Tips or Tricks to stiffening up the pivoting air vents?
Posted by Earendil
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Title pretty much says it all.
I'm a firm believe in Artificial Summer*, so the consistent direction of my air vents is important to me. It also serves as a good training tool for making sure my hands are correctly positioned on the steering wheel, as if they aren't, they get cold ;-) So does anyone have any tips or tricks to stiffening these things back up? I'm tempted to dump some epoxy and then after it starts to set up break it loose. I'm open to more suave techniques 
*Artificial Summer - The act of driving, especially in sub freezing temperatures, with the windows down and the heat blasting, thus creating the illusion of a summertime drive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles  Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2009 07:17PM by Earendil. |
Sand is the only solution! Ship your car to the Sahara, then drive it around for a few hours, then ship it home. Your vents should be nice and 'stiff' 
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I used a thin piece of 320 grit wetordry sandpaper folded over a few times. Finished size about 1/4x1 inch. If a few folds is not enough give yourself a few more. Its black and blends right in
Rick |
this is what i did on my first e30! worked perfectly. 
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Thanks for all the tips guys :-)
I knew there would be a bunch of things that wouldn't come to mind. I have sandpaper readily available, so I'll give that a try first.
Same. But I went to college in a northern dessert (Spokane, WA). There are plenty of worse places on earth, but it was not uncommon to have beautifully clear, sunny, dry, 20° F (-6.7C) days. Even more regular are 10-20F nights, when I do most of my driving. Without driving gloves, my hands start to impede my ability to keep the car going smoothly around corners ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles
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you can't see it once it is shoved in there. also, i wouldn't recommend sandpaper. all you need is one of those cd spindle things. it will probably slide a lot nicer compared to sandpaper.
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I would think the sandpaper would make it worse over time due to the abrasion factor.
Ductaipaso, yes, use the spacer full size, no one will see it because it is clear. 
alan |
Wetordry isn't like regular sandpaper, and the 320 grit is just enough to make things tight without having them too tight. But to each his own
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no no, you break the cd into pieces so they fit into the spaces on the sides of the vents. when i did it i broke it into 4 pieces (with scissors) and then had to cut them down a bit, but once i did you couldn't tell i had jammed them into the vents.
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i guess you'll have to do this to the cabrio next time ur at my place
we can do a writeup lol '93 190E 2.6 » days '92 318ic » weekends '85 280TE » resto Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2009 12:29PM by ducatipaso. |
haha sure, i can do that.
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So very true. I have at least 15 more hp, maybe 20. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1989 - E30 - M20 - Manual. Approximately 270,000 miles 2000 - E46 - M52TUB28 - Manual. Approximately 110,000 miles
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i used a dime. just insert in the gap like you would an old school video game.
works perfect for the center vents. now i need to do the end vents too. costs...a dime each.
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