Running Thread of the Daily: 325XI

[DrLeadFoot]

-New steering rack from RackDoctor.net
-Alignment
-No check engine light
-28mpg to Chicago and back yesterday!!

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[DrLeadFoot]

Oil and filter change!  194,163 miles.  Castrol 0W-40 & Mann filter.

Got the summer set up on a while ago and added a Motorsport Hardware Stud Kit.

Running great!

[DrLeadFoot]

198,622 miles.

New BMW OEM thermostat 

Oil change with BMW 0w-30 Oil & OEM filter

[DrLeadFoot]

New passenger seat belt tensioner. Pic of old one.

[DrLeadFoot]

Lost brakes today while I was on a home tour with out of town buyers.  Thank the BMW Gods that I was going super slow coming to a stop sign when the pedal hit the floor.

I have been pushing the current pad/rotors tonthe limit and had a brake job on my radar anyways so this pushed me to get it done.

A box in my garage has been sitting for about a year with 330i calipers, carriers and pads.  So here we go! 330i on left, 325xi on right.

Also turned over 200,000 miles!  Missed the moment due to being on the phone with a seller but this is close enough.  Measuring miles instead of mins.

[YoungCR]

You had room in your garage for those to sit around for a year?? Haha JK glad things didn't go worse with the clients.

[DrLeadFoot]

YoungCR said:

You had room in your garage for those to sit around for a year?? Haha JK glad things didn't go worse with the clients.

It was a tight squeeze but they made the cut not to toss them.  Lol

[DrLeadFoot]

Breaking purists' hearts with the new 330i/325xi!

Rust free trunk installed, Thanks Troy!

[Jdesign]

Nice ///M badge poser.  

[DrLeadFoot]

203,XXX miles

New Bilstein B6 struts/shocks and replaced the rear broken spring with these green ones my buddy had.  The original ones were thicker and had white markings.  Sitting a little lower in the rear but I'll get new 325xi rear springs later.  Totally different car with the new shocks. 

[DrLeadFoot]

Popped in some used OEM xenon headlights! I've been wanting these for awhile and picked them up for a good price. 

They plugged right it and fired up.  No coding needed as of yet!

[B C]

I love how most winter-driven E46 325 are neglected but you are maintaining and updating yours properly.

I’m going to be shopping bulbs for mine soon if you have any recommendations

[DrLeadFoot]

B C said:

I love how most winter-driven E46 325 are neglected but you are maintaining and updating yours properly.

I’m going to be shopping bulbs for mine soon if you have any recommendations

Thanks!  I like this car! This is the wife's car and she likes it a lot too. 

I'm at a crossroads with it to start doing body work or swap all this car's AWD & other goodness into a e46 wagon and rebuild a m54b30 to pop in. Then keep up with the bodywork on a wagon. 

I justed asked the guy to include the bulbs and he did.  Lol.

Let me know what you get!

[wasnt m3]

With my previous experience swapping the halogens for xenon is it will throw a code until you turn them on, then the headlight out warning will go away. PM'd you regarding a fantastic e46 xi touring I would love to find a nice home for.

[DrLeadFoot]

Wife got some warning lamps.  I just used PA Soft 1.4 to switch them to xenon.  Hopefully this works!

[DrLeadFoot]

205,XXX miles:

-New OEM BMW valve cover gasket.  The old one wasn't bad but seeping a little on the front by the vanos.

-Replaced the heater valve thingy to get the heat to work!  Yay winter!

-Installed a good used condition mirror that I painted and clear coated with the Napa paint matched rattle can.  Turned out okay! 

Need to get 2 new front CV boots as the ones I feel like I just replaced are leaking from the clamp cutting into the rubber. Also need to install braided brake lines and fix the airbag seatbelt tensioner to get the warning light off.  

[B C]

Does this car have a name?

[patsbimmer1]

nice work

[DrLeadFoot]

B C said:

Does this car have a name?

The Four Door.  Lol

[DrLeadFoot]

Took the "Four Door" back to Mike's to have him pop on some braided brake lines, fix the pass. side seat belt tensioner that is throwing an airbag light and install the ebrake hardware that I forgot to get.  Needed the 330i shoes. 

We both forgot that the hardliners for the brakes were pretty rusty.  Almost all hardlines replaced! He went around the fuel tank, with my blessing, to cut the labor time in half.  (The wagon will get the tank out line replacement soon!)

He also found the vacuum line on the fuel filter was rotted off.  Better MPGs here I come!