Jeff's ZHP Adventure....one chapter at a time

[jgt_zhp]

Gosh, this is so much more fun than some stupid new car, where'd you're afraid to change anything, and it smells all funny inside, but not funny like crayons. And there's a...warranty. Where's the excitement in that, for god's sake??

This odyssey began about the first of March, coinciding with the realization that I'd had the 325i for a little over 4 years. I come from a long bloodline of restless car traders, and that's the longest I've EVER driven the same car. So I started sniffing around. Dismissed all other brands quickly. Thought about some e90s, but I just (no offense to anyone offended) don't like them that much. Considered some e46 tourings, still want one kind of. Just missed a really clean 545i 6MT that would have been fun. Started looking at E46s seriously, though. Saw a post about a ZHP where some guy recommended to some other guy that he get some information on ZHP Mafia. Which is where I found you guys. When I decided I really wanted a ZHP, I petitioned the powers that be, and some how they let me in. Good thing. I found my ZHP from one of the many reposts of ads in the classified area. You guys know where all the good ones are. Just not near my house.

I thought I wanted a sedan at first. Barely missed out on an Imola sedan in New Jersey. Really got close to pulling the trigger on Bill's sapphire black sedan with the birch wood trim. But also had feelers on a couple of Imola coupes. I actually told the previous owner of mine "No, thanks, I think I want a sedan". These are some of the pics he sent that made me reconsider:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1548_zpsfc2ed046.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1548_zpsfc2ed046.jpg.html)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/3Ea3Fb3M75Lb5Gd5M2d3jc0b7cf5e073a1427_zps0944b4cd. jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/3Ea3Fb3M75Lb5Gd5M2d3jc0b7cf5e073a1427_zps0944b4cd. jpg.html)http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_20130329_131036_zpsef6b242a.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_20130329_131036_zpsef6b242a.jpg.html)http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/3E43Ne3Hc5If5Kd5Mcd3j37a73e8fee521b05_zpseee9b5da. jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/3E43Ne3Hc5If5Kd5Mcd3j37a73e8fee521b05_zpseee9b5da. jpg.html)

She was domiciled in the scenic mountains, a little north of Asheville, NC. They parked for the winters, waxed her more than they drove her, I think. After several exchanges with the Owner, I had a real comfort level that these folks were good honest, people, really loved this car, and wanted it to go somewhere it would be cared for and thoroughly enjoyed. I made an offer, it was close, and we came to terms. Now, where the heck is Asheville, NC?? Oh, 865 miles almost due East of my house. If you only give 6 days notice, a one way ticket costs 40,000 frequent flier miles.

Next installment - Let's drive her home.

[Avetiso]

Now I really want a coupe.

[bcleaver]

next post please.

[jgt_zhp]

CHAPTER 2 - Let's Get Her Home.

Flew in to Asheville late on April 3. It was a warm sunny day, but clouds follow me around. The forecast for the 4th was cold, rain, drizzle, and at higher elevations, most forms of frozen moisture. Not cool. Previous owner was worried about getting down from the mountains to town in the morning. Turns out, they ended up blasting out of their place early, to beat the bad stuff. They caravanned in to the parking lot of my hotel with the Imola coupe, and their black E46 sedan. Car was everything they'd said it would be. We hightailed it to their credit union, and I walked out a little after noon with the title. She was mine. And it was starting to rain pretty steady. I'd spent some time figuring out how to start the trip off with some scenic driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it wasn't in the cards. Quick stop for fuel and to air up a low tire, and I headed for Tennessee.

Unfamiliar car, unfamiliar mountain highway full of unfamiliar huge trucks throwing spray, 20% window tint - this was a little unsettling, I've got to say.

We made it to the Tennessee border. And it just keeps on raining

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1560_zps600a5fff.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1560_zps600a5fff.jpg.html)

I turned North at Knoxville and headed towards Kentucky. Thought it might rain less there. Not really. Got almost to Lexington, and stopped for the night at Richmond. It quit raining, but the car wasn't dried out by morning

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1561_zps1ab08b15.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1561_zps1ab08b15.jpg.html)

Friday the 5th - sun shining, birds chirping, its a whole new day. And Lexington marks the Northeast corner of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Who could pass that up? Enjoyed some beautiful rolling hills lined with horse farms, and found my way to the Woodford Reserve Distillery. A very interesting and educational tour, a complimentary sample, and of course a bottle to take home.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1579_zps29298075.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1579_zps29298075.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1563_zpsf2e081fc.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1563_zpsf2e081fc.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1573_zps2a51d80f.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1573_zps2a51d80f.jpg.html)

Had lunch at a great little burger place Guy Fieri recommended, and off to Louisville, to check out some little horse track they have there.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1583_zps7fff5d93.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1583_zps7fff5d93.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1585_zps33bf35e9.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1585_zps33bf35e9.jpg.html)

From there, I made it as far as Mt' Vernon, Illinois. No more curves, long rolling hills, and the familiar corn farms must mean I'm getting closer to home.

