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You can use 3M double sided tape if you don't want to drill holes or throw it in on your dash. You have to bend the plate to match the bumper but if you do it carefully it looks pretty good.
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Feb 17, 2011 04:50
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Sterndotstern posted:a significant lip is ~3mm. Sterndotstern posted:"It's distinct from lifter tick" Brings me to my next question, is lifter tick bad? This says it isn't, if that's the noise I'm hearing. I swear, the more I pay attention to this car, the more I worry about. Someday I'll buy a new car so I can know when a noise is intentional... Now I know there's the tick, and then there's lifters sticking, and worse problems that can all generate somewhat similar sounds. My engine seems to run very smooth and sounds smooth, so I'm inclined to think it's "normal". Frankly, for a car with nearly 170k and no internal engine work ever done other than a valve cover gasket, I'm damned impressed. Although the PO did go through brakes and window regulators like a madman. My rotors are about 40k miles old as far as I can tell, and he once replaced his in 12k!
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Feb 17, 2011 07:20
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Super Aggro Crag posted:I live in Springfield, MA and literally hundreds of people drive around with the front plate in the windshield. The police here are generally chill though... if you're white. Better find some way to secure it. I wouldn't want that thing flying around my head in case of an accident...especially with airbags going off.
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Feb 17, 2011 19:09
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Hi, long time AI lurker here. Im not a gearhead by any means but I sure enjoy this forum. I just sold my car and its time to move onto something a bit nicer. I have driven my mothers '03 325i wagon around a lot over the years and I love it, and has really made me want a BMW. I'm looking to get a E46 coupe, preferably one with a ZHP package but the only ones I can find are autos, and I really would like to switch over to a manual vehicle because I assume I will have more fun with a manual. I am looking to spend around 15-20k and it appears I could pick one up for around that price with 60-70k miles on it. However my boss is about to sell his manual '05 M3 with 93k on it and I am very tempted as he is willing to give it to me for a 'good deal', whatever that comes to exactly I don't know but it should be right in my price range regardless. I am just wary of the higher miles, although its in really good condition. So...lower mileage ZHP, or a higher mileage manual M3? Pros/Cons would be appreciated. Thanks Hadlock for your advice.  Danke.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:07
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How do I tell if my fiance's 2006 325i is an E46 or an E90? She needs spark plugs, coil, and wires replaced. Is there a preferred brand or place to get these from for her car?
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Feb 17, 2011 21:14
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raej posted:How do I tell if my fiance's 2006 325i is an E46 or an E90? e46/e90 is the body/chassis style. I believe the first year of e90's actually had the same engines as the e46 325/330. It'll probably be the e46 325i engine, in an e90 body. so it's that engine. when they bumped it all up to the newest of the new it became the 328.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:19
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raej posted:How do I tell if my fiance's 2006 325i is an E46 or an E90? You look at it. The two look vastly different. The E90 is curvier and the E46 is more angular, is probably the best way to describe it. For reference: E46 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_E46_front_20080822.jpg E90: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_E90_front_20090301.jpg I am pretty sure that all MY2006 3-series are E90s, and I am also pretty sure that all MY2006 325s are the 3.0L N52B30. edit for above: The MY2005 E90 325s had the same engine as the E46 but for MY2006 it was replaced with the N52B30.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:29
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Chinatown posted:Hi, long time AI lurker here. Im not a gearhead by any means but I sure enjoy this forum. Unless you are absolutely certain of the maintenance history, stay away from M3s. They are very finicky engines. Valve adjustments have to be done every 30,000 miles, and the service costs $1200. They take special Castrol TWS 10W-60 oil that's $10/L if you do it yourself, or $250 at the dealership. There's also an issue on E46s (all models) with the rear subframe mounts tearing that costs $$$$ to fix. If it hasn't been inspected for this, pass. Also, keep in mind that things start going bad around 100,000 miles for any BMW. Water pump, radiator, shocks/struts, control arm bushings, the list goes on and on...and on the M3 every part is twice as expensive, along with Inspection costs. It loves to drink premium fuel, you can expect 20mpg in mixed driving. The M3 also eats tires like crazy. I get 10k or less from my rears and 20k out of the fronts; it's an expensive car to run. It's a fantastic ride, beautiful, luxurious, fast, handles like a dream and makes a sound like no other, but if you don't have the money to invest to future-proof it, stay away. I've put 40k on mine and loved every moment I was actually driving it but realize its faults.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:34
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Chinatown posted:So...lower mileage ZHP, or a higher mileage manual M3? Pros/Cons would be appreciated. Thanks Hadlock for your advice. Main things to consider are maintenance. Parts for the ZHP will be significantly cheaper. As the m3 will have a bit more mileage it's more likely to need more repairs too, but probably not by much. That being said, the engine in that M3 is legendarily fun to drive and will always put a smile on your face. Reliability wise they'll most likely be roughly the same, just when the M3 breaks, it'll hurt the wallet a lot more. E: Those extra details are good to know. I hadn't heard about the valve adjustment. The subframe issue can be hugely bad though if it's one of the unlucky ones. Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Feb 17, 2011 |
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Feb 17, 2011 21:36
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:You look at it. The two look vastly different. The E90 is curvier and the E46 is more angular, is probably the best way to describe it. Definitely an E90. Thanks! Now to find some ignition wires, plugs, and coilpack...
