Cheers all
Hadn't even realised you guys had posted!
So a reasonable sized update!
4/11/11
Popped into BMW and finalised the first of many part orders for the saloon, some of the stuff won’t be fitted until it has had its full exterior repaint done, Anyways the list goes...
M3 rear badge
Pass. Side heated mirror glass (currently got some moody pattern part on there)
Black leather handbrake and gearstick covers
2x heated washer jets with 2x washer valves
Full external door and bumpers plastic side strips (with M3 logo on front door strip)
8L of TWS 10/60 Oil, with new oil filter and air filter.
And then 3 engine bay stickers to replace to peeling ones, these have to be authorised by the guys in Germany believe it or not and will take a few weeks to arrive. As said not too much of a problem as they’ll be fitted again after the repaint.
Total cost - £719.10, prior to discount was £950! Just goes to show that even BMW can give you a cheeky discount if you ask nicely!
05/11/11
So this weekend I eventually got a bit of time to get a few little jobs sorted out, started by removing the horrid HID kit and orange side lights it had on it and replacing them with all new bulbs etc.
Then went onto removing the eyesore that was the Simota I/K and changing it to the standard air box and feeds, it’s amazing that people quote these kits make lots of power with them but then others state you lose power! Reading up on the forums about performance parts is a royal pain as there’s so much conflicting information, none the less the kit sold for £130 so I’m happy and the engine bay looks 10x’s better!
Also started on changing the tango/orange indicators lights etc as again I wasn’t keen, changed all of them apart from the fronts as the clips for them were broken so will have to get a set of them ordered up!
12/11/11
So on Saturday afternoon Sir_Dave/Failsport linked me to a wood interior set that I’d been after, I got the spec list from BMW and one options was a full wood interior set which had been taken out of the car. So I popped up to Northhampton and for £120 collected the full set, some bits are a little rough around the edges but I’ll have these sent away to be restored/reconditioned as BMW’s prices for them were unbelievable! The full kit from BMW was well over a £700, thanks but no thanks I said to the chap as well as some of the parts being discontinued also.
On the way up to Northampton I reset the consumption button to see what it could do, a 170 mile round trip got me this...
I was shocked to be honest with you! That was sitting at 80-85 most of the way apart from M1 50mph average speed check, but none the less very happy!
On the Sunday I gave the saloon its first big clean since owning it, fully washed down, clayed, polished, waxed and sealed etc so hopefully that should tide me over into the new year without too much work on it. It probably won’t be driven a lot over the coming month’s dependant on weather due to the salt/crap and trying to keep the rust to a minimum. Unfortunately no pictures as I ran out of light in the end and it was starting to rain, however one beading picture the next day after the rain! Gotta love a bit of
beading!
That’s about it for the time being, all I need to do now I locate a standard exhaust back box in good condition and standard springs all round and it’s pretty much standard! Then start saving for the repaint and various other external parts that will be fitted post paint.
16/11/11
So the rest of bits eventually arrived at BMW from the big order I had made, surprisingly the parts from Germany didn’t take as long to turn up as first thought by me and the parts chap. Doesn’t look like a lot for the amount paid, however once the car’s repainted with all these new fresh looking parts it should finish the car off nicely.
19/11/11
Managed to source some a few more genuine parts off eBay, a standard M3 cat-back exhaust, M3 clear front indicators and a warning triangle.
Also fitted the new passenger side heated mirror glass, so much more of an improvement as well as staying in place unlike before. Doesn’t look to of changed much in the pictures but trust me it really has, it’s nice to be able to see out of a mirror properly when driving!
26/11/11
So... My first problem with the car. Took to the car out for a little drive as it had been sitting most of this week, as I was driving on the dual carriageway all of a sudden the car seemed to have a mind of its own with regards to revving itself. Managed to get it off the road into a nearby services thankfully, the accelerator pedal had gone slack preventing me from driving the car properly. Had a look in the engine bay to see the obvious problem being the cable, however after playing about with it, it didn’t seem to make a difference as it was still too slack. After my brother came out to have a look also he’d spotted that one of the connector rods that connects the one of the throttle bodies to throttle linkage that controls all of the butterflies had come off. Plugged it back on and hey presto, up and running again! They all looked to have worn over time and being only plastic wasn’t too clever so on Monday I ordered up 3 new ones as well as a new throttle cable from BMW, hopefully have them fitted as soon as the parts come in. Cut knuckles will ensue come fitting time...
29/11/11
Changed the oil and filter on the car as it needed doing, previous owner had put in 10W/40 and when warm it was a little tappy. Once I’d drained the oil from both points, it was clear that one of them hadn’t been opened for a while. Mega dark oil which couldn’t of been good for it at all, none the less the cars lovely a smooth and a lot quieter! Bloody should do for £110 pounds worth of oil!
18/12/11
So not a lot has happened until now, mainly because of the weather and not wanting to get it covered in too much salt and crap from the roads. Fitted the new throttle cable and connector rods to the throttle linkages, what a royal pain in the arse! Kind of knew it wouldn’t be as simple as the previous French s**tboxes I’ve owned but I took my time, grazed my knuckles/fingers and got it done. Took it out for a little drive afterwards (first time in over 2 weeks) to make sure everything was alright, I have missed the raw power of it! Throttle’s nice and smooth now, not as heavy as it did previous.
Cheers
Nick