Whoops, I've gone German!
Whoops, I've gone German!
So after a bit of hunting I found this advert:
Quote:2003 (53) BMW 330Ci M SPORT
2 Door High Spec Convertible With 6 Manual Gear Box
Vehicle Specification
TOP SPEC EXAMPLE - FULL UP TO DATE SERVICE HISTORY - 2 FORMER KEEPERS FROM NEW - LAST OWNER SINCE 2010 - LOW VOSA VERIFIED MILES - NEXT MOT DUE 01/07/2015 - 6 SPEED MANUAL GEAR CHANGER - 5 SERVICE STAMPS IN THE BOOK (LAST SERVICED @ 64,458 MILES) - REVISED FACE LIFT MODEL - UP GRADED HARMAN KARDON SOUND SYSTEM - FINISHED IN METALLIC SAPPHIRE GREY WITH ELECTRIC BLACK POWER HOOD - FULL BLACK ELECTRIC MEMORY ADJUST SPORTS LEATHER INTERIOR - FULL COLOUR SCREEN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM - TV - BLUETOOTH - REMOTE CENTRAL LOCKING - 2 KEYS - AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS - MULTI FUNCTIONAL SPORTS LEATHER STEERING WHEEL - 231 BHP - TRIP COMPUTER - REAR HEATED GLASS SCREEN - RAIN SENSITIVE WIPERS - CRUISE CONTROL - CD MULTI CHANGER - SPORTS SUSPENSION - PART DISTANCE CONTROL - LOW TAX BAND MODEL - PAS - MAINTAINED REGARDLESS OF COST - ALL USER MANUALS AND HANDBOOKS PRESENT - A VERY RARE LOW MILEAGE CONVERTIBLE
![[Image: 01-ebayAdvert.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/01-ebayAdvert.jpg)
I only have the one photo saved from the advert but there were loads. It looked in ace condition so I went and test drove it, and paid the cash there and then. SO MANY TOYS! I mean who needs a TV tuner in a car?!
After having it a few days some problems came to light. Some of these were the car being incorrectly advertised (it didn't have Bluetooth and just had the Harmon Kardon trim rather than having the upgraded stereo) but my largest issue was with the roof hydraulics leaking. A big argument ensued between me and the dealer, involving angry phonecalls and letters via recorded delivery. Annoyingly you can't just take a car back and get a refund by UK law, you have to give the supplier the chance to fix the problem first. Eventually he had my car for a few days and the roof was fixed. I'd knocked him down by quite a lot from the initial price so I wasn't really that fussed about the Bluetooth and HK stereo, but I used them as leverage during the process. So by November I had a car that worked well that I quite liked.
![[Image: IMG_20150610_140516.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150610_140516.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_20150610_140535.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150610_140535.jpg)
After driving it around for a few months I'd got to know the car quite well and was getting to grips with its faults. It drove terribly (mostly due to 4 mismatched budget tyres) and used oil. If you ask most 330 owners they will tell you the engines use oil, and BMW subscribe to the "anything less than 1L every 1000 miles isn't a problem" school of thought, the same as Toyota. However asking a few more people in the know highlighted a couple of things that can cause heavy oil consumption, so I concentrated on the chief one of these, the CCV valve.
The CCV is a clever version of a catch can or PCV system. Breather hoses connect to it and it connects to the intake manifold to pull oil vapour out of the crank case, separate the oil via a vortex system (the bit that fails) and then put the oil back in the sump and the air back into the intake. There's a rubber diaphragm in the valve which after 10+ years has gone brittle and split, and so have all the breather hoses! As it's under the intake manifold and a LOT had to be removed, I gave it to a garage to do along with the oil service to keep the stamps in the book. CCV and associated hoses replaced, oil consumption fixed!
That brings us to March last year - those of you who know me know that I love a road trip round Europe and a mate of mine organised one for his birthday. We checked out France, Luxembourg, Germany, Holland and Belgium over 4 days. I updated the satnav to the latest discs (which also updated the stereo's software/firmware) and customised a few things like the startup logo and speed camera alerts.
New plates required for the trip:
![[Image: IMG_20150321_140245.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150321_140245.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_20150321_140231.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150321_140231.jpg)
The luggage space isn't bad for a soft top:
![[Image: IMG_20150411_055818.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150411_055818.jpg)
Those are decent sized cases under the black plastic panel. The panel can be folded up out of the way to give you full boot space, but then you can't retract the roof. The roof sits in that space when it's down.
I had some interesting company, more Germans!
![[Image: IMG_20150411_063454.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150411_063454.jpg)
![[Image: cars_hotel.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/cars_hotel.jpg)
The SL55 AMG had a smaller supercharger and a remap, left me standing with my puny 240bhp! The 6 series did too, it's a 645 grand tourer, when the guy filled it up it had a range of over 1000 miles yet was still faster than my car...
It looks pretty good rolling, love those rear lights!
![[Image: rolex_rolling.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/rolex_rolling.jpg)
Ultimately it looks best with the roof off though (bear optional)
![[Image: bearintheback.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/bearintheback.jpg)
After owning a plethora of Japanese cars (Honda Civic, MK1 MR2, MK2 MR2, Sunny ZX, MK3 MR2, MK3 Supra) and working on many others (mostly IS200s and MKIV Supras) I decided it was time to scratch another itch and get something with a German straight 6 as a daily driver. I'm dead set on convertibles now, and it needed to cost £5k or less and be relatively sensible (basically, not an M3). This was in October 2014.
So after a bit of hunting I found this advert:
Quote:2003 (53) BMW 330Ci M SPORT
2 Door High Spec Convertible With 6 Manual Gear Box
Vehicle Specification
TOP SPEC EXAMPLE - FULL UP TO DATE SERVICE HISTORY - 2 FORMER KEEPERS FROM NEW - LAST OWNER SINCE 2010 - LOW VOSA VERIFIED MILES - NEXT MOT DUE 01/07/2015 - 6 SPEED MANUAL GEAR CHANGER - 5 SERVICE STAMPS IN THE BOOK (LAST SERVICED @ 64,458 MILES) - REVISED FACE LIFT MODEL - UP GRADED HARMAN KARDON SOUND SYSTEM - FINISHED IN METALLIC SAPPHIRE GREY WITH ELECTRIC BLACK POWER HOOD - FULL BLACK ELECTRIC MEMORY ADJUST SPORTS LEATHER INTERIOR - FULL COLOUR SCREEN SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM - TV - BLUETOOTH - REMOTE CENTRAL LOCKING - 2 KEYS - AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTS - MULTI FUNCTIONAL SPORTS LEATHER STEERING WHEEL - 231 BHP - TRIP COMPUTER - REAR HEATED GLASS SCREEN - RAIN SENSITIVE WIPERS - CRUISE CONTROL - CD MULTI CHANGER - SPORTS SUSPENSION - PART DISTANCE CONTROL - LOW TAX BAND MODEL - PAS - MAINTAINED REGARDLESS OF COST - ALL USER MANUALS AND HANDBOOKS PRESENT - A VERY RARE LOW MILEAGE CONVERTIBLE
I only have the one photo saved from the advert but there were loads. It looked in ace condition so I went and test drove it, and paid the cash there and then. SO MANY TOYS! I mean who needs a TV tuner in a car?!
After having it a few days some problems came to light. Some of these were the car being incorrectly advertised (it didn't have Bluetooth and just had the Harmon Kardon trim rather than having the upgraded stereo) but my largest issue was with the roof hydraulics leaking. A big argument ensued between me and the dealer, involving angry phonecalls and letters via recorded delivery. Annoyingly you can't just take a car back and get a refund by UK law, you have to give the supplier the chance to fix the problem first. Eventually he had my car for a few days and the roof was fixed. I'd knocked him down by quite a lot from the initial price so I wasn't really that fussed about the Bluetooth and HK stereo, but I used them as leverage during the process. So by November I had a car that worked well that I quite liked.
After driving it around for a few months I'd got to know the car quite well and was getting to grips with its faults. It drove terribly (mostly due to 4 mismatched budget tyres) and used oil. If you ask most 330 owners they will tell you the engines use oil, and BMW subscribe to the "anything less than 1L every 1000 miles isn't a problem" school of thought, the same as Toyota. However asking a few more people in the know highlighted a couple of things that can cause heavy oil consumption, so I concentrated on the chief one of these, the CCV valve.
The CCV is a clever version of a catch can or PCV system. Breather hoses connect to it and it connects to the intake manifold to pull oil vapour out of the crank case, separate the oil via a vortex system (the bit that fails) and then put the oil back in the sump and the air back into the intake. There's a rubber diaphragm in the valve which after 10+ years has gone brittle and split, and so have all the breather hoses! As it's under the intake manifold and a LOT had to be removed, I gave it to a garage to do along with the oil service to keep the stamps in the book. CCV and associated hoses replaced, oil consumption fixed!
That brings us to March last year - those of you who know me know that I love a road trip round Europe and a mate of mine organised one for his birthday. We checked out France, Luxembourg, Germany, Holland and Belgium over 4 days. I updated the satnav to the latest discs (which also updated the stereo's software/firmware) and customised a few things like the startup logo and speed camera alerts.
New plates required for the trip:
The luggage space isn't bad for a soft top:
Those are decent sized cases under the black plastic panel. The panel can be folded up out of the way to give you full boot space, but then you can't retract the roof. The roof sits in that space when it's down.
I had some interesting company, more Germans!
The SL55 AMG had a smaller supercharger and a remap, left me standing with my puny 240bhp! The 6 series did too, it's a 645 grand tourer, when the guy filled it up it had a range of over 1000 miles yet was still faster than my car...
It looks pretty good rolling, love those rear lights!
Ultimately it looks best with the roof off though (bear optional)
First order of the day was to get some cupholders. They were an option when the car was new but it appears absolutely no one ever fitted it. The facebook groups and forums are all full of people going 'does someone make cupholders for this car because it's ridiculous' etc not realising they are available from BMW for a few quid!
Anyway, the euro trip was great fun. We ran a points system, a point for every mph over 100 on the autobahn (I got to 146 at which point I think the roof stopped being aerodynamic), you got your overall MPG for each day as points (mine was generally around 32 due to hooning) but lost points every time you had to fill up with fuel, which totally counted the AMG out of the game. He was filling up twice as often as me, and mine was the next thirstiest car! When you own a German car, you immediately become obsessed with MPG:
![[Image: IMG_20150414_171111.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150414_171111.jpg)
![[Image: ian-mpg.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/ian-mpg.jpg)
It highlighted a few things though. One was that I could do with the optional wind deflector that effectively makes the car into a 2 seater, but means you can have a conversation at normal volume with the roof off, even on the motorway:
£350 from BMW, £180 from breakers, or £100 from a cheeky eBay bid, as new still in the case (it folds up and fits into the boot floor when not in use):
![[Image: winddeflector.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/winddeflector.jpg)
It's amazing how much difference a simple bit of net fabric can make. Anyway, after that I pretty much just used the car for 6-8 months, no dramas. I did some preventative maintenance, VANOS seals and DISA valve fixed to resolve design flaws. Changed the thermostat. Went to pick up Dan's new car:
![[Image: IMG_20151110_190737.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20151110_190737.jpg)
Over time it became clear that it would need a few bits and pieces doing though. The suspension is all 12 years old, I got an advisory about one of the rear shocks starting to fail, the discs are pretty old and have a fair old lip on them and the car doesn't sit level. This is due to the convertible and the coupe using the same suspension but the convertible having an extra 200kg of roof mechanism and chassis strengthening. I still had these 4 mismatched Chinese tyres and the wheels could do with refurbing (properly refurbing, not just spraying).
I started looking out for bargains as I'm in no rush. A mate of mine had a set of Eibach pro springs going cheap which should sort out my ride height - they lower the front more than the rear to sort out the rake. I picked up a spare set of wheels for £100 - 17" from an older 330 rather than the 18" my car has. This allowed me to fit winter tyres which don't really come in low profiles. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere in the BMW, but as it transpired we have had the mildest winter ever! Either way, it allowed me to take my 18" wheels off for a refurb.
Picking up the 17"s
![[Image: IMG_20150906_155840.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20150906_155840.jpg)
Fitted with some Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen1 winter tyres
![[Image: IMG-20151112-WA0004.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG-20151112-WA0004.jpg)
Bought some Bilstein B8 shocks. Brand new, designed for working with lowering springs. Should do a good job of replacing the M-Sport suspension. Here they are assembled with the Eibach springs, new top mounts etc (in fact everything apart from the spring is brand new):
![[Image: IMG_20151231_154324.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20151231_154324.jpg)
It turns out BMW make 'performance' disks for the 330 (330 has larger brakes than other models) which are crossdrilled properly with countersunk edges, and are floating discs with a separate hat. So I have some of those to go on, and some braided hoses. I am waiting on brake pads and some consumables from BMW and then I'm ready to swap the whole lot over in one go.
That plus this:
![[Image: IMG_20160107_210028.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20160107_210028.jpg)
That's a rear diff from an auto 330. The manual 330 and manual 325 both have the same 0-60 times, despite the 330 having 500cc more engine. This is due to the 325 being geared for acceleration and the 330 being geared more for high speed autobahn cruising. High speed cruising is not a lot of use in the UK. My 330 is facelift, so has a 6 speed box with a really long 6th gear for winning at MPG, so I can change the final drive/diff for a higher ratio one without hurting my cruising speed too much. The caveat is that as well as having larger brakes, the 330 also has a larger diff due to the torque from the larger engine. You can only therefore use a diff intended for a 330. Fortunately the 330 auto has a higher ratio diff and it will more or less just swap straight on. So that's what that is!
SL55 AMG has a smaller supercharger *PULLEY*. Always proof read!
First order of the day was to get some cupholders. They were an option when the car was new but it appears absolutely no one ever fitted it. The facebook groups and forums are all full of people going 'does someone make cupholders for this car because it's ridiculous' etc not realising they are available from BMW for a few quid!
Anyway, the euro trip was great fun. We ran a points system, a point for every mph over 100 on the autobahn (I got to 146 at which point I think the roof stopped being aerodynamic), you got your overall MPG for each day as points (mine was generally around 32 due to hooning) but lost points every time you had to fill up with fuel, which totally counted the AMG out of the game. He was filling up twice as often as me, and mine was the next thirstiest car! When you own a German car, you immediately become obsessed with MPG:
It highlighted a few things though. One was that I could do with the optional wind deflector that effectively makes the car into a 2 seater, but means you can have a conversation at normal volume with the roof off, even on the motorway:
£350 from BMW, £180 from breakers, or £100 from a cheeky eBay bid, as new still in the case (it folds up and fits into the boot floor when not in use):
It's amazing how much difference a simple bit of net fabric can make. Anyway, after that I pretty much just used the car for 6-8 months, no dramas. I did some preventative maintenance, VANOS seals and DISA valve fixed to resolve design flaws. Changed the thermostat. Went to pick up Dan's new car:
Over time it became clear that it would need a few bits and pieces doing though. The suspension is all 12 years old, I got an advisory about one of the rear shocks starting to fail, the discs are pretty old and have a fair old lip on them and the car doesn't sit level. This is due to the convertible and the coupe using the same suspension but the convertible having an extra 200kg of roof mechanism and chassis strengthening. I still had these 4 mismatched Chinese tyres and the wheels could do with refurbing (properly refurbing, not just spraying).
I started looking out for bargains as I'm in no rush. A mate of mine had a set of Eibach pro springs going cheap which should sort out my ride height - they lower the front more than the rear to sort out the rake. I picked up a spare set of wheels for £100 - 17" from an older 330 rather than the 18" my car has. This allowed me to fit winter tyres which don't really come in low profiles. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere in the BMW, but as it transpired we have had the mildest winter ever! Either way, it allowed me to take my 18" wheels off for a refurb.
Picking up the 17"s
Fitted with some Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen1 winter tyres
Bought some Bilstein B8 shocks. Brand new, designed for working with lowering springs. Should do a good job of replacing the M-Sport suspension. Here they are assembled with the Eibach springs, new top mounts etc (in fact everything apart from the spring is brand new):
It turns out BMW make 'performance' disks for the 330 (330 has larger brakes than other models) which are crossdrilled properly with countersunk edges, and are floating discs with a separate hat. So I have some of those to go on, and some braided hoses. I am waiting on brake pads and some consumables from BMW and then I'm ready to swap the whole lot over in one go.