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Feb 17, 2011 21:41
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raej posted:Definitely an E90. Thanks! Would double-check in the manual to make sure it is in fact the N52B30, but I am almost positive about that.
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Feb 17, 2011 21:50
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Chinatown posted:Hi, long time AI lurker here. Im not a gearhead by any means but I sure enjoy this forum. I am also considering getting a ZHP, or rather spend lots of time looking at them and trying to talk myself out of seriously trying to buy one. I don't have any first hand knowledge but there is a ton of information available:
In my own worthless opinion I would much rather have a low milage ZHP than an M3, unless I had lots more money and a mechanic to keep the M3 perfect for me. You can get a very nice low mile ZHP for 20k, and a very good but higher milage one for 15k. They are out there in manual, but you may have to be patient in finding the right one and/or look more long distance.
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Feb 17, 2011 22:55
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Deceptor101 posted:Yeah I'm going to avoid cross drilled like the plague. Whats the thoughts on slotted? Only good if you have tons of money to burn? Better to spend the money on pads? What's the consensus on bimmerbrakes.com's stuff. Their blank rotors are much cheaper than I've been able to find zimmerman or brembo's. Perhaps I'm not looking at the right sites. Quality blank rotors are the way to go. Slotted are only worth it if you're going to run a pad that is known for major outgassing. Not too many pads have that issue these days, so I wouldn't worry about it. Last few times I've bought rotors, I just went with OEM from Pelican. I run PFC '06 pads at the track and have been really happy with them. One of the really nice things about them is that they work well enough when cold that you can drive them on the street. This lets me swap brakes at home at my leisure instead of being forced to do it at the track. There are plenty of other good options, too. If you're a complete novice at the track, you won't even need a full track pad yet. A good street pad will do fine for your first few times (just be sure to do a brake fluid flush with a good synthetic fluid)
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Feb 18, 2011 00:54
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Alright, thanks for that info on slotted. They'll just be a waste of money for me really. As far as blanks go, I can get brembo blanks off tirerack for just slightly more than the oem blanks off pelican. How much braking performance would I be losing from bimmerbrakes.com's blanks. Their prices are $70/pair vs $70-80/each. It's pretty much just brand to know if the blank has the right metal properties eh? While I like the idea of having pads that work at the track and on the road, I really don't track it enough to have it be worth it. The idea is nice, but it's a pretty rare occurrence. From what I can tell, Hawk HPS's seem to be a good street pad, any other recommendations? I have problems trusting e46fanatics, or most other sites in general, when their typing/grammar is so terrible. Regardless, I'm waiting on brakes for a bit anyways, so I've got time to make an informed decision.
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Feb 18, 2011 01:41
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Deceptor101 posted:Alright, thanks for that info on slotted. They'll just be a waste of money for me really. As far as blanks go, I can get brembo blanks off tirerack for just slightly more than the oem blanks off pelican. How much braking performance would I be losing from bimmerbrakes.com's blanks. Their prices are $70/pair vs $70-80/each. It's pretty much just brand to know if the blank has the right metal properties eh? A blank is a blank. The only reason that I run slotted rotors is because UUC had a special where they were cheaper than blanks. Other than that, I would have gone with blanks. It's possible that the slots are even wearing my pads down faster than blanks, without offering better performance, but I'm okay with that since, again, they were cheaper. As long as the blank is made by Brembo, Zimmerman, or ATE, you should be good to go. I use Hawk Performance Ceramic pads for the street, because they hardly dust at all. The initial bite is not as hard, but when you hit the brake pedal a little harder than initial bite, the car will stop in a hurry. I also use ATE Super Blue/Type 200 fluid (they are the same thing, just different colors). Also keep in mind that brakes are worthless without good tires.
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Feb 18, 2011 02:45
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raej posted:Definitely an E90. Thanks! Good luck finding some ignition wires, buddy (psst it doesn't have any)
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Feb 18, 2011 03:31
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CornHolio posted:Good luck finding some ignition wires, buddy No wonder I couldn't find any! Besides plugs, what all do I need to replace. The car has ~130k miles and probably wasn't well maintained.
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Feb 18, 2011 04:06
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Deceptor101 posted:Alright, thanks for that info on slotted. They'll just be a waste of money for me really. As far as blanks go, I can get brembo blanks off tirerack for just slightly more than the oem blanks off pelican. How much braking performance would I be losing from bimmerbrakes.com's blanks. Their prices are $70/pair vs $70-80/each. It's pretty much just brand to know if the blank has the right metal properties eh? If the metallurgy on the cheap rotors isn't right they'll either wear down fast or develop cracks with the extreme thermal cycling at the track. Either way, as long as you keep an eye on them you'll be ok. For significant savings it might be worth a shot. I would not recommend running the PFC 06 as a street pad. While they will stop the car, they are abrasive as gently caress when cold and will chew up your rotors. I have no experience with the hawk hps, I've heard they're a good pad. My preferred street pad is Axxis Ultimates and really the OEM Jurid/Texar are just fine, too.
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Feb 18, 2011 07:18
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So, what are my options for some sort of nice multimedia head unit that won't look like hell in my 2001 325i? AM/FM, iPhone/music browsing support a must; video playback a nice bonus but not a deal-breaker. Anything good under 600$?
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Feb 18, 2011 10:35
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OwlBot 2000 posted:So, what are my options for some sort of nice multimedia head unit that won't look like hell in my 2001 325i? AM/FM, iPhone/music browsing support a must; video playback a nice bonus but not a deal-breaker. Anything good under 600$? Read this thread right here and then seriously consider if you want to cut the ventilation ductwork inside your dash to do it. (video playback-double din) e: having said that, the alpine ida series are really nice for being able to easily browse and play back your music if you're using an ipod. There is a centering adapter that puts a single-din radio in the middle of the radio slot in the dash. It has to be ordered from Germany through the dealer though, since the 3 series was never sold with the single-din radio in the U.S. Otherwise you're dealing with a single-din radio offset to the left, which looks like poo poo IMO. The center adapter is $125, and you may need an antenna adapter Part number: 65900410495 This is the adapter:  this is the look:  Click here for the full 1024x768 image. You would also need a steering wheel controls adapter specific to your particular brand of head unit. I've researched this and it really seems like way too much trouble for what it's worth. E: found an installed pic:  Click here for the full 1152x864 image. BloodBag fucked around with this message at 14:05 on Feb 18, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 12:24
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raej posted:No wonder I couldn't find any! Besides plugs, what all do I need to replace. The car has ~130k miles and probably wasn't well maintained. You could look into replacing the valve cover gasket, which isn't much more labor. That would be the gasket and some additional hardware like rubber washers and sealant and maybe something else, I don't remember. There are plenty of DIYs online though for the E9x maybe not. I've always considered the coils (there is one for each coil) a replace-as-they-fail kind of thing. You'll get a CEL and maybe a rough idle or something but their high cost doesn't really warrant replacing them preventatively in my opinion. Of course, a 130k car that hasn't been well maintained is probably going to be a lot more than just spark plugs and a valve cover gasket... probably a full tune-up including belts, filters, and fluids/fluid flushes, possible cooling system maintenance (water pump, radiator, hoses, coolant... is the E9x system as prone to failure as earlier systems, or did they fix things?), suspension work (ball joints, bushings, new shocks/struts/possibly springs), probably more. I probably just scared the poo poo out of you, but that list isn't really any different than any other undermaintained car with that many miles on it. Being a newer BMW though, parts prices are probably going to be very high.
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Feb 18, 2011 13:50
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Taco Box posted:Read this thread right here and then seriously consider if you want to cut the ventilation ductwork inside your dash to do it. (video playback-double din)
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Feb 18, 2011 17:16
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OwlBot 2000 posted:Wow, I'm really not sure I've got the time/skill for that kind of DIY project right now; is my model something people at a retail car electronics place would have trouble with? They'd very likely just bungle the install, and charge you for it while backing away from any and all liability. I seem to have read something like that in the past... E: I'm referring to double-din installs. Single din installs don't seem as bad.
