E30 Zone

Hi All, I have finally gotten my hands on a 1986 320i, and have finally made an account on here, after reading lots of helpful posts (apologies for the delay in registering!).

I was lucky enough to find a rust-free example, with only 54k miles on the clock. The interior is in great condition, no cracks in the dash and no rips in the upholstery.

There are a few things that need fixing such as the temp. sensor, central locking, bushes and a few more smaller bits.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips for upgrades I could do? New twin exhaust? BBS BMW rims? Fog lights? I'd like to keep the car as standard as possible.

Also, does anyone know if keeping the car under a cover, and with windscreen sun deflector on, will be enough to stop the dash from cracking? Or is the only way to stop this, storing the car indoors where it is cooler?

I hope I did my first post correctly and I welcome any feedback on the car!

All the best,
Oli

Hello and welcome

I personally wouldn't put a cover over the car, but that's just me. Maybe a cover on the inside of the window, but I think the interior heat from the sun, maybe the reason for the cracks, and also age doesn't help.

Nice unmodded car

Thanks! I have always kept my E46 covered (very keen, I know) and it seems to have stopped any rust from forming on the arches, or any damage to the dash, but I see your point about the cover potentially keeping heat IN...

best,
Oli

I bet it also stops bird poo from staining the body work, which is a royal pain.

Good looking original car and a great interior. Just a thought but I try to preserve my untracked dash by putting a folded thick towel over it in direct summer sun - it seems to absorb the damaging heat of sun through glass. Only time will tell??

Welcome to the zone mate, great unmolested looking car you there and quite rightly looking to keep it standard.

Mart.

Very nice 320i,a big yes from me for the BBS wheels.I could be wrong but that gear knob looks a bit E21 opposed to E30 if your going for the original OEM look.

Ah love it, welcome! Where about in London are you?

Hi Oli, welcome to the zone, nice good condition car you've got there, good to hear you're keeping it original not many left in the condition you got....plenty of help on wiki for the small faults you got , I also use a cover on my car and have done for the three years I've owned it and it does seem to help keeping the car clean and tidy especially the cabby roof.......I use a dash cover to protect the dash when at shows etc and the small crack in the usual place ( passenger side dash top ) has not got any worse in the 3 years I've owned the car, I was told by another zoner not to use any thing to clean the dash except just dusting with a micro cloth so I haven't !

Welcome! Lovely chromie. I use a sun reflector thingy in the front screen to protect my uncracked dash but do still worry about it. I have read online about Aerospace 303 but not used it myself.