Rob’s E82 135i (Kpro’s Legacy Thread)

[Newjack]

This car.

I saw this car for the first time just a hair over 6 years ago. Rob and Kristen brought it to the ZHP Mafia Meet back in 2012. I had just purchased the ZHP a year ago, was enjoying the car and getting into the maintenance/mod side of things. I loved driving the ZHP. It always put a smile on my face, but even when I bought it I had always wished it were faster (I originally looked at E46 M3’s but I was just getting out of college and didn’t have the funds). In my head I settled on supercharging it down the road to get that power I had always wanted and just enjoyed the ZHP for what it was, a beautiful car.

So now I’m at the 2012 SIGFest and this 135i comes along that catches everyone’s attention. Kristen is letting people drive it, and down the road it goes as the car rips through first and second gear. It’s loud.

Kristen asked me if I wanted to drive it. I knew right away if I drove that car, I would resent having the ZHP until it was faster, and I didn’t have the money to go forced induction. I reluctantly declined and just left it at that.

Over the years I had seen the car again a few times. Once in New Jersey it had blown rear shocks and I wasn’t able to drive it. Another time it was at the 2015 Mafia Meet in Ohio. (see pic below)

I’ve been pining for this car for years and have said half heartedly that if it ever went up for sale, I’d buy it. At last years meet in Ohio, I reminded Kristen and she told me that she might be selling it soon and I would be first in line.

April 2018 – The car is for sale. M2 is being ordered and the 135i is now up for grabs.

It took me all of ten seconds to commit to buying the 135i.

A few weeks ago, Justin and I drove down to South Carolina to hang out for the weekend and so I could finally drive the car I’ve been wanting to buy for 6 years. Flew down two weeks later and left with the fastest car I’ve ever been in.

Driving it in the street is totally normal. It’s loud from the exhaust, but it burbles and is one of the best exhausts I’ve ever heard. Get into boost though, and its like getting shot out of a gun.

The maintenance history on this car is extensive, all done by BMW or reputable shops (VAC etc) and everything is in a binder with receipts.
This car is going to be expensive, I’m aware of what I purchased and I plan on keeping it OEM+

2008 BMW 135i – N54 Twin Turbo
VIN - WBAUC73588VF22821
61124 miles at purchase

Mod List

AR Designs Catless Down Pipes
Agency Power Mid Pipe
Corsa Exhaust
KW v2 coilovers
Hotchkis front swaybar
BMW Performance Side Skirts
BMW Performance Pedals
BMW Performance Steering Wheel
UUC SSK
BMW Performance CF Splitters
CF Spoiler
CF Diffuser
CF Mirror Caps
Injen Intake
Cobb tuner
CP-E Charge Pipe with HKS SQQV BOV
LED AE
6700k D1S
Evolution Racewerks FMIC
VAC Motorsports wheel stud kit
OS Giken Superlock LSD - Stock gear ratio
Dinan Front Strut Bar
P3 vent gauge v1
Evolution Racewerks engine cover
ZHP Shift Knob
VMR 701 Wheels


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[Newjack]

Bringing this car to Maryland meant a few things.

1. I would have to get a state inspection

2. I would have to pass emissions

This car would do neither of those things when I bought it because of the catless down pipes lol

Detuned the car to Cobb Stage 1 and took it to my mechanic. After swapping in the stock down pipes (thank you again Rob and Kristen for holding on to these and sending them my way) I passed state inspection. Oh I needed rear brakes too since the back ones were a bit on the thin side. While I was there I also had my mechanic swap the manual transmission fluid since I didn't think it had ever been done. I was waiting in the lobby and as soon as they pulled the fluid out I could smell exactly how original it was - trans and diff fluid always smell horrible!


AR Designs Catless Down Pipes swapped out for the stock down pipes

Manual transmission changed with Redline MTL

Rear brakes and rotors replaced with BMW OEM pads and rotors - I did a brake bedding procedure that night on the beltway

Maryland State Inspection Complete



So the next hurdle was passing emissions. Maryland allows you one readiness sensor fail, which can either be the cat or an O2 sensor but not both. After clearing all of the DTC's I did a few extended drive cycles to try and get the car to show the emission sensors as "ready". Checked the car with an OBDII scanner after a week of very careful driving and it was good to go. (This part really sucked. Not being able to go over 3k RPM's, nothing above half throttle and nothing above 60mph or the readiness sensor test stops)

Passed emissions and drove to my mechanic the same day.

