting in my car by putting the stick key in, and holding unlock so the windows roll down enough to stick my arm in and open the door from the inside. now that i figured out that the carrier was busted and fixed it months after, the residue of the tape stayed on and won't come off.

And finally, here are photos of the damage the previous owner made behind the radio to install their unit:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/K797gp

[t.er]

Yeah I'd say fix all the mechanicals, don't worry about the body for now - a bit of a bummer about the bodywork though. Any chance there is a warranty on it? At least with my first accident (the damage was very similar to yours) I have a lifetime warranty on the work, so if the filler cracks they can take care of it. Luckily for me they pulled 95% of the dent out, then just put a very small skim coat of filler to get it flat and true, and so far it looks like the day I got it back 5 years ago.

[Isaac_Clark]

Yeah I'd say fix all the mechanicals, don't worry about the body for now - a bit of a bummer about the bodywork though. Any chance there is a warranty on it? At least with my first accident (the damage was very similar to yours) I have a lifetime warranty on the work, so if the filler cracks they can take care of it. Luckily for me they pulled 95% of the dent out, then just put a very small skim coat of filler to get it flat and true, and so far it looks like the day I got it back 5 years ago.

There isn't a warranty, the guy that pulled the dents/bondo/painted the fender does that as side work, and isn't part of an official body shop.

[sillieidiot]

Thanks for telling me about Flicr!

Here's the earliest photos i have of my car:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/M8eX7z

Here are the photos of the damage from the accident:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/2916kz

Here are current photos of my car just before i went to replaced the brakes:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/SUD0gd

The are surrounding the door handle is like that because the "friend" who "fixed" the dents in the door and fender took out the handle and didn't put it back when he gave me my car back. The key's battery died, and i didn't want to pay $260 for a new key at the dealership, and i was afraid of messing anything up if i attempted to replace the battery, so i had to get in by unlocking manually. When i got my car back, the guy showed me that i can stick my finger in the gap of the door where the handle goes in, and pull a lever in there to open the door. He told me he didn't put the handle back in because the stick key lock's cover is missing, and to find one and paint it before i put the handle back in, and that it just snaps back in when i want to put it back. I found a cover, painted it, and tried to put it back in but i didn't know there was a screw to hold the handle in, i thought i was doing something wrong, so until i could find it out, i put duct tape over the opening so nothing could get in. I left the tape on there for months, getting in my car by putting the stick key in, and holding unlock so the windows roll down enough to stick my arm in and open the door from the inside. now that i figured out that the carrier was busted and fixed it months after, the residue of the tape stayed on and won't come off.

And finally, here are photos of the damage the previous owner made behind the radio to install their unit:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/K797gp

if you go in each of the pictures and click the share arrow. then copy the bbcode (i use large for the size). when you paste it here, it will show the picture. Though you'd have to do it for like each individual picture lol I clicked on all your links, but it's just nicer to see them already displayed in your thread lol

[Isaac_Clark]

if you go in each of the pictures and click the share arrow. then copy the bbcode (i use large for the size). when you paste it here, it will show the picture. Though you'd have to do it for like each individual picture lol I clicked on all your links, but it's just nicer to see them already displayed in your thread lol

Thanks for letting me know!

I definitely will keep my car, and make a few modifications to it over a few months. If the resale value is gone with all the issues it has, i might as well put all my ideas into it.
In a week or two i want to fix everything wrong with the sound system so i don't have to drive in silence, but listening to the exhaust isn't so bad most of the time. I need to replace the shocks/struts and mounts, and i'll replace the front sway bar while i'm at it. I want to put in a Hotchkis 30mm bar and leave the rear bar the same, and put in Bilstein B6 dampers. Then i'll need to replace the driver side door and rear quarter panel. Once i do that i want to repaint the whole car, since i'll need to do the door and fender anyway. I want to repaint the whole exterior of the car in Laguna Seca Blue. I also want to replace my car's interior with the M3's Laguna Seca Blue set if i can find it anywhere. I might have to find a sample of the blue leather and a shop that can tailor the rest of the interior pieces if i can't find them.

[Tnhl1989]

Man that sure is a lot of work on your car. I remember cutting my first BMW's hvac to install a double din then used 2 pieces of abs plastic and some heat/glue to put it back together to close it up. That's probably your best option currently regarding closing that up. Regarding the wiring in the back take some photos of it and I can provide a few photos on my end. Best to find a oem harness and match everything up that way. For the steering rack I just picked up a spare actually since I thought I was going to do something with it for someone else however it's up for sale if you are interested. I'm in Socal.

Also if you need a bmw scanner and I can send it right to you if you are having any coding issues or what not.

[Isaac_Clark]

Sorry everybody, i get ahead of myself whenever i think about modifying my car.
I'm not going to paint it blue or get a blue interior. I need to start saving up to go back to college, but with everything going on in the world, that might not be till next year. I'll give myself a few months to fix more of my car before i start saving every penny i can.

Till then, i want to make my car look like this, though:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/5M079o
Except for the wheels. I think those are E92 M3 wheels, and those are way too expensive for me. I'll paint the style135 wheels black to fit that look.

[sillieidiot]

Yeah that looks good. Although, I'm not feeling the m3 rep mirrors. Go with M3 instead. Looks better imo.

Here's a less modded version of my car from a similar angle with M3 mirrors for comparison
https://live.staticflickr.com/4437/36404858046_4644d077aa_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/XsYpYj)

[Isaac_Clark]

Yeah that looks good. Although, I'm not feeling the m3 rep mirrors. Go with M3 instead. Looks better imo.

Here's a less modded version of my car from a similar angle with M3 mirrors for comparison
https://live.staticflickr.com/4437/36404858046_4644d077aa_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/XsYpYj)

Did you retrofit the wiring to work? I want to see if it's possible to switch the mirror motors and wires into the M3 mirrors so they'll still function.
Also, what kind of halo rings do you have in your headlights?

[sillieidiot]

Did you retrofit the wiring to work? I want to see if it's possible to switch the mirror motors and wires into the M3 mirrors so they'll still function.
Also, what kind of halo rings do you have in your headlights?

I swapped the motors. There's a DIY on zhpmafia now for it I think. Back when I did it, there wasn't anything so I just figured it out on my own lol All the functions are working.

I have EAS Auroras. They are prototype versions that were given to me by Tom@EAS. They never released it. I believe, everyone now just goes with Orions V4 or whatever it's called. But any of the cheaper LED versions from ebay work fine. I've done a lot of installs/retrofits and I actually prefer those over the Orions.

[Isaac_Clark]

I finally got to order a bunch of parts for the sound system. I ordered the H/K amplifier/radio tuner/brackets for the trunk, the subwoofers/enclosure/amp, and the full wiring harness for the whole car so i can cut and re-solder the parts missing in my car. They'll all come between this weekend and next Thursday, and i should be able to start working on the sound system next weekend.

[johnrando]

GL!

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

[Isaac_Clark]

I finally got the time to fix the rest of the wiring for the sound system! I cut the part of the harness for the amp, and soldered each wire together, put the amp in, put the subwoofers back in and soldered the connection for the subs back in, and... it didn't work. I spent hours soldering, and hours wondering what's wrong. No sound, not even static came out of any speaker. The only problem i could think of was the amp i got was bad. I ordered another one and installed it, but still no luck. I was about to give up. I asked my mechanic, and he checked a wiring diagram for possible issues. He checked the wire from the radio that tells the amp to turn on, and that was the issue. The wire had 2000 ohms of resistance! He soldered a jumper and ran it from the radio to the amp externally, and hid it underneath the console and carpet, and now the sound system works! Finally, i can drive with good music and bass in the background. Now that the sound system is out of the way, i can continue fixing issues on my car. Next will be the suspension, and then i want to swap the transmission for a manual

[johnrando]

Nice werk. Somewhere down the line I'd like to make that swap.

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[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everyone!

Sorry i haven't updated in a while! Life's been pretty hectic, but i have made great progress on my car. I saved up and refreshed my car's suspension. I bought the Bilstein B12 pro-kit, new Lemforder front and rear mounts, Ground Control rear lower control arms, and an M3 front sway bar. It's been a little over a month since i installed it all, and my car has gotten just slightly lower than stock ZHP ride height, and handles like a dream �� i've driven through the winding roads to Lake Tahoe and the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey a few times to put it to the test. I also painted my car's bumper grill black. I forgot where i found the idea, somewhere on ZHP Mafia there was a tip to paint the bumper grill without removing the bumper by feeding balloons through the grill, inflating them, painting, then popping the balloons and fishing them back through so the paint doesn't touch the radiator or fan. It worked like a charm and whoever had that idea is a genius! Now to current updates, the bondo on my car's fender has multiple cracks and it looks like the bondo will break off soon, and the clear coat is peeling in two big spots on the roof. I found a body shop that can fix my car's fender, undo the crap that the previous guy did, and also sand off and repaint the whole car's exterior. Since i have to get the rear quarter, hood, and roof repainted, i'll have them repaint the whole car so the paint all matches. But since it's all getting repainted, i want to paint it a different colour. I haven't decided on a colour yet, but i'm leaning towards Jet Black, and after it's been painted i'll buy a few cans of black plaati-dip and cover up parts that don't get painted, like the door jams or under the trunk and hood. I have until next wednesday to decide the colour, and i'll try and find a touch-up paint stick in the one i choose for the shop to match. My next mod should be getting front seats. The current seats are getting pretty worn, and the tears and cracks on the driver seat are opening up pretty badly. Depending on the exterior colour i choose, I'm thinking about getting used M3 seats, and getting the Cinnamon ColorBond dye spray from ECS tuning and spraying the seats and my door panels to match. If i choose a colour other than Jet Black, i'll keep my interior black. That's all i have for now, please let me know what you think, and if i'm making a mistake painting my car. After the fender issues and all these repairs, it's not about the resale value anymore, i just want to make it special to me.

[sillieidiot]

Welcome back. I didn't read the paragraph. For some reason when I look at that paragraph, it seemed too large of a wall of text lol I read the first line though. Great progress :thumbup

[Isaac_Clark]

Sorry i put large paragraphs, i always forget to take pictures when i do maintenance and mods. I bought a replacement driver's side door and moved over all the hardware from my bent door to the good one, then bolted it on. The used door is black, but it'll be painted over soon as the shop gives me notice that i can bring the car for repairs to the fender and exterior respray. With the good door on, the poorly shaped quarter and fender is very noticeable now, it barely lines up with the door. I hope this shop does a much better job pulling out the dents and shapes the fender arch right.

I'll take some pictures of what it looks like after a good wash, and i'll post them here soon

[Isaac_Clark]

Alright, finally had the chance to wash my car, and i forgot to mention i had the windshield replaced recently.
Here are some photos of the replacement door, and the fender's misshapen side with the door for reference. Also pictures of the current fender gap after the suspension settling in. I think it will still lower over time, i saw some pictures on ZHPMafia of the B12 Pro-Kit being a little lower 3 months after install.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/PiT246

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/Y291J4

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/c8Wxj7

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/9cqe15

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/1VfW57

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/51mgH4

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/c1w6u2

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/21z3LQ

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/S63k94

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/85ge8Z

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188540970@N08/17Hz50

[joeybananaz18]

Hey everyone!

Sorry i haven't updated in a while! Life's been pretty hectic, but i have made great progress on my car. I saved up and refreshed my car's suspension. I bought the Bilstein B12 pro-kit, new Lemforder front and rear mounts, Ground Control rear lower control arms, and an M3 front sway bar. It's been a little over a month since i installed it all, and my car has gotten just slightly lower than stock ZHP ride height, and handles like a dream �� i've driven through the winding roads to Lake Tahoe and the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey a few times to put it to the test. I also painted my car's bumper grill black. I forgot where i found the idea, somewhere on ZHP Mafia there was a tip to paint the bumper grill without removing the bumper by feeding balloons through the grill, inflating them, painting, then popping the balloons and fishing them back through so the paint doesn't touch the radiator or fan. It worked like a charm and whoever had that idea is a genius! Now to current updates, the bondo on my car's fender has multiple cracks and it looks like the bondo will break off soon, and the clear coat is peeling in two big spots on the roof. I found a body shop that can fix my car's fender, undo the crap that the previous guy did, and also sand off and repaint the whole car's exterior. Since i have to get the rear quarter, hood, and roof repainted, i'll have them repaint the whole car so the paint all matches. But since it's all getting repainted, i want to paint it a different colour. I haven't decided on a colour yet, but i'm leaning towards Jet Black, and after it's been painted i'll buy a few cans of black plaati-dip and cover up parts that don't get painted, like the door jams or under the trunk and hood. I have until next wednesday to decide the colour, and i'll try and find a touch-up paint stick in the one i choose for the shop to match. My next mod should be getting front seats. The current seats are getting pretty worn, and the tears and cracks on the driver seat are opening up pretty badly. Depending on the exterior colour i choose, I'm thinking about getting used M3 seats, and getting the Cinnamon ColorBond dye spray from ECS tuning and spraying the seats and my door panels to match. If i choose a colour other than Jet Black, i'll keep my interior black. That's all i have for now, please let me know what you think, and if i'm making a mistake painting my car. After the fender issues and all these repairs, it's not about the resale value anymore, i just want to make it special to me.

Jet black could look cool, but if you were to keep SG and source a real cinnamon interior- dayum bro that would be a sharp looking e46.

I have a nasty crack in my windshield and was thinking of just using safelight to replace it. what did you use?

[Isaac_Clark]

I have a nasty crack in my windshield and was thinking of just using safelight to replace it. what did you use?

I used a number that my mechanic gave me, a guy that replaces windshields for super cheap. I think he only works within 25 miles of the Sacramento area in California. The windshield replacement only cost $270 in cash, or +5% if you pay with card. If you live in that area i could give you his phone number.

[joeybananaz18]

I used a number that my mechanic gave me, a guy that replaces windshields for super cheap. I think he only works within 25 miles of the Sacramento area in California. The windshield replacement only cost $270 in cash, or +5% if you pay with card. If you live in that area i could give you his phone number.

I appreciate that but I’m in NY. After I posted that last night I checked to see what one would cost me through safelight and it came to around $280 plus like $35 for them to come to me. As long as I know that’s the ball park price.

Reconsider the SG with cinnamon. Ooooooooooofph


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[Isaac_Clark]

Reconsider the SG with cinnamon. Ooooooooooofph

I would definitely love that combo. I've decided to repaint the car Mystic Blue, but the shop still hasn't gotten back to me. If they don't call me soon i'm going to have to keep my car's exterior the way it is. I have a few spray cans of Sparkling Graphite paint so i could paint the door myself if it comes to it.

[t.er]

I would definitely love that combo. I've decided to repaint the car Mystic Blue, but the shop still hasn't gotten back to me. If they don't call me soon i'm going to have to keep my car's exterior the way it is. I have a few spray cans of Sparkling Graphite paint so i could paint the door myself if it comes to it.

Nice colour choice, totally not biased :rofl

But dang, how much would that full paint job cost? And does that include the door jambs, inside trunk lid, etc?

[joeybananaz18]

Nice colour choice, totally not biased :rofl

But dang, how much would that full paint job cost? And does that include the door jambs, inside trunk lid, etc?

That was kinda why I was suggesting staying with SG. Shop will do it 100000% better than a spray can. But if you’ve done it before and know it’ll be ok you can save even more.


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[Galapolis]

I love Mystic Blue but if I were to get a full repaint I'd get something truly special like something from the Individual palette:

37359
37360

Worth thinking about.

[t.er]

I love Mystic Blue but if I were to get a full repaint I'd get something truly special like something from the Individual palette:

Worth thinking about.

TIL... there's a BMW colour named "lipstick"

[Isaac_Clark]

Holy crap, i didn't know about those colours :eek
The shop that i'm going to has to make their own paint though, i'd have to bring a sample of the colour i want and i don't think i'd be able to find a part with those ones. I already brought them a piece with Mystic and the guy said he can match it.
To be cheap, i only asked the shop to repaint the exterior, and i'll buy a few cans of black plasti-dip and coat what they aren't painting, like behind the doors and hood and trunk.
They're charging $400 for the fender work, and $900 to sand, prime, and paint the exterior

[Galapolis]

Holy crap, i didn't know about those colours :eek
The shop that i'm going to has to make their own paint though, i'd have to bring a sample of the colour i want and i don't think i'd be able to find a part with those ones. I already brought them a piece with Mystic and the guy said he can match it.
To be cheap, i only asked the shop to repaint the exterior, and i'll buy a few cans of black plasti-dip and coat what they aren't painting, like behind the doors and hood and trunk.
They're charging $400 for the fender work, and $900 to sand, prime, and paint the exterior

The shop I always go to mixes the color themselves as well, but instead of eyeballing it or trying to match old and faded paint, he just looks up the manufacturer specs via the paint code. (Mystic Blue is A07) I'm sure if you give him the code for one of the individual colors, he will be able to mix it. With the code, he basically has access to the recipe, so anything should be possible.

[BMWCurves]

I would rock the hell out of a Techno Violet ZHP

[Hoonin88]

I would rock the hell out of a Techno Violet ZHP

I'd spring for the velvet blue metallic. *searches for paint code and reputable shops in area*

[Isaac_Clark]

I'm sure if you give him the code for one of the individual colors, he will be able to mix it. With the code, he basically has access to the recipe, so anything should be possible.

I didn't know it worked that way! :eek
Now i have too many options, and i don't know which colour i like most out of all of them! I love Jet Black and Steel Grey, but i see too much black/white/greyscale on the road. I want to find something i like that stands out. This is such a hard decision.

