Discussion
helix402 said:
How do you find the offset control arm bushes? I had a set but sold them in the end. Do you have an after wheel alignment print out? I see you had a Bosch oil filter at one point, I would recommend Mahle or Mann.
Will have to report back on the bushes, haven't had a chance to drive it yet. It's got a BMW oil filter at the moment, this probably means it is Mahle or Mann with a little propellor symbol on it.My tame ex BMW mechanic really enjoys working on the car. Especially when fitting the right injectors and not the ones I insisted were correct and turned out to be for a 323i. Running much better with the pink, 328 injectors, than the green ones.
He took some pics that show the BMW lines going in- wasn't keen on cunifer and reasoned that if treated, the BMW ones will last just fine. We'll see- reporting back in 2026.
New lines into the pump
IMG_4642New clips and whatnot
IMG_4639
IMG_4638
IMG_4637
IMG_4635Brown crusty matter at the edges of some metal
IMG_3099
IMG_3094All work conducted at McLaren, Woking
IMG_3086Need to get out and drive it again now. And, for the umpteenth time, address the dropping doorseal, such an effortless, cool, Alpina driving look, battling through the tentacles of your door seal as you try to get into your sports coupe. Doing wonders for my cool.
Embarrassing door deal misadventures once again averted with arboseal. Not a sea dwelling tree surgery mammal, but a very sticky black tape/gum that manages to hold the deal in place. At least for a year or so. Hopefully this application will see me through the summer (hot days are the worst for the door seal issue). It is amazing to me that this kind of problem occurs so frequently on these cars.
Correct, the door seals are £2-300 each! So far mine are ok with the arboseal but if shouldn't be necessary!
Anyhow, good news. Since the injectors were cleaned and refurbished the car starts much better- I used to turn the key and prime it for a second or two before engaging the starter, no need now, it just starts beautifully. Feels a little quicker, although that is all I can claim, and I have no idea of any effect on economy as I haven't driven far enough and I have been using the engine a little more energetically than before due to the improved responsiveness. I'll keep an eye on it. Shame not to have before and after dynos but at least I can get it to Vixpy now to see how a 150k mile Alpina shows up after a bit of love and care.
For now she's tucked up with an E34 (that's an old 5 series) touring for company. Not mine unfortunately.
Anyhow, good news. Since the injectors were cleaned and refurbished the car starts much better- I used to turn the key and prime it for a second or two before engaging the starter, no need now, it just starts beautifully. Feels a little quicker, although that is all I can claim, and I have no idea of any effect on economy as I haven't driven far enough and I have been using the engine a little more energetically than before due to the improved responsiveness. I'll keep an eye on it. Shame not to have before and after dynos but at least I can get it to Vixpy now to see how a 150k mile Alpina shows up after a bit of love and care.
For now she's tucked up with an E34 (that's an old 5 series) touring for company. Not mine unfortunately.
I love that this only shows up as a BMW 330 on the mot history check, and only shows up as an Alpina on the Mot status check:
Oh, and that an HPI check flags up as the registration plate was on a jag that was written off. No effect on the Alpina but it still shows on the HPI check!
Oh, and that an HPI check flags up as the registration plate was on a jag that was written off. No effect on the Alpina but it still shows on the HPI check!
Edited by Polynesian on Wednesday 24th August 15:04
macp said:
Great car !
I dont suppose it was Craig Pusey who sold you the car was it.If so nice guy who im sure used to have a lovely B9 coupe in Blue and was a professional photographer.
Still is a top bloke (who owes me money I dont suppose it was Craig Pusey who sold you the car was it.If so nice guy who im sure used to have a lovely B9 coupe in Blue and was a professional photographer.
) and still is a great photographer....and still owns an eclectic collection of 80's goodness.Here comes a sunny update for a sunny, hot, stinkingly sweaty day...
With my sunroof broken, having attempted to catch alight, I sourced a replacement sunroof cassette and today completed the job of removing and replacing. It's 30 degrees here today and I've been working in the sun. Nice!
Probably the hardest bit of the "remove" aspect was getting space behind the B pillar covers to remove the upper, seatbelt part of the B pillar. Later lost an expanding plastic wotsit down there, but as I've removed a number of insect bodies from behind the interior panels, I think we're equal.