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My mechanic reinstalled the AR Designs Catless Down Pipes and also changed the fluid on the OS Giken Superlock LSD. The LSD requires some serious fluid ($60 a liter!) and it needs to be changed out every 12k miles.


AR Designs Catless Down Pipes reinstalled

Diff fluid changed with OS250R gear oil

Reinstalled Cobb Stage 2+

Removed the pink wheel cap stickers

Installed new air freshener - Previous owner had one that I liked so I bought a new one to replace it

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So at this point the car doesn't really need much other than someone to drive it. Had to buy another front license plate mount from US Mill Works since Maryland requires a front tag. Of course I went with the lightened unit. 5oz less, all about that power to weight ratio

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[Newjack]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MHYjJPqrE4

[Hornung418]

About time you made a thread!

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[johnrando]

So nice. I felt the same eay driving it. I am jealous that you got it but very happy for you. Just not a need for that awesome beast in my stable. Glad it's staying in the family.

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[slater]

awesome.

i want to check this thing out!!

[704sw]

Well that thing sure sounds nice, Rob.

[BMWCurves]

Well that thing sure sounds nice, Rob.

+1

And with the childish giggle after starting it up, it's perfect.

[danewilson77]

Rob, so happy for you. Buckle up

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[Newjack]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty happy with it right now to say the least.

Yes the seat belt is absolutely being worn. Haven't turned the DCS off.

Whenever we have the next mafia meet I'm happy to sit in the passenger seat for some rides. Just bring an extra pair of underwear.

One of the few mods I did end up doing first was replacing the rear license plate holder. Ended up going with the same carbon fiber design that was originally on the car.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y22JCG0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[san]

Awesome Rob. Congrats again


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[704sw]

Thanks guys. I'm pretty happy with it right now to say the least.

Yes the seat belt is absolutely being worn. Haven't turned the DCS off.

Whenever we have the next mafia meet I'm happy to sit in the passenger seat for some rides. Just bring an extra pair of underwear.

One of the few mods I did end up doing first was replacing the rear license plate holder. Ended up going with the same carbon fiber design that was originally on the car.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y22JCG0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Still rocking those pink roundels?

[Hornung418]

Still rocking those pink roundels?First thing to go.

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[704sw]

First thing to go.

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Weak.

Edit: just turned on the news—I’m hoping you guys aren’t impacted by this flooding in MD?

[Hornung418]

Weak.

Edit: just turned on the news—I’m hoping you guys aren’t impacted by this flooding in MD?Nope! That is the second time in three years they have had these "1000 year floods." It's heartbreaking, but you think they would not rebuild after this. I would not want to own a house or building at the bottom of a river valley. It's like building a house on a flood plain and wonder why your house is destroyed every season.

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[704sw]

Nope! That is the second time in three years they have had these "1000 year floods." It's heartbreaking, but you think they would not rebuild after this. I would not want to own a house or building at the bottom of a river valley. It's like building a house on a flood plain and wonder why your house is destroyed every season.

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Exactly why I’d never own property in certain parts of California where there’s a wildfire every year...

[slater]

Exactly why I’d never own property in certain parts of California where there’s a wildfire every year...

probably just safer to rent from here on out. or SprinterVanTinyHouse.

[Sockethead]

I was wondering when you were going to start a thread! We're so glad you are enjoying it!
The CF spoiler, diffuser, mirror caps and splitters are all BMW performance too!
Sorry you had to do the brakes, we had no idea they were that low.
That startup video... oh boy! I've listen to that thing leave every morning for the last 5 years... it really roars to life! She's going to be sad when I show her that.

[3ZHP]

Looks and Sounds GREAT Rob! Enjoy it.

[Newjack]

Mileage 63144 - Changed the transmission fluid from Redline MTL to Redline ATF D4.

I was noticing that the Redline MTL fluid is too heavy for this transmission. When I originally changed the fluid and drove it home, it was great and I noticed right away that the shifting was so much smoother than before. Might have been a false positive since the fluid in the trans was original and needed to be changed anyway. After a few days I noticed only from cold starts (oil temps were ambient temperature or close) second gear didn't like the new fluid. Shifting 1-2 would have the second gear synchro make a "buzz" sound before going into gear. It would only do this once, and then everything was fine throughout the entire drive, and only on cold starts did this happen.

