# My 330D Had a clean



## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

My 330D that earned itself a wash


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

also done a rear LCI conversion


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## polac5397 (Apr 16, 2014)

that's one nice looking car good job


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Quality steed my friend.


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## Stewartfinley (Mar 3, 2012)

Much nicer with the lci's


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## Buckweed (Aug 27, 2012)

Very nice... Like the wheels also.


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## Beatman (Jun 6, 2010)

Nice :detailer:


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## samm (May 19, 2006)

Looking good matey.


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## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

Nice looking 330d


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## Zetec-al (Feb 28, 2011)

Very nice!

But you parked in a muddy puddle after!!


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## Harry Kovert (Apr 5, 2014)

A very nice motor indeed M20fes. [from a fellow black 07 BMW 3 series M sport owner!]

May I ask you about the carbon wrap you have in the interior - looks amazing and it's something I'd like to do with mine - was it a DIY job? [if so how easy?] and if not where did you have it done?

Many thanks,

Harvey


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

nice looking car fella and like the wheels


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## srhutch (Aug 2, 2009)

Very nice. Loving the black trim in the interior as well as the wheels.


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Thanks everyone. Was washed with Megs gold with 3 bucket system. Dried and dodo tropical mist sealant, Megs tyre gel.



Zetec-al said:


> Very nice!
> 
> But you parked in a muddy puddle after!!


Yea I know :wall:


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Harry Kovert said:


> A very nice motor indeed M20fes. [from a fellow black 07 BMW 3 series M sport owner!]
> 
> May I ask you about the carbon wrap you have in the interior - looks amazing and it's something I'd like to do with mine - was it a DIY job? [if so how easy?] and if not where did you have it done?
> 
> ...


Hi, yes I did it myself with some bubble free 4D gloss carbon wrap. Trim is easy to remove off the car. I used a hair dryer to help stretch the wrap over the corners. Took me a few attempts on the first one, and got abit easier after that.

Here's a pic of my original trim in aluminium, which I didn't like.


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## dillinja999 (Aug 26, 2013)

nice motor, looks mean


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## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

A friend of mine has a 330D AutoVogue... It sits just right and goes bloody well! 

This looks great!


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

I must be nuts !!!!!!

Want to do this car to a high spec. Decided iam gonna keep the bimmer for a while now until complete.

Cobra Misano Anniversary seats, with carbon backs and diamond stitching in black nappa with added lumbar support and heated.

Will post pics when they arrive


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## Jord (Apr 3, 2012)

Seats look cool, any idea on weight?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Jord said:


> Seats look cool, any idea on weight?


Pretty thin with real carbon backing. Each seat is about 10 kg

I will weigh the originals when I take them out.


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## dandam (Apr 10, 2011)

2.5kg's ?????


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

wow what a nice looking bmw fella and love the wheels.
good job on the clean up


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

dandam said:


> 2.5kg's ?????


My typo error mate, I correct the post, there 24lbs which is about 10kg a seat.


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

bazz said:


> wow what a nice looking bmw fella and love the wheels.
> good job on the clean up


Cheers


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## niall_325i (Oct 4, 2012)

seats look


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## essexjoe85 (May 5, 2011)

Very nice mate. Picked myself up a 325d earlier this week.

Is the LCI converstion just a straight swap old clusters for new? Or is there more involved?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

essexjoe85 said:


> Very nice mate. Picked myself up a 325d earlier this week.
> 
> Is the LCI converstion just a straight swap old clusters for new? Or is there more involved?


Outer lights are plug and play, inner lights need some of the wiring pins in the plug swapping over. Rear lights need coding which I haven't done yet as the indicators flash fast like a bulb is out due to them being LED, but they all work ok. Took me about 1 hour to do the complete LCI rear conversion


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Very nice:thumb:


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## essexjoe85 (May 5, 2011)

When i googled this change before it all said the tailgate needs changing? Not the case then?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

essexjoe85 said:


> When i googled this change before it all said the tailgate needs changing? Not the case then?


