[USC_MTBR]

Started a new job so that means more car parts

Grabbed the CTS intake while it was on sale. It sounds amazing and was easy to put in. Ended up getting the plastic cover put on that is missing in this picture above the filter. I also meant to get more pictures but I threw this on during my lunch break and forgot

The last "performance" parts I'd get would be the turbo inlet pipe and a metal intake manifold. Then ALL plastic parts from intake to exhaust will be metal, but I'm not in any rush to get those. Especially the intake manifold since that's pricy, and I'm not planning on going port injection.

Up next is cosmetics. First being getting my front bumper repainted. The road trip I took out to Texas did a number on it, and it's littered with rock chips.

[BMWApp]

Originally Posted by USC_MTBR

Started a new job so that means more car parts

Grabbed the CTS intake while it was on sale. It sounds amazing and was easy to put in. Ended up getting the plastic cover put on that is missing in this picture above the filter. I also meant to get more pictures but I threw this on during my lunch break and forgot

The last "performance" parts I'd get would be the turbo inlet pipe and a metal intake manifold. Then ALL plastic parts from intake to exhaust will be metal, but I'm not in any rush to get those. Especially the intake manifold since that's pricy, and I'm not planning on going port injection.

Up next is cosmetics. First being getting my front bumper repainted. The road trip I took out to Texas did a number on it, and it's littered with rock chips.

Same for me! I also got a new job which led me to buy the FTP turbo inlet pipe and Active Autowerke high flow catted downpipe. I'm scheduled to get them installed on the 28th and can't wait! I've been wanting to add these for a while and got a good discount on them so I jumped on it. Keep us updated. I'm enjoying following another 435 build especially here in Charlotte.

[USC_MTBR]

Originally Posted by BMWApp

Same for me! I also got a new job which led me to buy the FTP turbo inlet pipe and Active Autowerke high flow catted downpipe. I'm scheduled to get them installed on the 28th and can't wait! I've been wanting to add these for a while and got a good discount on them so I jumped on it. Keep us updated. I'm enjoying following another 435 build especially here in Charlotte.

Nice! I'll probably pick up the turbo inlet pipe once I get the itch to upgrade/work on it again

Do you have a shop in Charlotte that you'd recommend?

Did a transmission fluid change this weekend. Look at that tasty car Carmel

There was more material on the magnets in the original tray than I was expecting, but after looking at some other pictures on this forums it was inline with them. The trans is shifting really smooth now and haven't had any issues. I wouldn't rely on BM3 to monitor the trans temperature. It says "modeled" on the graphs and take that seriously. Mine didn't update so I thought it was hanging around 63 degrees when it was not. Only got burned on the muffler twice tho so not that bad.

I'll be heading back out to Texas for Thanksgiving so that'll be the real test. I'm going to try and drive all of the Twisted Sisters this time instead of just one leg.

[BMWApp]

Originally Posted by USC_MTBR

Nice! I'll probably pick up the turbo inlet pipe once I get the itch to upgrade/work on it again

Do you have a shop in Charlotte that you'd recommend?

Did a transmission fluid change this weekend. Look at that tasty car Carmel

There was more material on the magnets in the original tray than I was expecting, but after looking at some other pictures on this forums it was inline with them. The trans is shifting really smooth now and haven't had any issues. I wouldn't rely on BM3 to monitor the trans temperature. It says "modeled" on the graphs and take that seriously. Mine didn't update so I thought it was hanging around 63 degrees when it was not. Only got burned on the muffler twice tho so not that bad.

I'll be heading back out to Texas for Thanksgiving so that'll be the real test. I'm going to try and drive all of the Twisted Sisters this time instead of just one leg.

I get my work done at EuroMpire in the Indian Trail/Monroe area. They are really good, very well priced and dependable. I highly recommend them.

[USC_MTBR]

Forgot I ordered this a few weeks ago, but it showed up this weekend The original cowl was starting to dry rot and crack. Most people wouldn't notice this but it's the small details and I know y'all would. It was really easy to do and highly recommend swapping it out if yours is showing its age. Only took about 30 minutes and that's with cleaning and waiting for some penetrating oil to loosen up the windshield wipers.

Part: 51-71-7-285-920







Next mod/repair will be some ceramic coating as I picked it up in a youtuber promo then probably BC racing coil overs. Not looking to lower the car much but my OEM shocks are getting worn. Open to suggestions. Something in the $1k range for a full set. I'm not tracking the car and can't justify KW V3's.

[trickytomson]

Your car looks good, hope to see more progress!

[USC_MTBR]

It's been a minute but got some updates

VAC Monoball upper and lower control arms are in. 10/10 I wish I had done this earlier. The driving feel is worlds better, and reminds me more of my e92. There isn't the numbness in steering feel like OEM. To be fair mine were worn out and had 85k miles on them. If you're thinking about going for the VAC control arms I highly recommend them. I haven't noticed any additional noise or anything that get brought up in other threads about going with monoball bushings, but these are my first and only experience with "performance" control arms and I'm not a suspension guru.