I did some research and a lot of guys on 1addicts run D4 ATF fluid since it is a bit thinner and closer to spec. I also emailed Redline, and was originally told to run D6 ATF, but I decided against that since their own website said to use D4 ATF fluid.

I haven't been able to drive from a cold start, but I'm almost certain this was the issue since the car never had issues before swapping the fluid.

FWIW I run Redline MTL in the ZHP with zero issues.

[san]

I had the same experience running redline MTL on my zhp as you are having now with the 135i. Swapped it for D4 ATF and it’s a little better.


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[Newjack]

Ambient temps were 53F this morning. Coming from a cold start straight into first and second gear with no issues. Way smoother when cold and overall a much more enjoyable experience. I feel much better knowing the right fluid is in the car.

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[Newjack]

I've been looking at clutches since around the time I planned on buying this car. Running 150hp+ over stock was going to give some issues eventually so I wanted to get my ducks in a row before the clutch outright failed and I hadn't done any research.

I've had the clutch slip ever so slightly a few times in 4th 5th and 6th now all under 2k rpms when I go WOT. It's enough to get me thinking.


So BMW uses the same clutch on the F10 550i and the 335is. (Linked Here) (https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-bmw-parts/clutch-kit-6-speed-transmission/21207603248/)

(Pulling from this post) (https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showpost.php?p=17966205&postcount=70)


This clutch comes factory in the F10 550i, which puts down 443 tq and weighs a whopping 4552 lbs. DINAN doesn’t offer a clutch upgrade for their different stages of 550i’s, so apparently they feel that it is adequate. Their Stage 3 550i puts down 580 tq and they kept the factory clutch. Also, someone on the forums is using this clutch and claims that it is holding at over 620wtq on aftermarket turbos. To me, it sounds like the clutch is severely underrated.

My 135i won’t see more than 500 tq anytime soon. I’d guess that it is currently around 420whp/465wtq, but only weighs 3300 lbs!

This sounds right for my car and I think it will easily hold power for a long while. Yes I plan to make it faster, but that will take a lot of other parts (turbos injectors etc) so I have no immediate plans for that. Besides I think this clutch will be fine for the power I plan to get out of it.

Now here's my question. The guy in his thread switched to a single mass flywheel. It doesn't sound too bad, especially at idle and not under load. But when you turn the headlights on and the AC you can definitely notice it. Enough that I really don't want to live the single mass flywheel life since this car is a daily for now.

I know dual mass flywheels aren't really meant to be refinished, since its a pain in the ass and often isn't done right. You just go ahead and replace the flywheel with the clutch.

Question - Can I use another 135i stock flywheel and use the upgraded 550i clutch? The clutch (pressure plate specifically) is the holding power right? The mating surface of the dual mass flywheel or single mass flywheel wouldn't have any impact on overall grab or performance?

Please note that I will not be doing this job myself. This is not a DIY I ever want to do especially on a car that I need to get to work lol

[704sw]

No comment other than to reinforce that SMF chatter is significantly worse with the AC running and my foot off the clutch. Reminds me of my grandfather’s 1982 Mercedes 240 Diesel. Drives great, but the noise is embarrassing as shit.

[Sockethead]

Yea.... I think I'll be putting a dual mass flywheel and heavy duty Sachs clutch in mine. The smoothness of the M2's drive train has me wanting that back in my car

[Newjack]

Yea.... I think I'll be putting a dual mass flywheel and heavy duty Sachs clutch in mine. The smoothness of the M2's drive train has me wanting that back in my car

So then running the stock dual mass flywheel would be fine with an upgraded clutch? The pressure plate is the part that gives the grip and holding strength?


You have a single mass flywheel on the ZHP?

[Sockethead]

Yes, That is correct... The pressure plate provides the clamping force. Your car has been fully modded since practically new, so you can see that the clamping force of the stock clutch is actually quite good. When I was living in NJ there was a indy in West Chester PA. that I took my car to, Bimmerwerks, he had a full track car. It was a 335 I believe. He had a stock clutch in it and said it worked great and had no desire to put anything else in it...

