WIBIMMERS

So over the past two years or so I have been casually searching for a BMW touring. This is partly because of the fact that I am always borrowing more spacious cars from my parents/girlfriend/etc to move things like car parts/furniture/etc., and partly because I just love the look of a Euro wagon. My casual searching has mostly been a result of being bored on a lunch break or a random weeknight evening when I run out of youtube shows to watch and I've read everything on wibimmers. Usually I will find something interesting, maybe save the link, and eventually forget about it. Sometimes I would do some searching every day for a week or two, sometimes I wouldn't even take a glance for 2 months.

Through some research, prodding from friends and family to move into the 21st century, and this browsing around I decided that my ideal car was an E91 LCI wagon, and it had to be RWD (better handling, less maintenance), sport or msport package, and not have a beige, gray, or oyster interior. For a long time I also looked for a 6-speed, but manual LCI E91 wagons are incredibly rare, and the rarity goes up exponentially when you start considering various options and RWD. I did find a few, but all but one were xdrive, most were low optioned, and many were high mileage or well worn. The couple that were actually nice were either sold within minutes of being posted or being sold at absolutely ridiculous prices. It doesn't help that EAG was/is scooping up a lot of the nice ones and flipping them at massive markups, and there is a 50+ page thread on e90post of people looking for them. Also, auto-to-manual swaps are now being done successfully and cleanly, and it is becoming more well documented, so the perfect car with an automatic doesn't have to stay that way. All that considered, I opened up my search to automatic cars, but to have an automatic it would have to tick EVERY other box for what I wanted. 

About three weeks ago I stumbled across an Autotrader ad by a private seller in Santa Fe, NM, that caught my attention. It had the right color combo, lower miles, looked very well maintained, and the price was very reasonable. After contacting the seller to determine that it was still available (turns out he is the GM of the local BMW dealership, a big BMW enthusiast, and generally a really great guy to deal with), running the VIN and finding out it had an awesome options list, and getting a clean Carfax report from @wasnt m3 (thanks again!!), I made a deal pending a complete inspection by the dealership. The inspecting came back great with no surprises, so I booked a flight for myself and my brother, took two days off work, and spent the next week and a half unable to focus on anything else. 

After a 2 hour delay in my connecting flight we landed in Sante Fe around 2:30pm, took a Lyft to the dealership where the seller worked, went for a quick spin around the block, and took care of the paperwork. We tossed our backpacks in the back and settled in for the 1,450 mile drive home. 

The car is a 2011 328i Wagon with 72k miles (now 74k thanks to Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and half of Wisconsin). It is space gray metallic on black leather with the all important sport package that adds the shadowline trim, sport seats, sport steering wheel, and most importantly on RWD models, Mtech suspension that sits lower and stiffens up the ride. It also has premium/comfort/cold weather packages, Harmon Kardon stereo, navigation, and a few other nice options. The car is an automatic, but so far I like it more than a lot of autos I've driven, and it will be welcome with all the traffic and city driving that I end up doing. It's also girlfriend friendly, which is a huge plus because we have tandem parking at our apartment. The 'DS' mode with paddle shifters provides some entertainment even though the shifts are far from DCT quick, and with some screwing around on side roads I found it holds gears as long as you want it to which will be nice if (aka when) I take this autocrossing. 

It also has a few OEM upgrades installed by the PO, including a complete BMW Performance Aero kit that includes the front and rear bumper, diffuser, and side skirts. I actually prefer the look of this kit over the msport bumpers, so it really sweetened the deal. It also has the padded/perforated Msport steering wheel, OEM style 225 19x8 and 19x9 wheels, OEM roof rack, and my favorite part: BMW M performance exhaust! Only non-oem addition is 50% window tint on the front door windows and 30 or 35% on the rear doors/quarter/hatch glass. 

Here are a few pics from the drive home!

On I-25 leaving Santa Fe:

Somewhere on I-25 near the southern CO border:

We stopped for the night around 1:30am in Sterling, CO. with just over 500 miles driven. Got on the road early the next morning with the goal of getting back to Milwaukee by midnight.

Gas station shot somewhere around Des Moines, IA just off I-80:

And my favorite picture from the whole thing, this amazing sunset somewhere in IL off I-88. Had to pull over in an exit to snap a pic:

Not bad for my usually crappy phone pictures.

Highlights of the trip include basically all the scenery on the first day in NM and CO, finally finding a Jimmy John's after what felt like 100 consecutive exits with nothing but Subway and Arby's in Nebraska and Iowa, and glowing bug splats all over the car after driving through huge swarms of fireflies in northern IL. 

We made it home around 11:30pm. The car is super comfortable but still really fun to drive, doesn't feel much bigger than my E36, and I'm overall really happy with it. Near future plans are to clean off the layer of bugs covering every forward facing surface, replace the water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt and idler/tensioner pulleys (the N52 likes to eat the belt if it breaks), and give the whole thing a nice detail inside and out. At some point I'd like to do the 3-stage 330 intake manifold and a tune to bump power from 230 to 260hp. Other than that, I'm just going to enjoy it as is for now!

This weekend was exhausting...

The picture is pre-paint, and without the hanger on the rear section. Despite my ugly welds I'm really happy with how it turned out. The majority of the system is a mix of aluminized steel mandrel beds and straight sections, and the rear muffler and flanges that connect to the headers are stainless. I used some lap-joint band clamps to connect the mid-section to the pipes coming off the headers, and some 309 stainless flux core wire to weld on the muffler. The 309 wire was really difficult to dial in, but is apparently the best way to join dissimilar metals. 

And the end result after getting a coat of black high-temp paint:

I managed to keep it pretty snug against the body so I hopefully minimized any ground clearance issues. 

Seen here is a post-paint adjustment since the tip was sitting too high and hitting the body. Also seen here is the final install of the newly rebuilt 3.15 LSD (huge thanks to @TehRaydarlover) with a condor diff bushing to match the rest of the car. Just needs a fresh fill of gear oil and the drivetrain will be ready to go!

For the exhaust hangers, I used some generic exhaust hangers and mounted them to one of the heat shield bolts in the middle of the car, the original hanger location on the rear subframe, and then added two nutserts to the frame rail under the trunk floor. They are pretty stiff so the exhaust basically feels like it is solid mounted. Not sure if I love that but the engine is also solid mounted so it should be ok. If it ends up cracking I'll know where to add a flex joint haha.

While I was waiting for paint to dry I mounted the strut brace to finish off the engine bay!

With the exhaust mounted I was able to bleed the cooling system without pissing off all the neighbors. It bled very easily, but unfortunately I need to drain it all again to fix a leak in the upper radiator hose. Bleeding the cooling system was also the first time I ran the engine for an extended period of time. The lifters were pretty loud at first but after a minute or two above 1500 rpm they quieted nicely. It got up to a steady operating temp of around 200F according to the ecu, oil pressure is right in spec too. The exhaust is definitely on the loud side, but its manageable and sounds pretty good so far. 

I also decided to make sure everything clears the hood since the PS reservoir and coolant expansion tank sit pretty high, so I got that mounted back up. Maybe not the smartest move because I need to mess with the cooling system still, but it felt good seeing it looking like a complete car again (bonus super cluttered garage shot)

Another issue I've come across is the bleeder screws on the front calipers...again. I just can't get them to seal. I'm hoping there is just some dirt or something causing the leak, but I have a feeling there might be an issue with the caliper itself as this has been a recurring problem with multiple different bleed screws. Hopefully I can get that sorted. 

Picnic hit list (5 days remaining):

- Fix leaks and re-bleed cooling system

- Get the front brake caliper bleeders to seal

- Fill the diff

Rekpoint said:

Any more wagon pics/updates?

I love this thing!

Nothing exciting, just driving it a lot! Definitely have some maintenance to do as soon as it starts getting warmer. I haven't taken any good pics lately but my dad snapped this nice one last weekend:

Went to my garage after work with the intention of leaving in this car. Forgot to take pictures, but honestly nothing here has any visual change from before. 

- Cooling system leaks are fixed! A new viton o-ring in the upper radiator hose and ptfe tape on the coolant temp sensor threads (that I forgot to tape apparently) sealed it all up nicely. Re-bled and ready to go.

- Brake lights are working again, just had to pull out the plunger on the switch and let it re-settle

- Removed the stud conversion and went back to lug bolts so I can run the center caps on my wheels, at least for now. I'll have to get some new studs in the 60mm range to clear the caps eventually.

- Modified the original M42 wire harness cover (just the one part to the far passenger side) to accommodate the swap wiring and cover the hole in the firewall. I'll need to do something to seal it off properly, but at least its not wide open anymore. 

- Reinstalled the brake ducts and lower fender liner things. Couldn't run the big splash guard since the skid plate now occupies that space, so I rigged up a  temporary support so the ducts don't fall out. I'll eventually do something more permanent. 

There was nothing left to do except take it for a drive! First drive was pretty uneventful, no complaints here!

Some things to note and improve:

- The exhaust is WAY too loud, and gets some rasp around 3k rpm under load too that doesn't sound too great. I am going to replace the center glasspack with something a bit better. It's a cheap louvered one so I mounted it backwards to improve flow, thinking it would still help cut rasp and such a bit. I think once the exhaust gas velocity picks up beyond idle it basically does nothing but add weight. I ordered a flowmaster FlowFX 71419 since it looks like it could help drop the volume and not hang too low. It's perforated core round body muffler, only 1/2" larger in diameter than the one it's replacing. The body is a bit shorter, but it should quiet things down a lot more than the reversed glass pack...

