Bought an old BMW M3, filled with regret...

It is complete!

(NOTE: I've had both springs replaced now not just the one)

MOT and PDC sensor diagnostic left and I'll collect on Friday :cool:

I now have a folder full of videos and files from day 1 at Redish. Superb stuff, especially seeing how they tackled various issues and did the work.
 
They can be hard to reach on the phone usually but they are busy doing the above I guess for each customer :p

I've had calls, emails, whatsapp messages and youtube videos about work being done so that's a rather impressive array of modes of communication.

badgeruk said:
:) Bet you cant wait to take it for a spin again. Only a couple of weeks till mine goes in now.
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Yep! Although I need to let the new bearings bed in I am told so will be taking it easy for a couple of weeks.

Are you just having the bearing shells done or other work too?

I'm glad I had the comprehensive check done as it highlighted lots of little things to be seen to, not major in size or cost, but things that otherwise aren't really paid attention to like missing or broken clips and trim bits, or nuts that are corroded etc.

The spring being broken also explains the scraping noise I used to hear from the rear right. Thought it was the heat shield on the brake, but it was a chunk of spring being missing and only audible when turning left so compression on the broken spring!
 
Just the bearing shells and bolts (plus what ever else he said). I did ask if there was anything else he recommended yet but he said at my millage and age nothing else should need doing. I'll see what they say once they get it, if anything else needs doing and I'll either get it done then if it makes sense or just book it in later in the year. All depends on the cost of the roof repair, and if the mot throws anything up.
 
I know some dealers now record videos etc but I've not seen one as detailed on each part of the job. Glad I went with them! It's a long distance away, gotta train it to them tomorrow which is 2hrs, but worth it!

badgeruk said:
Just the bearing shells and bolts (plus what ever else he said). I did ask if there was anything else he recommended yet but he said at my millage and age nothing else should need doing. I'll see what they say once they get it, if anything else needs doing and I'll either get it done then if it makes sense or just book it in later in the year. All depends on the cost of the roof repair, and if the mot throws anything up.
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Ah that's fair. I forgot yours was such low mileage.
 
Picked the car up Friday 5PM, got home at 11PM!

Ended up exploring Redish's workshop and chatting for ages to James and the other guys. Top folks for sure. They had a monster V10 E46 M3 being worked on still, the very car that initially caused the backlog before Christmas with a bottom end rebuild and the owner throwing parts at it. Along with a CSL, a CS, a maroon E46 M3 coupe, an E36 M3 and a pearl white E92 M3 that has had the same owner since new and he drifts it in the snow regularly :cool:

Regarding the car, James Redish did a 20 mile road test in it to make sure everything was good with the job and remarked that it was smoother and felt stronger in the low rpm acceleration than his E46 M3 coupe which he has done an engine rebuild on. On the drive home I didn't push past 3500rpm as was advised to let the bearing shells bed in properly over 500 miles or so, but today as I was on 350 miles went up to 4000rpm max on some low rpm mild pulls during a trip to London and certainly noticed a distinct difference in smoothness between 2000 and 4000rpm. It's just stronger and smoother than what the old engine was, and that was what I thought pretty smooth at low rpm. Now it's smooth and linear in acceleration from 2000rpm in all gears.

Maybe the combination of the new LUK clutch and flywheel and bearing shells and engine being completely clean inside has helped?

Next time I'm down by Evolve's area I'll book in a dyno run. They ran it at 345.5BHP on the old engine post remap with 380Nm torque with the bulk of the gains being 6krpm and above. To me it feels like at least 10bhp more from 2000rpm. I'd confidently say it's closer to the CSL's 355/360bhp now.

My PDC issue has not been fixed however. The loom has been checked, the PDC module reports to the diagnostics without any errors and also reports that all sensors are activating, but there's a constant beep. Now one or two sensors do look like they have more layers of paint and one with flaking paint so the consensus is that the extra paint layers adding thickness is tricking the PDC to think something is too close hence the constant tone.

I have 4x spare sensors in a box unpainted, so will get a body shop to paint them and install them one day to see if that sorts it, but before then will scrape the paint layers off the existing ones in place and see if PDC works, if it does I'll get the spare ones fitted after being painted.

I also got the stone chipped and kerb marked alloys exchanged at FA Wheels, so now my wheels are also fresh. My mind is cleansed. Pic related.

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Seems that way.

There's only one thing I need to have seen to now and that's the handbrake shoes. It came up as an advisory on the MOT that was done for the right side as fluctuating slightly but not enough to fail. So will just replace both side shoes.

This video demonstrates exactly what needs to be done, a Sunday afternoon DIY job coming up then!

 
Nice to see you sticking with this. I popped in Redish when they first opened and my e36 promptly popped its radiator in their car park. They sorted it out pronto and their service is fab, nice guys too!
 
Agent_Smith357 said:
Has a different PDC module been tried ? The parking sensors on my E46 used to just scream and I tried a few things but a 2nd hand PDC module fixed it. You will have to reprogram it but thats simple with NCS Expert.
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Module has not been changed, it is working perfectly fine though as it reports no errors. Occam's razor should be applied here as above!

robnut said:
Nice to see you sticking with this. I popped in Redish when they first opened and my e36 promptly popped its radiator in their car park. They sorted it out pronto and their service is fab, nice guys too!
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If they were closer I'd get everything done by them tbh!
 
I just need the 500 miles to elapse so I can explore a slightly higher rev range once again :D

I'll wait until it's closer to 1000 miles before touching redline every now and then, but the sweet spot has always been shifting at around 7500rpm post remap, nice thump into the seat back and off the revs climb with all the induction noise :cool:
 
With the pdc, mine had intermittent issues with it beeping as soon as I put it reverse. After a bit of investigation (I’m sure some of the cables supplied diagnostics let you see each sensors output), I noticed ever so slightly damaged lacquer on the bad one, I just gently removed most of the lacquer to get rid of the flaky bit and that sorted it. My backup plan was to get the land rover ones that fit, which I may do if I ever get the car respirated, but at the moment there are no issues so not bothering.
 
Was going to say had the same issue with pdc on mine and simply removing the paint fixed it. I also had to adjust the rear drum as well with the screw driver. I do miss my m3 all the time but not the bills it gave me like the whole SMG unit failing then the vanos.
 
Mine will require more than just the screwdriver I think as something is loose in there and clattering about and scraping! The shoes still work of course but I'd hazard to say that the push pin bolts that hold the shoes in place at least one of them have broken off causing one of the shoes to bob about whilst driving causing the scraping and clattering.
 
I did ask in the BMW thread, but got stupid response on why an E46 was £10k. So maybe better luck in here,

Im considering buying an E46 M3 for me to use up until September, by which time I plan to sell it on.

One has come up for sale local to me, I plan on looking, but any advice on it? Spec list is below and its up for £10k.

2002 manual coupe in carbon Schwartz black.
124K FSH , most bmw dealer and specialists.
4 owners
Sunroof
HK
Red leather
Power mirrors
Carbon fibre CSL style air box , and mapped ecu
Just had a full vanos overhaul not even 25 miles ago
Bottom end bearings done (by BMW at 44k)
Clutch and flywheels 2k ago
Oil and filter change 500 ago
New chain guides
Head gasket replaced.
Original 19” wheels ( need refurbish )
And a set of 18” with ad08s (just refurbished)
Stud and nut conversion
10m hubcentric spacers
Subframe reinforced
 
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