[SSW]

I'm almost done fixing up the 2008 335i E90 that I bought just under a month ago now. The car was in excellent condition w/85k miles and came with Nav, the Sport & Premium Packages and the PPK Stage 1 flash and really didn't "need" much. Here's the list of stuff that I've done to and/or purchased for the car:

1) Cobb Accessport V3 purchased and Stage 1+ FMIC Sport map installed
2) Mishimoto intercooler installed
3) K&N filter purchased & installed
4) ExhaustMeister (a golf tee mod simulator) installed
5) OEM alarm kit installed and programmed
6) New windshield installed (all but $100 covered by insurance)
7) WeatherTech floor and trunk liners installed
8) 4 front jack pads purchased & 2 damaged jack pads replaced
9) 4 jack pad adapters purchased; for example
10) Driver's side front edge hood trim replaced; original was peeling
11) 2 missing rubber hood cushions installed in engine compartment
12) 4 tire valve caps w/BMW logo purchased & installed
13) Wooden shift knob w/silver center trim purchased & installed
14) BMW Black Sapphire Metallic touch up paint kit purchased
15) BMW first aid kit purchased & placed in trunk
16) BMW sunroof allen wrench purchased & placed in toolkit

Total cost for all of these things was around $2.5k. Not the most or least that I've ever spent fixing up a car. The only thing left to do is to take the front wheels to a local tire shop to polish out some minor curb rash, which they'll do for $50 each.

I wanted to keep any performance mods as inconspicuous as possible on this car. So, I've ruled out installing a dual cone intake or an aftermarket exhaust. I've also ruled out a LSD and any other suspension/handling mods because I think the car handles well enough as it is for the type of driving that I do.

The only other thing that I plan to purchase is a spare tire kit (including a jack and other tire changing accessories) when I replace the BFG Goodrich RFTs currently on the car with non-RFT Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, which may not happen for another year or so.

[Efthreeoh]

Congrats on the car. Not sure why a spare tire is necessary in this day and age. I keep a plug kit and tire inflator stored in the trunk floor compartment. Seems ridiculous to keep a spare in the trunk and lose the space it eats up and unnecessary weight to haul around.

[Turb0Surge]

pix?

[Hirschman]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Congrats on the car. Not sure why a spare tire is necessary in this day and age. I keep a plug kit and tire inflator stored in the trunk floor compartment. Seems ridiculous to keep a spare in the trunk and lose the space it eats up and unnecessary weight to haul around.

Sidewall puncture? Has happened to me.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Hirschman

Sidewall puncture? Has happened to me.

Rare as flower poop.

[SSW]

Originally Posted by Turb0Surge

pix?

Not much to see. It's just a stock black sapphire metallic 335i E90 4 door sedan w/162 style BMW wheels on it, but I'll see if I can post one of it. Haven't tried to do that here yet.

[Hirschman]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Rare as flower poop.

Not nearly as likely as a through the tread puncture but not super rare. I have also seen sidewall tears from potholes or other impacts. Good luck with your plug kit, I'll be buying a spare I switch to non RFT.

[SSW]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Congrats on the car. Not sure why a spare tire is necessary in this day and age. I keep a plug kit and tire inflator stored in the trunk floor compartment. Seems ridiculous to keep a spare in the trunk and lose the space it eats up and unnecessary weight to haul around.

Thanks for the congrats!

As for the spare tire/jack kit, I'm "old" school and I know that sh*t happens. Even the RFTs are not "guaranteed" to run flat if you get a flat, in which case you're stranded and SOL. I have and have used plug kits (as well as a C02 tank and portable compressor) for off-roading but they don't always work either, especially if you have an odd puncture.

If you have a spare tire and the tools to get it on, no worries. Simple as that.

[SSW]

Originally Posted by swingshiftworker

The only thing left to do is to take the front wheels to a local tire shop to polish out some minor curb rash, which they'll do for $50 each.

Well, there's a hiccup in the plan to fix the wheels. The local shop I was going to go to balked and now says they can't do them. Called another shop that I know CAN do them but they want $180 a wheel to fix the curb rash, re-powdercoat the wheels and reinstall/balance the tires on them. That's the "right" way to do them but that's $360 for the pair.

The curb rash on the wheels isn't THAT bad for me to spend that much $ to fix 'em, because you really can't see the damage unless you look very closely. Hardly noticeable at a glance. Might be better to just buy a new pair of front wheels, if I can find a pair for about the same price. So, the wheel fix is out for now but if anyone knows where there's a pair of front (34 offset) 18" Ellipsoid Style 162 BMW wheels for sale for $180 or less each, let me know.

