What have you done to your car today?

[synthedup]

Swapped my piano black trim to my carbon leather dash trim

Why did you show me this? Now I want carbon leather to replace my aluminium...

Haha I have been Piano black one all wrapped up too hehe

 

[synthedup]

Put x5 wheels on but didn't like so sold em

20180210_164418.jpg

Do the grills add 100bhp? Lol


I do like the grey and silver grills!!

Just bought some today so should be here mid week

Good shout, making it look like a 3.0 no bad thing

 

[Ronnie_space]

Not today, but several weeks ago I topped up oil. To do so I had to remove the BMW front strut brace accessory that covers the oil cap!

I was in a hurry.. so I left it off.

Driving several hours later... I was like... why does my car feel so nice??? And remembered I have removed the brace.

I am leaving it off, it has been on since I have had the car.

Now it is less twitchy, more settled and comfortable for every day driving. IMHO.

No idea why you had to remove the strut brace to top up the oil?? Unless it's a side to side brace, rather than the factory fitted strut to bulkhead ones.

If it is the factory one, you should replace it immediately, they are vital to the car's structural rigidity, so much so that even BMW say they should not be driven without them. The "comfort" you now feel is in fact the bodyshell flexing as it was not designed to do, which WILL weaken parts of it.

Mike

He says it's a BMW accessory, so it will be the tower to tower cross brace and not the standard ones that you're thinking of.

Yes it is the tower to tower cross brace accessory- I’m not that familiar with the correct terms.

On this model the brace obscures access to the oil cap which is annoying. However, as I mentioned I am preferring the ride without it. The front end is considerably more settled!

 

[mjennings23]

Put x5 wheels on but didn't like so sold em

20180210_164418.jpg

I do like the grey and silver grills!!

Just bought some today so should be here mid week

Good shout, making it look like a 3.0 no bad thing

And here's me just purchasing some black/chrome ones because the grey does my head in! Although, it is a sapphire black car so looks a little odd having a grey grille.

 

[synthedup]

I do like the grey and silver grills!!

Just bought some today so should be here mid week

Good shout, making it look like a 3.0 no bad thing

And here's me just purchasing some black/chrome ones because the grey does my head in! Although, it is a sapphire black car so looks a little odd having a grey grille.

Lol, I actually purchased some black and chrome ones from eBay on Saturday for £19.99 delivered. In excellent condition and look like new

Purchased the grey ones from eBay Sunday night for £4.99 with a cracked chrome trim on one of them. I will swap the chrome over and have a perfect set

 

[Coffee331]

New shocks, springs and full tie rods front install completed. Need to get an alignment done on the weekend.

For anyone that has been putting off this job maybe have a check on things, when I removed the old shocks I found totally corroded top spring mounting plates...holes in the metal and what metal was left was paper thin in areas. Only a matter of time until they failed in a dramatic style. New plates only €22 from BMW.

 

[Mr Tidy]

New shocks, springs and full tie rods front install completed. Need to get an alignment done on the weekend.

For anyone that has been putting off this job maybe have a check on things, when I removed the old shocks I found totally corroded top spring mounting plates...holes in the metal and what metal was left was paper thin in areas. Only a matter of time until they failed in a dramatic style. New plates only €22 from BMW.

That top plate looks scary OP - out of curiosity what year is your car? (Before I panic).

 

[Coffee331]

It’s nov 2003 with 71,000 miles on it. The shocks and springs were original from the factory so to be fair they were over due a change.

 

[Jamesw]

Not all today but over the last week or two hardwired my dash cam in, now I can just forget about it (hopefully). New Suplex rear springs to replace the Msport ones. New Pagid discs and pads front and rear. Then next week I’m getting the front two original summer alloys in for a refurb so they’re ready for wheel changeover time

 

[jamie_z4]

wow never seen one that bad before! This is why I always fit coilovers as soon as I get a car :lol:

 

[Buckley06]

Well the roads were wet so I turned traction control off sport button on. And was kicking the rear end out for the first time.
The first kick got me by supprise and went quicker than I thought.

 

[Mr Tidy]

It’s nov 2003 with 71,000 miles on it. The shocks and springs were original from the factory so to be fair they were over due a change.

Thanks - I feel a bit better now as mine is Dec 2006! (Although it's done 85,000 miles).

 

[MACK]

New shocks, springs and full tie rods front install completed. Need to get an alignment done on the weekend.

For anyone that has been putting off this job maybe have a check on things, when I removed the old shocks I found totally corroded top spring mounting plates...holes in the metal and what metal was left was paper thin in areas. Only a matter of time until they failed in a dramatic style. New plates only €22 from BMW.

That top plate looks scary OP - out of curiosity what year is your car? (Before I panic).

That's the worst I've ever seen on a BMW of any description. In fact I'm struggling to think of one I've ever seen on any brand of car that's worse than that. I take it the corrosion is just isolated to this part and no where else

 

[ben g]

Kinda glad i've seen that corroded plate. Must order some for mine if they're anything like that!

 

[MrPT]

Fitted BCS back boxes to the M 79B625B9-5714-46A7-8F45-27F53FE9221E.jpeg

How are they? These are the ones with a valve that opens automatically with exhaust pressure, right? Quite like the idea.

 

[MACK]

Kinda glad i've seen that corroded plate. Must order some for mine if they're anything like that!

You can order some just in case but to honest yours are likely to be fine so you may well end up taking them back. The OPS are the exception rather the rule, it would be interesting to know why theirs got so bad.

 

[mjennings23]

Kinda glad i've seen that corroded plate. Must order some for mine if they're anything like that!

You can order some just in case but to honest yours are likely to be fine so you may well end up taking them back. The OPS are the exception rather the rule, it would be interesting to know why theirs got so bad.

Indeed, mine is an 04 on 104k miles when changed and the top plate was perfect, barely any surface marks either.

 

[Pastry]

Fitted BCS back boxes to the M 79B625B9-5714-46A7-8F45-27F53FE9221E.jpeg

How are they? These are the ones with a valve that opens automatically with exhaust pressure, right? Quite like the idea.

That’s the ones. They have a nice sound to them but I’m not sure I could live with it as a daily. They do drone at low revs if you coast so you need to select a gear to eliminate this. Not a problem with a weekend toy but tiresome for a daily driver. I’ve not done any motorway driving yet but think/hope it should be drone free

 

[MrPT]

Fitted BCS back boxes to the M 79B625B9-5714-46A7-8F45-27F53FE9221E.jpeg

How are they? These are the ones with a valve that opens automatically with exhaust pressure, right? Quite like the idea.

That’s the ones. They have a nice sound to them but I’m not sure I could live with it as a daily. They do drone at low revs if you coast so you need to select a gear to eliminate this. Not a problem with a weekend toy but tiresome for a daily driver. I’ve not done any motorway driving yet but think/hope it should be drone free

Ah, that's a shame. On paper they sound like a perfect solution for a daily - perhaps they still are if BCS can tweak them.

Still... good for you.

 

[Coffee331]

I have no idea why they got so bad....mostly the right side. The rest of the car is rust free. After I was done with the re-install I took it to my indie to give it all a once over from underneath, everything was given a clean bill of health. Funny thing was the car flew through the MOT in December :roll: