My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine
Discussion
KPB1973 said:
Still looking good Sam. Post-Z4 (and surgery) I was tempted with a 335i, especially having seen yours in the flesh. None of them quite worked out but I did pick up one of its competitors - a leggy B8 S5 4.2 - for sub £5k which will be a good project over the winter.
What tyres do you think you'll go for?
Thanks, it’s currently in a good car phase! What tyres do you think you'll go for?
That S5 sounds like a lot of car for the cash. They make a good noise too.
I’ll probably go Asymmetric 5’s again. They’re really good value from Asda Tyres and I’ve not had any issues with them for the last two years.
Had the front tyres changed today; there was still plenty of meat left in them but the inner edges were pretty worn. Rather than ignore it / drag it out until cords were exposed I bit the bullet.
19 inch tyres are bloody expensive compared to when I bought the car. Even a pair of Falken FK529’s to match the rears were punchy. In the end I found a local place that had Good Year Asymmetric 5’s for the same price as the Falkens so I opted for a pair of them.
When I clean the car this weekend, I need to remove the front wheels to line the centre badges with the M badge. Dunno why these places can’t just put things back as they were
19 inch tyres are bloody expensive compared to when I bought the car. Even a pair of Falken FK529’s to match the rears were punchy. In the end I found a local place that had Good Year Asymmetric 5’s for the same price as the Falkens so I opted for a pair of them.
When I clean the car this weekend, I need to remove the front wheels to line the centre badges with the M badge. Dunno why these places can’t just put things back as they were
B'stard Child said:
I thought that was just me that did that............. I should have know other petrol heads would have itchy teeth about misaligned wheel badging 
It really grates on me….I can see my car as I eat lunch and the misalignment badges are very upsetting! 
It’s one of those things that once you notice it, you can’t stop seeing it.B'stard Child said:
I also put the locking wheel bolts (when I use them) aligned closest to the tyre valve
This is because in the dark with a puncture and needing to change the wheel I can easily know where the locking wheel bolt is to put the key on it and remove it rather than having to try every wheel bolt before I find it.............. Last time I got a puncture was 4 years ago - before that maybe 12 - 15 years ago - It's probably completely daft but I've always done it
I did similar too when I still had locking wheel nuts. Car nerdery at its finest. This is because in the dark with a puncture and needing to change the wheel I can easily know where the locking wheel bolt is to put the key on it and remove it rather than having to try every wheel bolt before I find it.............. Last time I got a puncture was 4 years ago - before that maybe 12 - 15 years ago - It's probably completely daft but I've always done it
KPB1973 said:
Great idea. Wish i'd thought of that myself.
Sam - agree on the prices of tyres. I'm trying to find some decent 21's for the Cayenne (it came with 4 x Triangles, 2 of which have slow punctures) and I may as well have added £1k+ to my buying budget and got a car with better rubber.
Yeah it’s nuts. The next fun battle will be insurance will still seems to be a pisstake judging the mood on forums etc. Sam - agree on the prices of tyres. I'm trying to find some decent 21's for the Cayenne (it came with 4 x Triangles, 2 of which have slow punctures) and I may as well have added £1k+ to my buying budget and got a car with better rubber.
KPB1973 said:
I had a weird one with the S5. Confused.com were returning approx £500pa (3k miles p/a with 5 yrs NCD on my second policy) but I did the same quote on comparethemarket.com and the same cheapest supplier (Sterling) was only £260. Same details, variables etc...I suppose I just got lucky.
But yeah, one of the reasons to swap my Disco 4 for the Cayenne was the fact that my insurance trebled on it.
I can never understand how insurance companies arrive at their figures; my 335i costs a decent chunk less than my wife’s 330i to insure despite the mods. Bizarre.But yeah, one of the reasons to swap my Disco 4 for the Cayenne was the fact that my insurance trebled on it.
Fermit said:
Hi Sam. If it helps you with your badge OCD, when I've had my wheels restored (the next big job, within 2 months) I'll be buying a set of these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175603749513?epid=60335...
May seem a tad extreme, but have decided mine is a keeper, and want to make it as good as can be.
I’ve thought about it, but I’m happy as long as the badges line up with the M stickers on the wheels when it’s static.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175603749513?epid=60335...
May seem a tad extreme, but have decided mine is a keeper, and want to make it as good as can be.
After a week of salted roads and damp(ish) conditions my car was looking pretty grotty being covered in a film of black.
Obligatory snow foam shots
It was various obvious today that the snowfoam was breaking down the dirt.
And rinsed off
And all done
Next up was sorting this…
Why, just why!
Getting the wheels off proved to be tough because the tyre fitters had got very carried away with the ugga dugga gun; my breaker bar was bending as I was trying to get the nuts u done. God knows why using a torque wrench is too much to ask.
Whilst the wheels were off I got rid of the residue form the wheel weights which was a real pain in the arse. God knows what they’re stuck on with but it’s bloody hard to get off.
If I’m honest, I was having thoughts about selling it in the spring and having a year in a sensible dad wagon like an F11 530d which seem much better value for money than an F31. But when I see it all cleaned up, I change my mind again.
Obligatory snow foam shots
It was various obvious today that the snowfoam was breaking down the dirt.
And rinsed off
And all done
Next up was sorting this…
Why, just why!
Getting the wheels off proved to be tough because the tyre fitters had got very carried away with the ugga dugga gun; my breaker bar was bending as I was trying to get the nuts u done. God knows why using a torque wrench is too much to ask.
Whilst the wheels were off I got rid of the residue form the wheel weights which was a real pain in the arse. God knows what they’re stuck on with but it’s bloody hard to get off.
If I’m honest, I was having thoughts about selling it in the spring and having a year in a sensible dad wagon like an F11 530d which seem much better value for money than an F31. But when I see it all cleaned up, I change my mind again.
Edited by Court_S on Sunday 14th January 18:21
B'stard Child said:
Now you know that wouldn't work.............
1. You are bound to spend more on the "money saver" than you planned
2. You'd be tempted to change wheels because you need to replace tyres because "miss match"
3. It wouldn't be the interior you actually wanted (because limited choice in secondhand land)
As a result a whole heap of the V8 fund would go on modding something that was supposed to be cheaper motoring to help top up the V8 fund and you'd have less in the pot.
Just saying like
True, there’s very likely an element of truth in that…once you start, it’s a slippery slope. 1. You are bound to spend more on the "money saver" than you planned
2. You'd be tempted to change wheels because you need to replace tyres because "miss match"
3. It wouldn't be the interior you actually wanted (because limited choice in secondhand land)
As a result a whole heap of the V8 fund would go on modding something that was supposed to be cheaper motoring to help top up the V8 fund and you'd have less in the pot.
Just saying like
DKIE92 said:
Better the car you know I’d say. Especially if it’s only for a short amount of time before going onto an M3. The 335i seems to be in a good spot, hopefully it won’t throw any significant bills in the next year. I guess you could make a decent saving on petrol if you got a sensible diesel though.
That’s almost definitely true. It was just idle musings really; I do like the 335i although I may have take a few things too far (the exhaust can be a bit of a chore ). Last year was an expensive one, but hopefully I’m out of the other side of that now.
I wussed out of the satin good, even though it looked stunning against the sparkling graphite grey. I’ve gone with a bright silver. They had a set of CSL reps in stock and they just looked perfect in silver.
They spun my wheels up whilst I was there and one of the fronts has a slight buckle which they’re straightening out.
They spun my wheels up whilst I was there and one of the fronts has a slight buckle which they’re straightening out.
sortedcossie said:
Which Wheel Mania is that and what are they charging per wheel?
The one in Brum as it’s a bit closer. It’s about £70 a wheel with VAT for plus £40 to straighten out the one with a slight buckle. Given how pleased I am with the finish of the wheels on my wife’s car, it seems good value for money.
Gave the old girl a clean today because it was looking very sorry for itself after two weeks of heavy rain and flooded roads.
The grey wheels look awful against the grey paint. I actually like the design of the MV3 wheels though and think they suit the E9x cars well. The rear wheels look really lost in the rear arches and the car somehow looks smaller on 18’s than it does 19’s which is a bit odd.
It’s due an oil service soon, so I’ll get that done when it gets a bit closer.
There are quite a lot of tar spots after the recent rain / floods - I’m looking forward to some better weather so I can get stuck into it’s spring detail.
The itch for an M3 is currently very hard to ignore, so I’m planning to put it up for sale in April and see what happens.
The grey wheels look awful against the grey paint. I actually like the design of the MV3 wheels though and think they suit the E9x cars well. The rear wheels look really lost in the rear arches and the car somehow looks smaller on 18’s than it does 19’s which is a bit odd.
It’s due an oil service soon, so I’ll get that done when it gets a bit closer.
There are quite a lot of tar spots after the recent rain / floods - I’m looking forward to some better weather so I can get stuck into it’s spring detail.
The itch for an M3 is currently very hard to ignore, so I’m planning to put it up for sale in April and see what happens.
axel1990chp said:
To be fair, the b7 is an amazing car! I looked at them before I went for an E61, difficult to find one that hasn’t been West Yorkshire’d however! Best of luck with it man
Yeah there is that but I want an Avant and they seem less likely to be ruined. All of these cats go through a bad phase though niece they hit a certain point. It happened to the E46 but they’re largely through that stage and back in the hands of adults.
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