E91 6MT RWD - A "pre-LCI Unicorn"

mlee4984 · 03-03-2021, 12:58 AM

what exhaust tips did u go with?

TheDukeGTi · 03-04-2021, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlee4984

what exhaust tips did u go with?

Just these cheapo ones. Seem good so far; secure and fit well. We'll see how they hold up.

E91WAG3N · 03-04-2021, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDukeGTi

Just these cheapo ones. Seem good so far; secure and fit well. We'll see how they hold up.

BMW sells an accessory version but they were stupid expensive when I checked a few years back. Might have to give those a try, thanks for the link!

TheDukeGTi · 04-02-2021, 09:34 AM

Spring is upon us(!); something I used to appreciate far less than I do now in Michigan! This, happily, means I feel far less guilty driving the wagon. Don’t get me wrong, after the effort I spent cleaning the thing over winter, the guilt is there.

Anyway, this is no place for feelings.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

For now, I want to continue to focus on some low-cost-high-impact upgrades; one such upgrade being a BMS clutch stop:

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

For those uninitiated, BMWs tend to have a very long throw in both the gear change (shifter), and the clutch pedal; this mod improves the latter by reducing the amount of travel in the clutch pedal (not affecting the bite-point), restricting the amount of extension the driver is allowed to push down. For $10 it’s great value for money, and makes a huge difference to the feel of the car; ‘low-cost-high-impact’ indeed!

I installed it with all the spacers seen in the picture above, which gave a super-short travel, but caused issues starting the car sometimes (you need to depress the clutch to start it, and sometimes it didn’t recognize you had), so I removed one of the spacers, which seems to have cured that problem, sadly the travel increases, but it’s still a great upgrade.

Next up was a boot/trunk liner. Again, along the guilt theme, what’s the point of a wagon if I can’t haul a bunch of sh*t without worrying about the messy fallout? Got a good deal on this from FCP Euro, with free delivery; nice to have genuine BMW stuff in my genuine BMW.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

From:

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

To (with stuff resting on it to flatten it out):

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Finally, some pics I took after dropping my son off at his grandparents the other day:

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Looks good I think.

Some more mods coming shortly. I also need to rewrap the dash trim again as it’s curling a bit around the vents. The sunroof also rattles like crazy; I hear there’s a velcro trick I can do with that, so it’s also on the list.

Till next time!

bshambam · 04-02-2021, 11:26 AM

can you post a photo of the clutch stop installed?
I've been trying my best to figure out how to make shifting feel better in our chassis.

TheDukeGTi · 04-15-2021, 09:04 PM

One of my aims with this car is to focus on the touch points, so I treated myself to some genuine BMW performance pedals. I feel like they strike a good balance between lifting the interior looks, and apparently, are grippier than the standard rubber items.

Took the old ones off. How many OCD points to I get for labelling them?

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Unwrapping the new ones.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Aaaaaaaand fitted. You see I got the dead pedal too. I wasn’t 100% sold on it before I fitted it, but I think it worked out nicely.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Lifts the interior nicely I think; these are the changes I like to make, I think they make a big impact to the driving experience.

Here is a pic of the clutch stop fitted from last time, for the person that asked:

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

I also had to re-wrap the long dash trim piece again, because the vinyl was coming away by the vents - I didn’t leave enough overlap, and it got pushed off when I was refitting. So I re-wrapped that last night. Much better, super happy with it. Heading to a cars and coffee at the weekend, perhaps I’ll try to get some better pics then. Till next time!

M-technik-3 · 04-20-2021, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDukeGTi

E91 BMW 328i by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

This sports wheel with the thumb spots is only on early cars correct? Or was that an option? Mine has it and i don't see them often unless the are M3 that are perforated. Nice progress, what's next?

neilvan · 04-20-2021, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

This sports wheel with the thumb spots is only on early cars correct? Or was that an option?

IIRC all sports wheels had the thumb grips other than some earlier 2006 cars. M-sport/M3 automatically had it and the sedan/wagon base wheels didn't at all

TheDukeGTi · 06-07-2021, 08:32 AM

It’s been a little turbulent with the E91 as of late. We start with a couple of fun drives I’ve taken with a local group of BMW enthusiasts. Since moving from San Francisco, I’ve missed a few things, but close to the top of that list is good driving roads. Turns out, a group called ‘BMW driving enthusiasts of South East Michigan’, lead by Randy in an S54 Laguna Seca blue M Coupe, is a great group of people to help out finding good roads in the area. The wagon really gets good attention, once they know what they’re looking at at least…

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

I was busy enjoying the car, driving tours and a couple of cars and coffee meets; all was well. One Sunday, I was showing off to my 2 year old, when we rolled on to the driveway, and smoke was steadily emanating from the front of the car. Crap. The valve cover gasket.
I’m not super technical when it comes to cars, but I have a keen interest, and I consume as much technical information as I can about them. I’ve frequented many forums, I love following peoples builds and getting inspiration from them. The one thing they all have in common, regardless of whether it’s BMW specific, generalized, or whatever, is that many of the posters do their own work.
I have a garage, I have the time and the valve cover gasket goes on every N52 in the world, so heck, let’s do it. If I fail miserably, I’ll go running to the garage with my tail between my legs.

