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      05-14-2019, 12:08 AM   #1
Aussieatlarge
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Regretting getting the convertible (a little)

Purchased a E93 about 6 months ago. Had a romantic notion that the family (wife and two tweens) would go for drives on Sundays. Didn't work out that way.
Wife tells me to slow down and kids have things to do.
Stage 1 MHD probably makes up for the extra weight
Biggest issue is rattles. I don't expect German cars to rattle and creak. I assume the lack of tortional rigidity just loosens thins up?
Two door is a bit of a pain but next year kids catch the bus to school so 90% of the fighting will be gone. Also wife is soon to be ex wife, so the whining will be gone. So too will be the initial motivation to buy a convertible.
I enjoy a convertible but not to be seen in it. Feel like a bit of a wanker by myself with the roof down around the burbs.

Do real car guys buy convertibles?
Can you even track-day an E93.
If i were to change, I like the lci but love the N54.

Any thoughts?
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      05-14-2019, 12:22 AM   #2
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Trade it in on a 335is. Coupe, LCI, N54...
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      05-14-2019, 12:24 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by Emilime75 View Post
Trade it in on a 335is. Coupe, LCI, N54...
The 335is was only available in the USA
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      05-14-2019, 06:38 AM   #4
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It's a very personal choice Aussie, but I love my e92, have always loved the look of them

Still a 2 Door so depends on how much your kids will be in it and how much they'll dislike it

I took my Wife, my 9yo daughter and my 16yo daughter from Canberra to Tasmania and back, for a week's holiday, luggage as well, so they have OK room in the back

I guess the Vert is a little less sporty and more of a cruiser due to additional weight and a little less rigidity, so if you want to track something, the coupe or sedan would be better

also depends if you're a glutten for punishment like a few of us on here and love the n54, I know I do, especially with the torque and power output you can get from them without having to change the internals

so I'd buy another e92 coupe, but like I said it's a very personal choice, good luck whatever you decide
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      05-14-2019, 06:58 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoper View Post
It's a very personal choice Aussie, but I love my e92, have always loved the look of them

Still a 2 Door so depends on how much your kids will be in it and how much they'll dislike it

I took my Wife, my 9yo daughter and my 16yo daughter from Canberra to Tasmania and back, for a week's holiday, luggage as well, so they have OK room in the back

I guess the Vert is a little less sporty and more of a cruiser due to additional weight and a little less rigidity, so if you want to track something, the coupe or sedan would be better

also depends if you're a glutten for punishment like a few of us on here and love the n54, I know I do, especially with the torque and power output you can get from them without having to change the internals

so I'd buy another e92 coupe, but like I said it's a very personal choice, good luck whatever you decide
I love my E93 and I love the N54 but i rarely take the roof down. It is a cruiser that can get up and go. To be honest, either car probably has more capability than me through corners and frankly driving at those limits should be reserved for a track. I suppose the fact that the convertible is a hard top makes it less of a convertible than a cloth top.

Does anyone else's e93 rattle? Maybe I'll take a weekend to sort out the rattles and smells. It only has 70k km on the clock. The RFT don't help matters.
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      05-15-2019, 08:57 AM   #6
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Does your e93 have 18s or 19s? I have 18s on my e92 and don't find the ride too rough with the run flats.

My kids fit in the back without any problems (I do the school run 3 days a week). When I bought the car, the first thing I did at the dealership was climb into the back of the car, which had the sales man giving me some funny looks but if the kids weren't going to fit then I couldn't buy the car.

Have to admit the e93 I sat in was more cramped in the back than the e92, although driving around I see more e93s on the road.
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      05-15-2019, 09:30 AM   #7
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It's your car, just do what feels right. Just remember, comparison is the thief of joy.

I wouldn't worry about whether the E92 is slightly quicker or stiffer or whatnot, E93's and E92's are such similar cars in the grand scheme of things that going from a perfectly good convertible to an E92 is a pointless exercise in my view. Especially if you're never going to get close to the already lower driver skill ceiling that the E93 has in your view.

If you were thinking of going to an E82 then yeah I suppose there'd be enough of a difference to justify a change, but even then you're essentially sticking with the same powertrain.
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      05-15-2019, 05:47 PM   #8
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As a E93 owner you'll get

- lots of creaks and rattles
- back seat is cramped for others

but nothing beats the top down on a sunny day or even having all the windows down.