[d-rod]

Holy crap, i didn't know about those colours :eek
The shop that i'm going to has to make their own paint though, i'd have to bring a sample of the colour i want and i don't think i'd be able to find a part with those ones. I already brought them a piece with Mystic and the guy said he can match it.
To be cheap, i only asked the shop to repaint the exterior, and i'll buy a few cans of black plasti-dip and coat what they aren't painting, like behind the doors and hood and trunk.
They're charging $400 for the fender work, and $900 to sand, prime, and paint the exterior

I’m not sure if you’ve done this yet but you should consider checking out the paint work they’ve done on other vehicles. $900 to paint an entire vehicle is dirt cheap and can’t image it being close to factory quality. It’s a big change so it’s good to have the right expectations. If you pay them to change the color of your vehicle and it looks nothing like you imaged, it’s going to be hard to go backwards from there.


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[fredo]

My co-worker owned a Chevy Cavalier. He had the exterior painted for cheap (can't remember the price). The car looked great in the beginning but after just one year the paint was all dull. Just my 2 cents. If it's too good to be true then ...

[Isaac_Clark]

If it's too good to be true then ...

You're right. I'm getting too excited by a seemingly great deal on dent removal and paint. It'll probably end up like the last time, and i need to think logically. The shop guys never responded, so i'm giving up on that, probably for the best. I'm going to call around and try and get an average price for a left rear quarter, but before i buy it, i'll try to find a shop near me willing to cut my car's quarter and weld the good one on. I'll have to have almost the whole rear quarter cut off for this. In the mean time, i'll try to sand and paint the door myself with the Graphite spray paint, and do some more maintenance like spark plugs, coil packs, and some other misc things. Thanks for the reality check D-Rod and Fredo!

[t.er]

Agreed with above. Honestly... even cutting and re-welding the rear quarter, that's at minimum a $4k job. My car is tainted in the fact that the rear quarters have been filled, but it was properly done - the dent was pulled 95% of the way out, and fillers were used just to make the surface smooth. A rear quarter replacement would've far exceeded the value of my car and total it so I had no choice.

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everyone! Long time no see! So much has happened, and yet so little at the same time. I'll summarise without all the emotions though, only facts. Since the last time i updated, the bondo on my car's fender cracked and chips started to fall off. I gave in and took it to the shop i previously mentioned to "fix" the fender. The guy did pull the fender out and shaped it better than the last guy, but it's still not great. It does look better than a cracked and chipped fender though. After that. I started saving up for a real paint job. I talked to these guys i used to go to church with who own a paint shop near me, and they're giving me a great deal on the job. They're going to remove a few dents i pointed out here and there, and sand/repaint the whole exterior including the door jams, under the boot, and bonnet, for $2600. The colour i finally decided on is Estoril Blue, and i dropped the car off yesterday for them to begin.

Sorry for another wall of text. I have pictures of the fender repair, but dropping the car off yesterday was a sudden change of plans, and i forgot to take pictures of some of the dents we looked over. I'll upload the pictures of the fender soon. Cheers!

[fredo]

Sounds great, man. When do you expect to have the car back ?

[Isaac_Clark]

Sounds great, man. When do you expect to have the car back ?

I should get my car back on Thursday next week :biggrin i can't wait!

[t.er]

Wow, please post lots of pics!!! Estoril blue on an E46 is the perfect combo

[joeybananaz18]

wow can't wait to see this! If I were you, I'd start looking for a natural brown interior and begin drafting your BaT listing lol

[Will]

Wow, that sounds like a great deal at 2,600. Estoril's a stunning color, looking forward to seeing the results.

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! I finally got my car back, there were a few delays but it's finally home! Just in time for the new year.
Whenever i post links to pictures on Flickr they don't seem to display on my posts, i'll just post links to group photos like before.

Here is a picture during the fender repair, and pics of the fender after the repair:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/u74Ld4

Here are pictures i took after my car was prepped and ready to enter the paint booth:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/b43TKY

And finally! My brand new car! I couldn't take many photos because it started raining soon after these were taken
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/Gg4C31

I hope I can take good care of my car's paint, I'll still have to leave it outside for another month, but after that i'll have a garage space to keep it in overnight.
My car's brought me so much joy over the years. 41,000 miles later and it's almost completely fixed up. It's like a completely different car than the one i bought at this point, after all the repairs i've done. my next plan is to restore some of the interior. I bought another full set of black cube trim from EBay. it's in good condition. Better than mine at least. But i want to restore it and paint it silver like the DIY guide on ZHPMafia, and take the centre console and other parts and plasti-dip them back to nice black rubber again.
Here's to a great 2021! Cheers

[fredo]

Cars looks great ... congrats !

[t.er]

Man, that's looking real sharp! I can't decide whether Estoril or Imola is my favourite colour on these cars (but Mystic isn't bad either).

Interesting how they painted the trunk key hole and the rear diffuser. I think retaining the black diffuser would've given it a nice contrast but that's just me.

