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Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Ok so as I'm getting more and more into the idea of autoX and general motoring fun, I'm getting fed up with my FWD infiniti. It's a 5 speed, its got pep but I really like the looks of the e36 4 door 325s. Add in the fact that I'd get almost 50 more hp, RWD and something I wouldn't mind spending money upgrading. Is it possible to get a decent one under 4k? If it's any lower should I steer far and clear? I've always loved the look of BMWs and I'm at the point in my life where I can consider buying/upkeeping one. Would appreciate any advice you guys have for this bmw newbie.

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Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Today I test drove a 1999 e46 328i, 4-door 5-speed with 141,000. I've been looking for a 328 with 4 doors and a stick for quite some time now (not in black) and they've been pretty hard to find. This guy is the first owner and has taken immaculate care of it. Since it was off warranty he's taken it to the same mechanic (a BMW specialist) and had anything that even remotely needed fixing done. After I test drove it, where everything felt fine, I went and talked to the mechanic who showed me the service records and talked about the car. He said aside from the radiator which hasn't been replaced, he can't think of anything it would need for a while, and that it should go for a while more. I think if I offer $6300 he'll take it. The book value is between $5900-$6500 depending on condition, and the condition seems really good. Is this a bad idea? Is this going to start falling apart on me soon or can I count on it lasting a while longer?
Here's a picture of the pretty thing:

Thanks for any advice!

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Thanks for the advice. I got the guy to agree on $6200 and we'll do the transaction Monday. I'm not too worried about changing the cooling system, although I'm curious when I should do it. I assume when I start seeing temperature rises or leaks it'll be too late?

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
So I did get that E46 328I from that guy and after a week of driving it, I love it. It's absolutely amazing. It was mentioned that I should replace the cooling system, and nicely enough, the fan housing and fan was replaced 7000 miles ago, which makes it a cheaper repair now. However, I am noticing something that I failed to on my test drive: a light clunk from the rear of the car when putting it in gear. Clutch in, push into first, light clunk midway through. It's not a really loud noise, but I talked with a friend of mine who worked a merc that did a similar thing, which he determined was the transmission and driveshaft mounts (or something). How urgent are repairs on this sort of thing? Other than that noise, the car seems to be really amazing. I also got my Haynes manual today, and after looking through it, if I spend a bunch of time reading and studying it, maybe I won't be so useless!

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Pimpsolo posted:

Hey, if you find out what this is, let me know. My e46 with similar mileage does the same and I've been too lazy to try to figure it out.

Doctor Grape Ape posted:

I've had a friend put my E36 into gear while I was underneath and the clunk was coming from the diff I think. When you put it in gear the output shaft of the transmission moves a little bit, and the differential has some built in backlash, so I'm pretty sure that is the clunk we're all hearing. Maybe try some of the shockproof Redline fluid and see what happens. I just live with it, but I would also love if my transmission made that awesome straight-cut gear whine.

Well I had my friend lay under my car while I shifted around the gears looking for the movement. He reports no movement at all and let me know that all my eng/trans mounts are in good condition too. I'll look into the redline fluid and maybe give it a try. As far as destroying LSD's, that would only apply to M3's right? I feel :downs: for saying this, but I'm pretty sure an E46 328i doesn't have an LSD, right?

I took her on a nice twisty road being the DD for some wine tasting the other day and god it was fun. This car really has lived up to everything I dreamed it was.

However, the PO put in an aftermarket CD player and what looks to be a pretty sizeable amp, but the bass is nonexistant. I'm not asking for much, but my infiniti's stock setup had WAY more. Anyone know what the deal could be there? (Yes I've put the deck's bass up as high as it can go) Anything with a decent bassline is near unlistenable because it sounds like it's missing a crucial part of the music.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Brock Landers posted:

Got an interesting letter in the mail today. Apparently there is a class action lawsuit against BMW for the subframe issues in the E46 3-Series. I was a former owner, so they sent me the letter asking if I wanted to participate. The settlement is still pending, but if they win, every participating owner will get the subframe repaired or be reimbursed for any expenses incurred repairing the subframe. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you E46 owners out there.

How do these things work if you're the 2nd owner?

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Ok so I've started replacing the little rubber bits on my car ('99 E46 328i, 143k) and I feel like I might as well do the radiator as well. The fan and fan housing were replaced 7k ago so all I should need is radiator, t-stat and water pump? What about hoses, clamps, etc. This would be the biggest job I've ever done and while I'm slightly retarded, I'm armed with my Haynes and some optimism. If anyone could provide a list of parts I should replace I would be very grateful (If anyone is in the east bay area and would oversee/help I'd gladly buy you a case of beer or something too.)

