e30 325i Sport M-Tech1
Discussion
After a mixed few years of motoring (I sold my half of a turbocharged MX-5 track car to my co-owner to fund a bicycle purchase), I've missed not having a car as a plaything. With me being unable to find my way out of a mk5 golf GT TDI 170 as a daily, this left me feeling quite melancholy towards cars. But finally a few things fell into place and I had the thumbs up from the wife.
My in-laws moved to the south of France in 2003, taking with them their current car at the time. It got parked up in a garage at the back of the house, and they bought a Renault Kangoo because of their driveway being a bit dodgy and wanting something French and 4wd. Luckily they didn't keep it long.
When I went out to France in 2005, my Father-in-law took me to see his old car that had been tucked away since they'd moved. My wife had always just said - it's an old BMW. When he pulled back the covers I was shocked. Its an original 325i sport m-tech1, with 45k on the clock. All in original condition, including the tin of Sytner BMW travel sweets in the glove box. He fired it up, we took it for a very brief and untaxed/uninsured drive down the road and back (they live rurally). It got put back in the garage and he lost interest in it. I kept pestering about it and prior to our wedding in 2012, he said I could take it off him. We didn't have a garage at the time and there were always a multitude of reasons why it didn't happen sooner, but finally, the time has come to bring the beauty home and get her back on the road.
Its essentially been under a cover in a dry garage since being brought across from the UK 15years ago. This is the only photo I have of the car when it was last rolled out of the garage:
Some investigating by Barney at Classic Heroes showed up the original spec from the factory:
Vehicle information
VIN long WBAAB320********7
Type code AB32
Type 325I (EUR)
Dev. series E30 ()
Line 3
Body type LIM
Steering RL
Door count 2
Engine M20
Cubical capacity 2.50
Power 0
Transmision HECK
Gearbox MECH
Colour LACHSSILBER METALLIC (203)
Upholstery ANTHRAZIT (0211)
6000
Prod. date 1987-06-25
Order options
No. Description
209 LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL (25%)
288 LT/ALY WHEELS
300 ZENTRALVERRIEGELUNG ELEKTRISCH
314 HEATED WINDSCREEN WASHER NOZZLES
320 MODEL DESIGNATION, DELETION
333 M TECHNIC SPORTPAKET
339 SATIN CHROME
350 WAERMESCHUTZGLAS GRUEN, RUNDUM
401 SLIDING/VENT ROOF, ELECTRIC
410 WINDOW LIFTS, ELECTRIC AT FRONT
481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER
497 CENTRE ARMREST IN REAR
498 HEADRESTS IN REAR, MECHANIC. ADJUSTABLE
551 ON-BOARD COMPUTER II W REMOTE CONTROL
562 MAP READING LIGHT
704 M SPORT SUSPENSION
708 M-SPORT LEATHER STEERING WHEEL II
812 ENGLAND VERSION
850 ADD FUEL TANK FILLING FOR EXPORT
So, after I worked out my mk5 golf wasn't up to the job of towing it home, i've rented a transit car transporter from Wallis rentals (https://wallisandson.co.uk/vehicle-rentals.html) and on June 14th I'm catching a ferry at 8pm to France with a mate, driving through the night to collect it, arriving 8am, hopefully then catching the return ferry Sunday 6am to drop the car with BMP conversions locally to me to give it a thorough going over and outline just what might be involved getting it back on the road.
12 days before the off. Garage banners arrived and cleared the space for it to go into:
I've treated myself to some new reading material as well:
Ferry crossing is 8pm Friday 14th, so very excited and will update with more pics and details as the project rolls on.
My in-laws moved to the south of France in 2003, taking with them their current car at the time. It got parked up in a garage at the back of the house, and they bought a Renault Kangoo because of their driveway being a bit dodgy and wanting something French and 4wd. Luckily they didn't keep it long.
When I went out to France in 2005, my Father-in-law took me to see his old car that had been tucked away since they'd moved. My wife had always just said - it's an old BMW. When he pulled back the covers I was shocked. Its an original 325i sport m-tech1, with 45k on the clock. All in original condition, including the tin of Sytner BMW travel sweets in the glove box. He fired it up, we took it for a very brief and untaxed/uninsured drive down the road and back (they live rurally). It got put back in the garage and he lost interest in it. I kept pestering about it and prior to our wedding in 2012, he said I could take it off him. We didn't have a garage at the time and there were always a multitude of reasons why it didn't happen sooner, but finally, the time has come to bring the beauty home and get her back on the road.