[joeybananaz18]

that is stunning. great work man. I'd definitely source a NB or cinnamon interior

[Isaac_Clark]

I agree, Tim. I just finished painting the diffuser with black plasti-dip, and i'll post some more pictures soon. I do need to get a new interior too. Everyone i know has black interiors and i need a change. That's why i want to paint the cube trim i got silver as well. I don't know if i'll be able to, i should have been saving up for school but i spent it all on my car again! I'll keep you guys posted.
I don't know why they painted the diffuser as well. They also left the roof moulding unpainted but i didn't say anything about that. I just got my car back and it already needs a wash.
I took a road trip to San Francisco, and the colour pops so well in the daylight, i'm swooning as hard as i did when i first saw Sparkling Graphite in person.
If you guys have any specific angles or areas you guys want me to take pictures of, let me know!

[Will]

Wow, car looks fantastic!

How about the usual angles:

Front 3/4,
Rear 3/4,
Side profile,
Rear straight on.

[d-rod]

I agree, Tim. I just finished painting the diffuser with black plasti-dip, and i'll post some more pictures soon. I do need to get a new interior too. Everyone i know has black interiors and i need a change. That's why i want to paint the cube trim i got silver as well. I don't know if i'll be able to, i should have been saving up for school but i spent it all on my car again! I'll keep you guys posted.
I don't know why they painted the diffuser as well. They also left the roof moulding unpainted but i didn't say anything about that. I just got my car back and it already needs a wash.
I took a road trip to San Francisco, and the colour pops so well in the daylight, i'm swooning as hard as i did when i first saw Sparkling Graphite in person.
If you guys have any specific angles or areas you guys want me to take pictures of, let me know!

I think everyone here loves Estoril ! For your cube trim I encourage you to paint it yourself. I recently did this and came out great, cost was only a can of spray paint.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201009/038d99da170938731064de1da0d98244.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201009/2dbe22facf7adf8a8e76bb422de2c87d.jpg

[BMWCurves]

Remind me what paint you used?

[d-rod]

Remind me what paint you used? I got my can from Amazon, “Precision Grey" Nissan Altima color

[John in VA]

I got my can from Amazon, “Precision Grey" Nissan Altima color
Did you spray the entire trim surface? Yours appears to be silver cube. Thanks!

[d-rod]

Did you spray the entire trim surface? Yours appears to be silver cube. Thanks!

Yup look at before and after pics. Sprayed all trim pieces 1 can was enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Isaac_Clark]

Howdy Yall!

I finally got a chance for a small photoshoot after washing my car. I was running out of daylight, but I hope these pictures are enough. I'll take some more from angles I missed soon.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/VauM6s

[t.er]

Man, I think Estoril has got to be my favourite colour on these cars... well actually, hard to decide between that and Imola.

I did notice it seems like the body shop did not take their time with front bumper fitment. Shouldn't be too bad of a job to get it to line up nicely, then it's miiiiiint

[cakM3]

Awesome progress :thumbsup

Looks amazing! :cool

[joeybananaz18]

stunner for sure

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everyone! I'm finally back. Life has been so hectic recently, i haven't had a minute to spare with school starting and moving house and too much to do. I've done a few more mods to the car, and have a bit more coming too. I finally got the transmission and rear differential serviced, I took out the centre console and sanded the rubber off/plasti-dipped it black, put in M3 seats, put in aluminium foot pedals, and put sound insulation material underneath the rear seats and behind the door cards. I'll have some pictures posted soon, I just wanted to give an update and let everyone know i'm still here

[BMWCurves]

Nicely done! Would love to see some pics

[cakM3]

Nicely done! Would love to see some pics

+1

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey everyone, i'm finally back. It's been a crazy ride and a lot has happened, i'm writing up a summary of everything that's happened and i'll try to have it posted tonight

[Isaac_Clark]