No I still have the dual mass but I'm pretty sure that the flywheel has failed as I am getting a lot of noise at idle. Peter (slater) had a short video clip in his touring build thread that showed a failed flywheel. I have around 145K hard miles on the car

[Newjack]

Yes, That is correct... The pressure plate provides the clamping force. Your car has been fully modded since practically new, so you can see that the clamping force of the stock clutch is actually quite good. When I was living in NJ there was a indy in West Chester PA. that I took my car to, Bimmerwerks, he had a full track car. It was a 335 I believe. He had a stock clutch in it and said it worked great and had no desire to put anything else in it...

No I still have the dual mass but I'm pretty sure that the flywheel has failed as I am getting a lot of noise at idle. Peter (slater) had a short video clip in his touring build thread that showed a failed flywheel. I have around 145K hard miles on the carThanks Rob, good to know. Yeah and for the most part the stock clutch is still holding 405whp. It only started this recently with Kristen's psycho tune on it. The oem feel is something I want to retain, and that's why the upgraded oem clutch for the 550i is so appealing.


Gave her a wash last night. I forgot how quickly the wheels get dirty. Rear wheels dust almost as bad as the fronts did on the ZHP. Parents keep telling me I should get ceramic pads to avoid the dust. That. Will. Never. Happen. I don't care about dust if it means I have the hands of God stopping the car

Going to Florida for the next 10 days so the car is now sparkly clean and will be sitting in my parents garage. Stepdad will drive it a time or two while I'm gone, and I'm excited to hear what he thinks since he's still never been in it or driven it.

I can only imagine the cold start sound inside of the garage!


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180622/0f16fb85bd9b1f6ddb03d93fc255a196.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180622/597b1c9fbbe0cb32cb91710a512b7854.jpg

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[Whammy]

Rob, PFC Z-rated pads are excellent IMO and have very little brake dust. When the time is right, maybe look at them as an alternative to OE pads. Both cars look great!

[704sw]

I don’t know the answer to this, so maybe I’m being an idiot—is it possible to keep the DMF while switching to a non-SAC? I think that’s what really made the big difference for me in terms of feel. Maybe the 1er doesn’t use an SAC, idk.

[Sockethead]

Aftermarket pads don't play well with the 135 performance calipers. Plus, in my experience, you lose that great initial bite you get with the OEM pads.
The M2 dusts just as bad but that initial bite is awesome compared to the hawk pads on my car
I hope you warned him about the hit when the turbos kick in, that will scare the piss out of him if he's not ready for it haha!

[Sockethead]

BTW, the stamped concrete driveway looks awesome as well as the car! I will always get a little twinge in my heart when I see the 135 :(

[Newjack]

Yeah I don't doubt that ceramic pads are good, they just aren't meant for this car. It would be like buying corvette and running all seasons on it.

Yeah I told Chris about the boost and to be careful in second gear if you aren't ready. Being blown by twins is something else let me tell you

[Sockethead]

Being blown by twins is something else let me tell you

I'm getting a good visual on that ;)

[ELCID86]

BTW, the stamped concrete driveway looks awesome as well as the car! I will always get a little twinge in my heart when I see the 135 :(

I’m a little jealy of the drive too (Not to mention the car!)

[brettbimmer]

Rob, PFC Z-rated pads are excellent IMO and have very little brake dust. When the time is right, maybe look at them as an alternative to OE pads. Both cars look great!X2. I have them on my ZHP and E36, and highly recommend them!

Rob, loooong overdue, but congratulations on 1dirty5! Beautiful Bimmer!!

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[Newjack]

X2. I have them on my ZHP and E36, and highly recommend them!

Rob, loooong overdue, but congratulations on 1dirty5! Beautiful Bimmer!!

Sent from my SM-G950U using TapatalkThanks buddy! Maybe sometime I can get some of the locals to go to a cars and coffee and go for a drive

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[brettbimmer]

Thanks buddy! Maybe sometime I can get some of the locals to go to a cars and coffee and go for a drive

Sent from my Nexus 5X using TapatalkDefinitely! Need to make that happen. It would certainly be fun.

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[Newjack]

I've got a bit of a request for all of you MacGyver's out there since I have recently run into a small problem that I feel could be solved with a creative solution. I live in a condominium who has recently decided to start enforcing a towing policy that has been on hold for the last 3 years or so. Each resident is given a small business card sized sticker to attach to their car on the rear drivers side. Whether that means the rear glass, rear bumper, as long is it is visible you're good. I have always placed mine behind the rear windshield, tucked in beneath the glass and for the most part it has worked fine.

This morning I got up, changed for work and went out to the parking lot to realize my car wasn't in the lot. Motherfuckers towed it claiming it had no parking sticker on it. (I'm going to leave out the description of exactly what happened since it isn't really relevant to the problem and I'm still having issues thinking about it without causing physical harm to the nearest person.)


Since I refuse to ruin my paint and plaster this business card sized sticker on my bumper or rear glass, I want to keep in inside the car against the back window. I also don't want to tape it there since the car has tints and I think tape might damage the tints over time.

What can I do so that this little parking sticker is visible and also won't move? (Windows were rolled down and the wind blew it into the back seat thus me getting towed)

Has anyone else had to deal with something like this? What kind of solutions did you have?

(For the record I fully intend on moving after this. Fuck everything about this bullshit money grabbing scheme where the condo association tries to "protect" parking by only ever targeting OWNERS of the condos. I'm done with the state of Maryland and living in this bullshit condo. I need a garage and a new job)

[704sw]

Maybe I’m missing something, but could you not put it on the outside of the back windshield, and just peel it off after you’ve moved out of your money-grabbing shithole condo?

[Hornung418]

Wanna be roommates? You can live in the garage with the Porsche? It's getting a new roof in August!

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[ZHPizza]

Maybe I’m missing something, but could you not put it on the outside of the back windshield, and just peel it off after you’ve moved out of your money-grabbing shithole condo?Yeah I don't know what the issue is with that other than it doesn't look cool. Sticker ain't gonna hurt glass and you can remove any residue with a razor after you leave.

Or you could put it on the inside with painters tape, but you're still more likely to hurt the tint than the outside glass.

[Newjack]

Yeah I could put it outside on the glass, it just looks shitty to me. For those of you who can relate, imagine not needing to run a front plate if you didn't have to. I wanna be one of the cool kids and not have to look at photos of the car later and be reminded that I ever lived here.

I'm leaving it inside the glass tonight with a few stickies with "Right here you fuck" written by the sticker.

Justin, dibs on the garage carpet

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[3ZHP]

I hate that crap too! Before I relocated to Tennessee, I had to put a baseball size parking sticker on the drivers side windshield for work!

The place was in a rough area of
Cleveland, OH and had a maned guard shack you had to pass through to he in. Because of that I just put up with it.


What about mountings it in a small picture frame that would stand on the back deck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180720/6792018a4ac0ad7f158015264936cb73.png

[Sockethead]

Kristen had a sticker on the back window the whole time she owned it. We scraped it off right before you drove the car home :)

[Newjack]

I hate that crap too! Before I relocated to Tennessee, I had to put a baseball size parking sticker on the drivers side windshield for work!

The place was in a rough area of
Cleveland, OH and had a maned guard shack you had to pass through to he in. Because of that I just put up with it.


What about mountings it in a small picture frame that would stand on the back deck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180720/6792018a4ac0ad7f158015264936cb73.png

This is a really good idea Guy thank you. Unfortunately for me this is a pure money grab contract. I live walking distance to the metro, and the purpose of towing is to prevent people from parking along the street or in lots, and then walking to the metro. They towed my car overnight, meaning they just want money and don't care who they grab.



Kristen had a sticker on the back window the whole time she owned it. We scraped it off right before you drove the car home :)

Shit man really? Maybe I'll just suck it up and deal with the sticker on the rear windshield...... There has to be a way to tuck in in there real low so it really isn't visible unless you walk up on it to check. If this weren't a money grab scheme they would have the option for mirror placards you could just put up when you park, but noooo they need more of our fucking money.


Here's a pic of the undercarriage while I was having it checked out on the lift. They had to have grabbed it from the rear and thank God everything appears to be ok.

https://i.imgur.com/ANgtiMo.jpg

[johnrando]

Glad all is ok. That car is drool worthy

[Newjack]

I hate it already.... :crying


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[704sw]

I hate it already.... :crying


33490

Well I think the sticky note is subtle.

Obviously it’s annoying you have to do that, but I think it’s probably a little bit less annoying than coming out to find your car not there in the morning?

I had friends in school whose apartment complex did the same thing. It was a block away from campus, so they had a “towing enforcement” policy to prevent people from using the complex as a means of not buying campus parking passes. Buuuut they only towed overnight, so it was a complete scam. Getting a new visitor pass every single day I was there was a huge PITA, but I preferred being drunk on their patio and knowing my car would be there in the morning vs. being drunk on their patio and watching my car get towed away.

[Sockethead]

I hate it already.... :crying


33490

Awe come on Rob, you didn't even notice the sticker Kpro had on it. That's right where she had it!

[joeybananaz18]

thats really not that bad. But if it really annoys you, how about one of those flat magnets.If you attach the sticker to one side, could you just put the other side of the magnet on the trunk or something? Keep it in you glove box and put it on when you get home and then just remove it when you leave. Not sure if it would leave marks tho. I did that in college with my mazda6. it was a red close to imola and worked perfectly.

EDIT:

something like this....
https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Magnet-Adhesive-Project-Length/dp/B005HY9A0U/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1532095589&sr=8-13&keywords=flat+magnets

[johnrando]

You can put a piece of paper between the magnet and the paint to help prevent scratches and it will still stick.

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[Newjack]

Yeah leaving sticky tape on the tints over time wasn't my intention. It's on for now so I'll just leave it be.

Thanks for the good suggestions guys. Just need to get motivated on getting a new job so I can buy a house and not have to deal with any of this silly stuff.

[Newjack]

Alright so I'm driving to my parents house tonight, and the seat belt light keeps coming on. I unplug my seat belt while Im driving and plug it back in, nothing changes and the chime keeps dinging at me like I'm doing something wrong. I'm getting pissed, its raining and the person in front of me is driving 10mph under the speed limit because its raining and they are over a thousand years old.

I finally get to my parents house and start looking up stuff on my phone, apparently this is a common problem with the e9x platform. Starting to look up prices of new seat belt tensioners and they are like $70. Not a big deal but not something I wanted to spend money on.

I'm sitting at the dinner table, and suddenly I realize. I had a case of beer in the passenger seat. The sensor wasn't going off because my seat belt wasn't plugged in. It was going off because it thought there was a passenger in the passenger seat.

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Plugged in the carbon fiber seat belt clip and I didn't have any issues on the way home. What a relief

[704sw]

Lol oh man, I’m not sure if the degree to which I can relate to your entire post is either comical or concerning.

The X3’s seat occupancy sensor was ridiculously sensitive. I had the passenger seatbelt clipped in the entire time I was back in school, because even just my laptop would set it off. I’m not sure if the E46 seats are that sensitive because now I’m conditioned to buckle up the passenger seat if I have anything in it.

[Sockethead]

Lol oh man, I’m not sure if the degree to which I can relate to your entire post is either comical or concerning.

The X3’s seat occupancy sensor was ridiculously sensitive. I had the passenger seatbelt clipped in the entire time I was back in school, because even just my laptop would set it off. I’m not sure if the E46 seats are that sensitive because now I’m conditioned to buckle up the passenger seat if I have anything in it.

This! Rob, that used to go off when I had my lunch on the passenger seat... Kristen had these fake buckles she used to clip into the seatbelt to bypass it.

[Newjack]

This! Rob, that used to go off when I had my lunch on the passenger seat... Kristen had these fake buckles she used to clip into the seatbelt to bypass it.

Yeah I'm using one of those fake buckles now. I had no idea the sensors were that sensitive. I don't even think they existed in the ZHP so I had no idea what was going on at first.

[az3579]

Yeah I'm using one of those fake buckles now. I had no idea the sensors were that sensitive. I don't even think they existed in the ZHP so I had no idea what was going on at first.The ZHP has an occupancy sensor but there is no indication of when it detects a passenger. It doesn't care about a passenger being buckled, only the driver.

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[704sw]

The ZHP has an occupancy sensor but there is no indication of when it detects a passenger. It doesn't care about a passenger being buckled, only the driver.

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The passenger occupancy sensor is only for airbag deployment, right?

[az3579]

The passenger occupancy sensor is only for airbag deployment, right?

Yessir. If it fails, it'll trigger an airbag light on the instrument cluster, and will deploy the airbag in a collision regardless of whether someone's sitting there or not.

