[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Mine is fine. No errors anywhere. But... I've got a rattle in the NSR suspension somewhere that I just can't pin down. It's almost all new too. The engine taps/rattles and I'm not sure why. Been doing it for years though, through 2 used oil analyses and no ill effects. Plus various creaks and rattles and minor water leaks, and I'd like sports seats, and the exhaust is squint...... Oh and a few rust spots starting to rear their heads underneath. It's neverending!

Ah man! Seems like quite the list, but nothing too scary... hopefully anyway. Are you handy with mechanical bits yourself? I don't even own a jack, which speaks volumes about my mechanical skills

[xlr88r]

Next up, a much needed multimedia update.

For a few years now I've had CIC in my old E90 and I'm happy with it: the menus are much more modern and quick to move around, maps are decent with 3D buildings and full post code searches, and the Media/HDD is good too. The Android screen replacement systems caught my eye when they started to surface, but on looking at them properly I steered clear. Many are really slow to boot, lots have KPH dials and rev counters that don't match the actual car's engine, and most seem to have pictures of X2s on some of the screens. Translations are poor or incomplete in places too: one menu says "Connect a Bluetooth device and make a" but the text just stops. Make a what? Beef wellington? Mess of your life? They're not for me as they're just too far away from anything the OEM might have turned out.

Happily, the MMI boxes which add only Apple Carplay and Android Auto started to pop up. The boot times are much, much quicker and they offer the exact the functionality I'm looking for: Google Maps and Spotify, and that's it.

There are CCC Carplay and Android Auto systems out there now and I missed this functionality, so one of these just had to go in. While I was fitting it I reluctantly removed the CIC controller and centre console trim, because CIC controllers don't work with CCC, sadly. For the moment the centre console is an old walnut one I wrapped matte black. It'll do for now until I track down a CCC Satin Silver trim... if they exist, that is.

Until then, here are some pics of the kit going in:

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by xlr88r

Ah man! Seems like quite the list, but nothing too scary... hopefully anyway. Are you handy with mechanical bits yourself? I don't even own a jack, which speaks volumes about my mechanical skills

Yeah, I'm happy doing mechanical stuff... except when stuff doesn't work out right. If you can do all that interior work, you can do the mechanical stuff too. You just need the tools to go with.

I'm actually almost envious of your i-drive... almost. It's a bit cumbersome using a phone for all that, even though it props up very nicely in the ash tray. I did get a mobridge off eBay really cheap, hoping that it would play from the SD card...but I haven't managed to make that happen either.

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Yeah, I'm happy doing mechanical stuff... except when stuff doesn't work out right. If you can do all that interior work, you can do the mechanical stuff too. You just need the tools to go with.

I'm actually almost envious of your i-drive... almost. It's a bit cumbersome using a phone for all that, even though it props up very nicely in the ash tray. I did get a mobridge off eBay really cheap, hoping that it would play from the SD card...but I haven't managed to make that happen either.

Ah fab - glad you're able to tackle the mechanical bits too. I'm jealous! My brother in law is great with pretty much everything car related and I'm sure he'd help out and even just give advice. He's done work from simple part swaps, to brakes, to welding, to fabricating, and even engine rebuilds in some old air-cooled VWs. The only thing he won't really touch is paint or upholstery.

iDrive is genuinely useful when fitted with one of these boxes-of-tricks. Google Maps is leagues ahead of the inbuilt nav when it comes to picking quick and clear routes, and redirecting you if something happens ahead. If you're anything like me, Spotify is the go-to for all things music related nowadays. Just having those two available is a real leap forward from a multimedia perspective.

The only niggle I need to look into is Bluetooth/voice control. The car had Bluetooth from the factory and that works well. However, when pressing the 'speak' button on the wheel when using Android Auto, the iDrive voice control wakes up and anything you say is ignored. I didn't fit the mic which came with the kit so that might need to be fitted I think, even though the settings under the cover say it should use the inbuilt mic. Hmm. When the weather's a bit better I'll have a play.

[xlr88r]

Apologies for the lack of updates lately.

As the not so new E91 is really taking shape (and now the brakes and suspension have been moved across) I've been prepping my old E90 for sale. It went to the first guy who came to view it and go for a drive! After a good chat on Monday night he came around at lunch on Tuesday for a drive, left a deposit, and picked it up that evening.

