[Das Mikro Boöt]

My otherwise delightful new used 2000 328Ci that I picked up from ebay in Pennsylvania is a bit of a ricemobile!

I was a little surprised to find the interior lights have all been changed to blue (and I'm ashamed to admit that I like them - tomorrow's my 38th birthday, and I'm not even Vietnamese) the prior owner must have installed some kind of a hard-wired cell or the XM satellite radio, as I have a goofy little 2" flexi-antenna popping out of the top of my roof, and he did indeed put the clear corner lights on the front-end.

That's not the worst of it, though - you should see the INTAKE! OH MY GOD, :eeps: it looks like it was put together from Honda parts, with one of those chintzy rice-fed Akimoto filters planted on the end of it, (red, of course, on a blue car) with silicon hose coupling (yellow, of course, on a blue car with a red filter) holding the childish mess all together. impin: There's even some kind of provision for EGR, and the blockoff was done with a wooden plug, fer cryin' out loud! The whole mess is "suspended" with that flexible strap stuff with the screwholes in it, and of course, it's rusty.

It's a first class rice-rig, and the whole thing's going into the sh*tter when I can sneak a few hunski for a GruppeM.

 

[drewcon]

hehehe uke:

 

[MIKEinTHE323i]

hahahahaha :lmao: :lmao: the intake is sexy...kinda

 

[mtnbound]

well hell, how did it drive?

 

[BGReddy00]

nice how does it sound and perform

 

[TZ Blue D3]

The ricer had good taste in exterior color I see:thumbup:
Welcome

 

[GhostRider]

Did you mention anything to them about concerns of the home made CAI voiding the warranty in an effort to get them to drop price or pay for the OE airbox?

 

[Das Mikro Boöt]

It sounded great, it pulled like a fighter plane, and the quality of the idle, and the start, and everything else, seemed perfect. Maybe it just looks like a ball of hippo feces!

BTW, don't speed in Ohio, western PA, or Kansas, as apparently every citizen, including newborns, people in intensive care, the dead, and apparently everyone who ever drove through or flew over the state, are State Troopers. Never saw so g-damn many cops in my life; it was like one long 1700 mile donut shop. I literally saw one state trooper in these three states every eight minutes, from one end to the next. How can they afford to have that many cops? OTOH, Missouri has lost 48 troopers to retirement and attrition, and an additional 17 to being called up for the war - I could have gone through that state at 10,000 mph, with naked 16 year old girls hanging out the windows, and nobody would have known.

Ran out of gas just outside of Goodland, Kansas. As it turns out, with typical German efficiency, when the gas gauge indicates you are out of gas, there's not 2 gallons buzzing around somewhere, like in Japo cars. You're DONE.

Fuel efficiency ROCKED. Got a high of 30.9 mpg at about 74 mph. Trip legs became so long that the car was outlasting my ability to sit for 5 hours at a pop; I thought US Navy Flight School was tough! (of course, back then, I was sitting on a parachute in a steel chair, not a padded leather power seat with lumbar support)

This is one hell of a car, though. I can't tell all of you how delighted I am, and how happy that I've made such a great decision!

 

[///M3Matt]

that goofy little 2" flexi-antenna popping out of the top of your roof i think is standard issue for the oem cell phone

 

[jAb]

the antenna came stock on the 328ci

 

[Das Mikro Boöt]

OK, so it's OEM - that's good; I was afraid that the same "artist" that created my underhood abortion was the mechanic on that.

Guess I can buy and install that cellphone deal, right?

I notice that I have that giant red Nazi flashing anticollision light on the underside of my mirror (getting images of war films here - "*******! ALAAAAARRM!!! Torpedos Loose!) Guess it's the oversized annuciator for the alarm system, that I apparrently do not have - can't get it to flash or work with the fob. Can I put the BMW unit in, or is it simply better to have an aftermarket unit put in?

 

[GhostRider]

Aftermarket will give you more options and features and even with the aftermarket alarm I think you can get the dealership to turn on the feature so it blinks whenever the car is locked. I remember some one here doing that a while back.