Here's the interior as I took a deep breath ahead of tearing it all out
I'll skip over all the sweaty, annoying bits. There are guides online. Behind my headliner, which I assumed was just a standard Sport jobbie, was an Alpina sticker- wonder why? It was stuck over what looked to be a BMW sticker, a bit like how Alpina do their VIN numbers.
And here's the interior without it's under crackers, or, even, it's hat, or under hat. Not sure there's an automotive/ human comparison there. It's hot. I'm tired.
Here's the new sunroof cassette! This means I survived the solo removal of the knackered one. Tip: lie under it on the seats and use a foot to hold it up once most of the bolts are out, then you have your hands free to remove the last couple of bolts. Health and safety poster child here.
You may have seen this peeping into shot on my table. And indeed, it seems fitting that it's the Penguin Guide to Mid Life Crises, as who else would be unstable enough to take on such work on a day off?
Squint, if your eyes are failing you like mine, and you'll see the mass of toot collected in the innards of my cassette. No wonder it collapsed and started smoking- plastic/chocolate construction plus fluff, organic matter and 250g of unidentified stuff will do that.
And now I've got nearly all the interior back in. Some of it is even where it was before for. The A pillars are defeating me at the moment, dastardly units, with a cloth "skin" designed to roll off upon human touch. Not helpful for ramming them back into position.
I've also been painting with bilt hamber deox. Maybe E46's should have come with the deox already in the boot or instead of that first aid kit under the passenger seat.
I must say that for a fairly cack handed chap, it's been ok and rewarding to complete this job and get the old Alp weatherproof for the end of the year. The rain drains had worked perfectly and there was no issue with the old broken roof, bar it's unaerodynamic jib cut (it ended up poking up at the front in a most unBMW way). I'll close with a view of the offending article. These chocolate sunroofs have a motor without a cut out- so if the mechanism gets jammed it just whirrs away until it overheats, smokes, and for barbecue fans, catches fire. Be careful if you have one, and don't manually push the blind back if you are opening the roof as well.
With my sunroof broken, having attempted to catch alight, I sourced a replacement sunroof cassette and today completed the job of removing and replacing. It's 30 degrees here today and I've been working in the sun. Nice!
Probably the hardest bit of the "remove" aspect was getting space behind the B pillar covers to remove the upper, seatbelt part of the B pillar. Later lost an expanding plastic wotsit down there, but as I've removed a number of insect bodies from behind the interior panels, I think we're equal.
Here's the interior as I took a deep breath ahead of tearing it all out
I'll skip over all the sweaty, annoying bits. There are guides online. Behind my headliner, which I assumed was just a standard Sport jobbie, was an Alpina sticker- wonder why? It was stuck over what looked to be a BMW sticker, a bit like how Alpina do their VIN numbers.
And here's the interior without it's under crackers, or, even, it's hat, or under hat. Not sure there's an automotive/ human comparison there. It's hot. I'm tired.
Here's the new sunroof cassette! This means I survived the solo removal of the knackered one. Tip: lie under it on the seats and use a foot to hold it up once most of the bolts are out, then you have your hands free to remove the last couple of bolts. Health and safety poster child here.
You may have seen this peeping into shot on my table. And indeed, it seems fitting that it's the Penguin Guide to Mid Life Crises, as who else would be unstable enough to take on such work on a day off?
Squint, if your eyes are failing you like mine, and you'll see the mass of toot collected in the innards of my cassette. No wonder it collapsed and started smoking- plastic/chocolate construction plus fluff, organic matter and 250g of unidentified stuff will do that.
And now I've got nearly all the interior back in. Some of it is even where it was before for. The A pillars are defeating me at the moment, dastardly units, with a cloth "skin" designed to roll off upon human touch. Not helpful for ramming them back into position.
I've also been painting with bilt hamber deox. Maybe E46's should have come with the deox already in the boot or instead of that first aid kit under the passenger seat.
I must say that for a fairly cack handed chap, it's been ok and rewarding to complete this job and get the old Alp weatherproof for the end of the year. The rain drains had worked perfectly and there was no issue with the old broken roof, bar it's unaerodynamic jib cut (it ended up poking up at the front in a most unBMW way). I'll close with a view of the offending article. These chocolate sunroofs have a motor without a cut out- so if the mechanism gets jammed it just whirrs away until it overheats, smokes, and for barbecue fans, catches fire. Be careful if you have one, and don't manually push the blind back if you are opening the roof as well.
Now I'm onto the drivers' door replacement (rust). That's been made more interesting as the donor door doesn't have Harmon Kardon speakers, or consequently the loom for them. So, I'm swapping the original loom onto the donor door.
cause of the rust- factory unprotected holes in door skin for the rubbing strip (admittedly this one is not a good example- the rust is further along the door):
Donor door about to be de-loomed. You can see the moisture barrier is in great condition (I was able to remove in one piece)
HK speaker loom that I need (has to be transplanted whole all the way from the door connector- the entire door loom)
More to come ,once I know how to lift the window manually to access and remove the donor door lock plug .....
cause of the rust- factory unprotected holes in door skin for the rubbing strip (admittedly this one is not a good example- the rust is further along the door):
Donor door about to be de-loomed. You can see the moisture barrier is in great condition (I was able to remove in one piece)
HK speaker loom that I need (has to be transplanted whole all the way from the door connector- the entire door loom)
More to come ,once I know how to lift the window manually to access and remove the donor door lock plug .....
Well, sorted the door issue by hanging the donor door with both looms on it- it's loom for the plug stuck behind the window, and the new/old Alpina loom ready fitted because i'd had time to mess around with that.
Window up, plug unplugged, complete Alpina door loom fitted. Door panel on and i can forget it, right?
Well, the glass wasn't sitting well in the door aperture- that means lots of twiddling torx screws under the door and behind the trim strip. And the lock from my Alpina doesn't fit the lock aperture on the new door's handle...
Slight change in BMWs handles- the newer one is a little less elegant to my mind, bigger rubber seals- maybe they keep water and rust at bay???
Glass turned out not to be a window regulator adjustment- the bolts on the hinges were tight, but two 10mm bolts holding the door hinge onto the door were not. Missed them! Now fixed. Only the door lock to do. It seems BMW subtly changed the design of the door handle and lock in september 2000. My car was built April 2000, and the new door is a 2001. So not quite there yet. But NO RUST :-)
Most definitely a before picture-
Window up, plug unplugged, complete Alpina door loom fitted. Door panel on and i can forget it, right?
Well, the glass wasn't sitting well in the door aperture- that means lots of twiddling torx screws under the door and behind the trim strip. And the lock from my Alpina doesn't fit the lock aperture on the new door's handle...
Slight change in BMWs handles- the newer one is a little less elegant to my mind, bigger rubber seals- maybe they keep water and rust at bay???
Glass turned out not to be a window regulator adjustment- the bolts on the hinges were tight, but two 10mm bolts holding the door hinge onto the door were not. Missed them! Now fixed. Only the door lock to do. It seems BMW subtly changed the design of the door handle and lock in september 2000. My car was built April 2000, and the new door is a 2001. So not quite there yet. But NO RUST :-)
Most definitely a before picture-
Edited by Polynesian on Thursday 1st September 22:50
Legacywr said:
Had a few Alpina's myself, still got a lot of brochures and magazines!
I have one for the B3, let me know if you have that rare brochure for the B10 Biturbo, the one where if you open it outside, it pops up an actual B10 biturbo :-)Since fitting the replacement door, I noticed two things-
1) a complete lack of lacquer peel and rust
2) that the window didn't fit the car perfectly.
Luckily there are many guides for 2 (1 will take care of itself over the coming years I imagine). The best window adjustment guide I found, for E46 Coupes, is this one:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GTgYtufJmW4lUD...
unfortunately, I can't see where I found it now, so whoever you are, thank you! The glass is now well pretensioned ad sits against the rubber seal tightly, and is lowered enough in the regulator to no longer clash with the car- it tucks up nicely under the trim once closed. All thanks to that guide. If you are doing this, you'll need to remove the door trim strip to access the holes, and you may need some of these clips:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221725026133?_trksid=p20...
JakeT said:
Also, to add BMW did change the door handles on the E46 at some point. Early ones had handles that pulled straight out, and later ones had the out and up sort of thing. I've tried to pull each style of handle the wrong way more than once!
