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M3AN

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Posts posted by M3AN

  3. Posted · Edited by M3AN · Report reply

    I've not needed to do much with the car recently other than drive it, which I don't do all that much now anyway because I normally bus to work and back. Having said that I've had to spend some time on it recently, including today.

    A few weeks back I had a problem with the right front indicator, after faffing around for a while, which included removing the airbox and then the front bumper, it turned out to be the bulb holder so I sanded the contacts and bent them out a bit, did the trick but it's an unnecessarily complex task.

    Then, just the other day, my right front Xenon died, literally straight after the new WoF sticker went on (whew)! Long story short - the ballast flooded whilst it was waiting in the yard for it to be collected... how? Shitty BMW engineering. 😠

    If this hasn't already happened to your E8x then read on because it will happen eventually...

    I confirmed the HID light itself wasn't faulty by swapping it to the other side (terrible design, requires removing the entire airbox). I knew from prior research that the ballasts can flood, unfortunately this is a headlight removal exercise which requires removing the bumper (again, terrible design). With the bumper removed I pulled out the RHS headlight and it was sloshing with water... which had all drained to the housing that contains the (high voltage) HID ballast (terrible, terrible, dangerous design)...

    HID_Water_01.jpg

    I mean seriously BMW, do you not saturation test your vehicles? (No, they don't). The entire ballast was submerged.

    Pulled the ballast, filled it with a ton of RP7 and left it to dry whilst I removed the other headlight to check that. The LHS was dry as a bone which aligns with many internet anecdotes, it's typically a RHS problem.

    The permanent fix is simple, some 10mm drainage holes, I did both sides, as BMW should have done from the factory...

    HID_Drain_02.jpg

    Tested, reinstalled, and ~4 hours later fixed. What a faff caused by a bunch of poor design decisions.

    As I say above, if it hasn't happened it will if your car sees much water, including washing. I was lucky, my ballast was salvageable but many report they're not so fortunate so be warned.

    Edit: my car is very rarely parked in the rain, garaged at home, inside carpark if I drive to work, it normally only gets driven on the weekends. Auckland's summer of rain hasn't helped of course and the day it was at the mechanics was Tuesday just gone, so a little bit wet!

    • Like 1

  4. Posted · Report reply

    14 hours ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

    The bit that I have no experience of is the whole software / programming / configuring bit which is a concern, especially as I have zero experience of Android.

    It's plug and play really, no software knowledge required.

     

    14 hours ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

    I’ll do a bit more research and see what I can find as an alternative that may be easier. At the end of the day I think this unit would be overkill, 1) for me to get the most out of and 2) for what the wife wants (Bluetooth phonecalls and music streaming).

    Probably worth looking into installing a standard Bluetooth Professional unit from a later model, I understand you need to upgrade other components to make this work but it's been done successfully before.

    • Thanks 1

  5. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, E30 325i Rag-Top said:

    Hey @M3AN did you put one of those in your 130i? Looks pretty good, and wife is moaning about having all the infotainment in her car so could be cheaper than buying her a new car.

    Sounds like your impressed overall, what would be your longer version of the Review above?

    Yep, installed in the 130, here's my initial impression:

    And if you search that thread for "avin" you'll find a few more comments.

    Yes, I'm happy with it, completely modernises the interior because it's such a high quality/resolution display. The Bluetooth issues I originally had were solved when they swapped out the incorrect 2GB unit for the 4GB one. Had I picked a random one from Ali, although the same units, I might have had more trouble exchanging them, in my case I shipped back to the USA, not China (although both units were dispatched from China). I also needed some support exchanges via email and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and prompt that was. There's a hidden menu with lots of important settings (like LHD/RHD) so don't forget that... I wasn't aware until support told me and gave me the PIN for access.

    Some people mention that the screen is always in your field of vision... well, yes it is but like most things the human brain adapts and I don't "see" it now unless I'm looking at it. Radio Sport is gone now so I no longer use AM frequencies but it was weak with those. You can drop back to the car's built in CCC system any time and it also preserves stalk check control capabilities. You can continue to use the CCC dial to navigate both the legacy and new Android system.

    Having proper nav with offline maps and live traffic (if you hotspot from your phone) is gold. 

    Not much more to say that's not covered in the post in the other thread... go for the latest Android version with the most RAM you can afford and absolutely nothing lower than Android 10 and 4GB RAM. Get the mic and external speaker at the same time to install for Bluetooth calling etc so you save the hassle of pulling the thing out again. When installing use some thin anti-squeak adhesive tape for where the hard plastic surfaces contact each other (IMHO).

    I have an old Samsung NFC tile under the mat in the armrest storage (I swapped the 'phone ready' cassette for a blank storage cassette) which is where I put my phone, once placed on the tile the phone turns the hotspot on and once I've pulled out of the garage and lost the home wifi connection to the headunit it automatically switches over to the hotspot so I remain seamlessly connected for both data and calls.

    • Like 1
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  6. Posted · Report reply

    18 hours ago, NZ_InFerno said:

    Any screen/android system recommendations? To mount in place of the existing fold out screen. 

    I use one of these and really like it: https://avinusa.com/10-25-multimedia-navigation-system-for-bmw-1-series-e81-e82-e87-e88.html

    There are many clones on Ali if you want to save a few bucks. Just be sure to go Android 10+ with at least 4GB of RAM. Install is involved but not too complex but paying somebody to do it could get quite expensive, it's many hours of labour.

     

    • Like 1

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Here's what you need to do if you keep your e36 inners:

    SteeringTieRodCuts01.jpg 

    You can alternatively use e46 inners that already have the vents, you lose some lock doing this because they're slightly longer (although some manufacturers, I can't recall which, have them the same length). The amount of lock you lose is negligible. On the other had, the work above cost me like $20 which was less than I'd pay for e46 inners.    

    • Like 1

  10. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome Rachel.

    I've had success with these guys before: https://www.mrpositive.co.nz/automotive-batteries/

    But the best bet would be to establish the battery you need (type, capacity, size, CCA) and compare prices across a number of resellers. If the previous battery worked well, for a long time, then you can probably use that as a reference. Most places you call will be able to recommend a suitable battery. Note that unless the car has stop/start (e.g. engine stops automatically at traffic lights) you do not need an AGM battery (they're more expensive).

    This may help as a general guide: https://www.vehiclehistory.com/articles/bmw-battery-choosing-the-right-option

     

  12. Posted · Edited by M3AN · Report reply

    Hi Andy,

    Welcome and be sure to post some details of your new acquisition, perhaps here if you don't want to start a fresh thread.

    Most of us import many consumables if it's not urgent because prices here are normally pretty rank. FCPEuro is very reliable, that would be a good place to start, others will have more suggestions.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    Still got a standard definition rig in the man cave? Grab some sci-fi and action flicks before I put them on Trademe for pennies on the pound.

    $5 each individually, much less in bulk, and feel free to make a cheeky offer!

    • Star Wars Original Trilogy Boxset w/Bonus Disc
    • Star Wars Episodes II & III
    • Matrix Original Trilogy
    • Top Gun (Original)
    • Kill Bill Volume II
    • Predator
    • Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (Director's Edition)
    • Casino Royale
    • Blade

    movies_01_dvd.jpg

    I have literally 100's more DVD's so if you're seriously into that format let me know, it might be worth a discussion.

     

  20. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, Eagle said:

    You have to preventatively replace parts if you want to greatly reduce of chance of breaking down, otherwise its just luck on cars this old. The average owner (like the one you have linked above) doesn't want to do that because it cost a lot of money initially to do it properly.. 

    Whilst I agree with this statement it's also worth pointing out that, based on the recent work completed, the cooling system is the only glaring risk here IMO.

  21. Posted · Report reply

    11 hours ago, jon dee said:

    ...

    1) People who believe they are doing good can end up doing bad (the law of unintended consequences).

    ...

    That's absolutely true, but it doesn't fit the "law" of unintended consequence, that's a different thing.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    I'll ask the dumb question then, as the challenge of painting an installed cage has come up a few times recently, why not have the construction (welds etc) inspected with the cage out, paint the cage whilst it's out, install the cage, have the installation inspected, and then touch up any required spots?

    Or powder coat the whole thing out of the car?

     

    • Like 1

  25. Posted · Report reply

    15 hours ago, Funkyflynz said:

    Interesting that the plastic one seems to overlap….

     

    I don't think it should overlap but it's made of a pretty unsuitable material and easily deforms. Just make sure it's seated properly and it also has a little nub on it as an alignment guide... I don't think it really matters but check that this is also located properly.

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