Ownership Verified: e46 330xd Touring

I must admit those suit the car much better than I expected.
That look works even if I don?t like those wheels in particular.
 
Very nice! I'd go for carpet matts instead of the rubber ones though.

The wheels turned out beautifully. :)
 
Posambique said:
I must admit those suit the car much better than I expected.
That look works even if I don?t like those wheels in particular.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree, I'm quite surpised how well the wheels suit the car, might be the colour(?).

Also, fantastic seats :grin:
 
Posambique said:
I must admit those suit the car much better than I expected.
That look works even if I don?t like those wheels in particular.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'm loving the look of the car now. Really happy with the wheels, OEM look rules :D

nicjasno said:
Very nice! I'd go for carpet matts instead of the rubber ones though.

The wheels turned out beautifully. :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm considering of putting back the carpets, just need to give them a good wash before putting them back in.

Thanks :)

Brotan said:
I tend to agree, I'm quite surpised how well the wheels suit the car, might be the colour(?).

Also, fantastic seats :grin:
Click to expand...
Thanks :D

Wheels are spot on, I looked at pics online before buying the wheels and the OEM look really works in this case.

Update, first real problem solved.

Couple of weeks ago, since I park in the same spot every day, noticed an oil spot under the car. Turned out to be the tranfer box shaft seal (no.14)

mtqxmjywx3a=.jpg


How it looked under the car :


20170311_144959 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Pic taken the day after where the leak is visible :


20170314_101413 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Got the parts and with a help of a friend changed the seal :


20170328_184435 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

A week later everything looks OK:


20170330_103102 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


The wheels are spot on :


20170402_165306 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


20170403_075302 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


20170407_175913 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Last fueling, 6,95l/100km (BC says 5.9). Had a bit more of open roads this time. Almost did 900km on a tank this time.
 
Grom Audio unit came in last week. So this week I installed the unit and since I had to disassemble a lot of the interior pieces anyway, I decided to clean off all of the rubber from the plastics.


IMG_6643 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6645 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Grom connects in the trunk, but I've mounted the unit behind the radio. So the power and data cable had to be snaked through the car.


IMG_6658 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Luckily the cables are long enough for that.


And all the plastic parts out . . .


IMG_6637 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6639 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6648 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6651 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6656 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr



Plastic parts came out great, no more visible scratches and everything is clean now.


IMG_6668 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6678 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr



Had to take out a lot of stuff to snake the cable through the car.


IMG_6661 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6663 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Microphone is mounted in the OEM location, above the head on the roof.


IMG_6675 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

USB cable is in the drivers glove box.


IMG_6665 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

BT audio and music work great. Really like the features and everything.


IMG_6669 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Steering wheel controls work for changing songs, activating voice commands on the phone etc.


IMG_6670 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6671 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

One limiting thing is the amount of text that the head unit can display, its 10 characters.


IMG_6676 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

But that doesn't bother me much. Main thing is that it works and it works great!

All whats missing is a phone mount. Started working on it, made a paper template first :


IMG_6660 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

And then made improvements on the CAD model which I'm gonna cut out on a laser cutting machine next week.

Also it needs a good interior clean after all of that. :D
 
Overview of my ideas to do on the car and current progress.


TaskStatus
Roof railsThinking about it
BMW trunk emblemPurchased, replaced
Summer wheelsPurchased, fixed, mounted
Outside rear-view mirrorsPurchased, waiting for replacement
Phone mountIn process
TV tuner / backup cameraThinking about it
Roof window shadeFixed, works like a charm
Rear window defrost, heater element fixLooking for a solution
Window cowl, replacementTo-do
OEM First aid kitThinking about it
Rubber floor matsPurchased
Homelink garage door openerThinking about it
Tool kitSearching for missing parts
Reupholstering, armrest, A pillarsTo-do
Bluetooth, GROMPurchased, installed
Sound insulation material, back seatSourcing material
Mud GuardsThinking about it
Wind deflectorsThinking about it
Trunk strutsPurchased, replaced
Trunk release buttonThinking about it
Tyre pressure monitor systemTo-do
LCD pixel fixTo-do
Options codingSourcing hardware
Paddle shiferThinking about it
Heated seatsThinking about it
Side blinkers, replacementTo-do
Brake pad wear sensorsTo-do
 
I had the Grom kit in my 2004 V70. I bought the Bluetooth and 30-pin Apple addons for it. This was in like 2010 or thereabouts. The idea was great, retrofitting hands-free calling and being able to use the track skip buttons on the steering wheel for answering calls and so forth.