Saturday - the St. Louis Arch

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1593_zps091c53b1.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1593_zps091c53b1.jpg.html)

And a very important landmark - my garage. Whoo. That was a ways. But what a great way to get to know the new car.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1594_zpsa1ebadfc.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1594_zpsa1ebadfc.jpg.html)

Next installment - Time to Start Making this Buggy My Own

[jgt_zhp]

CHAPTER 3 - OK, It's Mine. Now What.

So, this shiny red beast is here now. Once the infatuation wore off :scratchinghead (Naaahhh - just seeing if anybody was listening). So I've been driving an E46 for four years. But this one sure is different. Coupes really aren't like sedans. 325s really aren't "almost just like 330s. And this ZHP is really something special. Any, by God, it's IMOLA. I'm a big AW fan, have always like TS, and some of you guys out there with the Silver Gray sedans - I still drool over them. But they're not Imola coupes.

So, let's get this thing sorted out. What kind of hack would just drive around in a car exactly like how the previous owner had it?? And, sheesh, she was a girl.

First step - off to the indy mechanic for a good checkup. Like getting your teeth cleaned, only even more expensive. My new baby got a very clean bill of health. Only real surprise was one leaking rear shock. And the alignment was pretty sketchy. Some new rear shocks, bump stops and mount plates, and I'm on my merry way. Rear tires were getting some serious wear on the inside edges. Fronts were pretty decent, but I didn't like them, so TireRack to the rescue. Ordered up a set of the latest from Hankook, the Ventus S1 nobile2. Had them in a few days, and we're all good with new rubber:applause2:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1598_zps5461f3fa.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1598_zps5461f3fa.jpg.html)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1606_zps6abb08b5.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1606_zps6abb08b5.jpg.html)

Next up, entertainment. I enjoy listening to the ZHP sounds, but the XM satellite adapter would slide right out of the 325s trunk, and in to the ZHP, so why not?? "Free Mod". While the trunk was open, a few old socks strategically jammed here and there help with the rear deck rattle phenomenon.

And the tint - oh, my, it's dark. With the $15 steamer from Walmart, the film peels right off. If you do it too fast (like me)....the adhesive doesn't all come along with it. So, from time to time, when the mood is right, I head out there with the 00 steel wool and work on it. One of these days. I'm planning to go back in with some new, less aggressive tint, so I really need all that goo off of there.

The UPS guy drives by here a couple times a day, he might as well be stopping once in a while. How about a nice BMW Performance intake, and an aluminum/alcantara BMW Performance shift knob?? Well, OK.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1627_zps0c546cd6.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1627_zps0c546cd6.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1628_zpsd0f518b3.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1628_zpsd0f518b3.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1630_zps3b96c44b.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1630_zps3b96c44b.jpg.html)

Sweet stuff. Now on the alcantara front, we've got some steering wheel issues. Not only was there a generous accumulation of....stuff on there, PO had actually put a cover on, to help keep it in. Some patient attention with the toothbrush method, followed by the Magic Eraser technique, and I got it presentable enough to forestall the Coby Wheel investment. Can't brush my teeth anymore, but the steering wheel can go out in public now

Oops, lost my steering wheel pic. Lighting wasn't that great anyway.

Then there was the roof rack adventure. A good number of UPS visits generated by that experimentation. Landed on a Yakima Whispbar low profile rack, with Yakima Forklift bike trays.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1645_zps8d1e03a2.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1645_zps8d1e03a2.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1648_zps247384ea.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1648_zps247384ea.jpg.html)

For good measure, Fedex brought the Homelink Receiver and the Aux Input.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1643_zps3d88a213.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1643_zps3d88a213.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1642_zps5f254bb3.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1642_zps5f254bb3.jpg.html)

Next installment - Hey, Jeff, it looks pretty livable. What Else You Thinking About Doing?

[Crestwood1001]

In.

[danewilson77]

Great story.

HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA

[MiniD]

Great looking car. Wish I knew you came thru Knoxville!

[danewilson77]

Great looking car. Wish I knew you came thru Knoxville!

And Richmond!

HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA

[illirep]

Great thread. Looking forward to next steps. I regret not documenting my natural brown conversion in a similar manner.

[jgt_zhp]

CHAPTER 4 - Where do We Go From Here??

Well, gosh, who knows// But since this thread is really just therapy for me, anyway, what a great spot to throw down my list of possibles, probables, and "who knows, they have that lottery twice a week" items. Call it a work in progress.

