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      01-04-2019, 01:26 PM   #1
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Building the PERFECT Daily Driver <Build Thread, PIC HEAVY>

Howdy. I decided it's finally time to start a build thread. This is mainly for me an my own records, but I'm hoping that others can benefit from it as well.

Sorry not sorry for how big the pictures are...

Background:

I own a 2008 335xi with 164,000mi on it and I purchased it about 15mos ago (Sept 2017). This car fell on my radar when I totaled my 2003 Audi. The Audi was completely built up over about 5yrs of ownership, almost nothing was original. As I built it I tried to stay with OEM type parts to show that the factories build fantastic cars, but that the configurations could be better.

My Audi was a fast car and it looked great, but it slowly lost it's practicality for daily driving. It wasn't 100% reliable and I had a new daughter on the way and I certainly couldn't have strapped her down in it, at least for many years. As we get older, our goals and interests change, and my desire for a functional daily was born.

Goal: When I bought the bimmer I set a few standard for myself. I wanted something that was functional in as many environments as possible (AWD, four door, decent storage), fun to drive (decent power, customizable, comfortable), timeless in looks, and durable.

What I bought: I settled on a 2008 335XI with every option except the comfort package. It was well maintained, had a koni shocks, megan strut bar, LCI LED rear light housings, and 5000k halos, the rest was stock. Black on black, auto tranny with paddle shifting, sport seats. I fell in love the moment I saw it. Got it for $7500 with 150,000mi.

Audi and Bimmer side-by-side:


Oldest shot of it bone stock:


First work I did on the bimmer was replace the oil filter housing gasket (OFHG). I was losing about a quart every two gas tanks. I didn't take pictures of this though. Next thing was cleaning the washer fluid reservoir and level sensor:


After swapping the Whispbars from the Audi (needed bimmer foot kit), and removing the chrome kidney grilles to test some modifications on it.





First significant mods were getting MHD, XHP, and doing VRSF Intake and VRSF catless 3in DPs:

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2008 335xi 6AT - MHD Stg1+ - XHP Stg 3 - VRSF DCI - VRSF Catless DPs - Style 230 Staggered

Last edited by lowerednlifted; 01-12-2019 at 05:23 PM.. Reason: Added forgotten work.
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      01-04-2019, 01:43 PM   #2
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Tried some new wheels:


Settled on these staggered VMR 19in wheels. I loved the staggered and loved the concave, but was never wild about the color:





Next I bought a roof box. The low-pro Whispbars paired with low-pro board racks caused the bindings on a face-down snowboard to contact the roof, which was no bueno. So I got the second largest Thule on the market. Locks and opens from both sides, fits all the gear for four people without even trying...



The VMRs were my first set of aftermarket wheels ever. I've always found OEM wheels from different models to mod my car. Ultimately I resorted back to what I knew (VMRs are for sale btw):


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      01-04-2019, 02:05 PM   #3
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At some point my sport mode stopped working on the transmission. I learned that the wiring harness is stretched a bit from the factory and eventually starts separating. So I reconnected the broken wires and rerouted the harness so it wasn't being stretched anymore.


Bought some new tires for the OEM wheels, slightly beefier and certainly more comfortable:


Then I got a set of free stock RWD sport suspension and took the front springs and put them on. I effectively lowered the front by about 3/4in. Now the car has even wheel gap front and rear.



Then I started chasing a boost leak and some misfires. I ended up restoring the injectors and putting in new coils and spark plugs. I also found the boost leak:


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      01-04-2019, 02:16 PM   #4
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This is basically how the car sits now. The mod list is as follows:
Engine/Exhaust:
- MHD Stg 1+
- XHP Stg 3
- VRSF DCI
- DVs vet to atmosphere
- VRSF DPs
- Autolite XP5682
- Eldor revised coil packs

Exterior:
- 5000k Halos
- Black custom kidney grilles
- Blacked-out window trim
- Blacked-out exhaust tips
- Window tint approx 30% (PO)
- Style 230 OEM wheels, staggered 19x8 front, 19x9 rear
- Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+
- Whispbars, board mounts/bike mount/roof box

Interior:
- Magnetic mount with Kindle Fire optimized to run Torque Pro, MHD, and XHP
- Tunai Fire BT adapter
- And a car seat base with a mirror :-)

Near Future:
- PE mod
- CP and BOV/DV
- 7in FMIC
- EBC Green stuff pads, likely slotted rotors or some same caliper brake upgrade
- Custom OCC system
- Wheel spacers (and maybe H&R spring)

Far Future:
- i-Drive unit upgrade (custom or kit)
- Engine rebuild/turbo rebuild or minor upgrade

Slowly but surely I'm building what I consider to be the perfect daily driver. Progress over the last year has been steady and I am pleased. Feel free to share your thoughts!
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2008 335xi 6AT - MHD Stg1+ - XHP Stg 3 - VRSF DCI - VRSF Catless DPs - Style 230 Staggered

Last edited by lowerednlifted; 01-04-2019 at 06:11 PM..
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      01-06-2019, 07:35 PM   #5
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I like the progress and where it is now, the wheels are fresh! How are the ebc greens doing? I went with hawk 5.0 and they grip so hard I had to readjust how I engage the pedal, well the pads and the federal rs-rr together made a huge difference. I'm Michael, nice to meet you bro.
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      01-11-2019, 08:08 AM   #6
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How about that oil filter housing gasket before the belt slips off and ends up in the timing chain.
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      01-12-2019, 05:18 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sinatra View Post
I like the progress and where it is now, the wheels are fresh! How are the ebc greens doing? I went with hawk 5.0 and they grip so hard I had to readjust how I engage the pedal, well the pads and the federal rs-rr together made a huge difference. I'm Michael, nice to meet you bro.
Thanks Michael, nice to meet you as well! The Green EBCs aren't on the bimmer yet, but I got them on my Jeep. The stopping power is great, but more importantly, there's basically no brake dust and I've never had any noise from them. Hawks were big in the Audi community, but I never tried them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 335dlci View Post
How about that oil filter housing gasket before the belt slips off and ends up in the timing chain.
Actually, that was one of the first things I did when I bought the car. Thanks for reminding me. Added to the first post :-)
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      01-17-2019, 02:37 PM   #8
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Man, I totally forgot that I serviced the transmission too. I pulled the mechatronics unit out, replaced some sleeves, got a new pan with filter, then reinstalled with some Redline D4 ATF. The refresh was super effective and only took an afternoon. Totally worth it if you have the desire. Here's the only photo I took:
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      01-20-2019, 02:48 PM   #9
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Oh snap. I need to do that to my 330i that I picked up as a daily. Was the transmission service difficult?
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