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Feb 18, 2011 18:42
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OwlBot 2000 posted:Wow, I'm really not sure I've got the time/skill for that kind of DIY project right now; is my model something people at a retail car electronics place would have trouble with? A skilled shop that was capable of making custom-fit boxes and the like could probably do it no problem but will likely charge accordingly. The Best Buys of the world, from the stories I've heard I wouldn't trust them to install a HU in a '90s single-DIN Ford (possibly the easiest aftermarket radio install in history), much less anything that required doing one-off modifications to the internals of the dashboard.
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Feb 18, 2011 19:56
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OwlBot 2000 posted:So, what are my options for some sort of nice multimedia head unit that won't look like hell in my 2001 325i? AM/FM, iPhone/music browsing support a must; video playback a nice bonus but not a deal-breaker. Anything good under 600$? Dynavin V5. $650 not including the HVAC relocation bracket, looks quite OEM, has basically every feature you want and more, availability can be low due to high demand.  I'm buying one for my E46 this year.
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Feb 19, 2011 09:18
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Since I've owned it, my '02 325Ci has had a slight clunking noise coming from the front right. I purchased some bushings but never put them on, since I'm a pussy for suspension work like that. After a while, my wheel started jerking to the left under first application of brakes, pointing to a bad bushing and yet I still didn't replace the bushings. Now, the wheel jerks to the left and starts shaking, which points to a bad ball joint and bushing. Seeing as how I now will have to replace the control arms, and the suspension likely has 128K miles on it at this point, I'm thinking of doing the whole suspension. And when I say *I'm* going to do it, I mean a shop is going to do it. The question I pose to you goons is: there is a suspension package available from the factory that upgrades the control arms, bump stops, sway bars and struts to the ZHP suspension, and it's available for only $500. Does this sound like a worthwhile thing to purchase? It seems to be less than buying stock control arms and struts, and I get a beefier front swaybar for the trouble! So, goons, what do you think? e: the package I'm referring to is here BloodBag fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Feb 19, 2011 |
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Feb 19, 2011 13:57
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Taco Box posted:Since I've owned it, my '02 325Ci has had a slight clunking noise coming from the front right. I purchased some bushings but never put them on, since I'm a pussy for suspension work like that. After a while, my wheel started jerking to the left under first application of brakes, pointing to a bad bushing and yet I still didn't replace the bushings. Now, the wheel jerks to the left and starts shaking, which points to a bad ball joint and bushing. I would jump on that, it looks pretty good. Count on at least another $200 in labor, though. Maybe more.
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Feb 19, 2011 14:09
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Beach Bum posted:I would jump on that, it looks pretty good. Count on at least another $200 in labor, though. Maybe more. It's a pretty insane deal by all accounts. I was planning on having the rear trailing arm bushings done at the same time, since all this poo poo tends to wear out at the same time. It's the poo poo that requires weird tools and presses that puts me off of doing it myself. That and not having a lift or even 2 feet of clearance off the sides of my car in my garage. E: placed my order. I'll post pics when it shows up if anyone's interested. BloodBag fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Feb 19, 2011 |
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Feb 19, 2011 14:35
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Taco Box posted:It's a pretty insane deal by all accounts. I was planning on having the rear trailing arm bushings done at the same time, since all this poo poo tends to wear out at the same time. It's the poo poo that requires weird tools and presses that puts me off of doing it myself. That and not having a lift or even 2 feet of clearance off the sides of my car in my garage. Does your car have the sport suspension already? If not you will need new springs too. It says that in the ad, so I assume you know this already but it can't hurt to be sure.
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Feb 19, 2011 17:01
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Oooh poo poo.
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Feb 19, 2011 18:08
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Taco Box posted:It's a pretty insane deal by all accounts. I was planning on having the rear trailing arm bushings done at the same time, since all this poo poo tends to wear out at the same time. It's the poo poo that requires weird tools and presses that puts me off of doing it myself. That and not having a lift or even 2 feet of clearance off the sides of my car in my garage. It is a good deal! Make sure you pick up new front strut mounts and rear shock mounts for the install. I was strongly considering buying it, but I realized the shocks/struts on the ZHP are the same as sport package, so I ended up buying Koni FSD's. You could totally DIY, but I understand on the lack of garage space, I end up going to a buddy's place who has a big rear end garage when I need to do work like that.
