photog02

No matter what route you take, LEDs or freshening up your reflectors, it is still worthwhile to put in a center high mount stop light (CHMSL, or third brake light). That gives you more lighting surface and drivers now expect to see those lights. I went with both the LED tail lamps and a cheapie flat LED bar that I installed with 3M body molding tape on the top edge of the rear windscreen. Very noticable for following vehicles, and doesn't stand out all that much when it isn't illuminated.

Yup! That was my first lesson in always double checking the parts catalog. At least it wasn't too expensive of a lesson.

LOL - just try to find a new dipstick for a 72 or 73tii!.  I could only find ones for a 74tii.

PenskeParts.com has much higher quality copies of the diagrams as compared to RealOEM. Since I discovered that site, RealOEM's gone to the back burner.

If you want to grease the wheels, access sites like REALOEM.com which show you the same parts diagrams and numbers that the dealer looks at.  Write down the parts numbers and call the dealer's parts desk.

I wonder if it will be as good as the replacement tii injector lines? In all seriousness, the future is going to be pretty bright for specialty parts.

I just installed those same shocks in my Jeep ZJ (2002's support vehicle/inclement weather vehicle). They are great shocks that are an amazing improvement over the blown ones that were installed. Plus, that was the easiest repair job I've ever done.

The CCA forum thread has some new posts.

http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.php?threads/the-new-look.9433/page-2

I would suggest that all of us who are members (or even just "subscribers") chime in.

It was my first car, found in a local paper's classifieds section as "Ride In Style, $700." I drove that 1976 California-spec all through high school and into my first year of college.

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She's beautiful, congratulations!

There are excellent products on the market to do the penetrating and lubricating jobs, and WD-40 is not one of them.

Amen. Discovering PB Blaster was a life changing moment for me, just as finding that there are very specific lubricants (graphite, lithium, etc.) for very specific problems.

I joined with my first BMW ('76 2002) back in the mid-1990s, dropped after a few years, and rejoined a few years ago. I find that the club really struggles for relevance to people like me. I have little interest in any new BMWs, I am not going to get involved in Club Racing, and (as so many others have pointed out) internet forums like this and e46fanatics provide all the information I need to support wrenching. Further compounding things, I live in an area with a lack of any real local chapter activity. In effect, I am paying $48/year for a magazine. While I still have another year or two before my current membership term is up, I am having some difficulty justifying another renewal.

I'd like one as well.

Still available. Send me your zip code and I can work up a shipping quote if you'd like.

Part 41141885113, the left side reinforcement, has been sold. Everything else is still available.

02for2- I suggest you re-read what I wrote. I am sure your daddy would agree that everything is subject to the forces of abrasion and metals love to seize against each other. ;-)

So long as they are never damaged by road debris, the SS Braided Hoses will last the life of the car.

And, the Stainless braiding not only insures that more of your 'pedal power' is directed to the caliper pistons (instead of expanding the rubber hoses as oem does), but they also protect the Teflon inner hoses from abrasions such as when driving over debris in the road. The SS couplings are corrosion resistant meaning that you're unlikely to have it sieze to the hard brake line.

Teflon is not impervious to aging. The longer they are installed upon your car, the more time/exposure there is for wear to the inner teflon line (abrasives can find their way between the SS braid and the inner line, causing a weak point in the brake hose that you will never see) and the more opportunity for the couplings to seize on the fittings (ever tried to remove an oil filter that has been on an engine for a few years?).

No matter what type of brake hose you use, they will degrade over time. Please be safe and do not think that you can purchase a lifetime hose. That thought process can lead to some costly and unfortunate outcomes.

I'll be the contrarian here and say go OE rubber. My reasoning on this is two-fold:

First, while SS hoses do offer some degree of greater pedal firmness, most of the change that people report come from replacing completely shot rubber brake hoses. If they had replaced them with rubber hoses, they would have noticed the same difference in pedal firmness.

Second, I am paranoid with regards to safety systems and view brake hoses as a wear item that deserves regular (i.e., twice a year) inspection. SS hoses do not allow me to see if any cracks or wear points are forming in the actual hose- it is all hidden under a stainless braid. Race teams run SS hoses, but then again they also replace them much more frequently.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't go for it. But I will say that there are some things to be aware of when switching to stainless.

E-mail sent re: door cards.

. . . . then it's NOT a tii .

Amen. Why would you want to take away what makes a tii unique?

The ground on your battery needs to go to a good spot on the car. Mine goes to the back seatback in the trunk.

I hit the trunk-side seat back with a wire wheel before attaching my ground to ensure a good, clean, connection. You may want to do the same in the engine bay.

Ditto on the engine ground. Check all your connections (positive and ground) to make sure they are clean metal-metal. That should make a big difference, as these cars are very sensitive to grounding issues.

Congratulations! Never sell!

However, I would highly recommend getting those shock towers replaced asap.

Think of it as the E46 is your wife, and the 2002 is your mistress.

One is reliable, stable, comfortable, and enjoyable.

The other is wild, unpredicatable, lights your fire, and will keep you broke and in crisis mode with her demands.

By that analogy, my wife and mistress have swapped roles. At least I (finally) exorcised the SES-light demons. On the other hand, my 2002 seems to start and run no matter what. Thankfully, it lacks a SES light.

Like TobyB, I have both an E46 and a 2002. They are night and day and I could not imagine cross shopping the two. However, since you are interested in doing that...

The 2002 is an elemental car. It has none of the complexities, electronannies, or entertainment systems to get between you and the road. It is a car that brings you fully into the task of driving.

The E46 is a fairly refined luxury sport sedan. In the right configuration (think: manual transmission 330i, especially the ZSP or, even better, ZHP models) it is a wonderful daily driver that will make you smile on a regular basis. It has limits that you cannot safely explore on public roads. But it is also quiet, has power steering, and you can dial your cell phone by speaking to the car. All of these seem to take away from the driving task, in my opinion.

So the 2002 has approximately none of the safety systems you will find on the E46. The E46 will eclipse the 2002's performance in almost any objective measure. But, given the choice, I will choose the 2002 for a drive over the 330i any day of the week. The E46 is a great trip car (there is something to be said for modern ventilation), but it just can't connect me to the drive like the 2002 can.

Try GetBMWParts.com: I just got two in the mail from them today. Every other place I looked had it listed as NLA (or, to use Blunt's much more accurate term, No Longer Profitable for BMW).

The PN is 51161808536.