A little introduction: My E36 M3 Evo Imola Individual
Discussion
I have been a member on PistonHeads for a long time, but for some reason I've hardly ever contributed and or have rarely started a thread. So tonight I decided to change that. I'm John, from Cork in Ireland. Last November I bought myself my first BMW. An E36 M3 Evo Imola Idividual, number 6 of 50. I bought it from Dublin, but only realised it was a car I used to see regularly see in the town I used to live in. There were 3 previous owners of the car here, one obviously from Dublin and the other 2 were from Cork. So, you could say I brought it back home. The car was originally imported here in 2005.
The guy from Dublin had done a huge amount of work to the car in the time he owned it. The long list of jobs done were:
Changed Oil and Filter
Replace front brake pads
Replace Rocker Cover Gasket and Spark Plugs
Replace all breather hoses
Remove, Strip and Clean Complete Throttle Bodies Assembly
Remove all Injectors and have tested – 2 faulty injectors replaced
Fit new Oil Level Sensor
Replace Clutch hose with Braided BMW item
Replace Clutch slave cylinder & Bleed
Replace Gearbox Fluid
Replace Water Pump and both Pulleys – Idler and Tensioner
Replace A/C Compressor and both Drive Belt’s
Correct Charge of R134A
Replace all Rear Rose Joints in Axle Assembly
Replace both rear shocks and OEM Top Mounts
Replace LSD Fluid with Millers 75w140
Change both front ARB Droplinks and OEM ARB Bushes
Replace both rear Droplinks
Replace battery with a Bosch Silverline battery
Vanos unit replaced with one from Dr. Vanos
It then went it to get some paint issues sorted
Replaced the broken head unit with a CD43 and some of the speakers which were blown
The radiator had to be replaced as were the viscous fan, clutch and water pump (again). Also replaced were the air conditioning condenser and a couple of pulleys.
Replaced the steering wheel with one from Jack at Royal Steering Wheels
The handbrake and gear stick gaiters with new ones from Bespoke Leathering. The gear knob was replaced with an F10 M5 manual weighted knob with a pre 2001 block connector from leatherz.com.
The window seals replaced with new ones as the old ones were manky!
The rocker cover and plenum were refurbed and powder coated by Tallagh Powder Coating. The oil pressure switch and the fuel tank vent valve were replaced too!
Finally it was given a full detail. Even after some work which was done earlier in the year it took a ton of work to get it looking right. The seats came out and the interior too 4 days alone.
Next there was ARP con rod bolts from CA Automotive fitted with all big end bearings checked which where perfect.
New oil pump fitted with everything cleaned such as sump, oil suction pipes etc and a new sump gasket.
Next, the throttle bodies were refurbed by Ollie over on bmwowner.com and a refurbed rocker cover picked up from Carcraft and the GT strutbrace.
Next it had the alignment done, the aircon look at again, fitted a heat shield and an e46 m3 oil cap.
After all this, it still wasn't running right and this was traced back to the refurbished Vanos, so this was changed again, under warranty from Dr. Vanos.
The edge of the old tweeter was broken from the day he bought the car. The speaker worked fine but it was annoying so after looking unsuccessfully on eBay for a year he finally took the plunge and bought a new speaker at a scandalous price.
The fan belt pulley was replaced too and the fan blower motor got some tlc to stop it squeaking.
A HRC race fuel pump was fitted.
From there this is where I bought the car. I took it off the road for the winter during which I changed the engine oil to Castrol Edge 10W60 and filter and replaced the Vanos filter.
It still needed a few small issues sorted.
Had a little dent I caused trying to get the car into the garage one wet winters night removed.
All clips on the front and rear bumpers as well as the side mouldings were replaced.
A small crack in the rear spoiler was filled and the spoiler painted.
I recently took the car on a long drive with the guys in the Porsche Club of Ireland, where the car performed brilliantly.
Jobs I have left to are fix a cigarette burn to the leather in the rear as well as the drivers side bolster wear. The wheels need a good refurbishing, which is an issue as there aren't too many companies here who can do them. Also the brake calipers need sorting. (Gonna powder coat the silver I think) There are a few parking dings that need sorting too.
I guess that is all folks.
