My '96 E36 M3 Evo Saloon

[muzza289]

yep - i think it was royal.

i spoke to him in advance about what i wanted and he advised he doesn't use with the 'black' leather but the dark grey shown in my pic - i knew that before proceeding and was happy with it.

just one word of advice - i went with an 'exchange' wheel to keep mine off the road the minimum time, but the wheel i got was a little sun faded on the top - not much - and probably i'm the only one who would notice, but i can live with it and i didn't bother bringing it up with Jack at Royal.

on reflection i would go with sending your own one to him and getting your own one back....that way you know you won't get a slightly worse one in exchange.

[Neil_M]

muzza289 said:

yep - i think it was royal.

i spoke to him in advance about what i wanted and he advised he doesn't use with the 'black' leather but the dark grey shown in my pic - i knew that before proceeding and was happy with it.

just one word of advice - i went with an 'exchange' wheel to keep mine off the road the minimum time, but the wheel i got was a little sun faded on the top - not much - and probably i'm the only one who would notice, but i can live with it and i didn't bother bringing it up with Jack at Royal.

on reflection i would go with sending your own one to him and getting your own one back....that way you know you won't get a slightly worse one in exchange.

Good tip, I'll bare that in mind.

Though the steering wheel isn't top of the list.

Especially after ordered 4x tyres today :'(

[Gretchen]

What tyres have you gone for Neil?

[Neil_M]

Gretchen said:

What tyres have you gone for Neil?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3s.

I'd have gone for Super Sports, but they aren't available in the M3s size .

[Neil_M]

Gretchen said:

What tyres have you gone for Neil?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3s.

I'd have gone for Super Sports, but they aren't available in the M3s size .

[Gretchen]

Neil_M said:

Gretchen said:

What tyres have you gone for Neil?

Michelin Pilot Sport 3s.

I'd have gone for Super Sports, but they aren't available in the M3s size .

Can I ask where from and what you've paid?

[Neil_M]

Gretchen said:

Can I ask where from and what you've paid?

Magowan Tyres. You are talking over £500.

[Gretchen]

Neil_M said:

Gretchen said:

Can I ask where from and what you've paid?

Magowan Tyres. You are talking over £500.

I'm talking £300 for just rears atm. So am expecting it.

I don't need new ones. I'm just window shopping/being extravagant.

[Neil_M]

Always wise to be prepared for the bigger bills .

I was dreading this one for a while, as much as I was bursting to get them.

[MarkwG]

Neil_M said:

MarkwG said:

Love both of yours, the colours particularly - mine's boring old "resell silver", they were thin on the ground in any colour back when I bought it, so chosen on condition & the deal, rather than colour. I studiously ignored all the whinging about "it's not as good as the e30", "it's more hassle than the 3.0", it suited my purposes then, & still does. They're a car that seem to grow on people - rather than the instant buzz you get from others, which then fades away. Into our 15th year together now, & still raises a smile when I get back in & go for a thrash - what more would anyone want?

I've now changed my tune about cars. Colour is a secondary point, as you say its all about condition and the deal.

You can't please everyone. But you have bought a car that's kept you happy for 15 years. That says alot about the car and E36 M3's in general.

15 years is a long time. Any points you would advise anyone to address asap as you have had the car so long?

Hi, sorry, just twigged I didn't reply to this! Indeed, it's been a bit of a keeper; I guess just use the thing, & accept it'll get old & will need stuff attending to, which is what you're doing now. Mine is serviced on the lights, & when stuff needs doing. There'll be the odd big bill, but it'll still be cheaper than a couple of months repayments on a new one, so just plan for the hit. The other cars in the fleet are an auto & a fwd, so it's always good to get back in a grunty rwd & take it for a blast. They are fairly simple, really, compared to todays CANBUS generation, so you can play with bits & pieces without too much fear of permanent damage! And it'll tolerate all kinds of abuse without faltering, which endears any car to it's owner, I suppose.

[Neil_M]

MarkwG said:

Hi, sorry, just twigged I didn't reply to this! Indeed, it's been a bit of a keeper; I guess just use the thing, & accept it'll get old & will need stuff attending to, which is what you're doing now. Mine is serviced on the lights, & when stuff needs doing. There'll be the odd big bill, but it'll still be cheaper than a couple of months repayments on a new one, so just plan for the hit. The other cars in the fleet are an auto & a fwd, so it's always good to get back in a grunty rwd & take it for a blast. They are fairly simple, really, compared to todays CANBUS generation, so you can play with bits & pieces without too much fear of permanent damage! And it'll tolerate all kinds of abuse without faltering, which endears any car to it's owner, I suppose.

No problem, it sure does endear itself to its owner.

Apart from when BMW change the bolt head size for a calliper carrier!!

Another socket ordered

[Neil_M]

muzza289 said:

I quite like that actually.

I don't think the colour is a bad thing at all.

Though I would probably not pad it out...

[jz325i]

How did you seal up the case again?

Neil_M said:

Some cleaning, new batteries and time with the soldering iron got it up and running again.

[Neil_M]

jz325i said:

How did you seal up the case again?

I haven't done it yet... I'll be gluing it, I noticed that putting too much solder on the battery top, stops it from closing tight.

[Neil_M]

A quick pic of the front brakes painted...



Flap jobbies that sit in front of the rear wheels. I believe they are made to deflect stones and dirt away from the fuel tank.



Pilot Sport 3s fitted.



Back holding her own weight. New wheel nuts, lock nuts, centre caps...










I've left the car in to get a braided clutch hose fitted, a coolant flush/change, hand brake adjusted, a seized brake fitting seen to and the rear hard pipes (the trailing arm pipes) replaced for good measure.

[Neil_M]

Picked the car up yesterday after getting the following done:

• Braided brake hose fitted - I couldn't fit the last one due to a sized fitting
• Hard brake pipes on the trailing arms replaced
• Braided clutch hose fitted
• Coolant flush / change
• Hand brake adjustment
• MOT check, only needed the head lights aligned

The car is running very very well at the moment.

I haven't had an opportunity to test the brake lines properly, but I will comment on then when I do.

The clutch hose seems to have raised the biting point for the better. Its easier to drive and more progressive.

The suspension is being installed next week (can't wait for this).

MOT is booked for the end of the month.

[Gretchen]

Have you been watching the market on these recently? I have... Very interesting. Rising fast. And I'm sure again since the anniversary publicity!

[Neil_M]

Gretchen said:

Have you been watching the market on these recently? I have... Very interesting. Rising fast. And I'm sure again since the anniversary publicity!

I have indeed sir. I'd like to say I planned my purchase around the market, fluke for me really.

All is looking positive.

[Gretchen]

Neil_M said:

Gretchen said:

Have you been watching the market on these recently? I have... Very interesting. Rising fast. And I'm sure again since the anniversary publicity!

I have indeed sir. I'd like to say I planned my purchase around the market, fluke for me really.

All is looking positive.

Madam...

[Neil_M]

Gretchen said:

Madam...

Ahh deepest apologies, it is late and that reply was typed very quickly.