Yes, have to be honest, I prefer the earlier ones, having only known that type for 3 years now- part habit, part appreciation of the sleeker appearance. I actually though the later one was broken when I fitted the door. The change was September 2009, worth knowing if replacing doors, assuming you can find others that haven't rusted!I'm just waiting on a LHD passenger lock cover to fit- the pre Sep 2009 lock doesn't fit and I never use the key in it anyway (and can do a very cool entrance through the boot if the battery were to go flat.
Also fitted a pair of M3 mirrors I had, on the basis that you could have Alpina fit them from the factory on the same age B10 (obv M5 mirrors) and even in a couple of B3s (m3 ones). It is surprising how much different mirrors change the feel of the car. You might not believe it but they do- they have much sleeker casings, so much less mirror around the lens and at first they made the car feel delicate, less robust- weird. I guess the old flag mirrors were just a bit clumsy by comparison. Certainly something I didn't expect.
Because they are so much more aerodynamic, the top speed has gone from the original 163 to 183mph. That's 325km/h in European money. And as the car is German, that's 340. Awesome. 0-60 has probably dropped under 5 seconds as a result too, obviously not because of improved aerodynamics, that would be silly. But because they are lighter.
Robatr0n said:
Lovely car!
I know it's been a while but where did you get your leather seats restored? How are they holding up after 3 years?
Mine look great but I know they aren't as soft/plush as they were from factory (I'm a picky sod!) so I'd love to get the interior looked at.
I must be a bit like you then... and unfortunately I can't recommend the guy I used. It was only 5 or 6 months ago. From a metre or two, it's lovely. But up close, for a person that knows, it's unacceptable. He's put in some new piping that is far larger than the original, overspray from the champagne paint job (that's what it is), the armrest leather just needed replacement... I'm not happy with it. But yes, bolsters re-padded, no rips, tears, wear at the moment. Next time (arrgghh!) I'll have it done by someone well respected who's work I've seen...I know it's been a while but where did you get your leather seats restored? How are they holding up after 3 years?
Mine look great but I know they aren't as soft/plush as they were from factory (I'm a picky sod!) so I'd love to get the interior looked at.
All I can say is find a reputable firm who's work you can see for yourself and ask lots of detail questions and get a written statement of work.
That is a shame about the seats but I know what you mean regarding the restoration of the seats.
Anyway, the car looks superb. I went down the more common route and bought an M3, but I was considering Alpinas, and even the rare D10!
Great to see the changes that have been made and it is certainly looking like one of the more sorted cars with many of the things being refurbished that will be tired on a car of this age.
Cheers for putting up the price of the centre console ; My console pockets do not look the best and I thought the costs would be silly. However, it is more reasonable than I expected
.
Anyway, the car looks superb. I went down the more common route and bought an M3, but I was considering Alpinas, and even the rare D10!
Great to see the changes that have been made and it is certainly looking like one of the more sorted cars with many of the things being refurbished that will be tired on a car of this age.
Cheers for putting up the price of the centre console ; My console pockets do not look the best and I thought the costs would be silly. However, it is more reasonable than I expected
.How are you finding the M3? Which gearbox? Have you got a thread up?
Little by little, and with an incredibly irrational financial approach to it, the car is getting more and more sorted. I'm always trawling the interwebs for E32 750is, E31s, 90s Mercedes, all sorts, but I still own this after 3 years. I've either "invested" too much in it or I like it quite a lot.
the parts prices are funny. They do seem to fluctuate quite a bit, generally resulting in me wishing I had acted quickly on a quote (where else is there now- I use cotswold but did use BMMiniparts until they disappeared), as the price increases when I re-enquire.
Few more bits to do before autumn settles in properly, let's see how it goes!
Little by little, and with an incredibly irrational financial approach to it, the car is getting more and more sorted. I'm always trawling the interwebs for E32 750is, E31s, 90s Mercedes, all sorts, but I still own this after 3 years. I've either "invested" too much in it or I like it quite a lot.
the parts prices are funny. They do seem to fluctuate quite a bit, generally resulting in me wishing I had acted quickly on a quote (where else is there now- I use cotswold but did use BMMiniparts until they disappeared), as the price increases when I re-enquire.
Few more bits to do before autumn settles in properly, let's see how it goes!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff