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DAILY UPDATES

6M views 45K replies 4K participants last post by  das_autobahn 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Welcome to the daily update thread! Post any mods, repairs, whatever you have done to your E46!

Today I

Debadge the trunk lid (roundel still intact)
Added black grills
Yellow fogs
Clear front reflectors (PITA!!!)
6K D2S bulbs

 
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#43,501 ·
Love to know more about the Deep OBD functionality from Rolf Resler. I have the iBus adapter and app on my Avant-4 in my X5 but not the Deep OBD option. Let us know about the features that opens up!

I will have to create a thread then! As far as I can tell, it can actually read all the modules that inpa can read, not write though. Useful for logging. It can however read error codes and clear them - the reason I wanted it. (I need to actually take time to dig through it properly still)

Side note: I did have to use a separate cable that plugs into the obd2 port. Since resler does not read obd signal at all. Unfortunately...
 
#43,503 ·
Just built this jig in prep for picking up my exhaust tubing. All it took was some scrap lumber, two 2-1/8" saddle clamps, a big piece of steel, some spare hardware, and a few hours. Had everything on hand, so why not? I'm a bit worried the die being flat instead of concave will crush the inside bend of the tube, but sand packing will help. Even if it doesn't turn out perfect, I'm sure it'll turn out better than if I had no jig at all.
 

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#43,506 · (Edited)
Replaced three fenders, two doors, and two hoods! (on two cars ;) )

It was a ridiculously long day - 10am to 2am the next morning to get everything done (with family time interspersed). Tip: Don't hang coupe/convertible doors solo. They are incredibly heavy and absurdly hard to align on your own! But it was 1am and about to rain, so I figured it out. Looks AWESOME!

Plus took one of the hoods to the shop to be repainted. Going to look sweet!

The BMW design where the "leaf collector" in the hood drains into the inside fender cavity is so disgusting. I had 6 inches of some of the finest aged mulch you have ever seen!



And if I never have to change an actuator again for the rest of my life it will be too soon.

The little freezer in the back is my COVID prepper store.

 
#43,507 ·
Was it leaking? Had mechanical play? Where did you buy your new one?


Sent from my iPhone using E46Fanatics mobile app
It had a fair ammount of play in it, on center it felt like driving an old american land yacht & liked to wander on the highway. I found it off my local classifieds, looks to be a TRW unit but I got it for only $50. I'm going to look into rebuild options for my old one before I get rid of it, wouldn't mind having a spare around just in case.
 
#43,508 ·
It had a fair ammount of play in it, on center it felt like driving an old american land yacht & liked to wander on the highway. I found it off my local classifieds, looks to be a TRW unit but I got it for only $50. I'm going to look into rebuild options for my old one before I get rid of it, wouldn't mind having a spare around just in case.
Everyone I've talked to has said The Rack Doctor is the way to go for remanned/rebuilt steering racks.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
#43,509 · (Edited)
Not quite perfect yet, but I picked up my exhaust tube and actually managed to turn it into something functional. Turned out pretty decent. The right pipe kinked just a little bit, but I'm not worried about it. Needs some hangers and tips and it's ready to be welded up. It's a lot quieter now. Like, a LOT quieter. Still sounds great though. A bit less burbly and a bit more V6-y if that makes sense, and any raspiness it may have had is 100% gone now.

I'm going to paint the new exhaust tubes to at least keep the rust off them for a little while, so question: I have two options on hand, a can if high heat paint, or a can of anti-rust coating. Which one would be better to use for this application?
 

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#43,510 ·
Not quite perfect yet, but I picked up my exhaust tube and actually managed to turn it into something functional. Turned out pretty decent. The right pipe kinked just a little bit, but I'm not worried about it. Needs some hangers and tips and it's ready to be welded up. It's a lot quieter now. Like, a LOT quieter. Still sounds great though. A bit less burbly and a bit more V6-y if that makes sense, and any raspiness it may have had is 100% gone now.

I'm going to paint the new exhaust tubes to at least keep the rust off them for a little while, so question: I have two options on hand, a can if high heat paint, or a can of anti-rust coating. Which one would be better to use for this application?
What did you have before this? Just stock?
 
#43,511 ·
FCABs are done. Meyle replacements went in just fine. Original OE bushing removal was more difficult than YouTube suggested they might be. Installation was straight forward and test drive showed noticeable improvement. Having the car on jack stands allowed an undercarriage inspection, and as a 100k mile Florida car, everything is looking good.
 
#43,512 ·
Finally got around to reupholstering my headliner, total PITA I hope I never have to do again. Hopefully my prep was good enough for it to hold up. Fortunately I only had some minor wrinkles in the corners, can’t tell unless you look above the dash. Otherwise I guess it’s good enough. I also replaced all the pillars.
 

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#43,516 ·
Replaced my headunit after my original one failed the other night out of the blue. Stereo sounds much better now, not having a pixelated display & working power button is nice. Also now I can pick up my local AM sports radio as the US frequencies are slightly different from our up here.
 
#43,517 ·
Did a huge wrenching session on a friend's 325ci with 185k miles. Because of COVID I had to work solo. Jacked up the car at 10am and kept working nonstop:

1. New cooling system - complete (and flushed)
2. New belts and pulleys
3. Removed intake manifold and cleaned
4. Replaced all CCV hoses and the valve
5. Replaced all vacuum lines
6. Repaired the cracked loom on harness wires
7. Replaced OFHG (and sensors)
8. Replaced the oil pan - god I hate that job!
9. New precat o2 sensors
10. New VANOS oil line
11. Cleaned 18 years of foul grime off the reinforcement plate!
12. Oil change
13. Complete PS fluid flush (drained at the pump)
 
#43,518 · (Edited)
I bought a Euro interior from Schmiedmann. It came with the headliner, A pillars, B pillars (lower and upper), C pillars, all of the hard plastic pieces around the bottom of the doors, visors, etc. I had heard that the Euro B pillars aren't as deep as the US versions, meaning I'd need to use both upper and lower from Euro, but it turns out that basically every Euro piece is slightly different than the US equivalent (hint: do not use US C pillars with Euro headliner).
In case anyone was curious about my hint at US C pillars and Euro Headliner, here is the gap that it creates...

Just put the Euro C Pillars in to resolve the problem for now.
 

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#43,520 ·
Replaced my headunit after my original one failed the other night out of the blue. Stereo sounds much better now, not having a pixelated display & working power button is nice. Also now I can pick up my local AM sports radio as the US frequencies are slightly different from our up here.
I did the same for a friend. He got no reception on his business radio, and we spent hours trying to identify the issue with the antenna before I just went into my attic, grabbed a spare radio and plugged it in. Voila! It fixed the issue.

They just wear out.
 
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