[Baker e92gc]

Well,

It's not going to happen overnight, but I am attempting my first ever project.

I am a Baker, not a mechanic, the biggest job I have done successfully is change the injectors on my old e46 318i....

But now.... I have recently purchased a 2007 e92 335i, manual trans, bone stock.

I have asked around and have received some great advice on what to do first. Maintenance! So that is what I am going to do.

I know the valve cover gasket has been done recently, the oil filter housing doesn't seem to be leaking but I will replace that gasket anyway... (is this something I could do myself?)

Also I am booking her in for a walnut blast in a week or two, is there anything else that can be done at the same time?

Then plug and coil replacements.

After these things are done, I will be going for and upgraded FMIC, Down pipes and intake filter.

Any help or suggestions are most welcome. I am aiming to do this properly, I want the car to last. I know there will be a lot of parts that will fail and work to be done to keep her safe. I don't want to just slap a big snail in the front and hope for the best...... well maybe one day....

Any way her is a pic of how she stands now.... the only thing done is the black grill, apart from that.... stock.

[Brule]

Your on the right path.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Brule

Your on the right path.

Thanks mate. Here's hoping.

[Coupes33]

My suggestion for upgrades would be a VRSF 7.5" Race FMIC, AR Catless downpipes and just a K&N panel filter for your OEM housing. For all of it to work you will need to install a MHD tune to suit the mods.

[Hoper]

Originally Posted by Coupes33

My suggestion for upgrades would be a VRSF 7.5" Race FMIC, AR Catless downpipes and just a K&N panel filter for your OEM housing. For all of it to work you will need to install a MHD tune to suit the mods.

+1 the stock air filter is fine IMHO and DPs and an intercooler need to be early on your list

welcome to the club, keep working through the maintenance list that Socket posted for you, it's a gem

oh and if the oil filter housing gasket isn't leaking I'd leave it, there's plenty of stories of those leaking after being replaced so personally I'd leave it for now

I've done 3 of them now and they've been fine, but there's always a risk

P.S. you'll need a torque wrench, particularly for the OFHG

[BM335M]

I was in the same boat as you 3 years ago when i purchased my 335i .
Thanks to this forum and people here was able to quickly learn the platform do my maintenance first and then mods to get it where it is now.

You are on the right path, i did walnut blast, spark plugs, coils, valve cover gasket, ofhg, engine mounts, few other hoses around engine bay and then MHD Stage 1, added downpipes and intercooler later on.
Car has been trouble free for the last 2 years on MHD Stage 2+ with plenty of power for the street and daily commute to work.

One thing i wish it did have is LSD, and that will be my next mod on the list.

[Socket]

Welcome aboard Baker

Great to see a new build thread on the forum

All the advice from the guys above is gold

Agree that unless there is oil around the OFHG or on the serpentine belt below, best to leave it for the moment.
Give the area a clean with degreaser and keep an eye on it to see if any oil spots develop.
If not, all is good and just keep an eye on it from time to time

Replacing the OFHG can be a DIY but depends on how confident you are with the tools

Personally the OFHG its not something I do myself, because getting the seal positioned
and torque down of the bolts, needs to be done just right. It not hard, im just a chicken lol

If you have not already found it, there is a great DIY section in the forum with helps of technical information and guides to doing lots mechanical jobs
Part of the fun of modding and owning is doing as much as you can by yourself, saves money and you get to learn about the car too (win:win)

Link to DIY section below

https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=172

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Coupes33

My suggestion for upgrades would be a VRSF 7.5" Race FMIC, AR Catless downpipes and just a K&N panel filter for your OEM housing. For all of it to work you will need to install a MHD tune to suit the mods.

Thanks Coupes, Good to know some actual brands etc to get started with. These are on the the list for sure.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Hoper

+1 the stock air filter is fine IMHO and DPs and an intercooler need to be early on your list

welcome to the club, keep working through the maintenance list that Socket posted for you, it's a gem

oh and if the oil filter housing gasket isn't leaking I'd leave it, there's plenty of stories of those leaking after being replaced so personally I'd leave it for now

I've done 3 of them now and they've been fine, but there's always a risk

P.S. you'll need a torque wrench, particularly for the OFHG

good to hear the stock filter housing is ok, I was wondering about the dci's sucking hotter air from the bay.... but with a new intercooler thought it might be ok.

And no oil around the OFH so I will leave it be.
I have a torque wrench so all good.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by BM335M

I was in the same boat as you 3 years ago when i purchased my 335i .
Thanks to this forum and people here was able to quickly learn the platform do my maintenance first and then mods to get it where it is now.

You are on the right path, i did walnut blast, spark plugs, coils, valve cover gasket, ofhg, engine mounts, few other hoses around engine bay and then MHD Stage 1, added downpipes and intercooler later on.
Car has been trouble free for the last 2 years on MHD Stage 2+ with plenty of power for the street and daily commute to work.

One thing i wish it did have is LSD, and that will be my next mod on the list.

Yup! how good are these forums! looking forward to getting some things going.

And trouble free for two years! I will tell my father in law who told me my BMW would blow up in a month. (and he owns an M6 with plenty of issues!)

Yes a LSD would be a great thing to get..... one day..... one day.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Socket

Welcome aboard Baker

Great to see a new build thread on the forum

All the advice from the guys above is gold

Agree that unless there is oil around the OFHG or on the serpentine belt below, best to leave it for the moment.
Give the area a clean with degreaser and keep an eye on it to see if any oil spots develop.
If not, all is good and just keep an eye on it from time to time

Replacing the OFHG can be a DIY but depends on how confident you are with the tools

Personally the OFHG its not something I do myself, because getting the seal positioned
and torque down of the bolts, needs to be done just right. It not hard, im just a chicken lol

If you have not already found it, there is a great DIY section in the forum with helps of technical information and guides to doing lots mechanical jobs
Part of the fun of modding and owning is doing as much as you can by yourself, saves money and you get to learn about the car too (win:win)

Link to DIY section below

https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=172

Thanks again for all the help so far mate, this place is a beginners dream. I am keen to do a lot of the work if I can. I have the tools, and I'll give most things a go, just after I research the bejesus out of it first.

