Some cosmetic blemishes:

3 of the rear lights show some deposits in them and signs of discolouration.
This is an opportunity to get rid of them and replace with LEDs.

I have started the process of acquiring the red/smoked set pictured below.
Cost of purchase is $168 (x164.5) - N27,636
Actual shipping costs to be incorporated later.

Headlights

Lights are totally stock and in good working order.

(Not to worry, I will remove the hideous Euro style number plate thingie highlighted in yellow )

Moving the front tag to the right also seems to be popular in other climes

Close up of the headlights.

Fog lights are completely faded and would need an upgrade

Proposed headlight replacement

Halo projector headlights with LED DRL
Not sure I fancy the daytime lights though. Looks cool on the 2012+ G-Class but may be tarty on the Beemer

Cost of purchase: $245 (x164.5) = N40,303
Again, will advise on shipping costs

Nice work Sir, those 3 series cabriolets look sick tho.

Shagati,
you have really spiced up this thread...my 323ci isn't as neat as yours. But 1st thing I will do is "engine swap" before full body work

One day,this will be my wife. Its only a matter of time.

Nice thread.

yungboss: Shagati,
you have really spiced up this thread...my 323ci isn't as neat as yours. But 1st thing I will do is "engine swap" before full body work

Would love to see a picture of your 323.
Are you based in Lagos?

Shagati:

Would love to see a picture of your 323.
Are you based in Lagos?

I'll do that as soon as I,m home...i'm based in Port Harcourt

Shagati: Oil replacement
20W50 grade oil is to be run for 1,000-1,500km to 'clean' engine before switching to synthetic oil (any contrary thoughts to this? Reactions welcome please )

I have heard this a couple time in some quarters. I'm interested in knowing any contrary opinion to this too?

Shagati: Oil replacement
20W50 grade oil is to be run for 1,000-1,500km to 'clean' engine before switching to synthetic oil (any contrary thoughts to this? Reactions welcome please )

Well, I may not know much about engine oil, but I do know that the Mineral Oil 20W 50 also acts as detergent in the engine, aside lubricating the engine. A good 20W 50 Mineral Oil should always clean off yama-yama inside the engine and leave the engine clean.

Ikenna.

Shagati: Proposed headlight replacement

Halo projector headlights with LED DRL
Not sure I fancy the daytime lights though. Looks cool on the 2012+ G-Class but may be tarty on the Beemer

Cost of purchase: $245 (x164.5) = N40,303
Again, will advise on shipping costs

please i would like to know where you purchase those head lamps from. Have you gotten the complete cost yet ?

would they fit on this model ?

Dsannin:
please i would like to know where you purchase those head lamps from. Have you gotten the complete cost yet ?

I am getting the lights as well as other parts from www.ebay.com
I will know shipping costs when all the parts are assembled ready for transfer to Lagos

Dsannin:
would they fit on this model ?

Yes

Ikenna351:

Well, I may not know much about engine oil, but I do know that the Mineral Oil 20W 50 also acts as detergent in the engine, aside lubricating the engine. A good 20W 50 Mineral Oil should always clean off yama-yama inside the engine and leave the engine clean.

Ikenna.

Thanks dear, but what about the effect on the engine, unlike the synthetic oil of say 0w40, 5w40 0r even 10w40, or 5w30?

au.hanson:


Thanks dear, but what about the effect on the engine, unlike the synthetic oil of say 0w40, 5w40 0r even 10w40, or 5w30?

I don't know about other engines, but i do know that my ZN3J smiles when fed with TOTAL Quartz 5000 20W 50. The look of the oil when flowing out of the oil pan (during oil change) speaks a lot how good it is for the engine and good job it does in cleaning the engine.

Mistakenly, i switched to TOTAL Quartz 7000 15W 50, in the last oil change. But am switching back to 20W 50. Though, 10W 40 was recommended for the engine, but "negligible " was included. From what i have gathered from other users of the engine, it runs perfectly whatever good oil thrown at it.

So, i can only speak for the one i know.

Ikenna.

Ikenna351:

I don't know about other engines, but i do know that my ZN3J smiles when fed with TOTAL Quartz 5000 20W 50. The look of the oil when flowing out of the oil pan (during oil change) speaks a lot how good it is for the engine and good job it does in cleaning the engine.

Mistakenly, i switched to TOTAL Quartz 7000 15W 50, in the last oil change. But am switching back to 20W 50. Though, 10W 40 was recommended for the engine, but "negligible " was included. From what i have gathered from other users of the engine, it runs perfectly whatever good oil thrown at it.

So, i can only speak for the one i know.

Ikenna.

Thanks dearie. How long do you use it(TOTAL Quartz 5000 20W 50) before the next oil change?

au.hanson:


Thanks dearie. How long do you use it(TOTAL Quartz 5000 20W 50) before the next oil change?

Twice a year (every 6 months) or 7,500 km.

Ikenna.

is that a mineral oil the total quartz ?

Ikenna351:

Twice a year (every 6 months) or 7,500 km.

Ikenna.

Dsannin: is that a mineral oil the total quartz ?

Shagati,

I hope we are not derailing your thread? Though, you asked a related question about mineral oil.

Quartz 5000 (20W 50) is a mineral oil. Quartz 7000 (15W 50) is semi-synthetic oil. While Quartz 9000 (5W 40) is fully synthetic oil. All are TOTAL products and available in Nigeria.


Ikenna.

Ikenna351:

Shagati,
I hope we are not derailing your thread? Though, you asked a related question about mineral oil.

Not at all. Please let's discuss oil some more. I was wondering why no one picked up on my question all this time.
I too have a particular bias for the Total Quartz 5000 and my replacement regime is every 5,000km
There are numerous auto (car and bike) forums that discuss the merits and demerits of mineral vs synthetic so I guess it boils down to personal choice and frequency of oil and filter swap

what type of ATF is good for the gear

Shagati:

Would love to see a picture of your 323.
Are you based in Lagos?

so small, because of maximum allowable size

It has a few dents and scratches at the bumper,rear. Reckless Drivers abound in Port Harcourt...

yungboss: It has a few dents and scratches at the bumper,rear. Reckless Drivers abound in Port Harcourt...

That is an unusual colour.
Pic doesn't do the car justice I think?

@Yungboss
Apologies for delay in updating. Will do so soon

Shagati:

That is an unusual colour.
Pic doesn't do the car justice I think? >

yea bro, I know that I have problem uploading bolder pictures...i have problem with the size

Last weekend, I was about to exit a tolled car park, I had the plastic parking disc in my right hand and somehow, I managed to drop it in the tight space between the driver's seat and the centre console.
I thrust my fingers in to retrieve the disc but the space was so tight that the more I fiddled, the more stuck it got.
I eventually managed to get it out after much rummaging and tooting of horns by other angry users behind me

As I drove off, I noticed that the airbag light had come on....it wasn't there 3 minutes ago. Apparently, I had dislodged something while I was fishing.

Whatever it was that I had touched wasn't accessible from the side of the seat and neither was it accessible from underneath.
What to do?
REMOVE THE SEAT!!!
I checked a couple of online BMW forums and discovered that the E46 Coupe seats are relatively easy to remove using a "17mm" socket.
So I will share my experience here.

The seat is secured in place with 2 x 17mm hexagon nuts in front and 2 x 17mm hexagon bolts at the rear.
The nuts in front have a plastic covering that can be removed by hand

The bolts at the rear

Note that to remove the front nuts, you have to slide the seat all the way back and the converse is the case to remove the rear nuts (slide seat forwards)