der Mumienwagen; E91 330i Touring
Discussion
Looks great, my OT had a 123D a few years ago with exactly the same colour combo and I loved it - the dye on the seats had begun to go though.
Out of interest, where did you buy the steering wheel trim from? Mines slightly tatty in a similar aged 6 series and I'd like to do something about it.
Out of interest, where did you buy the steering wheel trim from? Mines slightly tatty in a similar aged 6 series and I'd like to do something about it.
CornedBeef said:
Looks great, my OT had a 123D a few years ago with exactly the same colour combo and I loved it - the dye on the seats had begun to go though.
Out of interest, where did you buy the steering wheel trim from? Mines slightly tatty in a similar aged 6 series and I'd like to do something about it.
Direct from BMW. My local dealer were cheaper than eBay etc. Out of interest, where did you buy the steering wheel trim from? Mines slightly tatty in a similar aged 6 series and I'd like to do something about it.
Court_S said:
Gad-Westy said:
The car is looking great after your TLC. So satisfying to do this kind of work on slightly neglected car.
You obviously know your way around these so I'll be watching this thread for top tips. On your list above, can you expand on what the shift indicator does? Why turn headlight washers off and what is comfort key eject?
I saw that you were replacing the ash tray with a tray. I thought about doing this too but I spotted that Induktiv sell an wirelss charger tray. It's quite pricy after shipping and import tax at about £150 but I'm still tempted. Is that something you considered? I just want to check I'm not going to spend £150 on some garabage!
My centre console phone holder needs to go as well!
Think you mentioned Philips LED bulbs on this thread or another thread somewhere. Can I ask which model you use and whether there are any install intricacies? Does cover etc still fit?
No worries. You obviously know your way around these so I'll be watching this thread for top tips. On your list above, can you expand on what the shift indicator does? Why turn headlight washers off and what is comfort key eject?
I saw that you were replacing the ash tray with a tray. I thought about doing this too but I spotted that Induktiv sell an wirelss charger tray. It's quite pricy after shipping and import tax at about £150 but I'm still tempted. Is that something you considered? I just want to check I'm not going to spend £150 on some garabage!
My centre console phone holder needs to go as well!
Think you mentioned Philips LED bulbs on this thread or another thread somewhere. Can I ask which model you use and whether there are any install intricacies? Does cover etc still fit?
The shift indicator is just there to remind you to change gear; my other half seems allergic to sixth!
The comfort eject means that when you turn the engine off, you push the start / stop button for a few seconds longer and it’ll spit the key out in one. Rather than turning the car off and then pushing the key to eject.
I’m a detailing nerd to I hate the streaks from dried washer fluid that I ends up all of the bonnet when the lights are cleaned.
I’ve seen the wireless charging pads; I’m just too tight. The cubby is more useful so I’m happy with that. I think they’re £13 from BMW (at least my last one once).
These are the bulbs that I fitted:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/philips-ultinon...
You need an canbus adapter too. They’re not the easiest to fit because of the heat sink; it’s easier to take the bumper off and removed the headlights for better access to the clips that hold the bulbs in.
CJM36 said:
Must be an E91 thing, noticed this on the 330D also.
There’s an LCI Bootlid in silver near me and I’m sorely tempted.
They do look better, I’m just guessing that it’s a bit of a ball ache to do. In the short term, I’ll try treating the corrosion with some rust converter and go from there.There’s an LCI Bootlid in silver near me and I’m sorely tempted.
d_a_n1979 said:
Fantastic work sam; a fella after me own heart / OCD levels 
How's the engine for leaks etc & are you going to service the box?
Mate, it was grim under the seats, I was clearly lucky with the 130i and 335i because there really wasn’t much gunk hidden.How's the engine for leaks etc & are you going to service the box?
Hard to tell re oil leaks because the engine is filthy. The oil cooler could be weeping or it could just be oil that’s dripped from the filter. At sone point I’ll spend sone time tidying up the engine bay, it doesn’t smell of burning oil when it’s hot, but we’ll see.
Gearbox oil will be changed next month along with E46 M4 gearbox mounts and removing the CDV. I’ll replace the white shifter bush too and possibly fit the the Z3 shifter I bought for the 130i and never fitted. It’s supposed to shorten the throw a bit. I’ll change the diff oil, engine oil and pollen filter too.
W00DY said:
Fantastic looking car in those colours and on those wheels and I'm sure you'll only make it nicer.
If it were mineI'd have to get some wood trim instead of the slightly cold looking silver.
It’s on the list! The silver was often spec’d with lemon interior but it looks wrong. There’s a set of walnut trim on eBay that I have my eye on.If it were mineI'd have to get some wood trim instead of the slightly cold looking silver.
Phase two of the deep clean took place today.
First up was replacing the rear boot badge. I took it off last night thinking it works be a quick job, but at some point in the car’s life someone decided to bin off the grommets for the world’s biggest blob of Tiger Seal. Joy. This meant another trip to Sytner to pick some up.
New badge fitted very quickly.
I then started the chemical decontamination using Tax X then Bilt Hamber Korrosol. Lots of stuff for them to react with.
The car was then rinsed down, snowfoamed and washed again.
Once dry I attacked the paint with the clay bar which removed a lot of crap.
The paint is covered in swirls and light scratches.
Looking better after the first hit with the DA.
I taped up some of the big panels for some contrast shots. The polished bits still need work but I need a heavy cutting compound to improve it more, which I didn’t have to hand.
After polishing with a medium compound with a heavy pad and a finishing compound and pad, I applied a coat of Fusso Wax. Whilst that was flashing off, I got distracted and stuck a smilie on.
