What have you done to your car today?

[Ed Doe]

Looks great Ed, and pretty clean despite you suggesting otherwise

Thanks dude, just reread the top of the page and saw your update too - I had a similar situation about 2 years ago, replaced with bosch coils too, the car definitely felt a chunk livlier as well!

Yours looks very good too - when's the next trackday?! I've got an evening slot at donny booked for next Monday, and then a ring trip in may with mates. Can't wait

[1536Z4]

They're Bosch coil packs that match the OEM specifications

[1536Z4]

Fitted supersprint x-pipe and rear cans,

Are you happy with them ? .Looking good to me

[True-Blue]

Rear shocks on the Mrs E89, actually prefer doing these to the E85 now I’ve worked out how to access the top mounts without removing nearly all the boot trim.

For anyone who doesn’t read the E89 section, this is why you should budget for suspension refresh when buying an E85/86/89 if it hasn’t been done already…

Totally shot after 62k despite looking decent enough and not leaking, no damping at all…pushed the pistons in with almost zero effort and they’ve still not moved hours later.. car feels transformed even with just the rears done. Fronts when I have a bit more time

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[Big Andra]

Got a bit carried away with the cleaning today and decided to remove the wheels too.

Before

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After

20240421_174311.jpg (135.63 KiB) Viewed 318 times

[jenniferlouise]

Rear shocks on the Mrs E89, actually prefer doing these to the E85 now I’ve worked out how to access the top mounts without removing nearly all the boot trim.

What did you replace them with? OE or something else? I’ve done rear springs on our E89 but not dampers…

[True-Blue]

Rear shocks on the Mrs E89, actually prefer doing these to the E85 now I’ve worked out how to access the top mounts without removing nearly all the boot trim.

What did you replace them with? OE or something else? I’ve done rear springs on our E89 but not dampers…

Bilstein B4 (O.E. Equivalent), Sachs weren’t available at the time I was ordering from autodoc but are back in stock now

[steve69]

Soundproofed the driver side door and installed a oem midrange speaker.

Greased the steering column gear rod with the teeth at the bottom today (the one with the rubber sleeve) did driver and farside. Managed to reuse those clips but in future I'll buy a crimping tool for them I think. Had steering with a lot of resistance and a bit of a squeak and a creak so I've been trying to sort that out. Silicon sprayed the UJ's also, squeak has gone but I still have the 'creak'

Switched out the halogens for LED's, now just need to code out the dash error.

Any suggestions on the steering, it's like a rubber creaking as if rubber was rubbing tightly on metal kind of noise?

Also ID'd a coolant leak, coming from the rad, Martin's kindly reimbursed me the price of the radiator and labour! What a gent, well worth buying from him definately.

Freya's a fighter, she's giving me a bit of trouble but with some love she'll turn out alright

[BMWZ4MC]

Looks great Ed, and pretty clean despite you suggesting otherwise

Thanks dude, just reread the top of the page and saw your update too - I had a similar situation about 2 years ago, replaced with bosch coils too, the car definitely felt a chunk livlier as well!

Yours looks very good too - when's the next trackday?! I've got an evening slot at donny booked for next Monday, and then a ring trip in may with mates. Can't wait

Both will be great fun. I’ve still not made it to the ring, but I’d love to drive it one day.
No track days for me for the foreseeable future - work is busy and two kids of one and three and a half years keep me busy at home too.
Hopefully, towards the end of the year I’ll have more time. For now, I’m taking the scenic route home as often as possible

[x-driver]

Greased the steering column gear rod with the teeth at the bottom today (the one with the rubber sleeve) did driver and farside. Managed to reuse those clips but in future I'll buy a crimping tool for them I think. Had steering with a lot of resistance and a bit of a squeak and a creak so I've been trying to sort that out. Silicon sprayed the UJ's also, squeak has gone but I still have the 'creak'

Any suggestions on the steering, it's like a rubber creaking as if rubber was rubbing tightly on metal kind of noise?

Google search for "sticky steering ring fix". There is some adjustment ring on the servo motor just under the steering wheel in the dashboard. Moving it for 5-10mm is said to fix the sticky steering problem, might fix the creak as well.

[Reamesy]

Soundproofed the driver side door and installed an oem midrange speaker.

That foam backed sound insulation will hold water and rot your door. The door has drain holes as water will get in the top. The plastic membrane you removed is normally a common failure allowing water to get into the cabin area.

A foil backed deadening would achieve the result your are after and make sure you fully seal the membrane when you reinstall it.

As for your creak. Check the wishbone rear and front mounts. Get someone to turn the steering wheel as you put your hand on them. Usually feel them creek. You will need the weight of the car on the ground so it will be tight unless you have a lift.

[Ed Doe]

Are you happy with them ? .Looking good to me

I've honestly not driven the car besides nosing it about on the drive - I didn't have time considering I wanted to try and polish it afterwards. Ran out of time for that too but heyho, always next weekend!

Both will be great fun. I’ve still not made it to the ring, but I’d love to drive it one day.
No track days for me for the foreseeable future - work is busy and two kids of one and three and a half years keep me busy at home too.
Hopefully, towards the end of the year I’ll have more time. For now, I’m taking the scenic route home as often as possible

If you do get a 'ring date in the diary let me know - if I can manage to get out there too I certainly will

Yeah my son is 3 1/2 too now, and we've got a second child on the way (not sure if boy or girl yet - due October), so I'm getting the trackdays in this year, as I'm pretty sure I'll be limited to taking the scenic route home too next year!

[steve69]

Soundproofed the driver side door and installed an oem midrange speaker.

That foam backed sound insulation will hold water and rot your door. The door has drain holes as water will get in the top. The plastic membrane you removed is normally a common failure allowing water to get into the cabin area.

A foil backed deadening would achieve the result your are after and make sure you fully seal the membrane when you reinstall it.

As for your creak. Check the wishbone rear and front mounts. Get someone to turn the steering wheel as you put your hand on them. Usually feel them creek. You will need the weight of the car on the ground so it will be tight unless you have a lift.

Hadn't thought about water in the doorframe.

Behind the layer of eggshell foam is rubber and closed cell foam (won't absorb moisture) I've replaced the butyl and plastic/foamlike membrane, but that's not going to stop the eggshell sucking up water that runs through the window seal like a sponge

Foil, closed cell foam and rubber are great at impact sound and vibration-noise deadening but they don't dissipate airborne sound waves as well, was just being super precise, the eggshell foam was to help with reverb and improve the sound quality both inside the cabin and from the midrange speaker.. Can't believe I didn't think moisture absorption didn't dross my mind

Still one good thing is I'll rust protect the inside of the door when I rip it out, and will do the same when I soundproof the passenger side

Thanks for the tip on the wishbones, I have a ramp that'll hopefully help me get some lift, don't fancy the squeeze, I'm not even sure my arms are long enough!

[Fred Smith]

Well, my first job of the day was check N/S headlight for newly formed condensation and to try to work out why it stopped working yesterday after I dried it out.

No condensation, but given the time of year and weather I'm not taking much comfort yet. The headlight and side light weren't working when I re-installed yesterday, this morning the headlight was back working for some reason, and a bit of tightening of the side light bulb and I seem to have it all back to 100%. Fingers crossed.

[Fred Smith]

Second job of the day I used heavy machinery (marginal exaggeration) to get the fog light bulbs removed from the front fog lights. With the help of a toothbrush I've removed a pile of reflective metal flakes and corroded metal about the size of a tennis ball from inside the two fog lights. Debating whether to keep poking and prodding to get as much out as possible or whether just blast the inside with a jetwash and then dry it out. I want to do a proper job but slightly concerned about not being able to dry them properly (not that they are completely dry right now.)