In the meantime, it looks like I'm ALL DONE working on my 335i. Only thing I plan to spend any more money on is gas and hopefully just "routine" maintenance.

[kunal_d]

Originally Posted by swingshiftworker

Thanks for the congrats!

As for the spare tire/jack kit, I'm "old" school and I know that sh*t. Happens. Even the RFTs are not "guaranteed" to run flat if you get a flat, in which case you're stranded and SOL. I have and have used plug kits (as well as a C02 tank and portable compressor) for off-roading but they don't always work either, especially if you have an odd puncture.

If you have a spare tire and the tools to get it on, no worries. Simple as that.

This is why I miss the full size spare I had in my E46 . Didn't use it once, but still...

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Hirschman

Not nearly as likely as a through the tread puncture but not super rare. I have also seen sidewall tears from potholes or other impacts. Good luck with your plug kit, I'll be buying a spare I switch to non RFT.

Been running non RFTs for about 210,000 miles. Had one tire get punctured drove 30 miles on it w/ no pressure. 235/40-18 XL rated tires are just as good as runflats.

[ezmaass]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Congrats on the car. Not sure why a spare tire is necessary in this day and age. I keep a plug kit and tire inflator stored in the trunk floor compartment. Seems ridiculous to keep a spare in the trunk and lose the space it eats up and unnecessary weight to haul around.

I've kept a Continental ContiComfort Kit in the trunk for ages after swapping out the original run-flats. If you get a puncture that's relatively tame (like a nail), this kit includes a nice air compressor and "goo" that'll make it usable again in minutes. If the puncture is much more severe (like tearing a big gash in a sidewall), it won't work - you'll need to call for assistance.

RFTs are the other option - just keep these on your car. They're a bit more harsh, but they work well. You really need to demolish an RFT for it not to work. Most scenarios will still allow the tire to ride with zero air for up to 50 miles.

Some people find a spare still more convenient, but I'm of the mind that either of the above options will work for MOST people under most circumstances. If you drive long distances through more desolate areas, then maybe a real spare is the way to go.

[BMWE90 ModMaster]

no pics no good

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ezmaass

I've kept a Continental ContiComfort Kit in the trunk for ages after swapping out the original run-flats. If you get a puncture that's relatively tame (like a nail), this kit includes a nice air compressor and "goo" that'll make it usable again in minutes. If the puncture is much more severe (like tearing a big gash in a sidewall), it won't work - you'll need to call for assistance.

RFTs are the other option - just keep these on your car. They're a bit more harsh, but they work well. You really need to demolish an RFT for it not to work. Most scenarios will still allow the tire to ride with zero air for up to 50 miles.

Some people find a spare still more convenient, but I'm of the mind that either of the above options will work for MOST people under most circumstances. If you drive long distances through more desolate areas, then maybe a real spare is the way to go.

I have the exact same inflator kit. I keep a plug kit as well. I drive about 30 miles each way in rural areas with no cell coverage. Tires are far more robust than 30 years ago. Like I said above, I drove 30 miles on zero air on a non run flat tire. The side wall of a 235/40 series tire of 18 inch diameter and XL load rating is as good as a run flat.

[Hirschman]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I have the exact same inflator kit. I keep a plug kit as well. I drive about 30 miles each way in rural areas with no cell coverage. Tires are far more robust than 30 years ago. Like I said above, I drove 30 miles on zero air on a non run flat tire. The side wall of a 235/40 series tire of 18 inch diameter and XL load rating is as good as a run flat.

Just want to put a friendly reminder that if you have AWD do not attempt to drive on a flat non-RFT, or you may be paying for a whole lot more than a new tire. Also driving on a flat ruins the sidewall rendering it irreparable.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Hirschman

Just want to put a friendly reminder that if you have AWD do not attempt to drive on a flat non-RFT, or you may be paying for a whole lot more than a new tire. Also driving on a flat ruins the sidewall rendering it irreparable.

Agreed. Tires are cheap.

[SSW]

Well, I broke down and decided to go ahead and "fix" my 2 front wheels (Style 162 -- Ellipsoid). So, I jacked up the front end and brought the wheels into "Rite-Way Wire & Wheel Specialists" in Walnut Creek today.

When Kelvin, the shop mgr, looked at them he immediately said that they have been damaged/repaired and repainted before and showed me exactly where. SOB!!! He said they'd remove the tires/TPS, remove the curb rash & machine the wheels to make sure they are perfect straight/true, then powdercoat them in the OEM silver and then reinstall the tires/TPS and rebalance the wheels for $185 each.