Its essentially been under a cover in a dry garage since being brought across from the UK 15years ago. This is the only photo I have of the car when it was last rolled out of the garage:
Some investigating by Barney at Classic Heroes showed up the original spec from the factory:
Vehicle information
VIN long WBAAB320********7
Type code AB32
Type 325I (EUR)
Dev. series E30 ()
Line 3
Body type LIM
Steering RL
Door count 2
Engine M20
Cubical capacity 2.50
Power 0
Transmision HECK
Gearbox MECH
Colour LACHSSILBER METALLIC (203)
Upholstery ANTHRAZIT (0211)
6000
Prod. date 1987-06-25
Order options
No. Description
209 LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL (25%)
288 LT/ALY WHEELS
300 ZENTRALVERRIEGELUNG ELEKTRISCH
314 HEATED WINDSCREEN WASHER NOZZLES
320 MODEL DESIGNATION, DELETION
333 M TECHNIC SPORTPAKET
339 SATIN CHROME
350 WAERMESCHUTZGLAS GRUEN, RUNDUM
401 SLIDING/VENT ROOF, ELECTRIC
410 WINDOW LIFTS, ELECTRIC AT FRONT
481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER
497 CENTRE ARMREST IN REAR
498 HEADRESTS IN REAR, MECHANIC. ADJUSTABLE
551 ON-BOARD COMPUTER II W REMOTE CONTROL
562 MAP READING LIGHT
704 M SPORT SUSPENSION
708 M-SPORT LEATHER STEERING WHEEL II
812 ENGLAND VERSION
850 ADD FUEL TANK FILLING FOR EXPORT
So, after I worked out my mk5 golf wasn't up to the job of towing it home, i've rented a transit car transporter from Wallis rentals (https://wallisandson.co.uk/vehicle-rentals.html) and on June 14th I'm catching a ferry at 8pm to France with a mate, driving through the night to collect it, arriving 8am, hopefully then catching the return ferry Sunday 6am to drop the car with BMP conversions locally to me to give it a thorough going over and outline just what might be involved getting it back on the road.
12 days before the off. Garage banners arrived and cleared the space for it to go into:
I've treated myself to some new reading material as well:
Ferry crossing is 8pm Friday 14th, so very excited and will update with more pics and details as the project rolls on.
Edited by Tri_Doc on Wednesday 5th June 13:43
TheInternet said:
Not cheap but will have a look.Superhoop said:
have you picked the best weekend to "pop over to France" to collect it?
That's the weekend of the 24 hours..
Sadly had no other choice - perhaps that means we will see some cool stuff on the ferry, but heading south via Paris, so should maybe miss the big traffic..That's the weekend of the 24 hours..
Good to see some interest in the vehicle. I'll be honest and say that these have never been on my radar at all, until I started researching it once my FIL said he'd be happy for me to bring it back to the UK. Combination of RWD, modest power, lightweight (relative to modern stuff) and a classic shape has got me rather excited about it and the reviews are all positive and there is obviously a big enthusiastic following for the cars. I'm really keen to keep it as original as possible.
I asked my FIL to send me over some more photos and he send a couple of snaps of the car from back when he first picked it up in Nottingham in 1992. Looks brilliant:
I also managed to find the vehicle was produced as a Corgi toy back in the day so couldn't help but snap one up:
Thanks for all the interest.
I asked my FIL to send me over some more photos and he send a couple of snaps of the car from back when he first picked it up in Nottingham in 1992. Looks brilliant:
I also managed to find the vehicle was produced as a Corgi toy back in the day so couldn't help but snap one up:
Thanks for all the interest.
To update, Footman James gave me a seriously good quote for an agreed value, allowing some brilliantly clearly priced extras such as: drive to work, trackdays, scrap salvage etc. All clearly priced and good value.
Back in France, my parents-in-law have been prepping the car for collection, assembling all the little bits together - keys, alloy locks, paperwork, but also checking additional bits like making sure the original tool kit is all intact in the boot.
I can't help but agree with the text on the keyring. Fortunate indeed.
Even kind enough to wash the car cover for me.
Tyres all pumped up, ready to be winched onto the trailer and brought back home"
Excited doesn't really do it justice. It will need plenty of work, seeing that the last time it fired up was 2005, but new belts, pumps, plugs, fluids, tyres, filters etc and a good check over all the rubber/bushes should create a list of work that can then be sorted out over this coming summer/winter so hopefully by next spring she'll be one of the best and most original in the UK.
I’m also keen to know if anyone has any tyre suggestions. The car is on 205/55/15 which make performance choices a little limited. Any suggestions would be welcome!
Back in France, my parents-in-law have been prepping the car for collection, assembling all the little bits together - keys, alloy locks, paperwork, but also checking additional bits like making sure the original tool kit is all intact in the boot.
I can't help but agree with the text on the keyring. Fortunate indeed.
Even kind enough to wash the car cover for me.
Tyres all pumped up, ready to be winched onto the trailer and brought back home"
Excited doesn't really do it justice. It will need plenty of work, seeing that the last time it fired up was 2005, but new belts, pumps, plugs, fluids, tyres, filters etc and a good check over all the rubber/bushes should create a list of work that can then be sorted out over this coming summer/winter so hopefully by next spring she'll be one of the best and most original in the UK.
I’m also keen to know if anyone has any tyre suggestions. The car is on 205/55/15 which make performance choices a little limited. Any suggestions would be welcome!
Edited by Tri_Doc on Thursday 13th June 11:27
Update time. I'm exhausted.
33hrs driving/ferry time in 48hrs. We departed from the excellent Wallis rentals in a very basic spec car transporter (who specs a long distance vehicle without air conditioning or cruise control??) at 4pm on Friday. Typically hitting M25 in full rush hour mode, we made out 8.15pm ferry crossing only to find bus loads of French kids, all fired up with haribo and monster energy drinks charging around the boat, prohibiting any possibility of a sleep on the crossing. Now I know why the tunnel is nearly 3x more expensive - economy of peace and quiet....
We were treated to a superb sunset over the white cliffs as we left England for France.
Having driven 3hrs to get to the Ferry, and arriving in France at 10.30pm, my trusty old satnav showed just what a proposition the drive that night was going to be.
As it was, we got stuck into the long shift driving, my friend James doing the first stint, with me waking up in a services just outside Paris, with severe back ache from trying to sleep in a fully upright seat. Oddly, the van then lost all its headlights for about 40 minutes, through Paris, after we encountered a full deluge of rain. I reported back to the company at drop off and he said "thats odd, its usually the indicators", so the van clearly had electrical gremlins hid in it somewhere. Frustratingly, without cruise, the van was really struggling to stay anywhere near 85mph limits on the autoroutes, so we had to consider this for our return journey with the added weight of the car.
We arrived in Lavit at 9am on Saturday morning. Exhausted. We then tucked into a breakfast of multiple pain-au-chocolats and a Kronenbourg red, before heading to bed for 4 hours and waking up at 2pm to give us time to load the car, for James to be taken out in my Father-In-Law's new toy and leaving enough time for us to enjoy a superb supper of fresh prawns and duck.
Then came the time to dig out the car from the garage and load it onto the trailer. The open deck of the car transporter allowed us to seriously inspect the underside of the car for the first time. It was even better than I could have hoped for.
Closer inspection revealed quite how tidy the bodywork and other parts of the car were.
Loading the car went very well and pretty quickly we were able to use the boot on the e30 to put it to good use in typical dash across the channel style
We then enjoyed an amusing hand-over ceremony
Before hitting the road, only 8.5hrs after arriving in the south of France, to return to the UK. Leaving in its place the corgi toy as a memento.
The journey back was much easier knowing the precious cargo was safely strapped on the back of the transporter
We then headed back to Cambridge to collect James's car, I then headed on to Beeston to drop the car with Spencer at BMP Conversions to look over the car and quote for the important work like belts and tasked him with firing it up and getting it through an MOT, after 14years since it was last started and a quite frightening 19 years since it was last given an oil change.....
The great news is that the shell is solid, straight and original. It's going to be quite a car to enjoy. Work starts tomorrow and i'm hoping to be able to report back some initial impressions of the car in short order. I'm off to bed to catch up on some sleep. I can't work out if its the redbull or excitement thats stopping me feeling tired.
33hrs driving/ferry time in 48hrs. We departed from the excellent Wallis rentals in a very basic spec car transporter (who specs a long distance vehicle without air conditioning or cruise control??) at 4pm on Friday. Typically hitting M25 in full rush hour mode, we made out 8.15pm ferry crossing only to find bus loads of French kids, all fired up with haribo and monster energy drinks charging around the boat, prohibiting any possibility of a sleep on the crossing. Now I know why the tunnel is nearly 3x more expensive - economy of peace and quiet....
We were treated to a superb sunset over the white cliffs as we left England for France.
Having driven 3hrs to get to the Ferry, and arriving in France at 10.30pm, my trusty old satnav showed just what a proposition the drive that night was going to be.
As it was, we got stuck into the long shift driving, my friend James doing the first stint, with me waking up in a services just outside Paris, with severe back ache from trying to sleep in a fully upright seat. Oddly, the van then lost all its headlights for about 40 minutes, through Paris, after we encountered a full deluge of rain. I reported back to the company at drop off and he said "thats odd, its usually the indicators", so the van clearly had electrical gremlins hid in it somewhere. Frustratingly, without cruise, the van was really struggling to stay anywhere near 85mph limits on the autoroutes, so we had to consider this for our return journey with the added weight of the car.
We arrived in Lavit at 9am on Saturday morning. Exhausted. We then tucked into a breakfast of multiple pain-au-chocolats and a Kronenbourg red, before heading to bed for 4 hours and waking up at 2pm to give us time to load the car, for James to be taken out in my Father-In-Law's new toy and leaving enough time for us to enjoy a superb supper of fresh prawns and duck.
Then came the time to dig out the car from the garage and load it onto the trailer. The open deck of the car transporter allowed us to seriously inspect the underside of the car for the first time. It was even better than I could have hoped for.
Closer inspection revealed quite how tidy the bodywork and other parts of the car were.
Loading the car went very well and pretty quickly we were able to use the boot on the e30 to put it to good use in typical dash across the channel style
We then enjoyed an amusing hand-over ceremony
Before hitting the road, only 8.5hrs after arriving in the south of France, to return to the UK. Leaving in its place the corgi toy as a memento.
The journey back was much easier knowing the precious cargo was safely strapped on the back of the transporter
We then headed back to Cambridge to collect James's car, I then headed on to Beeston to drop the car with Spencer at BMP Conversions to look over the car and quote for the important work like belts and tasked him with firing it up and getting it through an MOT, after 14years since it was last started and a quite frightening 19 years since it was last given an oil change.....
The great news is that the shell is solid, straight and original. It's going to be quite a car to enjoy. Work starts tomorrow and i'm hoping to be able to report back some initial impressions of the car in short order. I'm off to bed to catch up on some sleep. I can't work out if its the redbull or excitement thats stopping me feeling tired.
mark.c said:
I echo all the comments above, that looks very good. Well done, a rare find today!
For tyres, to add to the mix I am currently running Yokohama Fleva V701 on my touring with success. I did a road trip to Scotland (from Cornwall) a few months back with some like minded individuals in all weathers and all types of driving with no complaints. I use their AD08r's on the M3 which are superb but unfortunately the last time I looked they weren't avaliable in 205 55 15.
Congratulations on the car again! ( cough....keep it OEM!)
I've just ordered a set of these V701's as I couldn't find much in that size at all. Good to have a real opinion on them, thanks!For tyres, to add to the mix I am currently running Yokohama Fleva V701 on my touring with success. I did a road trip to Scotland (from Cornwall) a few months back with some like minded individuals in all weathers and all types of driving with no complaints. I use their AD08r's on the M3 which are superb but unfortunately the last time I looked they weren't avaliable in 205 55 15.
Congratulations on the car again! ( cough....keep it OEM!)
So, we’re 14 man hours into getting the car ready to be started for the first time in 14 years. Progressing well, but already the evidence of being sat and not run and not serviced is making itself known.....
This is the thermostat etc:
This is why you don’t just jump in and try to start a car that has been sitting.
This is the thermostat etc:
This is why you don’t just jump in and try to start a car that has been sitting.
Little bit of an update. Thankfully the car is solid. The majority of the service items are now complete. The plan was to fire it up on Saturday, but on inspection of the fuel tank, the standing fuel and constant warming/cooling and subsequent consdensation + separation of fuel and water had rusted the bottom and top of the tank.
As such, a replacement has been ordered from Germany and will hopefully be arriving anytime between 1-11th July. Once that is fitted, we can fire her up for the first time since 2005 and run to temp and see what happens. Then drop the oil and replace the filter and put in some fresh stuff to head out to the MOT and see what is what.
It will need rear beam bushes doing, so the possibility of then removing all the underside of the suspension, sending it off for powder coating and rebushing the lot has already been discussed. This might have to wait because we've already used up the budget i'd saved for this job. Anyway, like a good episode of Grand Designs, if it hasn't taken twice as long and gone twice over budget, is it even a project?
As such, a replacement has been ordered from Germany and will hopefully be arriving anytime between 1-11th July. Once that is fitted, we can fire her up for the first time since 2005 and run to temp and see what happens. Then drop the oil and replace the filter and put in some fresh stuff to head out to the MOT and see what is what.
It will need rear beam bushes doing, so the possibility of then removing all the underside of the suspension, sending it off for powder coating and rebushing the lot has already been discussed. This might have to wait because we've already used up the budget i'd saved for this job. Anyway, like a good episode of Grand Designs, if it hasn't taken twice as long and gone twice over budget, is it even a project?
Good news! The fuel tank has arrived from Germany and was fitted today, along with the new tyres.
Tyres proved tricky in 205/55/15, with two different retailers having stock showing but once the order was in, contacting me to say the tyres weren’t available (one even said September!). In the end I went for a set of falken rubber from demon tweeks as a middle ground between getting something actually on the car and having something I’d pick by choice.
The car is agonisingly close to being fired up now. We’re waiting on two pipes and a few clips from the fuel system, and a pressure chamber (sadly too far gone to salvage).
So. Hopefully the last parts will arrive on Monday, and MOT time by end of next week. Seems crazy but after years of waiting to get the car back to the UK, these last days are definitely the hardest.
Tyres proved tricky in 205/55/15, with two different retailers having stock showing but once the order was in, contacting me to say the tyres weren’t available (one even said September!). In the end I went for a set of falken rubber from demon tweeks as a middle ground between getting something actually on the car and having something I’d pick by choice.
The car is agonisingly close to being fired up now. We’re waiting on two pipes and a few clips from the fuel system, and a pressure chamber (sadly too far gone to salvage).
So. Hopefully the last parts will arrive on Monday, and MOT time by end of next week. Seems crazy but after years of waiting to get the car back to the UK, these last days are definitely the hardest.
IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been pulling my hair out this week. Parts arrived ok for the fuel system and this was all finished off on Monday, however despite all being refreshed, there was no fuel or spark. Spencer at BMP Conversions spent the day picking through the car yesterday, checking the fly-wheel and CPS, along with fuses/relays etc etc, until it was narrowed down to a connector issue with a relay off the ECU. He sorted that, cranked it and the engine caught almost immediately..... on 4 cylinders....
After letting it run and warm a little, it was clear it was burning a lot of oil and running on 4. After switching it off, letting it cool and firing it again, it ran on all 6, but still with some oil being burnt.
About 1hr later, it was allowed to cool, oil was dropped, filter changed and fired up again - starting cleanly on the turn of the key, all 6 cylinders purring, no smoke and running as sweetly as you could hope after 14 years sat idle without any suck-squeeze-bang-blow.
So, the work is done. The list of parts required was comprehensive:
Mobil 1 Engine Oil
Engine oil filter
Power steering fluid
Gearbox oil
Differential oil (Castrol 373 LSD)
Brake fluid (Pagid)
Antifreeze
Gates cambelt kit
Gates alternator belt
Gates power steering belt
Water pump
Spark plugs
Distributor cap
Rotor arm
Fuel filter
Fuel pump
Petrol tank
Battery
Air filter
Hydraulic bonnet support ram
Front discs
Front pads
Front brake wear sensor
Rear discs
Rear pads
Rear brake wear sensor
Handbrake shoes
Handbrake fitting kit
Air inlet pipe / rubber boot
Fuel balance pipe
MOT test
Rubber u bend fuel feed pipe
4 x pipe clips
1 x fuel filler neck clip
Fuel tank pipe
Fuel feed pressure chamber
Tyres fitting and balance
Wiper Blades X 2
M Badge boot lid
M Stickers Side Skirts
M Sticker Front Bumper
Quite a list, but then the car hadn't seen an oil change since 2003 and hadn't fired since 2005.
