[tlow98]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Do you have sport seats now? If not, did you have to install any new power wires & ground?

Ok, so went from LCI non-sport (power+lumbar+heat) to LCI sport (power+lumbar+heat) to NON-LCI M3 (power+lumbar+heat). Everything worked every time. No need to wire anything.

Quick note on the seats:
- The M3 seats win the award for most comfortable. It seems like more supple foam, plus the plusher leather. I was surprised by this. Certainly won the wife's approval!
- The sport seats may just be a tad more supportive, but I'll wait to dial them in before fully deciding.

Of course, I have to code out the active head restraints now, but not a big deal.

The paint correction/polish went well. Hard not to be a little disappointed working on Silver and any light color really. The trade-off is the car takes a long time to look 'bad', unlike darker colors. Really brought out the flake! For 105k it came out pretty good. A lot of the black trim came back to life with some DLUX ceramic but the main window molding that runs the length of the car only came out just ok. Rails, lower window trim all came back like new. Good mid life cycle reconditioning of the family workhorse.

Also, I really dislike these stock wheels. Waiting for nsjames to produce some stunning wheels on his light-colored wagon... let's see them!








And after being up close with it working on the paint I think this is my favorite design element of this car. Many BMW wagons have this in varying degrees.

[apexit4]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Ok, so went from LCI non-sport (power+lumbar+heat) to LCI sport (power+lumbar+heat) to NON-LCI M3 (power+lumbar+heat). Everything worked every time. No need to wire anything.

Quick note on the seats:
- The M3 seats win the award for most comfortable. It seems like more supple foam, plus the plusher leather. I was surprised by this. Certainly won the wife's approval!
- The sport seats may just be a tad more supportive, but I'll wait to dial them in before fully deciding.

Of course, I have to code out the active head restraints now, but not a big deal.

The paint correction/polish went well. Hard not to be a little disappointed working on Silver and any light color really. The trade-off is the car takes a long time to look 'bad', unlike darker colors. Really brought out the flake! For 105k it came out pretty good. A lot of the black trim came back to life with some DLUX ceramic but the main window molding that runs the length of the car only came out just ok. Rails, lower window trim all came back like new. Good mid life cycle reconditioning of the family workhorse.

Also, I really dislike these stock wheels. Waiting for nsjames to produce some stunning wheels on his light-colored wagon... let's see them!

...

And after being up close with it working on the paint I think this is my favorite design element of this car. Many BMW wagons have this in varying degrees.

That paint correct looks amazing. Any tips on which products you used and the general steps you took to do the paint correction?

[MPOWER5266]

The E91 hasn't needed anything so I mounted my period correct "no space" BMWCCA badge on my 2002. It didn't come with mounting hardware, so I made a quick mount with some nylon sheet, I picked up from work.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Also, I really dislike these stock wheels. Waiting for nsjames to produce some stunning wheels on his light-colored wagon... let's see them!

I should make it over to my brother's to get them cleared and re assembled the end of next month.

the plan is to mount them sometime in april, depending on weather, so you gonna have to wait.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by nsjames

I should make it over to my brother's to get them cleared and re assembled the end of next month.

the plan is to mount them sometime in april, depending on weather, so you gonna have to wait.

Makes sense. I’ve forgotten about Midwest weather - no point in mounting them only to trash them.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Makes sense. I’ve forgotten about Midwest weather - no point in mounting them only to trash them.

a foot of lake effect snow is forecast for tonight bud.

it's blizzak season.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by apexit4

That paint correct looks amazing. Any tips on which products you used and the general steps you took to do the paint correction?

Yeah, thank you. It's a bunch of elbow grease!

Generally, I do the following:
- Heavy wash with dish soap to strip all the old sealant,wax, etc. I'm pretty aggressive with the wash mitt bc I don't car about swirls as i'll be removing them later.
- Clay bar after the wash but leave the soap on the car bc it speeds up the process and acts as lubricant for the clay. Add lubricant as necessary (more dish soap wash).
- Tape off exposed rubber and plastic so the compound/polish doesn't ruin it.
- Polish with aggressive pad and medium aggressive polish (Menzerna SIP)
- Alcohol wipe down to remove all polish/oils.
- Cquartz 3.0 UK ceramic coating. 2 coats.
- CarPro Reload 1 coat.
- DLUX for rubber plastics.

Chill, appreciate the finish in a nice setting for 20 minutes.

I've got my system down pretty good at this point. Probably about 12 hours of work in the above. If properly maintained this will give you years of a new-looking finish.

[The Nightman]

I replaced the plastic coolant flange with a billet aluminum one as a preventative measure. I purchased the original off eBay for $12 USD and the gasket fit perfectly. It's a pretty simple process but some helpful tips:

1. Cover your accessory belt and pulleys with plastic bags to keep them dry
2. Place a container under the flange to catch leaking coolant
3. To minimize coolant loss, have the aluminum flange ready to go as soon as you remove the stock one. Install it quickly and then plug the flange outlet with a towel
4. Use a big tongue and groove plier (ie channel locks) to crush the outlet on the stock flange to remove the flange from the hose but make sure you orientate the hose downwards so that the bits of plastic fall out, rather than into the hose
5. The included hose clamp was too big. I replaced it with a 20-32mm Norma clamp with rolled edges.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

I replaced the plastic coolant flange with a billet aluminum one as a preventative measure. I purchased the original off eBay for $12 USD and the gasket fit perfectly. It's a pretty simple process but some helpful tips:

1. Cover your accessory belt and pulleys with plastic bags to keep them dry
2. Place a container under the flange to catch leaking coolant
3. To minimize coolant loss, have the aluminum flange ready to go as soon as you remove the stock one. Install it quickly and then plug the flange outlet with a towel
4. Use a big tongue and groove plier (ie channel locks) to crush the outlet on the stock flange to remove the flange from the hose but make sure you orientate the hose downwards so that the bits of plastic fall out, rather than into the hose
5. The included hose clamp was too big. I replaced it with a 20-32mm Norma clamp with rolled edges.

I just bought one from ECS tuning. That and a new radiator from FCP. Just gotta get an O-ring Kit from Amazon. There's a kit just for e90's cooling systems.


Cooling system radiator hose O ring set For BMW E90 E91 E92 E93 335i xi N54 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N47MNDJ..._0JYvEbXHD9W46

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

I just bought one from ECS tuning. That she a new radiator from FCP. Just gotta get an O-ring Kit from Amazon. There's a kit just for e90's cooling systems.


Cooling system radiator hose O ring set For BMW E90 E91 E92 E93 335i xi N54 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N47MNDJ..._0JYvEbXHD9W46

Thanks for posting that. I bought the one they had for the N52. I replaced my OFHG a few weeks ago and the radiator hose looked fine but the O-ring seemed a bit questionable. I bought a generic metric/SAE O-ring set from Tractor Supply but they seemed cheap and the sizes didn't match up exactly.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

I replaced the plastic coolant flange with a billet aluminum one as a preventative measure. I purchased the original off eBay for $12 USD and the gasket fit perfectly. It's a pretty simple process but some helpful tips:

1. Cover your accessory belt and pulleys with plastic bags to keep them dry
2. Place a container under the flange to catch leaking coolant
3. To minimize coolant loss, have the aluminum flange ready to go as soon as you remove the stock one. Install it quickly and then plug the flange outlet with a towel
4. Use a big tongue and groove plier (ie channel locks) to crush the outlet on the stock flange to remove the flange from the hose but make sure you orientate the hose downwards so that the bits of plastic fall out, rather than into the hose
5. The included hose clamp was too big. I replaced it with a 20-32mm Norma clamp with rolled edges.

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

I just bought one from ECS tuning. That she a new radiator from FCP. Just gotta get an O-ring Kit from Amazon. There's a kit just for e90's cooling systems.


Cooling system radiator hose O ring set For BMW E90 E91 E92 E93 335i xi N54 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N47MNDJ..._0JYvEbXHD9W46

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Thanks for posting that. I bought the one they had for the N52. I replaced my OFHG a few weeks ago and the radiator hose looked fine but the O-ring seemed a bit questionable. I bought a generic metric/SAE O-ring set from Tractor Supply but they seemed cheap and the sizes didn't match up exactly.

I would strongly suggest that you clamp the hose few inches before the original adapter, before starting this job. Debris from crumbling plastic adapter will make its may down that hose and end up who knows where.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

I would strongly suggest that you clamp the hose few inches before the original adapter, before starting this job. Debris from crumbling plastic adapter will make its may down that hose and end up who knows where.

ECS tuning -


https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...024797ecs01~a/

It might even be a smart move to put a bead of Ultra Black around the opening, on the flat side of the fitting that faces the block just as added insurance.

[GRUESOM3]

Threw on some 219's on it. Loving the look but have to do little camber in back

[colorado.e9x]

I don't know how I didn't notice this, but I found out last night my wheels are 17s

I always thought they looked like 17s but the unknown brand, cheap tires that came on my car said R18. Rechecked my current tires, says R17. I feel incredibly stupid.

[mecheng77]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

I replaced the plastic coolant flange with a billet aluminum one as a preventative measure. I purchased the original off eBay for $12 USD and the gasket fit perfectly. It's a pretty simple process but some helpful tips:

1. Cover your accessory belt and pulleys with plastic bags to keep them dry
2. Place a container under the flange to catch leaking coolant
3. To minimize coolant loss, have the aluminum flange ready to go as soon as you remove the stock one. Install it quickly and then plug the flange outlet with a towel
4. Use a big tongue and groove plier (ie channel locks) to crush the outlet on the stock flange to remove the flange from the hose but make sure you orientate the hose downwards so that the bits of plastic fall out, rather than into the hose
5. The included hose clamp was too big. I replaced it with a 20-32mm Norma clamp with rolled edges.

I love those Norma clamps, ABB from Sweden also makes good clamps, sometimes the Volvo dealer has them in the sizes I need.

Where do you get the Norma clamps from?

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by GRUESOM3

Threw on some 219's on it. Loving the look but have to do little camber in back

Looks good! That a staggered OE M3 setup? Tire sizes?

[Tambohamilton]

Put the key in the ignition, started the engine and 'bong!' multiple light bulb failures. It's done it to me before and miraculously fixed itself (about a year ago), but I'm less hopeful this time. Time for a new FRM, I guess! So, today I broke my car by starting it.

[GRUESOM3]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Looks good! That a staggered OE M3 setup? Tire sizes?

225/40 front 255/35 rear yes oem m3 size wheels 8.5 and 9.5

[mweisdorfer]

Changed my radiator out with a Behr from FCP Euro. I debated getting a CSF. I couldn't due to the fact that one, I don't want warmup issues in the middle of the winter & two I have OEM location 1.75" inlets. The CSF radiator is too wide and would push the front inlet into the pulleys

I also changed our all the o-rings associated with this particular job. I didn't mess with the water pump & thermostat where there are a few more o-rings. I'd say I got 75% of the o-rings changed out though.

I put in an aluminum coolant flange that connects under the OFH.

I changed out the OFHG & put sandwiched the OEM gasket between two beads of Ultra Black.

Last, I put in new coolant & oil temp sensors.

173,000 miles!

2nd OFHG ever.

Radiator, Flange, coolant & oil temp sensors were original as well as all the gaskets I changed out.

The new Behr radiator does not have a drain plug! So, I guess when I go to change out my coolant, I'll have to get a pressure type pump or something like that to suck all the old coolant out 🤬

[nsjames]

halfshaft rebooted.

parts cluster arives tomorrow.

[MPOWER5266]

Pulled the squeaky fan and sprayed a little lube on it.

Untitled by Nick Wood, on Flickr

[nsjames]

parts cluster arrived this morning.



and now it's done.


might do the variable red line mod using the cruise control bits, but honestly I'm not sure I ever want to fuck with it again. it works, it looks good, I may just call it a win and never ever touch it.