Hey all!
Just joined the forum earlier this week and actually just picked up my 318ti this morning. It's a black 97 sport with about 107,000 miles on it. I loved every minute of the drive from ATL back to NC, although it started to get noticeably shakier and noisier at 80 mph (probably just tire alignment issues). This car is a ginormous improvement over the Acura Integra I was originally looking for.
I do have a few questions that I''m hoping you guys can help me with, though. As an FYI, my do-it-yourself abilities are limited, but I can handle a screw-driver or wrench. I'd just like to stay away from anything that involves wiring/electronics knowledge beyond just plugging in a connector. Also, remaining street-legal is important.
1) Any quick but good-looking fix for a saggy headliner? It's not too bad, but I'd like to fix it.
You got me there.......try Leatherz, although Andy (owner) mainly performs Z3 interior applicatons. 2) Can anyone shoot me a link to a good OEM site to pick up clear turn signal and side indicator lights, red/clear tail lights, front headlight covers (current ones look fogged over/old) and hid/xenon lamps? The Angel Eyes stuff is a little over the top for me, though. Or, should I just try to order this through a local dealer? Is this a fairly easy DIY project?
Bimmerbum on ebay sells OEM clear corners for a fair price.
get Euro Headlights instead, glass lenses (vs plastic), no fading, brighter than US issues and cheaper than HID/Xenon 3) The side molding on my car is pretty faded...any products out there that would bring that back to life, or am I doomed to try and find some new M molding?
Forever black from either Bavauto/Pelican Parts/Griots Garage should revive those plastic moldings, temporarily. Cheaper than getting new ones. 4) The airbag light is on because of seatbelt latch issues. I was quoted $1,000 to fix this, which sounds f-in ridiculous. Advice?
Borrow a SRS airbag reset tool from Steven......the Site Administrator and our Fearless leader.........
If he will let you..............
If that fails like mine, i would black it out. 5) Also, the lack of an armrest was driving me crazy. Does BMW make one, or only third-party (saw a link to one of these in another post)?
I think Andy at LeatherZ might have a solution here, or go to ebay and search. 6) This car is serving as my daily driver, and I don't anticipate that I'll be doing racing/autocross/showing it, etc. However, I would like to up the performance a bit just to make the car even more fun around town/on the hwy, without breaking the bank (no engine swaps, probably not looking at a supercharger either) or hurting reliability. Should I start with improved suspension and then look at a performance chip? Other suggestions?
Superchips from GMP (ask for Danny and tell him Fariz from Racing Dynamics referred you) gives you up to 12/12 - hp/torque, Dinan gives you almost nothing in HP, but great throttle response, rev limiter 7k and speed governor removed ($249). NickG's Technique Tuning chip.....2-3hp $249.00 Cold Air Intake....no HP, maybe throttle response, Stromung Exhaust (search group buy here..... ) is a great replacement with better quality exhaust for a lot less than OEM from dealer. I would buy Bilstein Sport shocks all around....hold off on the springs, get X-Brace, get CCA membership and join Driving Schools offered thru the club. 7) Just kidding. Six was more than enough.
Sorry to bombard with questions as soon as I get here. Feel free to toss in your .02 to any of the questions, as I'm sure answering all of that would take one person forever (but hey, if you've got nothing else to do...). Looking forward to getting to know everyone, and thanks in advance!
-Kevin