2001 BMW 330i Daily/Project build thread

[basedspider]

Been a while again. Been messing around with a few projects the last couple months and finally got around to getting the E46 back in action for the year.

After a hard winter of this thing sitting outside the whole time (my now ex-fiancée talked me into storing her car last winter instead of mine) upon everything melting and the super cold and rainy spring we had here, I discovered a major water leak on the driver side of the car. There was a roughly 1 inch deep puddle front and back, which pushed me to start vacuuming and drying. Vacuumed it out semi regularly over the last few weeks and left it in the garage with the windows open for over a month and worked on other stuff in the meantime. Once it was plenty dry I got it over to my work and had the guys start looking at it. One of the techs let me know that one of the sunroof drains got unplugged and was leaking water from the A-pillar pretty good. Got that fixed and now she's bone dry!

Another issue that I finally got around to dealing with was the suspension. When I had the car in the garage I pulled the front wheels off to get a better look at everything underneath and put together a parts list of what I might need. Started looking at my coilovers and realized that there was literally no pre-load at all and the shock collar was able to move freely with just my hand. Likely due to my negligence when throwing the car together in the garage last winter, I properly set the preload, raised the front suspension to a nicer height, and tightened up the collar adjustments. Since then the vehicle rides a lot nicer and is a lot more confident in the corners than it used to be.

Going forward I have a lot of work to do on the interior of the car due to some mold that showed up in the carpet from the flooding, and I plan on taking some time and ripping the seats out to really clean everything properly. The seats also very badly need a lot of love so I am going to try to condition and save them, but we will see.

In the meantime though, enjoy this picture of my 2 main projects right now.

[basedspider]

Today was my 2 year anniversary with this car and the weather turned out nice tonight so I ripped the drivers seat out and got go work. What a disgusting mess.

The rain left a slew of mold, coins molded into the carpet and some pretty heavy staining. I knew the grey carpet wasnt going to look perfect given the amount of time I had to do this job and the lack of proper tools I had but I tried my best to get it clean and looking slightly better.

Not perfect, but substancially better. I cleaned up the rest of the interior following the carpets and I couldnt be happier with the car now.

[patsbimmer1]

What a huge difference cleaning that carpet made!

[basedspider]

Well, I wish I wasnt making this update but here we are.

Back in December I got a fun phone call from a local police department asking about my E46 and told me they had a traffic infraction that they wanted to discuss with me. I responded with "Wow, thats really interesting given the fact I put my car in storage back in October." The cop proceeded to tell me that there was no traffic infraction he wanted to discuss, but that he was investigating some storage units that had gotten broken into in Chippewa Falls. I immediately ran to my storage unit here in Eau Claire and lo and behold, she was long gone! And not only that, they ripped the wall off the unit to get into the 2 next to me. Enjoy this photo of property damage and a sadly missing space in front of my skyline.

And then to follow everything up, they drove up to Chippewa Falls to use my car to break into more units up there the day after it was stolen which is where I originally got the call about my car from. Heres a fun security camera shot given to me by the owner of the other units:

To say the least, I wasnt very excited about this news. I got police involved right away and started posting on Facebook trying to locate my car. A couple people had seen it here and there, but no solid leads aside from the fact the car was still local. Eventually I had a woman reach out to me that explained that not only did she know who had my car, but she had actually ridden in it! Saw my facebook posts and reached out. Pretty cool, but I still didnt have my car back yet. Turns out she was the roommate of the new "owner." We talked for a few weeks, and eventually I figured out that the current "owner" of the car was going to try to ransom it back to me for a very good price of $2500. Its at this point that I've realized I have reached and met the bottom of the intelligence barrel in this town, so I downloaded a phone recording app, got the number from her, and gave this asshat a call. I told him I was not going to get cops involved and that I was willing to pay $3000 just to get the car back. He was apprehensive at first but told me he'd give me a call back.

We are just getting to the fun part now. He gives me a call back and lays out everything, where to bring the money, and even admitted to having the car but did not admit to stealing it. Also threatened me which was really nice! So, I did what anyone would do, and recorded the entire phone conversation and gave it to the detective in charge. The next day he was taken into custody with my skyline keys in his pocket, but the car is still nowhere to be found. He was already on parole until 2030 so it is fair to say he's pretty screwed. The cops are now working through the download on his phone to hopefully track the car down but it's still no longer in my possession.

If anyone sees any parts go up for sale (Active autowerke headers, fortune auto 500 coils, bbs rc303's with hankook ventus v12 evo 2 tires, eonon head unit, etc) please have no problem reaching out to me, I'm scared the car is likely getting parted out already. Hopefully I get it back, but chances seem slimmer by the day. Ill be sure to update if the car gets found but I have a feeling this thread is closing in on the end.

