What did you do for your ZHP/ BMW / MINI today? #2

[cakM3]

My car told me today to EFF the winters today. So I better do as she says.

Attachment 24272

Nice Trevor! Now watch.... you will get a big snow storm...

I changed out cell phone mounts in my ZHP this afternoon and mounted a Core360 on my Bimmian bracket. Details in my project thread...

[BMWCurves]

Swapped out my front seats for M3 seats.

[Jconlin16]

Nice Trevor! Now watch.... you will get a big snow storm...

I changed out cell phone mounts in my ZHP this afternoon and mounted a Core360 on my Bimmian bracket. Details in my project thread...

I also mounted a Core360 mount on a Bimmian bracket in my ZHP today!

I am so glad you told me about this, thanks again!

Aaand I shipped out my spare wheel to Coby for a re-wrap.

[danewilson77]

My only concern with the Core 360 mount is the swivel longevity. Does anyone think over time this might pose an issue?

Sent from an S6 Edge

[WOLFN8TR]

It's pretty dam tight, I have to use two hands to adjust it. I wouldn't think so Dane.

[ELCID86]

Swapped out my front seats for M3 seats.

Awesome.


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[rguti153]

Change oil and oil filter

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[cakM3]

Nothing like taking your ZHP w/ Limited Slip out on snow covered roads and ripping thru them I really enjoyed "playing" around on my way to work this morning....

[NoVAphotog]

Nothing like taking your ZHP w/ Limited Slip out on snow covered roads and ripping thru them I really enjoyed "playing" around on my way to work this morning....

+1

Does better than a 4wd w/ open diffs and all seasons...

[ecrabb]

Sunday, I started to do the valve cover gasket replacement on my wife's X3...

Half an hour in, I break a retaining clip on a sensor plug. The plastic is ridiculously brittle. This is an '07. With 45k miles on it. Wow.

Half an hour later, following a less-than-clear step on the DIY, I remove six clips, only to realize they were the wrong six clips. It should have been the six *wire spring clips* that held some wiring in place, but I removed the six stainless clips that secure the fuel rail to the fuel injectors. Face palm. Reinstalling them all, I dropped one, then listened to the telltale sound if it bouncing off the floor once, then into a plastic cover on the bottom of the car. Jacked up the car, removed half the belly cover, found the clip, and put it back on.

So, now I go to work on the spring clips I should have removed. Its extremely cramped. The only way to get to them is a tiny screwdriver. You pull one side and push it around the piece it's retaining, then do the same for the other side. I work at it for 15 minutes, splayed across the engine compartment to reach the rear, and have 5 out of 6 done. My legs are burning. I can't get the sixth. If I could bring home the entire Home Depot lighting aisle, there wouldn't be enough light to make it easy to see in the cramped quarters. Every time I release the second half of the clip, the first half springs back. I tried everything. I'm almost two hours in now, and I'm still not close to actually removing the valve cover to instal the gasket. Never mind the spark plugs or cabin fan I want done while I'm in there.

Screw it. I reinstalled the clips, reconnected the sensors, put the vanity covers back on, reinstalled the intake airbox, fan shroud, strut brace, cabin air filter box, and went inside and emailed the indie shop to do it. $350 labor to install the valve cover gasket, install spark plugs free of charge, $69 to swap the cabin fan. Done. Appointment scheduled. Three hours of my Sunday down the crapper.

The stuff under the hood on these things is really crazy. Teeny tiny parts, super-cramped spaces, brittle plastic, and materials and design that won't last (hello, valve cover gasket shot in 42k miles!) and is difficult to work on. It's sad, but these new cars are going to be like TVs long-term... Once their value drops to say $5,000, the repairs are going to be so cost-prohibitive that in many cases, they're going to be cheaper to throw away and replace with another than they will to repair.

Lesson learned. Should have let the indie shop do this one in the first place.

SC