Bought an old BMW M3, filled with regret...
- Thread starter mrk
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mrk great vids, enjoyed them, its giving me the itch. How much was that for a trackday and also were do you look for these track events?
Nice info too Gibbo, very helpful, The Brake fade is that were the pads have just worn out? Did those brakes fail literally on the bend instantaneously or did you feel them failing before?
Loved the White escort mk2 in the tuition vid, didnt think those cars were still being driven lol
Nice info too Gibbo, very helpful, The Brake fade is that were the pads have just worn out? Did those brakes fail literally on the bend instantaneously or did you feel them failing before?
Loved the White escort mk2 in the tuition vid, didnt think those cars were still being driven lol
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The event was £109 for the whole day. you can book events like this through the MSV Trackdays website. I also added trackday insurance which was £85 through www.insuremytrackday.com.
This one was at Bedford Autodrome, they have their own fuelling station, and I brimmed the tank there. Note: A full tank after middday was reading 170 miles remaining on the OBC
Brake fade is where the heat generated by heavy high speed braking causes the discs, calipers and pads to heat up so much that there is loss of friction until they have cooled down.
EBC have a great page on the subject: https://ebcbrakes.com/articles/what-is-brake-fade
The staff at the briefing on the day said that should you experience this (verbally pointing at everyone with OEM road brakes!) that they should come into the pit lanes every couple of laps and have a 20 minute cool down period.
This one was at Bedford Autodrome, they have their own fuelling station, and I brimmed the tank there. Note: A full tank after middday was reading 170 miles remaining on the OBC
Brake fade is where the heat generated by heavy high speed braking causes the discs, calipers and pads to heat up so much that there is loss of friction until they have cooled down.
EBC have a great page on the subject: https://ebcbrakes.com/articles/what-is-brake-fade
The staff at the briefing on the day said that should you experience this (verbally pointing at everyone with OEM road brakes!) that they should come into the pit lanes every couple of laps and have a 20 minute cool down period.
All road cars suffer on track, whether it's the brakes, tyres, suspension or engine. They simply aren't designed to go for it lap after lap. Brakes are normally the biggest problem as they get worked way harder than they would on the road. Also, as a novice tack driver you tents to brake more often and for longer than a more experienced driver would. This contributes more to the heat problem.
It's really important in a road cr to do a warm up lap and a cool down lap, and as advised to give your car time to rest between stints. I normally do 20-30 minute cool down breaks. It also gives you a chance to calm down and relax, which is equally important IMO.
It's really important in a road cr to do a warm up lap and a cool down lap, and as advised to give your car time to rest between stints. I normally do 20-30 minute cool down breaks. It also gives you a chance to calm down and relax, which is equally important IMO.
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Thanks guys that's great information that i was not aware of.
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"Brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake brake" as though you were purposefully ignoring him in favour of a potential crash
Based on earlier recommendations (thanks Gaygle), I have ordered the Mintex M1144 pads and ATE Typ 200 fluid. Total came to £100 which is a bit of a bargain really. They seem highly regarded for fast street and occasional track use.
Reason I have got them now is that I’ve sent off my old seized calipers to Bigg Red for refurb in premium black finish. The guy I bought the replacement calipers off had them refurbed by Bigg Red also, but opted for the cheaper standard finish which has gone brown after the track day’s heat cycles. This also explains why they were so cheap on the listing. The premium finish is oven baked and in multiple layers, so shouldn’t have this issue.
I’ll just Hammerite smooth the outgoing calipers and put them (along with the OEM pads) up for sale to recoup the cost for this little detour. Going to do the swapout myself with the aid of a workmate who has all the tools and knowledge at hand
My rears are still PFC Z rated pads with 7-8mm left, so they can remain as is since the rears don’t have a hard time at all.
Reason I have got them now is that I’ve sent off my old seized calipers to Bigg Red for refurb in premium black finish. The guy I bought the replacement calipers off had them refurbed by Bigg Red also, but opted for the cheaper standard finish which has gone brown after the track day’s heat cycles. This also explains why they were so cheap on the listing. The premium finish is oven baked and in multiple layers, so shouldn’t have this issue.
I’ll just Hammerite smooth the outgoing calipers and put them (along with the OEM pads) up for sale to recoup the cost for this little detour. Going to do the swapout myself with the aid of a workmate who has all the tools and knowledge at hand
My rears are still PFC Z rated pads with 7-8mm left, so they can remain as is since the rears don’t have a hard time at all.
Old cars in being tedious faff update.
Last week I washed the car and cleaned the arches as usual. No issues... Yesterday I discovered a bubble area under the paint.
I took the car to BMW to see if there's a chance they will ignore the front end respray being done by a non BMW bodyshop as there were a few months left on the 12yr anti-corrosion warranty, but sadly they wouldn't. They did say they get a number of E46s drop in from time to time, and this was the best example they had seen in a long time, I was hoping at this point they'd go "so what I can do as a gesture of good will...." but alas, no dice.