John
The guy from Dublin had done a huge amount of work to the car in the time he owned it. The long list of jobs done were:
Changed Oil and Filter
Replace front brake pads
Replace Rocker Cover Gasket and Spark Plugs
Replace all breather hoses
Remove, Strip and Clean Complete Throttle Bodies Assembly
Remove all Injectors and have tested – 2 faulty injectors replaced
Fit new Oil Level Sensor
Replace Clutch hose with Braided BMW item
Replace Clutch slave cylinder & Bleed
Replace Gearbox Fluid
Replace Water Pump and both Pulleys – Idler and Tensioner
Replace A/C Compressor and both Drive Belt’s
Correct Charge of R134A
Replace all Rear Rose Joints in Axle Assembly
Replace both rear shocks and OEM Top Mounts
Replace LSD Fluid with Millers 75w140
Change both front ARB Droplinks and OEM ARB Bushes
Replace both rear Droplinks
Replace battery with a Bosch Silverline battery
Vanos unit replaced with one from Dr. Vanos
It then went it to get some paint issues sorted
Replaced the broken head unit with a CD43 and some of the speakers which were blown
The radiator had to be replaced as were the viscous fan, clutch and water pump (again). Also replaced were the air conditioning condenser and a couple of pulleys.
Replaced the steering wheel with one from Jack at Royal Steering Wheels
The handbrake and gear stick gaiters with new ones from Bespoke Leathering. The gear knob was replaced with an F10 M5 manual weighted knob with a pre 2001 block connector from leatherz.com.
The window seals replaced with new ones as the old ones were manky!
The rocker cover and plenum were refurbed and powder coated by Tallagh Powder Coating. The oil pressure switch and the fuel tank vent valve were replaced too!
Finally it was given a full detail. Even after some work which was done earlier in the year it took a ton of work to get it looking right. The seats came out and the interior too 4 days alone.
Next there was ARP con rod bolts from CA Automotive fitted with all big end bearings checked which where perfect.
New oil pump fitted with everything cleaned such as sump, oil suction pipes etc and a new sump gasket.
Next, the throttle bodies were refurbed by Ollie over on bmwowner.com and a refurbed rocker cover picked up from Carcraft and the GT strutbrace.
Next it had the alignment done, the aircon look at again, fitted a heat shield and an e46 m3 oil cap.
After all this, it still wasn't running right and this was traced back to the refurbished Vanos, so this was changed again, under warranty from Dr. Vanos.
The edge of the old tweeter was broken from the day he bought the car. The speaker worked fine but it was annoying so after looking unsuccessfully on eBay for a year he finally took the plunge and bought a new speaker at a scandalous price.
The fan belt pulley was replaced too and the fan blower motor got some tlc to stop it squeaking.
A HRC race fuel pump was fitted.
From there this is where I bought the car. I took it off the road for the winter during which I changed the engine oil to Castrol Edge 10W60 and filter and replaced the Vanos filter.
It still needed a few small issues sorted.
Had a little dent I caused trying to get the car into the garage one wet winters night removed.
All clips on the front and rear bumpers as well as the side mouldings were replaced.
A small crack in the rear spoiler was filled and the spoiler painted.
I recently took the car on a long drive with the guys in the Porsche Club of Ireland, where the car performed brilliantly.
Jobs I have left to are fix a cigarette burn to the leather in the rear as well as the drivers side bolster wear. The wheels need a good refurbishing, which is an issue as there aren't too many companies here who can do them. Also the brake calipers need sorting. (Gonna powder coat the silver I think) There are a few parking dings that need sorting too.
I guess that is all folks.
John
After much debate and talking to many people here I decided on 10W60
Basically, BMW Main dealer here said use 10W60.
BMW Indy here said use 10W60.
Mr. Vanos in the UK told me use 5W40 only and any Vanos unit he sold voids it's warranty if anything else is used, especially 10W60.
People on forums here in Ireland told me they use 10W60.
After this I contacted Castrol themselves who sent me a mail saying the following:
Dear Mr XYZ
Thank you for your e-mail.
There has been a few options on the M models over the years, starting with “ordinary” 15W-40/10W-40 viscosity oils in the early cars, moving to 10W-60 in the M5 and then the M3 and others and then finally adopting the “standard” low viscosity BMW Longlife oils in the latest models.
The normal BMW recommendation in terms of viscosity for your vehicle is anything from a 5W-20 in cold climates to a 15W-40 in warmer climates.
