2003 BMW M3 - The New Daily
Discussion
steve-5snwi said:
I've got the e46 on my shortlist as a potential replacement for my mini.
I'd say do it! They are a great car. Hopefully the new post or two will not put you off!It's fair to say that over the last fews days I have had a cracking time...
This thread would not be complete if no on mentioned subframe cracking or Rear Axle Carrier panel (RACP) issues eh? Well, it's time that hopefully it can't be mentioned again!
With a couple of trips planned for the car including the 'ring I decided that I may as well take a problem child out of the equation, the RACP's propensity to crack. How did I do this? Simple really. First thing was to book the car into ETA Motorsport, who have repaired and reinforced a few cars now. Second was to obtain the poly bushes as show above. Then it was just a matter of playing the waiting game. When the car had its health check at BMW during the airbag recall all seemed to be well ; the subframe was deemed to be OK.
Would this be the case?
Yup, it's a cracker
The worst damage was on the front right mount which clearly had a crack once the undershielding had been removed. But let's no dwell on the past. Let's look to the future! It was time to start welding the cracks and the popped spot welds:
With this done it was time to start fitting the reinforcement plates:
As an added bonus the car also had something done which only the very late E46 M3s had done to them ; the RACP to inner wheel arch was stitch welded, more than when BMW did. I think only a few specialists out there actually do this. ETA & Redish Motorsport are two of them and were one of the first to start doing this.
The bushes were also fitted too.
In addition to this I also had them fit the updated rear diff bolts from BMW.
After that it was time to play the waiting game until I went to go and pick it up:
It's fair to say that the car had good company overnight
:
So after all of that how is it?
Honestly? For the best part it's improved. How has it improved? The car is far less wayward on the road. I put this down to the iffy tyres on the front, but it seems I am wrong! It's a fair straighter machine! The rear end feels taughter in the bends as well as the throttle response improving and oddly the gearchanges potentially ; it doesn't slip as much at all and they are smoother.
The latter two I have put down to the possibility of the subframe bushes being tired ; one of them was quite worn from what I understand.
So, are there any downsides? Yes. I can hear/feel the diff slightly more than before, but overall it's a big improvement!
With this you'd think I'd have a sorted car with an Achilles heel rectified? Well, we can only dream. Something else has decided to rear its head...
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:30
steve-5snwi said:
the cracked subframe didn't put me off, but the last sentence ......... hmmmmm
We shall wait and see .SuperVM said:
Head gasket?
Are you trying to jinx this? 
. I'm surprised you didn't mention the other flaw my particular spec of car would have!helix402 said:
Good work, I know all about cracks in E46s!
Cheers! You do wonder how BMW could release a car which does seem to have a propensity to crack in places!As for the problem it's not a biggy, but merely annoying given the issues I had at Xmas with the alternator and coil.
What's the issue? The oil cooler. It's a little wet around the offside tank but it does not appear to leak when it is running. I initially thought it was the power steering hose but when I removed the undertray all was revealed. Was the oil cooler disturbed by the painter when he refitted the bumper or was it the cooler's time to die? Who knows? I've not had an oil cooler go on me before (My 2 MGBs and Porker 944s all had coolers) which may not help in making me cynical.
The leak however isn't getting any smaller ; how the oil level hasn't dropped or the oil spilled onto the floor I don't know! For now the car is off the road until the replacement cooler arrives.
That said the new cooler is now in the UK so with any luck should arrive soon.
With the car needing a new cooler it made the next expense a little harder to justify. Tyres!
I won't show the state of the nearside tyre but here was the 'good' side of the offside tyre. It hadn't worn right and was now out of shape upon closer inspection:
Given how long the Falkens had lasted I was not too keen on fitting them again! Enter Stage left:
Yup, I decided to pretend that I had more money than sense ; I bought a pair of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Ss. I am told I'm the first person to buy them from the tyre shop and the 10th in the Midlands! But would it be the right move?
In short, yes! Even with the slippery coating new tyres come with these felt very different to the Falkens on the front even after a mile of leaving the tyre shop. The turn-in was far better and they were quieter to boot! The car felt more like a point-and-shoot car! I was expecting a difference but not to this extent! The cornering of the car feels far more confidence inspiring and for the first time it feels like the rear end actually as neutral as the front ; it felt a little biased to understeer before! Overall, it's a result.
Another bonus? I need not fear kerbs again! The sidewall protection on these is huge. Far more than the Pirelli condom style of the protection offered by the Falkens. Maybe I should have got the MPSS beforehand. I say this as I've kerbed two of the wheels without barely trying ; the Falkens offered that little protection for the rim!
How much protection do the MPS4Ss offer? Hopefully the photos will give you an idea.
So, despite feeling wounded and skint at least the car's getting pretty much to how I want it. Now, if only it stayed reliable....
