[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by brads2002

Looking good! Only thing better than 1 wag is two.

I cant remember....have you played around with sway bars on the M Sport?

And 3 is better than 2 ha!

I have an M3 sway on the front as well as camber plates and coilovers. Both were installed by the previous owner so I can't tell which made more difference. The turn in with the black car feels significantly flatter and more precise compared the stock car. I'd attribute the majority of the difference to the stiffer coilover setup and the camber plates. The sway helps but I wouldn't start there on another car unless you pick one up for free or close to free.

[E91WAG3N]

After nearly 6 months and 5,000 miles, Sparky was ready for an oil service. The previous owner had an inch thick stack of receipts and had addressed quite a few of the 'normal' N52 faults and was up to date on maintenance. I poked around with a flashlight when I bought the car but hadn't taken the belly pan off until last night. I was definitely a bit apprehensive about any potential lurking surprises!



Now that I've seen 6 months worth of potential leaks, I can finally hose down the engine bay.


Clean motor and trans all around -


Some weeping from the power steering line that I could see from the topside. New reservoir, line, and hardware will be in the next parts order -


Overall, I'm really happy with the condition of the car! It's in solid mechanical condition and looks good from 5 feet away yet has enough wear and tear that I don't worry when my kids bump into it or I park in a crowded parking lot. It's the perfect driver.

And an obligatory shot of the museum piece with my new plate -

[E91WAG3N]

Went on another snow run in Sparky and parked the Unicorn in front of an orange building.

[E91WAG3N]

Really happy with the oil analysis from the 07, always a bit of a gamble when buying a car with higher miles!

[E91WAG3N]

Front brake service on the unicorn this weekend. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my wheel/tire and brake setup. Soooo stock rotors for now to rectify the steering wheel shake from the warped rotors.







Spent time cleaning the inner barrels of wheels while I had them off. Well worth the effort!

[//steve\\]

Just looking at this thread. I really want one of these cars for a daily!

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by //steve\\

Just looking at this thread. I really want one of these cars for a daily!

They’re great all-rounders. I really like both cars. The automatic is nice for the slow drive to work and the 6MT is great for open roads and mountain passes. Definitely among the favorite vehicles I’ve owned.

[E91WAG3N]

I took care of quite a few maintenance items across both cars this weekend. Crossed 121k with the Sparkling Graphite automatic and approaching 67k with the Black Sapphire 6MT.

First up, Sparkling Graphite -

The driver's mirror motor sized up. Rather than replacing, I swapped in a pair of high gloss LCI mirrors. Felt like I couldn't see much in this car with my constant flipping back and forth driving the two. I used paint scratch for the caps, the match was pretty close, just a touch darker on the mirrors vs. the rest of the car.

LMB was a good look for a minute :P






I also took care of the power steering reservoir. Threw on a couple of new clamps, the hoses were replaced in 2018 so I left those alone. The fluid was gross so I'm in the midst of the turkey baster method to achieve a fluid swap. Steering on this car felt fairly muddy before and the new fluid has helped quite a bit. In the midst of an engine bay spray down here -






Next patient!

Did the annual oil service for the Black Sapphire 6MT.



Also picked up a trunk mat from the BMW parts catalog. I have a WeatherTech in the Sparking Graphite and it fits better than the BMW part! Oh well.




Finally, a couple of final shots of the roof rack before I pull it off for the Spring. I don't use them but feel obligated to at least throw them on the car a few months each year.

[Shift_Vas]

Great looking BSM touring.

Ever considering letting it go?

[nsjames]

I really need a cargo mat.


my BMW factory all weather floor mats are made by mcneil, which is weathertech.

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by Shift_Vas

Great looking BSM touring.

Ever considering letting it go?

Thanks.

I bought it to keep for the long run but everything is for sale for the right price. I'm quite vocal about what these cars are worth over on the E91s For Sale Thread. "I know what I have" and like what I have applies in this case. Feel free to PM me.

Originally Posted by nsjames

I really need a cargo mat.


my BMW factory all weather floor mats are made by mcneil, which is weathertech.

Interesting. There are two types of the all weather mats I've seen, one with a carpet insert on the drivers side and another without (and a wavy pattern). I'm curious about the cargo mats now! I prefer OEM stuff in general but if I were buying fresh, I'd pick up the Weathertech.

[nsjames]

mine do not have the carpet insert.
they came with the floor mat hooks

everything in a BMW package and I looked at the back of one and it said mcneil whatever.
which is for sure weathertech. I know a girl that works there and she says they are very nice people.
they sponsored our jeep club event one year.

[E91WAG3N]

Very happy with my oil report for the black car! Sounds like I could stretch the oil changes out but I'd rather stick to annual as it's easier to remember. Oil and registration to start the year.

[E91WAG3N]

Some shots in Ghost Vegas

[brads2002]

Looking good!

Pretty wild with the empty streets....

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by brads2002

Looking good!

Pretty wild with the empty streets....

Thanks! It really was wild, glad I snapped a few photos before the total lockdown.

[E91WAG3N]

Picked up some OEM mudflaps, desertman123 would be proud

Unfortunately there are several variants for E91, and the fronts have a giant bulge on both my cars since there is an area that sticks out for the non-Sport Package cars. I'm planning on running these on the Sparking Graphite car and will fit just the rears.

Unlike the most folks, I've been pretty busy at work (from home) and have limited staff left so I haven't had much free time for tinkering with the cars and DIY home projects. Hopefully I can throw these on in the next week or two.

Next up: I've been eyeing a diff swap for quite some time. I really want an LSD but cannot justify the cost right now. I'm likely going to pull the trigger on an open auto diff and install it as-is and tackle the LSD later down the road.

[Serf27]

Why don’t you order the lsd kit that you install on your current diff?

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by Serf27

Why don’t you order the lsd kit that you install on your current diff?

Namely cost and I want a more aggressive ratio. The 3.64 (330i) or 3.73 (328i) automatic diffs can be had for around $200. LSD conversion is about $1,500.

I'd like to literally test drive the 3.64 for a couple hundred bucks before throwing 2 grand at the project. As much as I'd like to dump money into my cars, it's probably not the smartest thing to do at the moment.

[Serf27]

Hmm. I’m talking about this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264499343198
$250 for the kit. Only thing needed after that is to find someone to shave down the gears inside a diff a little bit.
Cheaper lsd option.

[E91WAG3N]

Originally Posted by Serf27

Hmm. I’m talking about this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264499343198
$250 for the kit. Only thing needed after that is to find someone to shave down the gears inside a diff a little bit.
Cheaper lsd option.

Ebay special that requires shaving the gears down? I think I'll pass.

I love my car and with $30K+ invested and I'm not about to start cutting corners. The last thing I need is for my rear end to lock up and push my car into a guard rail.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Serf27

Hmm. I’m talking about this.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/264499343198
$250 for the kit. Only thing needed after that is to find someone to shave down the gears inside a diff a little bit.
Cheaper lsd option.

It seems like it's not easy to have the gears ground for less than a few hundred dollars, apparently. Also, this one if for the 215L diff - isn't that the 335i diff size? I looked on their site for a 188 fitment but didn't see it...

Originally Posted by E91WAG3N

Ebay special that requires shaving the gears down? I think I'll pass.

I love my car and with $30K+ invested and I'm not about to start cutting corners. The last thing I need is for my rear end to lock up and push my car into a guard rail.

I normally might agree, but this is a bit better than the old Honda version of this that was complete garbage. Check out Vehicular DIY on YouTube - he does a very good install/review wrt this.

Still pretty new product tho, so who knows. Touche about the guard rail - hadn't thought about that.