Artic Silver 2.8 - OEM+ long term project
- Thread starter 5harp3y
- Start date
Ive got the standard harmon kardon sub in mine and with upgraded front speakers it sounds very good (for a convertible), might be worth retrofitting that
I would but I don't want to go through the hassle of replacing the loom, finding space for amp & bracket and gutting the car. I drive it less than 5k km a year and, during that time, I could do with the exhaust note and some background music.
StephenM
Dedicated Member
- Joined
- May 27, 2016
- Points
- 39
- Model of Z
- 3L M Sport
So after fitting the LED bulbs to the rear lights and side repeaters i was presented with hyperflashing as the relay was thrown out of sync with the lower draw from the LEDs.
3 options here;
fit resistors to all the led bulbs to 'trick' the relay or mod the relay itself.
3rd option is to fit an off the shelf LED flasher but that requires running little pigtail wires as noone makes a 7pin relay.
the resistors are easy and cheap but always feel like a bodge. so i decided to mod the relay follwing a guide on bimmerfest.
what you need:
2 x small screwdrivers to open the relay
soldering iron + tiny amount of solder
very small drill bit (dremel etc)
1 x schottkey diode (i got mine from RS 781-5616)
Go find your fuse box and the relay
this is the original 7 pin BMW relay
wedge open the two sides with some very small screwdivers and then the board pops out
here are the guts
the bit that controls the flashing frequency is the 'M'shaped piece of metal (acts as a resistor)
unsolder the 'M'
next the holes need to be enlarged to get the diode through
pass the diode through and solder the pins
snip the tails off
completed. (note the positon of the band on the diode)
clip the relay back into the holder and pop it back in the car
start your car and test
et voila, no more hyperflashing and the ability to run LEDs all over the car
I followed your instructions to upgrade the relay and it works beautifully, so thank you very much for the information. I also think the fact that you can run either traditional bulbs or Led bulbs or both at the same time from the modified relay is very good. Very pleased with this upgrade
Great to hear that you had success with this. i'm actually making a few up to sell for other people who might not be confident enough to solder their own.
So this happened and is finally done!
its sounds mad! can't wait to get some proper videos done and then start putting a kit together for other 2.8 owners
its sounds mad! can't wait to get some proper videos done and then start putting a kit together for other 2.8 owners
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Points
- 231
- Model of Z
- Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
I might take the instructions down then so people can buy the ones ive made@5harp3y This is a brilliant thread, so much detailed infoJust ordered some diodes to do my flasher unit (as your instructions ) as my indicators are the only ones not LED.
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2016
- Points
- 231
- Model of Z
- Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
If I'd know you have made some I would have got one from you, have you got any and how much?
ive got 4 left £22 posted anywhere in the UK
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2016
- Points
- 94
Very nice Z, I like a lot of the little subtle changes you've done, especially the illuminated gearknob
Is it an E46 only part?
Also regarding sanding your brake light down, I'd highly recommend lacquering it to prolong the finish. I'm sure you've guessed but you can also do the same on the main rear light units
Is it an E46 only part?
Also regarding sanding your brake light down, I'd highly recommend lacquering it to prolong the finish. I'm sure you've guessed but you can also do the same on the main rear light units
I didn't think about lacquering but will nowVery nice Z, I like a lot of the little subtle changes you've done, especially the illuminated gearknob
Is it an E46 only part?
Also regarding sanding your brake light down, I'd highly recommend lacquering it to prolong the finish. I'm sure you've guessed but you can also do the same on the main rear light units
They also do 5 speed illuminated knobs (e39 / E36) but they are rarer and expensive
Whilst replacing the thermostat on my wife's Mini i got these in the post and fitted.
Black Stainless Steel button heads to replace strut top bolts, its just for looks but it caps the struts off
Black Stainless Steel button heads to replace strut top bolts, its just for looks but it caps the struts off
This Sunday i got a few more bits done to the Zed, its been too cold and wet to do any mechanical work and my garage really isn't big enough to do anything meaningful on jack stands.
First job was to change the brace on the induction kit, this solution is cheaper, easier and lighter but is still stainless steel.
After that i wanted to crack on with a job that I've wanted to do for a while. My car is a 1998 Pre-Facelift so comes with small rear speaker as standard, the later facelifted cars come with larger rear speakers.
I wanted to do this to avoid fitting larger aftermarket speakers in the panels themselves.
So i picked up some rear facelift trims with speakers from Andy and set about fitting them.
Here are the original trims, note the tiny speaker
The task is quite involved but not hard, lots of screws and bits of trim need to be removed as you need to remove the entire roll hoops and trims, along with the sub box / cubby hole.
Here it is all removed.
Next i cleaned up all the old and new parts and affixed Silent Coat absorber and Silent Coat mat where appropriate as the factory sound deadening measures aren't up to much.
Whilst the hoops were out i took the opportunity to clean and sound deaden the parcel shelf as its really hard when the hoops are in. This area was also coated
one that was done and i fixed a twisted seat belt it was time to reassemble
all back together and treated with some Poorboys natural look dressing
Sound quality is massively improved and it is 100% OEM which i love.
Next weekend i'll also be sound deadening to boot floor as ran put of time this weekend.
First job was to change the brace on the induction kit, this solution is cheaper, easier and lighter but is still stainless steel.
After that i wanted to crack on with a job that I've wanted to do for a while. My car is a 1998 Pre-Facelift so comes with small rear speaker as standard, the later facelifted cars come with larger rear speakers.
I wanted to do this to avoid fitting larger aftermarket speakers in the panels themselves.
So i picked up some rear facelift trims with speakers from Andy and set about fitting them.
Here are the original trims, note the tiny speaker
The task is quite involved but not hard, lots of screws and bits of trim need to be removed as you need to remove the entire roll hoops and trims, along with the sub box / cubby hole.
Here it is all removed.
Next i cleaned up all the old and new parts and affixed Silent Coat absorber and Silent Coat mat where appropriate as the factory sound deadening measures aren't up to much.
Whilst the hoops were out i took the opportunity to clean and sound deaden the parcel shelf as its really hard when the hoops are in. This area was also coated
one that was done and i fixed a twisted seat belt it was time to reassemble
all back together and treated with some Poorboys natural look dressing
Sound quality is massively improved and it is 100% OEM which i love.
Next weekend i'll also be sound deadening to boot floor as ran put of time this weekend.
Last edited:
Very nice and a well worth it job. The 3" speakers really aren't up to much.
Great write up accompanying important pics!! Well done! JIM
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2011
- Points
- 175
Glad to see they fitted mate, looking good.
If you've got any of that metal strip for an induction kit going spare? I'll be playing with my new toy soon, I've loads of old open filters around, will test a few out over the next couple of months.
Like I said last week, those strut caps look the business
Cheers
Yeah I'll send you one as I got a few, you can buy me a twix next time we meet
Simon Blythe
Zorg Guru (I)
Is the HK sound system much better than the stock setup?