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#1. Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings - from Jeff A
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 18:45:05 -0500 From: "Jeff A" <aabel@austin.rr.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings > > --- ChuckBrazeau@aol.com wrote: > > Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 18:35:19 -0400 > > From: ChuckBrazeau@aol.com > > Subject: Faded Side Moldings > > > > Spent 4 hours detailing the car on Saturday, but the > > side moldings still look faded from the wax. What > > products have you all used (with good results) to > > restore these moldings to their original appearance? > > BMW and BravaAuto both sell "Forever Black", but i > > wanted to see if there were any alternatives or if > > anyone had any experience (good or bad) with Forever > > Black. > > > > Thanks in advance! > > ChuckBrazeau.com > > '95 ///M3 daytonaviolett I have a 97 that has been a FL and TX car all its life. The side moldings were faded, I thought due to wax buildup. But, everything I tried proved temporary. Acetone, Bug and Tar remover, pink and white pencil erasers, peanut butter, Black Again. I then used Forever Black, despite that fact that my long trusted concours guy Larry Reynolds (www.carcareonline) suggested the stuff is horrible. Six months later, and the molding still looks great! Good stuff, just be sure to clean the heck out of them with the cleaner it comes with, be sure to remove the molding, and be sure to use multiple thin coats. Jeff 97 M3/4, with Black Molding
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#2. Re: Wheel Locks - from Paul Elliott
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 20:01:16 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: Wheel Locks HI Ron, Question...On your locks, what color/finish is the underlying lock if you decide NOT to use the plastic cover which you can get in Black or Silver...I want something to match the shiny silver or chrome-like appearance of the Fikse lug bolts, and I was thinking that fromteh picture, the silver cap is a dull finish, and the lock might make a better match if I were to leave it un-capped. I find it curious that people have had trouble with the McGards...Arent they the widest and oldest, ie, most mature, producer of car wheel locks we have? I would have thought that a company who owns the market like this would have ironed out most of the bugs, such that broken keys shouldnt be an issue at all.. I note that AC Schnitzer has a lock set that looks identical to the McGards....I wonder if they are any less prone to the key stripping problems weve heard with the McGards. Frankly, I have the Splined BMW set, and these have worked just great....Id love to continue using them if only they were available with a Silver or Chrome-like cap, instead of the black plastic one. I could use them capless, except the inside is gold in color, and, I think dirt and grit would before long muck up the splines. Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; < 45K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Water Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@hotmail.com> To: <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Cc: <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 10:56 AM Subject: Re: Wheel Locks > I have the BavAuto locks on my M3. The lug bolt is silver, and the lock > head is covered with a plastic cap. You can either order the set with black > caps or silver caps, to match the rest of your lug nuts. > > Other than lacking the semi-gloss finish of the black factory lugs, these > are not noticeable at all. > > Some comments about this wheel lock system, and wheel locks in general: > > 1) These locks use a set of four pins in the 'key', which mate to four > grooves that are located at unique positions on the lock lug. So, you put > the key onto the lock lug, and use your 17mm wrench to tighten/loosen them. > Since the fit of the key onto the lock lug isn't absolutely tight, the > grooves have started to get distorted from the torque of tightening them. > > 2) Related to the slight looseness of the key, it makes tightening/torquing > the lug bolts a little more difficult, since the key tends to wobble a > little when it's on the lock lug. > > 3) Since the lock lugs are made of chrome steel, they feel different when > being torqued. The sensation of tightening them is different than > tightening the remaining four lug bolts (black finish) on each wheel. > > 4) I'm fairly certain that one of those 'universal sockets' that adapts to > the size of the fastener: > > http://www.ontvonline.com/gator-grip.htm > > could be used to remove these locks. So, I wouldn't consider these > absolutely thief-proof. > > 5) Be sure to check the length of the lock lugs, and make sure they'll meet > your needs. The lock lugs that I own have the same thread length as the > stock lugs, so it wasn't a problem. However, if you are using aftermarket > wheels, or spacers, and require longer lug bolts, then the standard "for > your car model" lock lugs will be too short. I don't know if you can > request longer lock lugs or not. Check with BavAuto. > > 6) Wheel locks are intended to discourage someone from stealing your wheels, > or delay the process. If someone really wants your wheels, and they have > the cover of darkness or the comfort of isolation, they WILL take them. > > 7) If a company made a set of of wheel locks that made wheels 100% > theft-proof (without the proper key), I'd never buy them because, in all > likelihood, if a problem occured with the key and/or lock lug, they'd never > be removed without some damage to the wheel. I'd rather rely on 98% theft > protection to discourage theft, and insurance to cover the remaining 2%. > > My $0.02, > > -rb > > PS: I purchased a 17mm deep socket from Tire Rack (Gorilla Thin Wall > Sockets) for $3.50: > > http://www.tirerack.com/tires/accessories/tools.jsp > > It's a great socket to use with my torque wrench, and is a big improvement > over the standard length 17mm socket that I was using. > > > >Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2002 15:23:14 -0400 > >From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> > >Subject: Wheel Locks > > > > <snip> > > >So, then, the eccentric pattern locs are out....But still, I need a chrome > >lock head to be the best match to the fikses...Second best would be a > >silver bolt head....I can get silver locks from Bavarian Autosports. > >Instead of an eccentric pattern cut into the lock head, they use a head > >with a series of longitudnal grooves cut into it for the key to > >match....Would this type face the same fate as the eccentric pattern ones? > >If true, then I guess any of > >them would face the same fate, and make locks in general useless..... > > > > > >Paul Elliott > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com > >
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#3. Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings - from Jay G
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 13:52:14 -1000 From: Jay G <jguzman@hawaii.edu> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings forever black is a dye, and will cover up the wax on your moldings...i used it in the past, and it works great!!! what i did was apply masking tape above and below the moldings, to protect the paint in case i got some of the dye on it...then apply the cleaner, then the dye...it gave the moldings a new look, and i've been careful of getting wax on them ever since...oh, and use some good quality masking tape, so you wont need to rub off adhesive residue from your paint... ChuckBrazeau@aol.com wrote: > <snip> i wanted to see if there were any alternatives or if anyone had any experience (good or bad) with Forever Black.