[YoungCR]

Well shit, so sorry to hear. I'm gonna go pull the keys out of my vehicles in storage now. I have things packed tight into mine so breaking through the wall isnt really possible but all it takes is a cordless cut off to get in the door anyways. My good friend had his pristine 1 owner 46k mi 2003 Chevy 3500 Dually he had just bought a month prior stolen in Sacramento, CA on Christmas morning. Police found it parked on a side street a week or 2 later. They stole the headlights, battery, all the tools in the bed and the cats off the exhaust. Hopefully you find your car with minimal damage and missing parts as well. Really depends on what their motive is but its usually always about the quickest way to get money out of it and move on to the next theft.

I would be happy to make a post on the WI BIMMERS facebook page as well if you'd like, just not sure how much traffic it would get but could see what the paid posts go for these days too.

[basedspider]

YoungCR said:

Well shit, so sorry to hear. I'm gonna go pull the keys out of my vehicles in storage now. I have things packed tight into mine so breaking through the wall isnt really possible but all it takes is a cordless cut off to get in the door anyways. My good friend had his pristine 1 owner 46k mi 2003 Chevy 3500 Dually he had just bought a month prior stolen in Sacramento, CA on Christmas morning. Police found it parked on a side street a week or 2 later. They stole the headlights, battery, all the tools in the bed and the cats off the exhaust. Hopefully you find your car with minimal damage and missing parts as well. Really depends on what their motive is but its usually always about the quickest way to get money out of it and move on to the next theft.

I would be happy to make a post on the WI BIMMERS facebook page as well if you'd like, just not sure how much traffic it would get but could see what the paid posts go for these days too.

Given that the cars current "owner" is in custody, I am not too worried about it. I imagine if it gets found itll likely have pretty minimal damage or its already made its way to milwaukee/minneapolis and is getting cut up as we speak. Best we can do now is just keep our eyes out for it.

[basedspider]

The following message is going to be copy pasted from my last update on facebook. If anyone can offer any help, please reach out.

MY CAR IS STILL MISSING

$500 REWARD IF FOUND

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION, DIRECTLY CONTACT ME OR THE POLICE. MY PHONE NUMBER IS 715-FIVE SEVEN SEVEN-0942

I received an update today that the person who broke into my unit has been arrested with proof and confessed to stealing my car. He is not the same person who tried to ransom it back to me. The car is still missing, but supposedly has changed hands multiple times and is still getting used. It was last seen in the Eau Claire area in the beginning of January.

I am now offering a $500 reward for information that results in the returning of my car. Its supposedly still being used and driven. Below I will list the technical specs of my car and some of the aftermarket parts in case anyone sees e46 parts come up for sale or anything like that.

2001 BMW 330i

VIN: WBAAV53431FT01049

LAST KNOWN MILEAGE: ~137k mi

3.0 I6 w/ 5spd manual

M-tech I appearance package

Silver on grey interior

BBS RC303 wheels with Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2 Tires

Eonon head unit

Magnaflow catback exhaust

Active Autowerke headers

Fortune Auto 500 coilovers

E39 M5 single mass flywheel conversion kit

Dinan carbon fiber intake

ECS lug stud conversion

15% tint

IDENTIFYING PREVIUS DAMAGE: Car had broken front kidney grills and a damaged hood, passenger side door had some dents, red-tint painted taillights and yellow tinted fog lights, dark grey pinstriping below window line, powdercoated wheels had tire mount residue around the bead stained on the black powder, passenger side front fender has a roughly 2 inch long oval sized spot of missing paint, and small amounts of rust on body panel below rear license plate

[Boris3]

Sorry to hear this hasn't turned up yet. Hope it does.

In my pre-BMW days I had a Honda Civic sedan stolen from my driveway in New Berlin. There was a theft ring working the west side of Milwaukee/suburbs for a couple of years stealing Hondas/Acuras. Not to strip but for weekend transportation / joy riding. Car was locked but they had an inside guy at a Honda dealership that would help with key access. My car turned up a few days later parked on the street a mile from my house when someone called it in, and police caught the guys a few weeks later as they were scoping out other rides. Head guy of the ring happened to out on parole for car theft. Go figure. I went to the trial at the Waukesha courthouse in case they needed me to testify but he pleaded out, did some time, and I received notice later that he was out on supervised release/parole again after a few years.  I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to what he knew and is back in jail.

[Jdesign]

Any update on this?

[m42b32]

basedspider said:

my skyline.

Not to derail, but skylines are cool. R32?

[Rekpoint]

Jdesign said:

Any update on this?

IDK How often he visits. This is the only update as of yesterday.

https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front-page/police-two-men-implicated-in-theft-of-bmw-threatening-the-owner/article_444824b1-29b2-533f-8ba8-f85cc2185355.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR1Otjctm4X1EtTaKcSf1G3ON-TdQTijCm32RXDs8EygBpP7JbnHog1tl4Y

[Bassboy3313]

That's some crazy shit right there. Glad they caught the guys. Hopefully they get the full 15 years.

