Christmas gift ideas

[BimmerWill]

So I've got around $150-$250 to play with for christmas this year and as usual would like to put it towards something for the car.

I was thinking possibly a Ssk but im not sure what my options are considering my budget.

If anyone has any other suggestions I am completely open to any and all. Just would like to get some thoughts or opinions.

Thanks guys

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[M0nk3y]

What do you want to accomplish with the car?

The question is very open ended.

[BimmerWill]

Well I've got quite a bit of sloppiness with my current setup. The lever will move from left to right nearly an entire inch when in or out of gear before meeting resistance.

From what I understand replacing the various bushings and clips will remove a lot of this but I figured while I was in there I could put a shorter throw in while I was at it.

I do not track the car so im not really looking that much into performance just would like to improve some of the functionality of the shifter.

Sorry for the vague question but im open to any suggestions as far as what would be a good addition to the car considering my budget.

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[M0nk3y]

Well I've got quite a bit of sloppiness with my current setup. The lever will move from left to right nearly an entire inch when in or out of gear before meeting resistance.

From what I understand replacing the various bushings and clips will remove a lot of this but I figured while I was in there I could put a shorter throw in while I was at it.

I do not track the car so im not really looking that much into performance just would like to improve some of the functionality of the shifter.

Sorry for the vague question but im open to any suggestions as far as what would be a good addition to the car considering my budget.

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It was my understanding you need to drop the tranny to replace the springs that causes the sticky gear syndrome. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry to derail, but looks like you answered your own question :)

[alexandre]

Plan for $50 for all bushings and clips and various parts. Do this prior to anything else, no SSK will fix worn rubber parts. I have a very tiny amount of slop left after doing it myself (think like 2-3mm on each side) but since it's all rubber parts it's to be expected. When I redid mine I put in a BMW Performance SSK, that reduces throw by approx 30% on 6-speeds, and I've been really happy with it. Keep in mind I have a ZHP so I already had a relatively short throw; you will see an even bigger difference. Really cheap too, $50 for the lever (+ $50 for boot and $50 for ZHP knob if you want those; obviously optional).

This is BMW Perf SSK on 5-speeds:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYjVbOPpT04

One SSK that is highly regarded is the UUC EVO3, but it's $350 so out of your budget. No idea about the other aftermarket options. While researching I saw that a lot of people were retrofitting Z3M or 545i shifters into their cars... but those weren't compatible with 6-speed ZHP. Might wanna look into that as all the OEM levers are ~$50. Z3M looks like it has a really short throw but it has to be modified to fit E46 5-speeds. I remember some company is selling pre-modified levers for reasonable $ over MSRP. EDIT: Here (http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-shifters.shtml)

545i shifter (def. longer throw than BMW Perf)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OddKkkOcAu4

Z4 shifter


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7It75UEzFE

Z3M


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW4QRNoPxa4

Comparison of a few different ones:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/3/web/339000-339999/339934_61_full.jpg


It was my understanding you need to drop the tranny to replace the springs that causes the sticky gear syndrome. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Sorry to derail, but looks like you answered your own question :)

You don't :) I did mine without dropping exhaust, driveshaft, nor tranny. A bit of a hassle as you can't see anything but as long as you've got a printout of the RealOEM.com shifter diagram by your side it's definitely doable.

[Johal E32]

SSK is good, I got the 545i shift lever, various bushings and clips for a hair under $100 ~ ebmwparts.com (cheaper than getbmwparts.com..) Might as well remove CDV (if you have one) and put in some fresh transmission fluid.

If you need to change the detent springs on the tranny, as Monk3y said the tranny will need to be removed..

Also, maybe some car cleaning supplies? Clay bar? polish? Wax?

EDIT: detent springs CAN BE DONE with out dropping the tranny! This is excellent new to me! Both my dad's E39 and my E46 have a new clutch, but now both of our detent springs are going bad (5th gear lean issues)!

Looks like I found a new project for my mechanic :)

[BimmerWill]

I have a custom boot and am happy with the shift know I have so those aren't expenses I need.

What is it about the z3m shifters that has to be modified in order for them to work?



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[M0nk3y]

I have a custom boot and am happy with the shift know I have so those aren't expenses I need.

What is it about the z3m shifters that has to be modified in order for them to work?



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They have to be bent slightly or else you won't get into the higher gears.

IIRC Turner sells pre-bent ones

[alexandre]

I just added a bunch of stuff to my post, refresh the page :)

Z3 shifter has to be bent. http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-shifters.shtml sells a kit for $95. From ebmwparts.com the prices are:

- Shifter # 25117527254 $69.42
- Shift lever bearing # 25111220600 $9.70
- Plastic yellow washers #25111220439 $0.43 x4
- Circlip # 25117571899 $0.76 x2

$15 more by buying from understeer... And you don't have to deal with getting the proper bend, etc.

Keep in mind all the parts apart from the lever itself can be deducted for the $50 you need to renew all your linkages.

[BimmerWill]

They have to be bent slightly or else you won't get into the higher gears.

IIRC Turner sells pre-bent ones

Cool thank you

So I need the shift lever. From what i saw of the video it didn't seem like the throws were THAT much shorter but maybe its just me.

What else should I refresh while im in their? Bushings and what not.

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[alexandre]

You 100% need the following:

25111222015
25117507695
25117580281
25111220600 (included in z3m kit)
25111220439 x2 (I know Z3M kit has 4 but 25117580281 has been redesigned with the other 2 built-in, so only need 2, included in Z3M kit)
25117571899 x2

If you wanna be picky add the following
25111221849
23411466134

Those two are metal parts so less likely to be worn. They could be damaged though if your rubber is completely eaten up and there has been metal-on-metal rubbing for a while.

[Johal E32]

^ the UUC stainless Steel clutch line looks appealing. It's $29, and maybe a clutch stop as well. Get the clutch stop from here, http://www.clutchstopper.com/

[M0nk3y]

Cool thank you

So I need the shift lever. From what i saw of the video it didn't seem like the throws were THAT much shorter but maybe its just me.

What else should I refresh while im in their? Bushings and what not.

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I don't know how it is on E46s...but trust me, it's short for me.

[JKO_ZHP]

No idea what you've got or don't have yet but this is what I would do:
Lighting. As in LED interior, LED lights for the plate, side markers, turn signals, CREE reverse, new bulbs for the headlights (generic, not that high-end $150+ stuff). Since lighting is the cheapest, you can probably deck out all the lights, inside and out for less than $200.

Get your roof gloss black or carbon fiber vinyl wrapped :) I had mine done with Don Nguyen (he does wraps for a lot of cars, was working on a McLaren MP4-12C when I showed up) but I'm sure there must be other places wherever you are...

Carbon fiber overlay kit from AutoCarbon

[Vas]

I vote for various bushings upgrades.

[BimmerWill]

No idea what you've got or don't have yet but this is what I would do:
Lighting. As in LED interior, LED lights for the plate, side markers, turn signals, CREE reverse, new bulbs for the headlights (generic, not that high-end $150+ stuff). Since lighting is the cheapest, you can probably deck out all the lights, inside and out for less than $200.

Get your roof gloss black or carbon fiber vinyl wrapped :) I had mine done with Don Nguyen (he does wraps for a lot of cars, was working on a McLaren MP4-12C when I showed up) but I'm sure there must be other places wherever you are...

Carbon fiber overlay kit from AutoCarbon

I have all the led interiors. I was thinking about doing turn signals and sidemarkers in led but Ive heard there are usually issues with those regarding bulb out issues they aren't just plug and play.

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[BimmerWill]

You 100% need the following:

25111222015
25117507695
25117580281
25111220600 (included in z3m kit)
25111220439 x2 (I know Z3M kit has 4 but 25117580281 has been redesigned with the other 2 built-in, so only need 2, included in Z3M kit)
25117571899 x2

If you wanna be picky add the following
25111221849
23411466134

Those two are metal parts so less likely to be worn. They could be damaged though if your rubber is completely eaten up and there has been metal-on-metal rubbing for a while.

So if I get the kit from understeer so I wont have to bend it myself what else will I need to order along with that kit for the full refresh?


Sorry im not trying to be frustrating I just have no idea how these systems work.

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[Alobi]

No idea what you've got or don't have yet but this is what I would do:
Lighting. As in LED interior, LED lights for the plate, side markers, turn signals, CREE reverse, new bulbs for the headlights (generic, not that high-end $150+ stuff). Since lighting is the cheapest, you can probably deck out all the lights, inside and out for less than $200.

Where's a good place to get LEDs for the interior?

[JKO_ZHP]

Where's a good place to get LEDs for the interior?

Got mine from Khoalty
http://www.khoalty.com/bmw-e46-led-interior-lights-kit.html
Went with the 18-LED panel and resistor, haven't had any problems with them and saying it's bright is an understatement

[alexandre]

You 100% need the following:

25111222015
25117507695
25117580281
25111220600 (included in z3m kit)
25111220439 x2 (I know Z3M kit has 4 but 25117580281 has been redesigned with the other 2 built-in, so only need 2, included in Z3M kit)
25117571899 x2

If you wanna be picky add the following
25111221849
23411466134

Those two are metal parts so less likely to be worn. They could be damaged though if your rubber is completely eaten up and there has been metal-on-metal rubbing for a while.

So if I get the kit from understeer so I wont have to bend it myself what else will I need to order along with that kit for the full refresh?


Sorry im not trying to be frustrating I just have no idea how these systems work.

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The two in bold will be included in the understeer kit. The rest will need to be ordered separately. No worries, it's definitely not a well-documented DIY :p

[BimmerWill]

So the fourth one down on their website is the one that i want?
http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-shifters.shtml

[Alobi]

Got mine from Khoalty
http://www.khoalty.com/bmw-e46-led-interior-lights-kit.html
Went with the 18-LED panel and resistor, haven't had any problems with them and saying it's bright is an understatement

Sweet, thanks JKO

[alexandre]

So the fourth one down on their website is the one that i want?
http://www.understeer.com/onlinestore-shifters.shtml

You got it!

[BimmerWill]

You got it!

Awesome. Where did you find the best place to source the other parts from?

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[alexandre]

I got everything at ebmwparts.com. Cheapest OEM dealer on the web, stellar service and everything always ships the next business day. The site is ran by BMW of Peabody near Boston.

[BimmerWill]

Awesome thank you sir

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