A spot for BMW E46, Lexus IS, CT, and ES : November 2017

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Mango's E46 BMW Cooling System - E-Store 11/16/17 - Complete Parts List

Mango's Cooling Parts E-Store - BMW E46 Manual Transmission (323/325/328/330)

Welcome to my "e-store" page where I'll conveniently list where to buy all your BMW E46 cooling parts. Some enjoy the no-hassle Amazon prime service and I personally use Amazon. Your using these links is greatly appreciated and earns me a few cents for every dollar you spend and doesn't affect you at all. It helps me run this site, pay hosting fees, and keep on helping you. Appreciated!

The parts on this list includes everything needed to properly refresh your BMW E46 cooling system. Easily installs in 3-4 hours with basic hand tools. Make sure you read my cooling page here for important information you'll need.

For best results, open in a new page, add to cart as necessary, and return here for the remaining part links. Items for automatic transmission models are highlighted in RED.

All items are OE/OEM at time of posting unless otherwise noted. Confirm before buying. Make sure you buy all 17 parts -- or 23 if you have an automatic ;) The weakest link in the chain will bring your entire car down. So do it all.

All items are Amazon Prime - Free Shipping where possible!

1) Radiator

link to buy (Manual transmission)

link to buy (Automatic transmission)

2) Expansion Tank

link to buy

3) Expansion Tank Cap

link to buy

4) Water Pump

link to buy

5) Radiator Hose Lower

link to buy

6) Radiator Hose Upper

link to buy
7) Expansion Tank to Pipe Lower Hose (VERY important)
link to buy

8) Thermostat

link to buy

9) Radiator Fan Switch

link to buy

10) Water Pump Pulley

link to buy (URO Aluminum)

11) Coolant drain crush washer at engine-block

link to buy

12) Water pump pulley bolts (You can reuse these if you are careful)

link to buy

13) Belt Tensioner Pulley (Main central pulley)

link to buy

14) Alternator Deflector Pulley

link to buy
15) Coolant
link to buy
16) FOR MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS - Electric Puller Fan - OEM/CoolXpert
link to buy

A/C PULLEYS (See here for more info)

17) A/C Tensioner Pulley - Mechanical

link to buy Dayco 89133
or;
17) A/C Tensioner Pulley - Hydraulic
link to buy

18) Alternator/accessory belt (Main large drive belt--The same across all model year cars)

link to buy

19) A/C belt (Differs dependent on your build date--see below)

link to buy (5-rib production date up to 9/2002)

or;

link to buy (4-rib production date from 9/02)

For Automatics:

20) Automatic Transmission Expansion Tank Mounting Plate (Again, optional--you may reuse)

link to buy

21) Automatic Transmission Thermostat (often crumbles apart upon removal of original--DO NOT GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN ON THIS--REQUIRED FOR AUTOMATICS)

link to buy

22) Automatic Transmission Fan blade (Optional yet recommended)

link to buy

23) Automatic Transmission Fan Clutch (Optional yet recommended)

link to buy

24) Automatic Transmission Cooler O-Rings. (Highly recommended as the old ones tend to not seal the same) Order two of these for the transmission cooler.

link to buy

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Apple iPhone X Review- Second to None

iPhone X

The Platinum Standard

The moment the iPhone X pre-order went live, I pulled the trigger - 12:00AM sharp. No regrets since. Literally minutes after I ordered mine, all websites around the globe were sold out. Apple and all the major carriers.

If you're reading this review wondering on whether or not the new iPhone X is worth it - I'll save you the time. It is. Go buy it now. Or, if you can wait, go to Apple.com. Currently the phone is back-ordered for several weeks to months.

You own the old iPhone 7+ which was already the standard of the world, and you're wondering if the upgrade is worth it. Well aside from the resounding yes I'll say, I can sum up real-world reasons why.

Do Less with More

The iPhone X, believe it or not, is around the size of the regular smaller iPhone 7, but has a larger, better screen than the iPhone 7+. The folks at Apple pulled off some serious NASA-grade engineering tricks to jam pack all the goodies needed to trounce the iPhone 7+'s performance (which was already 50-75% faster than the fastest Android-powered phones and STILL IS today) into a smaller form factor. From crazy dense double stacked IC boards, to an ultra compact sensor-array, to a special form factor dual-cell battery, the new phone has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. After just minutes of using the new phone, the old 7+ felt like an absolute dinosaur to hold, use, and experience. The new phone has a light-on-its-feet feel the old phone just isn't capable of. If I had to sum up the new iPhone in one word, it's: efficient.

Using it

The new phone has a learning curve. I predicted years ago the removal of the physical home button. And it came true. Apple has refined the user-experience in such a way where it keeps the primary way you use the phone (swiping) as its sole method of interaction. At first it takes getting used to after a decade of pressing a home button, but soon comes second nature as swiping up to "go home" is just another swipe--something you do anyway to access countless other gestures/features. Swiping up is natural in that it's as if you're saying "I'm finished with this app now, take me home" vs lifting your finger and pressing down using your thumb. It's natural and more fluid. I like it. Face ID is another user experience. Double tap the side button and bam, as long as your face is in the general area, your payment is automatically done. I've used it a couple times and it's more natural than touch ID. Double tap and you're done.

The Screen

OLED. Deep blacks, more pixels, ultra clear. It's also very cool to have extra real estate up top, say when watching YouTube, the time and battery is displayed. No more losing track of time. The old screen looks and feels like 2012. No longer.

Other Tips/Tricks and Goodies

Fast Charging/Wireless Charging

Image Stabilized DUAL cameras

Improved LED flash

Improved iOS with a ton of gesture control/updates

Accessibility--you have to enable reachability in the menus through accessibility. You simply swipe down on the bottom bar and the screen juts down to access things on the top--great for one-handed use.

Animoji--Fun animated emojis that read your face and mimic your expressions as you talk! Send fun messages to your loved ones