I was super methodical; I labelled everything and took a bunch of photos in the process. Whoever stated it takes 6hrs for a beginner, clearly wasn’t factoring in my level of obsessiveness. It took me about that to get it all stripped down to the valve cover itself. Could I get the thing out? Could I balls! Of course, I ended up breaking the cover on the way out; so much for my ‘honest’ dirty engine bay, new valve cover it is. One amazing BMWCCA discount later and I have a brand new valve cover direct from my local dealership. With even more stuff removed from the bay for clearance, and some help from my friend, we managed to get it in without incident.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Anyway, it was fun, and we all have to start somewhere right? It runs well, doesn’t leak, and all went back together as it should, so overall I’m happy.

Another, less serious issue, was the ashtray in the center console. I’d wrapped it with the carbon fibre vinyl, but I wasn’t happy with the finish. I also have nowhere to prop up my phone for navigation; I could prop it up with the ashtray open, but it would slide off into the footwells when cornering hard. I really like the lightweight vibe that I have with this car; no iDrive, manual sport seats, etc. So in that vein, I figured I’d get the oddments tray. It holds my phone steady, and it’s a little more LTW looking.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Finally, today, after all this excitement, I took it for a good scrub and some pictures outside a local cinema that, sadly, sounds like it’s going to be going under in the midst of the pandemic. Let’s hope it can be saved.

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr

Till next time. I have something cool planned that I hope to get to soon.

Alen E90 · 07-24-2021, 02:48 PM

Nice build process. Thanks for sharing!

Kees2mabimma · 02-10-2022, 11:55 AM

Beautiful wagon, and excellent job bringing it back to its former glory, and then some!
I also have a 2006 325xi wagon with 3 pedals. Finally getting around to giving it some TLC and will be using yours as a template. I have a few quick questions if you don’t mind!

1. where did you get the bumper plugs from? I am only finding them for $30 for a set of two. That price seems ridiculous, just wondering if you found them somewhere cheaper.
2. Where did you order the painted splitters? How have they held up over the last 6 months?

Thank you in advance and happy motoring!