- Clutch is a bit chattery, I'm hoping it smooths out a bit as it breaks in. No gear rattle at idle that I have noticed, maybe I can't hear it over the exhaust.

- It had what sounded like belt squeal at low RPM's, probably just contamination from the radiator hose leak. Seems to be gone this morning.

- I am getting a terrible noise when turning the wheels to high angles at parking lot speed, almost as if the strut tops are sticking/binding and the springs are turning in the top hats. This was happening every once in a while before so I don't think it's related to the swap. I will have to inspect further. 

First drive impressions and stuff:

- It. Rips. Even with just some light pulls it pushes you into the seat and picks up speed really quickly, this is going to be a beast once everything is broken in and I can really get on it. It feels super torquey too and is actually pretty easy to drive despite the clutch being heavier than stock.

- The diff is butter smooth, not a sound coming from it. Couldn't be happier with that. 

- Trans shifts super smooth too, compared to my old M3. The shift detent repair was worth it. 

- Engine vibrations with the basically solid Condor mounts could be worse, the M42 was way worse at idle with poly mounts.

- Brake feel is fantastic with the larger master cylinder, though it definitely takes more force. I still need to dial in the bias, but I have the dial set at maybe halfway so it will be close enough for street use.

Officially out of storage mode!

Stopped to top off the tank and tires on the way to work this morning

Picnic hit list (2 days remaining):

- Clean it, it's absolutely filthy. 

- Drive it!

See you at the picnic!!

The car has been dropped off at BMW Milwaukee North last night. I just got a call back after an initial diagnostic check and the exhaust vanos actuator is not functioning properly. They can't verify the bolts are the problem and confirm it is a warrantied repair until they inspect the actuator visually, so I've given them the go ahead to pull the valve cover. If you aren't familiar with the newer engines, the valve cover is a much more difficult process than previous generations of engines, so they estimate about 7 hours to R&R. If this issue is indeed broken or loose actuator bolts, everything is covered. If not, I'm on the hook for a pretty hefty bill. I've never been so hopeful something specific on my car is broken... 

1 like = 1 prayer

YoungCR said:

It's a race car, purely functional so i don't see what all the fuss is about haha.

Everyone knows that real race cars need that exact spot for mounting things like gauges that monitor super important stuff like CV grease temperature and GoPro battery life. Trust me, I'm basically an expert because I saw a spec e30 car on a trailer going the other way on a freeway one time.

Got an engine! 

139k

Thermostat and thermostat housing replaced, swapped in a brass bleeder screw on the expansion tank too, so far no more leaks. I had an 80C thermostat in there before, and it kept coolant temps around 190 at the head sensor so I replaced it with another Behr 80C unit and a genuine BMW composite thermostat housing (with a bunch of RTV, apparently the genuine housings don't have the paper gasket on them anymore). I really couldn't tell why the aluminum one had started leaking, no cracks or anything, though the rubber gasket looked like it had flattened out quite a bit so that may have been the problem, but who knows... I'm just happy to be driving it again. 

I seem to always pick terrible days to work on things, but I wanted my car back so nothing a tarp, bungee cords, and a WJ Grand Cherokee couldn't fix. Not pictured: the 6"of snow burying both cars and 1/4" of ice sealing the hood/doors/trunk shut. 

Making moves!

I got the power steering return sorted out with a 1/2" stainless steel elbow, 1/2" trans cooler line, and the original steel section of the m42 return line. To get clearance from between the hose and the alternator I had to space the power steering bracket up about 1/4" as well. 

I am deleting the CCV and replacing it with a catch can system, so I got the CCV connections modified to adapt them to some PCV/fuel vapor hose. I found a car with a recently replaced CCV in the junk yard and got the fittings that connect to the valve cover and vacuum distribution manifold (removed the rest of the hose). I tapped the valve cover fitting to 3/8"-18 NPT and used an aluminum 1/2" barb adapter fitting. On the vacuum distribution block I tapped the outer fitting to 1/4"-18 NPT and used an aluminum 3/8" barb adapter fitting. Both are lightly torqued into the plastic with some RTV to ensure an airtight seal. 

The hoses will route over to the passenger side where the catch can will be mounted next to the coolant expansion tank. I also got the vacuum distribution manifold reinstalled with the catch can return hose routed underneath the intake. Lots of hoses to attempt to organize neatly...

Also in this picture I have new intake boots installed as well as a used (but hopefully good) MAF. 