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:32
I do feel your pain as well there appletonn! Speaking of rollercoasters this last week has been interesting!
So I left the story of me having a leaky oil cooler and a new one being on order from Mister-Auto. Being an NRF item all should have been well! It seemed that it would just be a matter of waiting for the cooler to arrive, disconnect the cooler hoses, throw in the new cooler, give the car an oil change and then be back to business as usual.
You know the story will not be quite that simple!
After 4 days my new cooler arrived, leaving me 5 days to get the car ready before I went to the Evo Triangle. Since I work every weekday it left only the evenings to do the work. Not a biggy with so many evenings. But it seemed that I had an even bigger stumbling block to contend with. The new oil cooler had issues of its own.
It had a mark on the pipe. Initially I thought this just a mark, but it was a chip and quite a deep one! It hadn't been damaged in the post so it looked like a defective part. As always it's a pain to get a shot of it but hopefully I will convey the size of it:
Yup, it was deep enough to put a question mark on the cooler itself. Balls! I needed a solution, pronto! Calling the supplier was useless. It seemed they were incapable of sending me out a replacement within a timescale of a week and were awkward about it! The experience has certainly left me with a sour taste if my mouth over using them again.
I debated getting a secondhand one but seeing as some M3s are broken due to s
tting their engines apart on occasion you never quite know what you are buying; it's not like many are for sale either ; That and my Stag went through 3 autoboxes where the lines and cooler were suspected. Maybe my garage was right after all.
Ringing up a radiator specialist also did not fill me with good news. He was saying that repairing an aluminium/magnesium cooler over 5 years old was not always successful.
This left me with a few choices.
1) Leave the car and not do the Evo Triangle trip : I hate losing.
2) Get a Mocal item and contend with fittings etc. But then contend with teething issues etc. after.
3) Go to BMW and get my pants pulled down.
So you can guess what I did. No, I went to BMW, and begged and borrowed to get some discount off the cooler!
That said, even with the two coolers next to each over it was apparent that there were more issues with the "OE" cooler than meets the eye, despite it being newer than the BMW item!:
Yup, both are stamped by BMW.
While I doubt the fins would have made a difference the fact that it was a another minor flaw does make you question the rest of the cooler when the part from BMW is near flawless. It should have been for the extra cost!
Finally, I had a cooler, the seals and the oil/filter to crack on!
As soon as I gently lowered the oil cooler I was greeted with plenty of metal filings. This cooler was clearly getting old and brittle. I can now see why people keep spares of these!
But the car would present itself with another issue:
Yup, the bolt had snapped upon removal despite trying to soak it in WD40 and attempting to undo it with the engine warm. Attempting to drill it was tricky and attempting to separate the oil cooler flange from the pipes via other means was worthless! All it did was remove the oil cooler flange from the cooler itself! There was nothing to say that the oil cooler pipe flanges o
With 1 day and 10 hours left until D Day things were not looking good! So I splashed out on a set of oil cooler hoses. Madness I tell you!
Despite my mojo running low with the car I decided to treat it to a VANOS filter service or Level 1 service as ECS call it.
To my surprise the filter was not that dirty! However, the seal in the middle which allows the pressure value to build up the pressure was clearly shot. It was hard and squared off. It always seems to go this way from the people I have seen service this item even on low milers. I guess the seal plays an important role.
With this changed it was time to crack on.
But, with literally hours of an evening to work with in addition to a morning would the car make the Evo Triangle road trip that I planned many months ago?
So I left the story of me having a leaky oil cooler and a new one being on order from Mister-Auto. Being an NRF item all should have been well! It seemed that it would just be a matter of waiting for the cooler to arrive, disconnect the cooler hoses, throw in the new cooler, give the car an oil change and then be back to business as usual.
You know the story will not be quite that simple!
After 4 days my new cooler arrived, leaving me 5 days to get the car ready before I went to the Evo Triangle. Since I work every weekday it left only the evenings to do the work. Not a biggy with so many evenings. But it seemed that I had an even bigger stumbling block to contend with. The new oil cooler had issues of its own.
It had a mark on the pipe. Initially I thought this just a mark, but it was a chip and quite a deep one! It hadn't been damaged in the post so it looked like a defective part. As always it's a pain to get a shot of it but hopefully I will convey the size of it:
Yup, it was deep enough to put a question mark on the cooler itself. Balls! I needed a solution, pronto! Calling the supplier was useless. It seemed they were incapable of sending me out a replacement within a timescale of a week and were awkward about it! The experience has certainly left me with a sour taste if my mouth over using them again.
I debated getting a secondhand one but seeing as some M3s are broken due to s
tting their engines apart on occasion you never quite know what you are buying; it's not like many are for sale either ; That and my Stag went through 3 autoboxes where the lines and cooler were suspected. Maybe my garage was right after all.Ringing up a radiator specialist also did not fill me with good news. He was saying that repairing an aluminium/magnesium cooler over 5 years old was not always successful.
This left me with a few choices.
1) Leave the car and not do the Evo Triangle trip : I hate losing.
2) Get a Mocal item and contend with fittings etc. But then contend with teething issues etc. after.
3) Go to BMW and get my pants pulled down.
So you can guess what I did. No, I went to BMW, and begged and borrowed to get some discount off the cooler!
That said, even with the two coolers next to each over it was apparent that there were more issues with the "OE" cooler than meets the eye, despite it being newer than the BMW item!:
Yup, both are stamped by BMW.
While I doubt the fins would have made a difference the fact that it was a another minor flaw does make you question the rest of the cooler when the part from BMW is near flawless. It should have been for the extra cost!
Finally, I had a cooler, the seals and the oil/filter to crack on!
As soon as I gently lowered the oil cooler I was greeted with plenty of metal filings. This cooler was clearly getting old and brittle. I can now see why people keep spares of these!
But the car would present itself with another issue:
Yup, the bolt had snapped upon removal despite trying to soak it in WD40 and attempting to undo it with the engine warm. Attempting to drill it was tricky and attempting to separate the oil cooler flange from the pipes via other means was worthless! All it did was remove the oil cooler flange from the cooler itself! There was nothing to say that the oil cooler pipe flanges o
With 1 day and 10 hours left until D Day things were not looking good! So I splashed out on a set of oil cooler hoses. Madness I tell you!
Despite my mojo running low with the car I decided to treat it to a VANOS filter service or Level 1 service as ECS call it.
To my surprise the filter was not that dirty! However, the seal in the middle which allows the pressure value to build up the pressure was clearly shot. It was hard and squared off. It always seems to go this way from the people I have seen service this item even on low milers. I guess the seal plays an important role.
With this changed it was time to crack on.
But, with literally hours of an evening to work with in addition to a morning would the car make the Evo Triangle road trip that I planned many months ago?
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:34
I left you guys with the car's likelihood of the trip looking uncertain. After working on the car until late in the Friday after work it was fair to say I was feeling a little sick of the car, especially after having this saga immediately after the RACP reinforcement and 2 new front tyres saga ; yes I know tyres aren't an upgrade or a repair but they hardly are cheap at the time like this. OK, I knew the cooler was iffy for a few weeks after seeing the tray damp before it went to ETA Motorsport. However I was questioning whether the end result would be worth it.
That Friday night I made an emergency dash to Halfords to buy copious amounts of carb cleaner as well as 5 litres of petrol. Furthermore a good friend assisted with getting the car to a running state ; We knew the oil cooler and pipes were sound and that the car would run without leaking. And so off I went to bed after a couple of beers sick of the wretched thing.
The new morning I woke up only to see no bugger had nicked it. It was still on the ramps unfortunately. There were 4 hours left and I had no car to go to Wales in. I'd have to finish reassembling the car and clean everything up ; tools, car the lot. While I had the cooler in place the undertray was in a right state understandably and there were oily prints all over the engine. It's not exactly a clean job!
That morning I ended up rechecking the oil level, cleaning up everything on the car including the engine bay, having a st, shower & shave, rushing to pack things away before I set off to Wales. Yes it really was a non stop morning for me! I was asked to clean the car for the weekend but truth be told I really did not have it in me to throw a bucket of water on the car.
It's a shame as during my time travelling in England to Wales I cannot say that my mood was much better. The car was fine and performing well but what a faff to get it to this state! Was it actually worth it?
In short, yes. As soon as we rushed past the school holidays traffic in Wales I began to feel some of that ///M magic again. My fondness of the car was being rekindled and all of the things I had done to the car in the past few weeks had really calminated into this lovely package. For the first time ever on an enjoyable drive out the front wheels were not shaking the steering wheel or making the car twitchy. The rear end felt very direct and planted and the engine just wanted to sing! Yup, life was good in Wales!
And with great friends and scenery with some great machinery what more do you want?
Yup, we all made it to the bottom corner of the Triangle on a glorious weekend:
As you can tell Wales sent my friend a little mad:
A good friend turned up his family wagon. This is a lovely example:
Yes, there are some superb sights at the Triangle:
It's fair to say that we all looked like tourists abroad!
But with such sights can you really blame us?
I would have taken shots of us driving but TBH we were too busy driving when away from the shots! A slight mishap on my part! Ah well! I guess I was all too glad for the car to be there and for me to be having a superb time.
A day later a loudly coloured BMW joined us and quite a rare one too.
However the trip did demonstrate something. Despite having a crap start to the weekend it ended on precisely the opposite ; a great ending. Did my mojo come back? You bet and by the spades!
