[old grey steve]

Its back



haven't seen car for some time so this was the first time I'd seen the carbon side step thingy's the refurb'd wheels the badges and new number plate and the air ride.

First impression was god when the car was parked up its sure lowreally low. It might get everyones attention but the first thought we had was car, carbon fibre freshly valeted paint work(impending show on Sunday)and one big mother of a ramp that doesn't take prisioners.

So after greetings, coffee and Josh being blown away by the barge we have lent him we went and we got on with it so here we go.. The ramp. Looks simple but opted not to take any chances



It took 3 of us outside and the pilot to ensure it arrived on the ramp safely




and it was a case of crawling on the wood we'd place under the ramp then on the ramp plates to arrive on the ramp itself. One of us was central on on each side watching skirts etc and slowly it found its way to its new home......Once parked up we all breathed a sigh of relief

We opted to get the car as high as possible and off the ramp itself just to be extra safe and th first surprise was a lack of suitable jacking blocks 2 missing 2 damaged(so had to improvise)which comes natrually








You get the picture the car going no where and god forbid if something on the trick suspension kicked in at least the whole cars fully suspended and therefore is 100% safe as its a unknwon to all of us, though very impressive.

Josh called me to quickly say please don't use any wing covers due to the nano coating applied fortunatly I know a little about nano coatings and curing, so none went on the only issue I have here is of course it leaves paint work open to the very things these protectors are designed to protect. But Josh's wish is my command

We opted to kick off with the near side, no real reason but Alan always seems to work that way so off with the wheel and off with the std 335 front brakes.

Sadly due to what I'm paid for and due to the fact that we are seriously busy as always eleements of this little piece were missed (so sorry)but where I could I popped over and managed to have a peak and snap a picture or two

So the front brakes.. caught this one after the dis was mounted




managed to have a peak at the front suspension too




very impressive layout seemed to of done a decent install job too with pipework neatly routed to suit. Got a single no wheel shot showing the calliper



but back on





A bit out of sequence becuase we opted to do the near sie rear next (but I'll return to this later)

Here's the off side front as it arrived



and as it is now



this all went according to plan space is tight withthe callipers and the front wheels we took our time ensuring everything cleared and it is tight make no mistake about it braided lines(though not the full front to back set up)were installed and routed correctly so on lock to lock there's no snagging or risk of chaffing(as we've seen before and we'll see again) wheel bolts etc undone and re done all by hand too

Now the sad news........ as with anything new or untried where there's an unknown you'll sadly hit a buffer or two when you mix'n'match components and on the rear we knew and it had been discussed that we'd may encouter an issue but until the back plate was altered to suit and the disc mounted in the rightful place and the wheel offerd up we didn't know where we stood.

So after looking and visually seeing if the back plate could be manipulated



my tech Alan had concluded that shaving a little of the back plate would allow us to offer the mighty 380mm rear disc to its new resting place to see if everything would be OK. We've seen back plates 100% removed but that's not the way as they have a function.....So away he went taking his time and again this is where I lost the opportunity to see what was going on



Sadly for the next 2 plus hours I'd not been able to see what was going on but the news came back that all was not well

It was explained to me (later over the phone to Josh) what the situation was

So here's the calliper



and I've shadded out the non effected area leaving the effected area for you all to see



where the extra bulk of the calliper actually lies is casuing this to foul the inside of the rear wheel simply mounting the wheel I was told there was an immediate issue where the "wheel appeard to kick out slightly" if you carefully roated the wheel I was told there was fouling clearly present the gap was less than waffer thin in this case, Josh was told wheel was immeduatly returned. Due to the aggressive stance the issue we faced couldn't at this time be averted. You you look at the sheer size of the calliper(and they are beautifully constructed)then you can see the issue




Supplying spacers would solve one issue for sure thus bringing the rear wheel away from the calliper but then we then face another issue, namely this



pushing the wheel out will have tyre/wheel hitting bodywork. Simple as and we cannot/will not take that chance I'm afriad so after some head scratching pause for throught(where Josh was texting me to get an insight)my boss spoke to Josh explained the situation and toget the car back on track the OEM set up returned to the car.

Such a shame as all we wanted see the brakes on the car and and functioning. But sadly from time to time these things happen but there's a solution sure but sadly not today. I've an idea where this one will go as does Josh.. its such a shame as little things when they don't quite work to plan really do mess yer day up and sadly unplanned as it was this was one of them. But there's a plan I've a thought on it I suspect Josh has the same thought!