03-03-2021, 12:58 AM	#23
mlee4984 Slow M3 Driver 229 Rep 733 Posts Drives: 2014 M5 ZCP Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NYC iTrader: (5)	what exhaust tips did u go with? __________________ 2014 Citrin Schwarz Metallic M5 2005 Interlagos Blau Metallic M3
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04-02-2021, 09:34 AM	#26
TheDukeGTi New Member 41 Rep 19 Posts Drives: BMW E91 Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	Spring is upon us(!); something I used to appreciate far less than I do now in Michigan! This, happily, means I feel far less guilty driving the wagon. Don’t get me wrong, after the effort I spent cleaning the thing over winter, the guilt is there. Anyway, this is no place for feelings. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr For now, I want to continue to focus on some low-cost-high-impact upgrades; one such upgrade being a BMS clutch stop: BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr For those uninitiated, BMWs tend to have a very long throw in both the gear change (shifter), and the clutch pedal; this mod improves the latter by reducing the amount of travel in the clutch pedal (not affecting the bite-point), restricting the amount of extension the driver is allowed to push down. For $10 it’s great value for money, and makes a huge difference to the feel of the car; ‘low-cost-high-impact’ indeed! I installed it with all the spacers seen in the picture above, which gave a super-short travel, but caused issues starting the car sometimes (you need to depress the clutch to start it, and sometimes it didn’t recognize you had), so I removed one of the spacers, which seems to have cured that problem, sadly the travel increases, but it’s still a great upgrade. Next up was a boot/trunk liner. Again, along the guilt theme, what’s the point of a wagon if I can’t haul a bunch of sh*t without worrying about the messy fallout? Got a good deal on this from FCP Euro, with free delivery; nice to have genuine BMW stuff in my genuine BMW. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr From: BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr To (with stuff resting on it to flatten it out): BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Finally, some pics I took after dropping my son off at his grandparents the other day: BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Looks good I think. Some more mods coming shortly. I also need to rewrap the dash trim again as it’s curling a bit around the vents. The sunroof also rattles like crazy; I hear there’s a velcro trick I can do with that, so it’s also on the list. Till next time!
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04-02-2021, 11:26 AM	#27
bshambam Second Lieutenant 196 Rep 262 Posts Drives: bmw e91 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: canada iTrader: (0)	can you post a photo of the clutch stop installed? I've been trying my best to figure out how to make shifting feel better in our chassis. __________________ William Mackenzie IG: Shambam_makes Twitter: B_Shambam
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04-15-2021, 09:04 PM	#28
TheDukeGTi New Member 41 Rep 19 Posts Drives: BMW E91 Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	One of my aims with this car is to focus on the touch points, so I treated myself to some genuine BMW performance pedals. I feel like they strike a good balance between lifting the interior looks, and apparently, are grippier than the standard rubber items. Took the old ones off. How many OCD points to I get for labelling them? BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Unwrapping the new ones. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Aaaaaaaand fitted. You see I got the dead pedal too. I wasn’t 100% sold on it before I fitted it, but I think it worked out nicely. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Lifts the interior nicely I think; these are the changes I like to make, I think they make a big impact to the driving experience. Here is a pic of the clutch stop fitted from last time, for the person that asked: BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr I also had to re-wrap the long dash trim piece again, because the vinyl was coming away by the vents - I didn’t leave enough overlap, and it got pushed off when I was refitting. So I re-wrapped that last night. Much better, super happy with it. Heading to a cars and coffee at the weekend, perhaps I’ll try to get some better pics then. Till next time! Last edited by TheDukeGTi; 04-15-2021 at 09:18 PM..
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06-07-2021, 08:32 AM	#31
TheDukeGTi New Member 41 Rep 19 Posts Drives: BMW E91 Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	It’s been a little turbulent with the E91 as of late. We start with a couple of fun drives I’ve taken with a local group of BMW enthusiasts. Since moving from San Francisco, I’ve missed a few things, but close to the top of that list is good driving roads. Turns out, a group called ‘BMW driving enthusiasts of South East Michigan’, lead by Randy in an S54 Laguna Seca blue M Coupe, is a great group of people to help out finding good roads in the area. The wagon really gets good attention, once they know what they’re looking at at least… BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr I was busy enjoying the car, driving tours and a couple of cars and coffee meets; all was well. One Sunday, I was showing off to my 2 year old, when we rolled on to the driveway, and smoke was steadily emanating from the front of the car. Crap. The valve cover gasket. I’m not super technical when it comes to cars, but I have a keen interest, and I consume as much technical information as I can about them. I’ve frequented many forums, I love following peoples builds and getting inspiration from them. The one thing they all have in common, regardless of whether it’s BMW specific, generalized, or whatever, is that many of the posters do their own work. I have a garage, I have the time and the valve cover gasket goes on every N52 in the world, so heck, let’s do it. If I fail miserably, I’ll go running to the garage with my tail between my legs. I was super methodical; I labelled everything and took a bunch of photos in the process. Whoever stated it takes 6hrs for a beginner, clearly wasn’t factoring in my level of obsessiveness. It took me about that to get it all stripped down to the valve cover itself. Could I get the thing out? Could I balls! Of course, I ended up breaking the cover on the way out; so much for my ‘honest’ dirty engine bay, new valve cover it is. One amazing BMWCCA discount later and I have a brand new valve cover direct from my local dealership. With even more stuff removed from the bay for clearance, and some help from my friend, we managed to get it in without incident. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Anyway, it was fun, and we all have to start somewhere right? It runs well, doesn’t leak, and all went back together as it should, so overall I’m happy. Another, less serious issue, was the ashtray in the center console. I’d wrapped it with the carbon fibre vinyl, but I wasn’t happy with the finish. I also have nowhere to prop up my phone for navigation; I could prop it up with the ashtray open, but it would slide off into the footwells when cornering hard. I really like the lightweight vibe that I have with this car; no iDrive, manual sport seats, etc. So in that vein, I figured I’d get the oddments tray. It holds my phone steady, and it’s a little more LTW looking. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Finally, today, after all this excitement, I took it for a good scrub and some pictures outside a local cinema that, sadly, sounds like it’s going to be going under in the midst of the pandemic. Let’s hope it can be saved. BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr BMW E91 328i 6MT by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr Till next time. I have something cool planned that I hope to get to soon. __________________ IG: @dads_e91
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07-24-2021, 02:48 PM	#32
Alen E90 Lieutenant General 764 Rep 10,033 Posts Drives: E90 328i TiAg Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (7)	Nice build process. Thanks for sharing! __________________ TiAg FTW!
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02-10-2022, 11:55 AM	#33
Kees2mabimma New Member 3 Rep 13 Posts Drives: E34 540i6, E91 325xi6 Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	Beautiful wagon, and excellent job bringing it back to its former glory, and then some! I also have a 2006 325xi wagon with 3 pedals. Finally getting around to giving it some TLC and will be using yours as a template. I have a few quick questions if you don’t mind! 1. where did you get the bumper plugs from? I am only finding them for $30 for a set of two. That price seems ridiculous, just wondering if you found them somewhere cheaper. 2. Where did you order the painted splitters? How have they held up over the last 6 months? Thank you in advance and happy motoring!
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