I guess it's only money eh?
That Friday night I made an emergency dash to Halfords to buy copious amounts of carb cleaner as well as 5 litres of petrol. Furthermore a good friend assisted with getting the car to a running state ; We knew the oil cooler and pipes were sound and that the car would run without leaking. And so off I went to bed after a couple of beers sick of the wretched thing.
The new morning I woke up only to see no bugger had nicked it. It was still on the ramps unfortunately. There were 4 hours left and I had no car to go to Wales in. I'd have to finish reassembling the car and clean everything up ; tools, car the lot. While I had the cooler in place the undertray was in a right state understandably and there were oily prints all over the engine. It's not exactly a clean job!
That morning I ended up rechecking the oil level, cleaning up everything on the car including the engine bay, having a s
t, shower & shave, rushing to pack things away before I set off to Wales. Yes it really was a non stop morning for me! I was asked to clean the car for the weekend but truth be told I really did not have it in me to throw a bucket of water on the car.It's a shame as during my time travelling in England to Wales I cannot say that my mood was much better. The car was fine and performing well but what a faff to get it to this state! Was it actually worth it?
In short, yes. As soon as we rushed past the school holidays traffic in Wales I began to feel some of that ///M magic again. My fondness of the car was being rekindled and all of the things I had done to the car in the past few weeks had really calminated into this lovely package. For the first time ever on an enjoyable drive out the front wheels were not shaking the steering wheel or making the car twitchy. The rear end felt very direct and planted and the engine just wanted to sing! Yup, life was good in Wales!
And with great friends and scenery with some great machinery what more do you want?
Yup, we all made it to the bottom corner of the Triangle on a glorious weekend:
As you can tell Wales sent my friend a little mad:
A good friend turned up his family wagon. This is a lovely example:
Yes, there are some superb sights at the Triangle:
It's fair to say that we all looked like tourists abroad!
But with such sights can you really blame us?
I would have taken shots of us driving but TBH we were too busy driving when away from the shots! A slight mishap on my part! Ah well! I guess I was all too glad for the car to be there and for me to be having a superb time.
A day later a loudly coloured BMW joined us and quite a rare one too.
However the trip did demonstrate something. Despite having a crap start to the weekend it ended on precisely the opposite ; a great ending. Did my mojo come back? You bet and by the spades!
I guess it's only money eh?
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:35
Some of you may have sensed an air of negativity about this thread. While the ride could have been better lately I guess these things are to be expected with a car now approaching 15 years old. Crikey I do feel old now!
Speaking of positivity some of you may remember that I was looking to sell the high pressure PAS hose. Currently your choices seem to be the BMW item which has the cooling loop built into it. The other is the braided item made by a few people out there including Pirtek. Seeing as many people were interested in the outcome this bank holiday weekend seemed like the ideal time to give it a try.
Of course I had to get the old one off first! Like a few hoses out them the fixings onto the low pressure pipe were a little too corroded despite giving them a dose of WD40. This resulted in the rubber supports shearing. I guess I wouldn't be using my saddle clamp or P-Clip in that case!
With the old manky hose out of the way it was time to offer up the new item. The fluid that came out was not the best but it was still surprisingly red after all of these years!
One thing I did notice is that the banjo bolt on the rack end appears to have a one way valve/restrictor built into it. However, it seemed me being oily prevented me from noticing that the camera was out of focus. Whoops:
With that in mind I fitted the new one. It was a little awkward to fit but I got there in the end with time and care
. I then positioned the pipe so that it was not rubbing on various bits or catching things. The stock item runs surprisingly close to the engine mount at the rack end and the ARB at the pump end!
It was then a matter of securing it. I have noticed that many people with the Pirtek item tend to zip tie them on. With my rubber mountings on the low pressure pipe being toast it seemed that I would also have to do the same! However, I wanted to protect both pipes. With that in mind I put some silicone hose onto the points of contact between the two pipes. After that I zip tied the pipe on, but only ensuring that it touched the original clamps of the low pressure pipe and nowhere else.
Eventually this was the finished item. It's fair to say that the outcome is not too bad. C&C is welcome:
I may attach a P-Clip and then space out the fitting to another P clip on the new pipe going forward but it is very secure as it is now. As a bonus this pipe is significantly cheaper than what BMW charge too.
Speaking of positivity some of you may remember that I was looking to sell the high pressure PAS hose. Currently your choices seem to be the BMW item which has the cooling loop built into it. The other is the braided item made by a few people out there including Pirtek. Seeing as many people were interested in the outcome this bank holiday weekend seemed like the ideal time to give it a try.
Of course I had to get the old one off first! Like a few hoses out them the fixings onto the low pressure pipe were a little too corroded despite giving them a dose of WD40. This resulted in the rubber supports shearing. I guess I wouldn't be using my saddle clamp or P-Clip in that case!
With the old manky hose out of the way it was time to offer up the new item. The fluid that came out was not the best but it was still surprisingly red after all of these years!
One thing I did notice is that the banjo bolt on the rack end appears to have a one way valve/restrictor built into it. However, it seemed me being oily prevented me from noticing that the camera was out of focus. Whoops:
With that in mind I fitted the new one. It was a little awkward to fit but I got there in the end with time and care
. I then positioned the pipe so that it was not rubbing on various bits or catching things. The stock item runs surprisingly close to the engine mount at the rack end and the ARB at the pump end!It was then a matter of securing it. I have noticed that many people with the Pirtek item tend to zip tie them on. With my rubber mountings on the low pressure pipe being toast it seemed that I would also have to do the same! However, I wanted to protect both pipes. With that in mind I put some silicone hose onto the points of contact between the two pipes. After that I zip tied the pipe on, but only ensuring that it touched the original clamps of the low pressure pipe and nowhere else.
Eventually this was the finished item. It's fair to say that the outcome is not too bad. C&C is welcome:
I may attach a P-Clip and then space out the fitting to another P clip on the new pipe going forward but it is very secure as it is now. As a bonus this pipe is significantly cheaper than what BMW charge too.
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:44
Right. Some of you will see that I have had a pricey time with the M3. In short I've done.
-Front tyres
-RACP reinforcement with SuperPro bushes
-Oil Cooler and lines
-PAS hose.
While I did some of those jobs due to the Evo Triangle trip there was a bigger motivator for me doing all of this.
More shall be revealed later. It's my birthday after all.
-Front tyres
-RACP reinforcement with SuperPro bushes
-Oil Cooler and lines
-PAS hose.
While I did some of those jobs due to the Evo Triangle trip there was a bigger motivator for me doing all of this.
More shall be revealed later. It's my birthday after all
.It's fair to say that prior to me going on the Evo Triangle trip I was not too impressed with the car. It was at the start of April. It had been costly and I had nothing to show for it.
When I say that I mean visually! OK you could look underneath the car but who does. The driving experience however was transformed. It now felt like a car I could throw about however I please. This was just as well as I had a card up my sleeve.
Yup, I had booked the car in for a Destination Nurburgring event. In particular, DN17. If you have done Touristenfahrten (a public driving day for me and you) but you fancy something with more safety about it, like minded drivers and a day spent in automotive Mecca with fellow peeps these events are well worth doing. The costs look higher but they are far far more enjoyable. You have no motorbikes to worry about, no coaches blocking the way, drivers that are briefed like any other trackday (this does not happen on a TF!) and more importantly a far lower risk of a lap time chaser ruining your day!
You don't have to believe me, Dale will tell you from BridgeToGantry!
http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php/nuerburgring...
OK, that's my view anyway, but you can tell that I am converted [] . There was just a simple matter of me getting ready! Where did all this begin?
Firstly, after I came back from DN16 last October I started watching the odd YouTube video. Sad I know. I had the 'bug"! Besides watching about mistakes made, how to deal with wet laps etc. and so on, little did I know that this would come in very handy. If people want I can refer to some of the videos.
Then there was the car. While it was now ready it still needed a few details attending to.
Firstly the smaller details. My car had No GB on it and a magnetic sticker seemed it wouldn't stick onto the rear of the car! Seeing as the plates deteriorated slightly being Halfords specials I got some EU plates (sorry guys!) as well as some text as a attempt to fake the "true" dealer plates that would have come with the car:
Next, the geometry. While I knew the car had its geometry checked out prior to me buying it the car did have its subframe dropped off for the Rear Axle Carrier Panel (RACP) reinforcement. Since the alignment was not done at the time of the RACP reinforcement I took the car to a bloke that I knew and trusted. Someone who has done good geometry work for me before. That was to the superb Ross at BT Tyres. With him doing a few trackdays and having a wealth of knowledge I knew it would be in good hands. With the specs in hand we proceeded to checked it over.
Much to my amazement the geometry was spot on all round ; a testament to ETA. That's the toe, camber and the thrust line. I was surprised. While the car now drives very nicely it's good to know that the geometry is correct for not only ensuring the car drives right but that I don't destroy a set of Michelins in super fast time!
It was then simply a matter of packing up. It's fair to say that I took a couple of tools and spares with me! With my luck over the past few months I wanted enough stuff to fix minor issues. On top of this I also booked breakdown cover:
With that in mind it was time to hit the Eurotunnel. During the sleepy hours of very early morning we hit the road. We felt tired, shot and generally sleepy! Clearly, the excitement was getting to us! It's good to see that the M3 was performing well, with the new Michelins making very light work of the rain.
Also at this time passenger took a shot of the clocks as the car hit a moment in its life:
On the German autobahns we all had a go at seeing what the cars could do. What amazed me was just how quickly the M3 sails up to 140! It's almost like it is getting into its element! Feeling it being fully planted is also strange!
After the very early start we were in Germany for around lunchtime. I was not joking about the early start! With this in mind we grabbed some lunch, got our souvenirs and then went on the Monday evening to one of Darren Langeveld's great driver briefings. His briefings are very good with him elaborating well on many points. It's refreshing to see a laid back, but serious and understanding approach to the briefings:
These pics have been shamelessly nicked from DN's own site!
Just before this we aided a mate of mine in switching the wheels on his Clio to the MRF Cup tyres, as used in the Honda Racing series. I must say that they seemed to do the job!
With the briefing out of the way it was time for a meal at the wonderful Blaue Eke as well as a beer after a long drive.
It was then time to retire to my quarters. I say my quarters as it seems that is exactly what I got with my accommodation, an apartment basically. With it being spacious inside as well as reasonably priced it's certainly a place I would stay at again!
It was then time to get up the next morning. But would the car be OK and would the conditions be in my favour?:
When I say that I mean visually! OK you could look underneath the car but who does. The driving experience however was transformed. It now felt like a car I could throw about however I please. This was just as well as I had a card up my sleeve.
Yup, I had booked the car in for a Destination Nurburgring event. In particular, DN17. If you have done Touristenfahrten (a public driving day for me and you) but you fancy something with more safety about it, like minded drivers and a day spent in automotive Mecca with fellow peeps these events are well worth doing. The costs look higher but they are far far more enjoyable. You have no motorbikes to worry about, no coaches blocking the way, drivers that are briefed like any other trackday (this does not happen on a TF!) and more importantly a far lower risk of a lap time chaser ruining your day!
You don't have to believe me, Dale will tell you from BridgeToGantry!
http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php/nuerburgring...
OK, that's my view anyway, but you can tell that I am converted [
] . There was just a simple matter of me getting ready! Where did all this begin?Firstly, after I came back from DN16 last October I started watching the odd YouTube video. Sad I know. I had the 'bug"! Besides watching about mistakes made, how to deal with wet laps etc. and so on, little did I know that this would come in very handy. If people want I can refer to some of the videos.
Then there was the car. While it was now ready it still needed a few details attending to.
Firstly the smaller details. My car had No GB on it and a magnetic sticker seemed it wouldn't stick onto the rear of the car! Seeing as the plates deteriorated slightly being Halfords specials I got some EU plates (sorry guys!) as well as some text as a attempt to fake the "true" dealer plates that would have come with the car:
Next, the geometry. While I knew the car had its geometry checked out prior to me buying it the car did have its subframe dropped off for the Rear Axle Carrier Panel (RACP) reinforcement. Since the alignment was not done at the time of the RACP reinforcement I took the car to a bloke that I knew and trusted. Someone who has done good geometry work for me before. That was to the superb Ross at BT Tyres. With him doing a few trackdays and having a wealth of knowledge I knew it would be in good hands. With the specs in hand we proceeded to checked it over.
Much to my amazement the geometry was spot on all round ; a testament to ETA. That's the toe, camber and the thrust line. I was surprised. While the car now drives very nicely it's good to know that the geometry is correct for not only ensuring the car drives right but that I don't destroy a set of Michelins in super fast time!
It was then simply a matter of packing up. It's fair to say that I took a couple of tools and spares with me! With my luck over the past few months I wanted enough stuff to fix minor issues. On top of this I also booked breakdown cover:
With that in mind it was time to hit the Eurotunnel. During the sleepy hours of very early morning we hit the road. We felt tired, shot and generally sleepy! Clearly, the excitement was getting to us! It's good to see that the M3 was performing well, with the new Michelins making very light work of the rain.
Also at this time passenger took a shot of the clocks as the car hit a moment in its life:
On the German autobahns we all had a go at seeing what the cars could do. What amazed me was just how quickly the M3 sails up to 140! It's almost like it is getting into its element! Feeling it being fully planted is also strange!
After the very early start we were in Germany for around lunchtime. I was not joking about the early start! With this in mind we grabbed some lunch, got our souvenirs and then went on the Monday evening to one of Darren Langeveld's great driver briefings. His briefings are very good with him elaborating well on many points. It's refreshing to see a laid back, but serious and understanding approach to the briefings:
These pics have been shamelessly nicked from DN's own site!
Just before this we aided a mate of mine in switching the wheels on his Clio to the MRF Cup tyres, as used in the Honda Racing series. I must say that they seemed to do the job!
With the briefing out of the way it was time for a meal at the wonderful Blaue Eke as well as a beer after a long drive.
It was then time to retire to my quarters. I say my quarters as it seems that is exactly what I got with my accommodation, an apartment basically. With it being spacious inside as well as reasonably priced it's certainly a place I would stay at again!