[Jdesign]

Rekpoint said:

IDK How often he visits. This is the only update as of yesterday.

https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front-page/police-two-men-implicated-in-theft-of-bmw-threatening-the-owner/article_444824b1-29b2-533f-8ba8-f85cc2185355.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR1Otjctm4X1EtTaKcSf1G3ON-TdQTijCm32RXDs8EygBpP7JbnHog1tl4Y

"Billstrom wanted $2,500 for the stolen BMW. He told the owner he bought it and didn’t steal it. Billstrom told the man he would never see the car again if he got arrested.... Billstrom was subsequently arrested."

I literally chuckled, what an idiot.

So I assume he got his car back?

[YoungCR]

Jdesign said:

"Billstrom wanted $2,500 for the stolen BMW. He told the owner he bought it and didn’t steal it. Billstrom told the man he would never see the car again if he got arrested.... Billstrom was subsequently arrested."

I literally chuckled, what an idiot.

I lol’d that the price went from $500 for anyone to $2500 for the person who actually holds the title I would hope between the info of these two they’d have figured out the whereabouts of the car.

[Boris3]

Wow, what a stupid pair. The full ride at 15 years would be a nice touch.

[Rekpoint]

Jdesign said:

So I assume he got his car back?

Car still missing. He was arrested because @basedspiderrecorded the phonecall.

[Jdesign]

Rekpoint said:

Car still missing. He was arrested because @basedspiderrecorded the phonecall. 

WTF really? guy wont spill the beans huh.

[basedspider]

m42b32 said:

Not to derail, but skylines are cool. R32? 

My 1993 R33 GTS25t. Love the car to death, does massive burnouts.

Update for everyone: Sorry, with the lack of BMW and how ridiculously busy I've been recently its been hard to keep an eye on this thread. The car is still missing because when Chief Dumbass Cory Billstrom got arrested the car proceeded to change multiple hands and only god knows where it is now. The detective did his due diligence and interviewed anyone that was roughly connected and obviously anyone not obligated to talk, didnt talk. The car was last known to be in the area beginning of January so chances of it getting returned are extremely slim, and if it would be returned I am very sure it would not be in the same condition it was in when it left. The guy that stole it (Executive Chief Dumbass Chris Lamb) fessed up to everything and even admitted to doing over 130mph in it. The only reason I am upset about that is because that is faster than I ever went in it lmao.

I get to go to court multiple times over the next few months over this bullshit, so so excited. Hoping to scrape up some cash for an E36 325/328 to replace it, E36 M3 prices have gotten a bit ridiculous lol.

[basedspider]

Yesterday morning while I was at work I received a phone call from the detective that had been working on the case and he asked me "Hey, would you like to come pick up your car?" I was pretty quick to respond with a hard yes and was on my way. The vehicle had been found by the detective via text messages from the recent "owner" of the vehicles phone, and it was hidden behind a storage unit complex here in Eau Claire. This was what it looked like when I got there:

Pretty well snowed in but from what I could tell it didn't look too rough. Unfortunately keys were nowhere to be found so I ran home and grabbed my spare set as the city called a skidsteer over to dig it out. They left about 2 feet on either side of the car by the time I got back and my cousin came by to help me dig out the rest. After another 2 hours of shoveling we were finally able to dig out a spot!

Car wouldnt start via either a jump pack or jumper cables hooked up to my truck, battery was completely froze up. Ran to the local Oreillys and picked up a new battery to just get me by. Once I threw the battery in (using the handy dandy BMW trunk toolkit lmao) and got it started a local tow company came by and couldnt sneak back there to it so we just hooked their chains right up to the hitch of my pickup and pulled it right out of its spot. Honestly it ran pretty good and seemed mostly complete aside from the fact they ripped half the speakers out and broke the speaker covers on the doors. They also did me a great pleasure of smoking cigarettes inside of it and leaving it almost completely empty on gas! How kind!

I proceeded to drive the car back to my work and got it pulled inside. Aside from the fact the brakes were trashed, the tires and everything else seemed to be mostly the way I left it which is pretty crazy. Of course theres a few new scratches and dents here and there, but nothing too crazy.

Either way, I couldnt be happier to have the car back in my possession and overall could have been so much worse than it really was. Insurance claims will be submitted pretty soon. The odds of it being recovered at all, let alone almost complete is absolutely insane. I guess I've used up my luck for the year haha.

Appreciate all the kind words, hope everyone can look forward to updates on getting this thing sorted out and ready for the upcoming summer!

[m42b32]

That's awesome that you found it! Glad to see its in more-or-less one piece. Its a bummer that they smoked in it, but I've found that a good interior clean and a pass or two with an ozone machine works wonders on getting the smell out and keeping it out. My brother bought an XJ Cherokee that had been lightly smoked in and after running the ozone machine in it the smell has never come back, even on a hot day.