[Newjack]

Gave the car a thorough wash yesterday. I've been using the touchless car wash to keep it clean(ish) but that only gets so much dirt off. Got all the wheels nice and shiny again and finished the paint with a spray on wax that will hopefully hold for a week or two.

While I was at the car wash the touchless wand peeled off my trunk roundel completely. It was already fading was on my list of things to replace, but not having one at all made me get one shipped out asap. I went ahead and replaced the third brake light as well since the previous one had a crack right down the middle. Apparently that's a common issue on the E82 and BMW even had a recall for it at one point.

So on the ZHP the rear roundel was held in by just two rubber grommets and the metal prongs on the roundel. The E82 has the same thing, except the grommets are a harder plastic and there is a circular adhesive backing to the roundel making sure it doesn't come off. I wasn't expecting this at all so it was a real pita to get off and then scrape off the rest of the adhesive. New one went on fine though and the adhesive will hold it tight. OEM or bust

65394 miles

Before

https://i.imgur.com/Yl6Zr1C.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/psZdIdv.jpg

After (Pic sucks I know but the roundel is there at least)

https://i.imgur.com/meA3LKt.jpg

[ELCID86]

Another reason not to use a car wash (I’m one to talk—I do too periodically...)

https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-you-should-never-take-your-car-to-a-carwash-1821475097

[Newjack]

Another reason not to use a car wash (I’m one to talk—I do too periodically...)

https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-you-should-never-take-your-car-to-a-carwash-1821475097

I used the sprayer self wash stuff. No bristles or brushes. I never use the auto car wash. Never took the ZHP through an auto car wash and I don't plan to ever take the 135 through one either.

[ELCID86]

I used the sprayer self wash stuff. No bristles or brushes. I never use the auto car wash. Never took the ZHP through an auto car wash and I don't plan to ever take the 135 through one either.

Good call.

[holyc0w]

I was happy with just using the high-pressure rinse (water only). Then I realized that the black residue on the car was from whenever the hose made contact with the car.

[Newjack]

I was happy with just using the high-pressure rinse (water only). Then I realized that the black residue on the car was from whenever the hose made contact with the car.Lmao yeah you gotta be careful and not bump the hose into the car.

I like using the touchless between washes because it gets the big 3d stuff off the car if there is anything. Makes a simple wash that much easier when you do it

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[johnrando]

Clean and shiny, yes!

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[Newjack]

12/2/18

66174

Did my first oil change on the car. BMW definitely did the last one since the oil pan drain plug was set to 1 million foot pounds of torque. Used a 17mm socket first and rounded one of the corners just a hair so I switched to a wrench to get it off. Will be replacing the oil drain plug with a new OEM one next oil change.

Right now I'm sticking with BMW 5w-30 oil since it isn't too expensive. Since I'm changing the oil out every 5k miles I don't really think the oil choice is going to matter that much. I hear good things about Motul and keeping oil temps down, but I would only run that in the summer if I did and even then the stuff is extremely expensive.

I'm surprised how tiny the oil filter is on the N54 motor. Its maybe 70% the size of the ZHP oil filter. Takes the same amount of oil. Threw in 6.5 quarts, got the car up to temp and checked the oil level in the car on a level road while idle. Its on the high side with 6.5 quarts but its kinda hard to tell. Looks like I have room for one more "block" on the iDrive screen. Not used to not having a dipstick. Either way the car says the oil level is good so I'll just leave it and only add in 6 quarts next time to see what that looks like on the screen.

I also swapped out the summer tires and threw on the stock 135 wheels with blizzaks. Funny that I bought the original wheels for the car before I bought the car. When they were on the ZHP I was getting some moderate steering wheel jitter at 30mph +/- I don't really notice much of anything with the exact same wheels on the 135i. No idea why the 135 can tolerate it better but its a nice perk. I will eventually have all 4 of the winter wheels rebalanced when I put new blizzaks on them but I think I'll save that for next year.

I have no idea how the car is aware, but it knows there are a different set of wheels and the tire pressure monitoring system is giving me some feedback on the iDrive system. Gonna have to look into this and figure out how to make it go away.

