What did you do for your ZHP/ BMW / MINI today? #2

[John in VA]

Keeping the Alcantara clean does take a bit more effort but the exclusivity of it makes it worth it to me at least.

+1. I picked up some Sonax Upholstery & Alcantara Cleaner, but haven't tried it yet.
http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-alcantara-cleaner1.html

[Vas]

I have used that before and had good results. But did not like the nozzle of the foam.

So I decided to use dr.beasleys Alcantara cleaner. Give that a try next.

[holyc0w]

I haven't really cleaned the seats and they look pretty good to me. They also appear to age better than the leather seats.

Keeping the Alcantara clean does take a bit more effort but the exclusivity of it makes it worth it to me at least. Have the Coby wheel and boots in both of my cars and no issues. Even the wife has no complaints about it. Says her hands don't get cold during the winter months either.

I like the alcantara wheel in the winter too. Ideally, I would have a leather wheel for the summer. The perforated tri-stitch wheels look awesome. I'll see how the re-wrap works out maintenance wise.

If all goes to plan, a re-wrapped wheel and alcantara armrest cover should be coming in tomorrow from Coby.

[Damian]

Placed bid on a used ZHP engine on eBay. $900 ain't bad, right?

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[Vas]

not sure where else to put this, but i was ordering some stuff today and saw these - BMW Performance rear rotors, on clearance! only 2 left - grab 'em quick!!

https://www.eeuroparts.com/Parts/628...d-34212282873/

Man price jumped up. I was about to buy them

[az3579]

We are definitely the minority here! I rarely have clean hands and didn't want to ruin. The feel of the wheel isn't what I wanted either. Too slippery maybe? I'm not sure but the leather makes me feel right at home.


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My problem is that my hands sweat a good bit when holding the steering wheel. I can go wash my hands with that orange pumice stuff, which totally dries out my hands, then go touch the steering wheel and my hands would be wet within a minute.
The alcantara wheel would dry my hands out, which isn't a bad thing - but the bad part is that I knew that the "hotness" I felt underneath was the alcantara soaking up the moisture, getting matted down. Just the thought of getting matted down drove me nuts. lol

At least it won't dry out and crack like leather. And then good luck trying to find a replacement.

Funny you say that. I've never once seen a dried out and cracked leather wheel. It's practically impossible considering how much it gets touched by oily hands, and that can be cleaned. It seems to build up enough where it will never crack. As for seats, treat 'em with Leatherique Rejuvenator once or twice a year and you're good to go - they'll never dry out that way. I imagine having tint helps as well to keep the UV exposure to a minimum. Leather is pretty low maintenance in general and super easy to clean.


Alcantara just looks so cool. Oh well.

[ELCID86]

Oil change and BG MOA @205.5k.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic

[wstr75]

Had the convertible headliner replaced. Driver side batwing had broken and ripped the headliner. Replaced with black headliner from same vintage (2004) M3 convertible. Original headliner was gray. While at the upholstery shop had a rip in the driver's seat replaced with matching black leather and had the seats re-dyed black because there was wear on the driver bolsters and fading in general of the front seats. The interior now looks muy bueno with the black headliner and newly dyed black seats.

The upholstery shop had not done a BMW convertible. The shop owner said it had a completely different assembly and operating arrangement than what he was accustomed to and now that he did my car he was fully versed on how to do others. He also said: "I really like your car". Positive words from a shop that mostly does Mustangs and other American hardware.

[KTS317]

Swapped out lugs for studs! It was way easier to get all of the wheels on by myself. I'm not 100% confident in them yet but that will go away

Thread locked them all in!


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[Dual]

I'm so into this. Presumably it's a straightforward DIY? Where did you source parts?