What have you done to your car today?

[3gGT01]

Never try to clean the headlight cover from the inside!! You'll scratch it with your first touch! These plastics don't have any protection on the inside and have zero scratch resistance.

If they are actually dirty from the inside, then you have a problem. But if you are just not happy with polish results, do it again, eventually it will come out shiny.
Mine have been polished twice, look at how nice they look now.

I suppose the first step is to clean up the outside and see how it looks. :wink:

 

[STC_Zed]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.



I also made a start on changing the handbrake shoes. I got the passenger side done but ran out of time.

 

[ChrisGUK]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.

This is tempting. Particularly challenging task? I have a small fluid pump and vaguely recall perhaps I did this on my E46 about a decade ago...

 

[STC_Zed]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.

This is tempting. Particularly challenging task? I have a small fluid pump and vaguely recall perhaps I did this on my E46 about a decade ago...

It’s dead easy to be honest; get the car up and level, make sure you can undo the full plug first with an 8mm Allen key, undo the drain plug (also an 8mm Allen key). Replace the drain plug once the oil has drained (I unit new ones from the dealer) and then full with new oil until there is a constant trickle coming from the full plug. The box is the full so the fill plug can be refitted. Clean any oil off the gearbox and your good to go.

 

[3gGT01]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.

After much research, I ended up going with the Redline D4 ATF for the tranny in my M. I have had zero issues with that fluid. It did seem a bit weird to be putting ATF in the tranny though.

 

[STC_Zed]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.

After much research, I ended up going with the Redline D4 ATF for the tranny in my M. I have had zero issues with that fluid. It did seem a bit weird to be putting ATF in the tranny though.

Opie recommended an alternative Red Line fluid but it was out of stock and to be honest I’ve always had good experience with the stuff that I used. I’ve heard about people using ATF.

 

[3gGT01]

Changed the gearbox oil on Saturday which has helped the shift quality.

After much research, I ended up going with the Redline D4 ATF for the tranny in my M. I have had zero issues with that fluid. It did seem a bit weird to be putting ATF in the tranny though.

Opie recommended an alternative Red Line fluid but it was out of stock and to be honest I’ve always had good experience with the stuff that I used. I’ve heard about people using ATF.

The Redline MTL was my 1st choice, but slight bias from research made it a toss up! I’m sure both are great in this car!

 

[Lassivvv]

Change new battery and try to get Optima Redtop fitted there. Works quite well, just 3d printed little shim part under battery bracket. Seems very nice and now car starting like new

optima_redtop.jpg

Not today, but something last couple months.

- Both new vanos sonenoids (OE Pierburg)
- Sticked Aliexpress new leather to steering wheel (very happy to result)
- Last weekend installed wiring loom and cruise control switch.
- Style32 wheels painted and coated.
- Change new radiator fan.

 

[chanlon1]

Replaced my drivers A pillar interior trim on the E86. Quite difficult to get hold of and quite pricey on eBay.
Came across a guy on a facebook group who was stripping their coupe down to be a track car. He still had the trim.
Arrived in the post today.
Meant that the old one with a cigarette burn (previous owner) can be swapped out.

 

[x-driver]

Cleaned the MAF. Wasn't too dirty though...

 

[Z44Jon]

Change new battery and try to get Optima Redtop fitted there. Works quite well, just 3d printed little shim part under battery bracket. Seems very nice and now car starting like new

optima_redtop.jpg

Not today, but something last couple months.

- Both new vanos sonenoids (OE Pierburg)
- Sticked Aliexpress new leather to steering wheel (very happy to result)
- Last weekend installed wiring loom and cruise control switch.
- Style32 wheels painted and coated.
- Change new radiator fan.

Nice, got a link to the steering wheel cover please?

 

[True-Blue]

I’ve been neglecting the old girl and devoting too many hours to finding a Cayman, so thought I’d give the inside a good clean.

Dr Leather for the seats and trim and a dilute mix of Surfex HD for the plastics. Seats/leather look a little shiny as I’ve coated with Gtechnic L1 leather guard, but will settle to a nice mat finish in an hour or so.

Dr leather is very good, but I think it’s a little overrated personally. Surfex HD is just as good, but doesn’t leave a nice leather aroma.

Not the best photo.

 

[Zedebee]

What did you use to paint the roof?

Fabricoat fabric paint from FurnitureClinic. It’s supposed to be Dark Blue but in fact comes up a very black blue-black, which is a lot better on my car than the grey-black of an untreated roof.

Do you have some more photos maybe? Before/after, close-up?

Black tops are hard to photograph, but seeing as I have two more or less identical cars on the drive here is an untreated one vs a treated one. Hopefully which is which is obvious.

 

[3gGT01]

Change new battery and try to get Optima Redtop fitted there. Works quite well, just 3d printed little shim part under battery bracket. Seems very nice and now car starting like new

optima_redtop.jpg

Not today, but something last couple months.

- Both new vanos sonenoids (OE Pierburg)
- Sticked Aliexpress new leather to steering wheel (very happy to result)
- Last weekend installed wiring loom and cruise control switch.
- Style32 wheels painted and coated.
- Change new radiator fan.

Yes, also interested in the link to the steering wheel covering...looks good to me!

 

[3gGT01]

Change new battery and try to get Optima Redtop fitted there. Works quite well, just 3d printed little shim part under battery bracket. Seems very nice and now car starting like new

optima_redtop.jpg

Not today, but something last couple months.

- Both new vanos sonenoids (OE Pierburg)
- Sticked Aliexpress new leather to steering wheel (very happy to result)
- Last weekend installed wiring loom and cruise control switch.
- Style32 wheels painted and coated.
- Change new radiator fan.

The steering wheel cover looks very good! Yep, a link would be great!
I'm sure the Optima Red top battery is much cheaper than OEM. I have not priced the OEM battery. Must be nice to 3D print a filler piece.

 

[x-driver]

@Zedebee, thanks, those whitish wear stripes are why I'm thinking of repainting the roof

 

[Zedebee]

@Zedebee, thanks, those whitish wear stripes are why I'm thinking of repainting the roof

It’s very cheap and easy to do. If I remember correctly, about £20, and I must have gotten four roof-worths out of it.

 

[jenniferlouise]

The Zed is hardly getting a look in against a Mini Cooper S and the CLS; I’m expecting another sub-500 miles this year. For this reason alone im deliberating whether to swap the standard exhaust back on her and offer up (on here only) the beautiful Remus system I bought last year, so someone who’s using their 23i can get more pleasure from it. Just a thought for now….

 

[Lassivvv]

@3gGT01 @Z44Jon
Here is link that steering wheel cover. Hint that cover is get this topic some hundred pages ago
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005767501565.html

Thanks Optima fits nicely and get that used very cheap price and that fits perfectly on battery box, only that 3d printed shim part need to be printed.

 

[Robster68]

I finally got round to deep cleaning and coating my convertible top,probably for the 1st time in 20 years,using Gyeon fabric cleaner and fabric coat,I too had the white lines and they do come out with good products and elbow grease.