With all of the DIY fixes completed, it was time to bring the coupe in to our friends at PTech to get their professional opinion. We took a bit of a risk buying this coupe without a proper PPI, so I was anxious to finally get it professionally inspected.
Along with an inspection and fluid flush, we also decided to replace the Eisenmann exhaust with a stock replacement to finalize the creation of a fully stock exterior. Yes, this was a difficult decision because it sounded so good during our test drive, but after some deep soul searching, we realized the 83mm tips were just a tad too large for our taste and we didn’t want it to alienate any future potential buyers. We also budgeted the costs of replacing the brake rotors and any possible additional repairs necessary, and decided it made sense to sell the exhaust to help fund these upcoming expenses. Fortunately, we found a buyer on Bimmerforums that agreed to buy the exhaust as well as send over brand new rotors/pads as part of the deal. It's always nice to help out a fellow forum member, so this is the path we decided to take.
Once the coupe was up on the rack, the guys at PTech gave me full access to walk underneath an examine the undercarriage. I had already inspected the subframe before buying the coupe, but I took a closer look and verified that the differential mount and subframe welds were all solid without any defects. I checked out the guibo flex disc and it was in good shape as well.
What I did notice, however, was that the undercarriage of the car was quite dirty. Odd, considering it’s low mileage and recent life in California. Matt from PTech found an improperly connected oil line that was slowly leaking oil in the front of the car, which had collected quite a bit of dirt and grime along the way. I wiped off the transmission enough to get a clear look at the VIN sticker…all matching numbers. The rear subframe bushings have plenty of useful life in them, and the stock suspension looked to be in fine shape. Although not as clean as some other coupes I’ve seen, I am glad to report that there isn't any surface rust from the coupe's previous life in Pennsylvania.
With my initial inspection out of the way, I gave way to the technicians to take a closer look at the brake rotors and pads. Sure enough, the front drilled rotors were in dire need of replacement. Many of the drill holes were cracked, and the rotors were seriously worn. The technicians laughed when they removed the pads because they were ridiculously bad. I was somewhat surprised about the pads since I didn’t hear the indicator noise. Seems as if they had worn right through. The rear slotted rotors were in no better condition. I ran my finger along the slots. What used to be deep grooves were now almost flush with the worn rotor surface. The rear pads were in rough shape too, so we opted to fully replace all four rotors with BMW OEM rotors up front and Zimmerman rotors in the rear. We also selected BMW OEM pads on all four wheels. The red calipers were cleaned up, and now add a nice pop of color to the exterior.
With the wheels already off the car, I had my personal Chrome Shadow Roadstars installed on the coupe temporarily so I could have the previously installed wheels rejuvenated. That's why it's always nice to have a spare set of wheels.
With the brake job complete, all fluids were checked and we opted to have the oil changed, brake fluid flushed and transmission fluid changed. The oil change was a must given the recent oil leak had put the oil level much lower than recommended. The transmission was shifting pretty smoothly already, but the fresh fluid was a welcome improvement.
The guys started cranking away at the Eisenmann exhaust and before too long the stock exhaust was back in place, perfectly mounted. I've got to say, it was tough letting it go, but I'm hopeful that the new owner will find his or her own modifications to make to their taste or that they appreciate the stock look/sound.
With all of the planned work done, and a minor oil hose fixed, I was pleased to hear from the technicians that there were no other issues with the coupe. They loved the supercharger, and after a quick test drive they let me know that they were a bit suspicious of the previous owner's claims of 370hp. I didn't think it was putting out that much power either, so I thought the only way to tell would be to get the coupe onto a dyno for some official power results. Stay tuned for the final article covering the dyno test, a quick movie showing some of the hard pulls, and a summary of the detailing work to make this coupe look it's best.
