Interior Trim Tool Kit for Christmas

I'm getting a few things for my car this Christmas and one thing I wanted to add to my toolbox is a decent set of interior trim removal tools. After some searching, I found a great set of 10 nylon pry tools from Eastwood. The kit is $39.99 plus tax and shipping is currently free. Looks like a good kit and I saw it mentioned on Bimmerpost from someone doing a full trim replacement on a 1-series.

To order the kit, go to Eastwood's site. It's a nice set for our cars and any future automotive projects. more.

LeatherZ Complete Gauge Kit

LeatherZ has released a relatively affordable gauge cluster kit for the E9x 3-series cars, including the E93 convertibles. The kit allows for 3 gauges to fit in place of where the ashtray currently is in the center console. Pricing is about 10-20% lower than other custom solutions I've seen and the cluster kit is configurable running from $305-$550 depending on which VDO gauges you choose.

There are a few recommendations from the supplier dependent on what kind of car you have:

E9x 328i - Oil Pressure, Oil Temperature and Voltmeter

E9x 335i (Stock) - 0-15PSI Boost, Oil Pressure and Water Temperature

E9x 335i (Modified) - 0-30 PSI Boost (Or Vacuum/Boost), Oil Pressure and Water Temperature

E9x 335i (Track Setup) - Pyrometer, Oil Pressure and Water Temperature

Installation takes from 4-6 hours and instructions come with the kit when ordered. I was disappointed the instructions are not available online. This would really help those of us considering buying the set who are DIY types to see what is involved.

This is definitely something I plan to do with my car in the next year or so. Hopefully someone on the boards will beat me to the task and post some instructions with photos. more.

BMWCCA Going Social

The BMW Car Club of America is extending their social reach with a new Facebook Fan Page and a more active Twitter account @BMWCCA. If you are not a BMWCCA Member, I highly recommend joining. The Roundel publication alone is reason enough to join as it has the best BMW owner, history and enthusiast content available. I've been a member for over 10 years and have loved every minute of it.

The Club also holds several driving performance and safety events. I wish my car was able to join the track events, but Club rules force me to have a roll cage which is a real shame as the requirement is quite extreme as compared to most track policies which only require rollbars and 5-point belts for convertibles. Oh well, it's still a great club and worth joining so do so today and at minimum join the Facebook and Twitter accounts to stay engaged.

2010 Facelift Images Show Minor Changes Coming

Car Magazine (UK) is reporting some coming changes for the next BMW E93 convertible. Several images hint at areas that may get some modification in what looks to be a minor-facelift.

Some changes appear to be modifications around LED usage on the front and rear lights, expect tiny LED bulbs galore like the Audi A5. LED lighting abuse is the new trend in automotive design.

Other changes could happen around the side skirts, lower rear bumper and front lower lip. All areas are hidden on the "mule" pictured by Car Magazine. I'm personally hoping for some new side skirts as I would love to see something a bit more sporty than the current M-Sport side skirts and not as aggressive as the M3 sides.

In-car Internet access and the improved iDrive changes are all part of the technology changes. BMW Blog is reporting that there is a lot of speculation about the new N55 engine replacing the current 335i N54 engine. more.

Service Manual Released Covering E93

Bentley Publishers has finally released a service manual for the 2006-2009 BMW 3-series models that covers the 335i and 328i convertibles. If you are not familiar with these books, you should be. Bentley makes some great books for the do it yourself mechanic.

If you are not so daring as taking on the projects yourself, the books are great for understanding what is being done to your car if you hire the work out. Also, I find these books to be a great resource to help diagnose problems and use for routine maintenance.

The price is a bit steep at $81.87 right now on Amazon.com, but at over 1,200 pages it sounds very comprehensive. more.

One Owner Shares His Waterfall of Angst

Sometimes the ownership experience can be ruined by a engineering failure or design flaw or you happen to get the "lemon" of the bunch. Such is the case with one owner who is suffering a down pouring of dislike on his E93. He started a blog - called BimmerIssues - with one post to get the word out about his car's flooding issue that happens in heavy downpour or car wash.

I personally haven't had this issue. I will on occasion get a small amount of water coming through the corner where the top connects with the front windshield and the driver's window, but I've owned a couple convertibles and have always had some minor drips, but it's nothing like the video above.

It's always good understanding what issues can happen to best understand the car. So, I decided to post this person's experience if you want to know the other side of ownership that isn't all roses and balloons, like mine has been. more.

Garage419 Reviews the 335i Convertible in Paradise

Loaded with great driving shots of the 2009 BMW 335i convertible driving along California’s ultra scenic driver’s road The Pacific Coast Highway, the team at Garage419 takes out the E93. “Wide open stretches, tight corners” is some of what makes the PCH such a great road to enjoy the dynamics of the 335i convertible.

There are some great sounds from the exhaust note too. Nothing is really new here but some great video shots make the video a joy to watch and personally makes me weep thinking how my car gets beat to hell on Michigan’s pothole infested roads; instead of living in the paradise that is driving through the windy roads of Northern California.

