ZHPizza's red car

Dude, this is fucking gold. I was reading and laughing all the way through it. You paint quite a picture.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

Setting:
6pm. My driveway. Wife's wagon is in the garage, red car pulled right up behind it. Hood open. Like 9 billion degrees.

Characters:
ZHPizza, 704sw, Viktor (the dirty Russian valve core)

Scene:
I get home from work [enter ZHPizza] with like half an hour before the wife and I have to leave for a show. We're walking to the theater, so being sweaty isn't a problem, but being filthy is. I can not get dirty. Spenser shows up [enter 704sw] to swap some parts/stories from my trip while I'm using the small time window to tighten the valve core [enter Viktor] and recharge the system so that I can drive to work with A/C the next day. Easy peasy, right?

I get my custom built, recently calibrated torque driver specific for valve cores that I grabbed from work and go to snug Viktor up...dang...Viktor is a thicc boi and the tool doesn't fit. No big deal, I've been in this situation before and can adapt. I grab my smallest set of needle nose pliers and man, they fit in there perfectly. Wrap those bad boys around Viktor and...crap...Viktor is already tight...well...maybe he can handle a little more torque since he's all thicc like...lean on the pliers a bit and...all good! Viktor is looking a little unhappy about the ordeal (red flag #1), but he's still in one piece and no longer leaking >> victory!

At this point I've got like 10 minutes before I need to leave. No problem. Just gotta dump a can of refrigerant into the system, change clothes, and roll out. Well, as it turns out, Viktor's pissed. I go to connect the charge tube to the service port and it pops right back off (red flag #2). Weird. Must have kicked back due to the lock ring on the connector. I pull the ring back and go to slide it over the port and it still won't sit down all the way (red flag #3). Weird. Must be the pressure of the system pushing back on the connection (it's not). It just needs some coercing (it doesn't). I set the connector in place with one hand and give it a firm slap with the other BOOOOOOOM

Y'all know in the movies when there's a police chase and they run over a fire hydrant and it just blasts water like 50ft in the air? That's what my car looked like. But instead of water, it's bright green oil. Fun.

This shit sprays straight out into the kidney grill, which diverts the shower in the specific direction of every-fucking-where [exit Viktor].

I panic and smash the charge tube connector over the service port. I've stopped the flow, but now I'm the little boy standing there with his finger plugging the hole in the dam. I'm trapped.

Good thing my soon-to-be-very-close friend Spenser is still around! He's finishing up a phone call back behind the car and is unaware of my predicament. I wait patiently for him to be free and give him a quick update on the situation, followed by a request for assistance: "please find a pair of safety glasses...ok and a nitrile glove....ok....now....uh....put them on me..."

[end scene]

Conclusion:
I got the cap for the service port back on without spraying too much more shit allover the place. The wife came down as I was cleaning neon green oil off of her car to let me know that we were 15 minutes late. I wiped most of the oil off of my face and went to the show.

Overall, it was a wonderful opportunity for growth in our friendship. I think I breathed in his mouth while he was putting the glasses on my face, and there was a special moment where he was sliding the glove over my oil soaked hand that...well...it's hard to describe.

Fun times in Pizza's garage.

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oh frig, nate! this is almost worse than the gear oil. and yet... i can relate (again) - refrigerant is most unpleasant stuff. had that lime green nasty juice spray on me once, too.

at least it's less smelly than gear oil.

so what's the plan going forward? i mean.... besides not having A/C on your commute tomorrow.

(posting here instead of just texting you, with the hope somebody else might find this information useful as well)

What is it about the OMP 1010 pedals you like so much? Is it the checkering/texture? What’s the advantage of them versus something like the knockoff versions of the BMW Performance pedals you see on eBay? One is all aluminum, the other is aluminum with rubber grippers.

My takeaway is this: OMP pedals are more about performance, and the knockoff BMW pedals are about looking pretty. This isn’t about my trying to cheap out (they are really close in price), but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a hint concern about using generic-fit pedals in lieu of some which replicate a BMW-specific set, even if the Mad Russian’s OMP install looks good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slater

so what's the plan going forward? i mean.... besides not having A/C on your commute tomorrow.

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Haha man it was quite the adventure. I should have known better, as it was already one of those days where everything was going wrong, but I thought Spenser needed some excitement.

It still had pressure in the system after I got it capped, so I picked up some valve cores from the dealer and bought this tool, but the fatty BMW valve cores wouldn't fit through the opening when I went to pull it through. Whatever. I had already lost so much refrigerant and oil that there was no way I was going to get the right mix back in there anyway. Just tucked my tail between my legs and took it to a highly recommended shop to have them evacuate the system, replace the valve cores on both service ports, and refill with the correct oil/dye/refrigerant ratios. I was sure to note in the work request that anyone that took the cap off of the low side port before the system was bled was going to have a baaad day.

They did a fine job and had the car parked out front like this when I went to pick it up:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2018...c5c07e45e3.jpg

I also had some fun conversation with the owner's son...

Me: Yo man I'm here to pick up that obnoxious red car out front

Him (trying to compliment the depth of imola, but struggling for the right word): That's yours? Man, that's a nice car. I really like the paint...it's like...subtle?

Me: What the hell car are you talking about? Subtle...

Him: Well...no...but like...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 704sw

(posting here instead of just texting you, with the hope somebody else might find this information useful as well)

What is it about the OMP 1010 pedals you like so much? Is it the checkering/texture? What’s the advantage of them versus something like the knockoff versions of the BMW Performance pedals you see on eBay? One is all aluminum, the other is aluminum with rubber grippers.

My takeaway is this: OMP pedals are more about performance, and the knockoff BMW pedals are about looking pretty. This isn’t about my trying to cheap out (they are really close in price), but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a hint concern about using generic-fit pedals in lieu of some which replicate a BMW-specific set, even if the Mad Russian’s OMP install looks good.

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Ah my b boo. When we were sexting about the pedals I had assumed that you were a particpant of this thread.

There are some advantages to the OMP pedals -- mainly the wet grip and brake guard. I had the ebay/UUC/whatev pedals in my last ZHP and I really liked them, but they were slippery when wet and my foot would sometimes catch on the screw on the back of the brake pedal when transitioning from gas > brake. That didn't feel no good. I put the OMP pedals in the Mazda and fricken loved them. Looks wise...meh...but functionality can't be beat.

Since I haven't installed the OMP pedals in the red car yet, I'll defer to the Madrussian himself to make the comparison (note that he included install instructions for both in his DIY section):

http://m3.madrussian.net/review_uuc_pedals.shtml

http://m3.madrussian.net/review_omp_pedals.shtml

The TL:DR is that he and I are on the same page:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Madrussian

My personal conclusion is simple - these are great, cheap, functional, and but do not carry the cool factor of some others so if you're worried about matching your pedals to the latest color of CF interior trim these may not be for you - if you however want pedals that allow you to get the utmost control out of your car and know or want to learn how to heel to toe and left foot brake these are great.

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Perfect, thanks bb. Now in the Amazon cart.

I'd be all over those if I didn't have to drill the gas pedal. How easy is that to replace?

I have UUC pedals but they are the original style 10 years old now. They are more similar to the OMP pedals, all aluminum. The have held up very well. no real visible wear. Personally, I don't like any of the style with the rubber on them. Rubber gets slippery... especially when oil or antifreeze is involved

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

I'd be all over those if I didn't have to drill the gas pedal. How easy is that to replace?

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That was my biggest reservation initially too, but I’ve gotten past it—I need something with better feel/grip on the track (I drive in the same cushy Nikes I run half marathons in, not exactly the best for pedal-feel). I don’t want my foot sliding off when I try to heel-toe coming into a braking zone lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 704sw

That was my biggest reservation initially too, but I’ve gotten past it—I need something with better feel/grip on the track (I drive in the same cushy Nikes I run half marathons in, not exactly the best for pedal-feel). I don’t want my foot sliding off when I try to heel-toe coming into a braking zone lol.

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Bro, just get bigger feet