What irritates you the most about e30s?

[roguetoaster]

Well, we could just list the mods on our cars if we want to talk about what changes we would make, but that's not to say those items changed annoyed us, just that we wanted something different. For me, I first set the car up as stock with zero mods, and as the years wore on I'd say I went to stock plus (is lip, H4s, chip, COP, MT1 wheel, stereo/speakers, houndstooth interior, H&R/Bilsteins, cat back, 4.45 LSD, Euroweaves). Both forms of the car were fine in their elements, and the only items I wouldn't go back to would be the stock radio, an open differential, and sealed beams (although I still have sealed high beams).

Clearly the E30 was pretty much spot on for me as a car as those mods, or things that were close to them, were pretty much things you could get from the parts catalog.

[Conrad311]

I am way passed the annoyance stage. It is a 30+ years old car...what do you expect?

I guess the point of the thread was that for a 30+ yr old car there is not much to complain about for me. The idea was not made clear by the title, but the idea of the thread is not so much what irritates you about being in E30 owner but about the actual driving experience itself.

Like if your car was brand new out of the show room what would you want changed about it?

[Italian_Tuneup]

Posting from 5+ years ago? Living in that mythical place I'm seeking where they're still showing up in junkyards for picking?

Who is scrapping an E30 for minor problems now? I haven't seen one worth saving in a junkyard in years, all smashed up or completely rusted out. These cars, being unibody cars with more advanced construction techniques, aren't going to be as easy to save with severe rust or body damage as the crazy muscle and prewar classic car restorations we've been seeing in the past couple of decades. They aren't yet rare or valuable enough to motivate people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fabrication and body work in any large number.

I see people parting out straight shells all the time, watch the PNW E30 group on facebook, there's been at least 3 super straight shells parted out in the last 2 month.

[dnguyen1963]

I am way passed the annoyance stage. It is a 30+ years old car...what do you expect?

[varg]

BMW has been able to 3D print metal race car parts. Check this site, see this quote. There are hurdles & challenges to overcome before we can 3D print an E30 quarter panel, but I'm with ZeKhar - it will be possible at some point by mid-century.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/3d-print.html

It’s often assumed that components in additive manufacturing are only made of plastics. Wrong. For example, in DTM vehicles the water pump wheels used are made of an aluminium alloy. This part – made using 3D printing technologies for metal – is very important for demanding race conditions.

You're misunderstanding what I'm saying. The only similarity in manufacturing processes between a SLS 3D printed door handle, water pump impeller, turbine housing, etc. and a body panel is that both are made from metal. You can't print stamped steel parts like body panels, the characteristics necessary for the job are not present in any additive process present or future. There's a seriously huge difference in the internal structure of something sintered and something stamped from rolled, treated steel.

[packratbimmer]

It irritates me when people invest in E30 cars instead of driving them.

[D.Martijn]

There is a major difference in printing some small titanium race parts, and metal printing a unibody chassis. The BMW link is cool though. A bunch of those video clips are showing spark erosion, another neat manufacturing process.

I don't want to sound like a dick, but there is no spark erosion shown is those vid, just some laser etching..?
(work at a machine shop where we have a wire and ram edm machine)

[Digitalwave]

There is a major difference in printing some small titanium race parts, and metal printing a unibody chassis. The BMW link is cool though. A bunch of those video clips are showing spark erosion, another neat manufacturing process.

[roguetoaster]

I cannot see a large 3d printer doing a metal car bodyshell even in 50 years as I think it would run in to strength versus weight issues, which is where bonded sheetmetal really shines as it can be made stong in multiple directions with relatively low weight assemblies. Perhaps we could see nonmetallic bodyshells.

[Aleman]

Eventually, just not in your lifetime. Similar to how you can't use a plastic 3D printer to reproduce a 2L bottle just because it's plastic, there's a lot more to the structure of a car than "it's thin metal" and additive manufacturing processes have limits. 3D printing with metal is just sintering with a laser, sintering is not a new process, even doing it with a laser, layer by layer, is not new (the SLS process was invented in the '80s) it's just nearly mature now. Unless you're going to print atom by atom for direct control over the structure of the material it is not possible to replicate the qualities of worked sheet steel with a deposition process like laser sintering. To do so would require what is essentially a replicator from star trek. By then you'll be living in a simulation and might be able to code yourself an E30 shell matrix style. Large scale atomic deposition printing for replicator like capabilities? Basically the holy grail of manufacturing. I'll print you a gold cylinder head when I see that happening... you might have to print yourself an exosuit to carry it though.

