Cement

Got the new plate on and the extinguisher mounted up 👍

Spied this one near my work, pretty rad looking 👀

So I was pretty close to embarking on a supercharging project but (for once) decided to be somewhat sensible and avoid the cost and extended period of breaking then upgrading things. Instead will use what budget I had stashed away to round out what I have, and to enjoy it while also being able to focus on some other things in life. But do not fear dearest gentle reader, got some new treats organised already Ordered a fire extinguisher bracket from Kap Industries over the ditch: https://kap.industries/products/bmw-e46-fire-extinguisher-bracket Will get a 1.5kg dry powder extinguisher locally for this Ordered a paint chip fix kit from Dr Color Chip Finally pulled the trigger on the plate I've been thinking of for a while [ THE337 ] Have an entry level race suit on the way so I can go and do some track days at Hampton Downs Got a long wish list of other things as well ... will be like a mid winter Christmas !!

Thanks for the feedback @Smackiee, definitely not expecting it to be a respray alternative but just to hide the few hundred worst chips on the front Will give it a go !!

Looking to try and tidy up my many stone chips and came across this solution: https://drcolorchip.co.nz/ Has anybody had experience with it ? Certainly looks like magic in the videos, but then again many things do.

Only thing fresher than the look is the advert description 🤣

Damn thats hot !! Very cool. How will you bring them all to a meet now ? Best get a semi

I've gone to Scott Tristram at Fraser Cars but he is in Beach Haven so you'd have to be pretty motivated to drive there. I have found him to be quite 'fair' in summary ... exercised a common sense approach to my use of integrated trans mount and drive shaft loop. Was picky about my wheel bolt engagement being a half or quarter turn short on engagement. My brother is about to cert his mini so keen to hear of your experience 👍 He has spoken to Dave Page already and said he did not have much in the way of 'bed side manner' 🤷‍♂️

That's nice pulsed MIG welding on the jungle gym by the looks, pretty rad !!

I coincidentally watched that one recently, can't recall how they were doing the gear detection. What I am doing in the E46 is calculating the gear based on speed / rpm which will get most of the functionality without physical switches / detection. Unsure on other models but the ABS unit broadcasts all wheel speed signals over CAN so you can sniff from there. Will also take a feed from the clutch switch and trans neutral switch 👍

Missed the original posting of this project, some nice work going in there 👍 Looking forward to seeing more progress on it. I've done some work with the CAN integration side of things on my E46 project, sounds like you already have a solution in mind but let me know or take a look at my thread if I can be of any help. There are bits and pieces scattered about my thread, bit of a starting point here: https://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/64728-blue-chunder-e46-318ci-vq37vhr-swap-other-stuff/page/6/ and Arduino code here if thats where you're heading https://github.com/david-morton/BMW_E46_Gauge_Cluster_Control ... hopefully it's a bit easier sticking with the BMW ecosystem.

Nice one thanks Ray, my brother will no doubt be in touch

That would be great thanks @Cammsport, not sure what he will do with the car yet but appreciate it.

I've got them on full soft and they're probably little firmer than the OEM M-Sport setup I think ... still street friendly enough for Auckland roads and no doubt really come alive out of the city. I see MCA have got the Pro Street model on their website now which they said was just about to drop. Would offer a better range of comfort (actually adjusting out of the full soft I am on) but is not designed for as much drop. The level I am at would likely be maximum low on the Pro Street's. Car certainly feels sharper with them installed ... can't really say more than that until the new sway bar end links arrive and i can reconnect that 😆

Got the new coilovers installed without reaching the 3 month mark of looking at them in their box !! Will need new front sway bar end links but otherwise went very smoothly. Still have a little more lowering available if I want, but drives very nicely as it is.

No diesel fiends out there ?

Finally installed the new coilovers which have been sitting in a box for a few months !! Very happy with them Can still go a little lower than it's currently set to. MCA Pro Sport's if anybody is interested.

Posting on behalf of my brother who has a 120d with the N47. It has developed a pretty audible knock, which sounds like it's some kind of fatal bottom end issue ☠️ When taking a look at it we noticed what looks to be a mixture of oil and water sitting in the valve cover ... does not smell like diesel, not coloured like coolant. Didn't even smell particularly like oil to me to be honest. Pretty curious as to why it would have pooled so much there, where it may have come from and if there i any relation to the rather prominent big end knock sounds !? PS: Anybody have a N47 long block in good condition ?

Thats rad, I'm betting you've got the label printer and made little bin locations in the garage / under the sink / above those extra pillows in the hall cupboard nobody is sure about etc 🤣

I have no idea what is happening here, but I think i like it

Cheers have asked for a shipping price from them 👍

*snicker snicker* 🤣 Looks pretty awesome, keen to hear how it goes as I would like to add some additional piece of mind to mine at some stage also. Care to advise what the damage of product and freight was ? Does not look super freight friendly 😬

No progress on the coilover install and in general lately as I've been doing a bit of renovation work at home ... and consequently the garage is also chocka full of junk. Should be all done with the renno's in a few weeks 🤞 I have been planning out a full revamp of all the bespoke electronics so it's all really tidy and ultra serviceable. Will basically make an easily removable 'module' which will house all of the components under behind the glove box: Arduino Mega in screw terminal breakout (CAN interfaces, fan control, data transmit for custom display etc) Arduino Mega in screw terminal breakout (future project not committed to yet) Arduino Nano (steering wheel audio controls) Orange Pi (drives 7.9" display via HDMI ) Smart power board (will trigger Orange Pi to shutdown gracefully on ign off) Power distribution for 5V (sensors), 8V (Arduinos) and 12V power Nice plugs for interfacing with the car wiring so I can remove the whole module easily Might look at some sort of HDMI switching so I can display front / rear cameras on the screen On the way through I'll get the touch functionality working on my screen so I can flip between different data displays or something fun.

I wonder if BMW New Zealand would see an opportunity here to pick up the hosting cost (sponsorship) and provide an easy mechanism plus sharp pricing on parts for members ? When asked I got some not shocking prices out of them and was easy enough to deal with. I think they are missing an opportunity in the parts space. Plenty of nerds here that could do the admin / infra management. 🤔

That is potentially the worst looking vehicle I've laid eyes upon.