After I get the preventative maintenance done, I'd like to do some mild performance things. I've heard a K&N air filter will make the engine sound better and give a little hp boost. I was also wondering if anyone has any experience with adding a front stabilizer bar, my way home is on a wonderfully winding road and if I could get a little less roll in the corners without sacrificing road comfort it would be nice.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
(1999 e46 328I) So I had an interesting situation tonight: I went out to get something from my car before I left for a movie and my keyless entry thing didn't work. I got no response whatsoever. I unlocked the door with the key, opened it and of course the alarm went off. I figured maybe the battery had shorted, went inside to get the spare, and that's not working either. Once in, the car wont start, so we take another car to the movie. I get back, try the key and it unlocks and locks from 20 ft away and everything's hunky-dory. The car worked this morning too before this incident. Was my car hit by an EMP or something and just had to take some time to remember? Or is there some system that is now going haywire? I have to commute to work tomorrow morning so I hope this isn't going to be a common occurrence. If anyone knows what this is and how to fix it I would love to hear, as I need the car to work every morning.

Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Aug 8, 2009

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Ok, so the check engine light came on in my '99 E46 328i and I took it in to Aamco for their free code scan. This code came up http://www.obd-codes.com/p0441 . I know this could be all sorts of things, but is there any problem these engines are known to have about this fault? Oh and it has ~153,000 miles if that helps.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Cross posting this from the Stupid question thread:
I've been hearing a clunking when engaging/disengaging the throttle and sometimes when just moving the shifter into gear (1999 E46 328i 5-speed), so I took it to the dealer to get the rear sub-frame checked out (there's the whole class action settlement thing, so I figured it might be that, and if it was, hey, free repairs.) It's not, here's what it came back as:
" Clunking coming from torn differential real mount. Diff needs to be removed to replace bushing mount. Recommend sealing diff cover with diff removed, cover is seeping. Also rear trailing arm forward bushings torn. Front control arm bushings worn out. Need to install updated control arms before replacing bushings."

So basically, most of my rubber wear items back there have worn, this was expected, but the dealer quoted me $3200, which of course is absurd. My question is, as a guy who's never worked on suspension before, how hard is this going to be for me to do. I have access to a jack and stands, a fair set of tools, and some experience wrenching, but never anything under the car other than oil change. I can pay my coworker to do this, but I'd like to do as much as I can. Is this going to be over my head? Thanks.

Also, if anyone is feeling really nice, a shopping list from pelican parts would be great. I'm getting a bit lost on all the bushings and arms.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Sterndotstern posted:

Words

havelock posted:

More Words

Beach Bum posted:

Awesome detailed words.

So my head just lightly exploded. I'll definitely go for the easier route of pre-installed bushings and have my mechanic friend help me out with the whole process. It is my only car, so I'd like to have it done in a day. With the right amount of prep and knowledge, and someone to drive me to a parts store in an emergency I should be okay right? I don't see any mention of the diff seal, while I'm down there with everything apart I should do that too right?

Ok I'm going to start looking at parts and prices and when I can do this. In the meantime, any CA-Bay Area guys who would love to help me through this in person? I think over the weekend I'm going to crawl under the car and stare at the parts, this will help me feel a lot less overwhelmed. Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
What's everyone's opinion on gear oil? I've got an E46 1999 328i 5-speed and I'm finally embarking on replacing the diff mounts and input/output seals and cover seal. Thus I'm going to need new diff fluid. I know I need 75W90 gear oil, but some recommend RP, some recommend Redline, etc. I know everyone loves RP, but
http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=680092
and the attached pdf makes me worry that it's poo poo.
I trust the AI goons way more than the e46fanatics guys, so please help me out here. I can still return my RP for another week or so. Thanks.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Sterndotstern posted:

I've used both, no complaints about either. I used RP in limited slip diffs since it already has the LSD-friendly additive package and Redline in my open diffs.

I guess I'm not a normal case though since I changed it every three trackdays/oil changes.

Well, there's nothing wrong with changing it more often, other than spending a bit of money. Is there anything wrong with using the RP with it's limited slip additive in an open diff?

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
The car is a 1999 E46 328I 5-speed with 163,000miles. I've had a slow coolant leak for a while now, something I've ignored while fixing more urgent matters. Slow as in the coolant light would come on, I'd fill it up and I wouldn't hear from it for another 3 weeks to a month. The temperature of the car stayed rock solid in the middle for the whole time. So a minor issue to deal with later. However, it appears as though the leak has sped up, and now requires dealing with. I'm trying to pinpoint the leak, rather than replace the whole cooling system (something I'd love to do, but it's a bad time financially).

