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A Second Wind. Driving the BMW 335i Sedan. A second wind is largely used to describe a phenomenon, whereby an athlete who is out of breath suddenly finds the strength to press on at top performance with less exertion. Could it be true of this 335i i have at my disposal? With the latest 3 series now unveiled, perhaps it is time to take another look at the last of the E-designated 3's, the E90. It's been almost 6 years since the E90 was introduced, being the successor to the handsome E46, many critics again spoke ill of the new 3's Bangle-d styling, but like all of E90's contemporaries, it has aged considerably well. Losing the daffy duck kidney lips and procuring a leaner chiselled face during the process of it's lifespan. This 3 Series i have with me though is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill 3 you see pottering around your neighbourhood. It also isn't JUST a license-killing Twin scroll boosted 335i sedan either. What this is in fact, is a fully kitted out 335i laden with BMW Performance Parts. The total sum of these parts alone will set you back a smigen over 40Gs. Those BMW racing seats, cup and hold you into place tighter than Wonderbra's latest offerings. While you are stuck to your seat, grab hold of that lovely alcantara laced BMW Performance wheel, choked full of gadgetry you'd never imagine would be inside a steering wheel of a road car. With a LCD screen staring right at you and delivering information you'll never really need (but is totally cool anyway) when driving down Orchard Road. Unidiectional G-force readings, lap timers, acceleration timers, vehicle information and a set of LEDs that light up as your revs build and blink furiously when it is time to shift up. Do yourself a favour and shell out for this wheel, if only to make you think you are behind the wheel of a full-fledged race car. After you are done fiddling with the steering wheel (i took about half an hour), give the starter button a push and listen as the tweaked exhaust notes permeate into the cabin. It fires up with a bark and settles down into a slightly hollow fizzy burble. To be honest, it could do with more low end tones but i suspect the engineers left bassy beats out to cut out any droning noises when the car is cruising. You sort of wish there was a button which will allow more of that exhaust music to come into the cabin though, as it is now, people outside the car will get to enjoy the howl of the boosted straight-six more than the driver. Speaking of which, when you finally step out of the car (after giving it a proper drive of course), apart from that lovely bodykit and those gorgeous 19inch wheels, you'd notice little bits of carbon extras ($$$) which set this E90 apart from the rest. The wing mirrors and the tail spoiler both sport the exotic carbon finish. All these parts come straight of the BMW Performance Parts options list, even those stripey stickers along the flanks. How does this kitted up 335i drive? The regular 335i is already a very accomplished BMW and in tricked out "BMW Performance" form, is it any better? That will really depend on how you perceive "better" to be. The ride with a lower and revised suspension setup is harsher and you'd feel it. The throttle response with a slight power up is addictively er, responsive. Push the drumstick gearknob into sport mode and the gearbox does a good job of selecting the proper ratios to keep you in the powerband and allowing you to slingshot past all the pesky turbo-diesel taxis on the roads. If you are the sort of driver who enjoys a good blast down your local roads and you enjoy talking to other people about the differences between under and oversteer, yes, you will enjoy these chassis enhancements. If perhaps you are the sort of driver who prefers a car which doesn't jiggle your bottom and underwear too much, maybe you should leave the "Chassis upgrade" box unchecked. That is the beauty of these Perfomrance parts, allowing you to customise your wants and giving you the choice to either go the full hog or just take in the bits you fancy. If you ever find yourself to be in the lucky shoes of someone ticking off these parts, my choice bits would be that gorgeous steering wheel, all the exterior bits and paraphernalia, the chassis/power upgrades and those fancy stickers along the side. The 19-inch baller wheels although fabulous to look at, take too a bit too much off the ride and having to constantly look out for portholes might be tiresome in the long run. The wonderful Performance seats again, are a sight to behold, but at over 9 grand a pair, might leave your wallets feeling a little uncomfortable. They do a great job of holidng you in place when you are driving balls-out, but you don't drive balls-outs everytime you get behind the wheel. Glossy brouchures might make you think you do, but the reality is that 80% of the time, you are going to be stuck in traffic on your daily sojourn to the office and back wishing you'd have seats with a little more squish. Having to go through the look of incredibility on all passengers faces when you tell them you paid "HOW MUCH?" for non-electric setas might get boring after a while too. With these parts installed, this 335i will be pressing on at it's peak while shooting off into the sunset with tyres smoking and turbos boosting!

first there was the earthquake in japan which hit alot of car parts manufacturer there for Honda and Toyota. now the floods in Thailand are hitting the carmakers again !! just heard on the taiwanese news that the Honda factory is totally flooded ... they had an aerial video of almost 3000 honda cards with only their roofs visible from the air !! japanese makes seems the most hard-hit ones ... but i guess other makes with the factories in thailand also cannot escape.

is it cheaper to carry it back from us or ask them to ship here? as im looking to buy clutch what are the cost involved?

1. I observed that most of the car parts and accessories sellers don't ship to places beside USA. They also don't mail to a P.O.Box. 2. Is there a way to overcome this? such as buying the stuff through a local agent there or something like that? Please advise me. Thank you. Regards,

which webby do you guys go to for reliable online parts purchase? i'm looking to get a mazda 6 front bumper from overseas due to cost saving. over hear, i can't get any second hand bumper for mazda 6 and the new ones cost a bomb. thanks

When carbon fibre was introduced in the 1960s, it was poised to not only take on fibreglass, but also a whole host of other materials. Initially used in the aerospace industry, carbon fibre is now used in numerous of other products, notably in automotive parts and accessories. Since it appeared more than 50 years ago and we have been using it for decades, why is this material which is lighter and tougher than steel, still so expensive? Well, apparently, carbon fibre has to go through an expensive process just to manufacture it. Before carbon fibre becomes carbon fibre, it starts as a base material, usually an organic polymer with carbon atoms binding together long strings of molecules called a polyacrylonitrile. To get the carbon part of carbon fibre, half of the starting material's acrylic needs to be kicked away. "The final product will cost double what you started with because half burns off," explains Bob Norris of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's (Tennessee, USA) polymer matrix composites group. "Before you even account for energy and equipment, the precursor in the final product is something around $5 a pound." Forcing the acrylic to shed its non-carbon atoms takes monstrous machines and a lot of heat. The first of two major processing steps is oxidisation stabilisation. Here fibres are continuously fed through 50-100 foot-long ovens pumping out heat in the several hundred degrees Celsius range. The process takes hours and uses up lots of energy. Then the material goes through the carbonisation process. Although the furnaces here are shorter and don't run for as long as the previous step, they operate at much higher temperatures, at 1000 degrees Celsius for the initial step and then another round of heating with even higher temperatures. Just imagine the power bill for these processes and it doesn't end here. Manufacturers also have to deal with the acrylic that doesn't hold on during the heating process. Off gasses (the introduction of harmful chemicals into the environment) need to be treated so as not to poison the environment. After all of that, what we get are just strands of carbon fibre. They still need to be arranged into a lattice (criss-cross) in order to take advantage of the material's uni-directional strength. The arranged fibres have to be parallel and stretched evenly, every single one of them. A wavy strand in a lattice will put extra stress on a straight fibre, and that straight one will end up breaking first. To compensate for the possibility of an imperfect weave, manufacturers might thread in ten percent more of the already expensive fibres than is necessary. These strands alone are not what manufacturers need. Carbon fibre is used to reinforce composite materials. They are like steel bars in a block of concrete. Right now carbon fibres work with a thermoset resin. Together they make a composite that can be manipulated to take a certain shape. The problem is that once the resin has been shaped and cured in an autoclave, it cannot be modified without compromising its structural integrity. A small mistake means a lot of waste, including time. Thermosetting takes over an hour, which is a long time considering how fast the automotive industry stamps out body panels. The process of producing a carbon fibre product takes a lot of time and energy which eventually costs a lot of money. Until scientists or experts in this field comes up with a manufacturing process that costs lower and less time consuming, consumers have to bear with the prices of carbon fibre for now.

hello anyone else got any parts to sell ?? thanks

hi i am going to service my axio and will like to know where can i buy orginal axio items such as spark plug oil filter not sure if the above exist in the first place....

Any brothers know where or what website which I can order Rolls Royce parts. I am looking for a Vinyl hood top for a 1969 Silver shadow Rolls Royce. Anyone have idea where to order it? Thank you very much, i need it quite urgently but couldn't find it online.

any one other parts from japan stockists direct before? how is the experience and cost? is it cheaper from getting from the local stockists? it should be cheaper since we do not go through the local middleman right?

My dad's car got banged by some idiot while parked at Jurong Port carpark. :angry: Left headlight smashed and left corner of bumper has a big dent. Does anyne know where to get the headlight? TIA!

