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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My Alpine White E46 330i Sport
- Thread starter KPM3_30
- Start date
Kyle said:
@Kyle, thanks bro! Yeah man, and the one guy's name is Ashley... Coincidence much :biglol:
Good bunch of guys and I have to say, their shampoo is the business.. Car just shines for days after.
Riaad said:
@Riaad, the second best mod, think the first still ranks as the exhaust system for me.. :blowheart: Really want xenons now though.. :fencelook:
Let me know when you ready to part with $$$ and we can sort one out.
SubLoaded said:
@SubLoaded, thanks bro.. Definitely OEM+ though :smilebounce:
Tinuva said:
@Tinuva, thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated bud. Let me respond as per your breakdown.
Tinuva said:
I must say I was also quite surprised when I had a look at your unit, as it does look very similar to the Eonon. I did a hell of a lot of research before deciding to go the Eonon route, but most of the units are made in a similar warehouse and then slapped on with different brands, so chances are, it could be the same unit..
Thanks for the tip on Tasker, Definitely need to install this app as most of the time I forget to switch my hotspot on and I haven't purchased a 3G card for the unit.. Usually do updates to the unit when I connect to my parent's WIFI, I live on the top floor and park in the basement.. :fencelook:
Everything works exceptionally well and my only regret is I didn't fit the unit sooner as I would've benefited more from it on the daily vs. once a week :hammerhead: If I could leverage some criticism, it would be that the radio reception isn't on par with the stock unit.. That said, I hardly use the radio anymore, so don't really find myself plagued with this.
Tinuva said:Wait till you get your first kid...I am out of timeKPM_330 said:
As for driving on dirt road, made the exact same mistake when I promised to drop my mom and her friend off at the whale trail over December, without thinking about the road. Was absolute horrible driving there. When I dropped them off and helped with the baggage and noticed how dirty the car was, was super upset. Not so much about the dirt you can see...more the places dirt go in that you can not see! On the way home, I was more daring and did about 80-100KM/H back on the dirt road, felt like a real rally driver and the car handled that road amazing well. Also the road was decent, just lots of dirt everywhere. Back home, took off the strips from the rear bumper where a lot of dirt get caught and cleaned as much as I could with the pressure washer. Still need to take off the side skirts, and plastic covers at the bottom of the car. Cleaned everything outside and opened the doors and cleaned in between everywhere I could. Surprisingly the engine bay was still as clean as it was before. I did make sure not to drive behind any other cars. Anyways, one experience I prefer to not have again, at least not as bad as an accident day.
Thankfully you got to enjoy somewhat of a rally stage there :biglol: Tala has huge craters and sharp stones, not the ideal terrain for Michelin PS4's :fencelook:
This is my issue with driving on dirt roads, including making the filters filthy :hammerhead: I wish I had the equipment to go into the cleaning regime quite like you, living in an apartment has its perks and drawbacks. I notice so long as all the under covers are on, the engine bay stays mostly clean for ages, provided you give it a wipe now and again.
Tinuva said:
I actually never gave any thought to buying a set overseas, seems like an oversight on my part, seeing as though I was living in the UK for a bit and my indicators were purchased from there.. I had always thought about going the retrofit route which works out to around R3k, using the existing housing. Buying second hand in ZA is a bit of a schlep for the most part and sometimes people ask silly money for xenon units.
Is it direct plug and play when you do a swop or is there coding that needs to be done? Drop me a PM with your number and we can chat a bit, really keen to do the xenon upgrade this year, as it is the only exterior mod left that I want to do.. What's left for you?
Jeremy.d said:
@Jeremy.d, thanks so much bud. I still owe you a review of the Eonon, which I will get around to. So far I have only used it on shorter journeys which has been amazing.
If you go from halogen to oem xenon, you definitely need coding.KPM_330 said:
If you don't code, the following will happen:
- xenons will look like they work fine if the engine is not running
- xenons will flash on/off very fast when the engine is running (very bad, I had this mistake)
Since you going from halogen and do not have the leveling sensors, I recommend using PA Soft to recode the lights.
Here is why:
1. You want to keep the lights coded as halogens, so that the manual leveling button keeps on working
2. You need to modify the LCMs self testing values to the lights, so that you can still get notified if a light fails, but also so that it knows the lights work and don't try to turn them on and off the whole time while the engine is running.
PA Soft is just easier, and I am not 100% sure how I would do it using NCS Expert, even though I use NCS Expert for many coding stuff that PA Soft can not do. Actually, if you have an E46, having both cables and software is a good thing anyways, but at least get PA Soft on top of a bluetooth OBD adapter.
For the part numbers, will have to double check that for you. Generally I didn't look for specific part numbers, just looked for Xenons on ebay, but most important was that the brand was the AL lights and not the ZKW. Had ZWK pre-facelift, and they were really not great, halogens on a facelift was better. But the AL bi-xenon lights are fantastic, can't believe how good they look on a total dark road.
As to what is left for me, facelift rear lights to give the car the complete facelift look. I am queuing this up with taking apart the interior since I need to install additional cabling. But before that, I need to redo suspension and my wheels, first doing the wheels, they been an issue even before the accident.
ps. Willing to assist you guys in DBN to get the software going over a teamviewer session if you guys need help.