It's had some real TLC in my ownership and that seemed to come across in the flesh, so to speak, and the way it drove. Marmite wheels aside, he's seemingly over the moon with it. P.S. the M logo on the steering wheel was removed months and months ago!

The only downside is that money is burning a hole in my pocket. I'm now on an even more determined parts hunt for the E91 and have a lead on an M Performance front bumper. It's overseas sadly, and no thanks to Brexit pushing import fees through the roof, will be crazily expensive by the time it's landed. Agh! I've been after one for ages but this is so difficult to justify. Watch this space though!

[Silnismo]

Love those wheels, keep up the great work!

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by Silnismo

Love those wheels, keep up the great work!

Cheers! I'll really miss the old E90. It had so much TLC last year and drove really well. The E91 is catching up but it's nowhere near as tight and controlled feeling just yet.

Mentioning which, since I've had the E91, there's been a bit of a fuel smell entering the cabin when I fill it up. Yesterday it went in for a new fuel tank breather pipe, which was found to be split by my local indie during an oil service a couple of weeks ago. They replaced the pipe without removing the fuel tank and dropping the subframe, which is good! Saved a couple of hours labour vs. the normal method.

[nsjames]

the CCC piece exists.

yours looks like titan silver and not the brushed aluminum?

51166970135

is the PN I believe.

My ccc controller worked with my cic retrofit without issue. You may want to plug it in just to see if the knob works. you just won't have any shortcut buttons that work.

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by nsjames

the CCC piece exists.

yours looks like titan silver and not the brushed aluminum?

51166970135

is the PN I believe.

My ccc controller worked with my cic retrofit without issue. You may want to plug it in just to see if the knob works. you just won't have any shortcut buttons that work.

Hats off to you for spotting that amongst all the text in my posts! Thanks for the reply.

My car actually has the other, other silver - Satin Silver. I found a Satin Silver one on eBay but the listing was wrong. It's arrived and it's actually an aluminium one instead. It's quite tatty as well, so that'll go into the loft with the ever increasing stack of parts I'll never get round to selling!

I did try the CIC controller but no joy, sadly. The car still has the early CCC system with the Carplay/Android Auto MMI box. If it had the later CCC with the 1-8 shortcut keys under the CD drive I believe CIC controllers can be coded to work... no such luck with the oldest CCC though. Boo!

The search for a trim piece - or a different trim set - continues.

[xlr88r]

Just a little update today.

Happily, BMW got onboard with the Black Friday sales. They had the M Performance shifter and shift boot for sale with 30% off. Even then, throwing almost £100 at something you don't use a great deal was a bit of a pointless spend, but those prices were the cheapest I'd ever seen. As such, the car's had an early Christmas treat. Goes well with the matching handbrake I reckon.

A couple of pics:

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by xlr88r

Hats off to you for spotting that amongst all the text in my posts! Thanks for the reply.

My car actually has the other, other silver - Satin Silver. I found a Satin Silver one on eBay but the listing was wrong. It's arrived and it's actually an aluminium one instead. It's quite tatty as well, so that'll go into the loft with the ever increasing stack of parts I'll never get round to selling!

I did try the CIC controller but no joy, sadly. The car still has the early CCC system with the Carplay/Android Auto MMI box. If it had the later CCC with the 1-8 shortcut keys under the CD drive I believe CIC controllers can be coded to work... no such luck with the oldest CCC though. Boo!

The search for a trim piece - or a different trim set - continues.

too bad you're on the other side of the pond. I need a clean CCC controller brushed aluminum center console in better shape than mine.

they're not common round in LHD I've found.

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by nsjames

too bad you're on the other side of the pond. I need a clean CCC controller brushed aluminum center console in better shape than mine.

they're not common round in LHD I've found.

Ah trust me, you wouldn't want this one - it's a state! The search continues here too, so I feel your pain.

Earlier today I found a 'Dark Bronze' trim option on the X1. There are a few pics of that trim against a leather that's very close to Saddle Brown, and it looks good. If I feel brave enough one day I might take the old walnut trims to a body shop and see about having them painted. I'm so unsure though, as it could be a step too far away from OEM.