Any recommendation on where can i get see car parts in HK? Thanks

ITs meant for my old Celica. The drive shaft mounting is worn out and I need to find new ones. I called several stockists like Fong tat etc but they don't have it at all. Thus any idea where I could find stockists that keep old car parts? Thanks

Read up in the net today.. found it will be nice to share with everyone.. http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Owner...428-276195.html

Hi guys, I've got a clock that I really want to keep. But due to a leaky battery it spoilt the electronic mechanism. I've taken it out, cleaned the contacts, didn't work. Resoldered all the joints again, and seems to work but the second hand is too weak to go 1 cycle. So kinda gave up and wanted to buy the mechanism to replace. Was thinking of buying a $1 clock from those ABC shop but the thing is I believe the length of the stick, holding the second, min, hour hands would be too short....mine's quite long cos it has to go through a piece of wood.

Anyone has such problem?

today there will be a redbull F1 car driven by David C. he will be speeding along certain parts of Orchard Rd and doing some stunts at 4pm. if you are at ngee ann city, you can catch the action but expect human and car congestion.

hey all! just want to voice my grouses... my aveo sedan 1.4M got involved in an accident in mid july, till now still sitting in workshop waiting for spare part to arrive... supposedly it's the spare tyre compartment that nowhere in sg and msia has... sigh...

bros, is there a list of toyota parts seller in this forum, i think i have seen it floating around, can someone point me the way. thanks

For those driving Chery A5, who do not want to service their cars at Vertex due to cost considerations and do not travel to China frequently, I have prepared the following list of alternative parts. It is by no means complete as I have the car for less than a month and I have a full time job. No warranty and guarantee implied and use the list at your own risk. It is mainly for the 1.6L version but many parts are similar. Spark Plugs Dimension : Specs 14mm thread size, Reach 19mm Hex Size 16mm Factory install : Bosch FR7DTC (Triple earth electrode) Some alternatives BOScH FR7DC, FR7DCX etc Denso K20PRU-11,K20PBR etc (normal),IK20 (Iridium), VK20 (Iridium/Platinum) NGK BKR6E-11 Oil Filter Dimensions: Height 81.8mm, Outer Diameter 82mm, Thread M20mm X 1.5mm (most important) Factory install : Fleetguard (Shanghai factory) LF3881 Chery part no. 481H-1012010 Compatible oil filter, many Honda( e.g. 15400-PR3-0050), Mazda, Subaru, Hyundai Sonata oil filter Izuzu Gemini Osaka 8-94217272-0 K&N HP-1004 FRAM PH3593A Air filter shape Rectangular panel, Dimensions: Height: 40 mm, Outside Length: 245 mm Outside Width: 220 mm Chery Part no. A21-1109111 K&N air filter 33-2658 * may fit K&N air filter 33-2054 * most likely to fit Simota, ESE and hurricane TOYOTA 1780107020, 1780146060 (alternatives are non-exact fit) Wiper Blade Hook type, Right 550mm Left 500mm Factory install : Valeo, Right c/w spoiler Alternatives, NWB, RainX (reinstall spoiler if possible) Alloy wheel Chery Part No: A21-3100020AM ET 46 (offset in mm), 15X6JJ (15 inch, width 6 inch), max load 600kg, Bolt pattern 4X 114.3mm (4.5inch) Tyre 195/55R15 V(speed rating) Possible upgrade for tyres (no inch up) 205/50R15 (inch up) 205/45R16 (2 inch up) 205/40R17 Front Brake pads Chery Part No: A21-3501070 (for A5 1.6L w/o electronic wear sensor) width 119mm, Height 69.5mm, Thickness 19.3mm Friction coefficient FF (important DO NOT Downgrade) Note : there is another part with electronic wear sensor that appears on earlier A5, Chery part no: A21-3501080 Same as old Audi front brake pads Alternatives: FBK, Honeywell,Nbrake NDB211, Mintex MDB1190, AUDI 443698151, VW 431698151 (Please compare first) Rear Brake pads Chery Part No: A21-3501090 Width 107.6mm, Height 42.5mm, Thickness 16mm Friction coefficient FF Similar to Toyota Camry (V1,V10,V20,V30 etc), Toyota Corolla (E11) Mintex MDB1994, Toyota 0446620070 etc (many different part numbers), Nbrake NDB8067, Akebono Front Disc Rotors Chery Part No: A21-3501075 Internally Ventilated (double layer) Bolt pattern 4X114.3mm + single screwhole Diameter 240mm, Brake Disc Thickness 22mm, Height 48mm, Pitch Circle 150mm, Centering Diameter 68mm (approximate measurements) Rear Disc Rotors Chery Part No: A21-3502075 Brake Disc Type solid Bolt pattern 4X114.3mm + single screwhole Diameter 260mm, Brake Disc Thickness 10mm, Height 60mm, Pitch Circle 182 mm, Centering Diameter 68 mm (approximate measurements) Ignition coil Factory Install Bosch 0 221 503 485, Chery Part No: A11-3705110EA Alternatives Valeo 245040, FIAT 9607405480, CITROEN 597060, PEUGEOT 597048 topline TIc 8040 (Malaysia) Front Dampers OEM Sachs (Shanghai) chery part no. A21-2905010 Rear Dampers OEM Sachs (Shanghai) Chery Part no. A21-2915010 Air flow sensor 4 Pins Terminal, 5V Factory Install for 1.6L,made in Germany BOSCH 0 261 230 099 (intake manifold absolute pressure sensor), Chery part no: 480ED-108060 Alternatives FORD 2U1L 9F479 AA, OPEL 93 399 801, Honda Jazz 37830PWEG01 Note : for 2.0L, it is a different part from BoscH (also used in Audi A4 2006) Exhaust tail pipe outer diameter 2 inch approx

I was browsing through my copy of Hypertune today when it struck me that Malaysia really boleh; well at least when it comes to their car industry. Not only have they got their own national car makers, they have got a vibrant aftermarket scene with a fledgling local aftermarket parts manufacturing industry. And that got me thinking, while having our own national car marque might not be that feasible, perhaps it is now timely for our local authorities and motoring entrepreneurs to explore the idea of setting up our own homegrown automotive manufacturing brands? For one, it is not like we lack the expertise to do so. We always boast of the top notch brains that our multiple universities churn out. I am sure the engineering behind making car parts is not something we lack. And what better time to explore this than with the new Singapore University of Technology and Design up and running? And let's not forget that the market conditions are ripening. We have got high COE levels which, in all likelihood, will remain unabated for an extended period. This means that more drivers will keep their cars longer; ergo, more demand for car parts. With the eventual completion of the track at Changi, there should be even more interest in the aftermarket and car parts scene. LTA can help keep the party going by loosening its restrictions (especially for local aftermarket parts) while providing its own inputs to the manufacturers to develop parts truly suitable for Singapore's unique conditions. It seems like the stars are slowly aligning, so here's hoping that some local motoring entrepreneurs will heed my call and get this industry going! And if it really does happen; remember, you read it here first!

Hi, i'm hoping to do an undercarriage checks for losse parts as the last time i did ws 50k ago. any recommendations? or any ws would do it?

Feb 22, 2011 M'sia snatch thief's private parts severed in accident KUALA LUMPUR - IT WAS a gory end for a snatch thief who died with his private parts severed in a collision at Ampang Jaya between his getaway motorcycle and the victim's car. The police and passers-by found the body of the 35-year-old suspect in a drain, with his penis almost crushed and detached from his body. His pants had been ripped from his body in the accident. His accomplice, who was riding pillion, suffered body injuries. The incident happened soon after the 28-year-old victim was locking the gate to leave her home in Taman Mega Jaya in Ampang on Monday. She had left the bag in her Toyota Vios, while the car engine was on. A man suddenly appeared, opened the car door and snatched the bag. The woman tried to fight back but was kicked in the abdomen. Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Amirruddin Jamaluddin said the woman then got into her car and gave chase before blocking them. The two men were caught off-guard and rammed right into the victim's car resulting in both of them being flung from the machine. The accident occurred about 200m from the woman's house. -- THE STAR/ANN Damn funny sia.

Hi Gong Xi Fa Chai! Any recommendation for Mitsubishi spare parts shops? Thanks!

Weber with jettings etc. A set of 4 normal springs. Gear shift assembly. 2 x Rear spoiler. Rear Hatch Door Panel. . A pair of Rear Tail Light with LED reverse light. Slight crack line on the bottom of one side. 2 pairs of side mirrors. Willing to swap with anything deem useful to me, to make a win-win situation for both. Just pm me.