Can't wait.

[Baker e92gc]

One question I do have.....

So the chrome window trim. I do want to black it out but after looking around I see my options are.

1. BMW shadowline trim. About $1000-$1500
2. Vinyl wrap
3. Paint.

Option 1 I feel could be much better spent on so much more than window trim... so I am going with either wrap or paint.

I will do this myself, does anyone have advice on which one will last longer? or any tips?

[Coupes33]

Originally Posted by Baker e92gc

One question I do have.....

So the chrome window trim. I do want to black it out but after looking around I see my options are.

1. BMW shadowline trim. About $1000-$1500
2. Vinyl wrap
3. Paint.

Option 1 I feel could be much better spent on so much more than window trim... so I am going with either wrap or paint.

I will do this myself, does anyone have advice on which one will last longer? or any tips?

If you go through "Sockets 335i Build" thread, you will find where he painted his window trims black. However, don't ask me which page of the 210 pages, it is on. Socks has it listed on page 1. This may help you.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Coupes33

If you go through "Sockets 335i Build" thread, you will find where he painted his window trims black. However, don't ask me which page of the 210 pages, it is on. Socks has it listed on page 1. This may help you.

Thanks,....

I actually did trudge through the thread and found it! I just kept skipping 20 pages until I saw his trim change. Then narrowed it down...

Think I am going to wrap it. I can remove it more easily.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Baker e92gc

Thanks,....

I actually did trudge through the thread and found it! I just kept skipping 20 pages until I saw his trim change. Then narrowed it down...

Think I am going to wrap it. I can remove it more easily.

Clever

Wrap is def the best way to go

[jard]

Hey Baker,

As the others have said you are pretty much on the right path already. One thing I would mention is to consider replacing the vaccum hoses in your engine bay as they can become prone to becoming brittle and cracking which means a leak in boost which I have discovered recently and would be a good easy DIY to get you familiar with the engine area.

One of the interesting things which I discovered early about this platform is that the engine is sensitive and so if it picks up any little thing that it doesn't feel is right it will trigger a warning. This is a good thing because its automatically trying to protect the engine, although it can be a pain in the arse if it happens frequently.

Also, if you haven't already done so, look into some sort of code reading options and purchasing an OBD or DKAN cable as eventually a warning of some kind will come up down the track (fingers crossed it doesn't) and the first thing you should be doing is reading what code it spits out to try identity the issue.

[MrForgetful]

Hi mate, are you on the Gold Coast? May I ask where you're getting the walnut blast done and how much?

Also, with the DP, I wouldn't get those done till you get the tune (MHD or JB4).

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by MrForgetful

Hi mate, are you on the Gold Coast? May I ask where you're getting the walnut blast done and how much?

Also, with the DP, I wouldn't get those done till you get the tune (MHD or JB4).

Hey mate, yes I am on the Gold Coast, getting the blast done at Marsanic Motorsport in Burleigh. I got quoted $545 to get it done.

And I have a Bimmergeek cable coming in the mail, what I think I will do is try and get a few parts together, then do a fair bit of work at once and after that flash with MHD to suit what has been done.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by jard

Hey Baker,

As the others have said you are pretty much on the right path already. One thing I would mention is to consider replacing the vaccum hoses in your engine bay as they can become prone to becoming brittle and cracking which means a leak in boost which I have discovered recently and would be a good easy DIY to get you familiar with the engine area.

One of the interesting things which I discovered early about this platform is that the engine is sensitive and so if it picks up any little thing that it doesn't feel is right it will trigger a warning. This is a good thing because its automatically trying to protect the engine, although it can be a pain in the arse if it happens frequently.

Also, if you haven't already done so, look into some sort of code reading options and purchasing an OBD or DKAN cable as eventually a warning of some kind will come up down the track (fingers crossed it doesn't) and the first thing you should be doing is reading what code it spits out to try identity the issue.

Thanks Heaps Jard, I will have a look at the vacuum hoses and replace them if they are even slightly damaged, good idea to get me familiar with what is going on in there. Also The DKAN cable is in the mail as we speak...

Heres hoping the car doesn't throw too many serious codes at me...

[Baker e92gc]

So I am looking at replacing the angel eyes bulbs, I see there a lot of bulbs out there, some throw codes some don't, can anyone suggest a good one to go with? I am just looking at going for a cool white, want to get rid of the browny amber stock ones.
Are the MARS performance ones any good? or are most of the LED ones the same.
Thanks.

[Coupes33]

Originally Posted by Baker e92gc

So I am looking at replacing the angel eyes bulbs, I see there a lot of bulbs out there, some throw codes some don't, can anyone suggest a good one to go with? I am just looking at going for a cool white, want to get rid of the browny amber stock ones.
Are the MARS performance ones any good? or are most of the LED ones the same.
Thanks.

Once again go to the Socket build thread. Socks has done all of those changes.

[Baker e92gc]

Originally Posted by Coupes33

Once again go to the Socket build thread. Socks has done all of those changes.

Yeah I saw he has done a few overhauls of his lights, just thought to start I would clean up the angel eyes, cant find where he did this (lots o pages) thought I would see if there is a bulb that people mainly use. All good, I'll keep looking.