[toxik]

Originally Posted by F30_320D_UK

Excellent write up and mad skill as always.
New lights look awesome.
Completely agree that re-aligning the bumper and the gaps is a pain. Swapped out light modules on mine last week too.
Your car is specc’d to the max, now!

awesome congrats! its tough but at least I know what to do incase I ever need to take that whole area apart again.

[toxik]

Did a bunch of interior upgrades over the last couple of months, figured let me combine all of them for this post as a build update.

1. Switch-back underglow interior LEDs. Got these from ali, a direct replacement and plug and play of the footwell lights. During welcome light portion when car is first unlocked, the lights are white. Once you’re driving, the lights switch to amber/orange color to match OEM bmw lights that stay on while driving creating an underglow effect. This only stays on during nighttime when other interior lights turn on, they’re off during day time driving:




2. Euro fog light switch with rear fog, coupled with a carbon fiber surround trim. This mod was on back burner for a while for me, bought a euro fog light switch from UK, about 15GBP, to complete the look I also had a custom surround trim made with 2x2 oem style carbon weave to match my interior trim. Final results look great and OEM+:






3. I was very happy with the results of the custom CF piece so I decided to do the same for my radio trim, I figured a carbon weave would match better than gloss black which the OEM LCI radio trim is. Again very happy with the results, looks OEM+ to me. The climate control plug of death was quite a pain to disconnect but at least I didn’t break anything while trying to unplug it!











4. Last mod was just an aesthetic to tie everything on the interior better together. Found some aluminum, galvanized style window control switch buttons on ali and decided to give them a shot. They look and feel better than OEM, everything was plug and play and part of my motivation to replace them was noticing that the plastic surround on driver side was starting to get sticky to the touch. Now I have brand new plastic and better looking buttons, a win all around!

[Cytoplasm0671]

Wow man, I particularly like the aluminum window switches. Can I get a link? May copy you (again) on that. Would start with a few carbon fiber pieces but my worry is once I start I can't stop ha

[toxik]

Originally Posted by Cytoplasm0671

Wow man, I particularly like the aluminum window switches. Can I get a link? May copy you (again) on that. Would start with a few carbon fiber pieces but my worry is once I start I can't stop ha

haha no worries, i posted about it a while ago in the “what did you do to your f30” thread and a few people also picked them up. they’re a great addition and quality impressed me:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqlPiwK

AndrewC1989 mentioned his passenger side had 2 plastic stand-offs that needed to be cut and shaved down to fit, im assuming casting mold leftovers. mine were fine though out the box.

[jnj2455]

Originally Posted by toxik

haha no worries, i posted about it a while ago in the “what did you do to your f30” thread and a few people also picked them up. they’re a great addition and quality impressed me:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqlPiwK

AndrewC1989 mentioned his passenger side had 2 plastic stand-offs that needed to be cut and shaved down to fit, im assuming casting mold leftovers. mine were fine though out the box.

I also went down a rabbit hole with this one and don't think I could find anything for a 2 door the passenger side. Did these switches originally come from a 5 or 6 series of that era?

[toxik]

Originally Posted by jnj2455

I also went down a rabbit hole with this one and don't think I could find anything for a 2 door the passenger side. Did these switches originally come from a 5 or 6 series of that era?

i originally saw these on the G11, same as the start button and etc, then I noticed many other G generation cars have these like G20 and G80. I’m not sure if a retrofit from OEM button units into F30 plastic surround trim is possible, never saw anyone do it. Aftermarket option was easy.

What’s different about a 2 door passenger side?

[jnj2455]

Originally Posted by toxik

i originally saw these on the G11, same as the start button and etc, then I noticed many other G generation cars have these like G20 and G80. I’m not sure if a retrofit from OEM button units into F30 plastic surround trim is possible, never saw anyone do it. Aftermarket option was easy.

What’s different about a 2 door passenger side?

Sorry I meant driver side, wrote that too quick.

[toxik]

Originally Posted by jnj2455

Sorry I meant driver side, wrote that too quick.

ah yeah you’re right i never thought about that! hopefully they’ll release something for the coupes.

[toxik]

Got a few maintenance items knocked out today, oil change, first ever coolant flush and preemptively replaced my parking brake clip that sits above driveshaft and is known to become brittle and break. I went with the AGA metal replacement for a permanent fix:

[F30_320D_UK]

What method did you follow to do the coolant flush? And was it mission to bleed it afterwards? Did you have to bleed it using ISTA (or similair)

[toxik]

Originally Posted by F30_320D_UK

What method did you follow to do the coolant flush? And was it mission to bleed it afterwards? Did you have to bleed it using ISTA (or similair)

Not ashamed to admit that I went to a BMW tech to do the flush, partly because my garage doesn’t allow any fluid related jobs to be done inside and partly because I knew it’s a messy job. He did use ISTA to bleed it after. I was on the fence about doing the job at all, made a thread about it in B58 section, and many people’s consensus was that it’s not really worth doing. To me it seems that only half the coolant is drained from the lower radiator hose. A lot of older stuff remains in the system. I was already going to be there for an oil change so I decided to do the coolant flush since it both didn’t take him long and it’s relatively cheap to do, but I doubt I’d do it as it’s a messy job.

[lens]

I did the same as OP, surprisingly, BMW dealer does not charge that much for a coolant flush, and at least you'll know it'll be done correctly through ISTA.

The entire system does need to be vacuum filled.

Then drive the car for a day or few and check the level again, I had to add a bit of coolant as it was just below minimum.

[toxik]

Rarely get to enjoy my car after i clean it since being a daily driver in NY means instant dirt and dust all over the paint. But at least I can share it being clean with you guys :

[lllRazorlll]

This is tastefully done

[toxik]

A few small updates to the car, nothing major but happy to have them added to the car:

IND x RE Metal Rear License Plate Mount:

I always despised the OEM plastic rear plate frame holding bracket, not only did it vibrate and rattle, but it also corroded at an alarming rate. Picked up IND x RE's recent collab to make the ultimate rear plate mount, with rear mounted vibration dampeners, and anti corrosive materials used. Just sucks you will never see this product, I found the quality to be outstanding and impressive:




OEM Rear plate mount, absolutely disgusting:



Cleaning and mounting the new iND plate holder:





OEM Cup Holder LED retrofit:

For past couple of months I've had the aftermarket center console/cup holder/ash tray LED light installed, and although I was happy with it, it was a little too bright for me and I figured I'd replace it with the OEM module. It's significantly dimmer and I figure most wouldn't want to "downgrade" but in the end I just wanted to be OEM. Part number #63319237697 with a custom Y cable made:







Rear Trunk upper Carpet Liner:

A bit of a weird mod, that I haven't seen anyone else do here, saw this online one day and figured... "yeah why not," the product page promises insulation and sound deadening. But, in my eyes this just completes the look and something BMW left off for cost-cutting reasons. Fitment was ok, had to buy a few velco strips to get the section where the light is located to sit closer to the body of the car. Overall it looks good and feels OEM:



OEM exposed body look:



with the carpet installed:

[_ObiJon]

Love the trunk liner, definitely should have come like that OEM. New to AliExpress and tried to find one for the coupe but was unsuccessful. Sad face.

[toxik]

Originally Posted by _ObiJon

Love the trunk liner, definitely should have come like that OEM. New to AliExpress and tried to find one for the coupe but was unsuccessful. Sad face.

yeah i did a quick search and nothing unfortunately

[toxik]

Small fix update for the trunk liner. I think after spending numerous weeks bent inside a box, it lost its mold a bit. I noticed it wasn’t being held by anything by the trunk light and was showing a sag. I tried to see if it would return back to form but it never did. Decided to fix it with 3M velcro strips. My first attempt (the pics I posted before) failed within a day, as the double sided tape of the strip simply didn’t stick to car fabric of the trunk liner. Luckily, I remembered I had Fabri Tac, a fabric adhesive from my ebrake boot DIY. I used some of it on the velcro tape and it worked like a charm. Now the fitment is like OEM.

First pic shows the sag and the gap between the light and the actual light cut out of the liner.

[kif30ki]

toxik

I see you live in NJ. What is your winter prep like? Do you undercoat? I live in NY with similar winters and looking for the best way to protect my car against the oceans of salt they pour on the roads.

Love the car, man!

[toxik]

Originally Posted by kif30ki

toxik

I see you live in NJ. What is your winter prep like? Do you undercoat? I live in NY with similar winters and looking for the best way to protect my car against the oceans of salt they pour on the roads.

Love the car, man!

thanks, i’m actually also in NY, and my only winter prep is paint based. I usually clay bar and apply 2 hydrophobic coatings that last about 6 months. I do the same before summer.

I found the car to be well equipped at preventing rust. No undercoating needed other than what’s already on from factory. My car has lived in NJ and NY it’s whole life and the rust I see under it is very easily removable surface rust on a few bolts. I was just inspecting my car from underneath a month ago.

[toxik]

want to give a special shout out to Griot’s engine bay detailer, an amazing product for cleaning and maintaining a good looking engine bay.

[danb1979]

Originally Posted by toxik

Rarely get to enjoy my car after i clean it since being a daily driver in NY means instant dirt and dust all over the paint. But at least I can share it being clean with you guys :

Wow! It sits on those 513Ms so, so well! Every credit to you...

They're rare as hens teeth here in the UK and bloody expensive when they do crop up