m42b32 Posted March 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2019 On 3/4/2019 at 7:15 PM, 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: SteelBlue, straight6pwr, Jdesign and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdesign Posted March 6, 2019 Report Share Posted March 6, 2019 Thats a pretty epic pic! m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted March 7, 2019 Report Share Posted March 7, 2019 Yes! That’s wallpaper worthy Jdesign and m42b32 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted April 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 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. Jdesign, gilber33, patsbimmer1 and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 In my quest for maximum practicality I added a trailer hitch over the weekend. I went with a Curt 11771 1.25" class 1 hitch receiver. It basically bolts right up and only some slight trimming of one of the underbody panels is required which is nice. Apparently you don't need to remove the bumper cover to do this, but the person writing the instructions either had tiny hands or some magic combination of extensions... My main reason for this is to switch from my roof bike rack to a hitch mounted bike rack, but the ability to also use a cargo tray and pull small trailers (if I add some trailer light wiring) will be really useful. It may not be the prettiest addition, but it honestly doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought it would. Rekpoint and B C 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 As long as it doesn't look rusty it looks fine to me! m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Nice! I've never been able to install a BMW hitch that didn't require removing the bumper. Mighty mouse must have written the instructions. m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 Fits great, well worth the practicality for sure. Any big road trips planned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straight6pwr Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 super functional upgrade! for the roof rack t-slot: in the world of fishing kayaks, t-slot rails have become quite popular. there are probably several iterations of the 't-bolt' but this is what you can find: https://www.austinkayak.com/YakAttack-MightyBolt-2-in-6-pack/ACK22651P.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping: ACK PLA&adpos=1o16&scid=scplp22651_19781_1&sc_intid=22651_19781_1&gclid=CjwKCAjwqfDlBRBDEiwAigXUaJOzMl8AidnLOQ3GWIQkfWsRHxSZ8j33yopAPHvvcl9jLOIlGAsPrBoCC3sQAvD_BwE they fit the t-slot on my e34 roof rails perfectly. search 't-bolt' or 't-slot bolt' on amazon, ebay, etc. m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted April 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 11 hours ago, YoungCR said: Fits great, well worth the practicality for sure. Any big road trips planned? Not at the moment, might be taking it out to the east coast in November but that's the only one on my radar for now! 10 hours ago, straight6pwr said: super functional upgrade! for the roof rack t-slot: in the world of fishing kayaks, t-slot rails have become quite popular. there are probably several iterations of the 't-bolt' but this is what you can find: https://www.austinkayak.com/YakAttack-MightyBolt-2-in-6-pack/ACK22651P.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping: ACK PLA&adpos=1o16&scid=scplp22651_19781_1&sc_intid=22651_19781_1&gclid=CjwKCAjwqfDlBRBDEiwAigXUaJOzMl8AidnLOQ3GWIQkfWsRHxSZ8j33yopAPHvvcl9jLOIlGAsPrBoCC3sQAvD_BwE they fit the t-slot on my e34 roof rails perfectly. search 't-bolt' or 't-slot bolt' on amazon, ebay, etc. Thanks for the info! I had tried to do some looking and didn't come up with much. I ended up cobbling together some random bits from the hardware store a few weeks ago, but I'm not loving how it came out. At best it will hold me over until I have the funds to buy the hitch adapter bit for my rack. A better solution would be fantastic for when I have other things to mount up there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rampelsauce Posted April 22, 2019 Report Share Posted April 22, 2019 2 hours ago, m42b32 said: I ended up cobbling Didn't realize you knew how to fix shoes. Does that make you related to Micheal Schumacher? Jdesign 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdesign Posted April 26, 2019 Report Share Posted April 26, 2019 patsbimmer1 and m42b32 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 86.6K Changed the oil with some fancy pants rebranded castrol BMW 5w30 LL01 stuff. If someone came up with a kit that added an actual dipstick to an n52 I would buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted May 28, 2019 Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 I know the pain... Never mind the price tag... https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWorld-E8X-E9X-Race-Oil-Pan-Assembly.html They make an S65 oil pan with dipstick retrofit for $1500 that's almost worth it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KaiserRolls Posted May 28, 2019 Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 1 hour ago, patsbimmer1 said: I know the pain... Never mind the price tag... https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWorld-E8X-E9X-Race-Oil-Pan-Assembly.html They make an S65 oil pan with dipstick retrofit for $1500 that's almost worth it for me. Lolololol, buy your own dipsticks m42b32 and P_Roloff 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted May 28, 2019 Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 6 minutes ago, KaiserRolls said: Lolololol, buy your own dipsticks You're expectations are way to high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 1 hour ago, patsbimmer1 said: I know the pain... Never mind the price tag... https://www.bimmerworld.com/BimmerWorld-E8X-E9X-Race-Oil-Pan-Assembly.html They make an S65 oil pan with dipstick retrofit for $1500 that's almost worth it for me. Ugh, I figured there was something out there, and I can't say I'm surprised that it's a $2k bimmerworld race part... patsbimmer1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted May 28, 2019 Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 3 hours ago, m42b32 said: If someone came up with a kit that added an actual dipstick to an n52 I would buy it. Just now, m42b32 said: Ugh, I figured there was something out there, and I can't say I'm surprised that it's a $2k bimmerworld race part... So when's the order getting placed? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted May 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2019 Just now, patsbimmer1 said: So when's the order getting placed? lol If I find an extra 2 grand laying around that I didn't know I had and have no other use for I'll let you know haha patsbimmer1 and KaiserRolls 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted September 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2019 90.8k After having a replacement upper windshield trim piece sitting in my garage for at least a year, I finally got around to installing it. The old trim piece was pretty much toast... Getting the old one out was a bit of a pain as it came out a lot of tiny pieces. The trim hooks onto the windshield from the top and is held down on the roof by some strong adhesive, so getting the groove and mating surfaces clean is pretty important. Ready for the new trim: When installing the new piece I found that once you have each end hooked in place, you can work the rest of it into the groove by rocking the top of a dead blow hammer along the front edge of the trim (pressing towards the back of the car). This method got it sitting nice and flat. Last step is to remove the red adhesive backing to stick it to the roof. It looks way better now jc43089, Jdesign and REKIII 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoungCR Posted September 30, 2019 Report Share Posted September 30, 2019 Nice work! The sun of the south sure isn't kind to rubber seals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m42b32 Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 91.2k Well, something was bound to happen eventually. I got home from work this past Wednesday and noticed a rattling sound coming from the engine at idle. Its an inconsistent/irregular knocking sound and seems to disappear as the RPM's rise. It also seems to get worse as the engine heats up. It sounds very similar to the 'marbles in a can' noise my e36 made before the vanos rebuild. The car also sounds like a diesel at idle, but seems to smooth out if you rev it past 2k rpm. I drove it to work on Thursday and the Service Engine Soon light came on. After work I parked the car as I had to leave town for the weekend. On Sunday I got some time to start looking into the problem. Pulled codes with my OBD2 scanner and got one, P054B (Exhaust camshaft overly retarded - cold start). I removed all the cowl covers and other plastic crap covering basically everything so I could poke around. I've read that the vanos solenoids can cause issues so I pulled and cleaned them both, and swapped them between left and right to see if any codes or issues followed. Nothing new popped up but I didn't really drive the car, just let it idle and a few revs to actuate the vanos. No change to the noise at all. I also listened around with a stethoscope and determined that all coil packs and injectors are firing as normal, PS pump and alternator are running quiet, idler pulleys are quiet. The timing chain tensioner seems to be transmitting a lot of the noise so I am fairly certain it is an issue with either the vanos or timing chain. Because the sound doesn't get worse when the engine is revved, it leads me to believe it is an issue with the vanos. It turns out that quite a few cars made from 2010-2012 are the subject of a recall for some bolts on the vanos actuators coming loose or snapping. I called BMW of Milwaukee North and they confirmed that my car doesn't fall under this recall, however it does fall under an 'extended warranty' for this specific issue and that it is still in effect for my car for another 6 months: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/SB-10045283-5967.pdf https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/SB-10057335-7958.pdf They have to do a diagnostic on the car and if it is indeed the vanos bolt issue, the repair will be completely covered. If not, I'll be learning a lot more about the N52... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekpoint Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Damn retarded camshafts m42b32 and B C 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straight6pwr Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 1 hour ago, m42b32 said: Well, something was bound to happen eventually. m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsbimmer1 Posted October 15, 2019 Report Share Posted October 15, 2019 Extended warranty you say... I hear "redline every gear until the bolt let's loose and get a new engine". m42b32 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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