Jdesign

Congrats! Looks like an awesome car, I’ve always loved the e91’s!

Bought a Otofix BT1-Lite, same as a Autel MaxiBAS BT506 for 1/2 the price, to help with some charging system issues on other vehicles but I tested everything in the driveway for fun. Failed the first test but I didn't know the rating on the battery and the terminals in the engine bay could use a cleaning. Pulled the trunk cover to find a OEM battery and tested again from there directly. I don't have any records of it being replaced. Its state of charge is still 100% if it is a 570 cca like I think it should be so thats cool but certainly will keep a close eye on its heath. Starter & Alternator passed 
20230210X5BatteryTest.pdf
 

119,390
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?

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!


 

It's been a little while, but I've got some updates...
The oil analysis results on the 135i engine came back, they said everything looked great. Clearly, it did not. Waste of $$$.
I bought a 335i from Florida for $3,500, sight unseen. Plan was to pull the motor from it, and use it in the 135i, then LS swap this cheap 335i. It came with tons of aftermarket parts, but needed some work.
I wanted to get it driving and put it through it's paces so I knew the motor was good. And in doing that, I realized it rips! Transmission doesn't hold the power in 5th or 6th gear, but I was pleasantly impressed up to 130mph+. After giving it a little TLC, it's almost too nice of a car to rip apart lol.
That's if this engine is still good after this beat run...

This is kind of what I figured. Similar to BMW cooling systems, there is some planned obsolescence BS. Once the owner stops subscribing to the maintenance schedule, the car self-destructs. It's a nice scheme that keeps the dealers making back on maintenance what they lost up front on the sale price of the car. Yay capitalism.

Call off the hounds. I bought a boring transportation appliance (absolute base-model 2019 Chevy Spark manual). Currently mourning my car-guy status with some homemade cheese enchiladas and a stiff margarita.

If anyone needs a e34 oil pan, pickup and dipstick tube, let me know. Catch is you have to take the whole car and it's a pile.

I’ve driven a few. The first gen R53 is the only generation you should buy from what I’ve heard and they aren’t perfect either but others are plagued with more problems than they are worth.

Lol. My standards are lower than most I guess. I'm not far from turning up at a dealer and driving away in a Chevy Spark at this point. Just need something to get from A to B that isn't going to bore me to death.

I’m such a slacker and forgot to post this, but Santa got me an awesome print of the Madison lakefront and some awesome stickers, thanks again! Favorite gift of the season!

Mirrors look so damn good on there. 💓

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

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.

ACS mirrors successfully installed, painted, and PPF'd on the ZHP.
These have been on my list of parts I have been searching for for this car for probably 2 years now, finally found a LHD set, as all of the other sets I find are RHD. With my car being a 05, I have the ribbon style cables, so I had to modify them a ton to make them functional. I completely took the motor and harness out of my OEM mirrors and made a bracket so it fit in these. I parrallel park downtown almost daily, so I really did not want to lose the reverse mirror function.
I also recently black PPF'd the door trim, as it was severely faded and buffing did nothing. This has bothered me since I bought the car, and new shadow line trim is like $6000, so this was the best option. It honestly looks better than new, and will withstand all scratches with the nice self healing that PPF has. 
I think the mirrors completely changed the look of the car! This is how the car should have came from the factory. 

THE BEAST HAS LANDED. So awesome that IND had the Karbonious box in stock. Luckily grabbed the last one! 
SO EXCITED FOR ALL THE NOISE!  

They’re my go-to for the e30 too, pretty much the only manufacturer that has 20W-50 that’s easy to find. Didn’t they change to Mobil more recently?
Also: proof of snowmobile pics. I regret my decision somewhat, because as fun as it was to bash snowdrifts to and from and friends place there is a ton of snow in the engine bay at the moment. Guess it’s a tomorrow problem?
 

Reserve not met at 17k, I think that's more than fair given the driver fender being trashed. The seller is going to have a hell of a time trying to get more than that in the current market in my opinion. 

Looks like @straight6pwr’s old car is up for sale!
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1989-bmw-325i-165/?fbclid=IwAR2DXsSEdDoLRlEGWAXA-JBDeWAPgbIN2HfF3dcZFTIWWjd8TjPoTnnO8qk
 

I did drive a customer's manual F10 550i at the dealer once, Concours ordered 1 or 2 M sport F10 535i's as well. That E30 in scranton looks worth the trip to me. Too bad that Dinan Z4 is so beat, seems like a break even venture at that price maybe? E24 M6 is a fair price as well!

Join me on a journey through all of craigslist to find interesting BMW related things. I haven't done a full search in quite some time...
 
Cheap but rusty ZHP with BC coilovers
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/d/des-plaines-bmw-zhp-6speed/7573145559.html

 
Pair of Lotus Elida's for BMW trade (project)
https://limaohio.craigslist.org/for/d/lima-lotus-elite/7575622399.html

 
Minty Bavaria
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/columbus-1970-bmw-2800/7575006827.html

 
Nice E21 Racecar
https://stlouis.craigslist.org/pts/d/saint-louis-1979-bmwcca-323i-track-car/7577159831.html

 
Black on Black X5D 
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d/warrensburg-2012-bmw-x5-xdrive35d-sport/7572545780.html

 
Z3 hardtop $3k
https://poconos.craigslist.org/for/d/bmw-z3-hard-top/7578610800.html

FREEEEEE E30 that looks clean from the one pic posted 
https://scranton.craigslist.org/snw/d/honesdale-free-car-1985-bmw-series/7577426562.html

 
Good deal on an F30 
https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/brooklyn-2013-bmw-328i-loaded-black-on/7577005815.html

 
Super cool M-Sport 318Ti that is RHD but sadly auto
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/d/bensalem-97-bmw-318ti-right-hand-drive/7570108170.html

 
Clean bronzit E28 with terrible rep wheels for $5k
https://scranton.craigslist.org/pts/d/scranton-1986-bmw-525i-speed/7569854973.html

 
Super cheap Z4
https://maine.craigslist.org/pts/d/lewiston-2005-bmw-4/7566804116.html

 
Callaway M30 turbo kit!
https://hartford.craigslist.org/pts/d/east-berlin-bmw-callaway-intercooled/7564119856.html

 
WTF is this. 
https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/pts/d/new-york-custom-pilot-bmw-steering/7578918175.html

 
F30 that needs chains $3500 
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/pts/d/bethesda-2012-bmw-328i/7571428913.html

 
F30 touring that runs rough $5k 
https://mobile.craigslist.org/cto/d/mobile-2014-bmw-328i-awd/7579175120.html

 
Very Nice E24 M6 that would bring much more on BAT
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/atlanta-1988-bmw-m6-e24-rare/7577771251.html

 
E39 540-6 for a fair price
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/d/snellville-2003-bmw-e39-540i-sport/7576718116.html

 
Dinan S1 E39 M5!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/d/canton-2000-bmw-m5-dinan-s1/7575169385.html

 
These got cheap Fast!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/atlanta-2013-bmw-series-528i-auto/7570391553.html

 
Thats unfortunate M8
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/pts/d/hallandale-2020-bmw-m8-parts/7567431218.html

 
Didnt know that these came with a manual
https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/easley-unicorn-manual-6sp-13-bmw-550i/7574741466.html

 
Dinan Z4 that needs help
https://onslow.craigslist.org/cto/d/midway-park-2005-bmw-z4-convertible/7573545305.html

 
Very nice turbo E36 M3
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/cary-turbo-e36-m3-over-500hp-very-well/7571340615.html

 
 

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bar/d/eau-claire-1957-bmw-isetta-microcar/7578710821.html

I 100% didn’t realize that car is out east 😂 dang it

That free e30 for $2k could be a screaming deal...looks like it has euroweaves and a euro front bumper!

Join me on a journey through all of craigslist to find interesting BMW related things. I haven't done a full search in quite some time...
 
Cheap but rusty ZHP with BC coilovers
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/d/des-plaines-bmw-zhp-6speed/7573145559.html

 
Pair of Lotus Elida's for BMW trade (project)
https://limaohio.craigslist.org/for/d/lima-lotus-elite/7575622399.html

 
Minty Bavaria
https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/columbus-1970-bmw-2800/7575006827.html

 
Nice E21 Racecar
https://stlouis.craigslist.org/pts/d/saint-louis-1979-bmwcca-323i-track-car/7577159831.html

 
Black on Black X5D 
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/d/warrensburg-2012-bmw-x5-xdrive35d-sport/7572545780.html

 
Z3 hardtop $3k
https://poconos.craigslist.org/for/d/bmw-z3-hard-top/7578610800.html

FREEEEEE E30 that looks clean from the one pic posted 
https://scranton.craigslist.org/snw/d/honesdale-free-car-1985-bmw-series/7577426562.html

 
Good deal on an F30 
https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/brooklyn-2013-bmw-328i-loaded-black-on/7577005815.html

 
Super cool M-Sport 318Ti that is RHD but sadly auto
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/d/bensalem-97-bmw-318ti-right-hand-drive/7570108170.html

 
Clean bronzit E28 with terrible rep wheels for $5k
https://scranton.craigslist.org/pts/d/scranton-1986-bmw-525i-speed/7569854973.html

 
Super cheap Z4
https://maine.craigslist.org/pts/d/lewiston-2005-bmw-4/7566804116.html

 
Callaway M30 turbo kit!
https://hartford.craigslist.org/pts/d/east-berlin-bmw-callaway-intercooled/7564119856.html

 
WTF is this. 
https://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/pts/d/new-york-custom-pilot-bmw-steering/7578918175.html

 
F30 that needs chains $3500 
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/pts/d/bethesda-2012-bmw-328i/7571428913.html

 
F30 touring that runs rough $5k 
https://mobile.craigslist.org/cto/d/mobile-2014-bmw-328i-awd/7579175120.html

 
Very Nice E24 M6 that would bring much more on BAT
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/atlanta-1988-bmw-m6-e24-rare/7577771251.html

 
E39 540-6 for a fair price
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/cto/d/snellville-2003-bmw-e39-540i-sport/7576718116.html

 
Dinan S1 E39 M5!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/d/canton-2000-bmw-m5-dinan-s1/7575169385.html

 
These got cheap Fast!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/atlanta-2013-bmw-series-528i-auto/7570391553.html

 
Thats unfortunate M8
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/pts/d/hallandale-2020-bmw-m8-parts/7567431218.html

 
Didnt know that these came with a manual
https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/easley-unicorn-manual-6sp-13-bmw-550i/7574741466.html

 
Dinan Z4 that needs help
https://onslow.craigslist.org/cto/d/midway-park-2005-bmw-z4-convertible/7573545305.html

 
Very nice turbo E36 M3
https://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/d/cary-turbo-e36-m3-over-500hp-very-well/7571340615.html