[Pterois20]

Hi all,

I was looking to own a F30 or its successor, I was about to buy it this year but, thanks to COVID and a redundancy, my dream flew away.

I decided to move from London to Coventry and, with some savings for the new car I bought a second hand BMW F30 from 2012.

The car was filthy, neglected, oil was black and thick, oil leak, gaiters destroyed, several parts are broken or not working....but the engine sounds good and the chassis is in good condition.

I bought this car as a personal project; now, outside, inside and engine bay are clean, oil leak as been fixed, etc., I'm fixing all the issues and making it sexy again.

Do you know where I can buy parts (scrapyards, etc.) around West Midlands?

[RENT-A-GOAT]

Only BMW breakers I know of is http://www.bmcentre.co.uk/

iirc there is a scrapyard next to the RICOH I seem to remember they were only a VAG group breakers but things might have changed.

[B58_Touring]

welcome to the forum, hope the project goes well for you. Its rewarding to see a neglected car brought back upto scratch.

[SteveChester]

EBay a good place to buy parts.

[F30lancs]

Must be a sense of achievement when finished. Wish I had some DIY car skills

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by F30lancs

Must be a sense of achievement when finished. Wish I had some DIY car skills

Buy some tools, start small and you'll get there! I started with my first car but it's never too late to start. The reason I started was because as a student I always had cars I couldn't afford to run if I had to pay someone to do the work on them! And I'm glad I did as if I hadn't my Impreza would have bankrupted me long ago...

I used to say that most cars were just like overblown and rather more expensive Mechano sets but things produced in the last ten years, i.e BMW F30's, are certainly not quite made in that same mould any more!

[Pterois20]

Really deep cleaning:
- Engine bay clean (I could plant potatoes there before), I've used Meguiar's G15812EU Ultimate Black Trim Restorer and it is like new now, magic

- For the outside, I've used Adam's Ultra Foam Shampoo and Chemical Guys Butter Wet Wax Cream (I don't need to do dumbbells today).

I found endless paint chips and deep scratches that I will need to take care of.

New rims (16 inches was a joke, it looked like a Dacia before), now has 19" aligned at Kwik Fit. It changed completely the car.

[cfm56d7b]

This car project is evolving nicely! Looking forward to more updates. The new wheels are nearly perfect.

[djcowlin]

Nice work. The wheels transform it - had them on my old 340i and still regret not having them any more.

Black grilles next?

[sensible]

Looking good! Those wheels really transform the look.

[Alanli722]

Looking good, my old 320d was Melbourne Red always looks good when clean.

That looks like the car park opposite The Range and Sainsbury's in Courthouse Green

[Pterois20]

Originally Posted by Alanli722

That looks like the car park opposite The Range and Sainsbury's in Courthouse Green

hahahaha It is! I handwash the car using the Sainsbury's petrol station jetwash and then dry it and wax it at the car park

But I was worried all the time, because there where people taking driving lessons around hahaha

[RENT-A-GOAT]

Originally Posted by B58_f32

Rowleys Autos, i doubt they have F30 bmw's mostly older renaults, vauxhalls etc

Birmingham may be a better bet for scrap parts, or ebay.

Not rowley's there was another called Sandburn which specialised in German/VW iirc probably not there now.

[RhysoTDI]

Good work

[Pterois20]

As usual, you clean the car and it rains...


Peeled and rusty kidney grill replaced by a sexy glossy black



Replaced old tyre bolts by new ones, I was scared because one of the security bolts missed the top cap




Time to give some love to the seats


I used the hairdryer to remove the major "baggy" look on the seats. If I apply more heat, it may solve the issue completely, I was a bit scared to apply too much heat. Now is not ideal, but much better than before.


Recolour to revive them and conditioner love


Next things:
- Add USB ports
- Replace chrome tailpipe for a black one
- Replace the wheel bearing hubs (really rusty)
- A friend is doing the central triming in carbon fiber. It depends how it looks, he may do the rest too.
- Dismantle the seats and deeply clean the carpet.

[Paddy1975]

Top job, is nice to see all the new motors on the forum but there's always something refreshing about someone taking a car they obviously love and bringing it back from the edge, sterling work so far Pterois20 keep it up and keep us all updated.

[F30lancs]

I can vouch for that leather balm. Tried autoglym care balm first and made it shiny and smell nice but once dried look same as before. Bought the one you used off ebay and it's made my seats look like new almost. Loving the progress mate. I cant / wont do finance so a new car is out the equation so always good to learn how to bring older cars upto scratch. I'd class a 12 plate f30 as a newish car anyway

[Pterois20]

Originally Posted by F30lancs

I can vouch for that leather balm. Tried autoglym care balm first and made it shiny and smell nice but once dried look same as before. Bought the one you used off ebay and it's made my seats look like new almost. Loving the progress mate. I cant / wont do finance so a new car is out the equation so always good to learn how to bring older cars upto scratch. I'd class a 12 plate f30 as a newish car anyway

I was saving for a first hand BMW 3 series but, due to COVID and the current situation, I needed a car but not spend a fortune in it.
I saw this car and fell in love with it. The F30 production is up to 2018 so, the design isn't much outdated. Also, the style is quite atemporal, straight "aggressive" lines, but not too much.

The main problem with the car is that it was serviced twice at BMW, the rest is unknown. I've aligned the new wheels at Kwik Fit Coventry, I've asked them if I could take a look under the car and, in general, is good, but it will need next year a new suspension and replace some gaskets, bolts, etc.

I bought the car for £3600 with lots of warning lights and in a really poor condition. Repair the oil leak made by BMW (to have the warranty and because it is a delicate part) £600, new rims and tyres with TPMS £800, new oil, brake fluid, filters, etc. £120, the glossy kidneys £18 (eBay), around £100 in little bits and bobs...

But I've spent lots of hours fixing the warnings, dead fuses, heated seats not working, sidelights not working, broken air grille, dirt everywhere, etc.

[F30lancs]

Unbelievable price, car is already looking great. I wish I had some proper diy skills ! Sold my 320d 2012 with 110k for double a while back, that is a bargain

[UKF30]

Welcome to the forum mate

You literally brought dead F30 to life and you Sir have done a great job

Few years back I bought 320D ED same style as yours and done full M sport conversion , check on my profile if you can find my thread loads of pictures and mods might help you with your build mate

Keep us all posted with progress

[Hooded]

Agree, .. great job on the car so far!

[Pterois20]

Thanks all! The car was cheap, but it was neglected for 6 years at least and the number of hours that I've spent on it is insane.

A silly noise in the engine has been solved with Archoil AR6400-D MAX, and I've noticed that the engine is smoother while in highways. In the next refuels, I will add Archoil AR6900-D, to be sure that the engine is fully clean.

I don't know if any of you has used a clay bar and I forget to mention it the other day, I bought Meguiar's C2100 Clay Bar (I know, is not cheap). A clay bar is the best thing that I've used in the past and with this car...if was worth it. The paint is now like the first day, nice and smooth, removing all the little bits with the clay bar.

I also bought touch paint, and once I have all the materials (sandpaper, polisher, polish compound, etc), I will fix all the bloody scratches and impacts that the car has. I will try to take pictures of the process.

Originally Posted by UKF30

Welcome to the forum mate

You literally brought dead F30 to life and you Sir have done a great job

A few years back I bought 320D ED same style as yours and done full M sport conversion, check on my profile if you can find my thread loads of pictures and mods might help you with your build mate

Keep us all posted with progress

I don't want to do a full conversion, but to be honest, most of the M stuff looks great (rims, front and back bumper, trims, steering wheel, pedals, knob, floor mats, etc.). The car is 8 years old, and now looks like 2 years old.