I done did it now... A new toy!

michael1972

Any go fast parts yet?

patsbimmer1

michael1972 said:

Any go fast parts yet?

No go fast yet just some maintenance and cosmetics. I did pick up a set up winter wheels last night for a steal! I grabbed a set of 17" sport edition wheels with nearly brand new michellin pilot alpin's on them. The guy used them for around 6k miles last year then traded the car in for a 535d xdrive. The tires still have the rubber hairs on them!

michael1972

Sucks you gotta drive it in the winter. you should get a winter beater.

patsbimmer1

I have a winter beater I could use on bad days but I would rather drive this. I'm pretty meticulous about cleaning my car in the winter to help keep it rust free. To be honest though, as much as I love the car and as wonderful as it is it's still just a 335i.

It's not a show car, it's not a race car, it will not appreciate in value over time, it's not a collectible or a classic, it's just a fun daily driver. If this was an M it would be parked but this thing was made to be driven year round in all of it's rear wheel drive heated seat comfort glory!

i_love_cars

I disagree with most of your logic, Pat.

I never used to have a winter car, and no matter how much you wash that thing, the underside bolts will rust and be a pain in the ass if you ever want to work on the car.

Secondly, while it may be "just a 335", how is it a nice daily driver for winter? What does that even mean? What can you use it for in winter climate and road conditions that makes it worthwhile for the abuse the car will be going through? For enthusiasts like us, having a nice winter DD is actually pretty irrelevant.

WTF are you going to do that's really "fun" on your daily driver in winter? Even when there isn't snow/ice on the ground, there will be salt and cold pavement, which is awful for traction and severely reduces what you can safely do on the street in a modestly-powered RWD car.

patsbimmer1

i_love_cars said:

I disagree with most of your logic, Pat.

I never used to have a winter car, and no matter how much you wash that thing, the underside bolts will rust and be a pain in the ass if you ever want to work on the car.

Secondly, while it may be "just a 335", how is it a nice daily driver for winter? What does that even mean? What can you use it for in winter climate and road conditions that makes it worthwhile for the abuse the car will be going through? For enthusiasts like us, having a nice winter DD is actually pretty irrelevant.

WTF are you going to do that's really "fun" on your daily driver in winter? Even when there isn't snow/ice on the ground, there will be salt and cold pavement, which is awful for traction and severely reduces what you can safely do on the street in a modestly-powered RWD car.

Jordan, I had no idea you were so passionate about this topic lol. I appreciate all of your input and your opinion though. I suppose the "fun" part I was referring to does not include winter driving although I will admit to enjoying some easy sideways action once in awhile.

Now as far as being a nice daily driver for winter what I mean is that regardless of weather conditions my e90 is leaps and bounds more comfortable than my 2003 ford escape. I am not above using the escape if the snow is really that bad but I feel more comfortable driving a rwd car in poor conditions. I also need to consider my wife on these poor condition days. She works nights in labor and delivery as a nurse and her Altima is not exactly stellar in the snow and she feels more comfortable driving our Escape in those situations. Unfortunately, due to our work schedules we are not able to both use that vehicle when the time calls. My entire driving career has been in rwd cars through the winter and it's what I feel most comfortable driving.

Rust is always a concern and I do everything in my power to prevent and I understand that as diligent as I am about cleaning the car that things will rust. I am all to familiar with pb blaster and an oxy/acetylene from years in a shop. Not that I want to be familiar with it but at this time it's not reasonable for me to drive our Escape every day in the winter.

What it comes down to for me is that regardless of the road conditions or temperature I feel safer driving my e90. The wipers work better, i can react quicker, the vehicle responds in a predictable way, etc. Outside of that feeling, this car makes me happy when I get in it. I can turn off the office and shut out anything else going on and just enjoy the time I have in my car. I'm sure this will not appease your concerns but it's the best answer I can give you for my reasoning.

B C

i_love_cars said:

WTF are you going to do that's really "fun" on your daily driver in winter?

getting rear ended by minivans on the first snowfall is fun for tow truck drivers.

and since nobody asked for me to post, I will.

Some days I find it to be stupid to own a car that I dont get to enjoy for a chunk of the year.

On those days I think about getting an Evo to throw around and have fun in the winter.

Then I think of how much I would miss RWD in the summer.

Convert to Hinduism, die, reincarnate as a child born to rich parents, get an Evo as a winter beater. Its the only answer.

michael1972

Jeesh. I didn't mean because its a rear wheel drive car in snow. I have no problem driving rear wheel in snow. I actually drove my e39 all winter with dunlop winter sports on it. Went through snow like a truck and it was on eibach lowering springs. Also drove my e46 m3 most of a winter. Because I bought it in winter. But my e92 having the composite plastic front quarter panels that it does had a small problem last winter. Albiet due to my stupidity...it was a way below zero day and I kicked a chunk of ice from behind the front wheel and the plastic cracked. And I would rather not have it rot from salt. I plan to own this car for a fairly long time. And have you ever hit a big hunk of ice on the road that has fallen off someone elses car. That can damage your whole front end. I just feel better rollin over all of that nonsense in my big ol POS ford expedition.

patsbimmer1

A few weeks ago I finally got around to wrapping some of my interior trim. This was my first time working with vinyl and I would say that it wasn't as hard as I expected but it is definitely time consuming and requires A LOT of patience. Overall I am happy with the results but if it came down to it I think I can do it better.

Here are my results:

I used 3m di-noc carbon style vinyl

Before

During

After

Before

After

patsbimmer1

I also spent some time this past weekend playing with our camera in the back yard and playing with some editing.

Here's the results!

patsbimmer1

Work has been crazy the past few weeks but I was able to take some time to get rid of those ugly bars on the lower grill's. This was a cheap fix that required an hour of time and $3 worth of gutter mesh from Menards.

Before:

I took off the grill covers and took a dremel to the mesh portion to create my template for the new mesh.

I laid the mesh over the existing tabs on the bumper and cut slits in the mesh to fit it to the bumper.

From here I took the existing piece of trim and used it to hold the mesh in place on the bumper.

And the final product!

B C

Nice work! Are they stiff enough to avoid deforming from light road debris (gravel, large insects, small children)?

patsbimmer1

Thanks! It's hard plastic but has some flex to it. I pulled it tight when I put it on the tabs. I tested it and it seems like if something hits it, it will hold it's shape without tearing or bending. And if it doesn't then I only spent $3 on the mesh and I'll find another solution lol.

patsbimmer1

I am happy to report that the mesh I used seems to be holding up well. I spent some time today finishing up the carbon vinyl wrap for some interior pieces. I have another treat in store tomorrow!

ClassE

Oohhh... Kinda like that interior. I wanna ditch my woodgrain.

patsbimmer1

I like woodgrain just not mixed with the grey leather. With a black interior there are some blacks in the wood that match the black leather but on the grey leather it was so out of place. I am 100% happier with the vinyl trim on the interior and I have gotten nothing but compliments from everyone who see's it including my wife who complained that my woodgrain looked too granpaish.

patsbimmer1

I spent this past weekend changing the oil with Castrol 0w40 and a K&N oil filter. The other portion of my time was spent replacing my sport springs with H&R race springs. The install is easy and took me about 3 hrs with a couple breaks for opening and consuming beers and song selection. I am happy with the height and the ride is better than coilovers but not as smooth as it was OEM. After a few weeks I will remeasure to see if they have dropped anymore from settling.

And on to the pictures...

Front before 25 1/2"