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Old 09-15-2018, 12:22 AM   #1
DaveSTi
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E90 328xi - The Daily

After getting the ZL1, there's no winter/wheel tire setup I wanted to run on that car, so I've taken over the family E90 (my wife has a Cherokee now) and am going to be making it a little bit more sporty.

It's a 2010 328xi we bought at 57k and it currently has 71k on it.

So far, I've mainly done maintenance/updates for wear and tear:

-Air and Cabin filter
-Coil packs and spark plugs
-New radiator and hoses
-New Power steering line
-new Idler pulley and belt
-Updated the nav to 2018 maps
-Added satellite radio function to iDrive
-Replaced the sagging rear window rubber trim
-Replaced the HVAC control panel
-Replaced the Engine Start button
-Replaced the iDrive controller metal ring
-Replaced the spray painted kidney grilles with new ones

I currently have the multi-function sport steering wheel and sport airbag on order to replace the non-sport wheel that while heated, is really thin and blah. This new wheel keeps the heated function (winter time!)

I also have ordered heated sport seats and the matching rear 60/40 fold-down seats in black dakota leather. I plan on retrofitting the fold-down function into this car with these seats.

After I do these interior updates, I will be moving to wheels, brakes and suspension. Parts currently on hold:

- Bilstein B12 kit
- M3 rear guide rods and upper links
- All strut mount bushings
- Stoptech brake pads, OEM rotors and fluid
- VMR VB3 18" wheels with all season tires (winter)
- BavSound speaker/sub/amp upgrade

With the foundation cleaned up:

- 330i 3 stage intake manifold kit w/ tune


All said and done, I expect this car to last for several years with proper upkeep and preventive maintenance. (water pump on the horizon in the next 10-20k)

Pics coming as the projects come along. Here's what we're working with:







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Last edited by DaveSTi; 09-17-2018 at 02:10 PM.
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Old 09-17-2018, 10:41 AM   #2
PAdutch
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Ive always thought these would make good daily/winter cars. I always worry about the maintenance though.
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Old 09-17-2018, 11:16 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by PAdutch View Post
Ive always thought these would make good daily/winter cars. I always worry about the maintenance though.
Yeah it is not cheap to run vs. say a Toyota.

We’ve had it long enough now that I’m more confident that the big ticket items are sound and any looming work is preventative.

My biggest worry is for the trans or transfer case to go out but that’s not common and with fluid changes at 100k, it should run for awhile.

Now, little stuff? Quite possible and likely. Window regulators are a problem area but I can DIY those for a couple hundred each.

What my endgoal here is to have an E90 with an identical setup to my old E46 M3 but with all season tires and all wheel drive so I can drive it year round back and forth between DC and Richmond.

If this blows up in my face spectacularly, let’s have a laugh about it together on here
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Old 09-25-2018, 06:33 PM   #4
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Quick twenty minute install today of the X1 sport steering wheel. Retains the heating function of the base steering wheel, but provides the M-Sport grips. All function buttons maintain current controls. Both the older airbag and the new airbag are the revised Takata ones post-recall.









Codes cleared

Amazing what a difference it makes...more leverage around the wheel and a better driving experience from something this simple to do.

E90 sport seats will be going in this weekend, they just arrived on pallet.
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Last edited by DaveSTi; 09-25-2018 at 06:37 PM.
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Old 09-30-2018, 06:12 PM   #5
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Front sport seats installed and working. Had to swap some cables around in the harness and reuse the buckle, but very simple to do...3 hours of work taking my time and learning on the passenger seat side first.



I also got out the ShopVac and found some loose change while swapping the seats out




Both seats installed. No airbag lights and the difference is night and day in comfort and support.



The 60/40 fold-down rear seats will go in at a later time. I just bought the brackets, clips, cables and handles to do the job.
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Last edited by DaveSTi; 10-01-2018 at 10:18 AM.
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Old 10-02-2018, 01:11 PM   #6
DocWalt
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What's the access doohickey under the seat?
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Old 10-02-2018, 01:39 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by DocWalt View Post
What's the access doohickey under the seat?
That's the subwoofer. Even the base audio has two subwoofers (although they don't do a great job).

Here's a photo:


I'll be upgrading this system as the next step of the interior project.
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Old 10-11-2018, 09:42 AM   #8
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My rear seat 60/40 fold down project is on hold as Tischer waits for one bracket to come in from Germany. ETA is the 15th, figure the parts box gets to me by the end of the month.

Looking at wheels for the car, and the EC-7 or ARC-8 are the two that have been hard to decide on for this car. Which one would you choose?

EC-7:


or the ARC-8:


Also, the suspension choice has been tricky due to ride quality concerns from going to an 18" wheel from the 16" as well as the base suspension (worn) to a fresh B8 shock with lowering springs. My wife likes how comfortable the car rides now but it's 16" wheels with massive sidewalls and the worn base suspension vs. 18's with a fresh sport suspension with the Bilsteins. I may simply refresh the OEM shocks and go with the factory sport suspension to match up to the 18's instead so the ride isn't too firm. Decisions decisions.

