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

[mrk]

With the lights on the rev counter, am I right in thinking that the M3 limits the revs to 4k from cold? Good touch if so

I think the orange lights on the rev counter simply give a visual indication of the "ear sex" zone

The redline is variable, it will increase as the engine warms up and the engine/exhaust will be in loud mode until 5500-6000rpm variable has been reached. Once at normal engine temp, a single amber and 2 reds will remain at the top end

SMG models have a shift light which lights up all the lights to indicate a good shift moment, the manual can have this enabled with a reprogram. Evolve charge £50 for this or you can do it free if you have the right cable and software.

Here's the shift lights in action on someone else's manual car:

 

[mrk]

Ah yeah, the moment you apply throttle the torque is there and it's tight and all is well, it's when just gently moving forwards and shifting casually between 1st and 2nd at very low speeds it can be heard!

Heard the same noise in others too including the CSL.

 

[mrk]

Aye but still good to get it checked whenever it's in the garage next I guess

 

[mrk]

I've read that because the boot floor is double walled, simply taking out the boot lining and inspecting the wall isn't enough, gotta check the underside beneath the car too.

I'll get mine booked in at BMW between Spring and Summer hols unless I have a free weekend to spare and can get it inspected sooner and then once again shortly before the warranty expires. If it remains crack free then resin injection should sort it for the long run as Gibbo says

Mine was gayer though, namely coz I had you in it

Top lols
Any pics of your one Will?

Mrk, Gibbo. I hope you're happy with yourselves

Just put a deposit down on an M3 because of you guys.

Haven't quite figured out how I'm going to explain this to the girlfriend...

Details required!

 

[mrk]

Your headlamp lens looks different, is it all one piece?

Also, M-Sport mode, do you mean the normal Sport mode button?

 

[mrk]

That's interesting, need more details on this now

When you say program, via special software or the usual is there a tool that does it?

 

[mrk]

Thanks will have a good read later!

 

[mrk]

Certainly something to consider... in time I don't want to go into tuning and more BHP etc so soon. I barely even know how well the stock S54 will stretch!

For now, stock is best and once I'm familiar with the performance I can look to ECU modifications. I don't want to change the sound of the exhaust or intake either, I'm really pleased with how things sound as is and don't want to change the appearance of anything either so will leave those well alone

Edit*
Just seen redish's video on refreshing the undercarriage, pretty big task, didn't realise all that was involved.

Do BMW do it to the same standard too? (Obviously minus the customer choice in colour etc)

 

[mrk]

I've always been a manual fan myself even though I've driven DCT/MCT and enjoyed them. There's no replacement for a good involving manual though

I have had an update from Andrive. I spoke to them on the phone on Monday and they said it is still in transit and that they could refund me if I wanted, I said no I will wait and that was that.

Today I got this message:

28/01/2015 Refunded We do apologise but due to the delay on your order, we have refunded your credit or debit card. This'll typically take 3-5 days to reflect on your account.

Please check the website for stock in the coming weeks.

Kind Regards,

Andrive Sales.

Lol? Looks like I may go the Parrot Asteroid route then. Such a shame, AN46-3 seemed to be a great unit but I can't be dealing with this faff.

Edit*
Just seen Parrot have a new RNB6 Asteroid running Android Auto and Apple CarPlay coming out. I'm going to wait for this. Have tweeted them to see about getting a review sample...

 

[mrk]

Great stuff! The coolant needle might not always be dead centre even though we always read online etc that it should be. From what I read after reading multiple owners club posts mid last year, there is a buffer to the needle so it may sit slightly under on some cars. You can check fairly easily the actual temp of the water though by going into the cluster hidden menu. Hold down the left stick button on the cluster and turn key to position 2.

Let go and quickly keep pressing the right cluster button until you hit number 19, after a second the menu will unlock, go to position 7. IIRC the first reading is the water temp, pressing the button cycles the other temps/.readings. Someone put up a key to which number tab refers to what.

I may have read completely wrong but it makes a bit of sense if your thermostat is fine

When you're in 4th gear pull to redline, you'll feel the strength in that gear on the motorway good and proper

 

[mrk]

Didn't we used to have loads of E46 M3 owners on here back in the day?

I had a Civic 1.5 LSi back then iirc

 

[mrk]

250? The heck have you stripped off it to save that much weight!

 

[mrk]

Finding a decent OEM looking head unit that isn't a Chinese clone one of the big name ones (Dynavin/Ownice/Andrive etc) is a nightmare.

I'm still waiting on the Parrot Asteroid Smart RNB6 but the £350~ of the current model is very tempting.

DIY modding the existing BMW CD head unit harness seems simple enough in conjunction with the aftermarket double din fascia. It should end up looking like this:

As you can see, from the guy's pic, the sides are quite empty, how this looks does seem to depend on the trim and cabin colours. Luckily my dash is black with dark grey trim anyway so it should look alright.

I can wait, I will see how long the Android Auto unit takes to be released and how much, else I'll go with the Smart. installation sounds like a mixed bag, some saying the wires supplied will simply work whereas others saying re-wiring is required - I'm really not so sure.

Naturally I'd prefer an OEM looking one so if by that time Andrive's unit is back in stock I may give them a 2nd chance...

 

[mrk]

True, I've come across the Avin 2, similar to the Andrive, different UI and supports up to 128GB of storage as well as mirrorlink (wired+wireless).

https://avinusa.com/bmw-e46-avant2-full-android-multimedia-navigation-system.html

They have a comprehensive install guide too and looks like they have spent some time putting thought into what to put in it. Free UK shipping too.

I'll wait 2 weeks and if no Andrive stock arrives I'll order that.

 

[mrk]

That honestly looks fine! Unless it seriously did look completely gash (I'm talking some flip out screen thing of which the above looks infinitely better than, or maybe a single DIN unit sitting amongst a sea of cheap fascia adaptor plastics), then I'd prioritise sound quality, functionality, reliability, and ergonomics over the fact it doesn't quite perhaps look as 110% OEM as a cheap Chinese POS.



PMK, do a writeup/thread on your car change please

Tell me about it!

The Parrot one has higher quality components, a decent Mosfet amp and higher quality Bluetooth standard too, as well as a higher quality dual external mic but the Avin-2 has discreet external GPS dongle that tucks just under the heater vents and magnetically attaches to the pipework behind them and receives perfect reception there - The upshot of this is no visible cabling/aerials on the dash.

The Parrot is actively updated and is easily rooted too.

Swings and roundabouts :S

 

[mrk]

I'm not so sure. I never remapped my 335i because, even after nearly 3 years of 320bhp under my right foot, never found it needing anymore power in any situation I had been in. Hopefully this will be the same.

TBH PMK does need that massive power

I'm inclined to agree with you though. In my driving it so far I've yet to come across a situation where more power would have been wanted/needed. Overtaking a few cars required in a quick moment? No problem. Traffic light GP? No problem. Technical road ahead? No problem!

The only time I can see there being a problem is if you decide to fanny around with a big power AWD car on the road - But who does that

But seriously, for more legit reasons, trackdays I guess is where it would be handy - Something I don't have much interest in doing anyway!

 

[mrk]

Had a price list and options available for the guy who can reprogram stuff, I've bolded the stuff that sounds most interesting for me, some I already have so looks like previous owner did do some stuff at one point.

NCS Coding Changes (as many changes as you want for £40)

M Track Mode (Oct 2002 Onwards)
Roof or Sunroof Open / Close from key
Windows close from key (including rears on coupe)
Mirror memory position adjustment when in reverse.
Alarm Beep on lock / unlock
Alarm Flash on lock / unlock
Alarm Tone volume and Beep / Continuous Sound
Headlights Flash when Alarm Sounding
Doors lock above 5mph
Car re locks automatically if unlocked and then left for 2 minutes.
Comfort Opening (Drivers window lowers with double push of unlock)
Panic alarm (Hold boot release button)
TV in motion
Voice Recognition
Follow Me Home Lights
Double Impulse Hazards
Electric Mirrors Fold on lock/unlock (if you have electric fold)

DME Coding Changes (additional £40 for as many of the below as you want)

6MT Shift Lights (SMG already has this)
Speed limit Removal.
Enable sport button memory.
Modified Oil temperature warning light ranges.
Modified rev limits from 7900RPM up to 8200RPM
Sport Button Curve Adjustment.

I don't like using the 'fake' Sport mode but am interested in seeing what teh curve adjustment does.

I'll get those done when I'm next in the area, no rush

 

[mrk]

Not bad.

Although you can do a lot of these from Navcoder just by ticking the boxes you want! Did it last night in about 60 seconds to allow me to leave the lights on and them turn off when the engine does, like in the E92.

Don't do the 5mph lock doors though. It's annoying as hell.

Navcoder? More details needed! Can you post up exactly what options it allows you to code? Their website doesn't list too much. If it has most of the stuff I want then it's 20 Euros and I can buy the correct cable. Saves me ~£40 if so!

I had the 5mph lock in the old car, thought it was quite neat

 

[mrk]

It is standard, on coupes though the rear windows will slide out to open but when you hold to close with the key, only the front windows will close leaving the rear windows open. Some safety thing or some such. The mod solves that issue by re-enabling the rear windows too from the fob.

 

[mrk]

I wouldn't get hung up on the paper figure too much. It certainly doesn't feel like a 'lowly' 365Nm on the road especially with all the drama and high rev stuff going on.

All I can say is either test drive one or be driven in one so you can get a feel for it!