Yes sorry it does. To do the rear conversion you need the LCI rear lights and tailgate. They are both easy to change though mate. I picked mine up for £280 on ebay.


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## luke w (Dec 11, 2012)

Nice looking car. Number plates visible in pics 2 & 3!


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

luke w said:


> Nice looking car. Number plates visible in pics 2 & 3!


lol yer I know, its ok i've got a private plate on it now anyways


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## waxtrucker (Mar 21, 2014)

Very nice


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Nice car:thumb: you still got the black line lights ?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Arvi said:


> Nice car:thumb: you still got the black line lights ?


sold them on ebay mate for £175. same price i paid for them


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Cobra seats fitted. A few pics during installation


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Collected BMW Performance 335D rear diffuser and the 12v socket for the boot from BMW.

Just need to book in the custom exhaust after its had MOT and work done on monday.


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## patsf1 (Apr 16, 2014)

Looks stunning, love these in black! Looks really aggressive!


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## Jord (Apr 3, 2012)

Seats suit it really well.


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## Streeto (Apr 3, 2008)

Lights are a massive improvement over the smoked lexarse ones, looking good.


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## TimGTi (Jul 11, 2008)

That is stunning, seats are fantastic. What wheels are they? Size and make? Sits so well. Lowered?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

patsf1 said:


> Looks stunning, love these in black! Looks really aggressive!





Jord said:


> Seats suit it really well.





Streeto said:


> Lights are a massive improvement over the smoked lexarse ones, looking good.


Cheers 



TimGTi said:


> That is stunning, seats are fantastic. What wheels are they? Size and make? Sits so well. Lowered?


Cheers, its on the standard M Sport springs. Wheels are a staggered set. 19" 8.5J front, 9.5J rear, They are OEMS 111 wheels, like 3SDM 0.01 reps.


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Ok, so i retrofitted a genuine BMW 12v outlet in the boot, so i can run appliances in the boot particularly a mini fridge. I collect a small 15L 12V fridge from maplin for £40 and it fits the boot just nice. There are 2 anchor points in the boot so i will use a bungee cord to keep the fridge in place.

Cars also booked in tomorrow morning for a custom 335D style exhaust.


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## 123HJMS (Mar 13, 2013)

Think I saw this at waxstock ... looked really nice!!


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

123HJMS said:


> Think I saw this at waxstock ... looked really nice!!


you may of done. i was there. parked next to a Dark blue E46 330D, was right on the otherside of the car park though.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Superb looking BMW, nice job and you deserve a beer on me :thumb:


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Superb looking BMW, nice job and you deserve a beer on me :thumb:


cheers


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## SarahS23 (Jul 31, 2014)

Very tidy


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

bit of a clean up with some update pics on interior and the new BMW Performance rear diffuser and Style Dynamics custom 335 exhaust


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## 123HJMS (Mar 13, 2013)

M20fes said:


> you may of done. i was there. parked next to a Dark blue E46 330D, was right on the otherside of the car park though.


Yep it was you then :thumb:


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

123HJMS said:


> Yep it was you then :thumb:


was you in a black Megane RS ?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

also a video of the power folding mirrors off the remote.


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## scotty_boy (May 1, 2010)

nice looking motor mate


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## Ammo_B (Jun 19, 2014)

Where did you get the wheels from?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Ammo_B said:


> Where did you get the wheels from?


They are 19" OEMS 111. Paid £550 for them without tyres from L K Performance LTD


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

added a few decals today.

My AC Schnitzer rep top spolier has an indent in it for a badge. would of been better if it wasn't there, but it is, so i filled it with a AC Schnitzer decal, like the original would of had. not a perfect fit, but you wouldn't know unless you went in right close.





