Yeah those strut brace nuts are very expensive at $10.50/ea.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
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Yeah those strut brace nuts are very expensive at $10.50/ea.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
Hence my fear of having to buy six of the stupid things.Quote:
Originally Posted by anandoc
This nice weather in DC mixed with procrastinating while studying for an exam tomorrow has me daydreaming of getting back to my car :begging
Updated list of maintenance/mods to be done upon my return (for personal reference).
- Oil change (nowhere near my normal 5k mile interval, but it's coming up on the year interval)
- Brake fluid flush (1 year interval).
- Paint brake calipers. I am currently foregoing my plans for yellow. Now I need to decide between either a lighter blue like today's generation ///M calipers or black. Leaning black.
- Coolant flush (2 year interval).
- Put back on my APEX ARC8 wheels (the car is currently sitting on my Style 135s in storage).
- Install yellow fog lights.
- Install UUC TSE3 exhaust.
- Install E46 M3 front strut brace.
- Install E46 M3 motor and transmission mounts.
- Perform a full exterior detail.
- Perform an interior detail with Leatherique treatment.
- Swap carpets from all weather to carpet for the summer.
- Inspect power steering fluid leak
- Replace old fuel filter soft hoses
List of other odds and ends I need to do:
- Finish my coupe interior swap DIY guide
- Actively try and sell my factory coupe interior.
- Buy an external microphone and record the sounds of the factory intake, BMW Performance intake, and GruppeM intake. Perform with the mic by the intake, inside the cabin, and by the exhaust. Repeat with UUC TSE3 installed. Make a comparison video.
- Just drive the damn thing
I'm sure there's more I'm missing.
One of the most recent photos of it:
http://i.imgur.com/sggs329.jpg
Is the brake fluid flush really necessary after just a year and considering you haven't really driven it much?
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Honestly, probably not. But it's cheap to replace and brake fluid is hygroscopic so it will absorb moisture with time. Driving probably increases the rate of moisture absorption (movement theoretically exposes it to more places where moisture exists) but there is a baseline absorption of moisture. Having stainless steel brake/clutch lines probably helps minimize moisture absorption as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by san
Good list of projects! I would not go with black brake fluid. The old fluid will be black - ha. You'll want to see the change in color from old to new.
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Hmm, I thought he was talking about the caliper paint. What are black, yellow and blue brake fluids?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorenzo
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Ha. You're right. He mentioned the colors under brake flush - hence my confusion.Quote:
Originally Posted by san
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Yup :facepalm. I had copied that list from an earlier post and did a piss poor job of editing.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...68327614d4.jpg
;-)
(And good luck on the exam! )
Haha, appreciate it!
...so when do you get back home?
Not sure yet, but probably early or mid-June. There are a lot of things up in the air. I'll have hopefully submitted my medical school applications by early June. Then I have to consider if I'm going to take the MCAT again by mid-August. In the mean time I'll be doing some job searching for the coming year while I wait to hear from medical schools. I have two potential job offers here in DC and one in Portland. I'd prefer a job in Portland since it'll be lower cost of living and I have lots of friends and family there. We'll see...Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
nice. i've never been to portland, but i imagine i would prefer it over DC - the climate for one, and i love the PacNW.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
Well if you ever pass through, be sure to let me know! I too love the PacNW.Quote:
Originally Posted by slater
Other than the winters, I liked where I lived in South Jersey/Philadelphia area. Didn't you spend some time in Philly?
I went to school in Philly for four years and two years working. Philly continually grew on me, especially once I graduated.
How long ago was that? The waterfront has really bloomed down there.
It has, the city's becoming popular again and really starting to build up since I left. I graduated in 2012 and left Philly in 2014. Before I left I was living down over on South Street near Jim's Steaks and when I was leaving the city was beginning to build up the waterfront. Had those trucks and hammocks and lights just north of Penn's landing that was really nice at night.
I do miss those BYOs...