You'll be surprised how much you can fit in the back when you drop the top and load the car (I fit 4x 19" rims in the box).

Just be aware its a cruiser type of car / hwy roller. Just put a big turbo and turn up the boost. Don't expect to beat e92's on the mountains.
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      05-15-2019, 08:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kookie View Post
As a E93 owner you'll get

- lots of creaks and rattles
- back seat is cramped for others

but nothing beats the top down on a sunny day or even having all the windows down.

You'll be surprised how much you can fit in the back when you drop the top and load the car (I fit 4x 19" rims in the box).

Just be aware its a cruiser type of car / hwy roller. Just put a big turbo and turn up the boost. Don't expect to beat e92's on the mountains.
I'm trying to fall on love with mine again. I removed the under tray yesterday to try to find the source of a rattle over bumps. I found nothing loose and checked the brace bolts also. I think it's a mixture of the under tray itself and the brake caliber/pads. I also have an aftermarket sound system that was poorly fitted and i suspect the sub amp in the passenger door is floating around.

It is a beautiful car, especially with the windows down and no B pillar.

The boot lid is very heavy. I have replaced the struts but that did not help. It might be a mix of heavy and friction. The kids say it is too heavy so they bring their school bags into the car which leads to scuffs. Is your boot VERY heavy?
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      05-15-2019, 08:30 PM   #10
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Inter cooler and down pipes in Sydney

Any advice on where to get downpipes and intercooler for my N54 in Sydney without being gouged?
I also will probably change the O2 sensors since one bank keeps throwing codes and causing the JB4 to reset to map4. Any ideas on these?
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      05-16-2019, 04:33 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussieatlarge View Post
Is your boot VERY heavy?
Yes - my kids struggle to open the boot. I open it for them when they put their bags in, and their solution at the drop off is to help each other to open it (the two of them can open it fine, but neither of them can open it on their own).

Funny that the struts on the BMW seem to hold the boot shut, then once past a certain point they hold it open. On my wife's Hyundai, the boot opens on its own when you pop it and then it's easy to close.

Having the boot held closed by the struts is likely a safety thing.
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      05-16-2019, 12:15 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ADEe92 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussieatlarge View Post
Is your boot VERY heavy?
Yes - my kids struggle to open the boot. I open it for them when they put their bags in, and their solution at the drop off is to help each other to open it (the two of them can open it fine, but neither of them can open it on their own).

Funny that the struts on the BMW seem to hold the boot shut, then once past a certain point they hold it open. On my wife's Hyundai, the boot opens on its own when you pop it and then it's easy to close.

Having the boot held closed by the struts is likely a safety thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADEe92 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aussieatlarge View Post
Is your boot VERY heavy?
Yes - my kids struggle to open the boot. I open it for them when they put their bags in, and their solution at the drop off is to help each other to open it (the two of them can open it fine, but neither of them can open it on their own).

Funny that the struts on the BMW seem to hold the boot shut, then once past a certain point they hold it open. On my wife's Hyundai, the boot opens on its own when you pop it and then it's easy to close.

Having the boot held closed by the struts is likely a safety thing.
Exactly, it's like the position of the fulcrum is such that it "cams over". I have looked for fixes but heavier spring/strut will make it worse. It would require a different mounting point for the strut or a spring elsewhere.
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      05-16-2019, 05:39 PM   #13
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you could get a cf boot.
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      05-16-2019, 07:23 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kookie View Post
you could get a cf boot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kookie View Post
you could get a cf boot.
I was reading about them last night. Seems there are fitment issues. Anyone been successful installing one locally?
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      05-19-2019, 03:47 AM   #15
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I have a funny feeling that the weight of the boot doesn't have much to do with it - it's more to do with the struts holding it closed.

A lighter boot lid might not make that much difference?
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      05-19-2019, 06:22 PM   #16
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I've got a E93 wreck and bootlid is normal?
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      05-19-2019, 10:29 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DR-JEKL View Post
I've got a E93 wreck and bootlid is normal?
I have a feeling that the struts are to blame. By "camming over" due to the geometry, they go through four phases :
Holding shut
Not doing much
Helping lift
Holding open

By relocating one of the pivot points, one could do away with the first two phases.