Power - the neat thing about getting more power is the way it makes you want....more power. The intake is a minor tweak, and adds a little bling, and a little more in the nice noises arena. How about a tune?? Been chatting with Seth a little, maybe a Eurocharge would give her some real world mid-range boost

Cleanup/Renovation

- the new tint. Something sane and mature - 50%, maybe

- Front bumper rehab
Polish headlight lenses - Mother's kit is on site
Lamin-X Film - should be in the brown truck
Fog Light Trim - I want some.
Grilles - much wringing of hands. Matte black?? Piano Black?? Nah. Khoalty is sending me Imola frames with black inserts. I think it'll be baller.
Paint lower grille - Can of Plasti-Dip on standby in the garage
Clear reflectors - those ambers gotta go.
Dr. ColorChip - until I bite the bullet for a respray.

- Side markers - mine look all cloudy and white. Ordered soem Weiss Licht clears from Bimmian. Hope they're nice.

- Black trim restoration - some of the black stuff is pretty weathered. Windshield cowl, frames around mirrors. Going to try "Black Wow" from Bimmian. Hope it helps.

- Lighting. Khoalty is sending stuff anyway. They might as well throw on a complete interior LED upgrade kit. Maybe some license plate lights, too. What the hell. LEDs are the future.

Soooo, I'll just check these off as they get done, or scratch through them when I decide not to do them. And when I get really cool ideas, like coilovers and strut braces, and superchargers and all that, I'll jot them down here and think about it for a while before I go off half cocked. Again.

Oh, yeah, might get one set of the Style 135s refinished. Maybe graphite. Or HyperBlack. Matte bronze. I don't know

[E_Rak]

Shaping up nicely already! Can't wait for the next update.

[midlandtech]

Looking good

[derbo]

very nice story!

[bcleaver]

Great read. Keep it up

[johnrando]

:thumbup

[Stigissimo]

Can't wait to see how the painted Imola grills look! Something different..

[fredo]

Great story here. In for more !

[Mtnman]

Its been 5 days. Need updates.

[jgt_zhp]

Well, gee, loyal readers, it's been kind of quiet this week. Khoalty is custom painting my grilles, and ground shipping from the great white North takes a while, so my Bimmian stuff won't arrive until tomorrow.

We headed out the other evening to do some recon on the cycling portion of my GF's upcoming triathlon, so I actually got an opportunity to use my roof rack for carrying things on my roof. That was pretty cool. Bikes loaded up easily, and we got home with the same number of them as when we left, so let's call that a successful mission. Also the first nice evening ride of the season. Maybe winter is finally over.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1653_zps97868d9a.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1653_zps97868d9a.jpg.html)

Spent a little time yesterday cleaning up my 325, kind of thinking it might be a pre-sale detailing. Aforementioned GF promptly decided she really kind of likes that car, so maybe she should drive it. Smart girl. Stole my car, and got it in tiptop shape. But she wants me to change the oil.

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1655_zps30b31448.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1655_zps30b31448.jpg.html)

I decided this morning to pull the trigger on a rehabilitation project for my spare set of Style 135s. They're going to be straightened, de-rashified, and refinished in Anthracite Gray. I think the darker color will look great with my car, and will further my de-shinification of the car. With the painted/matte grilles, the trunk emblem should be the last of the chromy stuff. Might replace that with gloss black, or plasti-dip the existing.

Tomorrow I hope to launch the front bumper project in earnest. Could get the headlight lenses polished up, the Lamin-X film will be here tomorrow, and I may get the lower grille Plast-dipped. That would be a good start. My new clear side markers will be here tomorrow, too.

Other than that, I occupy a lot of time inventing places I need to go, just so I can drive it. I'll check back in when this round of stuff gets done.

[Stigissimo]

Did you buy that BMW perf intake new?

[jgt_zhp]

No sir, got it in very good condition from a member here. Unless you were one of the lucky 5 to get in on that super deal for new ones a few weeks ago, any new ones out there are mucho expensivo. And word on the street is they're discontinued. I tried to get one from the dealer who had the $399 offer after his price went back up to $650. Price didn't matter, because he couldn't get them anyway.

[Stigissimo]

Yeah the BMW intake is on my list of future things to buy - but I'm afraid (and quite certain) that I won't be able to buy one for less than $600. Good for you finding it for cheap!

[danewilson77]

Both cars looking great my friend.

Here's a couple of good reads for your GF.:)

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7727-Ironman-Lake-Placid-13-Hrs-of-Suffering

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?5157-Ironman-Canada-Hot-and-Hellish

[jgt_zhp]

Thanks, Dane!!

