Hayden’s Imola 330ci Zhp Journal

[Kicker35]

I figured I should make a project thread for my 2006 330ci Zhp so I could document it all and and keep up with it.

The Basics:

Year: 2006
Model: 330ci Coupe
Exterior color: Imola Red
Interior: Alcantara
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Packages: Performance Package, Cold Weather Package
Options: Adaptive xenon headlights, Harmon-Kardon sound system, Perforated leather steering wheel, Navigation, European Delivery
Purchase Date: 7/14/2017
Mileage at purchase: 134,xxx
VIN: WBABD53426PE10243
Current Mileage: 150,000

Background Story:

I began my search for a Zhp back in early 2016. After about a year and half of searching, I stumbled across this car on a Craigslist listing right outside of Chicago and jumped on it immediately. It was my dream spec, within my price range, and seemed to be in decent shape. I contacted the owner and worked out a deal. Two days later I made the drive up to Chicago from Atlanta to bring her home. It was a great trip up, and I’d definitely recommend making a road trip out of buying a car. When I arrived, the car was a little rough around the edges, but had great potential. The previous owner had no maintenance records, but it drove well. I made the deal, and drove it about 800 miles back to its new home outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

About Me:
I’ve been a car enthusiast my whole life and my love for BMW began a few years ago. This is my first car and I’m enjoying bringing this thing back to life. I fell in love with the e46 generation specifically and the Zhp was the perfect match. I enjoy detailing on the side and I use Chemical Guys Products currently.

Maintenance/Mods:

Mechanical
-New OEM oil cap- 9/1/17
- Oil Change- 9/28/17 136,300
-VCG and vanos oil line OEM-9/28/17 136,300
-OFHG replaced with bavauto viton gasket-9/28/17 136,300
- replaced headlight ALM module- 9/28/17 136,300
-OEM Pulleys and belts-9/28/17 136,300
- New fcabs (OEM)- 9/28/17 136,300
- Engine Degrease and Detail- 10/1/17
-OEM Hood insulation- 10/1/17 136,320
-Alignment- 10/2/17 136,340
- 4 new tires- Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ - 10/2/17 136,340
-Battery Replaced- 8/30/18 143,300
- Starter replaced with remanufactured Bosch- 8/30/18 143,300
- Oil and filter change- 10/1/18 143,500
- OEM Expansion tank and thermostat, 50/50 BMW coolant mix, bled system- 12/23/18 145,100


Exterior
-Restored side markers with 3M kit- 9/2/17
-Custom Euro Plate- 12/26/17
- New BMW M valve stem caps- 1/5/18
- New LED license plate lights and covers- 1/5/18
- New OEM BMW wheel caps- 11/25/19


Interior
- Alcantara deep cleaned with Sonax Alcantara cleaner- 7/26/17
- Steering Wheel and Leather Armrest Deep Cleaned 7/26/17
- New OEM ZHP weighted shift knob-9/1/17
- New OEM floor mats-9/1/17
- Bavsound Stage 1 upgrade 9/24/17
-rebuilt subwoofer using CDT CL-69S carbon fiber/fiberglass woofers w/ subwoofer insulation 9/24/17
- Refinish black cube trim 9/24/17
-rebuilt tuner box(Thomas from BavAuto) 9/25/17
-New navigation screen to fix pixelation (Thomas from BavAuto) 9/25/17
- New OEM Aux cord 9/25/17
- A and C pillars sagging re-glue-3M super77 multi-purpose adhesive 12/2/17
- New OEM cup holders- 12/2/17
- Refinish coin tray and center console- 12/2/17


Planned Maintenance:
-Replace Cooling System
-Full suspension refresh
- Motor and Trans mounts
- Replace Catalytic converters
-Vanos rebuild
-CDV Delete
-New windshield cowl
- Replace rear side window gaskets

Future Mods/Upgrades:
-Paint brake calipers(probably red)
- M3 side mirrors(powered)
-Gruppe M/BMW performance Intake
-Corsa Catback tse3 exhaust
-Slotted/drilled rotors
- lowering springs?
- short shift kit/rebuilt shift linkage
-tint
- Full Repaint
- Refinish wheels
-Gloss Black Kidney Grills
-spacers

Some Pictures After First Wash:






More Recent Pictures:






To keep up with me, follow me on Instagram @imola330ci_zhp. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

[fredo]

Well done. IR FTW !