But onwards


Gearbox fluid change next get the car high in the air and do the usual stuff that we do and we discoverd this




an oil leak. Not gearbox but engine(which will require some time investigating-but totally unexpected). Time permitting I'd like to look at this tomorrow morining but this job is time frame driven as Josh is collecting tomorrow for the show on Sunday but as we had the car on a lower level for brakes it wasn't possible until later t get it high enough to view. But its there for sure.

But on a positive note Josh's sump wasn't sweating hardly any fluid so I was told though the fluid that came out smelt



and was dirty



This siall done completed car was run up zero issues re the trans side of things and tomorrow morning before we open I suspect as we've been delayed by the rears the coolant will be done the car test driven(as we've not been able to test drive the car at this stage)then it'll be collected for Josh to attent his show.

Been a painful one this no ones fault superbly crafted components sometimes don't initally gel together and sadly this is one of those situations.

[SiKkBaSs]

Those SSL's spoil the car

[Ess]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear this, Josh must have been very disappointed
Nevertheless great write up and pics Steve. The brakes are stunning, still looking forward to seeing them on when you guys crack this

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by Ess

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear this, Josh must have been very disappointed
Nevertheless great write up and pics Steve. The brakes are stunning, still looking forward to seeing them on when you guys crack this

We all are/were to be honest Seb, its really frustrating for all as our aim was to have everything fitted but after test fitting and all the other things that went on it wasn't to be I'm afraid.

But on the positive there's always a solution to these things but it will require some extra fettling

[gangzoom]

Good to read about a garage been so honest/careful with fitting non-OEM stuff. I've recently 'wasted' about £1k in sourcing an aftermarket oil cooler only to find the fitting just wasn't good enough for day to day use.

The local garage I always use was also very keen to try to sort things and almost apologetic they couldn't work out a solution, but I can tell from a owners perspective I have no problems with the garage/mechanic telling me this kind of news, as I always accept any mods I buy for the car can cause problems/run risk of not fitting. Personally I rather a garage is open and honest when it's clear the aftermarket item it's going to cause problems, rather than trying to bodge a solution and cause more problems later on

I must find time to bring my 335 down to you guys for the walnut blasting and oil catch can fitting

[old grey steve]

On the oil leak front the oil appears to be from a "previous encounter past tense in other words" we had a quick look and there doesn't appear to be anything untoward when looking around but ideally we'd like to spend more time having a good nose around to be 100% sure but time is pressing as ever and with Josh off to a show tomorrow and with our work shop busy as ever at the moment with waiting customers its simply on a time frame basis not possible but I'd ideally like to have a detailed look.

The oil residue has been wiped off the outer under tray and I'd like to really have the car back for a second look to see if anything re appears after doing a few miles to see.

But on gangzoom's point non OEM can play up from time to time sad that its taken place here and now but I'm sure there's a solution, but with Josh's rear wheel set up and the oh so tight gaps there's no real room for error as it stands at the moment I'm afraid

[jimborae]

I love seeing these threads, shows the care & attention to detail you guys take Steve. One day my car will get down there.

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by jimborae

I love seeing these threads, shows the care & attention to detail you guys take Steve. One day my car will get down there.

ths is a lot appreciate your comments...

Josh same up and collected today, fully understood what the situation was spoke to the guys and TBH took it with good grace, obviously disappointing not to have the full only done but it is what it is.

The kit does fit the car it's the setup Josh has with the wheels etc. that us the hurdle the fact that the callipers being made as they are are so much thicker than stock means they contact the inner wheel when it's turning plus the wheel itself(so I was told looks like it won't 100% seat on the hub as required)means the finished result as delivered wasn't possible.

But there's always a way which we both talked about today but which ever way you looked it its mighty frustrating as it would of been great to see the resrs on the car as well.

The boys were in after 7 done Josh's coolant change for him(long before we open) had the car running to check for leaks, when I arrived at 7.40 as 2 of them were on it most of the leg work was done so again missed the action.

But the gearbox adaptations we're re set for Josh before he left and he took the car for a drive before he left to see how it felt and it was smoother.

The car had my tech Alan on it for nigh on the whole of yesterday but it was interesting.

The oil leak spotted does appear to be at first aquenance old but with the extra power/boost Josh is running with his JB4 insuspect the breather system may have issues.

Recommended a catch can and a Rob Beck PCV valve for future reference also when talking about leaks Josh stated that BMW had the car in before re oil leaks etc. but advised monitoring(we cleaned the underside)so we can have another look later on to see if the issue may well be there still but the stuff we cleaned off wasn't or didn't appear fresh.