A while back I modified the gas pedal mount from an E46 to fit the e30 chassis by cutting off the piece that clips onto the floor and bonding the base of an e30 gas pedal in it's place. I used a supposedly very strong 48 hour 2-part epoxy, but it turns out that it didn't take to the plastic well and it broke off when I bumped the pedal. I re-attached it with some Loctite super-duper-super-glue and now it's not going anywhere. I got the pedal remounted and looking like it belongs there. Current state of the interior for your entertainment:

It was at this point I realized there wasn't anything stopping me from connecting the battery and doing some initial wiring/electronics checks. Battery connected and nothing blew up, turned the key to the on position (with fuel pump relay removed), and everything functioned as expected. I figured why not and bumped the key and the starter engaged and turned over the engine! The engine was probably pretty dry so I turned it over with the starter for a while to get oil circulating. After a minute or so it really quieted down and turned over smoothly. I realized that nothing was really stopping me from attempting a first start so I reinstalled the fuel pump relay, primed the pump a few times until I heard it load up evenly, and turned the key (actual first start footage):

It fired right up! It actually startled me because I wasn't expecting it to light off on all 6 right away like that. I ended up having two fuel leaks, one by the fuel filter and one at the other end of the feed, both just needed the clamps to be tightened a bit more (Running 3.5 bar, vs. 3.0 with the M42). Of course with the leaks stopped I had to check it again to verify, and also see if the drive-by-wire gas pedal was working (RIP headphone users):

It does! Open headers are loud haha. The engine had no coolant so I only ran it for a few seconds each time, but I am so pumped it fired right up without any major issues! Now I really can't wait to get it on the road. There is a ton left to do, but this is super motivating.

Thanks to some broken/loose bolts, it's getting fixed for $free.99!

Saw @straight6pwr near miller park today. He was going so fast I couldn't get my phone camera to focus so this is the best I got

Turns out I'd be pretty easy to kidnap

Thanks a ton for the parts!!

I was bored and had nothing to do for a few minutes and threw this together, I wasn't sure how the WI flag could be incorporated so I used the wibimmers logo. I think it turned out pretty well for a quick Photoshop just to get an idea

Had a blast at the Road America autocross today. Did some experimenting with tire pressures to get more grip and see how it affects the handling, smoothed out my driving a bit over the 8 runs too. Getting faster! The car handled it really well and ran great/cool all day, despite it being hot as hell

Opened my secret santa gift: whoever you are, you're awesome!!!

Got my temp gun back from @Jdesign along with this masterpiece of modern art, had to share haha

76.6k

Got some time to play on the wagon for a bit tonight, installed the goodies I had shipped over from Lithuania!

First up was the headlight switch. The top one is the one I bought with the rear fog button, the bottom is my original switch with the silver accent on the switch that I wanted to retain. 

Took only a few minutes to pull them both apart and swap the rear fog button and related parts over to my switch:

I installed the switch and noticed that the rear fog button was not back-lit, so I pulled it back out, took them apart again to find out why. Turns out the US spec headlight PCB has the buttons for the rear fog, but the board is missing the LED that provides the back lighting (US board above, euro below). The PCB of the euro switch is for a car without auto-leveling/xenon lights so I couldn't just swap boards unfortunately. I didn't want to potentially ruin things by getting fancy with a soldering iron, so I accepted the lack of a lit button for now. 

With the switch reinstalled, they work! Pretty neat little mod for added euro-cool-points.

Normal tail lights:

Rear fogs turned on:

The indicator on the dash (yellow fog light icon) works as well. It amazes me that just changing the switch enables all this. 

I also installed the n52 euro air intake box. The standard box has a smallish panel filter and a restrictive charcoal filter. Additionally, the entire box must be removed to access the filter. The euro box has a cylindrical filter with much more filter area, a larger intake box volume, and no charcoal filter, so it provides a minor performance increase, looks way better, and allows you to access the filter by simply removing the lid. Install is really simple, I just had to swap over the US spec MAF and the mounting grommet things. 

Original US spec intake box:

Euro box fitted without the lid (I have a new filter arriving tomorrow) 

Install complete:

I've only driven about 10 miles with it installed, there is a little bit more intake noise and the car seems to be a bit more rev-happy. Not sure if there is an actual performance improvement or just a post-mod placebo effect, but for how cheap I got the parts I'm happy with it!

​

80.5k

Minor updates and improvements for daily life!

There was no place to keep a pair of sunglasses, so I added a euro-market glasses holder that replaces the oh sh!t handle on the driver's side

Added some front and rear OEM rubber floor mats to keep the salt out of the carpets

And I also realized it was missing some fairly critical badging so I got that sorted too

Back to summer mode! 

I forgot just how much better it looks on the 19's! I still need to get the bike rack on, but I'd like to find a way to mount it using the T slot in the cross bars so I can use the sunroof this summer.