I am not suggesting it would be easy 😁

Edit
Removed the struts today. The boot is very heavy without the struts. Relocating the lower pivot would be an interesting exercise. The boots fulcrum point is way back, beyond the start of the boot. The "hinge" is a monster casting. With all the engineering involved in the hard top design, I am would be very surprised if the heaviness was not deliberate. I have no idea why but BMW does not screw things like this up.
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      05-20-2019, 09:36 AM   #18
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Cool - good to know. I'd guess that the boot is designed that way so it stays shut if the latch breaks as a safety feature. On the upside, you can probably hang something out the back of the boot on the Bunnings run and the boot will stay shut on its own

Quote:
Originally Posted by DR-JEKL View Post
I've got a E93 wreck and bootlid is normal?
I find the boot fine for adults, it's just when kids need to open it the weight is a factor.
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      05-20-2019, 10:43 AM   #19
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Had my E93 for almost 2 years. Had a love/hate relationship with it. I enjoyed driving the car and it looked great. Downside was constant creaking and rattles along with feeling like I was the early 40's midlife crisis poster child driving around by myself with the top down. It definitely had soul and personality though.
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      05-20-2019, 11:50 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Now_Rudi View Post
Had my E93 for almost 2 years. Had a love/hate relationship with it. I enjoyed driving the car and it looked great. Downside was constant creaking and rattles along with feeling like I was the early 40's midlife crisis poster child driving around by myself with the top down. It definitely had soul and personality though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Now_Rudi View Post
Had my E93 for almost 2 years. Had a love/hate relationship with it. I enjoyed driving the car and it looked great. Downside was constant creaking and rattles along with feeling like I was the early 40's midlife crisis poster child driving around by myself with the top down. It definitely had soul and personality though.
Right on the money except that I turn 50 in two weeks.
I am gaining some ground on the love side. Removed under tray and it little to address the worst rattle over bumps. Spoke to my Dad (he is really old ). He suggested brake pads or calipers were rattling. Drove down a line of road markers it rattled terribly, lightly applied the brakes- rattle gone.
Also removed the left door panel and found a Focal sub-amp has been stuffed into the panel and held in with tape. Wow. Ground out a home for it and applied copious amounts of hot glue.
Much better. Just toss out the kids crap floating around the car (and maybe some lost tools) and she'll be good as new.

BTW halfway through this tank of fuel 24l/100. Lots of idling and enjoying the MHD flash. Next tank I'll go for economy
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      05-20-2019, 11:51 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Now_Rudi View Post
Had my E93 for almost 2 years. Had a love/hate relationship with it. I enjoyed driving the car and it looked great. Downside was constant creaking and rattles along with feeling like I was the early 40's midlife crisis poster child driving around by myself with the top down. It definitely had soul and personality though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Now_Rudi View Post
Had my E93 for almost 2 years. Had a love/hate relationship with it. I enjoyed driving the car and it looked great. Downside was constant creaking and rattles along with feeling like I was the early 40's midlife crisis poster child driving around by myself with the top down. It definitely had soul and personality though.
Right on the money except that I turn 50 in two weeks.
I am gaining some ground on the love side. Removed under tray and it little to address the worst rattle over bumps. Spoke to my Dad (he is really old ). He suggested brake pads or calipers were rattling. Drove down a line of road markers it rattled terribly, lightly applied the brakes- rattle gone.
Also removed the left door panel and found a Focal sub-amp has been stuffed into the panel and held in with tape. Wow. Ground out a home for it and applied copious amounts of hot glue.
Much better. Just toss out the kids crap floating around the car (and maybe some lost tools) and she'll be good as new.

BTW halfway through this tank of fuel 24l/100. Lots of idling and enjoying the MHD flash. Next tank I'll go for economy
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      05-21-2019, 12:28 AM   #22
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Not the same but i daily my e36 vert. I'm 43 and i always drive this car mostly solo . Family ride in the e90. Don't feel bad a vert is safer than a superbike and when it rains or get too hot you can put up the top and turn on the ac 😂😂
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