[Mr. Hankey]

Mr. Hankey's 'Daily Driver' BG M2 Journal

Table of Contents:
1. Order and Delivery Timeline
2. Rear brake clips, Sto-N-Sho plate, BMS Clutch stop
3. Wheels - Apex VS-5RS for Summer, 930M 9.5" Square setup for Winter Tires
4. Black M2 Trunk Emblem Install
5. BMS Clutch Stop
6. Mirror Power Tap for V1G2 Radar Detector Install
7. Zunsport Oil Cooler Guard Install
8. IND Painted front Center Section and Radiator Mesh Install
9. canDO+ Install - Automatic modes with Sports Displays and other Macros


NOTE: Please feel free to comment, ask questions, or to just say 'Hi.' Also I'm always open to any suggestions for parts or things to do with or to the car, I love tinkering with them...post here, PM me, all cool. My nickname is Hank hence I took on the Mr. Hankey theme I think around 1997 when that Southpark character was introduced and my friends have had a field day ever since, as you can see I've embraced it. Otherwise I don't consider myself a fecophiliac!



Hi All, starting this thread to document my daily driver “build.” That is in quotes because I don’t have any exciting or unique plans involved for the car, but will be making a lot of small changes to make it my own. This will be the 4th BMW I've owned and the plan is for a daily driver that will get used year-round. I live in New England so it will see winter driving and some snow, but have a SUV with 4WD for very snowy days.

With that said I ordered an M2 in Brooklyn Grey. I've loved the color ever since I've seen it a few years ago on an X3 (although since then I think BMW has over-used it on everything). Regardless, BG with black contrasting parts still looks great to me and I love it, but I get the color selection is a bit narrow until that Mexico plant is fully shaken down and geared up. Being a daily I also don't want a "look at me" color and BG will be easy to keep clean (or more likely go a month or more between washes and still look OK).

Why the M2? Simple—Manual built by BMW with an S58! I don't care about the .2 s or whatever the slushbox gives, I don't care about a couple hundred pounds here or there, I don't care about 20 HP more here or there. The conscious and subconscious engagement with a manual car is just an experience I miss when I don’t have it. This car is for me and my enjoyment. Not trying to impress others. Not racing anyone (but it will likely see track days). My last BMW was a manual F80 M3 and this is basically the same size, but better engine IMO. People talk about how heavy and big this M2 is, but no more different than the F80 I drove for 8 years so I expect a similar experience. Having driven the G82 on track, I know this platform handles better than the F8X platform, so I'm excited for that. I was able to test drive a used M2 manual my dealership had with 4K miles on the odometer. Showed up, they gave me the key, put on a plate and said "have fun," and well here I am. This will be a very peppy daily driver with a manual as its primary use. Sign me up.

If the M2 wasn't offered in a manual then I likely would have gotten an Audi RS3 for AWD and something different. In fact I was on a waitlist for the M2 and on a waitlist for the RS3 and BMW won that race by a long shot…once my allocation was accepted by BMW I cancelled my RS3 order the following day (Audi is really delayed by their child labor issues). I'm a BMW guy at heart. Plus my BMW dealer is great, and my local Audi dealer is the worst dealership I've ever experienced in my life in both sales and service. The older---errr more wise--I get the more I appreciate a straightforward dealer who does what they say they are going to do, doesn't play games, and I'm frankly happy to go visit. That actually makes it worth it to me sticking with a brand. They are a center of excellence for a reason.

