[mr_mason]

Evening all.

thought it about time to show whats going on with my own BMW, if you are wanting to see air ride, splits, crazy interior re-trims and a fire breathing 330i then your, unfortunately, in the wrong place.

i own a humble 2012 318i LCI Sport plus, with 1 previous bmw garage owner and 23k on the clock when i bought it. Although i know its missing 2 cylinders, it makes a perfectly acceptable noise for a 4 pot, and work pay for it, so I'm not complaining. Its going to be staying very OEM+, eventually some 19's and a set of coilovers, but as i drive in and out of london, around building sites, and over 1500miles a month, nothing is going to get done in a rush. Its my first BMW, and even the first car i have owned in 13 years that isn't a VW.

anyways....

pictures following a decent clean.. in case you didn't know what a standard e90 looks like.

[mr_mason]

now for the first of the rather dull mods...

getting rid of the horrid dealer plates....




being involved in the VW scene for years has meant every car i have owned has worn a set of dubmeisters pressed metal plates... the mrs' mk6 GTD has a set, and now the e90 has a set too, probably not to everyones taste, but they work for me.

[mr_mason]

and finally to bring us upto where we are today... the astute of you may of seen it in the last pic above...

due to carrying a lot of site based bits in the boot and constantly having to change boots and grab hi-vaz jackets and other ppe crap, along with how i ruined the top edge of the rear bumper on my last car, thought a RGM plastic bumper guard would be the way to go, and to be honest i was surprised at how well it fitted... doesn't even look too bad in my opinion. no more ruined bumpers.



job done...

couple of things that annoy me though...

the front ride height, what the hell is going on with that? could easily be 30mm lower and match the rear perfectly, I've found some lowering spring 'perches' from the states, anyone in the UK producing them? or are springs / coilovers the only way to go?

also... everytime i pressure the damn wheels, more of the ferric paint comes off obviously trying to tell me i need a set of 19" CSL reps.

[E90325iM-SPORT]

www.supersport.de for lowering perches. Nice car Welcome to Bmw

[pmmcbl]

Very nice car. With the mileage you are doing you don't want the extra 2 cylinders unless you get a diesel. How are you finding the black to keep it clean? I have one and finding hard to keep it clean and shine.

[mr_mason]

Originally Posted by RomanWheelman

www.supersport.de for lowering perches. Nice car Welcome to Bmw

Cheers bud! Will have a look!

Originally Posted by pmmcbl

Very nice car. With the mileage you are doing you don't want the extra 2 cylinders unless you get a diesel. How are you finding the black to keep it clean? I have one and finding hard to keep it clean and shine.

Yea I follow, as much as I would have loved even a 325, my work places restrictions on fuel efficiency and emissions that meant they would only pay for a 318, could of gone for a 320d but couldn't find one in my budget with decent mileage and spec when compared to this.

As for the black, it's a nightmare, by the time I have cleaned the back the front is dirty again. REALLY needs a wet sand and machine polish but with a 10 week old baby, it's not exactly a priority.

[mr_mason]

That reminds me....

Anyone got some black interior trim and fancy some arctic silver?

[russ9898]

Originally Posted by mr_mason

Cheers bud! Will have a look!



Yea I follow, as much as I would have loved even a 325, my work places restrictions on fuel efficiency and emissions that meant they would only pay for a 318, could of gone for a 320d but couldn't find one in my budget with decent mileage and spec when compared to this.

As for the black, it's a nightmare, by the time I have cleaned the back the front is dirty again. REALLY needs a wet sand and machine polish but with a 10 week old baby, it's not exactly a priority.

Lovely looking car mate. Black performance grills would suit it well in my opinion.

My coupe is black, I agree with you whole heartedly about it being a pain to keep clean. Mine badly needs a wet sanding paint correction as well.

[mr_mason]

Originally Posted by russ9898

Lovely looking car mate. Black performance grills would suit it well in my opinion.

My coupe is black, I agree with you whole heartedly about it being a pain to keep clean. Mine badly needs a wet sanding paint correction as well.

Cheers mate... Does the job!

Funnily enough black grills are on the list for the next few bits I'll be ordering.

[Aragorn30d]

Pressed plates look good, fitted them to my own car a few months back.