This was the most "Difficult" bolt to get to, but then I realized the power steering power cables can be unclipped and slightly moved. Once I did that there was enough room to get my wrench in there. Overall these were stupid easy to install.


I had tagged VAC in my post on Instagram and got a cool little shout out. It was neat seeing my dirty work sneakers on their page


My front driver sway bar link is now making a clunking sound. Which I expected after changing the control arms, and have replacements on the way. Hopefully they come in this Friday so I can throw them in when putting in the Bilstein B16's!



I'll post before/after picks after the coils are installed. Not looking to have it slammed, but instead tastefully lowered OEM+ look.

I also have the gaskets and orings for the oil filter housing and lines that I'm hoping to get knocked out as soon as I have the time and the weather permits. Car's still going strong at 85k miles and have been on BM3's stage 2 tune for the last 20k miles.

[USC_MTBR]

(Under the shop towels were a bunch of microfiber towels)

The weather was nice and I found some time to take care of the Oil filter housing gasket. Well 1/2 of it at least. I believe the main culprit to the slow leak was from the driver side oil line that comes from the cooler. There was a pretty obvious oil trail coming from the o ring, so I go both of those replaced. Which means I should also get a bigger oil cooler

I didn't fully take the housing off tho. I noticed the Gold sensor(?) to the left of the oil filter cap was leaking. I'm thinking that's an oil pressure sensor, but need to do more research. From what I could tell the gasket for the thermostat wasn't that bad. It cam out in 1 piece and still had some flex to it. Which also makes me think this was done before, but the oil cooler line o rings weren't replaced, maybe? I'm still gonna do the housing gasket, but will wait until I have a replacement sensor to knock it all out at once. I might get another set of o rings for the oil lines and gasket for the thermostat since they aren't that expensive, and I'd rather have the piece of mind. Just glad the weathers turning so I can wrench on the car again

[USC_MTBR]

Got the Bilstein B16's installed, along with some new sway bar links. All I can say is wow. They are impressive, and worth the cost. I was worried it wouldn't be worth the hefty price tag, but I'm more than pleased. The car is planted and can handle way more than my driving skill. I had them set to 5 in the front and 4 in the rear. I read that on someones post here and started with that. I ended up changing the front to 3, but that felt too soft so I put it up to 4. 4 front and rear feels like a good mix of stiff, but not too stiff to where people wouldn't want to ride in the car. Having the option to make it more soft, for long road trips, makes these a no brainier. Bilstein just got themselves a life long customer. I haven't driven a car with KW's so I cant compare them.

This is almost maxed out on drop. There's about 1/8" to 1/4" left in the front to lower it more but the preload on the springs was getting light; while at full droop. I don't think it needs it as the wheels fill the wheel well pretty well now, and any lower lifting the car becomes a pain.




Yes, the front are toyo tires. The previous owner got these and they still have life in them. Once they need replaced I'll put some PS4's on so all 4 corners match. I have no complaints with these tires, and they've been really good. I just want them all to match.



The rear is a pain in the butt to adjust after having them installed. That's my only complaint with this whole kit. I wish the rear spring perches had more holes for the wrenches to hook into. We were getting like 1/8th a turn at most, with very limited room. I started them out pretty high just to be safe, and had to drop both sides about 1.5 inches which sucked, but it's a one time thing so it's not that bad after it's done. I might raise the rear 1/4" to make the front and rear match perfectly, but that's just a visual thing.

Installing them was easy, granted my car was never in the rust belt so that helped. From start to finish it took about 7ish hours, but I was at a buddies and we weren't trying to be quick. Tools wise it's the standard stuff you need for a BMW with the addition of a pass through socket set. (I already had an extend Allen Key kit, and External Torx set) I picked up the harbor freight Go-thru socket set for $25. It's 100% worth picking up for the sway bar links and top hat in itself. Are they good quality? No, the extension's little ball bearing already fell out. They'll get the job done, and the whole kit is the same price as a single specialty pass through socket. If you're thinking of doing any suspension work, or any work on the car that requires a pass through socket set get the Harbor Freight Go-Thru Socket Set. If you're a professional, why are you reading this you should already have better.

Here's my alignment numbers after everything "settled". I don't think the springs need to settle in. I installed these a week ago and the height hasn't changed. I did go back and make sure everything was tight after some spirited "test driving." Overall the alignment was pretty set in and not bad at all. Pretty much paid to have the peace of mind that I'm not tearing through my tires tread. I don't have camber plates, as this set uses the stock top hats.



Little bonus is the mechanic said the AWE exhaust sounds good