I have returned...

Its good to be back in warmth again. In the two days since my arrival, I have been able to do the outdoor activities that I have always enjoyed without being concerned of how thick my clothing should be. However I also have to mention that in the week before I left HK, there was no reason to complain about winter because the weather had suddenly turned for the better. Lots of sunshine and the result was blue skies, warmer temperatures and lower humidity. Just my luck for the weather turning bad upon my arrival and improving as I leave.

As is always the case, there were tons of tasks to attend to as soon as I set foot in the house but for the purposes of this blog, I will not delve into them. Will just stick to the topic at hand and mention my visit to the paint shop for my first look at Sergio in five weeks. Which turned out disappointing. I was expecting that at least a coating of the paint had been applied but instead, it seems nothing has been done at all. Based on the pictures I received from my friends more than a week ago, it is easy to notice that the car has not moved an inch from its spot. I spoke to Jun, the owner and manager of Carchitect, about this and he explained to me that the problem is they have not been able to get the exact shade of blue. The color of the exterior surfaces has faded over the years and therefore, a little bit of "research" on the variation that BMW used, needs to be done. Jun said that they have actually twice test sprayed the inside of a door, an unexposed area most likely to have kept its true color, but the mix has had to be readjusted. To a certain extent, I am happy because I will get to see the actual application of the color and not just the end result. If any further adjustment is needed, I can be there to make a decision.

To comfort myself I then proceeded to my favorite parts supplier, European Motors, to check on the orders I placed before I left. All the items were on hand and in good condition though what really made my day was the Christmas gift that had been reserved for me. It was a simple gesture but totally unexpected on my part to receive a corporate giveaway this late. I must say I get treated well by the company's staff and most importantly, the quality of the goods is high and the pricing competitive if not better than most other independent suppliers I have come across.

The whole exterior lighting set is now ready. I received the Euro version (white instead of amber lens) front corner flashers and complete Hella tailight set (while in HK, I got the headlight set, side markers, and foglamps). As I mentioned in a previous post, changing all the lights is one of my highest priorities because the way I see it, nothing contributes to a new car look like lenses which sparkle in the light. And nothing turns me off quicker even in a much newer car than having cracked, cloudy or sandblasted lenses.

I also got a few other items which may not be as high impact but are nonetheless just as important to the overall result of the restoration. The magwheel center caps were all dirty and scratched up so I changed the emblems with a new set of aluminum stickers (the blue protective film is still on in the pictures). The front and rear badges are also past their prime so replacements are due. As for paying attention to the little things, new wiper blades and a brake pedal will go into the car. Further orders were made to fill in other minor items like bolts, rubber stoppers, and plastic cover caps but are not worth going into detail.

First need to get the blue right...