[hknite]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

[KL2DC]

yes Happy Thanksgiving everybody...have a good holiday!

Not doing much here, its just my wife and I and friends. We're all going out to eat. I cook a mean turkey but I haven't done so in 2 years, been kind of lazy
Doing the whole black friday sale thing, finally. There's a plasma with my name on it at Best Buy. If you're in the area I can be found at 2 am tonight, lining up Hey got to try it at least once, right? Will appreciate tips of the trade, anyone?

[BK]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

Will appreciate tips of the trade, anyone?

It sounds like you want the whole experience of lining up and doing it in person, but for some Black Friday deals online, including Best Buy, Circuit City, etc., take a look at the Hot Deals page: http://www.hot-deals.org/

[BK]

Originally Posted by ase2dais

You're the next up and coming DC Metro Star Brian!
Keep it Up
We love reading your posts

.... we love to see more of your awesome photoshoots too

Thanks, ase! Makes me feel better about my crazy addiction to e90post.

I filled up two 1GB cards today with photos... but alas, not of the E90. Just Thanksgiving photos of family. I'll be going through those to edit the keepers later tonight once I'm done here.

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by BK

It sounds like you want the whole experience of lining up and doing it in person, but for some Black Friday deals online, including Best Buy, Circuit City, etc., take a look at the Hot Deals page: http://www.hot-deals.org/

just heads up another black Friday Website is :

http://bfads.net/

[KL2DC]

I survived my first (and possibly last) Black Friday camp put

It was quite an experience but I got the stuff I wanted so I guess its worth it

The combination of espresso shots, standing, cold temperatures and the lack of restroom facilities was not a good mix ...

[ase2dais]

so long as the wifey is happy

[FrankoQ]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

I survived my first (and possibly last) Black Friday camp put

It was quite an experience but I got the stuff I wanted so I guess its worth it

The combination of espresso shots, standing, cold temperatures and the lack of restroom facilities was not a good mix ...

What time did you get there?

I got there at 4:55 and by the time I got inside Best Buy, half of the stuff
I wanted was gone.

[Dani]

I went to the Leesburg outlets at midnight when they opened. It took a half hour after getting off the exit just to get into the parking lot then 15 minutes in line for Starbucks. At 4:30 there was still a line waiting just to get into the Coach store plus the line to check out. There were some stores where the checkout line weaved throught all the isles and you couldn't even move. It was crazy.

[FrankoQ]

Originally Posted by Dani

I went to the Leesburg outlets at midnight when they opened. It took a half hour after getting off the exit just to get into the parking lot then 15 minutes in line for Starbucks. At 4:30 there was still a line waiting just to get into the Coach store plus the line to check out. There were some stores where the checkout line weaved throught all the isles and you couldn't even move. It was crazy.

Best buy in Laurel.
4:55AM I get there and the line to get in was all the way to Lowe's.
5:10AM I finally get in. 2 of the items I wanted were gone already.
6:00AM I get in line to check out.
6:50AM I finally reached a cashier to pay.
6:55AM I get out of the store promising never to do that again.

[Dani]

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

Best buy in Laurel.
4:55AM I get there and the line to get in was all the way to Lowe's.
5:10AM I finally get in. 2 of the items I wanted were gone already.
6:00AM I get in line to check out.
6:50AM I finally reached a cashier to pay.
6:55AM I get out of the store promising never to do that again.

ok, you've got me beat!!!!

[KL2DC]

Frank...04:55 is waaaay too late.

I was standing in line from 19:30 the night before . I was number 25 from the front. They gave out entitlement coupons for limited quantity stuff at 04:00. From 04:00 to opening at 05:00 the cops kept us in line. Hardest 1 hour I can remember, my bladder was practically bursting

At the Best Buy at Bailey's crossroads, the line literally went around the store I heard the location at Springfield was close to 1,000 strong.

I was lucky I live only 5 minutes away so I was able to take a few 30 minute breaks home while the wifey stood inline.

Anyways, I met some cool folks and we basically chatted the night away.

How I'd do? Well I was after the Panasonic 42" Plasma at $999 and the Samsung camcorder at $130 and I got those items with ease. Also picked up some small items here and there. I was loaded up and on my way home by 05:20 Btw most folks were after the $250 laptops.

Quite a memorable experience, I must say

[FrankoQ]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

Frank...04:55 is waaaay too late.

I was standing in line from 19:30 the night before . I was number 25 from the front. They gave out entitlement coupons for limited quantity stuff at 04:00. From 04:00 to opening at 05:00 the cops kept us in line. Hardest 1 hour I can remember, my bladder was practically bursting

At the Best Buy at Bailey's crossroads, the line literally went around the store I heard the location at Springfield was close to 1,000 strong.

I was lucky I live only 5 minutes away so I was able to take a few 30 minute breaks home while the wifey stood inline.

Anyways, I met some cool folks and we basically chatted the night away.

