[a11y]

Hi all,

Already posted a quick intro in the Newbie thread, but thought it polite introduce myself better before firing off some questions...

For the past 3.5 years I've been driving around in this:


54-plate Z4 3.0i (231ps) manual with Individual bi-tone yellow/black interior. But the wife and I are expecting our first later this year so the Z4 had to go. It was very hard to let it go but a 2-seater would be too much of a luxury given we already have 3 vehicles between us (hers, mine plus our campervan).

So to cheer myself up I bought this last week - 57-plate 330i M Sport manual






It took a bit of searching as my budget was limited and I'm VERY hard to please. I've traced the previous owner and yet to have a decent chat with them, but it appears well looked after: paintwork and general condition are great and they'd already replaced the RFTs with proper tyres.

Only covered a couple of hundred miles so far but loving the car: rides better than my Z4 (unsurprisingly) but just isn't as exciting (again, unsurprisingly). It's just too damn refined and quiet - the engine noise needs unleashed!

I've been (and still am) an active member on www.z4-forum.com but hope to contribute to the forum here too

Cheers,
a11y

[rickyjones1209]

Welcome to the forum.

Both nice motors, there comes a time when we must all compromise for the greater good

[Kerr]

Welcome along.

[wheelie good]

nice car them photos look really good and professional

[willhollin]

Welcome, i've seen that van somewhere before too.

[wheelie good]

Yer it had yer telly in it when you was burgled last month

[dxb335d]

Welcome bud. The E90 looks great. Any plans for her?

[DavS1]

Welcome!

The Z looked good but if it had to go it had to go, congrats on the new arrival to be and on the new car

[a11y]

Thanks for the welcomes. It feels like a barge compared to the Z4 but in a good way: I was genuinely surprised how well it handled my narrow,bumpy, twisty local unclassified roads...

Originally Posted by willhollin

Welcome, i've seen that van somewhere before too.

I get around: I'm registered on a couple of VW forums (Brick-yard, etc) but don't really post at all. Also PH and some MTBing forums.

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Welcome bud. The E90 looks great. Any plans for her?

And I definitely recognise your username from infamous PH threads

Plans:

1/ Possible intake system. I'd removed most of the foam from the Z4's sound generator (tube feeding noise from intake into the cabin), would be nice to have more noise from the 330i under acceleration. Not sure if anything's worth it or not though?

2/ Winter wheels/tyres: essential given my location on top of a hill - THIS PHOTO was winter 2010-11. I've used 16" alloys/tyres on the Z4 the past 3 winters but they obviously won't fit the 330i...

3/ MP3 capability: I've got satnav and from reading online I believe the headunit won't play MP3 discs? They certainly don't work when I've tried. I appear to have CD-changer prep so perhaps an MP3-disc changer or something to control an iPod (from the headunit, not just a simple aux-in lead).

4/ Updated satnav disc: drove into Glasgow at the weekend and the revised Auchenkilns junction and M80 extension weren't there!

[zltm089]

nice!....manual, way to go!!!!...

[A_P]

The AW looks beaut!

[a11y]

I'm happy: insurance renewal for £280

Not bad for a 33 y.o. male, 9yrs NCB, no claims/convictions, wife on insurance (with 3pts plus 1 claim), OK(ish) postcode, 6k miles p.a. (inc 1k business).


zltm089 - manual's the only way to go for me!

Awfully_Polite - cheers! Wasn't what I was looking for but am happy now I have it

[DMH-01]

Welcome mate, you've got some nice motors there.

[a11y]

UPDATE: September 2012 - a big clean and a few mods

* Finally had time to clean my "new" car in more detail to remove years worth of crap baked onto the paintwork
* de-tarred, clayed, polished, glazed and waxed
* I was sad enough that I even scrubbed the arches...
* brake calipers and hubs tidied up - see the "before" pics to see what a disgrace they were
* engine bay cleaned up - forgot the "after" pics though
* registration plate finally transferred over
* front number plate mounting plinth removed
* M3-style bootlid spoiler added


Before:


^ 76k miles and doubt it's seen the slightest bit of cleaning under there...




^ previous owner obviously hadn't heard of detailing clay...


