4 new tyres for the 18s on the compact, wasn’t keen on using the ones on them which date from 2015 and have been sat pretty much unused for a few years.
I know they’re old tech, but I run stoppid settings and like directional tyres so I can flip them over and pretty much double their lifespan.
Hankook Ventus evo were the cheapest not totally crap ones I could find.
The spare wheel looked horrible and rusty and wouldn’t hold air, I guess rust had crept under the tyre bead.
Some basic e46s used the same wheel and they live inside the boot on those. Just need to make sure it has the two little peg holes between two of the bolt holes so it fits the holder properly.
The car came with a nice looking strut brace. Unfortunately it wasn’t doing anything because the mounting points on one side had ripped out and it was flapping in the breeze.
I did various repairs and made an insert with captive nuts so it would actually bolt up. However, because I’d put the M3 reinforcement plates under the strut towers the topmount studs weren’t long enough to give more than a thread of engagement.
So I made some shouldered nuts out of some stainless m8 connecting nuts. Obviously I don’t have a lathe so whittled them up holding one end in a drill and using an angle grinder to turn them down, then trim to length.
Another job ticked off the list, and one less ‘thing’ cluttering up my shed!
Eventually it stopped expanding and I was able to build up layers of new metal. It is NOT pretty but it’s solid. I’ll grind it down a bit, put fresh paint over the whole arm and as far as the MOT is concerned, I think we’re OK 
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