tungmeister Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) Hi Guys, Already posted this over on bimmersforums but figured I'd share hear as well I've had my Clubsport since the end of November and figured it was about time I did a build thread. I bought her as an upgrade from my MK5 Golf GT TDI 140 - I've always liked the e46 and figured it was about time I got something with a more ridiculous engine! I'd been looking for quite a while as my requirements were pretty specific, I wanted a facelift clubsport in estoril blue, manual, heated seats, a sunroof, factory Xenons and the HK upgrade. I eventually found one that met all my requirements as well as factory Nav! There must be so few in this spec around that I just had to haver her. She'd got 173k on the clock when I bought but considering the Full BMW service history and practically a full respray in 2013/14 from a warranty claim I just couldn't resist! I've got a few pictures from what I've done so far but I'm terrible at remembering to take pictures when I'm doing projects, I'll try to be better in future! Here's the only pic I've got from when I bought her - the eBay advert image. It's really small as I've only just taken it from eBay and it was all that was available due to the advert age. [ATTACH=CONFIG]171129[/ATTACH] The first thing I decided to do after picking her up was change the VANOS seals. I'd read about how bad they could be and considering the mileage I figured it was worth doing. Here's a few shots during the procedure: It went pretty well without any issues. I can't say that I noticed any difference in the car after but it was at least worth while preventative maintenance for the cost! I then refurbed the headlights. They were quite pitted and yellowed. Sadly I've no pictures of how they looked initially but you'll see the end result later on. The first mod was to fit a reverse camera. I'd always fancied having one and considering I could pick one up off Amazon for £12 I figured why not! The camera wires into the OEM tuner and comes on when reverse is engaged. It was a nightmare of a task fitting the camera into the trim above the numberplate - there's so little room I had to shave loads off the camera and getting it to clip back together with the extra camera wiring took A LOT of fiddling! I eventually got it sorted at about 10PM one night, soldering in the dark defiantly isn't fun! here's a pic of the camera installed and what's shown on the nav screen. I'm pretty impressed with the quality - the night time picture is easily visible as well. The next mod was to replace the interior lighting with LEDs. Once I'd installed them I wasn't happy that the map lights didn't come on with the main interior lights so I decided to solder in some diodes so that all the lights would come on with the interior lights but also leaving the map lights still functioning independently when necessary. Here's the soldering and the end result which I'm pretty pleased with as it increased the light level quite a bit which is always a bonus! Next I bought some Eibach Sportlines and some 15mm spacers. I wanted her to sit a bit lower and didn't like how recessed the wheels looked. During installation I discovered one of the rear springs was snapped so it was a definite worth while mod! sadly I've no pictures during the install. The next mod was to the rear windows. With a little bit of Dremel work on the switches and some coding with ncs I've enabled one touch close. It makes using the windows much better and I'd recommend it to anyone with a coupé. Next I decided to install some ambient lighting. I bought some 3mm orange LED's off eBay and installed them in the interior door handles, the door pockets and under the front seats. Here's a few pics of the process and the end result. Sorry for the quality my phone doesn't like low light and I can't remember where my DSLR is. It's not as bright as it appears it's a much more subtle glow and I love it! The next mod was to change the instrument cluster LEDs. I wanted the white gauges blue needles look from an R32. I've replaced 13 LEDs on the board which was quite fiddly as they're extremely small! I used a sharpie to colour the needles, I'm not really happy with the quality of the colouring though so I'm going to find a better solution. Here's a shot of one of the LED's and the finished result: Next I gave her a really good clean. I spent about 5 hours doing it, I've got some pictures during the process but typically just after I'd finished it started to rain so sadly no finished shot. That brings us up to now. If you've got this far thanks for reading! Next on the agenda is to fix the sunroof interior cover and install some puddle lights in the exterior door handles. I've got the bits ordered so hopefully I'll be updating in the next few days. Edited November 16, 2016 by tungmeister Robonhoms and bennno2005 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Done a bit more work to her recently. I've sorted out the sunroof - It turned out that all I needed to do was give the mechanism a good clean, grease it up and reset the motor limits, it's now working perfectly. I've also fitted the puddle lights. I accidentally ordered larger LED's than I needed so I fitted those in the bottoms of the door cards as puddle lights when exiting the car and then ordered and fitted the correct LED's to the door handles. The power for them is routed to the door through the conduit for the door wiring and they get their power from the footwell lights. Below are some photos of the installation and a video of them in action. The door card: The door handle: and the video of them both in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrsTgmqFQk I've also taken a few shots with the DLSR of her clean and tidy: Not sure what I'll be doing next but I'm sure I'll come up with something! R11CH and The Laird 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodworm Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 good to see the wheel spokes in sync, ocd methinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Looks great mate, nice touches. Looks very well specced from the factory too - its nearly got as many options as my one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Also what software are you running on the OEM nav? I don't think mine does all of that! Is it streaming via bluetooth too? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, bennno2005 said: Looks great mate, nice touches. Looks very well specced from the factory too - its nearly got as many options as my one The only thing it's missing that I'm bothered about is the rear blind - don't really need it just want to have one ;). I might get some power folding mirrors at some point but the facelift ones with the ribbon cables never seem to show up. Just had a quick look through your thread - yours looks pretty nice. I've also got a wasp friend stuck in the back of mine! 1 hour ago, bennno2005 said: Also what software are you running on the OEM nav? I don't think mine does all of that! Is it streaming via bluetooth too? Cheers I'm using an intravee - it interfaces with the cars ibus via the CD changer connection. It allows for iPod control + various other features like comfort indicators, welcome lights etc. I'm considering ripping it out and switching to an Android unit though like I had in my Golf, I miss Spotify on the go lol. I was bored last weekend so decided to paint up my callipers as they were pretty scabby looking. Typically it started raining during but the paint was OK - I'm pretty pleased with the results! Think the next thing to sort is my rough running - I've already done the vanos seals, changed the MAF, CCV and front lambda sensors but she's still down on power and misses at idle. It's REALLY annoying lol. Edited April 5, 2016 by tungmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 Haha that was actually the build thread for my old one which I ended up selling to buy a facelifted one with a better spec. I haven't got round to doing a thread for the new one. Only option I'm missing is the electric blind which I don't care about anyway. Regarding your rough running - as you've got a dodgy idle its worth checking your intake pipes for splits (they perish) I had to replace both on my old one, also worth looking at the DISA valve, as if that is knackered you lose low end power. If its missing at idle could be a dirty idle control valve. I assume its been serviced and had new plugs etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 4 hours ago, bennno2005 said: Haha that was actually the build thread for my old one which I ended up selling to buy a facelifted one with a better spec. I haven't got round to doing a thread for the new one. Only option I'm missing is the electric blind which I don't care about anyway. Regarding your rough running - as you've got a dodgy idle its worth checking your intake pipes for splits (they perish) I had to replace both on my old one, also worth looking at the DISA valve, as if that is knackered you lose low end power. If its missing at idle could be a dirty idle control valve. I assume its been serviced and had new plugs etc? I forgot I've already checked the intake pipes and the DISA valve (it's fine but I changed it's gasket anyway) I've also had the idle valve off and cleaned it. I haven't changed the plugs myself but It's got full BMW service history so they should have been changed. Next oil is due in 3k. I'm thinking I might try plugs and fuel filter - if that doesn't fix it I really might have to resort to a specialist as I just don't know what to do! I never take cars to garages so I'm not looking forward to that eventuality. Is your new one a manual? I spent ages looking for one in the right spec and they just didn't seem to exist until this one came up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 I'd do plugs and fuel filter for sure. Its finger in the air stuff really without a proper inspection - could even be a small leak in the exhaust or something. Worth taking to a specialist for diagnosis I guess. Yeah they are a rare find especially with the options you've got, I was very lucky with mine as I wasn't actually looking just came across it on eBay being advertised a ridiculously low price so couldn't ignore it. Yeah my new one is a manual too - Its Estoril & black and has nappa upgrade, adaptive xenons, sunroof, powerfold mirrors, HK, Sat Nav, bluetooth, Heated seats, Lumbar support (which I hate), tyre pressure monitoring and even has the temperature controlled windscreen. Although it seems to run perfectly I swear my new one isn't quite as fast as my old one and doesn't seem quite as good on fuel (although I don't think the 6 speed in the new one helps) Don't know whether the fact it has higher mileage (145k) has anything to do with it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 18 hours ago, tungmeister said: The only thing it's missing that I'm bothered about is the rear blind - don't really need it just want to have one ;). I might get some power folding mirrors at some point but the facelift ones with the ribbon cables never seem to show up. Just had a quick look through your thread - yours looks pretty nice. I've also got a wasp friend stuck in the back of mine! Your car already has the electric rear blind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) 2 hours ago, bennno2005 said: I'd do plugs and fuel filter for sure. Its finger in the air stuff really without a proper inspection - could even be a small leak in the exhaust or something. Worth taking to a specialist for diagnosis I guess. Yeah they are a rare find especially with the options you've got, I was very lucky with mine as I wasn't actually looking just came across it on eBay being advertised a ridiculously low price so couldn't ignore it. Yeah my new one is a manual too - Its Estoril & black and has nappa upgrade, adaptive xenons, sunroof, powerfold mirrors, HK, Sat Nav, bluetooth, Heated seats, Lumbar support (which I hate), tyre pressure monitoring and even has the temperature controlled windscreen. Although it seems to run perfectly I swear my new one isn't quite as fast as my old one and doesn't seem quite as good on fuel (although I don't think the 6 speed in the new one helps) Don't know whether the fact it has higher mileage (145k) has anything to do with it or not. Yeah I've just ordered them, hopefully it'll make a difference or I'll have to get it booked in oh and I hate you now, I want nappa and adapative xenons How long have you had your new one? I've still been looking on eBay since I got mine in November but I've not seen any specc'd up facelifts. Are you planning on keeping the stock Nav or going with another Android HU? If you're keeping stock I'd highly recommend picking up an Intravee, as well as the welcome and leaving lights and comfort indicators you can also enable auto folding mirrors! 1 hour ago, RickyZ said: Your car already has the electric rear blind It hasn't mate, that's just the air vent. Edited April 6, 2016 by tungmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bry1990 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 could be camshaft sensor contributing to the rough idle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) 9 minutes ago, bry1990 said: could be camshaft sensor contributing to the rough idle? I'll plug it in again later and see what INPA has to say. As far as I can remember the only fault codes relate to the misfires which it claims are due to a lean state, classic vac leak I thought but I can't find any issues anywhere. Edited April 6, 2016 by tungmeister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) 1 hour ago, tungmeister said: Yeah I've just ordered them, hopefully it'll make a difference or I'll have to get it booked in oh and I hate you now, I want nappa and adapative xenons How long have you had your new one? I've still been looking on eBay since I got mine in November but I've not seen any specc'd up facelifts. Are you planning on keeping the stock Nav or going with another Android HU? If you're keeping stock I'd highly recommend picking up an Intravee, as well as the welcome and leaving lights and comfort indicators you can also enable auto folding mirrors! It hasn't mate, that's just the air vent. I think might hate me even more if I told you what I paid for it.....;) it was only on eBay for 2 days so I was lucky to get it really. Bought it in February so only had a couple of months. Planning on going for an android when funds allow. I would go for the intravee if I could stream audio by bluetooth as that's all I want an android for. Wouldn't be too fussed about the autofolding mirrors as I can fold mine down on the fob now by holding the lock button. What does an intravee cost? Edited April 6, 2016 by bennno2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 1 hour ago, tungmeister said: It hasn't mate, that's just the air vent. Crap, yep your right, I ll get my coat....... 1 hour ago, bennno2005 said: I think might hate me even more if I told you what I paid for it.....;) it was only on eBay for 2 days so I was lucky to get it really. Bought it in February so only had a couple of months. Planning on going for an android when funds allow. I would go for the intravee if I could stream audio by bluetooth as that's all I want an android for. Wouldn't be too fussed about the autofolding mirrors as I can fold mine down on the fob now by holding the lock button. What does an intravee cost? You can do the streaming with a BM54 without the intravee II if that helps ? Its a mod that is done by Baris at Carphonics, I have it in my E39 530 and its a good mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 Just now, RickyZ said: Crap, yep your right, I ll get my coat....... You can do the streaming with a BM54 without the intravee II if that helps ? Its a mod that is done by Baris at Carphonics, I have it in my E39 530 and its a good mod That sounds great I'm all ears do you send your unit away or what? If I can stream bluetooth cheaply I'm happy. On the other hand if its going to cost a few hundred quid I'd rather get an android unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 4 hours ago, bennno2005 said: I think might hate me even more if I told you what I paid for it.....;) it was only on eBay for 2 days so I was lucky to get it really. Bought it in February so only had a couple of months. Planning on going for an android when funds allow. I would go for the intravee if I could stream audio by bluetooth as that's all I want an android for. Wouldn't be too fussed about the autofolding mirrors as I can fold mine down on the fob now by holding the lock button. What does an intravee cost? If all you're wanting is basic bluetooth streaming you could always get something like this then hardwire a usb power supply and connect it up the aux? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 On 4/6/2016 at 12:06, bennno2005 said: That sounds great I'm all ears do you send your unit away or what? If I can stream bluetooth cheaply I'm happy. On the other hand if its going to cost a few hundred quid I'd rather get an android unit. You send it to carphonics (http://www.carphonics.co.uk/) pay them and they send it back when done Its that simple On its own its £60 but can be more, full details on the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennno2005 Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 55 minutes ago, RickyZ said: You send it to carphonics (http://www.carphonics.co.uk/) pay them and they send it back when done Its that simple On its own its £60 but can be more, full details on the site. Cheers - I checked this out. Can you skip tracks with the head unit then, or can you only control it with your phone? Does any of the track names etc come up on the display? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 7 hours ago, bennno2005 said: Cheers - I checked this out. Can you skip tracks with the head unit then, or can you only control it with your phone? Does any of the track names etc come up on the display? I'm pretty sure it's just basic bluetooth - no track skipping or song names. I was bored earlier so decided to modify the warning sound you get from the instrument cluster if you leave lights on or the temperature drops etc. The standard piezo buzzer sounds really cheap and nasty IMO so I had to find a way to rectify it! The speaker that is used by the parking sensor is also used in some other BMW models and is capable of making several different sounds other than the parking sensor beep, One of which is a nice fading gong which sounds much nicer than a crappy beep! I started out by removing the cover above the pedals and working out which pins did what on the speaker. I Concluded that the vacant pin in the middle of the existing power connector produced the best sound. It's triggered by pulling it down to ground, whilst it's in this state the note sounds constantly until the ground is removed at which point if fades off nicely - Perfect! The pin in the opposite corner of the existing 12v also has to be powered. In order to connect to the pins I used the innards of some molex connectors I took from an old power supply. I also concluded that it was best to bypass the existing power connector entirely as if the sounder is provided 12v after the ignition off with the original power connector still connected it would activate the first stage of the ignition! obviously if power wasn't supplied the light warning wouldn't sound as it only does once the key is removed. Here's the final connectons: Next I had to work out how to bypass the piezo buzzer in the instrument cluster. luckily the buzzer is always powered and pulled to ground to activate it in the same way as the speaker works. this meant it was as simple as taking this ground trigger down to the speaker. I did this by removing the buzzer from the board in the cluster and soldering a wire to the negative pin. You can see the buzzer removed and the wire connected below: I glued over the contact to keep it secure. I then routed the wire through the back of the cluster and down to the footwell. There's already a hole in the back of the casing so no drilling required Once I'd reinstalled the cluster it was just a case of wiring up a new permanent live for the speaker - I tapped into the cigarette lighter though there's other sources that could be used (excuse the bad picture): here's the speaker back in place with everything connected up: After that it was just a matter of reinstalling the cover. I'm pretty please with the results. Here's a video of it in action: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 18 hours ago, bennno2005 said: Cheers - I checked this out. Can you skip tracks with the head unit then, or can you only control it with your phone? Does any of the track names etc come up on the display? No and no unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjfaulkes Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 Lovely work - what did you use to refurb the headlights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 On 08/04/2016 at 18:49, sdjfaulkes said: Lovely work - what did you use to refurb the headlights? I used a small sanding disc attached to the drill, masked off round the lights then started off relatively coarse working up to about 1200 grit. I then used some cutting compound to finish off. They're not perfect but a million times better than they were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdjfaulkes Posted April 12, 2016 Report Share Posted April 12, 2016 16 hours ago, tungmeister said: I used a small sanding disc attached to the drill, masked off round the lights then started off relatively coarse working up to about 1200 grit. I then used some cutting compound to finish off. They're not perfect but a million times better than they were. Thanks. Need to do this soon. Yours look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tungmeister Posted April 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2016 I picked up an electric rear blind the other day and I've finally got around to fitting it. The shelf was originally grey but I've sprayed it black before fitting. I'm pretty pleased with it: I hadn't realised how faded my shelf was until I'd sprayed up the new one with them side by side: For now I've got the switch inside the cubby box underneath the steering wheel. Hopefully I'll be able to find a button bar soon but it seems almost impossible to find one in my configuration! I've also replaced the steering wheel badge with a carbon one to match the exterior. Mine was looking a little tired and I think it's a great improvement. Before: After: I've also spent several hours giving her a good detail, couldn't resist with the lovely weather we've had today, she really does shine! gaz-777 and The Laird 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...