I'll pass those on. Or maybe not :shifty

This'll be her third, and it's a sprint distance, but she's pretty freaked out. We've had what they call a "late winter" (it snowed last week), and they keep canceling the open water swim practice, since water temps in lakes around here are hovering at a balmy 48 degrees right now.

I told her I'd love to do one of these triathlons with her, if they'd just eliminate the swimming. And the running. And maybe have beer there. We did Warrior Dash together last year. That was pretty fun

[Torxuvin]

Thanks, Dane!!

I'll pass those on. Or maybe not :shifty

This'll be her third, and it's a sprint distance, but she's pretty freaked out. We've had what they call a "late winter" (it snowed last week), and they keep canceling the open water swim practice, since water temps in lakes around here are hovering at a balmy 48 degrees right now.

I told her I'd love to do one of these triathlons with her, if they'd just eliminate the swimming. And the running. And maybe have beer there. We did Warrior Dash together last year. That was pretty fun

Yikes. More power to her. My last gf did marathons. I'm quite content just running my normal 5 miles or so. :shifty

[jgt_zhp]

Got to say, the Mothers PowerBall 4Light All-In-One Headlight Restoration Kit is pretty underwhelming. And my lights weren't bad to begin with.

One starts with the polish and the little pom-pom thing in the drill chuck, and basically, that just verifies that you really need the "Supplemental Severe Damage Restoration Kit", consisting of two tiny two-sided wet sanding pads. Dumps you right out of that "perfect clarity in minutes" using a power tool, and more like an hour of hand sanding followed by the polishing.

Biggest problem with these little pads of 800/1000/1500/2000 grit abrasive is the life span of the pads is about one headlight. I started on the passenger side light. Did the initial polish. Verified "oh, yeah, there's still pitting and surface imperfection. Sanded the crap out of it, repolished it. And I guess it looks pretty good. I don't know that I'd say "crystal clear", but obviously better than it looked before. I could probably accept this level of finish.

I've got Lamin-X film coming tomorrow. I want these things nice before I start protecting them.

Moved on to the driver side. You're supposed to always polish first, so the wet sanding pads aren't wasted just scrubbing off dead bugs and stuff. Well, on this light, the sanding doesn't seem to be doing much. It feels different, and never really gets to that "uniform, whitish" look you're supposed to achieve before you polish. But I polish anyway. Not happy with the results at all. So I go through the whole progression of sanding again. Polish again. I'm seeing a lot of "again" in this narrative, anybody else picking up on that?? So, I've done it twice, and it still doesn't look as good as the other side. Still shows pits and wear.

SCORECARD

Mother's Box - 20 minutes of polishing with the Mother's Powerball and "clarity in minutes".

Jeff's Garage - 10 minutes of polishing, 30 minutes of sanding, 10 minutes of polishing, 10 minutes of polishing, 30 minutes of sanding, 10 minutes of polishing, another 20 minutes of sanding, another 10 minutes of polishing, immediate admission of defeat. Tomorrow - 40 minute trip to buy 4 grades of wet sanding paper, 10 minutes of taping, 30 minutes of sanding, and it better look spectacular.

So, Mother's Kit - $14. Additional Supplies to finish job - $12 Estimated. Half a day of labor - Priceless.

[E_Rak]

Those headlight lenses better be damn near invisible after a half days' worth of polishing!

I had a friend try out one of those kits on his girlfriend's car once, it didn't work out too well there either. Some wet sanding by hand a a quick go-over with compound, finishing polish, and some sealant will always work the best.

[Avetiso]

My brother used the 3M kit on his Jetta recently. Fantastic results in less than an hour of work.

[midlandtech]

My brother used the 3M kit on his Jetta recently. Fantastic results in less than an hour of work.

Thats what I used and had great results. I then had a shop film them so they won't chip or fade.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 2

[jgt_zhp]

That 3M kit gets good reviews. Some say the wheels are too big to get in tight spaces. I'm going to see if these pads are rejuvenated at all after drying out. If not, I'll get some wet sand paper and finish up the driver's side. Should have Lamin-X film to cover them this afternoon.

[Rmckinley81]

I also bought the Mothers kit and was forced to use wet/dry sand paper. If I could time travel, I'd go back and tell myself to quit being cheap and just purchase new lenses. Great thread btw.

[jgt_zhp]

I also bought the Mothers kit and was forced to use wet/dry sand paper. If I could time travel, I'd go back and tell myself to quit being cheap and just purchase new lenses. Great thread btw.

LOL. What do you mean, cheap?? I've got well over $12 invested in this project. Plus, changing lenses on a coupe is a different animal, and I don't have the cajones to try that. Which is good, because if I had them open, I'd start thinking angel eyes and who knows what other nonsense.

