2011 328i Longroof - The Saga Continues
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You didn’t really think that this car was leaving the state with how much we all love it, did you?
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It probably needs no introduction to any of you, and I’m ecstatic to have it joining the fleet. The e34 will get some much needed TLC and likely be heading down the road to a new owner within the next year and daily duties will be supplanted by this. No big plans other than to do some minor aesthetic mods and general maintenance, and hopefully many many more comfortable and fun miles! Hopefully it won’t even realize that it changed stablemates, going from a white e30 to a… white e30
My general list of plans, for no real reference other than my own:
Maintenance:
- Serpentine belt and tensioner: Due for another (about 4yrs old) so this is the first order of business along with an oil change.
- Front control arms: Not shot yet, but I’d rather get ahead of them and sharpen up the front end some. Likely going to install the M3 arms while I’m at it. Summer project.
- Shocks/struts: Originals, going to put original sport pack Sachs dampers in to freshen the ride up. Certainly not bad at all currently but I’m a sucker for fresh OEM suspension. Also a summer project.
- Trans filter change/fluid change and diff fluid change. Probably going to have a shop do the trans, I’ll likely handle the diff. Not in a huge hurry on these.
Upgrades and such:
- LED angel eyes
- Color-matched reflector covers for the front bumper
- Not an upgrade, but the headlights are a bit foggy and I’d like to clear them up if I can. It’s the little things!
That’s really it for now, Joe has been a great caretaker of the car through his ownership and I’m excited to keep this car in the area. The 16 year newer tech is a very welcome change!
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Congrats on the new ride!! I'm gonna miss this one big time but I'm glad it went to a good home. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. Here's two of my favorite pics for motivation!
Thanks Joe! I’m excited to see where it’ll take me, there’s already a few road trips planned for it this summer!
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First parts ordered. Taking care of the oil change, serpentine belt, and rear shocks (including the mount kit) with this batch of parts. Damping when the car is loaded is… not quite what I want to keep things from going flying, so I’m going to take care of the rear shocks sooner than I initially planned and then doing front struts this spring/summer when it’s warmer. Ordered the Continental kit for the serpentine and OE M Sport Sachs dampers for the rear.
I’m going to need to pick up a good E-Torx set for maintenance on this car, any recommendations?
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I’m going to need to pick up a good E-Torx set for maintenance on this car, any recommendations?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-1-4-3-8-1-2-in-E-Torx-Socket-Set-HETX13PC/206031060#overlay
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First batch of parts has arrived!
Hoping to find time this weekend or next to get the shocks installed, oil changed, and serpentine belt/pulley/tensioner replaced. It’ll go in fairly soon for the wheels to be re-balanced, and it’ll be aligned in the spring when I’m done replacing some other suspension bits. At this point, planning for:
- Front shocks
- Front upper and lower control arms (replacing with the TRW M3 parts)
- Rear subframe bushing inserts. I know full bushing replacement is ideal but I don’t care to jump in that far just yet.
- Any other rear bushings the shop notes as torched. Anyone who has done rear end work on an e90, are there any bushings or ball joints in particular that tend to go earlier than others? Ideally I’d like to not have to replace everything at oncoming the entire car, so if I can do a few things on the rear and the whole front this year, and other rear bushings later, that would be ideal.
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Swapped out rear shocks and mounts tonight with OE Lemforder sport shocks (white label). Much improved ride in the rear, rebound damping is much better and it doesn’t huck stuff into the air anymore. I could handle a little more stiffness though, so I may experiment with Bilstein HD’s if I get antsy. Should be more than OK for now, front struts and control arms are definitely a higher priority.
Very impressed with the ease of this job, the hardest part was removing the plastic caps by where the parcel cover attaches. Otherwise, really intuitive and simple. Everything goes back into place with minimal effort and fits nicely.
Replaced serpentine belt, idler, and tensioner as well on Sunday using the FCP Euro kit, continental belt and INA (?) idler and tensioner? Went in easy other than getting the belt back on the harmonic balancer, there’s a tight spot near the bottom that the belt doesn’t like to thread through. Took about 20 minutes total to get the belt back on, and checked with mirrors to make sure it was fully seated. It was, and it made the trip back to MKE tonight so I think we’re all good.
