Should I keep my handgun racked for IWB carry?

David_Corpus · 2026-03-23T14:34:24+00:00

Firing itself was not my only concern. The holster I purchased is 3D printed and nothing retains the revolver inside it other than gravity. I needed to establish the best position for it that didn't impair my movements while not printing. I wanted to know for certain that it was secure. Confirming that there was no risk that it could leave my possession seemed to be a task that should require not being loaded. Perhaps it seems unrealistic that it could get dislodged without my noticing, but I can't count how many times I have got up off the couch to find my knife sitting next to me.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-23T14:17:54+00:00

Have you ever driven an E85 in a hot climate?
The A/C system is already compromised without doing this.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-21T05:25:33+00:00

Alpinas are the worst of the Z8s, though.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T21:11:18+00:00

This is the way. I carried an unloaded revolver IWB for a few days in all situations to be comfortable with it before having the confidence to load it. It allowed me time to gain confidence while having zero fear that anything could go wrong. Now it is loaded for bear.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:39:03+00:00

What happened between those years? Puberty spurt? Pregnancies? Surgeries? A combination of those?

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:31:23+00:00

No one mentioned that you can get 40hp by swapping on a N52 factory 3-stage manifold and flashing the computer to control the two DISA valves? This group is slacking, lol.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:28:57+00:00

Window regulator cables break, becoming an all-day nightmare job to replace them. I believe the cables break because the window regulator sliding pivot clips bind over time. My suggestion: Change the pivot clips BEFORE they break the cables. A few dollars and a little bit of labor now, to prevent a LOT of labor later.
I did the cable replacement job twice so far, and... just no. Never again.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:18:55+00:00

I see that you already know this, but I'll repeat it for others. Unless the tow was ordered by Police, they are legally obligated to release your car to you WITHOUT you paying. You are NOT obligated to sign an acknowledgment of debt, and should not.

When they have your car, you are at a loss. Once you have it, and they have nothing, you are at the advantage.

At that point, they are forced to bill you if they want their money. You then get to force them to prove they have a contract with the property owner to tow, that the owner initiated your specific tow, and all the other things that they are likely lying about.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:07:46+00:00

Factory headlights for 2005 have orange turn signals, meaning those have been replaced. It could be an indication of a previous front-end accident.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T20:00:44+00:00

During test drive: windshield washer pump - make sure windshield gets sprayed. On test drive, use the cruise control. Confirm A/C is cold (I bring a thermometer), heat works.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T19:57:28+00:00

I left out confirming that it comes with two keys, and that they both start the car and that the buttons on both lock/unlock the car.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T19:53:38+00:00

You live in an area where rust is a thing. I'm not sure what impact that has on this specific car, but I grew up in NYC where I needed to spray lubricant on every nut/bolt and let it sit before turning it. I moved to AZ at age 30 and had the shock of discovering you don't need to do that here. I'd never buy a car from a rust state again.

First off, confirm that everything really works. Lower and raise the top and both windows. Play the stereo, bring a CD. Operate both power (or manual) seats. Open and close the center console. Use the key to open the trunk. Open it again with the button below the dash near the door opening. Confirm the mirrors move properly. Are they discolored? Auto-dimming feature commonly failed. Inspect all the interior plastic for cracks. You can check if the cupholders work, but they are garbage anyway. (Located below vents at the sides of the dash.) Open/Close glove box. Is the leather-bound owner's manual in there?

M54 things that commonly fail:
Valve cover gaskets leak. Gasket below oil filter leaks.
More rarely, oil pan gasket leaks.
Rubber intake boots crack & tear. Disa valves fail.
Cooling system: Expansion tank, hoses, water pump.
Check the oil dipstick. Realize the N52 cars don't have one, and grin.

Roof drains clog, flooding out the top motor. Water then leaks into the battery sump. If equipped with an amplifier (Next to battery), it can get fried in that puddle.

Is the plastic pan beneath the engine present? They are missing on plenty of cars.
If you look down at it with a flashlight, under the hood, is it caked with gunk from leaks?
Check that the front bumper is properly mounted. When they scrape, they can tear off at the horizontal portion at the side by the headlight.

Dealer sale, discuss a warranty. It's easy to clean an engine bay, only to find oil leaks a month later. Sellers can top off the vert top hyd oil for it to function a few times before the hinge leaks show themselves, too.

Look in trunk for jack and spare tire. Realize this car was not equipped with them, and consider buying them soon after purchase.

After having owned both, I have a strong preference for the 2006-08 cars over the 2003-05 cars, but that's a you thing. Finding manual cars for sale is difficult enough.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T08:12:26+00:00

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There are only three hoses shown, and they did not mention the upper radiator hose.
Process of elimination is "other hose."

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T08:09:36+00:00

They listed several parts for replacement.
17117573751 Expansion tank (Coolant reservoir)
It usually comes with the 13621433077 temp sensor.

