[frbz]

A well sorted E36 m3 is a pure joy on the track. You can make it do just about anything, oh so benign and forgiving. It does not bite you as long as you know what you are doing.

[propchef]

Can SOMEONE tell me why TF this hose is $37?? RealOEM says its $8.07 but everywhere it's over $32. It's a vacuum hose with a blue stripe. All the other vacuum hoses are $3 a meter. WTF? Is it because it has that snazzy "heat" cover?

And thank you BMW for making a hose size not carried by my local parts store. Well done.



https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...714217#reviews

[LockDots]

Originally Posted by propchef

Can SOMEONE tell me why TF this hose is $37?? RealOEM says its $8.07 but everywhere it's over $32. It's a vacuum hose with a blue stripe. All the other vacuum hoses are $3 a meter. WTF? Is it because it has that snazzy "heat" cover?

And thank you BMW for making a hose size not carried by my local parts store. Well done.



https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...714217#reviews

Because it's only used for three models, therefore supply/manufacturing is lower, raising it's cost and price.



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[krull]

Great job! I pretty much had the same adventure. Changed out the headlights, put all new KW coilovers, Mishimoto radiator, some new weather strip, powder coated the wheels, etc. I will post pics soon too.

Great job and skip the paint for now. I'm doing the same.

[propchef]

Not really a winter refresh this year, but a spring upgrade. I recently extended my commute and the Pioneer HU had seen better days, and since it was older technology it lacked workable modern features. Add to that the midrange in the passenger door was shot and buzzing ( I JUST replaced the drivers side last year) so I decided a worthy upgrade is called for. I settled on a serious system to be done in phases, with this being phase one. Phase 2 adds a sub, and the final configuration will have a sound processor.
I selected the Alpine CDE-HD149BT, a feature rich and flexible unit paired with Focal components for the door tweeter and footwell mids ( I disconnected the offending door mids and left them in place). I have rear deck speakers but they will require some fabrication, so I decided to modify the stock rears by removing the tweeters and run only the 6x9s for some bottom end. When I add the subs I'll install the rear deck fill speakers.
I wanted to tread lightly on the electrical system so adapter plugs were utilized where possible, however, I ran into a number of technical issues that required some light surgery to bypass the HK amp in the trunk. It was that or run new wire everywhere and that wasn't possible on my timeframe (for now). Since I'm currently only at 18 w per channel the stock wiring is more than sufficient.
I'm still having poor radio reception issues and would love to hear if anyone has a good solution. The stock system uses an electronically boosted antenna and it doesn't play nice with aftermarket systems. Any input here is appreciated.

The front tweeters were a challenge to mount but I think they came out nice. I didn't modify the door card at all, only the plastic tweeter mount ( dont worry, I have another oe set :-) ).

The kicks were a PITA for an old guy who cant bend and I didn't stop to take pics. They sound great.


Sent from my crotchphone

[propchef]

During surgery.

In a previous life I installed sound systems and elevtronics in vehicles, so I had some (small) clue how to proceed and address certain issues.


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[Texaz3]

Looks good, but I would have left stock twitter grille.

[propchef]

Originally Posted by Texaz3

Looks good, but I would have left stock twitter grille.

Couldn't do that without major reworking of both the new tweeter surround and the stock housing. This was an acceptable compromise (for me at least).