*** Official New England Chat Thread ***

Originally Posted by sunydude

Looking great as usual!

russo, you need to update your sig with this pic, so much more clear, plus, we all know those skid marks in your sig were already there on the ground when you parked to take that pic.

Originally Posted by JJR4884

thanks sunil
you need to teach me how to take good pics lol... it was windy and my feet were freezing (had to put them in the water even just for a sec) so i rushed those photos.


same, taking a pic of my two loves, and your car

how is the poochie? how is carl? lol

Nothing wrong with the photo man, all it needs is a bit of retouching in Photoshop...see what a few touches can do to this

[IMG][/IMG]

See how I can negotiate the 93S bend at the Concord St exit totally hands free? Thats about to change..

?? you're getting a Prius sooner than expected

?? you're wackin off?

?? you will soon have an automated wacker, so you can finally keep both hands on the wheel??

Well, as it happens when my car went up on the lift they discovered . . .



. . . both rear shocks are blown!


I'm curious as this could be, considering my Bilsteins were purchased NEW last summer and installed professionally!

So I called my friends at Turner Motorsport where I got them and it appears as though they'll be covered under warranty. Just need to swap out some rear shocks (and maybe buy some new pads & rotors while I'm up in Amesbury . . . ) and I'll be back to BPG for an alignment.

Ahhh these cars. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em . . .

Originally Posted by Sam 330ci

Well, as it happens when my car went up on the lift they discovered . . .



. . . both rear shocks are blown!


I'm curious as this could be, considering my Bilsteins were purchased NEW last summer and installed professionally!

So I called my friends at Turner Motorsport where I got them and it appears as though they'll be covered under warranty. Just need to swap out some rear shocks (and maybe buy some new pads & rotors while I'm up in Amesbury . . . ) and I'll be back to BPG for an alignment.

Ahhh these cars. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em . . .

fool, you should have just gone with OEM. This isn't the first story I've heard about bilsteins going bad quickly.. and I just don't get it, they're made in Germany, so they have to be good, they come as standard equipment on tons of Benzies, but when you put them on a BMW, they sh it the bed quickly.

Take the shocks I just took out of my car for example. I replaced all of my shocks at about 80K-90K miles because I thought one of the fronts was bad. I still think it might be good and was just the FCAB's torturing my ride. I sourced an entire set of used OEM sachs shocks with 66K miles on them for $75 shipped to my house. These went in, and were just replaced with new OEM sport shocks from my Turner kit. Those shocks that now had a total of 66K miles (if the seller was actually being honest) plus anolther 60K miles because I am at 140K now, still look decent other than some surface rust around the outer part of the shock. They still rebound ok and appear to be in good working condition. That's 140K miles or more on a set of OEM sport shocks.

so the moral of the story is.... just get some OEM sachs sport shocks if you can. Get your Bilstein replacements from Turner, tell them not to install them (unless they need to actually remove the beat ones from your car first to use your warranty), sell the new Bilsteins for cake, and buy some new OEM Sachs sport shocks, plus you can buy 5 bags of dogfood for that pooch of yours with the leftover cash.

^ See interesting xi thread here:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=830014

'Experimental' rear shocks from Bilstein should arrive any day now. Will hopefully have them on this weekend.

In other news, is it me, or do you all feel the same way?

When the temps are warm, but still cool, about 50-60 degrees, it seems like the sweet spot for my 330. She just seems to run so perfectly at that temperature for some reason and purrs like a kitten and seems to pull all day long through the RPM range..

anyone else ever notice this? When it's cold, or too hot, it's not the same experience. Maybe it's just because I am most happy around those temps. hmmmmm.

Originally Posted by Kubica

^ See interesting xi thread here:

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=830014

'Experimental' rear shocks from Bilstein should arrive any day now. Will hopefully have them on this weekend.

Very very interesting read. Did the guy at Bilstein you spoke to give you any insight as to why the rear shocks were so problematic?

The Sachs Sport and non sport shocks were designed for the E46, so it makes sense that they should have the proper feel and last a long time.

With the weather getting better and everyone getting summer prep done, is anyone planning a photo shoot yet? I figure its too soon to plan it... I'm ordering some black grilles and a new roundel for the wifes 323i and then I need to find some assorted interior parts that are broken...

The mechanics at BPG said that HR Race is just too low for New England. I agree - the potholes are out of control and the ride is harsh. I'm just going to replace the shocks myself (rears are cake to install) and move on. If I run into the problem again I'll deal with it.

Originally Posted by trizzuth

When the temps are warm, but still cool, about 50-60 degrees, it seems like the sweet spot for my 330. She just seems to run so perfectly at that temperature for some reason and purrs like a kitten and seems to pull all day long through the RPM range..

anyone else ever notice this?

I was thinking the same thing to myself on the ride to work this morning. Engine had a nice growl.

Originally Posted by trizzuth

Very very interesting read. Did the guy at Bilstein you spoke to give you any insight as to why the rear shocks were so problematic?

Yes, he mentioned high side-load forces causing the rear Bilstein's to fail. Much more common failure on the xi's than RWD e46's. I'm not positive, but I think "high side-load" forces are present when taking corners quickly.

FYI- The front bilsteins have a very low failure rate.

you guys think that undoing those bolts on the rear trailing arms to check the bushings is just asking for an alignment? since they are so buried up under the frame, there's no way to inspect them without dropping the trailing arm itself, which uses that camber plate to adjust camber a little. I'm afraid that if i drop it down to inspect it, i'm asking for trouble.

any symptoms of a bad rear trailing arm bushing? i think mine are fine, but at 140K, i wanted to at least inspect them..

Anybody have today off and if so what are you up to?

We are taking Lucille on her first trip to Newburyport Maybe I won't get spotted . . .

"hello to you

bmw love from me to car is since when child always e46 car favorite so i getted always wanted to"

Chill out bro.

How was C&C?

looks awesome, didn't go, but saw pics.

that quote was from Russo replying to a thread started by some noob that was using HORRIBLE english, my god i laughed so hard.

Back from a week in Punta Cana. Picking up my car from Sansossio today. Can't wait to see how she came out.

exciting! what did you get done again?

Both bumpers repainted. Reflectors on the front bumper deleted. CF front lip installed. Small dents removed. Touch up scratches all around.

Just called them. Car won't be ready til late this afternoon.