While the hood was popped I cleaned out all of the stupid leaves that gather in the windshield cowl area. This car has some really deep pockets by the hood struts where a ton of crap can get in. I was literally pulling out handfuls of leaves.

Sooner than later I need to get some air filter cleaning solution to clean out the Injen dual cone intakes. I was planning on doing this today since they are super easy to pop off, but I didn't have anything to clean them with and you can't use soap and water. If anyone has any suggestions for a cleaning solution let me know.

https://i.imgur.com/GPL93mZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/xlRx4oD.jpg

[Sockethead]

I'm pretty sure those are dry filters on there. We got them from Injen. We did have an Injen cleaning kit for the oiled filters... I though Kristen gave that to you?

That car wasn't bad at all on dry roads with the blizzacks on it. I was always surprised with that...

I forgot that you bought those wheels... isn't that funny how things turned out :)

[704sw]

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who uses a hilariously small space heater while working in the garage.

Those splitters looks really good. Perfect balance of subtle yet aggressive.

[Newjack]

I'm pretty sure those are dry filters on there. We got them from Injen. We did have an Injen cleaning kit for the oiled filters... I though Kristen gave that to you?

That car wasn't bad at all on dry roads with the blizzacks on it. I was always surprised with that...

I forgot that you bought those wheels... isn't that funny how things turned out :)

Ah I can check the box of parts again to double check for cleaning solution. The intakes are definitely dry and I don't ever plan on running an oiled filter. I haven't really gotten a chance to see how it handles the smaller tread in the rear. I did push 2nd a tiny bit and DSC threw a fit (it always does anyway) but it was still super quick. I think the LSD in this car its absolutely amazing and severely underrated as an upgrade on any performance car.



I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who uses a hilariously small space heater while working in the garage.

Those splitters looks really good. Perfect balance of subtle yet aggressive.

lmao there was another heater in the corner too

I really like the splitters too. Kristen has great taste in car mods

[Sockethead]

Those are real BMW performance splitters. The PO bought them but never put them on.

[Newjack]

:thumbsuphttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181203/59691d87da970febf231c9568fa351eb.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181203/7d1d2b3ab11251463527e96b51e93248.jpg

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[Newjack]

5/30/20

69136

Long time no see!

Did another oil change on the car yesterday. I haven't driven it much since the last oil change but it was definitely long enough. In the last few years it seems BMW switched from 5W-30 oil to a 0W-30 oil. I'm not exactly sure the reasoning but the 5W I used prior I can't find anymore so I just got a kit from FCP Euro that included the newer version. I'm sure the lighter weight would be nice in a cold climate but down here in Florida it doesn't mean much to me. (Did I mention I moved to Florida?)

My third brake light cracked again so I ordered another one from FCP and plan on using the lifetime warranty since this is the second one I've had to buy. I guess its just a bad design by BMW that puts to much tension on the middle section of the brake light and makes it crack after a year or so. Easy part to swap in and out so no big deal.

I went ahead and washed the car today (planned on doing it yesterday but it started pouring rain) - It was a bit shameful how dirty the car was but it sits now cleaner than it ever has been under my ownership. I got a good wash, used a claybar kit from Chemical Guys, washed again and then put two coats of Natty's paste wax on the car to keep it nice and clean for as long as I can. The paint has always been in good condition - the clearcoat still strong and beading water whenever it rains. But I could always feel the paint had a sandpapery feeling to it. The claybar removed maybe 80-90% of that rough feeling on the paint and putting the wax overtop makes it really really smooth. One of these days I'm going to prep for a full detail with polish and sealant but this should hold me over for a little bit. I even got to polish the exhaust tips!

36690
36691

[johnrando]

Sup OG!? Good to see you around.

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[Newjack]

Lads,

Still around. Car is pulling better than ever and has recently been washed. Oil change coming up soon. She's proudly sitting in MY garage. Not a condo parking lot, or a rented home. MY garage. Oil change soon along with some minor maintenance. Paint correction and a brake sensor replacement. I promise she doesn't need new brakes its just a bad sensor. Probably going for a coolant refresh soon as preventative maintenance because why not. The valve cover gasket started leaking about 6 months ago and your boy here made the repair solo. Whole valve cover off, looking dialed in and light gold as it should with 70k miles. 4056640567

[Vas]

Congrats on home ownership

[BMWCurves]

Congrats on home ownership

+1