It appears to be leaking from the red circle currently, and then running down the side of the radiator and the expansion tank. The hose still flexes quite well and doesn't feel old, but I'm not 100% sure what's going on in the area. What is this most likely a sign of? The expansion tank was replaced at 120,000 miles, everything else is older than that. Thanks for any help.

PS. buy the e46. I love mine :) Pick one that has good service history and it'll treat you quite well.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Yeah I'm not worried about the actual wrenching involved, just I'm a bit short on cash currently as I just did control arms/bushings and my roommate just left without paying rent. I'm wondering what's most likely the cause of the leak so I can fix it with the least amount of financial investment for now. Don't worry, I'm fully planning on replacing the whole system in a month or so when the finances even out.

E: gently caress it. Everything but the expansion tank will be new. This is gonna hurt...

Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 10:01 on Dec 30, 2010

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Taco Box posted:

Replace the expansion tank too, or else. They are known to crack on the seam and blow the whole cooling system wide open. Also it is the most likely source of your leaks.

Yeah it did that already, so it's a lot newer than everything. I looked at it carefully and it's clearly not the source of the leak. Everything but the expansion tank was $381 shipped from pelican. Thanks for the point about the water pump. I'd read in the bentley and some only DIY guides about needing the bolts to remove the water pump, but nobody ever said where you got the bolts from :).

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

SiGmA_X posted:

Its your upper hose. I'd do the radiator/hoses/wp.. But then you're going to be worried about the plastic pipe under the intake manifold and the hoses exiting it. That sucks to replace, BTW. Horrid horrid time.

Actually it turned out to be the right side/top of the radiator was leaking. As a note to anyone doing this job, replace the friggin expansion tank. Mine was fine, but it was a pain in the rear end to get out, and the whole time I was worried about loving it up. That being said, it wasn't a terrible job to do, the hardest thing was getting the old hoses disconnected. Also, drain the block; actually drain the block. Get the tools to be able to loosen the block drain plug and drain it. I listened to a friend of mine, and of course what happened when I took my water pump out? Yes I knew it was going to happen, but did it anyways. That being said, drain the block. Bleeding the system is really, really, really easy.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

EvilMoFo posted:

Also, the transmissions on both are victims of "lifetime transmission fluid" and it is past the point of changing the fluid without the potential of immediate failure.

Can you elaborate on this? My syncros are starting to get a little rough, I think, and I figured it couldn't hurt to change the transmission fluid, but can it?

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Taco Box posted:

Holy poo poo, I've never heard this before but it's funny as poo poo and sadly true at the same time. My E46 always needs attention in some way, so I guess there is some truth to it. It's not a lot of major stuff, but over time the list of little niggling poo poo to fix gets old.
Just off the top of my head, my e46 needs:
-trunk taillights
-pass side seatbelt catch thing
-all 6 pillar covers
-fcabs
-rtabs
-probably shocks too
-guibo
-probably front control arms
I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting, and there are varying levels of 'need' to all that
2002 325ci with 127,xxx miles

Do the control arms as you're doing the bushings, bring a ball joint separator and some short 18, 21 and 22 open ended wrenches and it'll be like a 3-4 hour job. I did mine 3 weekends ago and it made a fantastic difference in handling. That being said, my bushings/ball joints were probably shot more than yours, as it was at 160,000.
BMWs can be a lot of maintenance, but I WANT to work on this car. I like keeping it nice. I wouldn't bother with a Honda...

E: gently caress I meant to combine those posts..

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Sterndotstern posted:

Learn to use your fingernail to inspect a brake rotor. Listen to the engine carefully, if it rattles it might need Dr. Vanos.

Check for a lip on the brake rotor edge.

Where were you when I bought mine? Admittedly I've loved learning how to do control arms/bushings and the cooling system but it would have been good to look for.

A lip on the rotor edge means you need new rotors right? Or does it mean something else. Also as far as the vanos goes, what kind of rattle are we talking about? How insane of a job is Dr. Vanos if you're fairly handy and have a Bentley....

E: I should clarify I'm in a '99 e46 328i

Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 08:35 on Feb 15, 2011

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Sterndotstern posted:

As you drag your fingernail along the rotor from inside to out, you'll feel for any undulations in the rotor that indicate heavy wear, especially anything at all jagged. As your finger approachs the outer edge of the rotor, you'll feel the lip created where the pad material doesn't abrade disc material away. You can easily gauge how deeply worn the rotors are, a significant lip is ~3mm. M3 rotors can't be machined, they must be replaced.