I hit the drivers side with round 3 this morning, and its definitely better. Not perfect. I guess "perfect" isn't a reasonable goal for a 9 year old piece of plastic. Anyway, both sides are looking pretty good, so I'll slap some film over 'em and move on to the next project.

[jgt_zhp]

Not bad

8307

[jgt_zhp]

Got quite a bit done today. Progress and finished pics of the headlight project:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1657_zps158eef80.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1657_zps158eef80.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1659_zpse71b4438.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1659_zpse71b4438.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1660_zps87a57183.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1660_zps87a57183.jpg.html)

Decided to tackle the lower grill, so it would already be black when the new kidneys show up. Saw a crafty DIY for the "don't have to remove it" method, thought I'd try it. Before shot:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1662_zps9bc65775.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1662_zps9bc65775.jpg.html)

About as "Jeff Proof" as I could make it. I swear my car is under there somewhere:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1663_zpsc4965b06.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1663_zpsc4965b06.jpg.html)

And the crafty part:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1664_zpsaaeca98d.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1664_zpsaaeca98d.jpg.html)

That looks a little silly. And doesn't really work. Plasti-Dip seems to react with the latex, and they all popped.

Getting there:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1665_zpsbdd5b547.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1665_zpsbdd5b547.jpg.html)

And, voila, 3 coats of Plasti-Dip:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1666_zps78a514a4.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1666_zps78a514a4.jpg.html)

I think it came out great.

So, Wednesday I ordered "slightly used" OEM alarm kit from the guy over on E46f, who always seems to have 5 or 6 of these available at an attractive price. Caught him on the way to the post office Wednesday, and I'll be darned if the stuff didn't show up today. Figured my PlastiDip induced headache would have a better chance of fully developing if I stayed in the garage as long as possible, so I installed it. Very straightforward install, once one realizes our German friends really do take great pleasure in wrapping enough of that god awful gooey black tape around the pre-wire harnesses that we pull our hair out trying to find them. The siren install requires tearing out the whole cabin filter assembly from the firewall, which is a good educational experience, and allows one to get enough flashlight access to verify that there aren't any families of small rodents or marsupials living under the engine cover. Now we just need to get it coded to actually work somehow,

Ok, then, off to the porch to wait for the UPS man.

[johnrando]

Screen name of the alarm guy?

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[jgt_zhp]

Screen name of the alarm guy?

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

belfastman69

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=986108

His name is Anthony. Seems like an OK guy. I had mine in 2 days. Everything looks to be in good shape, and he includes all mounting hardware.

I used this DIY for the install

http://www.my330i.com/mod8.php#F

[johnrando]

Thx.

[jgt_zhp]

Well, For this next chapter - there's a little ambivalence about the contents of the package received from Bimmian last Friday.

I ordered the famous Bimmian Cell Mount. It showed as "Out of Stock", but they sent me the metal bracket part. Evidently, the rest will come when its available, so review for that item to follow.

I ordered a set of clear side markers. My original ones were looking pretty weathered and slightly yellow. Now, according to my research, the Bimmian site deals in two brands of this sort of thing - Depo, and Weiss Licht. The ordering system only shows Weiss Licht available for 04-06 coupes. Also a lot of hullabaloo about how great this Weiss Licht stuff is, and how you know it's genuine because it always comes in the distinctive Weiss Licht packaging. OK, so I ordered the darn Weiss Licht ones. What I received was two small bubble wrap parts bags with Depo labels. They seem OK. The gasket on one looks a little raggedy. They definitely look clean and new, and the LEDs are plenty bright. Don't know enough about the side marker industry to know if I should feel slighted.

I ordered some "Black Wow" black trim restorer. This stuff gets you two bottles, a big bottle of pre-treatment cleaner, and a small bottle of the actual Black Wow restorer stuff. Just started some experimentation with this product on the trim around one side mirror, and the windshield cowl molding, which is pretty faded. So far, it seems to make a big difference. We'll see how black things get, and how long they stay that way.

Last item - the Lamin-X film for my newly polished headlight lenses. These two pieces of film came would up very tightly in a roll and taped together. The diameter of the roll was about 1". When carefully unrolled, there were a lot of "gap" areas where the film didn't make contact with the backing sheet, and the whole thing looked a little questionable. The instruction sheet prattled on about the fierce tenacity of the Lamin-X adhesive, but this stuff would barely stay stuck on the backing paper.

