[DR-JEKL]

Well my pallet load of M goodness is in transit, the boat left port late last week from the UK.

Hopefully in a month or so once they clear customs I can pick them up in Sydney!

Parts prior to packaging:



All packaged up ready for shipping:

[mazaa93]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=769819

Those mtec rear LED's are quite expensive (something like $70) but damn they are bloody bright and are a bright white. When you unlock your car at night the plate lights are that bright it lights up the area behind the vehicle.

Installation is pretty damn tedious and fiddly for the cabin lights, just take your time!

Hahaha so it that a good thing or bad thing? (in regards to how bright it is)
If you say it looks good, I'll get me a set.

And thanks for the link!

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by mazaa93

Hahaha so it that a good thing or bad thing? (in regards to how bright it is)
If you say it looks good, I'll get me a set.

And thanks for the link!

It's all a matter of personal preference and I kinda baulked at paying that much when you can get some chinese LED's for $20 but I love the brightness of the mtecs!!

[mazaa93]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

It's all a matter of personal preference and I kinda baulked at paying that much when you can get some chinese LED's for $20 but I love the brightness of the mtecs!!

Well there are some $40 American ones on eBay which I might have a look into, cheers for the help!

[DimitrisM3]

very good!!!
the car looks very beatifull..

[DR-JEKL]

just thought I would share this with you guys as you may wish to do the same.

As you may know when you jack the car up, the 335i's don't have regular sills strips like a conventional car they have a rectangular type recessed pocket:



This is what happens when you use conventional stands (no this isn't my car luckily!):



Conventional sills found on most cars:



Some guys use the bms style jack pads on their car stands but tbh this is an accident waiting to happen as if the car moves whilst the car is suspended on the jack pad/jack stands, the jack pad could potentially slide off and at best just punch a hole through the floorpan of your car or worse case scenario take your life...



As the name implies the jack pad is for jacking the car up, but tbh this nifty piece just isn't needed as you can use a piece of timber cut to size and jack the car using the timber (I always use the centre jacking points anyway and a jack pad/timber isn't required anyway).

So getting back on track, the car stands that caught my eye were these:



Unfortunately they were about $180 for 2 sets (4 stands) then about that again for p&h to Australia. They are Torin stands that are modified by a vendor on here to suit our bmw's. They are an extremely nice piece but I couldn't justify the price.

I had sourced the importer for the Torin stands in Australia who would sell 4 stands for around $150 shipped (without the rectangular blocks modification) but tbh I wasn't happy with the base of these stands (large surface area means moire stability and support if things were to go wrong) and it would require drilling of the centre section of the stand which potentially could fatigue after time and fail (highly unlikely but I like to engineer items that are bulletproof)

I decided to shop around and try and conduct a DIY approach. I'm certainly glad I didn't just pay $300 for a set of stands as what I come up with is ultimately probably a better solution, albeit not quite as neat (at the end of the day they are only car stands, and aesthetics aren't that important).

SCA currentley have 30% off their workshop equipment range and I found these stands for $28 a pair:



They have a screw adjustment for fine adjustment, and being a tad taller then most stands at the lowest point they are an ideal height for our cars (you don't have to place the pin in the jack stand) just leave the stand as is then adjust the height to suit.

Since these are a fabricated stand, and not cast iron this means you can weld them (its very difficult to weld cast iron) unlike a conventional stand such as this:



So I bought 4 stands from SCA and at work I cut some rectangular blocks in the bandsaw from some scrap bar feed and welded them to the stand:





Drawn05 dropped by yesterday afternoon, and we done an oil change on his 135i and they worked a treat. I must say for around $60 this is a great investment!

I have 2 spare blocks left over from the original lot that I had cut up, if anyone would like to make their own car stands you can buy a pair at SCA for $28 and weld the blocks on. for 90% of DIY tasks one pair of stands is enough (oil changes, exhaust work etc)

Just let me know if you would like the blocks, or need help with fabricating your own.

[DR-JEKL]

On another topic I have ordered another bmw performance exhaust for my car, my mate who was going to fabricate a straight pipe for me still hasn't done it and is going to WA for a few months to work....

So if anyone is after some eisenmann tips please let me know as mine will be for sale!

[kaitan]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

On another topic I have ordered another bmw performance exhaust for my car, my mate who was going to fabricate a straight pipe for me still hasn't done it and is going to WA for a few months to work....