I don't know the specifics of the rattle, no car I've ever owned exhibits it but I've heard it at the track. It's distinct from lifter tick, but if you don't compare them side by side it's tough to describe the difference.

I'm not going to touch vanos then. After reading up on it, I'm not experiencing symptoms, although at 168k I should be according to Besian.

As far as brakes go, does anyone have any advice on rotors and pads to buy? I love them, but half the e46fanatics community is so concerned with aesthetics that everyone recommends cross drilled. Once (If? :( )I deal with my rear diff mounts I will be tracking the car, so I'd like rotors that can handle it. There's a million companies who make rotors though. I'm actually measuring my rotors today, but I have a feeling I need to replace them.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
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.

I'm definitely going to go with changing pads at the track too, it takes so little time.

e: Revmoo's idea is much better.

Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Feb 16, 2011

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Sterndotstern posted:

a significant lip is ~3mm.
3mm is HUGE. I got my calipers out today and my lip is only barely 1mm, and there's no jagged edges, so I'm not going to worry about it. It's my first foray into brakes so I may have panicked a bit. At least when I DO need rotors, I've already done all the research....

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!

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Chinatown posted:

So...lower mileage ZHP, or a higher mileage manual M3? Pros/Cons would be appreciated. Thanks Hadlock for your advice. :)

Danke.

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

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
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.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
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...

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Shadowhand00 posted:

So I've been listening to my engine, and I'm not sure whether I hear marbles rattling around. is the sound very apparent for e46s?

I definitely don't hear any marbles in my engine and I'm at 168k. How much rattling are you talking about? Very apparent would worry me. Is it while idling or only during acceleration?
On the note of clutches, I'm on my original clutch too, they seem to be damned good clutches if you take care of them.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Finally did my diff mounts and diff cover gasket on my e46 328i. Holy mother of god that is the worst job in the world. Every move you make drops years of road crud on you, removing everything to get to the diff is a nightmare. The diff weighs like 80 pounds and has to be angled down to get it out, so a jack doesn't really work. Then when you put the bushings in, even with antiseize, they always want to go in crooked.

BUT!!! No more rear end clunk. The power delivery is soooo much smoother now! Right now I'm in agony from a day on the floor sliding around around and whatnot, but over the next few days I'm just going to love it!

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
When in doubt use one of these. Sure they're a little crude, but they're never wrong as long as the needle isn't dragging on something and they're cheap as hell. It won't win you cool points, but it's worked fantastically on everything from my diff job, to head installation to water pump stuff.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Rear suspension on my 328i e46 is the same setup too.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
Hey guys, me and my e46 328i 5-speed are back with a problem...
It feels like the clutch isn't disengaging completely. The revs drop when I put the clutch in, but shifting is a bit clunky and I generally have to rev match for 2nd and 3rd to feel anywhere near decent. There also is a light squeak whenever I move the clutch pedal in or out, coming from under the steering wheel. This makes me believe it's the master cylinder going. So I figured I'd replace that and the slave cyl, however I've now read through this thread and it's not exactly making me feel great about doing the job. I want to be fairly certain this will help before I install the parts, as they weren't cheap. If it's the synchros or something in the clutch mechanism going, that's kind of above my skill level right now, so I'd probably just make it work. Anyone have any experience with this aspect of the system? Sears Pointless kinda raided my bank account so I'd like to do this as cheap as possible.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
What do you mean by rubberband? Also there's no real noise that I can hear from the clutch/transmission aside from the squeaking, which is new I should mention, only a couple months old.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

korea posted:

It felt like the car was shaking forwards and backwards. I'd imagine it was caused because the rev difference between the transmission and wheels was loading up the guibo and sorta impact-hammering on the clutch.

Also, I just remembered this, could it be the clutch delay valve? I don't have any experience with one, but it seems like there's plenty of complaints about the setup and sorta match your complaints that the clutch isn't disengaging properly.

I'll crawl under the car tomorrow and take a look at the guibo and see if I have a CDV. Apparently 328's didn't come with one, but I'll check anyways.

The reason I'm going after the hydraulic system is due to the new noise, I figure it's wearing out and not generating enough pressure. God I hope its not my clutch springs or anything.

Here's a question though: Since the clutch and brakes are on the same reservoir, if I open up the clutch line, do I need to bleed the brakes too?