So, Saturday morning, I decided to apply some. Started with the passenger side lens. Particularly since the lens was recently polished, I wanted to be careful about cleaning it well. Did it twice with glass cleaner, then twice with plain water. Per instructions, misted the glass very lightly with plain filtered water, and carefully picked up the film by the installation tabs, with dampened fingers. Got it lined up pretty darn well on the first attempt, and started to lightly squeegee it on. Stuff really had no interest at all in sticking to my headlight. Spent a tremendous amount of time carefully sqeegeeing the film down. It starts to take, but the top edge, and the edge all the way around on the corner light just aren't going to get with the program.

So, I grab a blow dryer, and apply a little heat. This seems to help some, makes the film pliable, and seemingly a little stickier. I understand these things can take some time. I leave it be. Check it every couple hours and smooth it back down. Decide not to start the driver's side until I decide whether this is a defective product, or what.

Sunday morning - the film has peeled up along most of the top edge, and about an inch and a half of the corner light section is curled back, strangely similar to the way it was rolled up when they shipped it. Back at it with the blow dryer. Actually cut a lit slit at the tricky transition from the headlight section to the corner light, which helped.

I know they say that it takes time for the moisture to dry up on the back of the film. I don't have a problem with the weird bubbly appearance. But it's Wednesday, 4 days later, and I'm still twice a day trying to stick this crap back down. Don't really think its supposed to be that way. Today, it's hot and sunny outside, so I've been moving the car around all today to get the sun on the lens, and it seems to be finally thinking about staying down. Except for the last 1/2 inch or so of the corner section, which I will probably finally just cut off.

So, does anybody have any experience with Lamin-X ?? Is this just how it goes? I can't decide if I should have waited a while after polishing the lenses (but once they're nice and polished, you kind of want to protect them), or the film is bad (it sure didn't act like the "tenacious adhesive" the instructions claimed it has), or what. I haven't tried the driver's side yet. If it's going to be another week-long exercise, I'm not too excited about it.

Meanwhile, also got notice that my painted grilles and LED lighting (full interior and license plate lights) have shipped from Khoalty. So , that will be next week's adventure. Stay tuned. BMW scanner 1.4.0 is also winging its way here. No idea when I'll muster the gumption to attempt some coding. Would like to get that OEM alarm fired up.

[az3579]

I think the LaminX you received is defective. I could barely take mine off my old lights...

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

[jgt_zhp]

I think the LaminX you received is defective. I could barely take mine off my old lights...

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD

Thanks. This was my suspicion as well. Time to drop a line to the folks at Bimmian

[jgt_zhp]

Score. FedEx is out early today. Brought me a box from Khoalty. Nice assortment of LED lighting, and my painted/matte grilles. Grilles look awesome. Can't wait to install. Unfortunately, I've got a job interview this morning, then hitting the road (I wish to the reunion), off to a bunch of graduations. Won't be able to work on the car until at least Sunday :-(

8369

[Stigissimo]

Those grills look AWESOME. Can't wait to see how they look on your car so I can figure out if I want them on mine :biggrin

[jgt_zhp]

OK, couldn't wait. I'm really digging this

8376

8377

[Stigissimo]

That looks seriously good.

[Torxuvin]

I actually really like it. I didn't expect to.

[Don Adolfo]

Great read. I like original grills, but have to say those look great.

[johnrando]

Looks good Jeff.

[fredo]

Looks good Jeff.

+1.

[jgt_zhp]

Hmmm...haven't been in here for a while. Changed some light bulbs today, which doesn't sound like much of a task. But that sort of depends on where the bulbs are, doesn't it?

Nokya 2500k yellows in the halogen high beams:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1753_zps980ba2cd.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1753_zps980ba2cd.jpg.html)

and Nokya 2500k yellow fogs:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1754_zpse398ad96.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1754_zpse398ad96.jpg.html)

It hit me during this project that I have never had occasion to jack this car up for anything test. Learned quickly that this car is indeed quite a bit lower than my 325 was. My ancient, cheap POS 2 1/2 ton hydraulic jack woudn't clear the side skirts. Had to use the OEM jack. NOW I understand why everybody bitches about that jack.

So, it was two months ago today I got on a plane to North Carolina to pick up my car. Seems like since then I've spent about as much time futzing around with it as I have driving it. So, in a dangerous and potentially controversial move, and Lord, this is the one list you don't want your wife/SO/accountant to get hold of, I've perused back over the five pages of this thread, and consolidated the list of everything I've done to, or said I want to do to my car in the short time I've had it. Coming up next - THE LIST

[danewilson77]

Hmmm...haven't been in here for a while. Changed some light bulbs today, which doesn't sound like much of a task. But that sort of depends on where the bulbs are, doesn't it?

