I’m Back! My 1991 318is

[E30Kills]

Hey guys, after 5 long years I’m finally back with a new ride! I’ve had 2 other E30s which can be found on my profile. Since this time I’ve been through an AW11 MR2, some Jeeps, and a Mazda truck but I was definitely needing to scratch that E30 itch again.

Just picked the car up yesterday. The previous owners bought it as a project and then ran out of money due to Covid and had to sell it to me after less than a year of owning it. The owner before them appears to have done a ton of work to the car including a swap to an electric fan, a power steering delete, as well as having it lowered on coil overs. I was told these coil overs are “Megan Racing” but will have no idea until I get it up on a lift and can take a better look. It also has a Bosch catback exhaust. The quality of the mods and work done to the car previously remains to be seen...

This is the car right after I bought it from a group of college students:



Here is a picture of my last E30 (on the right). More pictures can be found here: https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...-my-87-mtech-1

[E30Kills]

Here is a long overdue update.

The coilovers were not my style. They were dangerously low, cheap, and welded in incorrectly. I had a BMW shop weld in new strut towers and then swapped in Bilsteins and H&R springs (the best setup, change my mind). Also replaced the tires, and a bunch of interior bits and pieces. Snapped off my sunroof crank somewhere in the process :(.

Here is how the car sits now:

[E30Kills]

The car sat in storage for about a year while I was moving around for work. Debated on selling it but knew if I did I would just buy another in a few years.

It has a nasty steering groan that it developed while sitting. I replaced the reservoir and flushed it out which seemed to help the problem but didn't eliminate it. Might try replacing the pump and lines next.



Last weekend, I sent the car to Igor at CATuned to get it repainted. Been buying parts from them since I got my first E30 in 2014 but had no idea they started doing autobody.

They seem to get mixed reviews here, but I've never had a problem ordering from them and was more than happy to give them my business.

Here are some shots that Igor sent me of the process so far:

Before


After



Honestly, I've been REALLY impressed with Igor's responsiveness considering all the other aspects of his business he's handling. He has been extremely thorough and kept me in the loop with lots of pictures during the time my car has been there.

Also, he quickly found and pointed out several parts of the car that were compromised from the previous owner. Of course, the two other BMW specialists I took the car to never noticed these but the team at CATuned found them instantly. To be fair, I never noticed this either, but in my defense I'm a driveway mechanic .

Here is a video of damage on the left hand door:

[E30Kills]

I have a re-wrapped Mtech 1 wheel that I've been holding on to for years, but turns out it is an E24 wheel with different splines... Crazy that those wheels sell for $400-500 on Ebay now, I used to sell them for $150 from the Pick-N-Pull.

Anyways, decided to go with a Renown wheel. Unfortunately, the hub doesn't seem to fit. I confirmed with Renown that I have the right one (which I do) but no matter how much I fiddled with it, it wouldn't go on the steering column and was beginning to shear off the splines.

I thought all E30s came with fine spline columns, can anyone confirm? Is it possible someone swapped mine to a different spline?


Besides that, it'll be a nice wheel once I get it mounted.

[E30Kills]

Lastly (for now), the interior is ruined so I'm looking at options to get it re-done.

Looking at kits like these: https://www.kasselperformance.com/pr...tery-seat-kit/ .

Anyone used Kassel's kit? What's the consensus on an Mtech interior in a non-M car?

[E30Kills]

E30 is closer to being done! here are some more pics:

[iXguido]

I thought all E30s came with fine spline columns, can anyone confirm? Is it possible someone swapped mine to a different spline?

As far as I'm aware they are all the same. You should have CAtuned look at it while they have it.

Anyone used Kassel's kit? What's the consensus on an Mtech interior in a non-M car?

Haven't personally dealt with them but it looks like a quality kit. Might have better luck asking on r3v facebook page for reviews.

As far as consensus: It's your car, do as you like! Also the m-tech interior was available in non-m car's from the factory so it is not at all out of place in a non-m. I think it would be a great addition to the car.

The paint looks fantastic! Welcome back to e30's and glad you're having a positive experience with CAtuned

[E30Kills]

So, here’s the deal: I had to get my car repainted again because the paint started peeling and flaking off just three months after the last job. Luckily, CaTuned stepped up and did the work for free, and so far, it looks good.

But I’m pretty bummed because there are a bunch of new issues that weren’t there before, like:

• The central locking is broken
• Half of my tachometer is dead
• The sound system isn't working
• The power mirrors are unplugged and may also not work
• Oh, and the sunroof was left open when they shipped the car back

I really don’t get how so much went wrong while it was away. It’s a letdown to have it back like this, and now I’ve got to track down all these electrical gremlins. I know these cars are old, and things can break when you unplug stuff, but it honestly feels like my car got tossed aside while they had it. It’s frustrating to think that the bigger social media accounts probably get better treatment from these popular shops — I'm definitely not one of those.

Anyways, I have more plans for the car. E90 drophats just arrived, I have to replace all the bushings, and new tires getting put on later this week. Lastly, the interior is trashed so I'm hunting around for someone to reupholster it. There is a guy in San Jose that seems like he does good work. Pictures to come....

[E30Kills]

Here are some more pics:

[Northern]

well even if a bunch of shit went wrong, it certainly looks good!

[z28]

It looks great, i need to repaint mine.

[E30Kills]

So I noticed red fluid developing under the car over the last few weeks, and decided to crawl underneath it.

Much to my surprise, I found that my "brand new" power steering unit installed by CaTuned is leaking like a faucet. They also reused the crush washers on the rack, which I discovered when fixing one of the hoses because it was binding and almost kinked.

Rage is a nice way to describe how I feel. I cannot believe this is the kind of work that a specialty shop like them does. I could literally do better, and I'm half an idiot.

Igor and his buddies at CaTuned are a bunch of scam artists who clearly care more about social media clout than actually doing something correctly. This is what I get for paying someone else to do the job.



So now I am out $3k, and am going to have to find a new rack for my car so that I can either pay someone else, or redo it myself.

Fucking unbelievable. I got the car back with a ton more problems, and they couldn't even do what I paid them for right.

[Dj Buttchug]

^ Have you reached out to CA Tuned? Can the rack be replaced under parts warranty?

[McGyver]

Dang, sorry to hear about your experience. I haven't had any dealings with CAtuned, but I'm not surprised you're having issues. I always thought they were more of a part's shop, so getting into some mechanical repair could make sense, but autobody is just a whole other business.

[2mAn]

CA Tuned seems to be hit or miss, with many more seeming to fall on the latter... sorry about the troubles.

Not sure if those electrical issues are still being annoying, but it seems like a ground issue or something else simple that was disconnected and needs to be reconnected.

I think I recall the car when it was for sale, looks like its in the right hands and its already come a long way. Hang in there, looks like you'll be over the hill soon