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
We'll isn't this cool. I've been hoping someone would have any more insight on my clutch issue, and here you guys go and potentially solve my phantom blinker that sounds out rarely but isn't. As far as the clutch goes, I still have no idea if its the master or slave sucking, but I know they're both 170k old so I guess replacing them isn't an awful idea. It'll just be frustrating if it doesn't do anything.

E: nope, mine doesn't look like that at all, what else could it be?

Deceptor101 fucked around with this message at 05:49 on Apr 16, 2011

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
^ shake in the steering wheel around 30-35 was my FCABs, but it went away as I sped up. Probably wouldn't hurt to check them though. The warming up thing is very weird, the FCABs were all the time. So it's probably not that. Do let us know when you find out!

So my 99 328i hit 170k today, and I realized, many things on the car are getting pretty old. I'd like to do a suspension refresh, because I think it's affecting my handling quite a bit now. I really like the look of the pelican kits, but they all say "328i/Ci (07/99 on)". Did they change so much mid year that I'm boned for most suspension replacements? When I look at the individual parts on pelican, I don't see anything specifying the 07/99 date.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

tesko.pk posted:

Do some cross-referencing at realoem.com, but I think you're safe. Personally I wouldn't go with a kit from Pelican, nothing against them, I just prefer Meyle HD components, they're really worth the extra cost IMO. The suspension refresh on my E46 is; Meyle HD FCAB's, Meyle HD Front End Links, Meyle HD rear shock mounts, RSM reinforcement plates, tie-rods, front strut mounts, spring pads all around, Koni FSD shocks, H&R sport springs, and a carbon fiber BMW performance strut brace for the cherry on top. One of these days some Sway Barbarians from UUC are supposed to show up but after 6 weeks im still patiently waiting :emo:

Who do you shop at for Meyle HD stuff? I found some things on UUC, but their site design is ehhh. Turner seems to have good prices on the springs/shocks/struts but their options for RSM/FSM are limited. Also, if you had stock suspension, when you switched to the sport shocks and springs how much rougher was the ride. Obviously the little blurbs say it's not a big change, but I do commute in this thing so I need it more than bearable.

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?
I got my 99 328i at 140k for $6200, which was right about the book value for good-excellent condition. Single owner, all records, garaged, etc. I think it was an awesome find. That being said, I looked for 3 months just to even find one in a stick that hadn't been modded, crashed or whatnot. I'm in the East bay area and yeah, there' a ton of lovely deals out there but keep looking :)

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Bank posted:

So I found an E46 yesterday (2000, 323i w/110k) for 6k at Wheels and Deals of all places. Test drove it and something didn't seem quite right during the warm up period; the RPMs were fluctuating from 1-2k. I let my mechanic buddy drive it and he said it was probably a Vanos issue.

What was funny is that someone drove it right after me and bought it. I don't think they noticed the RPM fluctuations as it didn't show during a warm start. I probably should have picked it up anyway and put in a Beisan repair kit since it was priced right, but whatever. :(

The search for a clean E46 in the Bay Area continues. I have a couple of test drives scheduled this weekend, but I'm getting anxious, and worried I may end up overpaying on impulse.

You'll be glad you waited on a more powerful engine if you find one.

Also as far as dealers go, I haven't tried to buy a car from Weatherford, but their parts dept guys are all really cool and will just talk with you about repair jobs if need be. Except for the one guy who suggested I wasn't cool for not burning half a quart of oil. "You must not be driving the car hard enough :smug:"

Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

Catastrophe posted:

Now to fix the windshield wipers, rear defroster, horn, passenger door lock, unreliable electrical system, rebuild the carb, replace the door seals, replace the ultra dim headlights with H4s, install the center console...

*sigh*

Old cars...

Never make a list longer than the first 2-3 most important things. It helps you stay positive! That way when poo poo goes wrong it can surprise you!

Speaking of: I want all of you to go check your kidney grills right now. Is one corner starting to come loose? Are you sure those clips are good? I didn't check at all, and had to go pick the left side grill off the road. Every single clip had shattered. Now my car will look ridiculous until the replacements arrive. I'm trying the matte black kit from Khoalty because it's cheap and I'm curious about the look. Plus it's in stock :)

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Deceptor101
Jul 7, 2007

What fun is a project if it doesn't at least slightly ruin your life?

awesome-express posted:

It's pretty much true :smith: Should've bought a Yaris or something.

If a Yaris can make you grin stupidly every time it works, and that cheap toyota interior doesn't offend, go for it. But something tells me it doesn't.

What's worse: Getting depressed when you find out your awesome car requires another fix, or getting depressed every time you see your car?

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