Nokya 2500k yellows in the halogen high beams:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1753_zps980ba2cd.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1753_zps980ba2cd.jpg.html)

and Nokya 2500k yellow fogs:

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1754_zpse398ad96.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1754_zpse398ad96.jpg.html)

It hit me during this project that I have never had occasion to jack this car up for anything test. Learned quickly that this car is indeed quite a bit lower than my 325 was. My ancient, cheap POS 2 1/2 ton hydraulic jack woudn't clear the side skirts. Had to use the OEM jack. NOW I understand why everybody bitches about that jack.

So, it was two months ago today I got on a plane to North Carolina to pick up my car. Seems like since then I've spent about as much time futzing around with it as I have driving it. So, in a dangerous and potentially controversial move, and Lord, this is the one list you don't want your wife/SO/accountant to get hold of, I've perused back over the five pages of this thread, and consolidated the list of everything I've done to, or said I want to do to my car in the short time I've had it. Coming up next - THE LIST

Get Harbor Freight Pittsburgh jack using affiliate link.

Done

:)

[E_Rak]

Did your knuckles say hello to the floor while using that thing??

[danewilson77]

Did your knuckles say hello to the floor while using that thing??

What thing?

[E_Rak]

What thing?

The OEM jack!

[jgt_zhp]

The List

1. Mechanical Inspection - or Post Purchase PPI. led to item #2.
2. New rear shocks/bump stops/shock mount reinforcement plates
3. New tires. 2 necessary, 2 elective. Hankook VentusS1 nobile2. Weird name, nice tires.
4. XM Radio - parts scavenged from the 325i.
5. Window Un-Tint. No good would come of me driving with 20% tint.
6. BMW Performance Intake.
7. BMW Performance Shift Knob - me likey.
8. Alcantara Wheel refurbishing. Investment of one toothbrush, one Magic Eraser, time.
9. Roof rack (s) and bike mounts. An adventure in itself.
10. OEM Homelink receiver.
11. OEM Aux Input.
Post #11 of this thread generated a "shopping list"
12. New window tint. With summer coming on, this is now priority level 1.
Front bumper rehab - included items 13 through 19
13. Polish Headlight lenses - DONE - the Mother's incident
14. Lamin-X film on Headlights - DONE - might get redone.
15. Fog Light Trim - DONE - they look better. Might glue it down or something.
16. Grilles - DONE. I am very happy with the painted frame/black slat solution
17. Paint Lower Grille - DONE - Plasti-Dip, looks great with the new kidneys.
18. Clear Reflectors - DONE - kind of wish I'd gone painted.
19. Dr. Colorchip - mmmm, might rethink this one, go straight to respray.

20. Side markers - DONE - Depo, thought I was getting WeissLicht.
21. Black Trim Restore - ONGOING - Black Wow from Bimmian.
22. Interior Lighting- DONE. Complete Khoalty kit. Might try Zisa.
23. LED License plate lights - DONE. Khoalty, looks good
24. Refinish Style 135s. In progress, should be back any day.
25. Tune - I'm holding out for when I get competent at coding, so I can Eurocharge in the comfort of my own home.

And other stuff popped up along the way, too:

26. OEM Alarm - buy previously loved off E46f, self-install, it's cheap
27. BMW Scanner 1.4.0 - Coded that alarm, and a host of conveniences. Both cars.
28. Yellow fogs and halogens - DONE - Nokya lamps.Low cost solution, we'll see how they perform
29. KKL 409.1 VAG-COM 409 cable. No idea what that means. Sounds dirty. Tony says its the cable I need.
30. NCS Expert, etc., etc., etc. God Bless Tony, he thinks he can even teach ME coding. Going to tweak some more stuff, starting with the fog light situation.
31. New left rear taillight. Original had a bit of a fog problem, then 2 rows of LEDs crapped out. OE replacement, for some reason OEM lefts are non-existent.
32. Griot's garage random orbital buffer. My paint is really pretty darn good, but it can always be better. Currently pondering product selections. I was a Zaino guy back in the day, but there's a lot of good stuff out there. Thinking clay, light correction, polish, seal and/or wax.

That's a lot of jacking around, especially considering it doesn't really include any major maintenance items, repairs, or significant performance upgrades.

I'm not dumb enough to add up dollars. No good ever comes of that, you know. But hey, it's fun, and keeps me from finding other ways to get in trouble. And I get to hang out in here with you guys all the time. How can you beat that?

[jgt_zhp]

What thing?


Uhhh, yeah, the OEM jack thing. Don't know what other thing I'd be rythmically rotating in the garage, and scrape my knuckles on the floor :shifty

[E_Rak]

Uhhh, yeah, the OEM jack thing. Don't know what other thing I'd be rythmically rotating in the garage, and scrape my knuckles on the floor :shifty

This should be part of initiation for BMW ownership...

[Avetiso]

This should be part of initiation for BMW ownership...
Never happened to me, lol. Not until now did I notice that that could happen.

[danewilson77]

The OEM jack!

oh:shifty

[jgt_zhp]

Get Harbor Freight Pittsburgh jack using affiliate link.

Done

:)

Dang, Not only the right solution, but it's even on sale. That must be why you're the boss.
I went ahead and used the affiliate link for Harbor Freight. The $6.99 shipping was cheaper than the gas to drive to the nearest store.

[Tnhl1989]

Hey Jeff you sure are funny. Anyways time to check out your sale threads on e46 :P I might be interested in something.

For the cable once you get it from amazon (did you use the affiliated link too?) you would need to solder together pins 7 & 8.

[danewilson77]

Thanks Jeff.

[jgt_zhp]

Solar control day in Kansas City.

Replaced my old purplized 20% tint with some new Sigma 36% Ceramic Elite film. 99% UV rejection, 44% heat rejection, guaranteed never to fade or discolor, and I can actually see out of the car. Technology is a wonderful thing. Thanks to midlandtech for the referral. Midwest did a great job, and nice folks. If I'd have known they would have removed the old film for only $100, this whole process would have went different,
.
And when I got home, the ultimate windshield shade had arrived from BavAuto. Guess I'm protected.

8937

8938

[johnrando]

:like

[jgt_zhp]

Soooo....FedEx man swung by about 10:00 this morning, with the latest addition to my BMW Performance accessory collection.

I was surprised that the installation of the strut brace is primarily an electrical project. About 90% of the time spent was for relocating the positive battery terminal and the hood switch. And since I'm actually using the hood switch for the alarm, the harness for the hood switch needed to be extended. But, once all that was out of the way, it bolted right up like it belongs there.

And rather than make a huge mess by cutting the hood insulation as prescribed by the powers that be, I elected to offset the 1/2 pound weight increase due to the strut bar by removing all of the insulation in one piece. Thus, no shop vacs were injured in the execution of this project.

The results:


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/15/vysy7uza.jpg

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/06/15/aduhe6ez.jpg

[danewilson77]

Fantastic work.

HTC DNA ON TT4 BETA, WILLIAMSBURG, VA

[johnrando]

Oh yeah!

[illirep]

Looking good!

[jgt_zhp]

It's been a busy few days for the ZHP. First, the super sexy strut brace. Then today, the wheel swap. I'm very, very happy with how they came out. I love the anthracite color, it's dark enough to be distinctive, without going black. I'm not a big black wheel fan. The darker color works well in the light, and the shadows and highlights really bring out the shape of the wheel.

Also tried out the foam cannon, with some Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/IMG_1790_zps5bed25f7.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/IMG_1790_zps5bed25f7.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/DSC_0009_zpsf8c6b92e.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/DSC_0009_zpsf8c6b92e.jpg.html)


http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/DSC_0010_zpsb380f394.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/DSC_0010_zpsb380f394.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/f975b43e-c43e-465d-8fc6-dd6d616bd082_zps3f9bc70c.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/f975b43e-c43e-465d-8fc6-dd6d616bd082_zps3f9bc70c.jpg.html)

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/DSC_0015_zps44ba275b.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/DSC_0015_zps44ba275b.jpg.html)
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll121/jgtoohey/ZHP/DSC_0018_zpsf2320217.jpg (http://s287.photobucket.com/user/jgtoohey/media/ZHP/DSC_0018_zpsf2320217.jpg.html)

[Mtnman]

Looks great!

[danewilson77]

Looks great!

+1

[Torxuvin]

Mmmm. Clean imola :drool I've heard nothing but good things about the foam cannon

[johnrando]

+1

+2

[Stigissimo]

I'm a fan of the 135s with their stock finish, but I must say that looks puuuurty damn good Jeff.

[illirep]

Looks great. My foam cannon arrived on friday, along with some chemical guys goodies: Max Suds II, clay bar kit, wheel cleaner, wax, etc. Two ZHP's and a Honda Odyssey got cannoned yesterday!

[Avetiso]

Looks great. My foam cannon arrived on friday, along with some chemical guys goodies: Max Suds II, clay bar kit, wheel cleaner, wax, etc. Two ZHP's and a Honda Odyssey got cannoned yesterday!

This makes me wonder what a BMW minivan would look like...

///Minivan, anyone? :rofl

[derbo]

that engine bay pic looks awesome. Yea its a shame both BMW performance parts require modifications. It is interesting but it sure makes it look cleaner.

[illirep]

///Minivan, anyone? :rofl

Haha - be careful what you wish for:
http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/innovations/bmwi/bmwi.aspx

[derbo]

imagine an M model....