Bought an old BMW M3, filled with regret...
- Thread starter mrk
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Paint work looks amazing.
I give it 3 minutes of driving before it looks like it hasn't been washed in a month
Or an Arctic parks on top of it while mrk buys tea
I'd like to see an arctic get into Tesco car parks
Rybo that's sickening.
On the upside, the sun is out and it's warm out, so the roof is going down in a bit
Rybo that's sickening.
Well this is what u was greeted with this mornkngPaint work looks amazing.
I give it 3 minutes of driving before it looks like it hasn't been washed in a month
On the upside, the sun is out and it's warm out, so the roof is going down in a bit
I'd like to see an arctic get into Tesco car parks
Rybo that's sickening.
Well this is what u was greeted with this mornkng
http://robbiekhan.co.uk/root/temp/rps20161124_110833_599.jpg[/IMG
On the upside, the sun is out and it's warm out, so the roof is going down in a bit :cool:[/QUOTE]
[IMG]https://darrellcreswell.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/why-did-god-let-this-happen.jpg
Of course you are completely correct, but people tend to find the behaviour borderline compulsive, it's just the compulsion isn't fuelled by a fear it'll kill you.. We have someone with actual OCD that uses our car park, a terrible condition to have, he checks all door handles 10 times, walks away, goes back, checks them all again, then walks off, it seemed funny at first, but we soon realised it's absolutely something you wouldn't want..
The replacement PDC module arrived today, I ordered a used one for £15, figured may as well.
So where is the PDC module located on a convertible E46? Could it be a convenient location like on the saloon and coupe and virtually every other BMW of that era such as the boot behind the carpeting where there is loads of space?
No.
It is behind the rear quarter trim, and to get to it you have to take all the seat bits out, and then step 2 for the side panels
So where is the PDC module located on a convertible E46? Could it be a convenient location like on the saloon and coupe and virtually every other BMW of that era such as the boot behind the carpeting where there is loads of space?
No.
It is behind the rear quarter trim, and to get to it you have to take all the seat bits out, and then step 2 for the side panels
The replacement PDC module arrived today, I ordered a used one for £15, figured may as well.
So where is the PDC module located on a convertible E46? Could it be a convenient location like on the saloon and coupe and virtually every other BMW of that era such as the boot behind the carpeting where there is loads of space?
No.
It is behind the rear quarter trim, and to get to it you have to take all the seat bits out, and then step 2 for the side panels
Pah, that's where the Roof Control MCU is, I had to get to that to piggy back it with the Smarttop Module, I think it was only a 20 minute job the first time to remove the lower side panel, the next time only took 10 mins when I installed the head unit which needed the extension cables running front to back..
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Nice read here...
What is the best BMW M3 of all times? We look at all the BMW M3 models and choose the best M3
http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/02/07/best-bmw-m3-ever/
What is the best BMW M3 of all times? We look at all the BMW M3 models and choose the best M3
http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/02/07/best-bmw-m3-ever/
Capability and character are obviously two different things. For me, the E46 M3 is a balance of both - it has bags of character, is great to drive and has a good amount of power. We all know character comes from flaws, and sometimes you can get bored with "character" and want something that works impeccably. Sometimes, it's vice versa. For me, it is as below:
The E30 M3 has bags of character - but it's not capable at all, and I bet not much fun to drive as a result.
The E36 M3 has less character but has an engine more befitting. It still wasn't a "great" M Car though.
The E46 M3 - as above. The engine, the looks, the refinement without being overly refined just make it a great all round package.
The E92 M3, an glorious engine, hugely capable, but it's getting a bit big and heavy now. Still would have one in a heartbeat though, if nothing else, for that engine.
The F30 M3 - it looks beautiful, aggressive and with an excellent engine which is monsterously fast and versatile - but I think this this has robbed it of character. It's the first M Car that has made me think "Hmmm, would I have it? Or would I check out to see what the competition have to offer." I guess would still have one, but it suffers from the 335i effect in that's it just too good for it's own good and its only flaw is that it's got no flaws. I also think it's just got too much power. 450bhp for a road car is just mad and the only place you could really push it is at a track. But are you going to want to take your £60k car to a track? Some will - most wouldn't.
It all comes back to fun. Having got the Mini, it's reminded me of this. I even think my E46 M3 is too fast to properly exploit, as I can be well in three figures before I know it. The Mini with it's 170bhp and lightweight is hugely fun - and I think this is the future for me. It's easy to see why so many people by MX-5s.
LuK clutches are well recommended. It's about £350 for the clutch and flywheel parts and about £200 for the labour (depending on where you go), so £500-600 at a guess?
BMW use LUK clutches in the E46, and clutch kits are £202 with the 67% off applied at ECP at the moment. Might be wise pre-empting the replacement and buying now at that sort of price if you know you'll need one soon?
Typical life depends on how the car has been driven, I know mine has lead an easy life mechanically, and I'm not expecting to need to look at replacing it until 100K miles at least. I'll see what the indy says when they take a look at it during the next inspection service.
Every time I read or watch something about the E30 M3, I always see the same trend. Those owners/reviewers say it lacks the power, but makes up for it by being an utterly fun car filled with character. I think that's the whole premise of it, and the reason why the E30 has loads of motorsport history behind it. It was very capable for its time, but not in the same way the E46 M3 is still very capable today it seems.
I agree to the most extent that the E46 M3 might have a bit too much power to be able to exploit on the road. But I think for the weight of the car, it's got an engine that completely suits it. But as you say, you can never fully exploit the power all the time, at least not legally anyway.
