[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by f30luxline

Does the chrome plating make them dimmer then OEM?

Not at all. This being said, I have just received my Enet cable and have started to experiment coding. Corner amber lights are now turned off when the headlights are on (blinkers still work of course). A lot cleaner and just as safe at night.

[ATLBlue]

Home made birthday cake for my 16 year old son who is another BMW fan!

[ATLBlue]

Wheels or no wheels? No Wheels! (for now)

I have been debating for a while if I should go for 19" wheels of stay with the 400M I got on the car. Lowering the car and installing spacers has partly helped to address my 19" wheels itch.

I dropped by at my usual wheels and tires shop the other day and took a look at Beyern Spartans:





I liked the Spartans out of the box, but not much when placed in front of the car (looks 'too busy' I think). It nevertheless shows that 19"s make the F30 look nicer/more agressive.

So, here's where I currently stand:

Replica's: there are amazingly good looking replica's (M4, M5 etc) available at very low price, but I would be scared of seeing them breaking down.
Here's what happened to me with aftermarket wheels at the track last year. These were not even cheap eBay replicas but 'rotary forged' aftermarket wheels:



OEM or BBS: I definitely care about the robustness of the rims and would feel comfortable with either OEM or BBS wheels. Nevertheless, going from 400M + Bridgestone Potenza S001 to 19" 403M or BBS CHR with the same type of tires would increase the total weight of the wheel set (213 lbs -> 222 lbs). Not a huge difference but still not pointing in the direction of better performance.
From a similar perspective, staying with the 400M and getting a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport would reduce the weight of the set from 213 lbs to 198 lbs and most likely improve the grip, precision, road feel, smoothness etc.

High end forged wheels: HRE's & Co are always tempting and can combine quality, weight and robustness but this would get me into a completely different $$ territory.

Conclusion:

I like cool looking rims, but function still matters more than form and I try to be mindful of the improvement (performance or aesthetics) per $ I spend. Based on the above, the best bang for the buck, if I want to do something with my wheels, is to get a nice set of Michelin PSS. I'll stay on the run flats for the winter (lower temperatures and not a lot of spirited driving anyhow) and get the PSS's in March.

Not very exciting, I know, I must be getting old.

Edit: In my continued quest for answering the question "what-is-the-best-option-between-18-and-19"-wheels-?", I went back and had a look at what was the OEM standard size on my E46 M3 and what came standard on the E92 M3.
The answer is: the E46 had the exact same wheel+tire configuration as what I have with the 400Ms on the F30 and the E92 also came with 18" that were slightly wider but where the sidewall was almost the same(a few mm lower at the front, a few mm higher at the rear).
If 18" were good enough for M3's -and my E46 was doing just fine on 18's-, I can not justify swapping my 400Ms based on any significant performance criteria. But I can't wait to get better tires...

I'll stop wasting the forum members time with my wheels considerations and move on to another topic...

[ATLBlue]

Estoril Blue F30 and Imola Red E46 Photoshoot

One of my sons who is in college is driving a 2003 E46 330i ZHP (close to 200,000 miles on the odometer ) and looking at the spec sheets, the similarities between the former ZHP and the current M Sport versions are striking. Both cars have:
-Sport suspension
-Aerodynamics package
-High gloss shadowline
-Headlining anthracite
-M leather steering wheel
-Sport seats (electric w/memory)
-Xenon lights
-Hardman Kardon

The ZHP also came standard with the engine 'performance package', while it is an option on the M Sport.
Nothing new at all in any of this and it just shows consistency from a BMW product range management. I think it nevertheless highlights the fact that the E46 ZHP was already a very cool daily driver sport sedan for its time... and is still a blast to drive (great road feel, great MT).
The original wheels on the E46 have unfortunately been replaced by the previous owner.

Enough useless comments, here are a few pics we took of our car a few days ago. :

[ATLBlue]

Antoher cheap & easy mod: the painted key hole cover

Got it from iND. Quick shipment and good service as usual.







and, hem, more of a cheap and cheesy mod Not meant to stay, but for $20, it was tempting to give it a try.

[philiper1]

Love the car but one question, how would you unlock the car if the remote fails?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by philiper1

Love the car but one question, how would you unlock the car if the remote fails?

Thanks! Good question indeed.
The lock is hidden by the cover but is still there.
I would have to break the cover to access the lock ($44 loss in that case, not as bad as breaking the window ).

[philiper1]

Thanks for the reply, thought that might be the case

[BlkD12agon]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

Another major mod...

Still busy with the small stuff at this point and replaced the amber corner turn light bulbs with the OEM chrome version. $20 and 5 minutes well spent.

Before:



OEM chrome light bulbs (part# on the box if you are interested):



After:



I am not a hardcore LED fan and incandescent bulbs are still fine for this type of application, especially when it can be a simple swap with no resistor or error code to deal with.

Did you have to remove the bumper to get to the bulb?

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by BlkD12agon

Did you have to remove the bumper to get to the bulb?

No, it is really a 5 to 10 minutes job. No tool required.

Very simple explanations here: http://garagenotes.net/115/bmw/3-ser...rn-signal-bulb

[BlkD12agon]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

No, it is really a 5 to 10 minutes job. No tool required.

Very simple explanations here: http://garagenotes.net/115/bmw/3-ser...rn-signal-bulb

Hahaha you're the man.

[f30luxline]

The bulbs are a cinch. I actually did mine early this evening with the chrome bulbs. The look is much cleaner then the amber bulb and would like to get them coded off as you did.