BMW has been able to 3D print metal race car parts. Check this site, see this quote. There are hurdles & challenges to overcome before we can 3D print an E30 quarter panel, but I'm with ZeKhar - it will be possible at some point by mid-century.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/3d-print.html

It’s often assumed that components in additive manufacturing are only made of plastics. Wrong. For example, in DTM vehicles the water pump wheels used are made of an aluminium alloy. This part – made using 3D printing technologies for metal – is very important for demanding race conditions.

[varg]

Technology will eventually fix that issue. Once large 3D printers capable of printing car shells become affordable enough, which will happen in the future, then you will be able to 3D print your own E30 shell (or any other classic car shell for that matter) for pennies on the dollar. You can even print out all the parts needed to build an entire car. We're still at least 2-3 decades before that reality however. In the meantime, the existing pool of clean E30 shells should be enough to last for another 2-3 decades.

Eventually, just not in your lifetime. Similar to how you can't use a plastic 3D printer to reproduce a 2L bottle just because it's plastic, there's a lot more to the structure of a car than "it's thin metal" and additive manufacturing processes have limits. 3D printing with metal is just sintering with a laser, sintering is not a new process, even doing it with a laser, layer by layer, is not new (the SLS process was invented in the '80s) it's just nearly mature now. Unless you're going to print atom by atom for direct control over the structure of the material it is not possible to replicate the qualities of worked sheet steel with a deposition process like laser sintering. To do so would require what is essentially a replicator from star trek. By then you'll be living in a simulation and might be able to code yourself an E30 shell matrix style. Large scale atomic deposition printing for replicator like capabilities? Basically the holy grail of manufacturing. I'll print you a gold cylinder head when I see that happening... you might have to print yourself an exosuit to carry it though.

[packratbimmer]

I saw this happen with BMW 2002 cars when the newest of them were only 20 years old. I used to pick them up for 200-300 dollars in the late 80s-late 90s. Brace yourselves as it will not get better. The good news is that the E30 holds up to rust far better than the 2002 did and are relatively plentiful after 28+ years. In my experience an E30 still lasts for 5 years after the rust has set in and started. This is not the case with many other cars. I remember when a Subaru (and other makes) would start to rust and by a year later, the thing would have terminal rot. Could be a LOT worst depending on what you like to work with. Anyone up to building a body jig...

[ZeKahr]

Posting from 5+ years ago? Living in that mythical place I'm seeking where they're still showing up in junkyards for picking?

Who is scrapping an E30 for minor problems now? I haven't seen one worth saving in a junkyard in years, all smashed up or completely rusted out. These cars, being unibody cars with more advanced construction techniques, aren't going to be as easy to save with severe rust or body damage as the crazy muscle and prewar classic car restorations we've been seeing in the past couple of decades. They aren't yet rare or valuable enough to motivate people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fabrication and body work in any large number.

Technology will eventually fix that issue. Once large 3D printers capable of printing car shells become affordable enough, which will happen in the future, then you will be able to 3D print your own E30 shell (or any other classic car shell for that matter) for pennies on the dollar. You can even print out all the parts needed to build an entire car. We're still at least 2-3 decades before that reality however. In the meantime, the existing pool of clean E30 shells should be enough to last for another 2-3 decades.

[varg]

Here is what annoys me about E30s .... how readily owners will scrap a perfectly decent car because of minor problems...

Posting from 5+ years ago? Living in that mythical place I'm seeking where they're still showing up in junkyards for picking?

Who is scrapping an E30 for minor problems now? I haven't seen one worth saving in a junkyard in years, all smashed up or completely rusted out. These cars, being unibody cars with more advanced construction techniques, aren't going to be as easy to save with severe rust or body damage as the crazy muscle and prewar classic car restorations we've been seeing in the past couple of decades. They aren't yet rare or valuable enough to motivate people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fabrication and body work in any large number.

[Conrad311]

Here is what annoys me about E30s .... how readily owners will scrap a perfectly decent car because of minor problems...

If you know of anyone doing so, let me know! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk