[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by caminator

Finally managed to get the bastard grills out and attacked them with a can of plastidip (BMW are taking ages to deliver my kidneys and the 3rd party vendors can't do speedy delivery over easter.

Delighted to be rid of the chrome, have to see if I prefer the matt or gloss when the OEM part arrives.

Do you just pull them up and out or is there also some kind of adhesive like with the side vents??

[Prodigy.]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

Do you just pull them up and out or is there also some kind of adhesive like with the side vents??

They are just held in with clips. Here is a DIY which will give some tips on removing them.
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1001113

[marcva]

Originally Posted by caminator

Thanks man.

How are the roads where you live? Here in Spain I think its more than capable. I took my family on a roadtrip today to clock up a few hundred KM ( happy sitting in the back, more than enough room) and they were impressed with the ride. Its very comfortable.

However, back in the UK our roads are plagued with potholes and I'm not sure how it'd handle those. On relatively smooth roads its very comfortable and stable. I can imagine eating up long journeys no problem.

Spain would be a nice place to break in a car. Some very nice mountain driving. Enjoy.

[csbear]

I really like that! Looks pretty good with the matte... Love that pic where it is parked on the street.

[caminator]

Originally Posted by Prodigy.

They are just held in with clips. Here is a DIY which will give some tips on removing them.
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1001113

The only thing I'd emphasise is to go for the side clips first, I tried doing the top first and they constantly popped back in. With the side ones done I could pull the grill forward and it was far easier.

[M2_4life]

They test the car after 2k km and if you abused, you lose your warranty !!!

[Nine Lives]

Originally Posted by caminator

Finally managed to get the bastard grills out and attacked them with a can of plastidip (BMW are taking ages to deliver my kidneys and the 3rd party vendors can't do speedy delivery over easter.

Delighted to be rid of the chrome, have to see if I prefer the matt or gloss when the OEM part arrives.

Looking good ! And one of the first jobs I shall be doing once I get my AW however the oem grills won't be given the kid glove treatment.
It'll be straight out with the hacksaw to cut the vertical slats on the first grill and then a 'reach around' with the second

[F87LUV]

Originally Posted by Prodigy.

They are just held in with clips. Here is a DIY which will give some tips on removing them.
http://www.2addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1001113

Oh ok. Idk why I thought I saw someone mention there was adhesive used now too (which doesn't make sense). Thanks. I'll be spraying mine gloss black.

[caminator]

Originally Posted by ZGirl07

Oh ok. Idk why I thought I saw someone mention there was adhesive used now too (which doesn't make sense). Thanks. I'll be spraying mine gloss black.

Once the grill is out you can split the slats (which are already gloss) from the rim and just paint the rim.

[ur31337]

Another previous Type R owner on the forum, excellent! I've only been selling BMW for about 6 months now, but did Acura for 8 years. After I let go of the Type R, there wasn't an Acura short of the NSX that gave me proper driving pleasure.

For sure not the case anymore, with all this fine German engineering. the M235 is a hoot, but I can't wait to compare the M2 with the old ITR.

Originally Posted by caminator

Comfort absolutely makes it quieter. Whether this is valves or just the way it revs I'm not totally sure. Its not as quiet as something on large profile tyres with a load of insulation, but it really wasn't bad at all. We could talk easily. I was amazed how much room there was in the back. I had an integra type R that would just drone through trips like that on the motorway, this was really quiet sitting in 7th gear. Bit of road noise because of the low profile rubber but nothing terrible unless you're coming from an S class or something similar.

[Levente_CSL]

i have an original M3 CSL so i dont really care about the M2 sound, cause it will never sound like a csl lol. i just want my M2 to be not loud in the cabin and comfortable

[Jay-K]

awesome,
thanks for sharing mate,

[BFLY]

Do your back seats fold down 60/40?

[pruettfan]

Originally Posted by BruceM

Don't know much about lithium batteries, in that I haven't owned a car with one, but what would it take, if anything, to "adapt" an M2's system to a lithium battery, assuming it has a standard battery when stock? The sites that sell lithium batteries for cars don't talk about the need to change a car's electrical system that I can see, and the batteries seem like an easy way to reduce weight....

A couple of differences. The lithium batteries require charging a different rates and patterns to maintain their lifespan. Doing an aftermarket mod doesn't really compare because they are providing a warranty for the cars electrical system etc and the liability that comes with such a change. Some M4/3 owners have been less than impressed by the lithium batteries because of replacement costs and some reliability concerns long term but you can't switch to an AGM and conventional battery. There is a lot of stuff you can do to your car in the aftermarket world that you would not see done by a manufacturer for economic and liability reasons, not sure this is one but doesn't seem like an area BMW would invest in given their price target.

[Luv2]

Congrats !! enjoy your new ride. Hopefully I can work my way up to one one day.
Just got a M235i, in the same colour. Loving it. Trying to rack up the kilometres also, to break it in...lol
I finally get why people get BMW's

[MParallel]

Sweet! Usual BMW orange peel?

[caycep]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Or the Bluetooth getting HAL 9000 antics.

"Open the exhaust valve flaps, please, HAL !"

lol...I saw a Tesla Roadster drive past a few months ago. Wide open throttle, it doesn't have exhaust, it just goes "byoooooooOOOO" like R2-D2...

[BruceM]

Originally Posted by pruettfan

A couple of differences. The lithium batteries require charging a different rates and patterns to maintain their lifespan. Doing an aftermarket mod doesn't really compare because they are providing a warranty for the cars electrical system etc and the liability that comes with such a change. Some M4/3 owners have been less than impressed by the lithium batteries because of replacement costs and some reliability concerns long term but you can't switch to an AGM and conventional battery. There is a lot of stuff you can do to your car in the aftermarket world that you would not see done by a manufacturer for economic and liability reasons, not sure this is one but doesn't seem like an area BMW would invest in given their price target.

So, it sounds like M2 owners can switch to a lithium battery, but will probably waive electrical system warranty protection if there is a fault that can be traced to the switch...

[raysspl]

Awesome to hear that it's particularly a good cruiser. Congrats!

[Verbiage]

Congratulations!

[bdaddylo]

Originally Posted by MParallel

Sweet! Usual BMW orange peel?

BMW's painting process leaves a orange peel texture to the surface of the clear coat finish, so it's not smooth and mirror like at a very close distance. Some fanatics have gone to the trouble of wet-sanding or polishing away the texture.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by bdaddylo

BMW's painting process leaves a orange peel texture to the surface of the clear coat finish, so it's not smooth and mirror like at a very close distance. Some fanatics have gone to the trouble of wet-sanding or polishing away the texture.

Same guys that worry about carbon fiber finish ..