All this excitement was tapered by the fact that the friendly MOT centre hasn't got any spaces until Thursday NEXT WEEK. Quite how i'm going to survive the coming days is beyond me. I've purchased my first clay bar for when the car is back home and i'm looking forward to giving it a mini detail/wash/hoover/clean and some general TLC before driving it properly.
To help soothe the time, I keep watching this video of it running:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9khtaNtrXo
Obviously plenty of pictures will follow.
I've been pulling my hair out this week. Parts arrived ok for the fuel system and this was all finished off on Monday, however despite all being refreshed, there was no fuel or spark. Spencer at BMP Conversions spent the day picking through the car yesterday, checking the fly-wheel and CPS, along with fuses/relays etc etc, until it was narrowed down to a connector issue with a relay off the ECU. He sorted that, cranked it and the engine caught almost immediately..... on 4 cylinders....
After letting it run and warm a little, it was clear it was burning a lot of oil and running on 4. After switching it off, letting it cool and firing it again, it ran on all 6, but still with some oil being burnt.
About 1hr later, it was allowed to cool, oil was dropped, filter changed and fired up again - starting cleanly on the turn of the key, all 6 cylinders purring, no smoke and running as sweetly as you could hope after 14 years sat idle without any suck-squeeze-bang-blow.
So, the work is done. The list of parts required was comprehensive:
Mobil 1 Engine Oil
Engine oil filter
Power steering fluid
Gearbox oil
Differential oil (Castrol 373 LSD)
Brake fluid (Pagid)
Antifreeze
Gates cambelt kit
Gates alternator belt
Gates power steering belt
Water pump
Spark plugs
Distributor cap
Rotor arm
Fuel filter
Fuel pump
Petrol tank
Battery
Air filter
Hydraulic bonnet support ram
Front discs
Front pads
Front brake wear sensor
Rear discs
Rear pads
Rear brake wear sensor
Handbrake shoes
Handbrake fitting kit
Air inlet pipe / rubber boot
Fuel balance pipe
MOT test
Rubber u bend fuel feed pipe
4 x pipe clips
1 x fuel filler neck clip
Fuel tank pipe
Fuel feed pressure chamber
Tyres fitting and balance
Wiper Blades X 2
M Badge boot lid
M Stickers Side Skirts
M Sticker Front Bumper
Quite a list, but then the car hadn't seen an oil change since 2003 and hadn't fired since 2005.
All this excitement was tapered by the fact that the friendly MOT centre hasn't got any spaces until Thursday NEXT WEEK. Quite how i'm going to survive the coming days is beyond me. I've purchased my first clay bar for when the car is back home and i'm looking forward to giving it a mini detail/wash/hoover/clean and some general TLC before driving it properly.
To help soothe the time, I keep watching this video of it running:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9khtaNtrXo
Obviously plenty of pictures will follow.
TheInternet said:
That's a lot of work to have completed so quickly. I'd reiterate my previous point about checking all the brake lines, both rigid and flexible, and likewise for the fuel lines. A fault with either is the last thing you want.
The original sticker was still present on the rear bumper (the m-tech bodykit), the front and sides had fallen off/disappeared with time, so i've replaced them.Tri_Doc said:
M Stickers Side Skirts
M Sticker Front Bumper
Hmmm M Sticker Front Bumper
Rubber fuel hoses also being swapped for some new rubber as you're 100% correct, a split in the hose and this whole enterprise could go down in a small inferno. The chap who managed to get it started has checked the underside and lines etc, reporting back no issues on the brake lines, as that system was checked as well.
TheInternet said:
Tri_Doc said:
The original sticker was still present on the rear bumper (the m-tech bodykit), the front and sides had fallen off/disappeared with time, so i've replaced them.
Thank goodness, I had feared the worst.BMW badges on the centre caps were looking scruffy and as you’ll be able to see from the photos from when I collected the car, the M-badge had been put back on in the wrong place, when he’d replaced it after some local vandals removed the originals off the car - apparently a phase back in the day?
Before you could slap an eBay m-badge on any POS from bmw, those days required you to ring the dealership armed with the VIN number so they could check your machine was the real deal, before handing over your hard earned dosh for the genuine article.
Anyway, new badges and a sticker set (no laughing) were ordered and the original centre cap badges removed as they were in poor condition:
New badges:
Replaced on caps and looking refreshed!
Then, the m-tech body kit sticker set was replaced and refreshed. If the car is deserving of these little touches, I’m keen to lavish them on it:
Overall, it’s these little touches that really do it for me. Keeping things as original as possible. I’m now hunting for an original figment blaupunkt headunit, so eBay aside, if anyone has anything kicking about in their loft, please DM me.
The last and most obvious error was the rear badge. This really made me uncomfortable. I’m 50/50 on whether to debadge the car entirely, as it was specced from the factory. With the glut of 116d cars driving around now adorned with m-sport badges, I’m still unsure if I want them to stay or not. I haven’t sourced a front grill badge yet.
