New guy, first Bimmer and happens to be a ZHP. Upstate, SC

[Dave_B]

Hey guys, just wanted to introduce myself here.

First, thanks Dane for getting me all setup. Much appreciated.

Little background, I come from a family of car enthusiasts. Father is an ASE master tech and owns a shop in Orlando, FL. Brother graduated from UTI and the BMW step program and then went to be a BMW tech at Braman Motorgroup down in South Florida. Me? Well (and don't laugh to much here) I'm coming into only the second vehicle in my life that isn't a Honda (15+). No, I'm not nor have ever been a ricer. No Altezza tail lights, cut springs or fart pipes for me here. The last 4 were Integra Type R's and the most recent being the coveted 97. I've learned those like the back of my hand and had a fully built PY track car that was caged, gutted and so forth.

I'm in the IT field up here in Upstate, SC. Moved from Florida about 4 years ago. Love this year and proximity to the Mountains and great roads.

My coming to a BMW and specifically a ZHP is actually interesting. I knew when I sold my last ITR I wanted more of a "grown up" car. I asked my Brother what his recommendation was (4 door, manual trans) and he immediately said ZHP. I asked what that was and then googled around. Interested in the car I started looking at AutoTrader. In my mind at the time I wanted something with 50-60k miles on it, but after seeing the prices that were being asked for ZHP's I went back to looking for a Honda (Acura TL Type S 6 speed) I looked for about 2 months and those things proved hard to find (wanted a White/Black 6 speed) Just a little over a week ago I received a text from my local buddy who has an E60 M5 6 speed. He's a member of the local BMWCCA chapter and a guy around here was selling a ZHP. I looked over the ad and made a call. Next day I was over looking at it and driving the car. Honestly, at first I wasn't all too impressed, but as the days went by I've found that I absolutely love the car.

Today, I went ahead and did an oil change and got under the car to really take a closer look. There's what looks to be an oil seep somewhere, but no drops under the car. I'll be tracking this down closer as I pull things apart more to do the cooling system in the next month or so. I've also got a random Airbag light that comes and goes and after digging today it appears it may be the passenger mat sensor. I'll likely be inquiring on how to connect to the car myself via OBDII and my laptop. But I've got other things to focus on first.

I also plan to add as much as I can with DIY's, pictures and so forth. I've got access to AllData via my father so if there's anything I can contribute with that, please don't hesitate to ask.

Lastly, everyone likes pictures, right?

PY ITR Track car:



Recent 97 ITR:



And the new Chariot:





And the first thing I did to it, replaced the worn out Alcantara wheel with a Coby re-wrap



Dave

[Mtnman]

Welcome dave! Great intro. where is your oil leak coming from? and more pics.

[kayger12]

Welcome to the family.

Enjoyed the pics.

If you let us know where you saw the oil we can offer some suggestions for narrowing down the leak.

[Avetiso]

Welcome to the forum! No need to be shy of Honda's. It's not rice if it's on the track. (I'm quoting somebody from the forum, can't remember who, though)

Really liking that yellow Type-R. Don't forget to tell us your name!

[Avetiso]

Also, as far as the airbag light goes, E46's have two common issues: driver seat buckle (which I am currently dealing with), and the passenger mat.

[Hermes]

love it... from a guy who owned a TL Type S (many years ago), you made the right decision. Welcome to the family and start posting your maintenance questions, we will help you get your car running perfect

[Dave_B]

WOW, much more feedback right away than I anticipated.

As for the name, I figured the username would give it away... :P Name is Dave.

I'm usually good at finding oil leaks, unfortunately I ran out of time after doing the oil change. Was going to wash down the engine compartment with some degreaser and see where the fresh stuff was coming from. It's definitely mid motor or lower. Doesn't appear to be from the VC. Also, appears to be something old and not fresh oil as there are no drops on the ground where the car is. I wiped down as much of the "crud" as possible in an attempt to find it in a few days.

I also have some other issues to contend with on the car besides the Airbag light. I've got the black cube trim missing on the right rear door and the rain gutter rear piece is missing. I've read that for the rain gutter, I have to replace the whole shadowline trim piece from the dealer at $170ish. Have not found just the single trim piece yet, but guestimate around $100 for it. Another little piece I need is the fog light trim for the right front. Then there is the right rear window regulator. I'll see if the zip tie trick works first and go from there.

I'd like to also change the diff and trans oil. I've heard the trans is lifetime, but fluid breaks down. The car also has a bit of mileage on it at 140k but I got it for what I feel was a decent deal at $7k. I'm also huge on preventative maintenace.

Other things I'll be doing are plasti-dip on various things like kidney grills, rear deck/lip spoiler, louver (sp) on the hood. I'll likely get the Coby tri-stitch shift boot and E-brake lever to match the wheel. I also am going to pull the radio to make sure it has the Aux port and then install the OEM kit.

I've done more reading on these cars in the past week than I'd like to admit. LOL I'll def. use the search feature (not just here but e46fanatics and google)

Thanks again for the warm welcome guys. Already feels like home. I'll get more pics of various other things as they come about.

[kayger12]

Check out your oil filter housing gasket. That's a common source of mid engine and lower oil leaks that aren't associated with vcg.

Tell tale sign is oil on the waffle area on the drivers side of the engine block (you'll have to remove the air filter box to see it).

Straight forward DIY and $5 gasket if that's what it is.

[Mtnman]

+1. Thats what i was thinking too, keith.

[kayger12]

Good pic of it

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showpos...p;postcount=11