Dropped by the bodyshop and was quoted about £300 to spray a new wing (supplied by me), protect the inner arch area with sealant to prevent/minimise future issues with arch rust and also removal of the passenger side arch lining and clean + seal that as well.
Looking online, a brand new genuine wing is £400 - But I will phone Cotswold on Monday and see how much they want after discount.
Last week I washed the car and cleaned the arches as usual. No issues... Yesterday I discovered a bubble area under the paint.
I took the car to BMW to see if there's a chance they will ignore the front end respray being done by a non BMW bodyshop as there were a few months left on the 12yr anti-corrosion warranty, but sadly they wouldn't. They did say they get a number of E46s drop in from time to time, and this was the best example they had seen in a long time, I was hoping at this point they'd go "so what I can do as a gesture of good will...." but alas, no dice.
Dropped by the bodyshop and was quoted about £300 to spray a new wing (supplied by me), protect the inner arch area with sealant to prevent/minimise future issues with arch rust and also removal of the passenger side arch lining and clean + seal that as well.
Looking online, a brand new genuine wing is £400 - But I will phone Cotswold on Monday and see how much they want after discount.
The rear arches are less prone to rust usually on these!
Reason for new rather than used, bodyshop said there are two options.
1: Cut out the affected section, and weld a new section on, flatten it, prime, paint and protect. Usually this would be fine, but long term might not always be the best option.
2: Replace the whole wing with a new one. Obviously much better for long term.
A used wing in good condition would also be fine, but you can never be sure there isn't the tiniest of holes in the arch, even if microoscopic (as is the case on mine right now) given that the used wing would also be at least 10 years old.
So I'd rather go option 2 and not have that used wing risk looming over.
Reason for new rather than used, bodyshop said there are two options.
1: Cut out the affected section, and weld a new section on, flatten it, prime, paint and protect. Usually this would be fine, but long term might not always be the best option.
2: Replace the whole wing with a new one. Obviously much better for long term.
A used wing in good condition would also be fine, but you can never be sure there isn't the tiniest of holes in the arch, even if microoscopic (as is the case on mine right now) given that the used wing would also be at least 10 years old.
So I'd rather go option 2 and not have that used wing risk looming over.
Yeh forget a used wing - if you can find one without any rust, you've done well! And definitely forget cutting and welding etc for the front wings. They just bolt on and off so they're really easy to replace and the additional effort and labour of cutting and welding means it'll cost the same amount and probably rust again in 12months time. Also, when they get them off, they'll likely be perforated underneath as they usually are. Normally after 12 years, an E46 front wing is fit for scrap only.
Try Harry Fairbairn Kirkcaldy. I remember either they or Cotswold were doing the wings for £250ea. Were they quoting £300 to spray and blend them or just spray? That's a lot of money to spray a brand new wing that is already in primer.
My rear arches are rusting a small amount and these are a massive pain in the arse as you can't just unbolt these like the fronts.
Edit: just checked and 6months ago Cotswold used to do them for £500 a pair, or £265 each. Now - £650 a pair or £345 each...
it's amazing how much more expensive metal has got in the last few months isn't it?!
Try Harry Fairbairn Kirkcaldy. I remember either they or Cotswold were doing the wings for £250ea. Were they quoting £300 to spray and blend them or just spray? That's a lot of money to spray a brand new wing that is already in primer.
My rear arches are rusting a small amount and these are a massive pain in the arse as you can't just unbolt these like the fronts.
Edit: just checked and 6months ago Cotswold used to do them for £500 a pair, or £265 each. Now - £650 a pair or £345 each...
it's amazing how much more expensive metal has got in the last few months isn't it?!
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It's going to cost several hundred, but either way it's a darn sight cheaper than what BMW suggested (£1500 + VAT!). Current intentions are to still keep the car for the foreseeable future, so getting something like this sorted cheap isn't really an option. not that I'd feel better about making it someone else's problem if I decided to sell it in a year or two anyway just to save some £!
I just don't understand why the wings were not Aluminium like the bonnet on these cars, surely it wouldn't have added that much cost? No rust then forever
I managed to get through to Cotswold, and after the 15% discount, it came to £391.
I just don't understand why the wings were not Aluminium like the bonnet on these cars, surely it wouldn't have added that much cost? No rust then forever
I managed to get through to Cotswold, and after the 15% discount, it came to £391.
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One of my front wings is the same, but the bubble has now cracked.. The wings were completely redone and sealed inside etc within the last 2 years. Can't understand why once they've rusted, they will rust again no matter how well they're restored..
I've considered carbon fibre wings to end it once and for all, but read mixed comments about their fitment.
I've considered carbon fibre wings to end it once and for all, but read mixed comments about their fitment.
Yeah if it wasn't made by BMW, then it will never be a 1:1 fit when it comes to core body panels like wings/bumpers generally speaking. Once it's rotten, even if miniscule, that rot will only grow with time. Protecting it will just prolonger arch death. I expect by sealing up the passenger side, I'm adding a couple of years to its life