I like the keyhole covers. The BMW door light logo's are kinda cool and cheesy and the same time Did you put the lights on all four doors? Can you provide the links for both? Thanks!

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by f30luxline

The bulbs are a cinch. I actually did mine early this evening with the chrome bulbs. The look is much cleaner then the amber bulb and would like to get them coded off as you did.

I like the keyhole covers. The BMW door light logo's are kinda cool and cheesy and the same time Did you put the lights on all four doors? Can you provide the links for both? Thanks!

I think the door light logo's were from here: 2x-LED-door-step-courtesy-laser-projector-Shadow-light-lamp-Logo-for-BMW. They require an adapter: the light has a 2 pin connector and the F30 wiring a 4 pin female connector (only 2 used). I only realized this after the lights were delivered, but I just used a small cable with a 2 pin male/female connector that you would use in a PC. I had ordered a pair of lights with the ///M logo and received 2 shipments of BMW logo's (4 for the price of 2... but not the right ones)??? Did not mind or care, it is more for the fun of it.

The key hole covers came from iND: http://ind-distribution.com/ind/cate...key-hole-cover

Have fun!

[ATLBlue]

Resolution of the infamous 2,500 rpm rattle

I have occasionally noticed (more and more frequently as I pay attention to it...) some kind of engine rattle noise between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm. It sounded similar to this, but less loud:

It turns out that the issue is very well documented -thanks a lot Bimmerpost- and that vibrations come from the A/C low-pressure hose and are resonating into the heating and air conditioning system :http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=949816

Based on Technical Service Bulletin – SIB 64 01 14, the fix consists in a simple mass weight kit that is clamped to the hose. I wanted to make sure it was the same problem I had and improvised my own mass weight kit with a grab hook and a few zip ties. With a bit of weight added to the hose the engine bay was totally rattle free.



I went to the dealership that, surprisingly enough, was unaware of the issue and of the TSB . They looked up the TSB and immediately ordered the parts. They arrived 2 days later and the install was completed in less than 30 minutes. My N55 is now buttery smooth.

[ATLBlue]

Cellphone mount & holder

I have used Proclip USA mounts and holders in my previous vehicles but have not found a satisfactory solution from them for the F30.

I initially went for a cup holder system. It was not too obtrusive, but stood way out of the normal vision field for taking, for instance, a glance at Waze. My hand would also occasionally hit the mount while switching into reverse:







After exploring alternatives, I went for something more minimalist this week end with the Kenu Airframe holder. I was afraid it would not hold the phone firmly enough but it is not the case and you can easily lock or unlock the phone and launch an app. As far as the wiring is concerned, I ran a Lightning cable behind the console. It may not be the nicest option when the phone is not connected, but I find it otherwise OK.

[TWMPerformance]

Great looking car and mods are very tasteful.

Renato
Team TWM Performance

[ATLBlue]

Thanks for the nice words.
I am taking this project one (small) step at the time

I spent a bit more time coding this week and took care of the usual suspects:

-Disable amber corner lights



-Show individual tire pressures and temperatures in TPMS display screen



-Automatically unlock the doors when the engine is turned off
-Disable iDrive disclaimer on start-up
-Enable video in motion
-Enable ability to fold and unfold mirrors with Comfort Access (keeping a finger for 3s on the door handle folds the rear view mirrors)

...and a two others that will be more questionable for those who think that all things "M" should be reserved to actual M-cars.
I personally do not mind as 1) I own an M3 -even if it is an old E46- and 2) It is BMW's own practice to now extensively use the M logo (I counted 13 on my car)

-Change the instrument cluster logo to M Performance



-and, utmost sacrilege, change iDrive start-up splash screen to the “M” animation

[la02max]

I did all the exact same codes, except i also added the "panic" brake lights that blink when you brake aggressively, and I turned off the foglight cornering lights that turn on when you steer at night (which you don't have).

One question, though: When I went to code the m performance screen, the options were not the same as they had in all the coding sections I've seen on the forums. I'm guessing it's because mine is a 2015, but instead of having the "mpm" option, it had an "m_performance" option....but that option says "m550i" Lol. Did you have any difficulty with this?

[M-terkait]

Originally Posted by ATLBlue

Resolution of the infamous 2,500 rpm rattle


I went to the dealership that, surprisingly enough, was unaware of the issue and of the TSB . They looked up the TSB and immediately ordered the parts. They arrived 2 days later and the install was completed in less than 30 minutes. My N55 is now buttery smooth.

what does TSB stand for?

[M3AWD]

great thread ATLBlue and very tasteful mods! I look forward to our meet up next month

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by la02max

I did all the exact same codes, except i also added the "panic" brake lights that blink when you brake aggressively, and I turned off the foglight cornering lights that turn on when you steer at night (which you don't have).

One question, though: When I went to code the m performance screen, the options were not the same as they had in all the coding sections I've seen on the forums. I'm guessing it's because mine is a 2015, but instead of having the "mpm" option, it had an "m_performance" option....but that option says "m550i" Lol. Did you have any difficulty with this?

I'll check the "panic" brake lights option, I do not know its current status on my car.

Regarding the "m_performance" logo, the coding cheatsheet I have used, and attached to this post, says that indeed it appears as "550D" on recent models, so the "m550i" you saw may make sense too. No problem to make it work in my case, but being a 2014, I think it showed "mpm". I'll check the next time I code.

[ATLBlue]

Originally Posted by M-SP0RT

great thread ATLBlue and very tasteful mods! I look forward to our meet up next month

Thanks, and having made progress with coding, I'd be happy to help our little community with this too