Euro Split Armrest for Added Comfort

There are a few features we don't get in our 3-series BMWs in the States, well at least we don't get them stock. Of course you probably are used to the game of being able to buy OEM parts after your purchase, even if they are parts that could've come on your car from the factory like they are made available across the Atlantic. After owning several BMWs, this has become old hat in my experience.

I fell for it again and decided to order a $265 part (price included shipping) from Tischer BMW, the OEM BMW E90 Sedan Split Armrest (the E90 part fits the E92/E93.) I had put this modification off because it seemed kind of dumb to me, but a couple of good friends did the install and really liked the improvement of the upgrade.

There is also a lot of talk on the boards in a DIY thread concerning the hassle of a small gear you have to install to get the full effect of the upgrade (gives a more natural not so springy pop of the armrest when it is released. Stock just shoots right up.) Anyway the gear was a bit of hassle but two posts really helped: Putting in the spring and the other tip is "So here's a tip so this doesn't happen to anyone else. Once the gear is inserted properly and you're attempting to place the armrest in, HOLD the gear in place firmly with your finger. Trust me, you'll avoid a lot of aggravation."

Another helpful post, involved how to remove the armrest from an E92/E93 as opposed to the E90 model the DIY was originally done for.

Also, before installing the new armrest you'll want to remove your iPod holder from the stock armrest and install it on the new armrest. Details can be found on this post. I removed the iPod holder and used a small piece of card paper for a magazine subscription and made a template from that for drilling the new holes. Be careful not to drill too far in. Don't worry if it pokes right through quickly, as there is just a thin piece of plastic to drill through. Make sure your drill bit isn't long so you continue to the other side, tough to do but just be careful and don't worry when the drill pokes through the thin layer of plastic since you did not go through any leather.

The install took me about 20 minutes including the time to remove and reattach the iPod leather holder.

BMW Performance Automatic Shift Knob

You gotta love an installation that involves pulling up with a little force and snapping out a small leather boot, taking a mere two minutes. That's all that's involved in installing the new BMW Performance Auto Shift Knob. The new knob is the first and only automatic shifter replacement for the E90/E92/E93 BMWs with Steptronic transmissions.

It looks good with some Alcantara trim and smooth black leather. The shifter also is a bit bulkier than stock and has a very nice, sturdy, sporty feel to it. The boot that can be ordered continues the Alcantara and leather theme.

I took some photos comparing the new knob to stock to help everyone see how the two differ. Hope you like what you see. I've had some great compliments about it from the E90Post board and even Tischer BMW asked to use one of my photos for their online product catalog.

Price for the item is $115 ($185 with the boot) from Tischer. Details are on this group buy thread.

Next up, a leather split armrest...

The Best Cosmetic Modification: New Wheels

I have done quite a few modifications to my car over the past two years of ownership, but nothing makes it really unique and custom like some new wheels. Fortunately, a good friend of mine whom I originally met on the E90Post forums is in the process of buying a new M3 coupe and he was selling his 19" BBS-CH wheel and tire set from his 2006 BMW 330i.

I had the set installed yesterday and had to add TPMS sensors since the 2006 models didn't need them. This added some minor cost both for parts and installation. It seems worth it since you have to get the dealership to program turning off the warning light when no sensors are installed. Seemed like an annoyance I wanted to avoid so I went with new TPMS sensors. Tire Rack has a great non-OEM set that ran $200.

Exhaust Tips for the Warranty Cautious Modder

I really want a Eisenmann quad exhaust system. Really. After looking into adding an after-market exhaust that wasn't Dinan, to my Dinan modified 335i, I decided to wait until I'm out of warranty before I change the whole exhaust system on my car. A good modification that is low cost and adds a nice after-market look is exhaust tips.

I went with 3.8" chrome tips from Cyba off the E90 board. Ordering was easy and the price was far better than Dimsa tips. The Cyba tips ran $99 including shipping. Dimsa tips are $145 (special right now down from $175) not including shipping.

Locally, I went to S & K Muffler in Royal Oak, Michigan to have the tips installed. They do require that the stock exhaust is cut and the tips are welded on. Cost was $60 for the installation. It took about an hour to install, while I waited.

An Even More Striking Interior

Tastefully modifying your interior is a very difficult thing when you start changing trim pieces out with non-OEM or something different from the typical carbon fiber treatment. Sometimes, interior customizations look a bit too "Pimp My Ride." Fortunately, a customization worthy of consideration was done by Richy, Richy@RichmannMotorSport.com, from BMW MotorSport (Richmann Motorsports).

The center console is wrapped in black leatherette, giving the 3-series interior a bit of a M3 look and actually it really cleans up the look of the aluminum trim and black leather interior combination. Fit is a bit tight, as the installer mentioned it took some strong arming to get the trim to pop back into place since the leatherette ads some thickness to the pieces, but it does click in.

Sorry, but there are no details on pricing. It looks pretty low cost though, particularly if you are just trimming the center console section with your existing parts.

All in all, I think it looks amazing and may consider this as a way to give my car some new life after five or so years. Provided of course, I stop looking at the photo and think 'damn that looks good and probably isn't too bad price wise...' more.