The rear spoiler looked s
te. Washing it had made the damage worse.
I’d attacked the spoiler I bought yesterday with the DA. It’s got a few deep scratches but is better than the old one, so it was time to pop that on. BMW very helpfully used three different fixings to secure the spoiler. wkers.
It took a few attempts to refit the damn thing, partly user error and partly because the push rivets for the new one were bigger than the old ones. Third time lucky and all that. It looks loads better than the old one. The final fit needs finessing a bit but I want to replace the cover for the electronics under the spoiler because it’s cracked. I’ll get the fit better then.
After pissing around with the spoiler, I topped the Fusso Coat with Kiwami Extreme, dressed the tyres and cleaned the glass. It looks pretty good for now but I reckon I can do better with the deeper swirls and scratches. Overcast conditions are more flattering for….this car is technically ginger because bright sunshine is not it’s friend!
I’ve booked the car in for a pair of Good Year Asymmetric 6’s to be fitted on Friday afternoon because the rears are rubbish.
I’ll hopefully get the headlights swapped over this weekend.
I’m taking it to Holyhead tomorrow, so that’ll be a good opportunity to get to know it better.
First up was replacing the rear boot badge. I took it off last night thinking it works be a quick job, but at some point in the car’s life someone decided to bin off the grommets for the world’s biggest blob of Tiger Seal. Joy. This meant another trip to Sytner to pick some up.
New badge fitted very quickly.
I then started the chemical decontamination using Tax X then Bilt Hamber Korrosol. Lots of stuff for them to react with.
The car was then rinsed down, snowfoamed and washed again.
Once dry I attacked the paint with the clay bar which removed a lot of crap.
The paint is covered in swirls and light scratches.
Looking better after the first hit with the DA.
I taped up some of the big panels for some contrast shots. The polished bits still need work but I need a heavy cutting compound to improve it more, which I didn’t have to hand.
After polishing with a medium compound with a heavy pad and a finishing compound and pad, I applied a coat of Fusso Wax. Whilst that was flashing off, I got distracted and stuck a smilie on.
The rear spoiler looked s
te. Washing it had made the damage worse.I’d attacked the spoiler I bought yesterday with the DA. It’s got a few deep scratches but is better than the old one, so it was time to pop that on. BMW very helpfully used three different fixings to secure the spoiler. w
kers.It took a few attempts to refit the damn thing, partly user error and partly because the push rivets for the new one were bigger than the old ones. Third time lucky and all that. It looks loads better than the old one. The final fit needs finessing a bit but I want to replace the cover for the electronics under the spoiler because it’s cracked. I’ll get the fit better then.
After pissing around with the spoiler, I topped the Fusso Coat with Kiwami Extreme, dressed the tyres and cleaned the glass. It looks pretty good for now but I reckon I can do better with the deeper swirls and scratches. Overcast conditions are more flattering for….this car is technically ginger because bright sunshine is not it’s friend!
I’ve booked the car in for a pair of Good Year Asymmetric 6’s to be fitted on Friday afternoon because the rears are rubbish.
I’ll hopefully get the headlights swapped over this weekend.
I’m taking it to Holyhead tomorrow, so that’ll be a good opportunity to get to know it better.
cerb4.5lee said:
As you know Sam I absolutely love LMB, and your contrasting shots there just prove to me why for definite! 
Brilliant stuff, and your car ownership threads never fail to deliver for sure I reckon.
Thanks Lee, it’s certainly getting there. Looking forward to getting the LCI headlights fitted this weekend with angel eyes. That’ll freshen the front end up nicely I reckon. Brilliant stuff, and your car ownership threads never fail to deliver for sure I reckon.
helix402 said:
Looking good. The colour is similar to the old E46 Topaz Blue. It was nightmare for swirl marks. It felt like you’d make swirls just by looking at it!
Thanks. LMB and Carbon Black are two of my favourite colours but they’re absolute sods for showing up every imperfection
This looks ok for a 17 year old car that’s covered 159k.
The car is looking fantastic in those pictures, it didn't take you long to sort it out! Once the dark lines are on it will be spot on.
I'll be interested to see how you get on with sorting out the lacquer peel on the bumper. I have a few nasty stone chips on my bonnet that have led to lacquer flaking, which I need to get sorted at some point. Mine has a BMW Individual paint colour and I wonder if the lacquer is softer or thinner as the paint on my previous E91 330i was spotless despite higher miles. Either that or it's another example of cost cutting on LCI models.
I'll be interested to see how you get on with sorting out the lacquer peel on the bumper. I have a few nasty stone chips on my bonnet that have led to lacquer flaking, which I need to get sorted at some point. Mine has a BMW Individual paint colour and I wonder if the lacquer is softer or thinner as the paint on my previous E91 330i was spotless despite higher miles. Either that or it's another example of cost cutting on LCI models.
helix402 said:
Looking good. The colour is similar to the old E46 Topaz Blue. It was nightmare for swirl marks. It felt like you’d make swirls just by looking at it!
I had a Topaz Blue E46 330Ci coupe and I thought that colour hid dirt very well! The greater problem (as with all E46s) was constantly chasing rust bubbles that kept appearing in various places, including one on the A-pillar Edited by pmorg4 on Wednesday 24th May 10:15
Court_S said:
helix402 said:
Looking good. The colour is similar to the old E46 Topaz Blue. It was nightmare for swirl marks. It felt like you’d make swirls just by looking at it!
Thanks. LMB and Carbon Black are two of my favourite colours but they’re absolute sods for showing up every imperfection
This looks ok for a 17 year old car that’s covered 159k.
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