Ahh yes, South Street! The wife and I loved it down there. I know exactly where you were... Bridgett Foy's was one of our favorite restaurants. We took the kids down there a lot when they were still in the stroller. They loved that park. Lots of good people watching down there ;)
Philly was about 15 minutes from our house in Jersey. I grew up on the Main Line, west of Philly in PA.
Yup! IDefinitely enjoyed Bridget Foy's a few times. South Street was a great area to live in; there were cool shops (gotta have my Rita's wooder ice), good restaurants, rent was relatively cheap, and a young population like me. I do miss it from time to time. I have some older family out on the Main Line that I see every so often. I lived up in Manayunk as well, and my parents lived in East Falls for a while my mom was at school years ago.
Cool! glad to see someone else that likes the area.... Terraphantm is going to School there too. I gave him a few tips on places to go.
You know VAC Motorsports is right off of Snyder Ave. We got a tour of their facility when Kristen had her LSD put in the 135 by them... good bunch of people there.
Definitely. It's very different from the PacNW, but in a mostly good way and I'm glad I lived there for a while. I spoke to Terra via PM last year when he mentioned he was going to school there. Hopefully he's found time to explore the city. I'm interested in what you suggested to him, I always have my own list but I discovered that some of those places have disappeared since I left.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sockethead
I never went to VAC, actually, but they seemed like a good shop. I was planning to go to them when I was first thinking of buying my old '03 330Ci, but the sellers were way up in NW so I had the PPI done at Bavarian Specialties up by KoP. I ended up doing maintenance through them since they were close to me in Manayunk.
I told him about the waterfront, South Street and the White Dog Café in University City. There are so many Good restaurants down there that I couldn't name them all. Jones was one of our favorite restaurants too. the whole menu is comfort food
I know where that shop is in KoP. I worked for a computer manufacturer right down the street from there in the late 90's.
~24 days until I'm home and can be reunited with my car. Hopefully mice or other small vermin haven't taken up residence and found the ever tantalizing wiring/rubber of my car as delicious.
Picked up a set of LEDs for my front turn signals from Nate, so now the maintenance to be done currently stands with the following:
- Oil change (nowhere near my normal 5k mile interval, but it's around the 1 year interval). Still need to purchase oil and filter kit. Need to decide if I want to stick with Mobil1 0W-40 or go with something else.
- Brake fluid flush (1 year interval). Still have an unopened bottle of Pentosin DOT4 LV I'll use.
- Paint brake calipers. I am currently foregoing my plans for yellow. Now I need to decide between either a lighter blue like today's generation ///M calipers or black. Leaning black. Or maybe I'll get roped into some 135i calipers...
- Coolant flush (2 year interval). Need to purchase coolant/crush washers for the engine block.
- Put back on my APEX ARC8 wheels (the car is currently sitting on my Style 135s in storage).
- Install yellow fog lights.
- Install UUC TSE3 exhaust. Still need to purchase exhaust gaskets.
- Install E46 M3 front strut brace.
- Install E46 M3 motor and transmission mounts.
- Install LED bulbs in the front turn signals (Philips X-Treme Ultinon T20 Amber LED)
- Perform a full exterior detail (ugh).
- Perform an interior detail with Leatherique treatment. Need to purchase the Leatherique.
- Swap carpets from all weather to carpet for the summer.
- Inspect power steering fluid leak
- Replace old fuel filter soft hoses. Need to purchase Bav Auto kit.
List of other odds and ends I need to do:
- Finish my coupe interior swap DIY guide
- Actively try and sell my factory coupe interior.
- Buy an external microphone and record the sounds of the factory intake, BMW Performance intake, and GruppeM intake. Perform with the mic by the intake, inside the cabin, and by the exhaust. Repeat with UUC TSE3 installed. Make a comparison video.
- Just drive the damn thing
Can't say I haven't spent some of my time waiting by listening to the TSE3 videos...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfJ5_9DAvvw
Nice list [emoji1360]. I know you'll be glad to get back home to her. What's next for you?