That plus this:
That's a rear diff from an auto 330. The manual 330 and manual 325 both have the same 0-60 times, despite the 330 having 500cc more engine. This is due to the 325 being geared for acceleration and the 330 being geared more for high speed autobahn cruising. High speed cruising is not a lot of use in the UK. My 330 is facelift, so has a 6 speed box with a really long 6th gear for winning at MPG, so I can change the final drive/diff for a higher ratio one without hurting my cruising speed too much. The caveat is that as well as having larger brakes, the 330 also has a larger diff due to the torque from the larger engine. You can only therefore use a diff intended for a 330. Fortunately the 330 auto has a higher ratio diff and it will more or less just swap straight on. So that's what that is!
![[Image: IMG_20160111_154721.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20160111_154721.jpg)
It also has this weird slot behind the screen, any ideas?!
![[Image: IMG_20160113_165636.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20160113_165636.jpg)
I got an aux in kit for it (there is a hidden wiring connector behind the stereo that you can plug a loom into for an extra input) and wired a Chromecast Audio into the stereo. While I was in there I thought I'd change the stereo for one with a working screen and a much more useful (but still dated) slot:
![[Image: IMG_20160113_170620.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20160113_170620.jpg)
You might have noticed in the photos of the head unit's screen that there's a dead section/crack near the top of the screen. That was there when I bought the car and the price was knocked down accordingly, but it's got worse in the year+ that I've had it.
It also has this weird slot behind the screen, any ideas?!
I got an aux in kit for it (there is a hidden wiring connector behind the stereo that you can plug a loom into for an extra input) and wired a Chromecast Audio into the stereo. While I was in there I thought I'd change the stereo for one with a working screen and a much more useful (but still dated) slot:
I have this to fit too, it's an accessory loom for the TV tuner module which presents the connections for AV in/out (only composite, the car is from 2003!) and a dedicated reversing camera input. Again, all that functionality is built in. More on that in a few weeks.
![[Image: IMG_20160106_133843.jpg]](http://theshado.ws/images/ojc/BMWThread/IMG_20160106_133843.jpg)
I'm gonna remove the carpet from the boot at some point this weekend and get some photos, Rabster will love it. There's a TV tuner, sat nav drive/brain, amplifier, CD changer, lorry-sized battery and all the plumbing for the hydraulics. All that stuff is stock BMW - there's a space for the Bluetooth module too but I don't have that.
I have this to fit too, it's an accessory loom for the TV tuner module which presents the connections for AV in/out (only composite, the car is from 2003!) and a dedicated reversing camera input. Again, all that functionality is built in. More on that in a few weeks.
Also nice motor Dans got now!
![[Image: LexuS-Copy.jpg]](http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h204/Sparkystav/LexuS-Copy.jpg)
Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.
Sparkystav
03-12-2022, 02:31 PM #5Nice mate. Good write up. They do come with some good toys don't they!
Also nice motor Dans got now!
Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.
Plus they go wrong and the LCD fluid leaks out all over the dashboard and melts it! Got a fix fit that though
It needs to do it on the wing mirrors as well though otherwise you just get blinded by them instead! The late M3 this shape has that feature but the mirrors are different shapes.
Plus they go wrong and the LCD fluid leaks out all over the dashboard and melts it! Got a fix fit that though
A relatively normal looking boot...
![[Image: IMG_20160214_140031.jpg]](http://theshado.WS/images/ojc/bmwthread/IMG_20160214_140031.jpg)
Hides a lot of stuff!
![[Image: IMG_20160214_134207.jpg]](http://theshado.WS/images/ojc/bmwthread/IMG_20160214_134207.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_20160214_134211.jpg]](http://theshado.WS/images/ojc/bmwthread/IMG_20160214_134211.jpg)
This is great too, toolkit in the boot lid!
![[Image: IMG_20160214_140026.jpg]](http://theshado.WS/images/ojc/bmwthread/IMG_20160214_140026.jpg)
I got fed up with the aux in wiring loom siding around on the back seat so even though I don't have anything to plug in to it I thought I'd fit it this afternoon. Took the photos of the gear in the boot while I was at it.
A relatively normal looking boot...
Hides a lot of stuff!
This is great too, toolkit in the boot lid!
Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.
Sparkystav
03-01-2023, 07:46 AM #10Lot of stuff jammed in there isn't there
Read my thread here: The Evolution of my Turbo Lexus from NA-Supercharged-Twin Turbo-Massive Single
Please leave your comments.
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