^ nice BMW quality on show there...


^ number plate plinth soon to be removed


After:








^ much happier with the reduction in swirls but still not 100% done - hoping to attend a machine-polish instruction class soon


^ it wasn't until AFTER I'd hosed the inside of the engine bay that I found the driver's side headlight access cover wasn't attached properly - still trying to dry it out




^ big improvement using leftover black hammerite








^ plate mounting plinth removed - much cleaner-looking with the plate stuck directly to the bumper IMO


Still have a list of stuff do to including repaint the black trim around the windows and a bit more time on the interior. Also waiting on a suitable date to attend a machine-polishing master class in Glasgow but the dates haven't suited to date. Now have winter alloys and tyres sitting in the garage awaiting a refurb. And also have a Disklok on the way and the bits to relocate my OBD2 port, but the less said about that the better...

But, 2.5 months and 1.5 tanks of fuel (~450 miles so far ) I'm loving the e90

[shrink]

looks good.. my engine bay was in a similar state when i got my car. The car itself was immaculate and very well looked after, but the previous owner was very much a hands off kinda guy. So the only time the bonnet would have been opened would be by BMW. As such, it was kinda grimy in there.

[-TARBY-]

Welcome!!!!

Nice car... Looks similar spec to mine (appart from the obvious petroleoliolioeum engine)..

[a11y]

Originally Posted by shrink

looks good.. my engine bay was in a similar state when i got my car. The car itself was immaculate and very well looked after, but the previous owner was very much a hands off kinda guy. So the only time the bonnet would have been opened would be by BMW. As such, it was kinda grimy in there.

Yeah I'm not the most involved mechanically either but I do like things to be clean. I know nobody ever sees under the bonnet (and wouldn't care what it looks like anyway), but because I knew it was dirty it had to be cleaned...

Originally Posted by -TARBY-

Welcome!!!!

Nice car... Looks similar spec to mine (appart from the obvious petroleoliolioeum engine)..

You mean you also lack xenons? . TBH I've only recently found the full spec list of my car and still haven't looked into everything yet. had the car since mid-June and only just figured out what the USB slot in the armrest does.

[shrink]

the lack of xenons is the one that gets me every time. I have almost everything else. That said i'd also like power folding mirrors. My next car absolutely will have both!!

[Sailorbaz]

Welcome to the World of E90's Ally, were you quite an active member on Bavarian Board? Whereabouts in Central Scotland are you? I'm from Falkirk myself but now living in Northern Ireland.

[a11y]

Originally Posted by shrink

the lack of xenons is the one that gets me every time. I have almost everything else. That said i'd also like power folding mirrors. My next car absolutely will have both!!

Same here - think most boxes were ticked by the original owner bar xenons! After lacking them on my Z4 I was determined to ensure it's replacement had them, but when I found this e90 everything else ticked the boxes so I had to forego xenons again. The only car I've had with proper xenons was my Clio 8 years ago lol. I fitted an HID kit to the Z4 but not keen to do the same to my e90 due to lack of projector headlights.

Originally Posted by Sailorbaz

Welcome to the World of E90's Ally, were you quite an active member on Bavarian Board? Whereabouts in Central Scotland are you? I'm from Falkirk myself but now living in Northern Ireland.

Cheers. Did you recognise the pylons in the background of my latest photos then? I'm in the Falkirk area and originally from here too but no, I've not used Bavarian Board at all I'm afraid.

[Sailorbaz]

I did recognise the Pylons aye, ;-)

There's an Ally that uses the Bavarian-board a fair bit but to be honest I couldn't remember him having a Z4 so kinda thought it couldn't be him.

Either way, welcome. decent wee Forum this, have to say.

[a11y]

Finally finished off under the bonnet and got some decent pics:
- hosed down with hot water using a garden sprayer
- Flash all-purpose cleaner (on special from Tesco ) with sponge, brush and toothbrush
- rinsed again with hot water
- paintwork AG SRP'd and waxed with Collinite #476
- plastics treated with CG trim restorer stuff

Doubt it'll ever be as clean as that again under there so thought I'd best take some photos

Engine bay before (75k miles covered by previous owner...):








Engine bay after: