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Garage is slowly coming together. This weekend I gave this tv a new life in my garage that I've had for over a decade. It's a brick of a tv but it's been good to me.
It's getting harder to keep me out of the garage 😂
Changed the spark plugs on the old girl this weekend. Old ones had just under 20k on them but it's been a while since I changed them. Didn't see anything to be concerned about when inspecting the old plugs.
I've always been in the market for a replacement front strut bar but really couldn't find what I was looking for. The BMW Performance bar is hard to source, very expensive, and I have witnessed it breaking first hand. The Dixis bar is also hard to source and very expensive. So ultimately I was going to go with the Mason/Rogue Engineering bar. Good looking bar, functional, and good price. Until I came across DMG Autosport.
DMG had a bar that looked alike however was quite different. Full disclosure I paid for my bar so I am not going to get into the technical specs. I asked Brandon of DMG Autosport about his back ground which involved fabricating and building trophy/prerunner and Dakar trucks that compete in the premier classes desert and off road racing. He explained how his back ground in off road racing lent him a strong gauge on structural integrity and function for safety and performance. I also asked how the bar differed from the competition and from the response I received along with what I could see, I decided to give this non M3F approved part a shot. You can get the bar painted in a color of your choice or they offer it in a raw, cleared, polished like finish with the welds exposed which reminds me of the Dixis bar. Lastly the price is very reasonable for the quality of the bar.
Pictures do not do this piece any justice. In person it looks much better. Hard to explain but it is like a black/shadow chrome finish that looks wet. I am very impressed by the welds. Install was simple and straight forward. So far test driving has not shown any issues. The communication between DMG was great and these are made in America. I'm a sucker for anytime a company decides to make new quality products for our cars.
Below are some pictures uninstalled and installed. DMG also offers RACP solutions and a under carriage belly pan brace for the E46 M3. When I am ready I will reach out to see what my options are and more info. I am very happy with my purchase and love how the bar looks and performs so far. My overall experience with DMG has been great and I recommend them. You can find them on Instagram.
So I picked up a spare beauty cover some time ago with the intentions to have the vents cut out. I finally decided to just go ahead and DIY this my self. I do not recommend DIY'ing this. Anyways it came out better than I expected. While I was at it I replaced the old bubbling M badge with a new one.
I relocated my IAT sensor just below my intake and above the brake duct inlet.
I previously did live data testing of IAT temps vs ambient temps in the previous IAT sensor location. While stationary the IAT's were rising rapidly and to high levels. As soon as the vehicle began moving the temps would drop rapidly and would come very close to if not match the ambient temp.
After moving the IAT sensor closer to the brake duct the IAT's do not rise rapidly when stationary. The temps do go up but at a slower rate and do not reach temps as high as they used to in the old location. When the vehicle goes into motion the IAT's drop but not as rapidly as before. They also do not exactly match the ambient *temp. They tend to stay 4 to 10 degrees higher than ambient from what I've seen so far.
*All of this was expected and not a surprise.
For now I will keep the sensor here unless I find a reason to move it. I am also thinking of changing sensors based off recommendations I have received.
Screenshots of live temp testing before the relocation and pic of the new IAT location.
It's been a few months in the new garage. I've put up most of my wall art and got organized to a point I'm okay to work out of for now.
Future plans:
More wall art.
Better lighting.
Fan(s) for cooling.
A second larger tool box and of course more tools.
Work bench with vise.
Quick jack or actual lift. I have the ceilings for it.
Possibly repaint the walls and redo floor.
Removed my fan shroud a few weeks back. I think it looks cleaner without it. Plus better pics of my polished strut bar. Strut bar is temporary until I get something else.
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