Also added a ODK detailing splat sticker to the bottom o/s of the rear window


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## Dan (Feb 22, 2007)

Looks great mate


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

Coming along nicely! I like the style of that ODK sticker, is it 3D?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

WP-UK said:


> Coming along nicely! I like the style of that ODK sticker, is it 3D?


yes, its a like a resin embossed sticker.


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

M20fes said:


> yes, its a like a resin embossed sticker.


Very cool! I like!


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

WP-UK said:


> Very cool! I like!


If you want one, look here mate

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=344441


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

A few beading pics from Dodo Juice Red Mist Detailing Spray


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## Shorty (Jan 27, 2008)

This car is simply stunning


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## Steve (Mar 18, 2014)

Looks good man


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Shorty said:


> This car is simply stunning





Steve said:


> Looks good man


cheers


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Had my 4 wheel laser alignment done by a company that use the Hunter Alignment machine (same as BMW).

Steering wheel wasn't centered and handling was all over the place. The alignment print out showed why with 10 adjustments needed to the camber, caster and toe.

Feeling much much better to drive now



Also fitted a genuine BMW Natural Air starter kit vent mounted air freshener


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## Joshy514 (Aug 12, 2014)

Alright John how are things? The car looks really good, I see it turning into one of the best 3's in our part of the world! Just like the FR was. How is the old girl, I saw you still have it on scn?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Joshy514 said:


> Alright John how are things? The car looks really good, I see it turning into one of the best 3's in our part of the world! Just like the FR was. How is the old girl, I saw you still have it on scn?


Hi Josh, yes things are going well thanks. Bimmer coming along ok and the Leon has been in the garage having a new gearbox, driveshaft, glowplugs and harness, brake light switch, cam sensor. Nearly ready to be back on the road. just needs MOT and tax now.

Hows the LCR going ?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Well after a year's ownership id thought i write a little review

*PERFORMANCE *
For a Diesel it's great. The 6 cylinders make it sound nothing like a 4 cylinder diesel, sound from the cabin while driving, sounds pretty beefy if I'm honest. Performance from the stock 231 BHP and 500NM torque will see 0-62 in 6.7 seconds and tops out at 155 MPH, having mine mapped to around 275BHP and 600NM torque I'm seeing around 0-60 in about 6 seconds, the pull from the stupid amount of torque is insane. Revs max out at 4500rpm, which if you hit it, actually sound and fell like 6000rpm in petrol, gear changes from the 6 speed manual box are nice and tight.

*ECONOMY & RUNNING COSTS *
Considering the performance the economy is great. I often see 42-47 MPG on a 150 mile journey (120 miles motorway & 30 miles urban traffic). Costs me around £80 to fill the tank with Shell V-Power (£1.40 a litre) and I should see about 550 miles for that. Tax is about £200 a year and cost me around £400 a year to insure. As far as servicing goes it uses Long life Castrol Edge oil so can go 19,000 miles before an oil change, but it takes 7.5 litres of oil which is about twice the amount of oil for a normal car so sort of cancels out the long life bit lol, just means you don't have to change it so often. Cost of oil and pollen filters about the same as on any car, about £5-£10 each. Changing the air filter is a joke and takes around 1-2 hours to complete by removing most of the engine plastic trims, covers and strut brace to get to it. Bimmers tend to run wider rear rims, and being RWD the more expensive back tyres wears out quicker than the fronts. I'm paying about £320 for a set of 19" Falken rears. Also be aware that most electrical things you upgrade or change in a modern bimmer need coding to work which makes retro fitting anything pretty tricky, but there are lots of people\companies out there offering coding services. Having a pair of folding mirrors coded can cost you in the region of £100-£200, that's just for the coding :shock:. General BMW spares and fitting at the dealers or specialist also come in quite pricey to anything else I've owned (Ford, Fiat, Seat and VW)

