What did you do to/for your 1er today?

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by 1and1

Ambient was ~31 degrees this morning on the way to work.



Yeah
She was...., perky

Do you have heated seats? They are amazing, I've never felt heated seats work as well as they do in my car lol it makes 30-degree mornings almost tolerable with vinyl seats.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

I have no idea, I'll have to look at the car when I get the chance

All the threads i found here, pointed out how just the front bushings go in from the top, hence making them a PITA to install (the subframe needs to be lowered a lot and brake lines removed to get it that low).

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

All the threads i found here, pointed out how just the front bushings go in from the top, hence making them a PITA to install (the subframe needs to be lowered a lot and brake lines removed to get it that low).

Yeah, that's what has kept me from installing them. My brake lines are seized and I didn't have the time/tools to deal with that and the bushing itself.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Yeah, that's what has kept me from installing them. My brake lines are seized and I didn't have the time/tools to deal with that and the bushing itself.

What i am certain of, is that the stock non M bushings (front and rear) come out from the bottom, it was indicated in the tool's instructions as well as they did come out without any issues.

Maybe i did not apply enough grease/lubricant on the bushings and subframe bore, or they were not perfectly straight when i installed them.

But i need someone to confirm, how the M3 bushings (front and rear) get installed correctly (from the top or bottom).

As far as labour Chris, it took me 20 minutes this time around to remove all the bolts, support the frame and lower the subframe enough to access the rear bushings.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

What i am certain of, is that the stock non M bushings (front and rear) come out from the bottom, it was indicated in the tool's instructions as well as they did come out without any issues.

Maybe i did not apply enough grease/lubricant on the bushings and subframe bore, or they were not perfectly straight when i installed them.

But i need someone to confirm, how the M3 bushings (front and rear) get installed correctly (from the top or bottom).

As far as labour Chris, it took me 20 minutes this time around to remove all the bolts, support the frame and lower the subframe enough to access the rear bushings.

The beauty of having a lift and the right tools!

I'll take a look with the parts in-hand and get you a (hopefully) useful answer...

[1and1]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Do you have heated seats? They are amazing, I've never felt heated seats work as well as they do in my car lol it makes 30-degree mornings almost tolerable with vinyl seats.

heck yes I do, they're one of my minimum mandatory things

Wish I had the heated steering wheel- that thing stays cold forever...

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by 1and1

heck yes I do, they're one of my minimum mandatory things

Wish I had the heated steering wheel- that thing stays cold forever...

My steering somehow isn't too bad, it's the shifter that gets me shivering lol

[gjm120]

Coded out the auto dimming mirrors. Even with a light tint, I don't like the dimming.
In the process somehow managed to screw up sunroof function. Cleared that up doing an initialization with INPA.

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

My steering somehow isn't too bad, it's the shifter that gets me shivering lol

Just came back from a cruise, it was -6.0c outside, usually i start the car and let it idle, till the idle drops down to normal (around 700rpm) and i find the shifts are fine.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Zombie_Head

Just came back from a cruise, it was -6.0c outside, usually i start the car and let it idle, till the idle drops down to normal (around 700rpm) and i find the shifts are fine.

Same here, it's the shift knob itself that's physically cold

[chris_flies]

Received a new valve cover from FCP today; unfortunately, it was broken when I opened the box:

[Zombie_Head]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Same here, it's the shift knob itself that's physically cold

lol...wuss XD

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Received a new valve cover from FCP today; unfortunately, it was broken when I opened the box:

Bummer, but I'm sure they'll make it right.

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Bummer, but I'm sure they'll make it right.

FCP is a fantastic company, I know for sure they'll make it right. I reached out after hours so we'll see in the morning... I'm not in a rush to do this, at all. I'm going to wait until Winter Break to tackle it (in case things break)

[xQx]

Originally Posted by xQx

I finally got around to changing my cracked awful M-Sport steering wheel for a pristine condition nappa leather one from a M3.

PSA: The e8x paddles are a slightly different fitting from the M3 DCT paddles on the steering wheel. It's similar, and can be made to fit; but its far from perfect.

(I like being able to upshift on the left paddle. I do it often on sweeping right-hand corners)

CF wrap for the trim coming soon.

Y'know... I don't love this steering wheel.

The M-sport perforated leather provided better grip, and was about the same thickness as the M3 wheel. The smooth nappa leather gets slippery with the smallest amount of sweat, and I just don't have the same one-hand-grip on the wheel that I did with the M-sport.

Considering a M3 steering wheel sells for $550AUD, I'm very tempted to put it back on the market.

... I'm thinking I'll CF wrap the cracked leather of my original steering wheel and see what it looks like. (It's only the top section, not where you put your hands)

[Zombie_Head]

Had the car aligned, got -1.6 camber front and -1.5 rear.

I like that KW shop, they used the "old school" alignment method, just bars and strings.

Asked him to weight the car, the car came out to weight 1,422 kgs with just under a full tank of fuel on 17" winter wheels (around 3,135lbs). Was surprised from the weight, guess when BMW claimed 1,480 kgs that included the 18" wheels and run flats.

[iminhell1]

Put LED rear turns and brakes lights in. Didn't look if it throws a bulb out warning ... will later.

Got red's for brake and amber for turn. The red makes the brake light actually look red vs the pinkish they normally shine.


*edit
No bulb warnings of any kind. Quite happy with that. So no coding needed, totally plug-n-play.

Ordered from SuperBrightLEDs:
BAU15S-A18-T: Amber (4)
1156-R51-PTAC: Red (4)

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by xQx

Y'know... I don't love this steering wheel.

The M-sport perforated leather provided better grip, and was about the same thickness as the M3 wheel. The smooth nappa leather gets slippery with the smallest amount of sweat, and I just don't have the same one-hand-grip on the wheel that I did with the M-sport.

Considering a M3 steering wheel sells for $550AUD, I'm very tempted to put it back on the market.

... I'm thinking I'll CF wrap the cracked leather of my original steering wheel and see what it looks like. (It's only the top section, not where you put your hands)

Xuji (and probably a couple other companies) make a steering wheel wrap kit that you can sew yourself. It's a nice soft leather like the M3 wheel, but has perforations/dimples at the 9- and 3-o'clock grips. I really like it, and it was around $50USD...

[Matticus91]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Received a new valve cover from FCP today; unfortunately, it was broken when I opened the box:

Not to worry, that's just extra air flow. It's a feature not a bug!

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by Matticus91

Not to worry, that's just extra air flow. It's a feature not a bug!

Restores that lovely burning smell we've missed from older cars

[desertman123]

Originally Posted by chris_flies

Received a new valve cover from FCP today; unfortunately, it was broken when I opened the box:

Proof that plastic valve covers are awful.. my original one broke lol

Have you thought about switching to the metal valve cover?

[chris_flies]

Originally Posted by desertman123

Proof that plastic valve covers are awful.. my original one broke lol

Have you thought about switching to the metal valve cover?

No, mostly because this new one from FCP will have lifetime replacement so long as they exist. The metal one would be nice, but the plastic one is just fine for now...