Howdy yall!
Finally back with an update, it's been a while, not too much has happened though. From my last post i mentioned i got the transmission and differential serviced, i put M3 seats in, put sound insulation in the doors and under the rear seats, and put aluminium foot pedals in. I did take the centre console and the dash storage out, sanded them, and plasti dipped them black. It looked fine for a month but the plasti dip started wearing down soon after, even without being touched. Since then, i've ordered a new center console, sliding storage tray, and the radio bracket/dash storage. New oem parts were too expensive, so i bought the best looking used parts on ebay, and a new cheap centre console from china. I wasn't expecting oem quality, but it looks better than i thought. The only thing is the plastic is flat black plastic not the rubber black coating like the used parts i bought, but it doesn't look too bad.
Here are pics of the original trim being plasti dipped, and the new replacements afterword.
;;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/0c9K64
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/CE39W4
;;
Before i got the centre console, i ordered M3 seats from ebay. I've wanted M3 seats for a while, and i'd finally gotten one of the stimulus checks. I rushed to ebay to look for a pair of seats. I found a set of powered seats with lumbar support on the driver's side in black leather for $800. I was so excited to finally get front seats for my car, because of the cracked/torn driver side leather and dodgy passenger seat controls on the sport seats i had, that i didn't want to wait and see if a nicer set of seats might pop up. The seats i got were nice, no tears in the leather, just some parts of the driver seat with indentations or light scratches. And the controls on the passenger side work perfectly =D
I also got an M3 oval rear view mirror. I found one for a good deal on ebay, in good looking condition. I thought an oval mirror would be nice, since i sit so high in the car the rectangle mirror blocked a lot of my vision. Something very weird happened though. I installed the mirror the night i got it, and it fit just like i should. The next morning i was going to work. I started my car, and soon smoke started coming out of the mirror, and it smelled like melting plastic. I unplugged it as soon as i could, and the smoke stopped, but the smell lingered for a week. I don't know if the pinout is different for the plugs between my car and the mirror, or the mirror was damaged before i revieved it, but it definitely broke the auto-dim feature. I still kept the mirror on, because it's cleaner than the mirror i had.
Here are some pictures i took while switching the seats out, and the M3 mirror
;;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/N16b2L
;;
I also bought new tires for my car. Up until that point, i've only been able to afford used tires whenever they get punctured or worn out. I finally saved up enough to get new tires, so i took advantage of a sale on Michelin tires at Costco. I got a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season tires. I don't really have pictures of before and after for that.
;;
I had a cool project idea recently, after i was looking at pictures of different coloured interiors for the E46. I liked the look of extended leather options, where the dashboard was a different colour leather except for the raised section with the airbag cover and gauge cluster hump remaining black. I wanted a theme like that, keeping my dash black and the raised section in alcantara. Like a racecar with a flocked dash. I bought a few yards of anthracite alcantara, the same shade BMW uses for their alcanara, 9001 or 9002 charcoal grey i think. I tried my best to wrap the dash in the alcantara, but it was quite a bit more difficult than i thought. I had to use a lot of glue, especially around the hump over the gauge cluster, so i can't really undo what i did. It was impossible for me to lay it down flat around the gauge cluster, so i had to cut it and wrap it in 3 pieces. I think the dash turned out as well as it could have, but it's still rough. From the back you can see all the white fibers coming out of the backing of the fabric, where i couldn't fit my hand between the dash and the windshield with a razer to cut the fabric out. And the 3 pieces with the cuts visible around the gauge cluster. If i had a 2nd dash to wrap outside the car then swap the two, it would have turned out so much better.
Here are some pics of the dashboard
;;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/wWm75B
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I haven't done anymore maintenance recently, (other than oil changes of course). I had to get a smog check this year when renewing the registration, and it was the worst experience i've ever had. I fixed everything on my car, and had no check engine light, so i fully expected to pass like i did last year. This time though, the guy working the smog station brought out the magnifying glass and found a pinhole in my car's lower intake boot. I ordered a new upper and lower intake boot, put them in, and the next week i went to retest my car. The rediculous people at the smog shop wouldn't even test my car because the smaller hose in the intake boot was "kinked". They tried to tell me that the kinked hose is my secondary air pump and they wouldn't test it if it's kinked. I corrected their lack of knowlege, but they still wouldn't test my car. I had to wait another week because of my work schedule, but i took the intake boot out, and slipped a tube of harder rubber, at a perfect length and width into the hose to the idle motor that couldn't get dislodged, to keep the hose from kinking. I went to a different smog shop, and finally passed after trying for 3 weeks. Of course they made me late on the registration period too.
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Other than that, nothing else done to my car. I've been quite busy with school. I've moved twice, changed jobs twice, and haven't been making enough money to do more to my car. It looks like the left rear fender is starting to form micro cracks under the paint, i hope it lasts another year before i can do something about it. After my last update, i've been having the worst backpain of my life. For the last half of the year i haven't been able to sit comfortably in my car, and i can't get any enjoyment out of my car right now. Even worse, the new job i've gotten is around a 40 minute drive one way. I'm trying to fix my back, but if i can't, i'll have to sell my car. The stiffer suspension hurts my back on each bump, and the lowered ride height makes it difficult to get in/out. I might switch the ZHP seats back in and see if they are better for my back. The lumbar support in the M3 seats aren't helping my back at all.