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#4. moldings - from kitwetzler@mindspring.com
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 19:59:07 -0400 From: "kitwetzler@mindspring.com" <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: moldings > Spent 4 hours detailing the car on Saturday, but the > side moldings still look faded from the wax. What I had good luck with removing my moldings and shooting them with matte black engine enamel. Worked great, and as a bonus, wax doesn't stick to them nearly as much. Took two coats to really cover. The secret is to to a really light 3rd coat to give it some "texture." -kit -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .
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#5. Fikse valve stem leak - from Paul Elliott
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 20:21:27 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Fikse valve stem leak >>I bet the tire installer did not tighten that insert and NOT the fault of Fikse. << Yea, except who do you think installed the tires? See, I bought a pkg from them...They source the tires from tirerack, and, while the tire price isnt quite as low as TR, its still an excellent price considering they dont charge your for mounting and balancing.... Anyway, I got some spare cores, and a nice tightening tool, and Im back in business...for what its worth, fikse did a nice job on balancing the tires, as I have no vibration. Lucky Me! Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; < 45K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Water Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio
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#6. [E36M3] Wheel Weight Tape? - from Paul Elliott
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 20:29:47 -0400 From: "Paul Elliott" <elliott.paul@worldnet.att.net> Subject: [E36M3] Wheel Weight Tape? For a street car, how big a problem is stick on weights flying off? Anybody have any idea how often we lose these kinds of weights without tape? Paul Elliott --------------------------------------------------------- '99 White M3; < 45K miles; Dinan stage II SC kit with 6" RMS crank pulley: 11 psi; AA Water Injection; Fikse FM-10s; X-Brace; Dinan Koni Suspension; Stygar SS and Clutch Stop; Sound by Polk, Excelon, JLAudio
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#7. Re: [E36M3] M3 production MY 1995 alone and 95-99 - from nabli@earthlink.net
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 21:05:51 -0400 From: <nabli@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] M3 production MY 1995 alone and 95-99 1995 M3 USA Coupe: EH00000 (11/93) thru EH08670 (12/95) 1996 - 1998 M3 USA Sedan: EE05000 (01/96) thru EE14165 ((05/98) 1996 - 1999 M3 USA Coupe: EY72000 (10/95) thru EY84011 (04/99) 1997 - 1999 M3 USA Convertible: EC38000 (11/97) thru EC44295 (08/99) Source = BMW CDs The "numbers" above represent the last seven of the vin and do not necessarily reflect the total number of cars sold to the public. Cheers, Jim E. ----- Original Message ----- From: <Marc.S.Edwards@QuestDiagnostics.com> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 4:45 PM Subject: [E36M3] M3 production MY 1995 alone and 95-99 Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 13:35:09 -0700 From: Marc.S.Edwards@QuestDiagnostics.com Subject: M3 production MY 1995 alone and 95-99 Just catching up on trivia; Anyone know the E36M3 US production information for: MY 1995 alone (produced early 1994 through end 95) MY 1995-1999, all styles? And the source of the information? Thanks, Marc 95M3CSL ************************************************************* List Commands UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. DIR - sends a listing of files available in the list's GET directory. GET filename1.ext,filename2.ext - sends the requested file(s). To issue a command/request to the server: Send a message with the command you wish executed as the subject of the message to the email address e36m3@bmw-m.net. *************************************************************
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#8. Re: Faded Side Moldings - from Michael Kelley
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 21:31:19 -0700 From: "Michael Kelley" <mkelley@nc.rr.com> Subject: Re: Faded Side Moldings I've had really good results in cleaning the moldings with a product called the "GONZO WONDER SPONGE".....no kidding!! It's a 1"x2"x4" brick made of a dense sponge rubber and acts like an eraser when used on the side moldings. I have seen them in the paint/wallpaper section of Lowes Hardware and also at art stores like Michaels, A.C. Moore, and Pearls for @$4.00. First, I clean the molding with the sponge and light elbow grease, then apply Lexol Vinylex (or the vinyl protectant of your choice) then wax the car, then retouch the moldings with more sponge, elbow grease, or vinyl protectant..... in no particular order. Applying the Vinylex before waxing helps keep the wax from adhering to the molding. The sponge is a really useful items around the house so if you find one and don't like the results with your car it will clean things like the soot from the bricks on your fireplace :-) Mike 98M3C > -------------------- 5 -------------------- > Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 18:35:19 -0400 > From: ChuckBrazeau@aol.com > Subject: Faded Side Moldings > > Spent 4 hours detailing the car on Saturday, but the side moldings still look faded from the wax. What products have you all used (with good results) to restore these moldings to their original appearance? BMW and BravaAuto both sell "Forever Black", but i wanted to see if there were any alternatives or if anyone had any experience (good or bad) with Forever Black. > > Thanks in advance! > ChuckBrazeau.com > '95 ///M3 daytonaviolett
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#9. Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings - from Zack Steinkamp
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 18:31:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Zack Steinkamp <edsarkiss@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings in my experience, Black Chrome (which isn't a dye), will remove the wax buildup from the textured plastic if you rub it in enough.. i apply it every 3 or 4 washings, or after each waxing, to keep a deep black color. it's good stuff. zs --- Jay G <jguzman@hawaii.edu> wrote: > Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 13:52:14 -1000 > From: Jay G <jguzman@hawaii.edu> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Faded Side Moldings > > forever black is a dye, and will cover up the wax on > your moldings...i used it in the past, and it works > great!!! what i did was apply masking tape above > and below the moldings, to protect the paint in case > i got some of the dye on it...then apply the > cleaner, then the dye...it gave the moldings a new > look, and i've been careful of getting wax on them > ever since...oh, > and use some good quality masking tape, so you wont > need to rub off adhesive residue from your paint... > > ChuckBrazeau@aol.com wrote: > > > <snip> i wanted to see if there were any > alternatives or if anyone had any experience (good > or bad) with Forever Black. > > > > ************************************************************* > List Commands > UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you > from the mailing list. > DIR - sends a listing of files available in the > list's GET directory. > GET filename1.ext,filename2.ext - sends the > requested file(s). > > To issue a command/request to the server: > Send a message with the command you wish executed as > the > subject of the message to the email address > e36m3@bmw-m.net. > ************************************************************* > >
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#10. RE: [E36M3] HK AM? - from Jeremy Conners
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Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 19:53:50 -0400 From: "Jeremy Conners" <Jeremy.Conners@compdevsys.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] HK AM? Attached is the reply from a more knowledgable source on this subject. This should create a more complete picture. <SNIP> There is no technical way to use the vehicle's body alone as an antenna. In most designs the vehicle body is used as a ground plane for the antenna, but not as the antenna itself. There are always at least two connection points for an antenna system. In vehicle designs, the ground plane is one and the actual antenna is the second. Array antennas have many connections but I've never seen something crazy like that from any OEM. The circuitry to control the phasing is too complex and expensive. The most popular configuration is a rough dipole, with the ground plane functioning as one of the "poles". For example, if the antenna is an external shaft attached to the body, it is a monopole using the vehicle body as a ground plane. In theory this creates a dipole, because the ground plane creates an equal image of the monopole, increasing the efficiency and decreasing the necessary length of the antenna. In this configuration the AM and FM antennas are combined into one. More advance vehicles use a combined AM/FM antenna (could be active or passive) in the form of a metallic trace in one of the windows, usually the rear. Another popular configuration is to use the rear defroster as an FM antenna and include an additional, longer trace somewhere in the glass for AM. Whether or not the antenna is active or passive dictates the necessary length of the antenna in order to make it efficient and, of course, the cost. From the description of this problem it sounds like there might be a connection issue. Perhaps the faulty connection isn't at the back of the head unit, since FM reception seems OK. I'm not familiar with the layout of the BMW audio systems, but if separate antennas are used for FM and AM, this person might want to confirm the entire layout of the AM antenna. If there is a partial short or a break at any point in the system the result would be poor reception. Even if a power wire for a non-audio unit is shorted to ground anywhere on the vehicle the reception could be affected. Another possibility is that BMW simply has a poor setup for AM signal reception in the US. Since the frequency band for Europe is different than the US, it is possible BMW may have optimized the design and made countermeasures for Europe and overlooked the poor performance in the US. Noise through both the FM and AM antennas is a very common issue during vehicle development. Motors, relays, and clock harmonics from control units all create havoc for audio engineers. Unfortunately the they usually concentrate on FM reception, which is understandable since most customers listen to the FM band the majority of the time. As a result, IQS points from JD Power may not indicate that there is a problem with AM reception in this country. I would be curious to see if that is true. <SNIP>