Before:
After:
Much better. All this effort will be well worth it if the car suffers a significant fail come MOT time!!
So. All the hard work is done, Spencer and his team at BMP Conversions have checked everything over and the MOT is booked for tomorrow morning.
Kindly, his team washed the old girl and to my immense surprise and delight, the horrible discolouration on the wheels came off and they’ve come up like new.
It’s only now the crud from 14 years dry storage has been washed off that it’s clear quite how lucky I’ve been with this car in terms of it’s condition. I know that as things loosen up on the road other jobs will become apparent, bushes being top of that list most likely, but I can’t wait to get behind the wheel.
My father in law confirmed this evening that I was the last person to drive the car, back in the summer of 2005, before she was put back into the garage that year. With the MOT result looming, I feel a bit like I did the night before receiving my A-level results back in 2003 and I’m not sure if it’s 90% excitement and 10% nerves or the other way around.
Either way, the car is in the best shape possible at this stage for the MOT, it’s stunning, I’m jacked and won’t sleep a wink and can’t wait.
Kindly, his team washed the old girl and to my immense surprise and delight, the horrible discolouration on the wheels came off and they’ve come up like new.
It’s only now the crud from 14 years dry storage has been washed off that it’s clear quite how lucky I’ve been with this car in terms of it’s condition. I know that as things loosen up on the road other jobs will become apparent, bushes being top of that list most likely, but I can’t wait to get behind the wheel.
My father in law confirmed this evening that I was the last person to drive the car, back in the summer of 2005, before she was put back into the garage that year. With the MOT result looming, I feel a bit like I did the night before receiving my A-level results back in 2003 and I’m not sure if it’s 90% excitement and 10% nerves or the other way around.
Either way, the car is in the best shape possible at this stage for the MOT, it’s stunning, I’m jacked and won’t sleep a wink and can’t wait.
outnumbered said:
The gov.uk site says it passed !
Top stalking!!She passed!!!!!! then the brake master cylinder detonated on the way back from the test centre. An overnight part has been ordered so collection hopefully pushed back no later than early afternoon tomorrow if all goes smoothly.
Wasn't expecting to be sitting here typing this update. Crushing disappointment sadly, but some positives to be had.
Collection day yesterday - I had the phone call at 3.30pm to say the brake master cylinder had been fitted, the car had been road-tested and was working perfectly. The car was ready for collection.
My wife ran me down to the garage and there stood her old family car, the car her parents had made her polish as a kid to earn pocket money, the car that she'd helped rub trim restorer into the various parts of body/interior over the years to help keep things in good condition. After a chat with Spencer, discussing the latest work, we had a quick handover - It's very helpful to be told little snippits of information about the e30 when i'm not familiar with them - not letting them idle for a while without moving or allowing them to get hot in traffic being the big one - cracked cylinder heads were notorious back on these in the day - something you just don't know unless someone tells you. I then set off for home. Car starts on the turn of the key. Lovely.
Anyway. Car looked resplendent:
First impressions?
1) Wow, the stearing rack is slooooooow. I was very surprised by that, as this is supposed to be a sporty car, and I know a popular modification was to add a Z3 or e36 rack to these, and I can see why, it feels like you're trying to turn a bus at low speeds. I'm not going to modify this, but it jumped out at me before I left the compound.
2) Its comfy. Really comfy. Coming from a modern golf estate, the ride is like a magic carpet compared to that. The 55 profile wheels obviously help, also down the line i'll need to replace the worn rubber bushings, but its still deliciously soft on first impressions, without bobbing around on rebound or obviously rolling in the corners.
3) THAT ENGINE.
4) THAT ENGINE when you add revs.
5) It feels like a 32yr old car. I'm not sure what I expected, but that honestly surprised me a little.
Moving on. As I pulled out onto the A47, taking my time, being VERY gentle with the car, I notice the fuel gauge reading below empty - not initially surprising, as I knew there was a new tank on the car, so figured the team at BMP had put just enough in to get me to a local forecourt. I pulled into BP on the A47, splash in £11.14 of super unleaded (FACTFANS: I wanted to put in £10 then head to Shell to brim with v-power, but missed the click on the pump). Time to take a quick picture from the queue:
Get back into the car. It turns but won't fire. Oh s••t. Get out, check receipt. Thank God, I did put petrol and not diesel in it. Get back in. Turns, no firing. Hmmm. I called BMP - "Spencer is out on a test drive in another customer vehicle, he will be with you shortly"
He then turns up in the sexiest recovery vehicle I've ever seen. A full carbon bodied E30 M3 with e46 running gear putting out 380bhp (ish). What a machine. Anyway, gave me something to look at while the chaps were under the bonnet:
They found the issue was a melted relay.
The other odd thing was a slight smell of burning and a VERY VERY hot coil pack.
The car fired up ok once we replaced the relay with another from the fuse box, and back we went the 5 miles to the workshop. The team set about swapping out the relay and coil pack for a new unit and to fault find to get to the bottom of why we now had a fuel gauge that wasn't reading (the team had put in £14 of fuel that wasn't even registering on the clocks), a very hot coil pack and melting relays, but also to investigate the smell.
Meanwhile, I poured over the customer car that had rescued me from the BP garage:
I also discovered the largest tub of swarfega I've ever seen in the back of the workshop.