That's one of the reasons I got the Eventuri, the induction noise from 3000-4000rpm is addictive, and eggs you on to stay in that range just to hear the noise. So you're not really going too fast, but not dawdling about either. On the motorway it's the exact range you're in when cruising along in 6th and applying mild throttle to overtake. Feels good man
Before the Eventuri, I wanted to explore redline more often just to hear and feel the engine noise, but now the mid rpm induction noise is just as satisfying. I think we talked about this before, and pondered why BMW didn't just put the better intake on all M3s to begin with.
In the newer models, things are subdued, and almost too refined (hence the lacking in character). I think the designers in many ways have made up for that in making a design that visually makes up that character to the most extent. They do look great! Whereas the older cars only got more and more lary as the rpms went up, even though they looked less in your face on the outside.
Typical life depends on how the car has been driven, I know mine has lead an easy life mechanically, and I'm not expecting to need to look at replacing it until 100K miles at least. I'll see what the indy says when they take a look at it during the next inspection service.
Every time I read or watch something about the E30 M3, I always see the same trend. Those owners/reviewers say it lacks the power, but makes up for it by being an utterly fun car filled with character. I think that's the whole premise of it, and the reason why the E30 has loads of motorsport history behind it. It was very capable for its time, but not in the same way the E46 M3 is still very capable today it seems.
I agree to the most extent that the E46 M3 might have a bit too much power to be able to exploit on the road. But I think for the weight of the car, it's got an engine that completely suits it. But as you say, you can never fully exploit the power all the time, at least not legally anyway.
That's one of the reasons I got the Eventuri, the induction noise from 3000-4000rpm is addictive, and eggs you on to stay in that range just to hear the noise. So you're not really going too fast, but not dawdling about either. On the motorway it's the exact range you're in when cruising along in 6th and applying mild throttle to overtake. Feels good man
Before the Eventuri, I wanted to explore redline more often just to hear and feel the engine noise, but now the mid rpm induction noise is just as satisfying. I think we talked about this before, and pondered why BMW didn't just put the better intake on all M3s to begin with.
In the newer models, things are subdued, and almost too refined (hence the lacking in character). I think the designers in many ways have made up for that in making a design that visually makes up that character to the most extent. They do look great! Whereas the older cars only got more and more lary as the rpms went up, even though they looked less in your face on the outside.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
'We look at pics and stats of some M3s and write a badly spelt article about which is the bestest'
article said:
'By far and away'? It was marginally more powerful than the outgoing model...
Articles like that are too subjective and usually removed from car availability (much like EVO car of the year) and at any budget. The best for hooning around a track while trying to set lap times has to be an F82 GTS. For the driving experience while setting those times it would be the E90 GTS over the F82 GTS, etc.. Everyday in the real world it'll be a normal F82.
Still, that aside it would be an E30 EVO II as the best of the lot in my book.
Still, that aside it would be an E30 EVO II as the best of the lot in my book.
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Thanks for the clutch info chaps. I did indeed look at the LUK clutch and thought it was quite a reasonable price. Do you change the flywheel just to be on the safe side?
Edit. And regarding subframe cracks, have any of you guys suffered from it? And have you had the diff carrier off for a proper inspection?
Edit. And regarding subframe cracks, have any of you guys suffered from it? And have you had the diff carrier off for a proper inspection?
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I changed my clutch and flywheel when I had a low mileage gearbox fitted..
At 86K Miles, my clutch was worn about 75%, and the flywheel was about 50% worn (They can easily measure the play in it), so whilst they said it had clearly not had a hard life I decided to change both just so it's done and something to forget about..
I would change the flywheel purely as it's a DMF, so does get worn over time.
Regarding the sub-frame, mine was inspected at 72K miles with no cracks, but the owner back then knew the service manager at the local BMW garage so had it done as a matter of course.. Quite frankly if I keep the car for a while I'd probably get it re-inforced properly at ETA just to be safe, I think £750 isn't too bad for that..
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Yeah I'm gonna look to book mine on at ETA next year. It's got no cracks, but would rather it seen to before a crack appears and have it done and dusted.
Oh yeah, so I took my rear seats and panels out the other day, super excited about replacing the pdc module and fixing the annoying beep. The task took longer than 20 minutes, more like 45, doing everything slowly and also trying to find 7 and 8 mm sockets in the toolbox...
Was the module behind all the guff? Was it chuff. All I found was the roof control module.
Also found a secret cubby to stash "things".
Looks like on 2005+ cars the pdc module is in the same place as on the all coupes, passenger side behind the carpeting in the boot, whereas it's behind the side panel behind the rear seats on all other convertibles. Perhaps the location also depends on the original spec of the car I don't know.
At least it gave me an opportunity to clean out some debris from the crevices....
Oh yeah, so I took my rear seats and panels out the other day, super excited about replacing the pdc module and fixing the annoying beep. The task took longer than 20 minutes, more like 45, doing everything slowly and also trying to find 7 and 8 mm sockets in the toolbox...
Was the module behind all the guff? Was it chuff. All I found was the roof control module.
Also found a secret cubby to stash "things".
Looks like on 2005+ cars the pdc module is in the same place as on the all coupes, passenger side behind the carpeting in the boot, whereas it's behind the side panel behind the rear seats on all other convertibles. Perhaps the location also depends on the original spec of the car I don't know.
At least it gave me an opportunity to clean out some debris from the crevices....
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