Commences chin rubbing.

[Tambohamilton]

Who cares about OE in this case? So long as it's done well, pick a colour and crack on!

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Who cares about OE in this case? So long as it's done well, pick a colour and crack on!

Hehe! Fair point. It's still a BMW colour, albeit in the wrong place

Also, thinking about it, I'm heading a bit off track already. Ages back I fitted a Z4 cluster to my old E90, and while it generally worked really well, the reset button for the trip computer didn't line up with the original E90 cluster circuit board - bit of a shame. It wouldn't really have been right to sell the E90 with that still fitted, so I swapped it into the E91. Don't know why I'm deliberating changing the trim colour so much, given it's had this pretty unusual mod already!

[4 Doors]

Originally Posted by xlr88r

Hehe! Fair point. It's still a BMW colour, albeit in the wrong place

Also, thinking about it, I'm heading a bit off track already. Ages back I fitted a Z4 cluster to my old E90, and while it generally worked really well, the reset button for the trip computer didn't line up with the original E90 cluster circuit board - bit of a shame. It wouldn't really have been right to sell the E90 with that still fitted, so I swapped it into the E91. Don't know why I'm deliberating changing the trim colour so much, given it's had this pretty unusual mod already!

Love the Z4 look cluster! Let me know if you want something custom for the interior trim set. Maybe Alcantara?

[xlr88r]

Originally Posted by 4 Doors

Love the Z4 look cluster! Let me know if you want something custom for the interior trim set. Maybe Alcantara?

Ah thanks for the offer Postage might be a bit steep to the UK though, and our center console and dash trims are back to front as well.

Have just found another unusual ish factory colour which I think would work for the trims. Either that, or I just resume a search for the center console and stay stock.

[xlr88r]

Next up, a bit more DIY. It's been a few weeks after all.

While this does have some pretty nice options tucked away, there are a few notable omissions. DAB, the TV tuner, and rear door blinds are pretty much all that's missing inside, and as the only one that can be fitted without coding (still trying to get my head around that!) it was time to retrofit rear blinds.

I found a reasonable set of complete rear door cards on eBay, with both blinds and the correct window frame trim too. They were by no means a straight swap however, but when's that ever the case?

With the cards here I set about removing the speakers, arm rests, and cloth trims from them. This involved the careful use of a drill (!) for the plastic welds on the arm rest, and then again to make way for the Logic7 tweeters. After that, a pretty substantial trim removal tool and flat head screwdriver came to service, to prise the cloth trims from the panels. While the cloth trim on the donor cards was an absolute pig to remove, the saddle brown panels from my door cards came off much more easily. Phew! Courtesy of eBay again, a couple of new inner door handles arrived - once the originals have been drilled out, they can't be refitted. In a way that's a good thing, as the originals were getting a little sticky and scratched.

Some careful glueing and reassembly later, the 'new' cards and blinds were ready to go in. Bask in the luxury! Or something. I'm going with something.

Apologies for the hastily taken final photo, but I just couldn't wait to take a snap after fitting them.

[xlr88r]

Here's a love/hate kinda change...

Finding a Satin Silver centre console trim with a CCC controller cutout has proven impossible so far, unfortunately. While searching around though, I noticed that the M3 centre console trims are nearly always black leather, irrespective of the trim elsewhere. If you squint a bit, the trim I wrapped ages ago looks a bit like one of them... well, kinda! So, for the moment, that'll stay as it is.

I couldn't help but continue the general browsing however, and almost unintentionally a decent set of Light Poplar trims ended up at the door. Non CCC ones though, again!

Here are some pics.

I'm not 100% set on them just yet, but they're in great shape and are vastly better quality than the Satin Silver (painted plastic) ones. Hmm. Should they stay or go?

[M3_Legend]

Great thread! Love your wagon and work you've done

[swagon]

I like the poplar trim a lot and the matte black centre console suits the rest of the interior.

Must be one of the cleanest E9x's in the UK, yours. They're all driven to the ground and/or modified by chavs.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by swagon

They're all driven to the ground and/or modified by chavs.

Steady on!

[M-technik-3]

Looking great.