VinceM
Well-known member
I really enjoyed reading this thread again. Very well kept car with good mods and maintenance done.
Please PM me the exhaust place and exact exact exhaust work details. I have kept my cars totally STOCK till now and would like to maintain that way with exception of two things: exhaust system that will look oem like yours and the entertainment unit.
Please PM me the exhaust place and exact exact exhaust work details. I have kept my cars totally STOCK till now and would like to maintain that way with exception of two things: exhaust system that will look oem like yours and the entertainment unit.
Not much happening on the E46 front, been spending my monies on the 320d.. Just a few more things to do before I am happy on that car and then I can return my attention to the 330i.. That said, I've started the process of sourcing my suspension components, thanks @Peter@AEW for the advice and assistance in getting the sourcing of parts underway. :bravo:
The 330i is used once a week, on a longish drive just to keep everything going.. Every time I have a fleeting thought around selling, I jump into the car for a drive and I'm reminded why it would be a bad idea.. There isn't much else at the price point that offers me all the frills and thrills that come from my E46.. I am sure the gents that own E46's, understand where I am coming from... @AdiS, @Tinuva, @Evnmopwr @Riaad, @VinceM, @Jeremy.d, @Dewald Basson, @Steph745.. :cartel:
Had the car polished this past weekend, after the clay bar treatment in January and took some random pics for clicks... Alpine White is just right :blowheart:
The 330i is used once a week, on a longish drive just to keep everything going.. Every time I have a fleeting thought around selling, I jump into the car for a drive and I'm reminded why it would be a bad idea.. There isn't much else at the price point that offers me all the frills and thrills that come from my E46.. I am sure the gents that own E46's, understand where I am coming from... @AdiS, @Tinuva, @Evnmopwr @Riaad, @VinceM, @Jeremy.d, @Dewald Basson, @Steph745.. :cartel:
Had the car polished this past weekend, after the clay bar treatment in January and took some random pics for clicks... Alpine White is just right :blowheart:
VinceM
Well-known member
I agree 100% with you on this one! You will be hard pressed to get the same value elsewhere (at the 330i price point)..in my opinion, not worth selling.
You wont recover money spent on the preventative maintenance you invested in as well as extras like the exhaust work you did.
Keep it man, it looks great.
As you long as you still look back and admire once you have locked the car....keep it.
You wont recover money spent on the preventative maintenance you invested in as well as extras like the exhaust work you did.
Keep it man, it looks great.
As you long as you still look back and admire once you have locked the car....keep it.
VinceM said:
@VinceM, selling the car would only net around R100k (at best).. To buy anything that has the same character and is faster is at least R150k more.. Not worth it at this point in time, especially when I don't need a second car. Plus you make a great point about recovering any money, I've spent a bucket load of cash on the car but I have no regrets.
Definitely agree on that last point.. I usually end up looking back and taking some photos, haha.. The E46 is a timeless design :cartel:
SubLoaded said:
@Subloaded, I honestly don't think so :roflol: Come December I will be even more doubtful... As it stands the 330i has 25wkw more, but is down 130wnm according to the dyno readings.
Not that it matters though.. You of all people would know a 6 cylinder Naturally-Aspirated car, is very different from a 4 cylinder Turbo-Diesel, but each car is satisfying in its own right.
There's something special about wringing a NA 6 cylinder all the way to the 6k-RPM line, given the evolving soundtrack and with the power delivery being so linear, you really have to work for the performance. On the other hand with the diesel, as wildly fun as it is, everything is happening all at once and is pretty much over in 2k-RPM :fencelook:
VinceM
Well-known member
I just don't like the "tractor like" noise from the small diesel engines.
The 330d is a lot more quieter, sounds great too when worked!
From a combination perspective, you have the best combo though.
(i) 320d for daily duties.
(ii) what you save up during the week, you can burn on weekends in the 330i
The 330d is a lot more quieter, sounds great too when worked!
From a combination perspective, you have the best combo though.
(i) 320d for daily duties.
(ii) what you save up during the week, you can burn on weekends in the 330i
Dewald Basson
///Member
that_guy_Ettiene
///Member
Jip... Reading this thread has me regretting my stupids *ss decision to selly 330 to @Riaad..
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
Dewald Basson
///Member
Ja told you not do it, dammit
Riaad
Events Organiser
KPM_330 said:
This
raise: Looking on point as usual ...waiting for that suspension refresh now :fencelook:
that_guy_Ettiene said:Jip... Reading this thread has me regretting my stupids *ss decision to selly 330 to @Riaad..
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
:fencelook:
Riaad's 330i Will be updated soon :=):
Dewald Basson said:
Was either that or this https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=83799 still going on :roflol::roflol:
that_guy_Ettiene said:Jip... Reading this thread has me regretting my stupids *ss decision to sell the 330 to @Riaad..
Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
@that_guy_Ettiene, that's a classic case of seller's remorse. I also feel like if I sold the car, I would instantly regret it.. As @Dewald Basson mentioned, there's not much else to consider.. My favorite chassis is the E46, this coming from someone that has owned 2 E90's and wants to buy a F30 :fencelook:
The 335i felt like the next logical step but its just fast, that was the thrill. The E46 on the other hand is the entire experience working together to deliver an outright enjoyable drive. When it came time to sell, I knew which car I had to keep.