[Kicker35]

To Refinish the Black Cube Trim, I began by sanding it down with 3000 and 1500 grit, taped it off, and resprayed it using a black interior trim refinisher.
Some Before shots




Some After shots

[SaltyNC]

Your car looks great, and wow, the black cube came out great. Awesome job!

Salty

[BMWCurves]

Your car looks great, and wow, the black cube came out great. Awesome job!

Salty

+1

I'll need to do that at some point.

[ZHPizza]

Muh twin! Welcome from just up the road. Your interior is in significantly better shape than mine.

Great pics btw -- loving the warehouse shots!

Got some questions here from reading through your post:

- Alcantara deep cleaned with Sonax Alcantara cleaner- 7/26/17

I have a bottle of this in the garage that I haven't used yet. Any particular method that worked well for you? My plan was to spray, agitate with a brush, and wipe off with mf.

-rebuilt subwoofer w/ insulation 9/24/17

...'splain...plz

-CDV Delete

should have been done yesterday, brother! Makes a world of difference in how the car drives.

-Paint brake calipers(probably red)

The G2 kit is awesome. I did mine in gloss black and love it.

-tint

Highly suggest doing it before summer in Hotlanta! I went with 3M Color Stable 35 on this car and it's perfect.

More suggestions from looking at your pics:

- Paint or replace that piece behind the lower grill. It's easy to remove the bumper and do it right. Really refreshes the front end.

- The front of your hood looks like it's sitting a little high. You can adjust this with the rubber stopper screws on the bottom of the hood. I went through a looooot of iterations messing with this and the striker plate to get mine right, but you only have to do it once!

- I'd suggest adding 10mm spacers all around. It'll make a huge difference in the look of the car.

Click the pic in my sign to go to my build thread -- you'll see a lot of before/after shots on the same car for things that are on your list.

Great work!

[charter21p5]

Great looking car and nice work! What product did you use for the cube trim?


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[johnrando]

Nice werk!

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[Kicker35]

Muh twin! Welcome from just up the road. Your interior is in significantly better shape than mine.

Great pics btw -- loving the warehouse shots!

Got some questions here from reading through your post:


I have a bottle of this in the garage that I haven't used yet. Any particular method that worked well for you? My plan was to spray, agitate with a brush, and wipe off with mf.


...'splain...plz


should have been done yesterday, brother! Makes a world of difference in how the car drives.


The G2 kit is awesome. I did mine in gloss black and love it.


Highly suggest doing it before summer in Hotlanta! I went with 3M Color Stable 35 on this car and it's perfect.

More suggestions from looking at your pics:

- Paint or replace that piece behind the lower grill. It's easy to remove the bumper and do it right. Really refreshes the front end.

- The front of your hood looks like it's sitting a little high. You can adjust this with the rubber stopper screws on the bottom of the hood. I went through a looooot of iterations messing with this and the striker plate to get mine right, but you only have to do it once!

- I'd suggest adding 10mm spacers all around. It'll make a huge difference in the look of the car.

Click the pic in my sign to go to my build thread -- you'll see a lot of before/after shots on the same car for things that are on your list.

Great work!

Wow you’ve got great taste in cars hahah!

For the Sonax Alcantara cleaner, I sprayed it on the seats and used a soft bristle brush to rub it in gently. Don’t use too much cleaner because it’ll make the texture of the Alcantara stiff. Then I wiped it off with a damp microfiber. Didn’t notice a huge difference, but it is better and smelled like berries for a while...

For the subwoofer rebuild, I replaced the stock hk speakers with CDT CL-69S slim carbon fiber/fiber glass woofers. They fit perfectly and are great quality. Not a huge difference over stock, but the bass is noticeably crisper. I put some subwoofer insulation around them in the box and in the top of the trunk to get better sound quality and to prevent rattle.

I know I’ve been putting off that CDV but I’ll get around to it. I’ve seen some good results with G2 so I’ll give it a try...maybe this summer. I went ahead and bought the paint to spray the lower grill , so I’ll probably get to that when it warms up a bit too. I have both gloss and satin paint so I’m not sure which one I’ll end up using.

For the hood, I’ve tried messing with the rubber screws but it doesn’t seem to change it. Not sure how to fix it.

I’ve been thinking about spacers recently, and I agree they make a huge difference. I’ll take a look at your thread again to see some pics. Thanks for all the help!







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[Kicker35]

+1

I'll need to do that at some point.

Your car looks great, and wow, the black cube came out great. Awesome job!

Salty

Thanks guys! The refinished black cube looks much better now and it was an easy DIY. Taking all the door-cards out to take off the trim was time consuming, but worth it in the end.


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