In 1998 BMW introduced their first oil specification which basically called for a 5W-40 or 0W-40 fully synthetic oil, so anyone using a 5W-40 synthetic is obviously in line with this. At this point in time the 10W-60 was only being a requirement for the M5. Because the M cars are generally enthusiast owned and driven and because we have never heard of any problems using the 10W-60 in an earlier car where 5W-40 or other traditional viscosities like 15W-40 and 10W-40 were the contemporary recommendation, we tend to recommend 10W-60 oil in everything except for cars in standard tune which specifically call for the lower viscosity Longlife oils (e.g. M5 (S62, E39) after Feb 2000). This simplifies things and owners get the benefits of a thicker oil with higher film strength and now added Titanium to further protect against metal to metal contact.
Our on-line recommendation tool has recently changed to a new data provider and this has resulted in reducing the opportunities for us to tailor our recommendations in some instances, hence the on-line tool reflects BMW’s recommendations at the time the car was new. If you called us, we would suggest that the Magnatec 5W-30 and 5W-40 oils are perfectly suitable, being in-line with BMW’s recommendations, but we would add that better protection could be afforded by using Castrol EDGE 10W-60, especially if the car was to be driven on track days or in a competitive environment.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion around the apparent contradictions. In summary, I would suggest, if the car is in standard tune and will be cherished and used for spirited drives on sunny Sundays with maybe the odd owners club track day where you will drive with the main intention of not throwing the car at the Armco, then EDGE 5W-40 would be an excellent choice. If you intend to do some track work and peripheral damage is less important than getting the fastest time of the day, then I would be using EDGE 10W-60. If any of your sources have experience of issues using 10W-60 in the S50 engine, we would be very interested to hear them so we can ensure we continue to give the best advice possible in the future.
Regards.
XYZ
Castrol UK & Ireland Technical Helpdesk
Basically, BMW Main dealer here said use 10W60.
BMW Indy here said use 10W60.
Mr. Vanos in the UK told me use 5W40 only and any Vanos unit he sold voids it's warranty if anything else is used, especially 10W60.
People on forums here in Ireland told me they use 10W60.
After this I contacted Castrol themselves who sent me a mail saying the following:
Dear Mr XYZ
Thank you for your e-mail.
There has been a few options on the M models over the years, starting with “ordinary” 15W-40/10W-40 viscosity oils in the early cars, moving to 10W-60 in the M5 and then the M3 and others and then finally adopting the “standard” low viscosity BMW Longlife oils in the latest models.
The normal BMW recommendation in terms of viscosity for your vehicle is anything from a 5W-20 in cold climates to a 15W-40 in warmer climates.
In 1998 BMW introduced their first oil specification which basically called for a 5W-40 or 0W-40 fully synthetic oil, so anyone using a 5W-40 synthetic is obviously in line with this. At this point in time the 10W-60 was only being a requirement for the M5. Because the M cars are generally enthusiast owned and driven and because we have never heard of any problems using the 10W-60 in an earlier car where 5W-40 or other traditional viscosities like 15W-40 and 10W-40 were the contemporary recommendation, we tend to recommend 10W-60 oil in everything except for cars in standard tune which specifically call for the lower viscosity Longlife oils (e.g. M5 (S62, E39) after Feb 2000). This simplifies things and owners get the benefits of a thicker oil with higher film strength and now added Titanium to further protect against metal to metal contact.
Our on-line recommendation tool has recently changed to a new data provider and this has resulted in reducing the opportunities for us to tailor our recommendations in some instances, hence the on-line tool reflects BMW’s recommendations at the time the car was new. If you called us, we would suggest that the Magnatec 5W-30 and 5W-40 oils are perfectly suitable, being in-line with BMW’s recommendations, but we would add that better protection could be afforded by using Castrol EDGE 10W-60, especially if the car was to be driven on track days or in a competitive environment.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion around the apparent contradictions. In summary, I would suggest, if the car is in standard tune and will be cherished and used for spirited drives on sunny Sundays with maybe the odd owners club track day where you will drive with the main intention of not throwing the car at the Armco, then EDGE 5W-40 would be an excellent choice. If you intend to do some track work and peripheral damage is less important than getting the fastest time of the day, then I would be using EDGE 10W-60. If any of your sources have experience of issues using 10W-60 in the S50 engine, we would be very interested to hear them so we can ensure we continue to give the best advice possible in the future.
Regards.