So if anyone is after some eisenmann tips please let me know as mine will be for sale!

lol now back to PE?? hahaha

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by kaitan

lol now back to PE?? hahaha

Foot in my mouth kinda moment eh

To this day, Joe's meisterschaft is the best sounding N54 I have heard. I'm just sick of waiting to get straight pipe setup done on my car!

[skidz]

any idea when your new arse gets here

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by skidz

any idea when your new arse gets here

Done the customs paperwork last week, they are expecting the ship to arrive in 2 1/2 weeks time in Sydney. So roughly in a months time it will be ready for collection hopefully.

[DR-JEKL]

Well I have a few small build updates.

The M3 gear that was getting sent via sea freight had a small delay due to 'space' restrictions, so shipment was held up in Singapore for 2 weeks but was due to arrive in Sydney today.

So hopefully within the next week or so it will clear customs and i can have it delivered.

On another note I have always been keen to try either meth or E85. Obviously both increase power and also have some positive attributes (meth lowers intake temperatures and helps minimise carbon buildup that are DI engines are renowned for, and E85 lowers engine temperatures) and I have decided to go the E85 route first and maybe meth later.

The main reason being that imo E85 in small doses (not 100%) requires no additional hardware to be installed (meth requires bungs in the charge pipe, meth tank and lines) just a 'software' map upgrade to advance the timing to take advantage of the increased octane rating of E85 fuel.

As you may know I currently run the procede ecu, and vishnu offer a flex fuel option but this requires for your dme to be uninstalled from the car and sent to the usa for shiv to be upgraded and returned. This kit does seem like a solid design as it comes with a sensor which can automatically detect the ethanol content and tune accordingly but to me its a hassle to send the dme to the usa.

http://procedetuning.com/BMW/n54/styled-19/index.html

So I have decided to purchase a cobb, and run the cobb eflex fuel map and get a custom tune to suit.



Some discussion here on the 1addicts forum regarding E85 that Steve has been experimenting with:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840804

I don't intend to run the eflex fuel everyday, as imo ethanol still has some negative attributes (it kills engine oil, it retains moisture etc etc) but use it for when required such as at the strip/circuit!

The cobb apparently takes around 60 seconds to reflash the map so it should be relatively pain free way of gaining 20-30rwkw.

Also I'm unsure yet, but some guys run a stack tune with their cobbs. So what this means is that I can retain the procede and use the cobb flash.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to the next advan dyno day to see what numbers I can put out this time around and hopefully finally get to the strip and conduct a few baseline runs!

Oh yeah and I pulled the trigger on a M3 gauge cluster, so im looking forward to installing a bit of 'bling' in my cabin (I'm itching to do a custom trim, but am attempting to save $ for my m3 suspension install)

[cartaa100]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Well I have a few small build updates.

The M3 gear that was getting sent via sea freight had a small delay due to 'space' restrictions, so shipment was held up in Singapore for 2 weeks but was due to arrive in Sydney today.

So hopefully within the next week or so it will clear customs and i can have it delivered.

On another note I have always been keen to try either meth or E85. Obviously both increase power and also have some positive attributes (meth lowers intake temperatures and helps minimise carbon buildup that are DI engines are renowned for, and E85 lowers engine temperatures) and I have decided to go the E85 route first and maybe meth later.

The main reason being that imo E85 in small doses (not 100%) requires no additional hardware to be installed (meth requires bungs in the charge pipe, meth tank and lines) just a 'software' map upgrade to advance the timing to take advantage of the increased octane rating of E85 fuel.

As you may know I currently run the procede ecu, and vishnu offer a flex fuel option but this requires for your dme to be uninstalled from the car and sent to the usa for shiv to be upgraded and returned. This kit does seem like a solid design as it comes with a sensor which can automatically detect the ethanol content and tune accordingly but to me its a hassle to send the dme to the usa.

http://procedetuning.com/BMW/n54/styled-19/index.html

So I have decided to purchase a cobb, and run the cobb eflex fuel map and get a custom tune to suit.



Some discussion here on the 1addicts forum regarding E85 that Steve has been experimenting with:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=840804

I don't intend to run the eflex fuel everyday, as imo ethanol still has some negative attributes (it kills engine oil, it retains moisture etc etc) but use it for when required such as at the strip/circuit!

The cobb apparently takes around 60 seconds to reflash the map so it should be relatively pain free way of gaining 20-30rwkw.

Also I'm unsure yet, but some guys run a stack tune with their cobbs. So what this means is that I can retain the procede and use the cobb flash.

Needless to say I'm looking forward to the next advan dyno day to see what numbers I can put out this time around and hopefully finally get to the strip and conduct a few baseline runs!

Oh yeah and I pulled the trigger on a M3 gauge cluster, so im looking forward to installing a bit of 'bling' in my cabin (I'm itching to do a custom trim, but am attempting to save $ for my m3 suspension install)

The M3 cluster will save you in the long run look forward to seeing the suspension bits go on!

[_ink]

did the cluster come pre-coded?

[DR-JEKL]

I had a few pallets arrive this week, one from the uk containing my m3 suspension (it took 2 1/2 months!) and the other from germany containing my bmw pe (and a m3 PE exhaust) along with a heap of other servicing parts.

BMW PE: When unboxing the PE it doesn't wow you, and for the price outlayed to purchase it its difficult to see where the price premium is. When unboxing the M3 system its easy to see in that application why it costs a smuch a sit does, beautiful welds, polished ti tips with ///m engraved onto each tip and lightweight materials. I have decided to polish my system, so the mufflers appear like the eisenmann mufflers:

BMW PE:



Eisenmann:





Vanos solenoids: I had a vanos code error once when logging on a extremely hot day. I'm quite fussy and For the sake of $250 and since my car has done 70k kays and these are a consumable item I have decided to not stuff around and replace them.





Valve cover kit: My car has traces of oil around the rocker cover, and also down the sides of the engine. Apparently the gaskets on the N54 is prone to leaking, and the rocker covers are made of plastic and can crack. Since its quite a big job to replace, while you have everything apart its best to change the cover also (you don't want to work on the car for 6 hrs or so changing the gasket, then realise you have a leaking cover and have to restrip everything again and change the cover)

The kit includes the cover, gasket and replacement Al bolts which are prone to shearing/snapping if not replaced.





RB PCV & PCV fitting (pics to come)

The RB turbo PCV valve has been designed to improve upon the existing ventilation system to minimise oil vapour buildup.

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15382





DIY Install instructions:

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=190

O2 sensors: I had experienced intermittent misfires a few months ago, since I changed the plugs and coils its much better, idles smoother, pulls harder and no more misfires. Since then I have had a few error codes for bank 2 pre cat lambda O2 sensor when cruising along doing 60 km/h. It hasn't caused an issue, but once again since I'm the fussy type I decided to get two new pre cat O2 sensors (you must change them in pairs, and after installing reset adaptation values) The bmw items are quite expensive, and since they are made by bosch i sourced some bosch items. The bosch part numbers are 17098 & 17102 and the major difference is that they have a different colour cable sheath (to distinguish between each bank) and the length of the cable. The 17098 is a generic lambda sensor, wheras the 17102 is a bmw specific sensor and is almost twice the price. The tip is to buy two 17098 sensors (this is proven to work fine) and mark the cable, or just take care when installing so you dont get them mixed up.







Intake gaskets: I'm planning to do a intake clean. Since our engines are direct injection where the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, this means there is no fuel to clean the carbon buildup on the valves (the detergent properties that you may have seen associated with the shell v power marketing campaigns does sweet bugger all in our engines for buildup on the intake valves)



As mentioned direct injection injects fuel straight into the combustion chamber:



Our bmws run the setup in the bottom diagram.

Another example is this:



The buildup occurs on the valve like so:



Since the fuel doesn't come into contact with the intake valves like a convention EFI setup (as mentioned fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber) the detergents commonly marketed in shells v power does bugger all for carbon buildup on the N54.



So adding any form of additives will not clean this buildup, it has to be removed by walnut blasting or by scraping by hand with wire brushes and carby cleaner etc (the crud sets quite hard due to the heat generated from the combustion process and engine operating temperatures)

This issue is prevalent among most direct injection engines (audis, SIDI commodores) and causing poor idle, surging acceleration and a loss of power. Talking to my local dealer, they reccomended an intake clean via forcing a detergent under pressure into the intake which takes around 4 hrs and costs around $200.

They mentioned if it is really gunked up it may take a few applications. I'm not really sold on this idea, a sunless you're taking the inlet manifold off you cannot see if it has effectively been cleaned or not. That's why in my view the walnut blast method is definately the way to go, its just that I don't know of anyone performing this service and I will most likely have to purchase the equipment myself and conduct a DIY walnut blast. This is quite expensive as the equipment required to do this wil be around $1000 (air compressor $6-800, media blaster $200, dry vac $150, nozzles $100) I definitely want to go with this, just cannot justify the expenditure of the equipment that will most likely be a 'one off'. I might try and see if I can get a few members to contribute by holding a diy day in my garage and charge a certain amount to help pay for the costs of the equipment...

http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16734

The F&R suspension was from a 2010 m3, that had supposedly done 15000 miles. But looking at all the crud built up on everything you would have sworn it had done 150 000 miles! I guess with the snow/salt on the roads there, the undercarriage is exposed to harsher conditions.

I commenced with dousing everything in sonax extreme wheel cleaner (I used a full bottle) scrubbed it, and then rinsed it with a pressure washer. This lifted the majority of the crud from the parts, but the aluminium control arms etc are still somewhat dull:











I have tried everything, but i cant get the porous surface of the cast aluminium suspension components to shine I'm either going to have to apply chemicals or walnut blast them. Anyone know what works on cast aluminium components?

I really wanted to install ohlins R&T coilovers but I cant afford them, so I was planning to compromise by going with bilstein B16's or bilstein prokit (shocks and springs) in the end the B16's are still too expensive to buy and then replace with ohlins in 12 months time, the bilstein prokit is a nice bit of kit, but then I won't have height/damper adjustability or the function to corner weigh the vehicle adjust front camber for the track etc so I have succumbed and purchased some BC BR coilovers...



So once again I'm officially broke, and need to save up so I can pay advan to install all my goodies!

[JJH]

Nice update - you certainly have a shed load of parts to install now! Looking at the PE pic you posted, it seems it does not have the flapper which the stock exhaust comes with - is that correct?

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by JJH_335

Nice update - you certainly have a shed load of parts to install now! Looking at the PE pic you posted, it seems it does not have the flapper which the stock exhaust comes with - is that correct?

Yes thats correct regarding the PE.

There are two versions of this system, a euro version and a us version.

For some reason the US version has no valve, a one off opportunity came up to acquire one so I bought it.

In essence I doubt it makes much difference, most likely only on cold starts?

[BMJ]

this is a top thread DrJ really enjoying it.

[skidz]

Hey Doc can you tell me who you used for the freight and what the damage was for the M3 rear end?

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by BMJ

this is a top thread DrJ really enjoying it.

Glad to hear, I have created this thread in an attempt to provide information & feedback for any newcomers along with keeping a historical log of my mods!

So hopefully it is of some use for you guys

[BMJ]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

Glad to hear, I have created this thread in an attempt to provide information & feedback for any newcomers along with keeping a historical log of my mods!

So hopefully it is of some use for you guys

i would love to do the M3 mods you have done but i would be divorced if i spent all that money.

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by skidz

Hey Doc can you tell me who you used for the freight and what the damage was for the M3 rear end?

I used GBS freight (www.gbsfreight.co.uk) they were extremely helpful and glad to rid me of my $, and then their australian agents are century customs & freight located in Matraville nsw (they handle transport from the docks to customs, the customs clearance and then transport to your doorstep)

As for cost It owes me around $5kish my memory. Transport packaging customs inspection duty etc was just under $1700 and the rest was to purchase the F&R sussy sways driveline and diff etc (they didn't have the tailshaft, but I have bought a cheapish E38 shaft which mounts up to the diff flange which will be hacked up and my 335i welded on and balanced)

Not cheap, but then again I have the full M3 bits with brakes that's in pretty good condition. Alex (froop) has recently also purchased a m3 rear end from the uk, and his was a lot cheaper then mine to purchase and freight so i would quiz him also on who his seller used and where he purchased his from.

So this mod is certainly bloody expensive, but at the end of the day my car will have more power then an m3 and handle as good as a m3 in the twisties!

Admittedly it still wont look as good as an m3, and wont have the roar of the m3 v8 but I must admit I like the unassuming look of the 335i without all the bonnet bulge, flared guards which scream out to the plods to pull me over!