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#1. [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices - from Sean Hester
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 12:59:43 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices 5 years ago after 2 days of owning my M3 i removed the stereo. now i sold that car and need to put a stereo back in it. i put the stereo in and it says CODE. i don't know the code. it's not written in the manuals i have. the dealer tells me to read them the serial number form the radio and they'll give me the code. when i look at the radio the serial number plate has been removed (i bought this car used, who knows what condition the stereo was in? (but it WAS working when i bought it)) the dealer tells me that they can't help me without the serial number. so... i ask them how much a new radio unit would cost. they tell me. (get ready to laugh (if you know anything about car stereos)) $859!!!!!!!!!!!! not a typo. over EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY dollars for that POS frequency limited because of engine noise cassette player. questions: 1. is there any way i can get the code for my radio head unit? 2. what special german version of crack cocaine is BMW smoking, charging $859 for that casette player? ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#2. RE: [E36M3] Schroth harness - from Sean Hester
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 13:01:12 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Schroth harness > > Much thanks to all who have replied to my harness > > question. Thank you Peter Stickney and Jim Powell for > > a good write up on the installation. > >AHHH!! No respect from you people! :-) > >Jim BASSETT (ME!!) wrote the harness install page: >http://members.home.net/jimbassett/harness.htm jim b, jim p, jim c... how are we supposed to keep them straight? list members... be smart like me and just always say "jim" when referring to any (or all) of them. then the reader has the duty to resolve which one is right. ;-) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Schroth harness - from Jim Powell
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 13:12:39 -0700 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@home.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Schroth harness Its really quite simple: Jim B. Drives good Jim C. Codes good Jim P. No Good. J'A'P Sean Hester wrote: > > jim b, jim p, jim c... > > how are we supposed to keep them straight?
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#4. RE: [E36M3] Schroth harness - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 13:42:54 -0700 From: "Jim Bassett" <jbassett@mayannetworks.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Schroth harness > Its really quite simple: > > Jim B. Drives good > Jim C. Codes good > Jim P. No Good. LOL! Yeah, that about sums it up :-) (How you & I keep getting mistaken for one another I'll NEVER know.) But you are too kind, I'm merely an adequate driver in a wonderful car. We'll see how good I really am when (if?) I find a suitable Club Racing car - anyone know of an E30 325is for sale cheap? :-) Jim B. 1998 M3/4 OK, here we go: WTB E30 325is for Club Racing - did somebody say "slippery slope"? :-)
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#5. [E36M3] UUC Sway Bars - my impressions (Part II - long) - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 13:54:00 -0700 From: "Jim Bassett" <jbassett@mayannetworks.com> Subject: [E36M3] UUC Sway Bars - my impressions (Part II - long) OK, when I last left to story, I had just completed an autox with the initial settings on the bars (MAX understeer), but had adjusted the front to the middle holes in preparation for track days at Thunderhill & Laguna Seca. (BTW, I've skimmed some of the comments from Part I, sorry if I can't reply right away. These damn Silicon Valley start-ups actually make you *work* :-)). It looked like some of you were offering suggestions to get rid of the understeer, which I appreciate. That was going to be the gist of this post, BTW, so thanks for jumping ahead :-) Oh, and for those that may not be familiar with the car, I should probably give you some background on it's pre-swaybar set up. 1998 M3/4 with X-brace, UUC Strut bar, swapped front bearing hats, 17x8.5" wheels all around with 245/40/17 Pilot Sports for the street (36F/34R currently, to be adjusted?), 17x8 wheels with Toyo RA-1s for track & autox (33psi all around for track, 36psi all around for autox) - plus JimC SW & intake, Schroth Rallye 4 harnesses, UUC short shift kit, PF90 pads. You know, the "usual" stuff :-) Alright, we've got the front bar in the middle holes, rears at full soft still, off to Thunderhill (last Thursday, about 110 degrees in the N. Sacto Valley). First session for me at any track event recently is kind of a reconn session - how does the car feel, did the track change since I was last