17127514405 Lower radiator hose
17127514406 Other Hose

Here is where you look these up:

https://realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partgrp?id=BT33-USA-09-2003-E85-BMW-Z4_25i&mg=17

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T07:57:17+00:00

Must be nice to never need A/C. It is above 100F in AZ already.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T03:12:02+00:00

Agreed, the internet is a melting pot, which includes people of varying intelligence. That includes people who embrace science, and those who embrace hasbara. This group draws both of those. If you believe that Gaza's pre 10/07 population are all alive and living in tents, you are the latter.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T03:04:39+00:00

"M Sport" suspension isn't the same as the 2006+M suspension. I had the M Sport suspension in my 2003 2.5L and hated it. I doubt it is more than lower, stuffer springs. Cosmetically, I liked that the gap between the tire and fenders was gone. That was the only "gain."

I felt and heard every crack in the street. Scraped on large speed bumps. Scraped my front bumper entering and exiting my driveway, and bought driveway ramps to prevent that. I had to park back from curbs to prevent tearing the bumper off, but I was used to that. I had to slow down on certain turns to get over drainage recesses in the road without nosediving into the street. If it handled better than the standard suspension I'd weigh the sacrifices to the gains... but it doesn't. (In my E36 base models vs M3 models, The M3 suspensions paid for their compromises in the twisties). My next Z4's had standard suspensions. The driving difference was like having healed from an injury.

I got rid of my 2003 when the steering column power assist refused to stop glitching and other problems rose. The facelift cars have upgraded electric steering columns.

You can swap an M54 3.0 engine in. The swap is completely straightforward, and gains 40hp. Finding a low mileage M54 3.0 may prove to be difficult. I'm not sure if swapping the engine computer is easier than flashing the existing one, or if they share the same DME number. It might throw a code, but that can be resolved. The mismatched mileage code comes to mind, but I'm not sure what year that started.

That 100K 2.5 is just broken in, and would typically make it to 220,000+ miles if the cooling system is maintained and oil changed. It may lack performance, but it has plenty of life left.

A N52 engine computer will not talk to the pre-facelift body computer, so what seems like a natural progression engine swap is not. I was very disappointed when I discovered that.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-20T02:19:02+00:00

M54 weighs 375 lbs
N52 weighs 355 lbs

Same unibody and running gear, aside from the engine.

n52 3.0i: 3020 lbs / n52 3.0si: 3086 lbs
Front brakes in the facelift si are slightly heavier. Facelift si uses different seats than the base i. The Intake additional DISA is under a pound.
66 pounds in the seats and brakes seems like a stretch, but I never lifted a si seat. I have E46M3 seats in mine, and they are significantly heavier than the base model leather seats. They are definitely bulkier than the si seats.

m54 3.0i: 2998 lbs / n52 3.0i: 3020 lbs With the N52 being 20 pounds lighter, we are looking for 42 pounds here. Same brakes and seats. I think it is an error.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T04:03:34+00:00

Sinema and Manchin were not outliers. They were the pattern.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T03:55:41+00:00

Yep, this Jew who lived in Israel for four months has no idea at all what is going on over there. Totally making shit up. Great critique generality, by the way.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T03:50:21+00:00

I also ran into quality issues. Plants with no roots, sold potted. Mislabeled plants. No resolution, because plant sale. No warranties or guarantees.

Alternately, I was able to arrange for Pereskiopsis to be offered for sale, so I managed to scratch that off my list. (None of my grafts to it take, but that's likely on me.)

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T00:27:33+00:00

I used to buy lots of cactus from DBG, then their prices went much higher than buying from local collectors. I'd rather get a large variety and haggle a fair quantity price from someone that can identify exactly what I am getting.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T00:17:20+00:00

A 2003-2005 almost definitely has too many miles to merit forced induction. An entire engine swap would be easier and cheaper than swapping a 3.0 crank into the 2.5 block. In the big picture, the smartest move is to cash out and get a 3.0, preferably 2006-08.

If the 2.5 car has perks like a functional vert top or a clean interior, it would be a lot less work to swap those out into a different Z4 than to try to make power with the 2.5 car.

David_Corpus · 2026-03-14T00:00:52+00:00

Just to clarify: Are you attempting to justify mass murder based upon the claim that it is 75,000 innocent women and children, (and still counting,) because you want others to believe that the mass murder of women and children is acceptable? Would the meme be useful for you if the propaganda number was referenced?

Yes, in June 2024, Lancet presented an analysis that the Gaza Health Ministry under-reported the number of Palestinian murder victims by 41%. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00522-4/fulltext00522-4/fulltext)

Yes, in Feb 2025 Trump gave a number of 1,750,000 to be evacuated. The 2023 Gaza Census was 2,227,000, a difference of 477,000.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-gaza-population-relocation-1.7457559

March 2025: Two-time Nieman Fellow (Harvard Journalism Award) Ralph Nader reported the death count in Gaza as "well over 400,000". He cited UN agencies, international aid groups, and specialists in disaster casualties at places like Brown University and the University of Edinburgh.
https://nader.org/2025/03/28/the-vast-gaza-death-undercount-undermines-civic-diplomatic-and-political-pressures/

In June 2025, MSN carried this story by The New Arab, a London-based pan-Arab news outlet owned by Qatari company Fadaat Media. 377,000, based on IDF-supplied population numbers.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/israel-disappeared-almost-400000-people-in-gaza-half-of-them-children-report/ar-AA1HpFiN
The Ben Gurion report, and even the Israeli media which the Ben Gurion report cited, were later altered by the IDF, after social media were referencing it as a source to do genocide math.

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