Then he was off to fit new posh light(again) and a whopper if an intercooler

[ethanjoon]

My God...beautiful. I love the way the center caps match the brakes' color. Subtle yet powerful

[NJ 1161]

I've had two sets of these brakes and no issues what so ever with fitment. I've had 380mm all round on a 335d and 405mm/ 380mm on my current m3. What do you think the issue is?

Just to point out one thing you mentioned was cutting the brake dust cover and made it appear a big deal, but surely this is a no brainier and is fairly obvious if fitting a disc bigger then the oem shield would need modding, so should be considered if upgrading to a big brake kit?

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by NJ 1161

I've had two sets of these brakes and no issues what so ever with fitment. I've had 380mm all round on a 335d and 405mm/ 380mm on my current m3. What do you think the issue is?

Just to point out one thing you mentioned was cutting the brake dust cover and made it appear a big deal, but surely this is a no brainier and is fairly obvious if fitting a disc bigger then the oem shield would need modding, so should be considered if upgrading to a big brake kit?

Nick, brakes mount up fine as you can see from one of my pictures there's absoultly no problem there, but due to Josh's unique wheels and sheer lack of options re wheel/arch space they can't work as they stand and therefore something has to give.

If Josh's rear wheels been the same or similar offset as the fronts the car would now be rolling in new brakes all round the wheels as they stand are the stumbling block and I can fully understand Josh's wish not to give up the stance/offset he set out to achieve so the drawing board may be getting a lot of visits I'd imagine over the next few days to find an stern stove solution, be it arch flaring/rolling etc but the issue here is you're limited by what you can actually achieve.

Re the back plate we didn't know whether to bend back or use the preferred option of a cut as you can see from the picture a cut was the preferred option simpler in allowing us to get somewhere the backplates are ther for a reason and TBH we aren't keen on cutting these sort of things but at the same time we don't get people through our door looking to do BBK conversions so it's not Virgin terrorty to us but it's not an everyday thing either if you follow me, but no it wasn't a big deal at all.

[Josh1a1h]

I have had such a busy weekend getting ready for shows, finalising new lights etc... that i haven't responded here.

So firstly, big thanks to Steve and A1 for accommodating me when i was desperate.

A massive disappointment and shame that the rear bbk didn't go on. Steve and the master mechanic Allan showed me the exact problem.

I guess the only way around it is to buy a new kit which is the exact same size as the stock rear brakes... which kind of defeats the purpose of getting a rear BBK....

So i have a brand new rear PB BBK which is going to be on sale from now. If you want it for a gd price and then you can buy a front BBK directly from PB... Save yourself a bit of wong whilst you are at it, then this is for you!


I will say this. A1 are not the cheapest garage out there by any means.
BUT my biggest worry is always bringing my car to a garage and leaving it in someone elses hands. They tend to scratch the paint work, damage bits and pieces and dirty up the inside of my car.

With A1 i NEVER have to worry or stress about these things and that is the premium you pay for and it is well worth it!!!!

Thanks again to everyone at A1!!!

I'll be back soon for a check and a few other bits

Josh

[old grey steve]

Originally Posted by Josh1a1h

I have had such a busy weekend getting ready for shows, finalising new lights etc... that i haven't responded here.

So firstly, big thanks to Steve and A1 for accommodating me when i was desperate.

A massive disappointment and shame that the rear bbk didn't go on. Steve and the master mechanic Allan showed me the exact problem.

I guess the only way around it is to buy a new kit which is the exact same size as the stock rear brakes... which kind of defeats the purpose of getting a rear BBK....

So i have a brand new rear PB BBK which is going to be on sale from now. If you want it for a gd price and then you can buy a front BBK directly from PB... Save yourself a bit of wong whilst you are at it, then this is for you!


I will say this. A1 are not the cheapest garage out there by any means.
BUT my biggest worry is always bringing my car to a garage and leaving it in someone elses hands. They tend to scratch the paint work, damage bits and pieces and dirty up the inside of my car.

With A1 i NEVER have to worry or stress about these things and that is the premium you pay for and it is well worth it!!!!

Thanks again to everyone at A1!!!

I'll be back soon for a check and a few other bits

Josh

You're right regarding two points

1/ we are not the cheapest... it is something that is out of my control, though I do have a say but as stated on a PMthings changed slightly as you know.. and I'll leave it at that. But no we are not the cheapest.

2/ we'd all everything in our powers to protect any customers car despite not using any wing covers at Josh's request there's no marks on it and our workshop isn't the cleanest environment but we knew what we were dealing with.

As for the other kind words no worries As for future work bring it on