[Tambohamilton]

Call it a win and carry on...

Only way a failed joint would get quiet is if it totally separated. I'm sure you'd notice other issues, like needing regular door handle replacements, if that was the case.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Call it a win and carry on...

Only way a failed joint would get quiet is if it totally separated. I'm sure you'd notice other issues, like needing regular door handle replacements, if that was the case.

I agree!

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by eljay

I set out on a mission to provide some shade for the rear occupants!

This is great, good job!

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by eljay

Well, I ordered new sway bar end links, but guess what?! I noticed the clunking went away as I realized I'm not hearing it for the past 2 weeks. I went through bumpy slow roads where it would clunk badly and nothing...
So, either it was something else displaced that went away (literally) or the end links are so shot, they even stopped clunking. Is the latter possible? I think that they would just get super loud if the ball joints fail and loosen completely, correct?

The car goes in for safety inspection in 2 weeks, so I may just wait to see what they find before throwing new end links on it.

It's possible that the clunking endlink broke, but the steering response should be noticeably worse if so (speaking from experience...). You can turn the wheel and take a look without lifting the car

[eljay]

Originally Posted by The Nightman

It's possible that the clunking endlink broke, but the steering response should be noticeably worse if so (speaking from experience...). You can turn the wheel and take a look without lifting the car

The MVI mentioned play in end links, so the joints are probably shot and stopped clunking. I will change them when I switch to winter tires.

Stay tuned for more juicy updates...

[eljay]

My next update: M3 cowl conversion!

The point of this mod is to get faster access to the rear of the engine bay and easily remove the beauty cover when needed. It also looks kinda cool, but overall I'm not sure it's a worthwhile mod. I will likely appreciate it more the next time I need to reach something in the back or need to access DME cover. And I will not like it the next time I need to buy 4 replacement cabin air filters.

Onto the story.

The items needed are listed here in the kit offered by FCP Euro for a mere US$1,431,68!!
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...-64316958817kt

1 Cabin Air Filter Case BMW-64316958817 Genuine bmw $312.99
1 Cabin Air Filter Case BMW-64316958818 Genuine bmw $312.99
1 Cabin Air Filter Case BMW-64316958815 Genuine bmw $350.99
1 Cabin Air Filter Case BMW-64316958816 Genuine bmw $350.99
1 Cabin Air Filter Set CTO-80001029 Corteco 18 $63.99
6 Bumper Guide Screw BMW-07143428231 Genuine bmw $5.34
1 Hood Seal BMW-51718045623 Genuine bmw $34.39

Needless to say, find the parts used. You can also get wire harness holder, but the N52 wiring harness will not fit inside, so I would skip it. I would also skip the the hood seal and I will let you know why later. Read on.

The first order of business was to address the disappearing foam seal on the top covers.



I used this foam seal:


And it worked well to restore the seal:




You will need to do 4 modifications:
1. modify the driver side cover to fit over the brake lines (I used wire cutters and drill). Sorry no pics, but you will see what is needed when you get there

2. zip tie engine wiring harness crossing the top of the engine. The harness is too short to fit inside the M3 wiring cover.



3. move the position of the air quality sensor on the passenger side. Some cut the wiring and extend it. I chose to use double-sided tape and move it closer and left wiring intact.



4. The hood sensor switch is now in a wrong position and will not be pressed down when you close the hood. So, you will need to find a clever way to deal with it. I happened to find a plug that somehow fit perfectly over the switch and the height was just right. No more "your hood is open" beeps!




And you end up with something like this!!



And of course, as usual, because the car suffered some trauma, I had to buy it gifts... in the form of an OEM aluminum M Performance strut bar! I can now take my corners 0.5 km/h faster and get to the next red light 2 seconds earlier.

I hope you enjoyed this entry!

p.s. I will discuss the hood seal in the post below.

[eljay]

Now, let's get back to the hood seal and why you don't need it. As you have noticed, the original seal is short and leaves about 4 inches gap on each side. And you'd think that you should seal that gap because dirt and stuff will enter the engine bay. Well, guess what, it will anyway.
And here's why: the M3 hood is shaped differently and contours to match the wavy cowl compared to the straight one for regular E9x. As a result you have a BIG gap right in the middle of the engine bay anyway. See here:



Now, it may not sound like a big deal, and I can confirm that after one winter, it does not make engine bay any dirtier etc. The real problem is engine bay ventilation and air flow. See, there is some clever engineering going into aerodynamics and air flow created under the hood to exhaust heat away from the engine. If you study M3 hood, you will notice that only one of those vents on the hood is actually open and connected to the air intake. The other is there as a pretty face just to keep the other company. And the position of the vent on the hood is not random either. The reason is how air moves across the hood and where the area of negative pressure happens as the car travels through air. If the vent was in a different place, it would actually suck air out of the intake and not in. So, something to think about the next time you see those aftermarket vented hoods with random placement of vents for show. They actually make the engine bay ventilation and air intake worse, but I guess those folks combine that with crappy hot air intakes and "go fast" stickers, so it's par for course.

I guess I have to get an M3 hood now... haha.

More cool stuff to come.

[eljay]

Well, the "Rear Wiper Arm Service" indicator came on the other day.

The TIS procedure to reset it is as follows:

1. Open the rear window and mark the wiper position.
2. Spray a small ampunt penetrating lubricant onto the wiper shaft
3. Move the wiper arm back and forth 200 times.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 five times.
5. Return wiper to the marked position
6. Close window
7. Move wiper to its correct horizontal position
8. Validate successful execution of the above procedure by turning on the rear wiper.
9. Rejoice

[oVeRdOsE.]

for the rear wiper, I had to remove is, drill-brush the opening to remove rust.

I fill this with a good amount of bearing grease, and put it back.

[eljay]

Originally Posted by oVeRdOsE.

for the rear wiper, I had to remove is, drill-brush the opening to remove rust.

I fill this with a good amount of bearing grease, and put it back.

I'm sure that's in my future. I will keep it going as long as I can.

[Tambohamilton]

Marine/waterproof grease FTW.

Which reminds me; I should service mine again soon so it doesn't get stuck.