Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #51
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    Quote Originally Posted by johnrando View Post
    Wow! Nice werk. Glad you can enjoy it now.
    Thanks! The car is so much more enjoyable when it's not rattled about by any pavement irregularities.

    Quote Originally Posted by fredo View Post
    Great updates, sir. AW is the best looking color for coupes, IMO. Talking about the roundel, someone I know needed both (trunk and hood) for his E90. He bought both at the dealer and asked them to install. He paid $180 OTD.
    Thank you! AW is great, I didn't know I'd like it as much as I do. This "body in white" look really lets the lines and curves speak.

    Yikes, $180 OTD, but not unexpected from a dealer (I used to work at one during undergrad).

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    It's been a while since the last update. Just driving the car and enjoying the ZHP - BMW really did a great job with this model. I let my brother borrow the car for a while and he took it back to Oregon with him for a few months. He reported that the car drove well during the 1000 mile road trip (Southern CA to PDX). All was good until I received a call that the car wouldn't start.

    I had him swap the green relays behind the glove box, no go. Then listen for the fuel pump whirring when the key was at the ON position, nothing. I was fairly confident the fuel pump went out on him (~107k miles). Since he didn't have tools or a enclosed space to work on the car I was thinking of just having a shop do the work. A forum member local to Portland area recommended a shop. Their prices were higher than we were willing to pay so I decided to hop on a Southwest flight to do it myself.

    I decided to turn this trip into a mini working vacation. Southwest had a cheap flight ($117, one way) which included two checked bags. One bag was just hand tools and a bottle of booze (Liquor can only be sold in liquor stores in Oregon; Costco only has wine and beer). Ordered a new fuel pump and gasket from FCP and paid for 2 day shipping.

    Sorry, no photos of the fuel pump replacement. I had to deal with the cold and rain which was no fun. And the fuel pump decided to fail after my brother filled up the tank so some fuel came pouring out when I unscrewed the fuel pump. No fun. Lots of photos on the web for this simple job, but just imagine in a driveway with a light rain and 38* F temps. Car was running like a champ after the swap. Feelings of success and accomplishment abound. Cost of flight, trip, etc, justified. Victory.

    Since I had planned to drive the car back to southern CA (my brother was going to be traveling for work), we "had" to do some shake down drives. So we decided to go towards the Oregon coast, first north to Astoria (where the movie Goonies was filmed), and then down to Tillamook, of the eponymous cheese and ice cream factory.

    I really love the drives in Oregon. Long sweeping roads, that are usually well maintained (just not in and around Portland metro area), with lots of scenery.

    Here's a slide show:


    At a state park near the entrance of the Columbia river, near Astoria. A nice large empty lot, or skidpad:









    Bridge from Astoria, Oregon, crossing Columbia river, and into Washington state:


    Someone left their paper weight outside:


    Some more woody goodness:


    Down the coastline towards Tillamook:


    and another:


    Arrived at the Tillamook factory:



    Entrance to the new visitors' center. It's very nicely done. Food was delicious and ice cream was really good, as always. I deviated from the Tillamook Mudslide and went with a cherry flavor this time. It's like Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, but I think slightly more creamy, which I like (and I'm sure it got bonus points from me since I was having it at their creamery lol).



    If you go, be sure to try their "Squeeky cheese curds." They're only available at the creamery and are quite a novelty. They're simply cheese curds, but they... squeek. Maybe a physicist can help explain. Tasty and fun, is all I know.

    And because I'm a 12 year old: "8008"


    On the roadtrip back down the 5 freeway, 1000 miles from PDX to SNA. I can't remember if this was southern Oregon or Northern CA:


    Another, I think in CA now:


    Mount Everest in the background. Jk, it's Shasta:



    Saw this road warrior at a stop near Shasta:



    and then saw him again a day later in Central CA. What are the chances, a day apart and after an overnight stop. But then again, it's just the 5 Fwy, which is ridiculously long (Canada to Mexico).



    Stats:
    Drove 1000 miles, got gas 3 times, averaged 25-25.5 mpg.


    This chassis was made for grand touring like this. I wasn't beat up or sore during my overnight stop in Sacramento, nor when I finally arrived at my destination. If you get a chance, I recommend finding a reason for a drive. It's easy to forget how good these cars are when DDing in city traffic day in and day out. Stretch the car's legs a little, I find I appreciate it more afterwards and helps me justify/rationalize the continued ownership and maintenance.

    The Michelin PS4S are awesome tires. It was raining 80% of the time in Oregon, sometimes SUPER HEAVY, and cold 100% of the time (35-48*F) and not once did I feel apprehensive about the grip, and the comfort is top notch. Keep in mind I was driving fairly cautiously rather than Fast and Furiously.


    Also:
    I love the fact that Costcos are located near/off major highways. Cheapest gasoline around. At each stop, I took the opportunity to walk around and stretch my legs, use the restroom, and get a hotdog + drink for $1.50. The best part was 2 of the 3 times I saw churros coming out fresh from the oven, so of course I had to get one each time.

    It's like fresh bread, simply delicious; Yeah I'm a glutton.

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    22841
    Posts
    9,921
    That's awesome. Thanks for sharing

    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

    His - 2004 Imola Red / Alcantara 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

    Her's - 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic / Black Leather 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    18,064
    +1

    Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
    Randeaux/Rando/John/jr - '06 Cic ZHP; Southern California
    "ZHP or not, I still like you"


    ZHP Performance Package, Cold Weather Package, Leather, Jet Black/Black/BlackCube, NAV, Anthracite Black "my individual" interior trim
    ESS Stage 1 Twin Screw Supercharger, Sprint Booster, BMW Perf Intake, Magnaflow Exhaust, Dinan TB & STEP S/W, UCC Sway Bars, Apex EC-7 18x8.5 ET38
    Suspension: AST 44100 dampers, Bimmerworld front adjustable end links, Swift springs (8K front, 10K rear), Vorshlag camber plates
    Dynavin D99+, Hardwire V1 (w/V1 Connection), BSW Stage 1 Speakers, Kicker Amp/Subwoofer
    BMW Performance Strut Brace, Orion V2 Angel Eyes, No-holes License Plate, SMG Paddle Shift Mod, Besian VANOS, Gold DISA, Fan Delete, M3 Side Mirrors
    Note: Actual car no longer resembles signature picture

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,243
    Sorry the shop didn't work out for you, but glad you got it all sorted! The Oregon coast is always a great drive, glad you got a chance to experience it

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    3,130
    lmao nice trip report love the churro trap

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    Quote Originally Posted by Vas View Post
    That's awesome. Thanks for sharing
    Quote Originally Posted by johnrando View Post
    +1
    Thanks fellas!

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCurves View Post
    Sorry the shop didn't work out for you, but glad you got it all sorted! The Oregon coast is always a great drive, glad you got a chance to experience it

    Thanks!! No worries, I appreciate you for the recommendation. Who knows, maybe I end up using them in the future, always good to have the "rolodex" of quality shops. I can't fault anyone/shop for charging what they charge - the market, imo, determine's pricing. Fast, Good, Cheap; choose two. Lol. I probably had more of a sticker shock since, like many here, I do my own maintenance and it's been quite a few years since I've been to a dealer or shop for routine maintenance.

    It actually worked out better this way since I made the impromptu trip. I usually make the road trip once a year, but hadn't yet in 2019, so this was perfect. Good to see my brother and some of his friends, good to go exploring and for drives in Oregon, and good to reconnect with the long-legged e46 with the road trip. I noticed I had the radio off for about 90% of the trip just enjoying the motoring.

    I hope it's mandatory for engineers at BMW to do some extended drives in the older models, just to remind them of the qualia that helped to build the brand.

    Quote Originally Posted by ZHPizza View Post
    lmao nice trip report love the churro trap
    Lol. Thanks!; watch out for those churro traps!

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Socal
    Posts
    1,739
    Went through your thread. Nice work. The first 4 pictures didn't work. As well as the 2 of your M3. Looking at that car makes me miss my car even more now though.

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    Quote Originally Posted by sillieidiot View Post
    Went through your thread. Nice work. The first 4 pictures didn't work. As well as the 2 of your M3. Looking at that car makes me miss my car even more now though.
    Thanks!

    I'm hit or miss with the image links, thanks for letting me know. I think I have the them fixed now. Reposting here to save some time/effort for those interested in seeing them:

    Before:



    After:




    The ZHP when I bought it and had it delivered (the condition of the interior and exterior had me interested in making a deal for it):











    Coolant in cyl. 3 (and also 4):


  10. #60
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Irvine, CA
    Posts
    818
    Just an oil change today at 109,709 miles (6,400 miles since last change). Mann filter and Castrol 0w-40 "European Formula." The bottles I bought last year still had the BMW LL-01 certification. I guess it's no longer LL-01 certified, still has MB229.5 and Porsche A40. Available at Walmart, love it.

    My steering rack is leaking from the right side boot. There's also some play, when I hold the front wheel at 9 and 3 and push/pull... there's a small "clunk" that i'll have to figure out. I noticed on the long drive too... initially I thought the car was tram-lining the grooves of the freeway, but then I notice it's in the steering and not the pavement.

    It feels as if the wheels will lean either left or right and I have to hold slight counter pressure on the steering wheel to keep it straight. The strange part is the slight clunk I feel as it "takes the set." Strange.

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