Lastly, a new gas cap was ordered to replace the current one due to the rubber line rotting on the original. Major mod alert.
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Old 10-11-2018, 12:02 PM   #9
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N54 swap eh eh eh?
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Old 10-11-2018, 02:20 PM   #10
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N54 swap eh eh eh?
Nah, not really what i want out of the car.
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Old 10-12-2018, 11:53 AM   #11
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Nah, not really what i want out of the car.
That's certainly for the better

My suggestion came from reading this thread and then logging in to TST to see your update. E46 vs E90 obviously but it certainly creates some bad ideas.

The car is turning out great!

Edit: EC7s for me as well. However, both of the above wheels look best in a low offset, and I don't know if the xdrive pushes the hubs out further like on all of the other AWD bimmers. The EC7 with too high an offset loses the concave and really kills the look, much like the ARC8, RPF1, NT01 and several others that require a low offset or big width to complete "the look".

Last edited by blue91lx; 10-18-2018 at 02:53 PM.
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Old 10-12-2018, 02:49 PM   #12
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That's certainly for the better

My suggestion came from reading this thread and then logging in to TST to see your update. E46 vs E90 obviously but it certainly creates some bad ideas.

The car is turning out great!
Yeah, I wouldn't engine swap a daily driver, but man that thread was a fun read! Thanks for sharing...it makes me miss my old E46 M3 a little bit.
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Old 10-12-2018, 09:22 PM   #13
DocWalt
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My vote is for EC-7s
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:12 AM   #14
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Arc-8!
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Old 10-14-2018, 09:53 AM   #15
PAdutch
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Ec7 for me
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:40 PM   #16
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Wheel purchase is on hold for ZL1 reasons, but the parts catalog that I ordered for the rear seat should arrive later this week. Silver lining.
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Old 10-21-2018, 10:33 AM   #17
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Installed the rear fold-down seats this past weekend. Had some trouble getting both seat backs put together but was able to get everything tied up yesterday afternoon. Nice upgrade to the car's functionality now.

First, removed the fixed seatback set from the car (bottom cushion first):


Then, installed the trunk mounted release handles for the seats:



You then route the cable through to a new set of seat locks on the rear tray:


I also added in the factory trim cover to make it look OEM when the seats are folded down:


Seat backs connect to each other with a metal rod and peg. Due to the limited space, this was not easy to work with:


all done:


Quick test:





and the pass-through for the armrest is pretty cool too:


Extra storage inside of the pass-through:





Last change to report, replaced the sun damaged side-markers:



Next addition to the car will be a scratch & dent strut tower brace from ECS Tuning that I got for next to nothing. I've read a handful of reviews now stating they matter on the E90. The scratch & dent piece has some scuffs on the polished aluminum that I don't care about so nothing functionally wrong with it.

All in all, happy to have the seats all retrofitted in with the steering wheel. I have a few more interior items to do, the HiFi stereo retrofit and the drivers door seal then it'll be on to the stuff that will make it more fun to drive.
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Last edited by DaveSTi; 10-21-2018 at 10:50 AM.
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Old 10-21-2018, 10:55 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by blue91lx View Post

Edit: EC7s for me as well. However, both of the above wheels look best in a low offset, and I don't know if the xdrive pushes the hubs out further like on all of the other AWD bimmers. The EC7 with too high an offset loses the concave and really kills the look, much like the ARC8, RPF1, NT01 and several others that require a low offset or big width to complete "the look".
Good advice, thank you! I've been going by the guide that APEX published here for the offsets:
https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc...-Fitment-Guide

I would be running a square setup for ease with the awd, so it looks like the right sizing for this car would be 18x8.5" ET35 or ET38. I plan on finding out which would give me the best concave look once I'm ready to make the purchase.
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Old 10-21-2018, 02:43 PM   #19
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Little details like those marker lights really matter. I like the functionality of the rear passthrough and flip seats.

I had never noticed how plush those "bolsters" are where the seats merge with the door opening. Impressive!
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Old 10-23-2018, 10:53 AM   #20
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Little details like those marker lights really matter. I like the functionality of the rear passthrough and flip seats.

I had never noticed how plush those "bolsters" are where the seats merge with the door opening. Impressive!
Thanks!

This is quickly reminding me of the E46 M3 build. All the little stuff getting looked over and replaced/repaired OEM+ while the car got performance upgrades too.

Today the strut tower brace arrives. Then I'll be taking a break from spending on this for awhile as the ZL1 bill will need to be attacked.

Already looking at doing the brake swap from the 335i for the larger rotors/calipers...but need larger diameter wheels first.
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