XYZ
Castrol UK & Ireland Technical Helpdesk
Lovely car, always liked Imola.
Can I just say too, it's great to see a big company with a bit of a sense of humour. This made me laugh….
Can I just say too, it's great to see a big company with a bit of a sense of humour. This made me laugh….
Castrol Guy said:
In summary, I would suggest, if the car is in standard tune and will be cherished and used for spirited drives on sunny Sundays with maybe the odd owners club track day where you will drive with the main intention of not throwing the car at the Armco, then EDGE 5W-40 would be an excellent choice.
Looks good-oil grade on these used to give me sleepless nights and I was using 5w30. There are differing views on this but general consensus on the "correct "oil for the S50 engine is 5w/40.Unless you are doing a lot of track work I think 10w/60 is too thick. There are several threads on this topic on M3 Cutters website which are worth a read.
Can I ask lads what price would you put on my car?
Thing is, I am looking at selling it, so as to get back to a Porsche. I am an active member (when work permits) of the Porsche club of Ireland and miss having a Porsche to go on drives with them. €1809 road tax for it here per year is driving me daft so I'm looking to go the classic Porsche route next time. (€56 classic tax seems a lot better to me)
Recently the car has had 2 new lambda sensors, 2 new breather hoses installed replacing cracked ones and a new fuel tank vent valve. I've also bought but not gotten round to replace the rear windscreen rubber surrounds. (Obviously these would go with the car if sold.)
It's got plenty of service history. It's done 117,000 miles now. It's far from concourse condition but is far from a bad condition. Thanks.
John
Thing is, I am looking at selling it, so as to get back to a Porsche. I am an active member (when work permits) of the Porsche club of Ireland and miss having a Porsche to go on drives with them. €1809 road tax for it here per year is driving me daft so I'm looking to go the classic Porsche route next time. (€56 classic tax seems a lot better to me)
Recently the car has had 2 new lambda sensors, 2 new breather hoses installed replacing cracked ones and a new fuel tank vent valve. I've also bought but not gotten round to replace the rear windscreen rubber surrounds. (Obviously these would go with the car if sold.)
It's got plenty of service history. It's done 117,000 miles now. It's far from concourse condition but is far from a bad condition. Thanks.
John
Chunkychucky said:
I would have thought you would be able to get £15k for it, if it fails to sell it'll find a buyer at auction around market rate
117k miles, parking dings, cig burns, in Ireland etc means it's not going to get £15k.The only ones that have sold near £15k are near concours with £10-15k restorations.
There was a 22k miler but that was sold by Munich legends, warrantied, prepped and it was a 22k miler. Only Munich legends can demand that kind of price due to their reputation.
The last one on eBay sold for c.9k.
Lads, thanks for the replies.
Just to clear up, there is one cigarette burn in the rear seat, there is some wear on the side bolster of the drivers seat. There are a few very small, hard to see dings on both sides of the body. The wheels need refurbishing, but the lack of companies here who can do diamond cut rims is a pain. Besides that the rear wind screen rubber surrounds need replacing. These wear with time. I have already bought the replacement and will be sorted soon.
I know these cars, in top condition are fetching between £15-17k in the UK. Mine I wouldn't have expected to get that, but I'd have thought it worth a little more than £9k being honest.
I will be getting the windscreen surround sorted, as too will I be getting the dings removed. I'll also look into seeing if the cigarette burn can be repaired. I'm sure it can. Not sure what can be done about the seat side bolster.
That just leaves the wheels. I guess the sale price would take them into consideration, maybe £500 off the max price as a result.
Just to clear up, there is one cigarette burn in the rear seat, there is some wear on the side bolster of the drivers seat. There are a few very small, hard to see dings on both sides of the body. The wheels need refurbishing, but the lack of companies here who can do diamond cut rims is a pain. Besides that the rear wind screen rubber surrounds need replacing. These wear with time. I have already bought the replacement and will be sorted soon.
I know these cars, in top condition are fetching between £15-17k in the UK. Mine I wouldn't have expected to get that, but I'd have thought it worth a little more than £9k being honest.
I will be getting the windscreen surround sorted, as too will I be getting the dings removed. I'll also look into seeing if the cigarette burn can be repaired. I'm sure it can. Not sure what can be done about the seat side bolster.
That just leaves the wheels. I guess the sale price would take them into consideration, maybe £500 off the max price as a result.
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