How I'd do? Well I was after the Panasonic 42" Plasma at $999 and the Samsung camcorder at $130 and I got those items with ease. Also picked up some small items here and there. I was loaded up and on my way home by 05:20 Btw most folks were after the $250 laptops.

Quite a memorable experience, I must say

You can see I am a rookie black friday shopper.

[BK]

I've swapped my summer wheels for the winter ASA JH3 + Dunlop M3 set from Tire Rack. I didn't have any problems getting my wheels off the car, though every one of them needed a karate kick or two. I used a wire brush to scrape off the rust and put some Permatex anti-seize lubricant where the rust was, so hopefully they'll be easier to remove when I switch back in a few months.

Before putting the wheels on, I put a single coat of Zaino Z2 on them, followed by Z8 "Grand Finale," which is a sealant. I am hoping this makes the brake dust easier to clean off later.

The BMW OEM jack worked well, though a scissors-type jack is a real PITA. At least it fits the little jack points nicely. I used a torque wrench to tighten the bolts to 88.5lb-ft (120nm), which I've read is the recommended torque. The BMW jack comes with a torque wrench set to 130nm, but I didn't use it.

All in all, a good news story. However, there is some bad news, too. Any money I saved by putting the wheels on myself I will now be spending on repairs to another 162 rim. Some of you know I got curb rash to my right rear rim a few weeks ago. Now I have a chip in one of the front rims.

I stupidly set it upright, just for a second, and it fell onto my concrete driveway and chipped the edge. Ugh. It is a very minor chip, but now I have two 162s to get fixed. There's a DIY here on the forum, and if I get brave enough and depending on the cost of a repair, I might just do it myself for both of them.

As for the new tires and rims - the rims look better in person than they do in photos. I think they look very nice. The 17" rims just barely clear the front brake caliper. And I mean barely! It looks like you could just fit a couple of sheets of paper between the brake and the inside of the rim.

The tires drive fine. I didn't push it but I can't really tell the difference between these and the OEM tires. I may be imagining things, but if anything was different, it seemed like the steering was ever so slightly lighter. Road noise was not bad at all.

Photos of the wheels on the car will come after I wash the car tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some photos of the wheels off the car and some pics of the chips in my 162s. The one from today is minor, I know, but I still want to fix it.

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by BK

...and if I get brave enough and depending on the cost of a repair, I might just do it myself for both of them.

Wheels looks nice, thks for sharing. I seasonally chnge my wheels too and find those BMW scissors a PITA, so I find getting a cheap hydraulic from Advance Auto well worth the money and convenience, Sears has them too. Maybe now is the time to get them being a Black Wkend. You wont regret it, 2-3 pumps your up an done!

Wheel repair I find are about $95 each wheel and can go up. I thought about it , never got to it but been saving SteveMD's PM notes to me on how he did it, for future use. Here are his notes to me and maybe you can PM him directly

Originally Posted by SteveMD

Hey there. The WURTH paint is here: http://www.superiorcarcare.net/tirewheelcare.html

You can get Bondo brand red putty at any Pep Boys or similar store.

You also need sanding primer - about $4.

For sanding, I used 400 grit to initially clean up the scratch. Then put the bondo on to fill in the scratch. I then used 800 with water to sand down the bondo.

The wheel should now be the right shape.

Tape up the wheel - I covered the tire only since I wanted no masking lines. And obviously the paint. I actually covered the whole car with the car cover from my Corvette.

Carefully apply the primer - just a few passes will work. Immediately use thinners to remove overspray from your wheel.

Give it a couple of hours.

Wet sand again with 800. You should be now ready to apply the Wurth silver. Again, just a couple of passes should do. Wipe off excess.

Let it dry for at least 12 hours. Then apply another coat. 12 hours. Then apply the clear.

That's it. I then used 2000 grit to 'polish it up' along with some liquid polish.

Good luck.

[BK]

Thanks, ase! Fixing the rims does not sound difficult, especially with the wheels off the car, since it should be easy to mask them. But it is time-consuming. We'll see!

As promised, here are photos of the winter wheels on the car. This is before washing the car, but it still looked pretty clean so I snapped some pics. A couple more photos on the Wheels and Tires forum thread: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...886#post551886

[BK]

Just had to comment... things are awfully quiet with KL2DC away!

EDIT - and I don't mean that in a good way, like "It sure is quiet without those kids running around and screaming." I miss him!

[FrankoQ]

Dani,
Did you get your car back?

[Dani]

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

Dani,
Did you get your car back?

not even close. the rear axle holder (I think that is what he said it was anyway) was supposed to arrive today. don't you love backorders.

[FrankoQ]

Originally Posted by Dani

not even close. the rear axle holder (I think that is what he said it was anyway) was supposed to arrive today. don't you love backorders.

Oh well.
Maybe that would be your xmas present!

[Dani]

Originally Posted by FrankoQ

Oh well.
Maybe that would be your xmas present!

oh and I am driving to Mass for xmas, looks like a road trip in the rental. good times.

[bavarian19]

Happy Holidays to the DC Metro Group!!! Safe travels for those leaving the area!!!