With that here is my build, nothing exciting here:
- Brooklyn Grey
- Black interior w/Blue contrast stitching - this is a daily driver, wanted easier in and out and easy to take care of
- Lighting Package - I will code adaptive lights in - loved them on my F80, especially on backroads at night
- Shadowline Package - love the black accents against BG
- Carbon fiber Trim- BMWs interior carbon fiber is the best I’ve ever seen, had to go with this
- Heated Steering Wheel - In a cold climate once you have one, you will miss it, $200 easy yes
- Heads-Up Display - I will never want a car without HUD after my F80, this is a must for me
- M-Carbon Roof - I like sunroofs but love the contrast of the CF roof better. Has nothing to do with center of gravity or weight, it’s all for looks.
- Wireless Device Charging - With wireless CarPlay I am not going to have a magnetic phone holder and clutter things up in an otherwise tight-ish compartment. We have this in our X5 and while it warms the phone up, it will charge the phone for sure, so for $200 would rather have an integrated option for “emergencies” but will have plugged in cord as well for longer trips.
- MP-HAS suspension - Must have for me, I love the sporty look. The F80 performed better with it than the stock suspension, I don’t mind a stiffer ride here and covered by warranty, and well much less wheel gap

[Mr. Hankey]

Ordering Timeline

11/20/23 - Added to Dealer M2 Wait List List, #7 in Line (no deposit required)
1/22/24 - Texted by CA that allocation available
1/30/24 - 111: Allocation received w/ prod #, no build week given
2/5/24 - 112: Scheduled for production
2/19/24 - 150: Production Begins
3/2/24 - 151, 152, 153, 155: These quickly progressed over 2 days
3/4/24 - 160: Production complete, Ready for Transport (2 weeks from build Start)
3/27/24 - 195: In transit (just over 3 weeks waiting for a boat)
4/6/24 - 196: At the Port of NJ (10 days on Glovis Crystal)
4/30/24 - 195: In transit released to trucking company (3.5 weeks at the port of NJ. I had MP-HAS installed, likely reason for the delay)
5/2/24 - 198: Arrived at Dealer

Total time just over 3 months from allocation received to car arrived at the dealer. Biggest delays were waiting for a ship from Mexico to the NJ VPC, and then 3.5 weeks at the VPC waiting on getting MP-HAS installed. I can see the time being almost a month shorter if your car gets to port and doesn’t have much wait for a boat and if you aren’t adding any port-installed options. Not sure if there was a parts backorder or if we are all ordering the MP-HAS and there is a bit of a line. Still worth the wait on the MP-HAS install from a price and warranty perspective IMO.

[Mr. Hankey]

Early Nesting

For anyone not in the know I typically order BMW parts like these from one of the 3 major dealers on here that sell parts. You can frequently save quite a bit of money by using them compared to other sources for these parts. *wink* wink* Thank you guys for being here! *nudge* *nudge*

Here are some parts I have ordered to have available as soon as the car arrives.

Rear M-performance Brake Caliper Clips


Black BMW Rear Brake Clips (BMW Part #34-20-6-881-294). Why BMW got rid of these is a complete mystery to me as they really complete the look of the car. They make these in red as well but I prefer the black for the contrast.


Black Rear M2 Badge


Black M2 Badge for Rear Trunk (BMW Part #51-14-5-A76-513). Like I mention above, I love contrast and nothing looks better against Brooklyn Grey than black. Must do for me.


Sto-N-Sho License Plate Frame




Had one of these on my F80. I live in a "not really enforced" front plate state so these are perfect. On the F80 it was held on by 3M double sided automotive tape and an optional screw. This one will be the same 3M double-sided tape but also is now measured to use the central 2 bumper cover screws so no drilling required. You can see the mechanism that clips it in place where you can take the plate off. This will put the plate centrally over lower middle black section. I think of it as radiator protection as well . I don't want the factory screwed on license plate frame and I just don't like the asymmetric look of a tow hook mounted plate. LIKELY WILL NOT WORK WITH A LOWER LIP. I won't have a lip because I will scrape in my work parking garage likely just with the MP-HAS and they refuse to do anything about it.


Burger Motorsports Clutch Stop ("BMS")


Used one of these in each of my F80s. Must have for adjusting clutch throw stopping point to get engagement sooner. The stop point is adjustable by the number of washers. There is a white plastic clutch stop you remove and this pops in its place. I read somewhere that the diameter of the BMW clutch stop hole is either bigger or smaller so I will adjust the install accordingly once I get the car.

[Mr. Hankey]

Wheels

930M - Winter Wheels


I will be using the Stock 930M rims for my winter wheels which is what I did with my F80 M3. With the F80 I used the stock 9.5” front and 10.5” rear staggered rims (both front and rear were 19s) on a square set of 275 width winter tires which I rotated tires relative to rims every 2 seasons.

For this car I bought two 930M front rim takeoffs from another member in the marketplace so I can run a square winter setup on the the 9.5" rims using 275/35 r19 Nokian R5s. I will hold onto my rear 10.5" 930Ms just so I have a "stock set" when I eventually sell or trade this car. We don't like them now because they are heavy, but they might be difficult to find in a few years. Buy them now while plentiful and cheap .

Summer Wheels - Apex VS-5RS


I spent a lot of time looking at rim and tire sizes. The main issue obviously is the weight of the stock cast 930Ms. Secondary is adding a bit of wheel width. Third I want to avoid spacers. I looked at all OEM BMW rims but they have complicated designs that will be difficult to clean with the dusting on these cars. They would also require spacers.

Fortunately for us, there are plenty of affordable lightweight forged wheels out there now, and I don’t want to be daily driving a set of $10K rims worrying about them (Had FI-Rs on my F80). The 5-Y design was easy to keep clean.

I extensively researched Apex, Richland Forged, and VT Forged, among others. I’m an OEM+ person and want to use stock BMW center caps because I like that splash of color on the wheel (to the point I even made my own BMW roundels for my the FI-Rs). All fantastic options but ended up with Apex as I don’t want to spend $1600 on new tires right now, will stick with the 19-20” diameter stagger and not have to worry about fitment or rubbing. Their offsets look great, warranty is great, wheel is strong and light and they are track proven. If I decide to change wheel sizes later on and go to a square setup it they should be easy to pass on to someone else. Well, their Spring Sale helped also. Received the rims and they are fabulous, and very light compared to the 2 front 930Ms I have here. I’m very happy with them.

[Mr. Hankey]

I Spy

At the dealership:

Man its wide...



Unfortunately work is nuts for the next couple of weeks so will be a while before I can pick it up.

[IamJoe]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

Wheels

Summer Wheels - Apex VS-5RS

Thanks for sharing! I am looking at the same wheel for my build, which offset did you go with?

Thanks

[BroDoze]

That is a beautiful wheel.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by IamJoe

Thanks for sharing! I am looking at the same wheel for my build, which offset did you go with?

Thanks

Fronts: 19x10" ET12
Rear: 20x11" ET18

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Congratulations man & I like the commentary behind the decision to buy this. I agree BG is a great color & the GXX platform handles better then the FXX did or ever could. The S58 lust is real. LOL Have fun with it & I hope you can take a small break to pick the car up soon... !

[IamJoe]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

Fronts: 19x10" ET12
Rear: 20x11" ET18

Thanks, I am hoping my car is delivered by July/Aug. Hoping for another sale.

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by IamJoe

Thanks, I am hoping my car is delivered by July/Aug. Hoping for another sale.

I think Black Friday is their next one. I didn't expect the Apex spring sale and it popped up while I was in the midst of researching rims and was the straw that eventually made me pull the trigger on Apex over Richland Forged.

I was torn between Apex and Richland Forged. Richland Forged has much better color choices and will custom paint the rims for you for no or little fee, and you can use the BMW roundels on those as well. Price is pretty equivalent to Apex with the forum discount they offer (you have to PM them to get it). Richland Forged offsets also seem a bit pokey to me in the rear compared to Apex, and I value the paint on the side of my car.

I really liked VT Forged and would have gone with them if the BMW center caps would fit--I'm superficial like that --I want nothing about this car to stand out, just how I am. Purposeful looking but not look at me as the purpose. Perhaps I'd be able to find some older smaller roundels and make my own again like I did for my FI-Rs, but just don't have the time right now. They are the most expensive of the 3 (not by much though, not a deal breaker), are beautiful, also have a great custom color palette, and appear to be completely customizable. The VT Forged website isn't particularly user friendly trying to find sizes and offsets they offer (maybe its a Safari Browser issue but you can't find sizes or offsets on their site, just checked again). It seems you have to go through Andy and custom order as it seems they can and will customize almost anything on the wheel for you, which is special that they will do that but I don't have a special user case. It also seems they don't make a 10" wide 19 inch rim for the front, and you need 10" to really support a 275 section width tire, seems silly but that was also a major blow for them.

In the end I was able to get the Apex wheels on sale, know they will fit, they look great and are high quality. Lighter wheels make the car drive and feel better, so switching the stock rims out is a must for me, and I'm breaking the bank a bit getting this car, so with the 19/20 Apexes I don't need to buy new tires and I can still afford really light rims and have them on day 1 (my dealer is going to deliver the car to me on the Apex wheels). I also know their offsets mean that I won't need spacers and their tire poke is safe enough to protect the side of the car and rear hips from tossed rocks. Bonus was with the sale they were the cheapest. They have also been around for a number of years and if I bend one in 5 years, it is likely they will still make this style of rim and getting a replacement should be easy.

The major drawback of Apex in my opinion is they only offer limited colors and will not custom paint rims. I personally would shy away from satin finishes with BMW brake dust, so couldn't go satin black...they will only look good once cleaned for about 1 hour then be coated in BMW rotor rust from the wash and then brake dust from driving. I don't love the anthracite color against BG but it isn't bad either, and silver for me doesn't work with BG.

Lots of words but that is what I considered when researching rims. Titan7 are also great rims, I just think their spokes are too narrow. And I'd love some BBS or HREs but not at today's prices and this car isn't going to be a princess, its to use.

[Mr. Hankey]

This was waiting in the driveway when I got home from work today, delivered by my CA! I will say that photos absolutely do not do these cars justice, at all. I've seen it written all over this board, but it is true.

[ScottyRyan2019]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

This was waiting in the driveway when I got home from work today, delivered by my CA! First I need better settings to resample my images because these are fuzzy (1200x900 @ 144 dpi). Second, photos absolutely do not do these cars justice, at all. I've seen it written all over this board, but it is true.

Car looks good! What finish are your wheels?

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by ScottyRyan2019

Car looks good! What finish are your wheels?

to;dr: Anthracite. I'm very happy with them. Apex hit these out of the park with quality, offsets, paint finish. And they are legitimately light.

Long version: I guess I came down to anthracite as the "decision of indecision" but honestly on the car they look great and its the color I should have gone with. With the shadowline accents on the car being black I couldn't go with bright silver - if there were silver accents around the window and grills then yes silver wheels would tie in nicely IMO. Gold looks great on black, red, blue, white, but not Brooklyn Grey IMO as Brooklyn is a blue-hue grey and to me they clash a bit (maybe seeing this combo in person would change my mind).

Satin black is certainly a safe option but I have a buddy who had Satin Black FI-Rs on his M3 and there's something about the reflection of clear-coated paint that satin finishes is missing for me on wheels. Maybe the reflective surface accentuates the "dish" on these thing, thats probably it. Also brake dust LOVED to stick to his satin finish rims so they were always brown, and he swore off a satin finish ever again - the dust just stuck more to the nooks and crannies of the finish I guess. They always looked brown. My gloss FI-Rs stayed cleaner longer...like maybe 3 hours longer :.

I know iSweep 1500s seem to be the answer, I'll see how things go with these compared to my F80.

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

I think Black Friday is their next one. I didn't expect the Apex spring sale and it popped up while I was in the midst of researching rims and was the straw that eventually made me pull the trigger on Apex over Richland Forged.

I was torn between Apex and Richland Forged. Richland Forged has much better color choices and will custom paint the rims for you for no or little fee, and you can use the BMW roundels on those as well. Price is pretty equivalent to Apex with the forum discount they offer (you have to PM them to get it). Richland Forged offsets also seem a bit pokey to me in the rear compared to Apex, and I value the paint on the side of my car....

I was looking at Apex, VTForged & Richland Forged, too! In the end I went with RF - their brushed finishes are just incredible, very pronounced. I did the brushed competition gold, which I had on my F87 (until I powder coated them - the gold was not the right tone for the mineral grey, but will look AWESOME on black sapphire!) And like you, I want the OEM roundels & they fit the RF wheels.

Our builds are almost identical - I did the black seats with the M colors. I'll be curious to know your thoughts on the clutch stop.

I gotta order those M brake clips!!

[Mr. Hankey]

Originally Posted by MASHCT

I was looking at Apex, VTForged & Richland Forged, too! In the end I went with RF - their brushed finishes are just incredible, very pronounced. I did the brushed competition gold, which I had on my F87 (until I powder coated them - the gold was not the right tone for the mineral grey, but will look AWESOME on black sapphire!) And like you, I want the OEM roundels & they fit the RF wheels.

Our builds are almost identical - I did the black seats with the M colors. I'll be curious to know your thoughts on the clutch stop.

I gotta order those M brake clips!!

I really did like the Richland forged, honestly, it was the Apex sale that tipped me their direction and I don’t think you can go wrong with either. I also wanted the rims here when the car arrived just so I could get it delivered on them, And Apex had them in stock. The other two companies custom build their rims, which I think is fantastic. It will be easy enough to switch them out down the road If I decide to go camber plates and square set up route. But something to look forward to.

I’ve driven the car a little bit, but don’t want to get it too dirty because it’s going to get wrapped and tinted next week.

I’m actually pleasantly surprised with the stock clutch pick up point which is the best I’ve ever had in the three manual BMWs I’ve owned. It’s even better than the very early 23 M2 that I test drove. Having said that I did install the BMS clutch stop yesterday with only 1 washer which reduces the play a little bit. I probably could have gone with two but I know one will be safe. It’s a very easy clutch to drive and even though I haven’t driven a manual BMW in two years, it’s like I never left. I am so happy with this, it’s a joy to drive. I will say that I like this car better already than my F80s.

This manuals action feels a little better to me than my previous F80. People describe it as rubbery, but it just feels like a BMW manual to me. A little more notchy than my previous F80 manuals—maybe slightly less rubbery—but still the same overall feel. It’s very precise, you don’t miss gears with this thing and that’s the important part. Based on my early impressions, I have no desire to make any changes to the manual action other than the clutch stop, which is a very minor thing.

[ScottyRyan2019]

Originally Posted by Mr. Hankey

to;dr: Anthracite. I'm very happy with them. Apex hit these out of the park with quality, offsets, paint finish. And they are legitimately light.

Long version: I guess I came down to anthracite as the "decision of indecision" but honestly on the car they look great and its the color I should have gone with. With the shadowline accents on the car being black I couldn't go with bright silver - if there were silver accents around the window and grills then yes silver wheels would tie in nicely IMO. Gold looks great on black, red, blue, white, but not Brooklyn Grey IMO as Brooklyn is a blue-hue grey and to me they clash a bit (maybe seeing this combo in person would change my mind).

Satin black is certainly a safe option but I have a buddy who had Satin Black FI-Rs on his M3 and there's something about the reflection of clear-coated paint that satin finishes is missing for me on wheels. Maybe the reflective surface accentuates the "dish" on these thing, thats probably it. Also brake dust LOVED to stick to his satin finish rims so they were always brown, and he swore off a satin finish ever again - the dust just stuck more to the nooks and crannies of the finish I guess. They always looked brown. My gloss FI-Rs stayed cleaner longer...like maybe 3 hours longer :.

I know iSweep 1500s seem to be the answer, I'll see how things go with these compared to my F80.

My son has matte black finish on his Mustang wheels and yes the dust/grime will find every poor, nook, and cranny.

I have a set of forged wheels on order in a gloss brushed double gunmetal finish. Dark, but not black. I've seen the finish on a different wheel than I have coming and the brushing really brings out the detail. I think the dark gunmetal will contrast well with the AW paint and black accents / carbon fiber.

[Mr. Hankey]

Black M2 Trunk Emblem

This is a relatively easy one, switched the silver M2 badge for the black one (part number a couple posts up):

1. Tape off the badge to set the footprint, and protect the paint from the scraper (you can also use fishing line)



2. Apply gentle heat to warm it up but don't cook things, this softens the adhesive. Then use your (paint safe) scraper or fishing line to remove the badges



3. Roll and pull off as much adhesive as possible that stuck as big clumps, get it down to something like this where there is residue but no "sticker" material remaining



4. A little bit of this (or goo gone...etc.) on a microfiber cloth and used sparingly to remove the residue. Don't use a paper towel that might swirl the clear coat, and don't flood the area with this stuff as it will make the masking tape lift off



5. Wipe the surface down with alcohol (50-70%) to remove any of the oils from the adhesive remover (microfiber). Then carefully line up your black badge (I had to remove the paper from the clear top adhesive layer sticking to the top of the "M2" so I could see the edges of the badge in order to line them up with the masking tape on the trunk taking care not to dislodge the badge from the clear cover sticker (if you have this you will know what I mean)), then remove the white paper baking from the emblems, align carefully then press and hold for 30 seconds. Before doing this I gently heated the surface with the heat gun to help with adherence (not hot, just warm)

[Mr. Hankey]

BMS Clutch Stop

This is an easy one. Many posts about it on here. Seems that many are leaving all spacers/washers on their clutch stop but in my car the engagement point of the transmission is relatively early. So I installed my clutch stop with only 1 spacer. The white spacer is the stock spacer and is a siliconized rubber. The BMS clutch stop you need to trim off the point (it is trimmed in this picture, then when I went to put it in I trimmed it some more as only needed the 1 washer. If you don't trim at least the point off it won't go all the way in and sit flush, and with mine I actually cut it a second time at that "space" in the middle since I was just using one spacer.

[Mr. Hankey]

Mirror Tap for Radar Detector

These are posted elsewhere (this video was really helpful: BMW Mirror Wire Tap), but I took pictures and if they help someone then great. I've use Valentine One radar detectors since 2002 and can't live without one. I find the mirror power tap cables from Amazon are affordable and work well (Link to what I used but they are probably all the same LOL). I used the smallest of the 3 adapters that came with this set, I wasn't sure what size I'd need and figured the set of 3 would have one that would work and it did not disappoint.

1. Remove the mirror shroud. This is 2 halves snapped together with delicate connectors that are easily broken. Don't fret if 1 or 2 bite it as it will still hold just fine. In the M2 the left half has the clip connectors and the right have are just alignment pins. Therefore when separating the 2 push down on the left half near the seam as that is clicked onto the right side underneath. Pry tool very useful here, once you get it started work up the seam and at some point it will just pop apart. There are also larger pins on the left and right side that hold the halves to the mirror mount, so if you get the seam completely undone in the middle just give them a gentle pull and they will pop off

A: Left and right halves:



B: Pushing down or "in" on the left half at the seam:



C: Here's the left half, the square parts are what is clicked to the right side and those are the areas needing releasing by pushing in, typically you want to push just above or below those areas, not right on them



2. This is the final product but you want the connector closer to you/closer to the mirror:



3. I separated the connector to make it easier, but if you have small hands you can tap the pins with the connector in place. There is no locking mechanism for this connector but it is snapped in somehow, wiggling will undo it. You will have to push/hold down on the female end while wiggling the male end otherwise the whole assembly slides, you'll understand what this means if you're ever doing this !(I used neddle-nose pliers just under the left and right lip of the male connector) and it will pop out.



4. BROWN wire is ground (one all the way to the left) and RED is positive (one all the way to the right). They are striped but the stripe colors don't matter (plus I forget the colors: I think brown had a black stripe and the red has a blue stripe):



Note the zip tie to secure it. I had one of these back out in another car turning the detector off.

5. I traditionally haven't used BlendMounts because I don't like the obstructed view. I use the suction cup mount and buy the large suction cups. They will hold for years and are $1 a set. Typically they need replacing every 2-3 years, and I like mine mounted high and out of the way.



6. Run the mirror tap wire up to the headliner then I tuck it under the headliner to where I want it to go. Put the mirror shroud back on. Doesn't matter left or right side first, although I did the right side first (which makes it right, but maybe not correct )

[Mr. Hankey]

Zunsport Oil Cooler Protector Install

I drove an F80 with an exposed oil cooler for 8 years and had no issues, but that at least had a plastic shroud over most of the front of it for some protection. The oil cooler is clearly exposed on the M2 and I figure some added protection (that isn't terribly expensive) can't hurt against damage to the oil cooler and loss of an engine. The likely scenario though for most of us is small rocks and debris over the life of the car will bend the fins and make the oil cooler less efficient, so if the protector prevents some of this then it is worth it. Clearly if I ever hit anything that makes a loud thud I will immediately pull over and check the oil cooler because that could mean major trouble in the matter of seconds.

Like all of you I read all the threads and it came down to Zunsport, Mishimoto, and the aluminum guard made by a fellow forum member. The ding for the Mishimoto is that it drops the stock rubber spoiler and forces you to mount it on rigid metal as part of the protection plate about 1/2" lower than stock position. I have a very steep drive into the parking garage at my work where a lot of cars bottom out going in. My F80 lip bottom was destroyed because of this (fortunately it was a RW carbon M3 CS replica rim, so not terribly expensive). Regardless my concern with the Mishimoto is it lowers that spoiler....hitting something now will contact the metal of the Mishimoto plate and potentially bend the Mishimoto into the cooler or simply bend and/or dislodge it, possibly breaking other attachments on the car with it. But I guess the Zunsport could do the same.

So I ordered the Zunsport and it arrived in 2 days from Britain. It is very strong powder coated stainless steel. It will breathe well and will protect the oil cooler from anything larger than a pea. My thought about this is "an attempt was made" [to protect the cooler] and if something larger hits it, well at least the oil cooler had a chance!

Quality is great, strength is great. It is stainless. Will it corrode over time and need replacing? Possibly here in New England. Item to check every 3-4 months. Can buy 3-4 of them for the price of the Mishimoto.

Install is easy, but the 2 screws seemed a bit wimpy for me, so I used some 10/32" stainless machine bolts to hold it down. I also stole someone else's idea on here and tucked the front tabs under the plastic rather than mounting over the plastic. Cleaner look that no-body will see but me and the techs who work on the car.

Here is the oil cooler uncovered pointing toward front of the car, the stock spoiler under there is mounted to rigid plastic.



In order to get the bolts I was going to use mounted I dropped the entire panel:



From the front, extremely flat, maybe 1/3-1/2" clearance to the cooler (note the thing with the 2 tubes on it in the front is the Sto-N-Show removable license plate bracket):



From the bottom, note I used 5 machine bolts rather than the 2 screws provided (I know the center bolt isn't centered, there was a plastic ridge there where my washer wouldn't mount flush so I moved it over 1 hole):







I used 5/8" 10/32 Stainless bolts with threaded oval washers, I pre-drilled my holes for the bolts, I used blue Loc-tite for the bolts:



And that's that. It is very secure and flush. I over-do things, but will keep an eye on it. I would have liked to get some bolts on the sides, but they are directly over the rubberized portion of that panel and not over hard plastic so no dice there. If the front ever seems unstable maybe will need to rethink how it is fastened, but very secure at the moment.

[Mr. Hankey]

IND V1 Painted Front Lip and Radiator Mesh

Installed the IND painted front lip, version 1, this weekend with some black gloss powder coated aluminum mesh for a radiator guard. Will post the install when I get some time. I have to say the quality of the painting on the IND piece is incredible and paint match is spot on. I will not be installing a lip on this car like I had on my prior F80 (scraping in work parking garage), so the IND is a nice alternative to a lip for me (and would still look good on a car with a lip). I am extremely impressed by and very happy with the IND lip, it is transformative for the looks of the car. Thank you IND!


Before & After: