Preparing car for the trip

Not done anything with the brakes since I had her so thinking of fitting some EBC pads to cope with the ring. I'd better check the discs aren't grooved although might be cheap enough to replace anyway. New dot 5 and rear rebuild (with the help of my ordered Clarke 1000) wouldn't go amiss either. In the middle of getting the gear box out of the coupe so it's going to be a busy 75 days

All tips great fully received  

Top tip. Don't touch the handbrake cables.

I shouldn't bother with EBC pads, waste of money in my experience. The standard pads are pretty much up to the job, it's the fluid that you need to take care of. DOT5 will do the job nicely, but you will need to make sure you thoroughly drain the system and flush out all the old fluid first. If you are doing the disks, budget for new bearings as well as they are integral to the disk. The races can be drifted out of the old disk and into the new one, but it is very tricky to do properly and new bearings are cheap enough.

Hoping to do;
front discs and pads
DOT5 change
Rear shoes and associated springs etc
Spacers and 5 spoke aftermarket alloys
Bloody good tune up
New stereo with speakers in the back after fitting my PORSCHE embossed door cards

I really should be out there now instead of sitting here posting and drinking San Miguel  

The lager wins every time. Too hot and too late to be playing with cars.

Someone else is thinking I should take the BMW...

Flat Eric is in da howse!  

Put 2 part worns on the BM as I'm not wrecking a new set on the ring. Having the suspension checked over today as offside is rubbing on the arch. I think it's because the Dunlop tyre has a deeper anti curbing wall

Look at flash bloke with his branded tyres! I usually get Ling Long Ditchfinder Remoulds fitted.

Actually, the Benz needs a couple of tyres fitted. Not quite as scary as the 225s on your BMW but still a bit eye watering.
Still, all I've had to spend on it so far (25000 miles) is routine servicing and a set of pads so I can't moan.

Mechanic reckons the rubbing is due to corroded springs with the offside being the worst. New set from BMW is around £180 with GSF premium ones being £102.

5 phonecalls to BMW dealers, 2 to Haverfordwest branch with no answer at all. 3 to Swansea, 1 reply saying to ring back as system down and 2 just now where they answered then hung up straight away

They just don't want you to spend your money do they?!  

I had aftermarket jobs on my 328 and to be fair, they always out performed me, but that doesn't necessarily say much. I reckon unless you are going to spend big bucks on performance jobs, then they are all much of a muchness.

Getting a car ready for a trip! New there was something you were surposed to do! Steve's face before going up the hill when i told him i had not put one of the bolts in the brake calipers, was yer yer lieing toe rag. then after the run and i used the brakes in reverse when parking and a big clunk. Look priceless, may even get around to fitting said bolt before Porscheball. (if i can be arsed).

Located 2 rear springs at GSF Swansea, £40 each and 15% off so a good deal. Will put them on along with a new heater part on Saturday. So that's tyres, air con and suspension done. Just need to wire an aux for my iPhone and rob a post office for some spending money and I'm done.  

I think I'll have the brake fluid changed to be on the safe side. Not going for DOT 5 in the BM as I've heard it can make some of the seals expand
Still haven't fitted the springs etc, definitely doing them Saturday!

Springs fitted, car rock solid at the back for cornering but any weight in it combined with a bump and tyres hit the arch  

Rob had that problem on his E36 so we took an angle grinder to them!

The back seems a lot lower than the front...

Need the arches rolled!

Will you be bringing yo ho's wid ju to pimp out to the Germans?

tux wrote:Will you be bringing yo ho's wid ju to pimp out to the Germans?

Took me a couple of reads to work out what you were saying  

Nah man, leevin ma bitches in da crib, gonna pick me up sum fresh meat

  

Would not say its very fresh in Bonn mate. Stick to your Welsh lamb!