How to Fix Loose Air Vents in an E30

Today I take car of an issue I have been having with the air vents in my E30. Over time the plastic has aged and the vents are not as tight in their sockets as they should be, so whenever the car goes over a rough part in the road, the vents fall down. A minor annoyance, but a few mylar shims will tidy this right up. The topic of this video is the essence of the series. I take a very minor inconvenience I've come to live with after driving this car for over a year, and fixed it with 30 minutes of work. This little improvement may mean nothing to someone else, but whenever I adjust the vents in the car, or turn on the air conditioning, I'll know the contribution this small detail makes in the everyday enjoyment of the car. Small project like this are what I love about working on cars, and I'm glad I could share it with you. 0:23 - Getting the vents out of their sockets is simple as pie, but I'm careful to apply delicate pressure as I don't wan to crack this plastic that has seen sun and heat for 30+ years. 0:46 - I noticed how dirty these areas were, and since I had backstage access, it was a great time to clean up. 1:11 - Soap and hot water knocks off the hard to reach dust on the vent fins. 1:25 - A trip to the hardware store to pick up the correct sized mylar shims. I wanted to get some that were thin enough that I could have a few for two reasons. 1) More flexibility in how tight the vents were in their sockets and 2) how freely the vents can move without squeaking. 1:40 - A bit more care to place the vents back in place - I had some issues with the mylar shims popping off the peg you see when I tried to drop the vents in. Next time, a spot of grease might hold the shims to the side of the socket, and make life a bit easier. 2:10 - Success! The vents move freely when I want them to, but not when I don't!