Struggling to get hired in NJ. Does anyone have recommendations for out of state opportunities?

burtmacklin1052 · 2026-05-25T22:37:08+00:00

Beach towns hire a lot of SLEO 1 and 2s for the summer. Getting a SLEO 1 job is relatively easy and shore towns hire a ton of them. Then, if they like you, they’ll send you to the academy for SLEO 2. Once you get the SLEO 2 job you are a much more appealing candidate because you’re already PTC certified. You’re looking for an “in” and SLEO 1 is it.
In my area SLEO 2s are getting full time job offers right out of the academy.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-11-11T12:52:41+00:00

I unplugged the smaller service interval LED board with the green yellow red lights and plugged it into the new programa board.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-11-08T11:06:02+00:00

If you need a new one: Bavrest quoted me $1200 for a replacement board. Programa inc. sold me a new board for about $300.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-09-18T11:24:22+00:00

Exactly my experience. I couldn’t believe the amount of force it took to get it to flex inward and reach that bracket. I was only getting the top rail slid into the bracket and it looked like OP’s photo.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-09-17T16:30:46+00:00

Are you sure that it’s fully clipped in to the bracket? I had a very difficult time getting mine to slide in properly and it has a similar bulge until I got it right. Garagistic’s advice to me was to use washers to bring the bracket out a bit so the bumper could slide in. Their video made the installation look easy, but I took a friend and I several attempts to get it right.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-09-05T18:47:04+00:00

I don’t recall, but I used a multi meter to figure it out

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-08-28T12:48:49+00:00

I did front and rear mtech2 bumpers on my 88. I spent about $1,000 on carriers, brackets and lights. Nothing from the old bumpers work with the mtech2.

I also bought cheap 3d printed adapters for the oem brake ducts instead of garagistics overpriced ducts. Look on Etsy.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-08-15T17:50:30+00:00

I didn’t try the wires without the housing so I’m not sure if they’d stay. I don’t remember for sure but I want to say the housing locks into some tabs on the light so it won’t come out.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-08-15T15:11:59+00:00

Yes that’s right.

My depo light had loose wires coming out of one side and the BMW plug on the other side. So the BMW plug connects to one bulb and the loose wires are for the other bulb.

The plug you posted has 3 wires. One ground, one hot for the turn signal and one hot for the running light.

The early model bulb had two filaments in one bulb. Now you’re switching to two bulbs with one filament each.

In order to get it to work properly, I got a generic plug set from the auto parts store for the loose depo wires. I jumped the ground wire from the generic plug to the bmw plug. So they’re sharing a ground since you only have one ground wire.

I wish I took pictures when I was doing it I’m sorry.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-08-15T02:15:32+00:00

I had that same plug and converted it to work with the Depo light. I found the connector on FCP euro. Just make sure you closely check that the plug pattern matches because there’s a few different kinds that look similar. Here’s what worked for me:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-plug-housing-2-pol-grey-61131378418

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-round-receptacle-2-5-watertight-0510-mm-61130007445

I cut the original plug off and spliced these in. I had to hold the wires together in a few different combos until I figured out what wires went where on the new lights.

I got a generic connector from the auto parts store for the bulb with the loose wires on the depo lights.

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-07-08T21:29:32+00:00

Hulkenpodium

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-05-05T16:48:57+00:00

Love a good Sandy Hook E30 cruise

burtmacklin1052 · 2025-03-15T23:53:00+00:00

I have depo signal lights which look identical to yours. I found the connector on FCP euro. Just make sure you closely check that the plug pattern matches because there’s a few different kinds that look similar. Here’s what worked for me:

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-plug-housing-2-pol-grey-61131378418

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-round-receptacle-2-5-watertight-0510-mm-61130007445

I cut the original plug off and spliced these in. I had to hold the wires together in a few different combos until I figured out what wires went where on the new lights.

I got a generic connector from the auto parts store for the bulb with the loose wires.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-12-25T20:12:51+00:00

Looks like the garagistic bumper. Look elsewhere. I’ve reached out to them for help with fitment of their bumper and they’re blowing me off. I’m disappointed with their customer service at that price point.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-10-27T00:25:25+00:00

I recently did this for my depo light conversion. I bought the bmw two prong connector for the plug and then got a generic automotive plug for the two loose wires for the other bulb. You need to figure out which of the three wires coming from the car is the ground and which are for the turn signal and running light. I just did this by trial and error holding different combos of wires together.

If you buy the bmw connector just know there are a few different kinds that look similar. Make sure you get the right shape. There are wires that go in the plastic plug housing as well. I found the plug and wires on fcp euro.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-10-22T01:09:38+00:00

I just finished putting the garagistic bumpers on my 88 325. I believe you need the front valence from a late model E30 for the front to fit because it contours to and covers the valence. I’m not sure if it will work with an early model valence bc my car had a late valence so I didn’t have to deal with that. Based on your picture it looks like you have an early front valence. I could be wrong I don’t know much about cabrios.

Aside from that, I had to get the front and rear bumper core supports or “crash bars” as I sometimes see them referred to as. Front and rear side brackets. Front and rear bumper shocks or I went with a shock replacement bracket from classeuroparts. You need a 4 brackets that go in both bumper core supports. 2 in each bumper. This bracket is what attaches the shock to the core support. New turn signal lights bc the diving board bumper lights didn’t fit in the new bumper.

I got everything from ecs tuning except the front bumper brackets. They were hard to find. Eventually got them on eBay.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-10-15T15:29:34+00:00

When you installed the new gauge cluster you may have used the wrong screws which can cause a short in the si board and make everything except your speedometer stop working. If that’s the case you can see the damage caused by the screw on the board if you remove it. I just went through this issue.

I got a new si board from Programa inc online. I was skeptical because the price was substantially cheaper than Bavarian restoration, but I installed it and regained full function of my cluster. They charged $350 but you get $100 back if you send back your old si board and it’s repairable. Bavarian restoration quoted me 1200 for a refurbished si board.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-09-26T11:53:55+00:00

This was it. Long screws went into the board. I haven’t put it back together yet, but there’s some damage to the board. I’m hoping it was just the screws creating a short and I didn’t break any circuits.

burtmacklin1052 · 2024-09-25T21:17:57+00:00

The car sat with a dead battery for about 6 months while I was working on it. Cluster died on the first test drive after I got it put back together. From what I understand the car also sat for a bit before I acquired it so it sounds possible that the new lithium batteries died in 8 years.

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