Help Me Plan My Car Life (new car search @post 290)

  • Thread starter Danoff
  • 420 comments
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It's all about that weight distribution. Your battery is in the same spot as a Cobalt SS!
 
Pics or ban.


What's the battery doing in the trunk? I've never seen anything like that.

Like Keef said, it's for weight distribution. Notice it's on the passenger side too; opposite corner as the driver-- to help maintain left/right distribution with only a driver aboard. Little details like that are the reason I had a hard on for BMWs for years.

FYI, there is a factory Bluetooth retrofit kit for E46s that didn't come with it. Nice because you get the scrolling phonebook on the head unit and the buttons on the steering wheel will dial, answer, change volume etc. Don't think voice control was an option on the E46 though.

But if you want Nav too, I'd say scrap the factory head unit and go with an AVIC with a Bluetooth module --kill two birds with one stone.


M
 
Pics or ban.




Like Keef said, it's for weight distribution. Notice it's on the passenger side too; opposite corner as the driver-- to help maintain left/right distribution with only a driver aboard. Little details like that are the reason I had a hard on for BMWs for years.

That's awesome.

FYI, there is a factory Bluetooth retrofit kit for E46s that didn't come with it.

I heard a little something about that today for the first time. My car has bluetooth, but not streaming bluetooth audio. Does the retrofit kit allow it to work with A2DP? That would be perfect.
 
^Probably not, since not even the newer head units will do that, to my knowledge. There is a snap in cradle for the E46 that gives you access to music on your phone, but they only work with a range of phones. I think there is also a glovebox mounted aux-in jack kit, but I think that only works with iphones.

On the newer cars there is a USB adapter in the armrest or glovebox. Big list of compatible devices.

If you go to the website, there's probably more info on it. BMW's been pushing the connectivity thing for a few years now, so maybe there's something out there.


So... have you lifted the hood? What color is it? 5 bucks says it's Silbergrau.


M
 
Just washed and waxed today, so I figured it was time for some photos. Somehow I didn't get any shots of the back. And yes, I need to repave my driveway.

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In that last photo you can see the damage to the trunk near the rear windshield. It's minor, but you can see that the tip of the trunk lid is bent slightly. At this point I think someone tried to break into the trunk from that point after I had the car inspected. The used car dealer says they'll cover the cost of the repair.

After a good wash, I'm really surprised at the fantastic condition the body and paint are in. This car is unbelievably well kept. So far I've done none of the items on my to-do list.

Yup, Silbergrau.
 
Lookin good man. 👍

The AT wouldn't be my choice for the tranny, but to each his own.

I didn't notice it has the 16:9 Nav unit. That's the DVD based one isn't it? Seems ultra-rare on non-M E46s.

Silbergrau is up there on my favorite (BMW) colors of all time. Definitely the best silver or gray BMW's ever done.


M
 
That looks great Danoff. And you got one of the best front bumpers of the bunch too, simple and clean. Those wheels have always been a favorite of mine. We have a professional used car buyer on our hands lol.
 
Lookin good man. 👍

The AT wouldn't be my choice for the tranny, but to each his own.

Down the line there will be another car to satisfy that. ;)

I didn't notice it has the 16:9 Nav unit. That's the DVD based one isn't it? Seems ultra-rare on non-M E46s.

Yup, I think it's the MkIV nav unit with a DVD player in the trunk that has nav data in it. Seems a shame to swap the whole thing out. I'm still hoping for a better solution. But I haven't had much time to play with the stereo yet, so I don't know what it can do. I'm sure it can't do A2DP, and I'm pretty sure it can't play MP3s. An aux-in would have me covered well enough, but it's my understanding that such a thing is a pain the in neck to install.

Silbergrau is up there on my favorite (BMW) colors of all time. Definitely the best silver or gray BMW's ever done.

I'm diggin it. It changes color in different light. Sometimes it looks like a deep blue, sometimes light silver, sometimes turquoise, and sometimes the deep grey that it actually is. It's fairly reflective (maybe that's the wax).

That looks great Danoff. And you got one of the best front bumpers of the bunch too, simple and clean. Those wheels have always been a favorite of mine. We have a professional used car buyer on our hands lol.

Thanks. After this experience, it kinda feels that way. Buying the car over the phone and shipping it has been pretty stressful. The price was phenomenal, but it has been a headache. Especially since the rules for registration and emissions are more lax in Oregon, leading the sellers to the incorrect conclusion that they have way more time to get me the title than they do. I'll be thinking 3 times before trying this again.
 
04 silver ZSP with 30k mi in excellent mechanical condition for a good price. Here's my list of things to do:

- Touch up the bottom of the front fender
- Replace front brake pads and rotors
- Replace front tires
- Replace engine oil
- Bend the tips of the trunk lid into shape
- Buy and install replacement stereo head unit
- New Floor Mats
- Car Cover
- Tint Windows
- California Emissions Check
- Register the Car in California (DMV is taking forever)

Made some progress on the to-do list. The seller paid for a body shop to fix the trunk. Turns out the trunk lifts were busted as well. The bent tips were caused by someone forcing the trunk open past 90 degrees, breaking the trunk lifts, and forcing the trunk back on the hinges. Anyway, it's fixed - looks like new. I'm waiting for the break pads and tires to wear out a bit more before I do those jobs. So the next step is to replace the stereo and do the window tint.
 
Russ is a big old lad now isn't he? :D

Yup, love that damned dog. Turned out to be a really stunningly attractive lab. I know this is very LA, but we actually were asked by a local photographer if he could get some photos of Russ for greeting cards. The photo shoot was a bit odd, but I think they got some really good photos. Very photogenic.
 
IMG_9919.jpg


It's a wagon, but you get the idea...

Ah, this might be more up your alley. Gottis from a C4 Corvette...bagged and even lower.

IMG_9891.jpg


Just sayin'.
 
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No friggin' way. But this is:

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The dynavin replacement for my stereo head unit. Bluetooth, MP3, sat nav, touch screen, and even a rear view camera. Plus when it's off it looks almost exactly like the OEM unit.
 
Wow, that does look almost just like the stock unit. I bet that thing was pricey but it looks worth it.
 
The picture that McLaren posted is the ZHP performance package, and for that generation, about as close to a 4 door M3 as you can get from the factory.

Maybe from the factory, but this guy set out with exactly that mission. This is an unbelievable amount of work. He basically builds an E46 M3 sedan from scratch (scratch being the parts an M3 and a 318).

http://www.bimmers.no/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=133999&sid=8a84a6905fc2c63a005aa93ed3ccc0db

The punchline is on page 4.

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I'll see your M3 motor and raise you an LS3, another hundred ponies and a whole whopper-load of torque:

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Okay, so it's a bit ricey, but it's a purpose-built drift car....

Favorite bit:
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Don't really want to know how badly that thing overheats during a run, though.

Didn't know about the car till I saw it hiding out in a corner of the last Motorshow. Now I'm itching to drive it... as well as the VW coupe with the 4G63 slung out behind the rear axle... :lol:
 
More to-do list progress

- Touch up the bottom of the front fender
- Replace front brake pads and rotors (purchased, not quite time yet)
- Replace front tires (not quite time yet)
- Replace engine oil (not quite time yet)
- Replace control arms (not quite time yet)
- Replace VANOS seals (30k mi left)
- Replace Water pump, thermostat (30k mi left)
- Change transmission fluid (30k mi left)
- Bend the tips of the trunk lid into shape
- Buy and install replacement stereo head unit
- New Floor Mats
- Car Cover
- Tint Windows
- California Emissions Check
- Register the Car in California (DMV is taking forever)
- Get license plates
- Install storage package compartments where ashtrays are
- Purchase and install First Aid kit boxes under both front seats.

The big items checked off are that I got the windows tinted and the stereo head unit (dynavin shown above) installed. Here's what the old stereo unit looked like:

img20110509114504medium.jpg


Here's the new one:

img20110514095910medium.jpg


Almost identical except for the huge upgrade in capabilities. Note that it's running friggin ANDROID!

Here are my other two home screens.

img20110514095918medium.jpg


^^ Doubletwist playlist shortcuts on the 1st left home screen.

img20110514095928medium.jpg


^^ Pandora and Amazon cloud player widgets on the 1st right home screen.

I tether my phone with the unit's android installation to use google navigation with realtime traffic information and streaming radio from pandora or my amazon cloud player. I just ordered a 32 gb SD card to make sure I can hold all of my music and offline nav maps.

So far I am absolutely loving having android running in the car. I can pull up contacts, tap on their address, and have google navigate me directly. I also have doubletwist playlists for all mp3s, and a myriad of apps that I can install for fun with the car. The unit doesn't appear to have accelerometers in it, so any dreams of playing that game where you try to roll the ball through the maze without dropping it in the holes by driving the car around in a parking lot are right out the window (but how awesome would that be?).

The android portion of the head unit does not make phone calls or anything like that. It's strictly put in place for nav purposes. The rest of the unit has stanard CD player, bluetooth, DVD, etc. capabilities. To make phone calls I still have to use my phone via bluetooth.

Anyway, still exploring all of the possibilities with android in the car, but I'm having a lot of fun.

The window tint looks good too, but the car is dirty right now. I'll post pictures probably next weekend when I give the car a good wash.
 
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More to-do list progress

- Touch up the bottom of the front fender
- Replace front brake pads and rotors (purchased, not quite time yet)
- Replace front tires (not quite time yet)
- Replace engine oil (not quite time yet)
- Replace control arms (not quite time yet)
- Replace VANOS seals (30k mi left)
- Replace Water pump, thermostat (30k mi left)
- Change transmission fluid (30k mi left)
- Bend the tips of the trunk lid into shape
- Buy and install replacement stereo head unit
- New Floor Mats
- Car Cover
- Tint Windows
- California Emissions Check
- Register the Car in California (DMV is taking forever)
- Get license plates
- Install storage package compartments where ashtrays are
- Purchase and install First Aid kit boxes under both front seats.

The big items checked off are that I got the windows tinted and the stereo head unit (dynavin shown above) installed. Here's what the old stereo unit looked like:

img20110509114504medium.jpg


Here's the new one:

img20110514095910medium.jpg


Almost identical except for the huge upgrade in capabilities. Note that it's running friggin ANDROID!

Here are my other two home screens.

img20110514095918medium.jpg


^^ Doubletwist playlist shortcuts on the 1st left home screen.

img20110514095928medium.jpg


^^ Pandora and Amazon cloud player widgets on the 1st right home screen.

I tether my phone with the unit's android installation to use google navigation with realtime traffic information and streaming radio from pandora or my amazon cloud player. I just ordered a 32 gb SD card to make sure I can hold all of my music and offline nav maps.

So far I am absolutely loving having android running in the car. I can pull up contacts, tap on their address, and have google navigate me directly. I also have doubletwist playlists for all mp3s, and a myriad of apps that I can install for fun with the car. The unit doesn't appear to have accelerometers in it, so any dreams of playing that game where you try to roll the ball through the maze without dropping it in the holes by driving the car around in a parking lot are right out the window (but how awesome would that be?).

The android portion of the head unit does not make phone calls or anything like that. It's strictly put in place for nav purposes. The rest of the unit has stanard CD player, bluetooth, DVD, etc. capabilities. To make phone calls I still have to use my phone via bluetooth.

Anyway, still exploring all of the possibilities with android in the car, but I'm having a lot of fun.

The window tint looks good too, but the car is dirty right now. I'll post pictures probably next weekend when I give the car a good wash.

:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:
ANDROID ON A NAV!? WTF...
Lucky bastard... I wish I had that! And @ the people posting Ricer Bimmer's: Shame on you, you disgraceful horse-tables... (u know what I mean)
 
Thanks,

I'm apparently part of a trial run with this. Only a few test units went out with android on them, and I managed to snag one of them. Honestly after messing around with this for just a little while, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this. Also I think tethering with your phone is going to catch on too. It makes more sense than having a separate account for every device that needs internet.
 
Means great things for the nav-screen market... having an open-source development platform means that applications for multimedia and the like will be numerous.

Be even more interesting if they fit those units with accelerometers like the phones... there are already apps for the Android phones that record performance, speed, altitude and even interface with OBDII. Combine that maybe with an app like "Zilla" for the iPhone, which mimics the onboard computer of the GT-R. Imagine that capacity in a built-in head-unit with GPS!
 
Danoff nice car and really nice radio! What $$ did that set you back? And why hasn't apple done this yet lol.
 
Means great things for the nav-screen market... having an open-source development platform means that applications for multimedia and the like will be numerous.

Be even more interesting if they fit those units with accelerometers like the phones... there are already apps for the Android phones that record performance, speed, altitude and even interface with OBDII. Combine that maybe with an app like "Zilla" for the iPhone, which mimics the onboard computer of the GT-R. Imagine that capacity in a built-in head-unit with GPS!

Not to mention the Google navigation system on my phone tends to be better than most actual GPS units. Have to say I am jealous of this unit Danoff has, I just have a standard DIN CD player in my car :guilty:

Guess that phone window mount will be getting more use now. Wee.
 
JCE
Danoff nice car and really nice radio! What $$ did that set you back? And why hasn't apple done this yet lol.

$800 for the unit (+ rearview camera) and $200 installation. The unit is designed specifically to replace the factory unit in this car without looking any different. They used to use Windows CE to run their navigation software, but they replaced that with android (probably cheaper), perhaps in part because it offers continuously updating maps.

So it's a full featured unit with a DVD player, bluetooth connection, FM radio, etc. etc. in addition to running android purely for nav purposes. I'd prefer that they abandon the rest of the unit and just focus on producing the android unit. $800 should buy a fully featured tablet with a nicer touch screen than I have. I'm paying, in part, for that other stuff that I'm never going to use. I think that the company didn't fully anticipate how useless the rest of the system would be once they put android on any part of it. I'd almost prefer that the unit didn't have anything else.

I can definitely see the potential here. Mine is a first-generation unit that will be greatly improved upon. It's a resistive touch screen that's not nearly as easy to use as my phone (or probably a tablet). I haven't dared to try pinch zoom on the screen yet. It has taken some practice to be able to scroll. I've tried to set up my android screens so that I can punch buttons rather than scroll.

I don't think there's any question though that eventually you'll have a tablet in your dashboard, complete with accelerometers and potentially telemetry from the car systems. Like I said, tons of potential.

Anyway, still loving the unit. Still trying to figure out what the best offline nav app is, whether an FM radio app will work, etc. etc. Should be lots of fun. :D
 
Finally got my plates today, so I guess I can't run red lights anymore. The registration is for January, plates got here in May. That's government service.

me
- Touch up the bottom of the front fender
- Replace front brake pads and rotors (purchased, not quite time yet)
- Replace front tires (not quite time yet)
- Replace engine oil (not quite time yet)
- Replace control arms (not quite time yet)
- Replace VANOS seals (30k mi left)
- Replace Water pump, thermostat (30k mi left)
- Change transmission fluid (30k mi left)
- Bend the tips of the trunk lid into shape
- Buy and install replacement stereo head unit
- New Floor Mats
- Car Cover
- Tint Windows
- California Emissions Check
- Register the Car in California (DMV is taking forever)
- Get license plates
- Install storage package compartments where ashtrays are
- Purchase and install First Aid kit boxes under both front seats.
 
Before the window tint:


After the window tint:

img20110520150707medium.jpg


It's at the California legal limit for front windows on all windows (65%). Also there is definitely not a clear window tint on the windshield. As awesome as it would be to have 3M crystalline clear window tint on the windshield blocking almost all infrared and UV from getting through, I certainly do NOT have that installed since it would be illegal and I wouldn't break the law. I do have crystalline tint on the rest of the car, but again, certainly not the windshield.
 
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