I'll (hopefully) have sent out my med school apps by the time I leave and then it's job hunting back home, and possibly taking the MCAT again (ugh). I have a few leads on jobs so I'm not too worried. Basically plan to relax a bit this summer and enjoy myself before I pick up again with work and working on secondaries from medical schools.Quote:
Originally Posted by ELCID86
Thanks for embedding that video...jerk.
http://media.giphy.com/media/Kerg053G7ZJUQ/giphy.gif
I was looking for this the whole time I was reading through the list. Make this priority #1.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWCurves
That dude on the left has a nice rackQuote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
It's provocative.Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
No it's no-
It gets the people going!
On the real though, I can't wait to have this thing installed and put up more videos.
Edit: Also, can't say I'm not a teensy tiny bit envious of your 135i calipers.
http://i.imgur.com/pKYGmxn.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by ZHPizza
I would love to be putting miles on my car RN. So. Close.
Gynecomastia. Not even once.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZHPizza
I'm home and loving it!
Sadly though, I have to wait to remove my car from barn hibernation until this weekend.
http://i.imgur.com/A0BhBq2.gif
Welcome home!! Looks like you brought that summer rain back with you, at least for a couple days. Supposed to be nice for the next couple weeks though stating on Sat, so you should have ample time to clean her up and get her roadworthy again. How's that project list looking these days? Moreover, what's first on the list?
I've got a few small things planned for this weekend while I'm up in Seattle visiting the old man. I figure I may as well put him, his lift and garage full of tools to work on Father's Day. I may even get him a burger and a beer for the trouble haha
Thanks! I'm okay with the rain; it's typical June in Portland and I'm loving it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cadeez
I probably won't get all that much done this weekend, as I still have to go get the car out of storage and then I'll probably be spending a lot of time with friends and family, but the following week I'll get cracking on some items. I'll probably knock out the easy stuff first like LED front turn signal bulbs, M3 dead pedal, M3 front strut brace, etc. In the following weeks I'll hopefully get to more maintenance items like coolant, engine oil, brake fluid, fuel filter soft lines, M3 motor and transmission mounts, and installing the UUC TSE3 (so excite). Somewhere in there I need to wash the thing, and detail the engine bay for the first time in its life.
I'm also seriously considering getting my car prepped for CQuartz Finest coating so that I can be lazier about exterior cleaning of my car. Waiting to hear back from two places in town that can do it and maybe some paint correction.
What else do you have left for your car? I know you're doing your side mirrors and I don't think you've swapped your interior yet.
As an aside, for those of you with a TSE3, can you take a quick look at the hanger on the muffler that is most inboard/most rearward of the two and tell me if it bends at all or if it is perfectly straight? It's hard for me to describe, but this one:
http://i.imgur.com/n3w3b4D.jpg
Which is correct, A or B? I have a feeling A is correct and the part out car the TSE3 comes from that was in a rear end accident probably bent the rear hanger a bit.
http://i.imgur.com/9ta707J.jpg
You can see the rubber mount is bent up (I believe):
http://i.imgur.com/S9fh3oU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Bc0FuDL.jpg
If it's too loud I'll buy it. Just planting that seed.
Spenser be like:Quote:
Originally Posted by 704sw
Attachment 30286
Just purchased some stuff for the engine bay cleaning and other odds and ends:
- Microfiber towels
- Speed Master Jr. Wheel Brush
- Simple Green
- Extra spray bottles
- LED reverse bulbs: JDM ASTAR Extremely Bright Max 50W High Power 1156 1141 1073 7506 LED Bulbs ,Xenon White (gotta love that description)
- Adam's In and Out Spray
I think you are fine, it's supposed to be like that.
Here's how mine looked:
https://s21.postimg.org/lhkzuf25v/bmw_exst_p_1.jpg https://s21.postimg.org/ktc5bh3g3/bmw_exst_p_4.jpg https://s21.postimg.org/qwtpvdtpv/bmw_exst_p_7.jpg https://s21.postimg.org/8sqpaqw1f/unnamed.jpg
I bet you can't wait to drive it and work on it!
Oh nice! It does appear similar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sreten
And yeah, I just want seat time in it haha. I'm driving around in the rain in my father's NA Miata right now.