e36 328 ownership experience

[Lee36328]

I had this installed for the rear absorber housing reinforcement:
http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/foru...ear-top-mount-reinforcement-for-E30-E36-46-Z3

Now that was useful indeed. Am check w Fabs to see if he still has stock.

Thanks!

 

[ICEMAN 68]

Would be great to hear from anyone who's done this or something similar to it before as well.

have not done it , but read it somewhere that ...by installing this would increase the height of your ride .....

 

[Lee36328]

have not done it , but read it somewhere that ...by installing this would increase the height of your ride .....

Thanks bro. My rear is a bit low from lugging around the subwoofer and golf bag. A bit higher in the rear would help my exhaust clear some of the stoopidly high speed bumps that we have. :banghead:

:wink:

 

[h1sham9]

Thanks bro. My rear is a bit low from lugging around the subwoofer and golf bag. A bit higher in the rear would help my exhaust clear some of the stoopidly high speed bumps that we have. :banghead:

:wink:

Yup, why do we have this fascination with 'speed humps'? I have to go thru 13 of them to get to my apartment.

 

[loafer]

It's the only way to get people to slow down within housing areas. Happens when you have a whole generation of people who don't care much for the rule of law. Have you guys noticed how many people beat the red light these days? Traffic in Malaysia is coming close to the chaos I see in places like Bangkok.

 

[John_Smith]

I second that. It used to be motorcyclists who beat red lights. Now even car owners do it!
It doesn't help also, when traffic cops manning intersections during morning rush hour, turns a blind eye to these perpetrators.

 

[Lee36328]

Don't tell me they're going to put speed bumps in the middle of traffic light junctions.... I'll switch to bicycle. BMX instead of BMW, which will hop over those humps nicely.

 

[pussy]

Don't tell me they're going to put speed bumps in the middle of traffic light junctions.... I'll switch to bicycle. BMX instead of BMW, which will hop over those humps nicely.

yup they have started it.. near the bandat kinrara giant, humps before the lights and humps after... what a shit load of crap.. now traffic builds up more.. cos slow to move out and slow to in...

 

[Lee36328]

yup they have started it.. near the bandat kinrara giant, humps before the lights and humps after... what a shit load of crap.. now traffic builds up more.. cos slow to move out and slow to in...

OMG. I was actually kidding... Imagine that.

What is really unacceptable is that the humps are not designed to any sort of spec. If they follow proper spec, with proper gradient, it won't rip out your exhaust. If they build however they like, the gradient is all wrong, and therefore, they makan your under carriage.

 

[5150]

Hi Master Lee, i'm an owner of a E36 too. It's been one year plus already and i always read your thread from time to time. Really benefitting for e36 owners.

I was wondering, how's your undercarriage project rgd the rear subframe and the rear shock mount/tower? Because i've just recently ordered the e36 M3 reinforcement or shock absorber support for the rear towers. My mechanic said the order takes 3 weeks. So soon while at it, i was wondering about doing the rear subframe job at the same time too.

Your comment is greatly appreciated!

 

[Lee36328]

Nice to hear from another e36 owner. I bought the rear carriage reinforcement kit from Turner Motorsport, but turned out my problem was not there. I am getting the required reinforcement for the rear shock tower fabricated instead; still waiting for it, so not done yet.

If you want to do the rear subframe reinforcement done, it's a good idea, especially if you're on sports suspension and our roads really send shocks to the chassis. But do bear in mind it's a lot of work, because the fuel tank must come off, etc. Follow the instructions carefully to avoid any unnecessary risk.

Needless to say, after it's done, you will really FEEL the solid solid chassis, and therefore, can really get GOOD feedback when you corner. (Pls enjoy responsibly! He He)

By the way, where are you ordering the part from?

Cheers, and good luck.

 

[5150]

Dear Master Lee,

If i'm not mistaken my mechanic odered from Inner Power (or Inner Auto) and in turn they have to order in from germany. If you want the part # and the diagram i can give you the link from www.realoem

 

[loafer]

How much is the subframe reinforcement kit from Inner power?

 

[Lee36328]

Dear Master Lee,

If i'm not mistaken my mechanic odered from Inner Power (or Inner Auto) and in turn they have to order in from germany. If you want the part # and the diagram i can give you the link from www.realoem

I would appreciate that, thanks.

 

[loafer]

The subframe reinforcement kit is USD89.92 from Turner.

Please do tell how much the kit is locally.

cheers.

 

[Daeren]

Earthing

Hi,

I've bought a voltage stabilizer with grounding cable for my E36 after reading your forum thread.
The voltage stabilizer is now installed.
But, I'm not sure where to connect the grounding cable. Can pls let me know where to install it?
It'd be best if you can post a photo of where the cable is connected?

Thanks!
Daeren

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 impression

Lots of torque! Unbelievable!

2. Next impression

Hmm.... how do i make it PERFECT?

3. The mod starts

Rims! Tires! Join the Car Wax shop as lifetime member!

4. Performance

Suspension, shocks, air filter....

5. Housekeeping

Aircond sucks! Overhaul the whole system... dashboard down job...

6. Fuel consumption

Ohmygod.... 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 refurbishment

All 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 run

2. Tires

If 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. Suspension

The 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 up

4. ARB

Best 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 stiffening

Foaming... 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 earthing

I'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 Category

7. Engine and fuel injection cleaning

Imagine 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 category

that's all i can think of for now...

i hand the ball over to my fellow 328 owners to share whatever they like...

 

[Lee36328]

Hi,

I've bought a voltage stabilizer with grounding cable for my E36 after reading your forum thread.
The voltage stabilizer is now installed.
But, I'm not sure where to connect the grounding cable. Can pls let me know where to install it?
It'd be best if you can post a photo of where the cable is connected?

Thanks!
Daeren

It's been so long, I can't remember. Best to check with your supplier/installer. Cheers.

 

[Lee36328]

The headlights I bought at the auction at the last bimmerfest I attended several years ago have served me well, but is showing signs of age.

So, time to move on. I am impressed at how lights from Taiwan have improved in those intervening years.

The new set of lights just breathes new life into the familiar face, and transformed it rather dramatically in my eyes. Take a look.

 

[2wenty6]

Day time pics if possible? What lights are those?

 

[ICEMAN 68]

The headlights I bought at the auction at the last bimmerfest I attended several years ago have served me well, but is showing signs of age.

So, time to move on. I am impressed at how lights from Taiwan have improved in those intervening years.

The new set of lights just breathes new life into the familiar face, and transformed it rather dramatically in my eyes. Take a look.

wowwww surely it blings up the car ..... nice