Sorry about all the talking, i hope this update has been enough. I don't know if the other guy with the Estoril Blue ZHP Coupe is still around, i hope the pics i have are enough to satisfy.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/188540970@N08/shares/5122i7
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Also! My car just reached 170k miles! Here's to another 170k, hopefully,

Cheers!

[johnrando]

nice updates!

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[sillieidiot]

nice job. You should really consider just making an actual build thread and throwing all the pictures/updates on there.

[Isaac_Clark]

nice job. You should really consider just making an actual build thread and throwing all the pictures/updates on there.

I thought this project thread was a build thread :0
I won't be doing much more to my car though, everything else i want to do is too expensive, and saving up for an M3 would be more cost effective. Especially with the rear left fender still being a problem. I've decided to start saving up instead of making any more mods to this car.

[sillieidiot]

I thought this project thread was a build thread :0
I won't be doing much more to my car though, everything else i want to do is too expensive, and saving up for an M3 would be more cost effective. Especially with the rear left fender still being a problem. I've decided to start saving up instead of making any more mods to this car.

oh shit lol I think I just saw wall of text with the title of issues and thought this was just a post asking about how to fix issues lol

[Isaac_Clark]

oh shit lol I think I just saw wall of text with the title of issues and thought this was just a post asking about how to fix issues lol

Sorry about that :X is there a way i can change the title of this thread?

[fredo]

Sorry about that :X is there a way i can change the title of this thread?

Dane or Rando (moderators) can change that for you.

[johnrando]

Sorry about that :X is there a way i can change the title of this thread?What would you like it to say?

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[Isaac_Clark]

What would you like it to say?

Could i have it changed to "Estoril Coupe Repair/Build Thread?

[Isaac_Clark]

Another quick update, I switched the sport seats back into my car, and they are much easier on my back than the M3 seats. I put the M3 seats back in my car to make sure, and i can definitely tell the difference. I think because of the lumbar supports in the M3 seat, the back of the seat doesn't meet the bottom straight on, it has a curve to it even with the supports fully deflated. That also reminded me, the sport seats i have came with lumbar support as well, but never worked. I checked the cables before reinstalling the seat, and lo and behold, the bloody wires were cut and harnesses missing. The previous owners are still haunting me years after.

[Isaac_Clark]

Hey Everyone, just a super short update here. I'll post pictures later today of the cracks in the fender. My plan for this year is to ask a few auto body shops about possibly cutting another E46 rear quarter and welding it onto my car. I think the shop that painted my car will be able to do it, but i need to make sure. If it can be done at a reasonable price for me, i'll do it and keep my car for much longer. If not, i'll have to save up for another car. My big problem is i'm terrible at saving money. It would be easier for me to save up a little and make repairs than save a lot for another car.

[sillieidiot]

Hey Everyone, just a super short update here. I'll post pictures later today of the cracks in the fender. My plan for this year is to ask a few auto body shops about possibly cutting another E46 rear quarter and welding it onto my car. I think the shop that painted my car will be able to do it, but i need to make sure. If it can be done at a reasonable price for me, i'll do it and keep my car for much longer. If not, i'll have to save up for another car. My big problem is i'm terrible at saving money. It would be easier for me to save up a little and make repairs than save a lot for another car.

Yeah it should be possible. But it would be way more expensive than just fixing the cracks that you have.

[Isaac_Clark]

Yeah it should be possible. But it would be way more expensive than just fixing the cracks that you have.

Fixing the cracks would mean redoing the bondo again. I've had it redone 3 times and since the fender is mostly made of bondo now, it will keep cracking again. I really do want to keep this car, so i'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully it will stay together by summer time, school and work is going to take up all my time again

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[John in VA]

The car should be fine until summertime. Perhaps you'll be able to find someone to do the job properly by then.

[sillieidiot]

Fixing the cracks would mean redoing the bondo again. I've had it redone 3 times and since the fender is mostly made of bondo now, it will keep cracking again. I really do want to keep this car, so i'll wait and see what happens. Hopefully it will stay together by summer time, school and work is going to take up all my time again

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Welding just a portion of the quarter is going to have bondo still, unless you are doing the entire quarter which is a shitload of work. But I guess if that shop you had with the paint discount, might be cheap.

It shouldn't be cracking like that. Usually when it keeps cracking, it's because what they did was just scuffed it up a bit and just repainted over what was already there. They need to strip the paint down and start all over. Also, depends on the filler/paint they used. Some are more flexible than others and are way better with temperature changes. I went back and looked at your fender pictures, and really, it's only the curved arch of the fender is where there were a lot of filler. I was expecting a lot more.

But it should be fine until summer. probably keep cracking, but it doesn't look like the filler is falling off.