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KONI shocks are a ton better then Bilsteins.
I’ve never had new versions of either; I have some older Bilstein sports on the E30 and they’re decent. Any specific E90 experience with that recommendation or just a general statement? I know that’s what’s recommended for E34’s, the e34 bilsteins are known to be rock-hard.
I probably won’t do it either way, we’ll see how I like the current stiffness with the 19s this summer. My guess is that OE sport is going to be just right, but hey, nothing wrong with dreaming.
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Plates arrived!
Im already getting itchy on changing to the Ice Age Trail ones in March when they release, but we’ll see.
The black looks spectacular I think so it’ll be really hard to beat. Maybe I’ll get a set for the e28 to take off after I sell it and keep for decoration?
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Drained and refilled transmission using Liqui-Moly Top Tec 1800 (Dexron 6), replaced the trans filter and gasket, and all new hardware. I forgot to take photos because I suck at forums.
Old fluid was definitely very dark and this was definitely the factory fill, but better late than never I suppose. From some research, 130-150k is getting to the range of where it might not be worth it to risk, but the number of success stories with 120-130k gave me some confidence. I wasn’t getting trans slip before doing it but it was starting to shift a little jerkier when cold so I wanted to try to get ahead of any issues before it was too late. Magnet had metal on it but didn’t seem much worse than the magnets I’ve seen on cars with it changed at 60-80k; it seems that a lot of that debris is from initial break-in.
Don’t want to jump the gun, but it definitely seems to shift smoother now. We’ll see how it goes the next few days and I’ll report back.
Going to order power steering fluid to do a flush there, change out the diff oil, and probably replace the front tension arms with M3 parts as I’m sure they’re toasted by now. I also have a brake vibration that was worsened lately so diagnosing that with a temp gun to see if one is hanging or has some nasty deposits is also on the list.
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Did this ice age trail plate ever come out? It looks pretty sweet
I don’t believe so. Last I heard it was originally supposed to release in March but got pushed back a month or two. I’d bet it’ll release in the next month.
I think I’m going to get one for the e91. I like the RA plate but the IAT one is just funky and different.
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Summer mode engaged!
Installed the only aesthetic mod I had planned, LED angel eyes. I didn’t like how the original halogen ones didn’t match the xenon low beams or the license plate/under door courtesy lights, I’m liking the LED much better. Not perfect in terms of color but pretty close and for the price I’m happy.
Installed a new cupholder trim piece, only like $20 from FCP. Worth it.
Headlight 2K clear is on the way, that’s next on the list. I also have the M3 arms sitting in a box along with 3 cans of Pentosin, as well as the stuff for the diff service. Going to check the front left wheel bearing while I’m in there for the arms, that’s the only corner that is warmer than the others but it doesn’t behave quite like a dragging caliper. Oil arrived as well. Just need to get the e34 VANOS buttoned up so I have something to drive if stuff goes sideways, then the e91 will get its attention.
Been loving this so far though! Utility is unbeatable, the n52 w/ M performance exhaust is a peach and sounds perfect, and the look speaks for itself. However, if anyone ever sees a n52 manual parts car, please let me know…
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I'm stoked to see this car getting the love it deserves!
However, if anyone ever sees a n52 manual parts car, please let me know…
I like this.
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I'm stoked to see this car getting the love it deserves!
I like this.
I need to not get too far ahead of myself and actually finish the e30 manual swap, but I feel like it’s a good prep for one on this. I was shocked at how well laid out everything was once the belly pan came off, I think mechanically the swap shouldn’t be bad at all. The DME coding looks like a challenge, but I’ll figure it out.
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I need to not get too far ahead of myself and actually finish the e30 manual swap, but I feel like it’s a good prep for one on this. I was shocked at how well laid out everything was once the belly pan came off, I think mechanically the swap shouldn’t be bad at all. The DME coding looks like a challenge, but I’ll figure it out.
Believe it or not, the coding changes shouldn't be that bad. Bimmergeeks protool can change the vehicle order and then appropriately code every subsequent module to match.
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this really is a perfect daily and looking forward to following it more.
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