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Feb 19, 2011 18:30
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"ozziegt posted:Does your car have the sport suspension already? tesko.pk posted:It is a good deal! Make sure you pick up new front strut mounts and rear shock mounts for the install. I was strongly considering buying it, but I realized the shocks/struts on the ZHP are the same as sport package, so I ended up buying Koni FSD's. Are strut mounts something prone to failure on these? I was concerned previously with trying to pull the bushings off the existing control arms, but now that It's just a bunch of bolt-on stuff I may decide I can tackle this at home. Depends on how high I can get the car with my Jacks/stands. Also, my garage can be more appropriately named a 'car hole' mostly due to how narrow it is. My long coupe doors have not been kind to the drywall in there. E: here is a pic of my garage, well, of a bike I was building, but my garage is so narrow on the sides that I can't use a floor jack without a swiveling handle to lift my car on one side. OTOH, using this experience would be valuable to doing the bushings on my wife's civic, which are in dire need of replacing. 
BloodBag fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Feb 19, 2011 |
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Feb 19, 2011 20:41
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I live in an apartment with an uncovered parking space I'm not allowed to work in. I have to do all my wrenching at a courtyard at my workplace. I would kill for a car hole...
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Feb 19, 2011 23:30
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Taco Box posted:Are strut mounts something prone to failure on these? You can do the job with jacks and stands no problem. Did you also get new FCAB's? I put on Meyle HD FCAB's, they're really nice and came installed in their own mounts, so install was suuuuuper easy. A good tip is when putting in the control arms into the front bushings, use a good dab of dish soap inside the bushing, makes the job 500x easier.
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Feb 20, 2011 06:36
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Deceptor101 posted:I live in an apartment with an uncovered parking space I'm not allowed to work in. I have to do all my wrenching at a courtyard at my workplace. I would kill for a car hole...  I also live in an apt complex and this thing costs $100 a month.tesko.pk posted:Failure, no. The word is that when it's time to do the shocks, it's time to do all the mounts as well. From what I can tell it's a standard procedure sort of thing. I wonder, should I start a thread for this separately so as to not monopolize this one? E: aww poo poo. organizing my garage last night had me noticing some new marks on the floor. Apparently my car has taken to marking its spots. I loving hope the valve cover gasket replacement I did in December hasn't started leaking around the camshaft half-moons. I hate loving stuff like that up. Aside for VCG, what are some common points for oil leaks on e46's ?
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Feb 20, 2011 13:08
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Does anyone know of a good detailer (Southeast Pennsylvania, Maryland, WV) who can correct swirlmarks, oxidzation and light scratches - my 2005 645ci's Sapphire Black paint has seen better days and I want to correct it before it gets worse.. I want that little bastard of a car to look brand new
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Feb 20, 2011 18:34
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Terminally Pretty posted:Does anyone know of a good detailer (Southeast Pennsylvania, Maryland, WV) who can correct swirlmarks, oxidzation and light scratches - my 2005 645ci's Sapphire Black paint has seen better days and I want to correct it before it gets worse.. I want that little bastard of a car to look brand new You may wanna wait until spring, unless it has a garage to live in. Winter's not over, yet...
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Feb 20, 2011 18:51
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Wamsutta posted:You may wanna wait until spring, unless it has a garage to live in. Winter's not over, yet... I have a garage and I don't plan to do it anytime soon until I pay taxes.. I have a feeling it's gonna be extensive since the PA roads eat the hell out of the poor car! And please don't say winter's not over yet LOL positive thinking brings positive results! I can't wait for spring! 
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Feb 20, 2011 23:47
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Terminally Pretty posted:I have a garage and I don't plan to do it anytime soon until I pay taxes.. I have a feeling it's gonna be extensive since the PA roads eat the hell out of the poor car! Did that ground rodent thing see his shadow? We had a drat blizzard...  Bet people south of the Mason Dixie line are going, "heh heh lol its like 70 here today jeez guys too bad my swim trunks are so dirty from being used everyday"
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Feb 20, 2011 23:57
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VibrioCholera posted:Did that ground rodent thing see his shadow? We had a drat blizzard... Mr. Groundhog is a scant bastard, I'd rather just look at the Farmer's Almanac than look to a obese hamster ;p I live near Pittsburgh and two days ago we had 70 degree weather - but now we're getting snow with 40 degree weather. Why can't February make up it's loving mind on either to be hot or cold! But you know what, I can't complain last year we had SNOW on the ground and my poor old 2004 325ci's radiator bust on me while I was trying to get unstuck out of the affronted snow ;( *Waits patiently in the garage wearing a summer dress stroking a set of PilotSports* I'm so ready for weather that makes my rear end stick to my leather seats - Swampass Summers FTW. I feel bad I also have that poor E92 I bought it in July that only has seen the road 30 or so times since - can't wait to roll the mileage over 5000 - I'm at 4370 at the moment gotta catch up with Mr. E63's mileage is up to 40k+/- Wonder what kind of temperament my M will evolve into 
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Feb 21, 2011 00:42
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