Out came the heater covers, to get to the bottom of the smell. Evidence suddenly became apparent as to what might have caused the electrical issues....
With this nest successfully cleaned out, the clocks were removed, to check the 8mm bolt on the back that can apparently loosen to cause issues with the fuel gauge. No issue there. Check the small batteries in the clocks, to see if they're the original long acid filled batteries that can leak over the circuit boards in the clocks. No issue there. Out come the back seats, to check the fuel sender in the tank....
And this is how I left it. The wife came back to collect me, complete with 1 & 3 yr olds, the older of which shouting "TO THE RESCUE" as she jumped out of the car. Helpfully adding "daddy, why is your car broken?"....
So. Evidence of electrical overheating, signs of mice (parents-in-law did set traps in the garage and had a cat which was a prolific mouser, but this might not have been enough) and a close call with an issue that could have caused an electrical fire. A 'bonding experience' as one friend put it! I feel a bit sorry for Spencer as he was incredibly apologetic about the whole thing - he'd never want a car to leave the workshop and return so quickly. Nothing had been an issue on the test drives and to/from MOT or to get fuel for the car, so they were as surprised as I was.
A bit of a wait is in store while an auto-electrical engineer gets to work on diagnosing the fault.
Ending impressions? I LOVE THE CAR, and want another fix of that engine and have a bit of a wait before I can test out the upper reaches of that rev range. Good things come to those who wait.....
Collection day yesterday - I had the phone call at 3.30pm to say the brake master cylinder had been fitted, the car had been road-tested and was working perfectly. The car was ready for collection.
My wife ran me down to the garage and there stood her old family car, the car her parents had made her polish as a kid to earn pocket money, the car that she'd helped rub trim restorer into the various parts of body/interior over the years to help keep things in good condition. After a chat with Spencer, discussing the latest work, we had a quick handover - It's very helpful to be told little snippits of information about the e30 when i'm not familiar with them - not letting them idle for a while without moving or allowing them to get hot in traffic being the big one - cracked cylinder heads were notorious back on these in the day - something you just don't know unless someone tells you. I then set off for home. Car starts on the turn of the key. Lovely.
Anyway. Car looked resplendent:
First impressions?
1) Wow, the stearing rack is slooooooow. I was very surprised by that, as this is supposed to be a sporty car, and I know a popular modification was to add a Z3 or e36 rack to these, and I can see why, it feels like you're trying to turn a bus at low speeds. I'm not going to modify this, but it jumped out at me before I left the compound.
2) Its comfy. Really comfy. Coming from a modern golf estate, the ride is like a magic carpet compared to that. The 55 profile wheels obviously help, also down the line i'll need to replace the worn rubber bushings, but its still deliciously soft on first impressions, without bobbing around on rebound or obviously rolling in the corners.
3) THAT ENGINE.
4) THAT ENGINE when you add revs.
5) It feels like a 32yr old car. I'm not sure what I expected, but that honestly surprised me a little.
Moving on. As I pulled out onto the A47, taking my time, being VERY gentle with the car, I notice the fuel gauge reading below empty - not initially surprising, as I knew there was a new tank on the car, so figured the team at BMP had put just enough in to get me to a local forecourt. I pulled into BP on the A47, splash in £11.14 of super unleaded (FACTFANS: I wanted to put in £10 then head to Shell to brim with v-power, but missed the click on the pump). Time to take a quick picture from the queue:
Get back into the car. It turns but won't fire. Oh s••t. Get out, check receipt. Thank God, I did put petrol and not diesel in it. Get back in. Turns, no firing. Hmmm. I called BMP - "Spencer is out on a test drive in another customer vehicle, he will be with you shortly"
He then turns up in the sexiest recovery vehicle I've ever seen. A full carbon bodied E30 M3 with e46 running gear putting out 380bhp (ish). What a machine. Anyway, gave me something to look at while the chaps were under the bonnet:
They found the issue was a melted relay.
The other odd thing was a slight smell of burning and a VERY VERY hot coil pack.
The car fired up ok once we replaced the relay with another from the fuse box, and back we went the 5 miles to the workshop. The team set about swapping out the relay and coil pack for a new unit and to fault find to get to the bottom of why we now had a fuel gauge that wasn't reading (the team had put in £14 of fuel that wasn't even registering on the clocks), a very hot coil pack and melting relays, but also to investigate the smell.
Meanwhile, I poured over the customer car that had rescued me from the BP garage:
I also discovered the largest tub of swarfega I've ever seen in the back of the workshop.
Out came the heater covers, to get to the bottom of the smell. Evidence suddenly became apparent as to what might have caused the electrical issues....
With this nest successfully cleaned out, the clocks were removed, to check the 8mm bolt on the back that can apparently loosen to cause issues with the fuel gauge. No issue there. Check the small batteries in the clocks, to see if they're the original long acid filled batteries that can leak over the circuit boards in the clocks. No issue there. Out come the back seats, to check the fuel sender in the tank....
And this is how I left it. The wife came back to collect me, complete with 1 & 3 yr olds, the older of which shouting "TO THE RESCUE" as she jumped out of the car. Helpfully adding "daddy, why is your car broken?"....
So. Evidence of electrical overheating, signs of mice (parents-in-law did set traps in the garage and had a cat which was a prolific mouser, but this might not have been enough) and a close call with an issue that could have caused an electrical fire. A 'bonding experience' as one friend put it! I feel a bit sorry for Spencer as he was incredibly apologetic about the whole thing - he'd never want a car to leave the workshop and return so quickly. Nothing had been an issue on the test drives and to/from MOT or to get fuel for the car, so they were as surprised as I was.
A bit of a wait is in store while an auto-electrical engineer gets to work on diagnosing the fault.
Ending impressions? I LOVE THE CAR, and want another fix of that engine and have a bit of a wait before I can test out the upper reaches of that rev range. Good things come to those who wait.....
Sorry for being so quiet recently.
I've been a bit less enthusiastic following the events that left me stranded at the petrol station on the day I was collecting the car and hoping to take it home. I've narrowed it down as to why. It's because I haven't yet had the chance to bond with the car, and it has become a little bit of a time/financial thorn. The initial budget that i'd put aside for the recomissioning was spent on the expected items quickly and this wasn't a problem as I was excited to get the car home and back on the road. A few other items popped up - fuel tank etc, but again, not unexpected and not unreasonable for an old car that has sat for so long. The electronics issue has pushed me a little over two points:
1) I'm not yet in LOVE with the car - I haven't driven it and then it's been taken off the road, so I don't yet feel i've developed enough of a bond with it to 100% justify the spend without reason (i'd 100% have been ok with that in my old subaru for example).
2) the electronics issue isn't something that was clearly an easy fix and has taken time to sort out.
The recomissioning budget creep hasn't yet been tempered by me being able to take the car out, bond with it, grow to love it and therefore easily justify the costs involved, so i've had a hard time over the last month, but the final invoice is paid and the work has been nearing completion. I'm hoping to collect the car on wednesday or thursday this week.
The electronic issue has caused more headaches than first might have been thought. It wasn't an issue that Spencer at BMP conversions had worked with before and was a little unusual. After working through much of the wiring system, replacing the coil pack, relays etc, we noticed that there was an intermittent issue with the coil pack getting really hot under use, when the car had sat for a little while and when re-starting, this meant the car wouldn't spark. Replacing the ecu with a unit off a donor car in the yard didn't help.
Off the car went to an auto electrician.
Scorch marks on the ECU were found.
Further testing of the ECU revealed the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciAR43aBadg
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jWjAVEo4I
So it seemed that the ECU was over stimulating the electronics on the car. Oddly, the donor ecu demonstrated the same issue, but the board had some solder marks from a previous attempted repair and signs of water ingress so we thought this might be a dud.
Decision time - wait for an ecu of a working car to become available, or admit defeat and replace the wiring loom with a facelift loom and ecu off a working engine, loosing some originality, but improving on reliability.
Given that I haven't got any plans to sell the vehicle, I need it to be reliable, so i've gone for the updated loom installation so that we can be rid of the gremlins for good.
Pray it works. I don't want to have to sell the car to realise any investment into it, and I hope I fall in love with it once I get to finally drive it properly!
Updates will follow.
I've been a bit less enthusiastic following the events that left me stranded at the petrol station on the day I was collecting the car and hoping to take it home. I've narrowed it down as to why. It's because I haven't yet had the chance to bond with the car, and it has become a little bit of a time/financial thorn. The initial budget that i'd put aside for the recomissioning was spent on the expected items quickly and this wasn't a problem as I was excited to get the car home and back on the road. A few other items popped up - fuel tank etc, but again, not unexpected and not unreasonable for an old car that has sat for so long. The electronics issue has pushed me a little over two points:
1) I'm not yet in LOVE with the car - I haven't driven it and then it's been taken off the road, so I don't yet feel i've developed enough of a bond with it to 100% justify the spend without reason (i'd 100% have been ok with that in my old subaru for example).
2) the electronics issue isn't something that was clearly an easy fix and has taken time to sort out.
The recomissioning budget creep hasn't yet been tempered by me being able to take the car out, bond with it, grow to love it and therefore easily justify the costs involved, so i've had a hard time over the last month, but the final invoice is paid and the work has been nearing completion. I'm hoping to collect the car on wednesday or thursday this week.
The electronic issue has caused more headaches than first might have been thought. It wasn't an issue that Spencer at BMP conversions had worked with before and was a little unusual. After working through much of the wiring system, replacing the coil pack, relays etc, we noticed that there was an intermittent issue with the coil pack getting really hot under use, when the car had sat for a little while and when re-starting, this meant the car wouldn't spark. Replacing the ecu with a unit off a donor car in the yard didn't help.
Off the car went to an auto electrician.
Scorch marks on the ECU were found.
Further testing of the ECU revealed the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciAR43aBadg
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jWjAVEo4I
So it seemed that the ECU was over stimulating the electronics on the car. Oddly, the donor ecu demonstrated the same issue, but the board had some solder marks from a previous attempted repair and signs of water ingress so we thought this might be a dud.
Decision time - wait for an ecu of a working car to become available, or admit defeat and replace the wiring loom with a facelift loom and ecu off a working engine, loosing some originality, but improving on reliability.
Given that I haven't got any plans to sell the vehicle, I need it to be reliable, so i've gone for the updated loom installation so that we can be rid of the gremlins for good.
Pray it works. I don't want to have to sell the car to realise any investment into it, and I hope I fall in love with it once I get to finally drive it properly!
Updates will follow.
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