My conclusion back then was that it had too many features for its own good. It was fiddly to use and required firmware updates. Also, bluetooth sound quality was unusable, both for calls and music. I also had to replace the Grom box once because it stopped working. Let's just say I got really good at removing and reinstalling the factory radio. :lol:

I ended up just using the 30-pin Apple cable. That part worked like a charm.
 
Perc said:
I had the Grom kit in my 2004 V70. I bought the Bluetooth and 30-pin Apple addons for it. This was in like 2010 or thereabouts. The idea was great, retrofitting hands-free calling and being able to use the track skip buttons on the steering wheel for answering calls and so forth.

My conclusion back then was that it had too many features for its own good. It was fiddly to use and required firmware updates. Also, bluetooth sound quality was unusable, both for calls and music. I also had to replace the Grom box once because it stopped working. Let's just say I got really good at removing and reinstalling the factory radio. :lol:

I ended up just using the 30-pin Apple cable. That part worked like a charm.
Click to expand...

I haven't done a firmware update on mine, works good so far, sound quality is very good IMO and i don't find it really fiddly. Ticks all my boxes :D Perhaps they changed things from 2010? Or its the difference in cars? I'm happy with my unit so far.


Some more pics of the cleaned interior trim.
Side by side, left original, right cleaned:


20170412_134945 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

The biggest difference is that the cleaned surfaces are more glossy, but less susceptible to scratches.



IMG_6683 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6686 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6687 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6688 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6689 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6691 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


And some random pics:


IMG_6697 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6715 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6737 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6740 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6705 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6744 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr
 
Boobo-oobo said:
I haven't done a firmware update on mine, works good so far, sound quality is very good IMO and i don't find it really fiddly. Ticks all my boxes :D Perhaps they changed things from 2010? Or its the difference in cars? I'm happy with my unit so far.
Click to expand...

Not sure how the brand of car could make a difference. It's just analog audio in and like I said, the 30-pin Apple adapter (this was before Lightning) produced decent sound. I guess they improved the quality, which is good to hear.
 
So, the phone mount . . .

Rough paper model:


IMG_6660 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

CAD test model:


Part2 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Part1 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Laser cut and mounted:


20170419_151010 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


20170419_151606 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


20170419_153429 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


20170419_153731 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Even this first test model looks and works quite good. Might keep it. Still have to buy some phone holder to try it fully, and paint it black.
 
You?re really doing things properly. Nice!
 
That holder would look good with some fake wood taping.:think:
 
Wow, you're certainly not taking any shortcuts. Good work! :thumbsup:
 
ChuckMoritz said:
Wow, you're certainly not taking any shortcuts. Good work! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thanks man :)



Update time.

Purchased a Homelink garage door opener on eBay for 28$. Great condition and in full working order.


IMG_6801 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6805 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_6806 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Bought a new sunroof switch panel to accommodate the homelink device, 125kn (16,5?) at my local BMW dealer.



IMG_7757 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7759 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


If anyone needs the part number:



IMG_7761 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Cut out the plastic for the device:



IMG_7765 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7766 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Test fit :



IMG_7767 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7768 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Wiring is simple, red-gray +12V for lighting, green-white contact +12V for power and brown is (-).



IMG_7769 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7770 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7772 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7774 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

And finally:


IMG_7775 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7776 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Works great with my front gate and more buttons to play with in the car :D




And now something sad, my perfect seats are ruined. My dad, who weights around 120kg, fucked up my passenger seat with a button on his pants. Made two holes in the leather. As a first step I took it to a guy who glued the leather temporally so its not going to tear up any further. Thinking what to do next, the guy i took it to offered me to refurbish the whole leather interior, fix all the little damaged spots, repaint, clean, the whole works to the leather. But its pricey and i dont know if its worth it.



20170522_073637 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr

Temp. repair :


IMG_7711 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr



IMG_7712 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Finished the phone mount :


20170524_161649 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7707 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7709 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Also i replaced the outer mirrors. The drivers side mirror doesnt go left-right so i went to see if i could fix it. But the motor assembly is not serviceable, at least not easily so gave up on that. I can hear a click in the motor, but its not moving.


IMG_7705 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7704 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7702 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7706 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


Random car pics :


IMG_6799 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr


IMG_7439 by Marko Hre??an, on Flickr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top