The OE alarm is $249 at Cutter Motors(a forum sponsor) and is an easy DIY install. Once installed you have to get a dealership to make the changes to the ECU so the alarm is activated. Some dealerships do it for free, others might charge you up to $50 for activation.

Here's the link to the cutter motor specials page:
http://www.cuttermotors.com/parts/specials.php

 

[Das Mikro Boöt]

Did you mention anything to them about concerns of the home made CAI voiding the warranty in an effort to get them to drop price or pay for the OE airbox?

Ghost, I was so completely overcome with joy upon seeing this beautiful car that I couldn't rightfully bust their balls over it, especially as I will be buying a GruppeM for the suck when I can squeeze out the dough.

 

[Banker]

Is this what you're looking for?

BTW - Congrats on the purchase....you do know that you're life will never be the same now...modding is an addiction:banghead:

 

[mtnbound]

I notice that I have that giant red Nazi flashing anticollision light on the underside of my mirror (getting images of war films here - "*******! ALAAAAARRM!!! Torpedos Loose!) Guess it's the oversized annuciator for the alarm system, that I apparrently do not have - can't get it to flash or work with the fob. Can I put the BMW unit in, or is it simply better to have an aftermarket unit put in?

Check the FAQ for some options on the clown nose - with or without the alarm, you can have a dealer reprogram the OBC so that the nose will blink as confirmation that your doors are locked.

 

[BAVARIAN323i]

You didnt check that out before you got it? I guess thats eay for you...

 

[Delirium]

Speaking of "RICE", surely you are aware that Gruppe M is a Japanese product, from a Japanese Company.

If you are so Anti "RICE" you better skip the Gruppe M, and go with a ****** tonk pantyhose over the TB type air filter.

 

[drmirage]

dude... post some pics

 

[bimmerchop]

dude... post some pics

agreed

 

[KevinJ_2k1_325ci]

I did alot of air intake experimentation. You will lose power in summer heat.

A new airbox will cost you (depending on dealer markup over MSRP) about $200. At this point you might as well get a SPP (ECIS) style intake with heat shield or a black Injen intake with heat shield. Without a heat shield you will be sucking hot engine air at idle and even at speed out will get radiator fan blown heat. Either way it looks fuggggggggllllllly. At least you know what a intake sounds and feels like but you probably getting only 2/3 of the power of a good intake with heat shield.

Right now with the cool temps, you will get awesome performance but wait till 50+ degrees and it will drop like a rock. At 80-90 degrees you will have less HP and Torque than with the stock box.

As far as fuel, BMW for some reason has a fuel reserve tank as a option. I believe this is if you take the towing package (Europeans tow alot, mostly campers) which is a european option.

It sounded great, it pulled like a fighter plane, and the quality of the idle, and the start, and everything else, seemed perfect. Maybe it just looks like a ball of hippo feces!

BTW, don't speed in Ohio, western PA, or Kansas, as apparently every citizen, including newborns, people in intensive care, the dead, and apparently everyone who ever drove through or flew over the state, are State Troopers. Never saw so g-damn many cops in my life; it was like one long 1700 mile donut shop. I literally saw one state trooper in these three states every eight minutes, from one end to the next. How can they afford to have that many cops? OTOH, Missouri has lost 48 troopers to retirement and attrition, and an additional 17 to being called up for the war - I could have gone through that state at 10,000 mph, with naked 16 year old girls hanging out the windows, and nobody would have known.

Ran out of gas just outside of Goodland, Kansas. As it turns out, with typical German efficiency, when the gas gauge indicates you are out of gas, there's not 2 gallons buzzing around somewhere, like in Japo cars. You're DONE.

Fuel efficiency ROCKED. Got a high of 30.9 mpg at about 74 mph. Trip legs became so long that the car was outlasting my ability to sit for 5 hours at a pop; I thought US Navy Flight School was tough! (of course, back then, I was sitting on a parachute in a steel chair, not a padded leather power seat with lumbar support)

This is one hell of a car, though. I can't tell all of you how delighted I am, and how happy that I've made such a great decision!