*IINTERIOR
*I was quite disappointed with the standard interior, the black Dakota looks grey and I hated the brushed aluminium trim that was splattered all over the dash and door cards so carbon wrapped them. Standard seats look boring but quite comfy, changed the fronts for a set of reclining Cobra Misano seats . Good leg room in the front and back, even if you're tall like me and have your seat far back, there's still a good amount of leg room for the rear passenger behind you. The iDrive is pretty damn good except for the sat-nav which looks graphically dull and is running 2007 maps. I Dash mount my iPad mini 2 and run the tomtom app with traffic and camera subscriptions which is far better than any built in sat nav you'll find in any car so it's not really a problem for me. The black cloth roof lining an pillars are a nice touch and everything seems very solid and well built, no rattling. The M sport springs are quite stiff so give a bumpy ride for stock springs but is easy to live with. One thing I found quite annoying is its rare to find a E90 Saloon with folding rear seats, which means your limited to just the boot space, gone are the days of packing a Ikea kitchen in the boot like I could on a hatchback, lack of rear wiper is sometimes annoying too. Cup holders are very good and don't hang over your head unit which means no spilt coke over your stereo. Overall the interior is roomy and well laid out. The car is packed with some useful stuff though like auto lights and rain sensors, electric windows front and back, heated front and rear windscreens, dual climate control, cruise control, auto dimming mirror, hands free Bluetooth with voice control.

*EXTERIOR*
I found the M sport look quite pleasing to the eye, only thing i found quite dated on the Pre-LCI was the red halogen rear lights with the silly white bits in, I changed the rear lights and tailgate for the LCI LED rear lights and tailgate and it gives it a much fresher, aggressive but modern look. Exterior led welcome lights are a nice touch, as are the gloss black mirror base plates and window edging. M Sport models give you a sportier looking front and rear bumper as well as side skirts and lower sports springs.

*HANDLING & BRAKING *
I found the handling of the car quite poor when i picked it up, but then realised it was running budget non-run flats. Changing the tyres to a decent brand improved the handling in the dry and wet no end, and standard factory fit m sport springs and front strut brace help provide decent grip when approaching such things as roundabouts at speed. I've found the standard brakes to be pretty good, rear discs are quite large too, maybe because it's RWD.

*ICE*
I found the iDrive very useful giving all sorts of information about the car. It monitors everything, your tyre pressures, brake pads, DPF and tells you how much life is left in the serviceable components. Also acts like a computer letting you change most of the settings for the car like speed limits, lights, indicator timings, daytime running lights, detailed trip computer, sat-nav etc. DVD drive lets you play DVD mp3's but not DVD movies, well at least not on the Pre-LCI version. Has Bluetooth for hands free calling which paired well with my iPhone 5S giving me all my contacts on the iDrive. Also has voice control so you can call up menus on the iDrive. Visual parking sensors with distance control on the iDrive is also useful, not only can you hear when your close to something the iDrive displays how far away a particular item is and where about it is. Sound in general is pretty poor. The BMW professional 4 speakers and 2 small subs under each seat isn't really enough to create a decent surround sound and is severally lacking tweeters and better bass, which again is an option called Logic 7 which I've been told sounds amazing and tempted to retro fit this.

*OVERALL*
Has the perfect blend of performance, economy and space and I would say probably the best for its age in this field. It has a nice solid feel to drive and feels quality. They look good but doesn't necessarily have the wow factor as there ae so many of them on the roads, can look better if you make them a little unique. My only disappointment with this car was the lack of extras that i would expect to be standard on a car of this calibre and with retrofitting being costly due to extra coding required I would recommend anyone buying one of these to get one with the extras such as Xeon lights, iDrive, folding mirrors, heated seats, sunroof, folding rear seats etc. I would defiantly get another one, possible the 335D Xdrive in auto next time around.


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

just a few pics. Was testing out my new Gopro Hero 4 :thumbsup:


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## waxtrucker (Mar 21, 2014)

Looking good, great work


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## Kirkyworld (Jan 12, 2014)

Nice :thumb:


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

Nice mate.


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## Caameronn (Nov 8, 2010)

Awesome car pal!


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Thanks everyone


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## AdamC (Jan 31, 2013)

Very nice motor mate. Why no wind deflectors on the rear windows though?


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

AdamC said:


> Very nice motor mate. Why no wind deflectors on the rear windows though?


I did have them on previous and to me they looked really strange. Just didnt look right to me so i took them off, plus they don't really function the same as the front ones do.

Heres and old pic with them on


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## SarahS23 (Jul 31, 2014)

I have them on mine too, are yours heko ones? Mine aren't they aren't in the rubbers as hate them leaking 😡


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## tom5865 (Feb 10, 2014)

Your car looks the same as mine :doublesho

Don't suppose you can tell me where you got the rear diffuser from and how much? BMW are quoting silly prices and yours looks ever so slightly different..


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

SarahS23 said:


> I have them on mine too, are yours heko ones? Mine aren't they aren't in the rubbers as hate them leaking 😡


Yes Heko ones. No leaking but does create a bit more wind noise on the mototrway


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

tom5865 said:


> Your car looks the same as mine :doublesho
> 
> Don't suppose you can tell me where you got the rear diffuser from and how much? BMW are quoting silly prices and yours looks ever so slightly different..


Its a BMW performance one direct from BMW and was about £240.


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## tom5865 (Feb 10, 2014)

Thanks, your pictures make it look a lot better than the pictures BMW a gave... Better start saving :thumb:


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Just a few updates.

Brakes was due for a change so opted for a bigger set of fully recon 335D front calipers with the bigger 348x30mm EBC Turbo Grooved discs, and matched the rears the same and painted the standard rear calipers red.

old vs new discs



old vs new front calipers



Also had an issue with a cracked rear wheel so instead of replacing it went for a different set of rims. Went with some 19" OEMS IFG9, 8.5J front, 9.5J rear with additional 5mm spacers on the rear


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## Streeto (Apr 3, 2008)

Much preferred the old wheels. Those look awful. But if your happy. Callipers look good and nice quality refurb but think would of looked better different colour. 

Like BMW blue they do there performance calipers in. Diffuser on rear looks nice with twin pipe setup, OEM exhaust or aftermarket performance.

Cars paint looks immaculate, so deep and glossy


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## Stu Mac (Aug 18, 2014)

Lovely looking example mate, your paintwork lots brilliant . Boy that is one set of low profile tires you have,you certainly won't need much tire dressing on them


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

Streeto said:


> Much preferred the old wheels. Those look awful. But if your happy. Callipers look good and nice quality refurb but think would of looked better different colour.
> 
> Like BMW blue they do there performance calipers in. Diffuser on rear looks nice with twin pipe setup, OEM exhaust or aftermarket performance.
> 
> Cars paint looks immaculate, so deep and glossy


Iam not overly happy with the wheels either to be honest and will be changing them again in the summer. I do however like the red calipers, not keen on the blue ones. Exhaust is aftermarket, not that different to the standard OEM 335d setup, just bigger tailpipes. The paint is pretty good on it.


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## loudchris53 (Apr 14, 2011)

Love the twin tailpipes! something i wish i had done on mine :/ the two little ones don't look as beefy as the 335 look. Your car is really nice and glad you find the 330d a nice drive, i love driving it and the handling is ace 

Chris


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Car looks mint mate. I've got a black beemer as well and like what you have done. How easy was the folding mirrors ? Also what tinted side indicators did you get ?


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## JamesE (Mar 2, 2015)

Stunning car mate, love the seats bet they are comfy. I'm also with streeto with the wheels the old ones are my favourite oem rims.
You've made your bimmer stand out from other 3series.


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

It's so hard to find a wheel that suits the E90 unless it's a CSL style one. Iam trying to find something different that doesn't look pants.

Iam gonna keep looking


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## Dode (Jun 13, 2013)

Very nice mate


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

nice looking bmw fella


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## M20fes (Aug 28, 2012)

What do you guys think of these ? Looking for something different that ain't CSL style


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