there (no joke, the Corkscrew at Laguna *has* changed a bit), etc. Getting warmed up the car feels good, although the lack of body roll is taking some getting used to. As my pace starts to pick up, I start understeering, the oversteering IN THE SAME TURN. "Hmmmm, that's interesting" I say in my best VW commercial voice :-) There's a lot going on, though. The track is getting WARM, so the tires are feeling greasy, the new lack of body roll and change in general to the handling dynamics of the car. So I think about it a bit between sessions, and not being much of a tinkerer (and not really wanting to crawl under the car on hot asphalt in near 100 degree temps :-)) I figure the car is OK, it's the driver that needs adjustment. So, the next session or two are spent making slight driver input changes: slightly different turn-in points, really focussing on looking through the turns to the exit point, concentrating on being even smoother than I normally am with my transistions. Whaddya know, the car starts feeling REALLY good! :-) I'm really liking how the car handles. But, as the afternoon wears on and the heat increases, I feel my concentration not being at 100%, so I choose not to run the last two sessions of the day. The track folks & organizers of the event even shorten the sessions to 15 minutes - nobody complained :-) But, I left THill VERY pleased with the set up of the car. The following Sunday at Laguna Seca with the Shelby Club was actually pretty straight-forward. I became more and more familiar and comfortable with the car (and the track; of the 3 No. Calif. tracks, Laguna is the one I "get" the least). No changes to the car for this event, just trying to get some time in on these settings, which again seem very good for me and the track (which is about 40 degrees COOLER, BTW :-)). So, current assessment is that the UUC sway bars are great! I may still tweak the rear bar, just to see what difference it'll make. But I'd really like to get some more track time with the current settings - next events will a couple of days at THill in late-July & August. There will be some upcoming autox as well, so I can get a feeling of how the new settings will have effect there; certainly less understeer :-). Plus I want to re-adjust the street tire pressures, and see how the car reacts in street form. But the testing isn't nearly complete, the new sway bars have not been tested by the ultimate test: Nikolas :-) (For those that don't know, that's our 11-week-old son, born April 4, who so far loves the M3. Falls right asleep <bg>) Maybe this weekend he'll get his opportunity to give them his sleepy approval (I hope :-)). Anyway, again, thanks for reading this far. Your comments & suggestions are much appreciated - keep 'em coming. I just may not have time to reply to them all. This write-up (both parts) will be posted on my web site shortly. You can also see general info on the M3, some tech tips, and of course, info & pix of Nikolas <grin>: http://members.home.net/jimbassett/ Cheers, Jim Bassett 1998 M3/4 - daily-driver/baby-hauler/track-car
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#6. LTW Wheels - from Jon Massengale
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 15:54:42 -0500 From: jon@aestechnology.com (Jon Massengale) Subject: LTW Wheels Looking to buy a set (2-7.5 & 2-8.5) of the LTW style split 5 spoke. Prefer the newer polished look. Jon Massengale 1995 M3 SC Austin, TX
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#7. RE: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices - from Peter Guagenti
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 14:15:21 -0700 From: "Peter Guagenti" <peter@guagenti.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices > 1. is there any way i can get the code for my radio head unit? No. They do this so someone can not steal your stereo and put it in their car. I can't imagine why a thief would wanna jack the piece of sh** that they put in as factory headunits, but I'm sure people feel more secure. > 2. what special german version of crack cocaine is BMW smoking, charging > $859 for that casette player? No special version, just the plain ol' 'merican variety. Why do they charge that much? Because they're BMW. Why do they charge like $600 for a CD Changer, when you can buy a complete tape/cd changer combo for about $250? The same reason they charged $1000 for the HK system -- because people pay that much. It's this funny concept we marketers like to talk about called "perceived value". Stick a roundel on something and it's worth it's weight in gold. ;) If I were you, I'd check eBay for someone's take-out headunit. You can usually get 'em for $50-$100. Or, you can watch for a Blaupunkt tape deck on eBay and grab one of those. The older ones sell for a song now, and if you get the right models, they look factory when hooked-up. Good luck. -p
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#8. RE: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices - from Sean Hester
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 14:38:09 PDT From: "Sean Hester" <seanh_race@hotmail.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices > > 1. is there any way i can get the code for my radio head unit? > >No. They do this so someone can not steal your stereo and put it in their >car. I can't imagine why a thief would wanna jack the piece of sh** that >they put in as factory headunits, but I'm sure people feel more secure. funny thing about this... my dealer said they'd give me the code if i read them the serial number off the back of the radio. why mine is missing i don't know. BUT, the point is... if i come to your house and steal your radio, i can read my dealer the serial number off the back of yours and get the code. not too secure huh? ;-P maybe that's why mine has no serial number? the owener before me took it off so a thief couldn't call the dealer to get the code? that's the only reason i can think of... >If I were you, I'd check eBay for someone's take-out headunit. You can >usually get 'em for $50-$100. Or, you can watch for a Blaupunkt tape deck >on eBay and grab one of those. The older ones sell for a song now, and if >you get the right models, they look factory when hooked-up. actually, since i'm trading this car in, i'm planning on buying a brand spanking new jayco $49 radio. all i need is something that makes noise. i could't care less how good it is. the poor sap who buys my car will not only have to live with replacing 4 vanoses in the next year, but paying $850 if he wants a bmw radio for his car. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
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#9. Re: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices - from NickG
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 20:14:50 -0400 From: "NickG" <nikog@MediaOne.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] stereo codes and insane prices Sean, There is still hope........ IF the radio you have is the original one provided by the factory, the dealer might be able to get the code. Many times, the dealership where the car was originally purchased keeps things like the radio code on record. Have your local dealer do a DCS Inquiry to find out where your car was originally sold at. Then have them contact that dealership to see if they have the radio code in their paperwork. Good luck, Nick > 5 years ago after 2 days of owning my M3 i removed the stereo. now i sold > that car and need to put a stereo back in it. i put the stereo in and it > says CODE. i don't know the code. it's not written in the manuals i have. > the dealer tells me to read them the serial number form the radio and > they'll give me the code. when i look at the radio the serial number plate > has been removed (i bought this car used, who knows what condition the > stereo was in? (but it WAS working when i bought it)) the dealer tells me > that they can't help me without the serial number. so... i ask them how > much a new radio unit would cost. they tell me. (get ready to laugh (if > you know anything about car stereos)) $859!!!!!!!!!!!! not a typo. over > EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY dollars for that POS frequency limited because of engine > noise cassette player. > > questions: > > 1. is there any way i can get the code for my radio head unit? > 2. what special german version of crack cocaine is BMW smoking, charging > $859 for that casette player?
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#10. WTB: one Dunlop 8080e 245/40ZR17 tire - from NickG
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 20:19:02 -0400 From: "NickG" <nikog@MediaOne.net> Subject: WTB: one Dunlop 8080e 245/40ZR17 tire Subject line basically covers it. Looking for one tire with at least 50% tread left. Email me if you have one to sell. Thanks, Nick nikog@mediaone.net
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#11. Re: [E36M3] LTW Wheels - from LoweSeaton@aol.com
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Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 20:19:00 EDT From: LoweSeaton@aol.com Subject: Re: [E36M3] LTW Wheels Jon, I just bought two more of the M Double Spoke polished forged wheels for my '95 M3. I paid $516 each (plus $35 shipping for two) for 8.5" rims from Hendrick BMW in Charlotte, NC. Their phone number is 800-476-8322. They offer a 25% discount on mail orders to BMW CCA members. I think they are lowest price for new rims. By the way, why do you want 7.5" front rims? I highly recommend going with 8.5" at all four corners. The 8.5" BMW rims fit perfectly on the front. They allow you to run 245/40 tires all around and rotate your tires. The 8.5" rims are only $26 more expensive. Good luck! They are beautiful wheels. Lowell Seaton '95 M3/2 - 8.5" M Double Spoke polished forged wheels all around Dallas, Texas BMW CCA #131505