Lee36328
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- Joined
- Dec 8, 2004
- Messages
- 2,610
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It seems there are quite a number of newbies who recently purchased this model.Having been a newbie owner myself previously, and having learnt many things the hard way, I thought I'd start this thread for the experienced sifus out there to share the benefit of their experience w the rest of us...The 328 is a powerful car. For many of us, it is quite a large step up from our previous cars. There are many issues specific to this model which i wish someone else had told me earlier...So, let me get the ball rolling...1. First impressionLots of torque! Unbelievable!2. Next impressionHmm.... how do i make it PERFECT?3. The mod startsRims! Tires! Join the Car Wax shop as lifetime member!4. PerformanceSuspension, shocks, air filter....5. HousekeepingAircond sucks! Overhaul the whole system... dashboard down job...6. Fuel consumptionOhmygod.... its got such an appetite for petrol....That's just some thoughts I have, looking back on two years of owning it.Unofficial instruction manual for beginners...1. Mandatory refurbishmentAll the bushes, ball joints, wheel bearing, BRAKE PADS etc. generally has got to go.. have it checked, and replace them if in any doubt at all. Trust me, this will actually save you money in the long run2. TiresIf you got this car, no matter what u think or say, YOU ARE GOING TO PUSH IT... so get the best tire you can afford... or rather, YOU CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO GET GOOD TIRES.... ask around, plenty of advice out there... regular choices Continental Sport Contact (CSC) II, Michelin PS2, etc.. I'm a tire moron, so my basis is very simple... it's got to be EXPENSIVE, and EUROPEAN... and don't forget, get the right size... some people like to run on smaller size in front, bigger size at the back... check ur owner's manual...3. SuspensionThe standard suspension is too soft and therefore DANGEROUS.... took the new e90 for a spin yesterday, almost toppled it going round a highway exit ramp... salesman asked "Can u check if the EBD lights came on?"...dude! I'm busy keeping four wheels on the road and keeping us alive... will check those lights for you when my balls are no longer blocking my eye sockets, ok? And that was only on a two litre engine... you get the picture... do yourself a BIG favour, and change the suspension... eibach, H&R springs, bilstein, Koni shocks, they are all a massive improvement over the standard set up4. ARBBest money you will ever spend on your car, goes together with item 3 above. Why? They will improve your car's handling so that you can concentrate on managing your understeer/oversteer round bends instead of wondering whether you can corner safely on two tires...5. Chassis stiffeningFoaming... worked for me... enuf said... other choices, x-brace, struts brace... in the works.... your car can never be too tight... mmmm... slurp.... damn...! tight things are God's most magnificent creations... tight short pants, tight thong, tight t-shirt, and most of all a tight, tight chassis and suspension....6. Voltage stabilizer and earthingI'm a total anti-gimmick guys, and a total sceptic.... but this stuff works! Our 328's are getting on in age, esp it's electrical and electronics.... this will clean up the current and give you better performance on all things running on battery power, including better ignition, radio/cd player (saved me a lot of money on ICE! standard system sounds much better now!), and best of all, better low-end TORQUE! slurp slurp! Am running two in parallel... This gets my vote as the ALL TIME BEST MOD in the Sub 1K Category7. Engine and fuel injection cleaningImagine an oven used for baking day in and day out without ever being cleaned.... how efficient would the oven be all clogged up by carbon? Get some reliable products and clean both your engine and your fuel injectors regularly... you'll be amazed at the rejuvenated youth in your engine... Winner, Best Mod, sub RM100 categorythat's all i can think of for now...i hand the ball over to my fellow 328 owners to share whatever they like...