He showed me another BMW wheel that they already did and now I'm worried because the color of the "painted" and powder coated wheels don't look exactly the same and the "new" wheel looked so good that I might have to have the rear wheels done too just to make them match the fronts. On the way home, I stopped at Concord BMW to buy some new center caps too. Figured I might as well do that since the fronts will look so "new" that the old caps just wouldn't look "right" in them.

Will get the 2 front wheels back by tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm still working on filling/sanding a variety of nicks/scratches on the car. Doing a pretty good job of it (if I say so myself) but it's a very slow process because I keep getting small pin holes and indentations that I have to keep refilling w/color &/or lacquer to make the nicks/scratches disappear.

Have been successful w/some but still working on others, including the chip that was in the dent (that was removed) along the raised seam on the front passenger door. Can hardly see the chip anymore but, because it's on the seam line, it's really hard to make completely transparent but it's coming along.

So, still just "almost done."

[Avenged328i]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Congrats on the car. Not sure why a spare tire is necessary in this day and age. I keep a plug kit and tire inflator stored in the trunk floor compartment. Seems ridiculous to keep a spare in the trunk and lose the space it eats up and unnecessary weight to haul around.

+1

[SSW]

Just got my front wheels back from Rite Way of Walnut Creek and, after a few re-tries and a few extra days, they look GREAT and match the rear wheels well enough that i don't think I need to have the rear wheels re-done too. The new center caps also give the wheels a newer and subtly updated look as well.

However, I found a plug in one of my Bridgestone RFT rear tires that I have to deal with now. The tire seems to be losing air more than the others and, if it continues to do so, I'll have the plug removed and the hole patched instead. This should be all that I need to do until I buy and install a new set of non-RFT Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires all round. Just hope I don't have to do this earlier than originally planned.

Update 02/20/14:

Have checked the tires 1x a week since I posted the above and I must have gotten a "bad" reading the 1st time because I have not found any air pressure loss in the plugged tire since. So, looks like it's "all good."

[tmdals0213]

for the cobb, why did you decide on doing the linear throttle sport? and not stock throttle? thank you

[SSW]

Originally Posted by tmdals0213

for the cobb, why did you decide on doing the linear throttle sport? and not stock throttle? thank you

I went w/the LT because it's less sensitive than the ST and allows better all around accelerator/speed control for my purposes.

You'll get more throttle response w/less accelerator pedal push w/the ST, which will give that "OMG, it's SO FAST" feel, but that makes it somewhat more difficult to control the speed/power of the car w/the beefier tune for "normal" daily driving.

Another way of explaining this is, I don't want the turbos kicking in and the car going almost WOT, when I just step on the accelerator 50-60%. I only want it to go WOT when I actually floor it and to go just as fast as I need it to go with a very predictable and progressive amount of accelerator input, which is what I get w/the LT.

FWIW, it seems like most guys w/auto trannies like the ST map (and the MT guys like the LT map) but, personally, I think it's more a function of age. Younger owners that have auto trannies just like the "OMG, it's SO FAST" butt feel that the ST map provides AND "think" that the LT map seems "sluggish" in comparison with the LT.

Truth is, the end result at WOT is the same in LT or ST, but how it gets there is much different between the 2. If you're not sure which you like, just try both maps and choose the one you like best.

[SSW]

Well, looks like I"m NOT done yet.

After "fixing" my front Style 162 wheels, I started looking at the hood which had a lot of rock/gravel damage on it, as did the windshield (which got replaced by insurance). Tried filling and sanding the worst of the chips in the hood but I was not happy with the result. So, I got some estimates and am going to get the hood repainted in a week or so.

Also got thinking about the wheels & tires again.

Lined up a set of Style 193M wheels that I like for a reasonable price and hope to get them in a couple of weeks. Already ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires from Tire Rack which I should get tomorrow.

Figured I'd need these tires sooner or later and, if I don't buy the 193M's right away, I'll just install the Michelins on the 162's currently on my car when the Bridgestones on them now wear out (or put on another set of wheels that I find later).

Also, bought a set of wheel locks on eBay. Won't guarantee that my wheels won't get stolen but, like the alarm, it will give me some peace of mind and will also fill the last empty slot in the tool kit in the trunk.

Lastly, I'm buying a Tischer spare tire kit from a forum member; picking it up in a couple of days. Will "need" this when I install the Michelins; mainly for peace of mind. Don't plan to carry the spare unless I'm driving far from home.