E30 Zone

So, I'm guessing that it's probably best to purchase one new rather than trying to find a decent one at a wrecker?

There is a metal cover that goes horizontally through the RH rear wheel arch, curving in to go behind the damper, on all E30s. It covers three vent pipes that are part of the fuel system. Is this the cover you mean? A-ha! I thought that it was a Touring-specific thing. If you and Spadge are talking...

Hey all, I'm trying to find a part for my Touring in the ETK, but am not having much luck. There is a flat metal casing bolted inside the right rear wheel arch, hiding behind the tire. About 15 inches long. I believe that it protects some tubing that is part of the self-leveling rear suspension. Any...

Here's another option (hear me out before anyone makes a scrunchy face :? ). How about taking the trunk mount light off an E30 cabrio and mounting it at the trailing edge of the roof? The housing is pretty low profile and if you painted it body colour, it'd look totally factory. Minimal drilling, ea...

Brianmoooore wrote:Why can't the dealer find them on his ETK?

The part doesn't show up on his ETK either. His screen looks just like this:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=51&fg=65

A-ha! So, is anyone willing to pluck these clips and screws off a wrecker and send them across the pond? I'll PayPal you for the trouble! Wouldn't new ones from your local dealer be easier? That would be much easier. But with no part number, my dealer can't really help. Luckily, oze30 has offered t...

A-ha! So, is anyone willing to pluck these clips and screws off a wrecker and send them across the pond? I'll PayPal you for the trouble!

Take a picture so we are certain wot you are talking about and someone might be able to sort you out. :D Here's a shot (hope it works) of the trim pieces prised apart. You can see the rectangular cutout in the steel frame of the tailgate and the corresponding cutout in the plastic side trim piece. ...

There are 2 small screws on the top part. These screw into some clips not the tailgate itself. Hmmm. Thanks for the info, guys. The big trim panel definitely has two factory holes for tiny screws. No sign of the mystery clips on the ETK, which makes them kinda hard to order from the dealer. I don't...

We Touring types have probably all had our interior tailgate trim off at some point. There's four pieces: a short plastic hinge cover across the top of the glass, two vertical pieces on either side of the glass and the main big plastic panel that covers the wiper motor. There are two tiny exposed sc...

My Touring has the roll-up cargo cover WITHOUT the netted blind. Of course, the plastic mounting tabs have broken off, so I'd like to replace it with a new one WITH the net. What I'm wondering about is all the mounting hardware and brackets. Can I use the existing mounting brackets and hardware, or ...

The good news is that the black factory headliner is still available for the Touring. The bad news (if you have a sunroof) is that the sunroof panel is NLA. Argh! Ask me how I found out. ...And before you get all clever and think you can just order the black panel from an E30 M3, the fabric is not a...

So, it sounds like there is SOME risk in attempting to remove it, even if you use the right technique. And if it does break, are you completely screwed?

I need to make some adjustment to my windshield washer nozzles, two of which are currently spraying the ROOF of my car. Push pins are too large. Is there a tool I can pick up? Any suggestions welcome.

Just a thought, but would it be possible to borrow one from another make, like an older VW Golf for example? Something that mounts up in the headliner and peeks through the rear glass just below the spoiler?

If your Touring has the self-leveling rear suspension, then you'll need to order the Touring-specific top mounts. The holes running through the standard E30 or E46 mounts are too small (ask me how I found out). AND, to make it even more fun, BMW will charge you twice as much for the barely-different...

This is getting WAY ahead of things, but I thought I'd pass it along anyway. When it comes time to re-attach all your exterior trim, you've got to be reeeeeaaaally careful attaching all the clips. The metal beltline clips especially have a nasty tendency to scrape paint off. When I re-trimmed my car...

Mmmm. Yum. And that's even before flat sanding/polishing! Paint always looks so fantastic fresh out of the booth, even before the masking comes off...

You realize, of course, that anything less than all brand-new trim will look nasty next to that perfect paint? Cha-ching!

why should you not wash a car in direct sunlight? With most car products, it's recommended that the surface be cool to the touch. Direct sun is great if you want your car to dry REALLY fast, but it's like having a million tiny magnifying glasses cooking your paint. Plus, because the water is drying...

I've been surfing this board for some time, but somehow never came across this restoration. I just spent the last hour reading through from the beginning. Fantastic! This is the sort of obsessive-compulsive job that I would do if I had more money, more time, waaaay more talent, and was borderline in...

I've looked closely at my 'strips' a few times, but they don't really appear to have any play in them or space to wedge a screwdriver. They just look like they're randomly welded to the long metal channel that runs the width of the car. (Yes, yes, I know that there is NOTHING random about BMWs.) Are...

Just did this myself. Dead simple. You'll find that there is one more screw per side hidden up inside the cubby, running through an L bracket near the bottom edge of the window. Removal and re-installation is much easier if you pull off the side seat bolsters, too. They just slide straight up toward...

I've had Pirelli PZero Neros mounted for about a year and am very pleased. Smooth and quiet but not too soft, sharp handling and offering lots of traction in miserable wet Vancouver weather. I wouldn't recommend driving them in the snow, though. Having the tire pressures set right makes all the diff...

320Touring wrote:Clean vents? I've never done that before, but fair play to you for taking the effort

Yeah, man! They're right up there at eye level. When the sun hits them the wrong way you can see halfway down the duct. Looks nasty!

Must. Get. Dirt. Out...

fuzzy wrote:gold if theyre uprated otherwise its not worth drawing attention to them.in that case id just do them a high gloss black

Agree! Gloss black! Or maybe match them to your body colour...

Great post!

The only things that I'd add are: NEVER wash the car in direct sunlight, and when going over the car with a wash mitt or towel, always go in long straight lines, front to back. No circular motions! That'll inevitably cause fine swirl marks in the paint which can be seen from every angle.

Is there an easy way to pop out the dashboard vents for cleaning? Any hidden clips or fasteners? I've tried prying, but don't want to force it for fear of breaking something...

Stuart, thanks very much for the clarification.

Ant, thanks for the offer, but I'm located halfway around the planet! I've ordered stuff from the UK before, and the shipping killed me. Cheers, anyway.

OK, here's what I've done with my Touring..... On the front, I've got MTech springs, part number 31 33 1 130 043. These lowered it 20mm. Hey Stuart, Does your Touring have the self-levelling rear suspension? Mine does, so it MIGHT already have the springs that you've recommended above. When I searc...

Crap! The top shock mounts on Tourings with the self-leveling suspension are a different part (than typical E30 mounts)! Go figure. Of course, I found this out the hard way. AND, of course, the mounts that I need are three times more expensive and will have to be ordered from Germany. Argh!

I don't think that the retractable guard was really intended for dogs. I think that it was more to keep items stacked in the boot from flying forward in panic stops. A (very bad) dog could probably just chew through the mesh. I think there there was an optional metal grate that hung from the ceiling...

My touring is mostly rust free, tiny scab on the sunroof, and that's it, tourings are normally very good. My Touring did me the favour of only rusting in panels that could easily be replaced and where spreading wouldn't occur. The tailgate looked rust-free, but had bad rot hiding behind the license...

Excellent! Thanks for all the input.

Last question: there have been two top mount upgrades recommended--the E46 M3 and the E46 330 Cabrio. Which is better?

Have a look at the technical articile on this site,it helped me to do this job;no,there is no shortcut!! Daimlerman, thanks for mentioning the article. There's one line in there that makes it sound like I might not have to remove the entire boot lining: "Another alternative is to remove the rear cu...

The rear shock mounts in my Touring are shot and need to be replaced. Before I go and spend hours ripping out the speaker pods and half of the boot trim, is there some clever way to access the top mount nuts?

Also, can I assume that Tourings use the same mounts as saloons/coupes?

Thanks!

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Washer Nozzle Adjustment

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Touring Rear Shock Mounts