Justin Metz | Car guy | R/C Hobbyist | Computer Enthusiast | Gamer » Justin

BMW gloss black grills and reflectors

Justin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:39:34 +0000

I picked up a couple more cosmetic parts for my BMW 335i just recently. A set of paint matched Alpine White front reflectors that replace the stock amber colored reflectors and some OEM BMW gloss black grills. The install of the reflectors was a bit tricky since you have to peel off the old reflectors from their double sided tape on the inside of the fender. I ended up pulling off the wheel well splash guard to make things easier and used a wood chisel to slowly pry them off. Be sure not to twist the blade when prying the reflectors off because if you do, it will bubble the outside of the fender. The instructions (from JleviSW) say to use a flat head screw-driver but that will very easily damage the outside of the fender if you twist or pry with a small blade like that.

The BMW performance gloss grills were a snap to install. Simply remove the 4 hex screws that hold the bumper on the top, reach behind the bumper, and pop off the snap tabs one by one until you can pull out the grill. Snap the new ones in then re-install the 4 screws and you are done. A few pictures below and more notations on the picture site:

Dual cone intake installation, BMW 335i

Justin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:04:17 +0000

I picked up some Burger Motorsports dual cone intakes (BMS DCI) recently and got them installed today. The install process was pretty simple and did not take that long at all. Just simply followed the instructions on the BMS Installation page. I snapped some installation pictures of the BMS DCI install process with a few of them below.

Dream car in my garage, BMW 335xi

Justin — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 04:13:45 +0000

I have been looking off and on for a new car for the past year or so. Originally I was aiming for a c6 Corvette and keeping it as a 3rd car strictly for fun. As time passed and I had time to think about things, having 3 cars in the family was not the best idea. Mostly because we don’t have the space. I began looking at BMW’s, at first the 1 series cars, but soon realized 2 doors wouldn’t not cut it if I had to haul kids around. Next up on the list, 3 series sedans with slush boxes and manual paddles, kid friendly yet still fun in sport mode. I have been watching the used and dealer market for the past 6 months or so, waiting for something to show up that had what I wanted. I was about ready to give up until next summer when I saw a 2009 335xi that was fully loaded, had the M-sport package (rare!) and the exact color combo I wanted. I was saddened that when I talked to the seller it was pending sale During the same time-frame I was also looking at a couple other 335i’s that did not have navigation and no M-sport (but basic Sport package). I was really close to buying a monaco blue 2007 335i when I got an email from the seller of the 335xi of my dreams, saying the car was back on the market! I talked to the buyer and found out the car had some Dinan modifications done to it as well, I went to look at is asap. This car was exactly what I wanted in a BMW; Alpine White, Premium pkg, Cold weather pkg, M-Sport pkg, Navigation, black leather interior, it was perfect. In addition, the seller added some great modifications including BBS 19″ RGR wheels, Dinan stage 2 engine/boost and suspension upgrades, Dinan exhaust, and Dinan upgraded oil cooler. All things that I would have done to a stock BMW 335. I jumped on the opportunity, after test driving it and having it inspected at my local BMW dealer, and I am loving it. This car is amazing! Enough talk, onto the pictures, you can see them all in my BMW 335xi album.

Four Star 40 project is complete!

Justin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:17:31 +0000

Well, I finally made it! My RC airplane kit that I started building 7 years ago is finally done. I had taken it out to the airfield last week to get it inspected by the local club flyers and break in the engine. We got the engine started and the plane checked out, however I did have to make some changes to my throttle linkage because it was lacking adjustment. I have a couple videos of the engine run-ups and break in, I will update again once I get the plane in the air.

Four Star 40 RC plane build updates

Justin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:08:34 +0000

I started this RC airplane project way back in 2004. Working on it off and on over the years (mostly off) I am finally near completion. I still have some work to do, but I hope to update soon with some first flight experiences. Pictures below:

2011 Denver Auto Show

Justin — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:23:09 +0000

The Denver Auto Show recently passed through again for 2011. I have quite a few pictures of various cars and trucks that were pretty cool. There was an amazingly painted Chevy Camaro in a military theme, very cool!

Rift RvR and PvP website launched

Justin — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:02:46 +0000

Yesterday I launched a new website venture for a new video game that is being released this Thursday. The game is called Rift: Planes of Telara. My website in a community/fansite that is based around realm vs. realm and player vs. player combat within the game of Rift (basically fighting/combating other people in game).

The new website is Rift RvR and PvP Resource, tell your friends.

Super Chevy Show at Bandimere Speedway

Justin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:12:43 +0000

Well, the 30th anniversary Super Chevy Show was this past weekend at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, CO. I took some time Saturday with my son Caleb to check out the car show and some of the qualifying action. There were some very nice cars at the car show ranging from old to new. Some of the highlights being an amazingly restored C1 Corvette, custom painted gray/white/orange Camaro, a Corvette ZR1, and a plethora of custom painted Corvettes. A full list of pictures can be found here at Super Chevy Show 2010 pictures. Below you can find a few teaser pictures along with a short video!

Don’t forget to stop by my youtube channel jackmoves dot com for more videos:

Android 2.2 has arrived for my Droid!

Justin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:31:09 +0000

Well, I have been waiting patiently the last few weeks for my Android 2.2 update on my original Droid. This morning it finally came, and let me say, I am quite happy with the new additions! Here is a quick review of some of the things I noticed in my first day of using 2.2:

Old menu button on home screen replaced by small widget like button that has a phone, menu, and browser button. Does not seem to be configurable but still a nice change.
5 home screens by default! For those of us not using a modified home screen this was a nice surprise.
New menu backdrop and scrolling feature.
New task switcher that now shows 8 applications instead of the previous 6 applications.
A built-in Twitter client.
Visual updates to the messaging clients (gtalk and messaging).
Some much needed Gmail client updates that make it easier to switch accounts and skip through emails.
Overall smoothness in operation, especially when swiping across home screens and scrolling through the menu. Where before there was always slight hitching and not complete smoothness.
Visual configuration changes to the camera application, very nice too.
VOICE ACTIONS! Wow, if I have to say the single best thing about Android 2.2, it is the voice actions. There are all kinds of actions you can now perform by simply just telling the phone what to do. I am amazed at the quality of voice recognition and how accurate it is. It is basically a whole new app (well you do have to download it from the market) with all new interfaces for quickly doing things, like sending emails/txts, pulling up maps, getting directions for navigation, and many others.

Those are some of the things I am remembering after a day of use. I have not had time to test out Flash 10.1 and I’m not even sure that made it into this release. More details on Android 2.2 can be found here at Android 2.2 Platform Highlights, also worthwhile to take a look at a couple previous reviews for tips and tricks, here and here.

Corvette z06 racing action!

Justin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 02:41:42 +0000

Having a little fun with the Xmod R/C cars and made a little video for my son Caleb. Check out the Corvette c6 z06 in action!