It was then time to get up the next morning. But would the car be OK and would the conditions be in my favour?:
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:38
SuperVM said:
Well done for persevering with the car, I think any of us with experience of older M cars have been there. Doing DN in an E46 M3 must be a bit of a dream, so I hope you feel it is all worth it now. :-)
I'm currently trying to decide between my third E39 M5 or finally scratching the E46 M3 itch. Surprisingly, one thing counting for the E46 M3 is the SMG box, which would allow my automatic only wife to drive it when I take it to Sweden once a year.
Anyway, well done with the car!
Cheers fella! I sense you have been there before! To be fair either I have become more realistic or I am softening towards the old girl. I say old as it is hard to believe that the car is now 14 years old, hardly in its first flush of youth, and a performance car at that! With me only having one car these days I guess it going wrong is more annoying as I don't have another fall back option ; I mean, my RST went wrong more and in worse ways but I was always forgiving it! That was despite it being fully rebuilt and it being a low mileage car which people would have you believe is the be all and end all I'm currently trying to decide between my third E39 M5 or finally scratching the E46 M3 itch. Surprisingly, one thing counting for the E46 M3 is the SMG box, which would allow my automatic only wife to drive it when I take it to Sweden once a year.
Anyway, well done with the car!
.Interesting choice! I was in a similar boat but the M3 won it out, just! While I know it has a Marmite 'box it kinda drew me in. After all, if worst comes to worst I can always convert it...
Anyway I am digressing! With it being morning I stickered up the car, fitted the transponder and then hit the track, right after fuelling up ; I made the mistake in my 205 of going on with half a tank with obvious results later on and then a friend doing the same thing with me in it at Spa despite me warning him!. It was fair to say that I had learned my lesson.
What was not so good was the weather! Rain was predicted later on after 1ish and the track was damp and cold. Not ideal conditions for taking out a M3 for the first time on the 'ring! I've done many laps before in a Pug 205 GTi and a Clio Trophy 220 but not a RWD car!
After the sighting laps I did a few more tentative laps with the indicator on! I needed no reminder of how much a crash is at the 'ring or how easy it is to do!
But it seemed others were not too keen to overtake me when I indicated over bar the 991 GT3s, a few German guys and a certain VW Golf. With it still vaguely dry I got some instructor time from one of the Nurburgring lot ; 2 laps to be exact. The first time around I was nervous but the second time I was getting to feel the car alot more and was more confident. For the true drivers here I hate to say that I ended up putting the car into S4 Auto on the 'box and leaving myself to watch out for the lap time chasers and more importantly the wet spots and the lines in general ; it was 5 degrees there after all! What did this result in? A slash of my times from quite high to around 10:30. Not great but as it would turn out later on not bad at all! As Dale Lomas said from BTG:
[quote]The trick on a wet/damp lamp on the 'ring in a RWD car is not to chase the laptimes but to get your car back on 4 wheels!
What this did do was show how wiggly alot of the cars were on track and how sideways they went! The guy in the Clio spun alot at Breidscheide (as in a 360!) and went sideways at Brunnchen! His Toyo T1-Rs oddly made things alot worse! It is fair to say that the 'ring takes no prisoners!
But it did offer a very different experience. What I had taken from what others had said on the day including the YT video was the following:
-Don't plant your foot (sure enough, my DSC did come on early at some points_
-Don't turn off the DSC
-Stay off the racing/dry line ; this is what causes alot of the wet crashed at the 'ring when you see the videos
-Don't be a dick
With that in mind I went to simply enjoy it. While the track got quieter I was really getting a feel for the car, and on a few flying laps back to back even had the entire track to myself it seemed! At this point my friends were quite worried!
With it getting so wet I stopped for a bit of lunch and got the obligatory M shot:
It was then time to see what a proper driver could do in the wet. Who? None other than Nigel Pinder with his superb Pinderwagon. While on the face of it this car may look like it has crashed through Halfords and the Demon Tweeks catalogue it is actually the result of 10 years blood, sweat, tears and cash calminating into one fantastic package:
Want to know more? You can here: http://pinderwagen.com/
With him taking me out for a lap it was a real experience. Here was a car with no driver aids and full wet track tyres I would not have been anywhere near as brave as him in the wet! Man this guy was quick in the wet! It seemed that we were overtaking everything! M3s? Not a problem. 991 GT3s? Eaten alive! This car was a seriously good contender! In the dry he puts down a mid 7:30 to around 7:50 depending on traffic. In the wet? 9:30. My rather slow time didn't seem too terrible after than (I was more in the 12s for the rest of it!). But seeing how smooth he was in the car was an absolute joy! If you get an opportunity to have a ride out in the car you really should! It's a testament to Nigel and his immense skills behind the wheel!
It's fair to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The last lap of the day was quite memorable too! Me and the car were just right! No logging, nothing! Just a damned good lap!
With the 'ring done and dusted it was time to pick up some fuel for home. Man fuel for those weekends where the supermarket stuff just isn't quite the same:
There is more but I best dash!
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:47
So it was fair to say that all 3 off us had fun at the 'ring and not in the way we expected! As said if you are driving on the road you may as well drive the 'ring! The last lap was superb. After letting a Porsche Cayman overtake me I ended up overtaking him as well as a TT as my confidence built up! I was learning more about the car and what it could do! Yes, I was loving my last lap ; I got a sense or where the rough limits were and where the wet grip was on track! That was one of the highlights for me!
It was then time to get some fuel for back home from the REWE as shown above. If you don't mind a tipple the value there is staggering? 14 Euros for 20 pints of BitBurger? Not a problem. I am sure that will stay in the shed for a while along with the Vulkan!
With that in mind it was time to retire to Pinnochios for one of their classic Calzones with the Bolognaise sauce spread all over it!
As always you get a great pizza here if not a very large one!
After this it was time to put an end to my birthday shennanegans but how? We finished up at the Crown in Adenau. This is a strange one. Normally I am not a fan of English pubs. This one was a little different. It was run by some English folk yes. But they were 'Ring obsessors, talking about the cars, their journey and others. They seemed to have quite a good hanod with the locals too in Adenau to which they and the bar owners treated us as friends we had known for quite some time. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night.
Then came the next morning. While my friends retired to the Blaue Eke I went back on the 10 minute walk to mine. Normally I stay up etc. but I ended up going straight to sleep. I must have been shattered. So shattered that I slept in almost 2 hours late the next morning! Seeing my phone with a myriad of WhatsApp messages and missed calls did not exactly inspire me with confidence!
With that in mind it was a case of throwing all of my luggage into the car and setting off pronto! The time? 7:30AM. I had to be at the Eurotunnel by 12:25 the latest. A bit of a tall order when Google Maps tells you it will be a 5 hour trip!
With the car stuffed full of my gear it was time to set off:
But with a 1/3 tank of fuel in a tired state I was never going to make it to Calais on time! With than in mind I made a dash to the Aral. While meaning to pickup some 98 I ended up filling up with 102 RON! Whoops! I guess it is only money!
However, I took an executive decision to not stop. With a 2 litre bottle of water and a bag of Haribo sweet and sours I was set! This would be a bit of a test of man and machine!
Going through Germany wasn't too bad at all! The roads while being very wet were clear. From doing a steady 75MPH on the motorways I soon easied my speed up. All I will say is that when I had the cruise control set it was set to less than 100MPH. Sure, the contraflows, traffic etc. slowed me down but they would anywhere in the world in busy areas! With me getting closer and closer to Brussels I could see the traffic building up and up! However, the car soldiered on relentlously, running surprisingly smoothly.
What did annoy me at times much to the amusement of the proper 'box fans was the SMG's auto shifting in auto mode. Say you were going up a hill on the motorway. I'd put my foot down and it would go to 5th when I wanted to stay in 6th. I initially found this annoying. Right until I put it back into manual and found my mistake ; the engine doesn't really want to do much at 50MPH in 6th while climbing a hill on the Autobahn to overtake a few people. Yup, it was careless throttle action and user error in my sleep deprived state.
But when I got my head around that I found the car as a package an absolute joy to bring back to Blightly. I was eventally toggling in auto for the roadworks and reverting to manual elsewhere. Yes if I had a more careful foot I wouldn't have needed to but I guess we as humans are flawed things.
The car was wondeful. It proved that as a complete package it did have elements of a GT car about it! And what a soundtrack to come back home in! By some miracle I managed to get back to the Eurotunnel in Calais for 11:55! Not bad for rush hour at all! I did not even feel tired! I did however need the toilet, badly!
After a coffee and a meal it was time to get back onto the Eurotunnel. Yes, we both left our towing eyes in from the Nurburgring!
Yup, the 'ring and the return trip really had me bonding with the car more! It seemed that my hard graft on the car had been worth it! The rear end being planted gave me the ability to put my foot down as did the Michelin's performance in the wet passing trucks where the spray thrown off them could have you barely seeing where you were going! Yup, maybe that expenditure was worth it after all. It wasn't even that taxing on the fuel count!
How untaxing? If the trip computers are to be believed:
-The M3 did 28MPG ; it did drop on the laps but rose again ; it averaged 29MPG on the trp when I did the calculations on pen and paper! That includes it doing 15MPG on track ; it was wet remember.
-The Clio 220 Trophy EDC did 31.3 ; No I am not joking and that was with him doing a sedate 75 all the way back ; he left before me remember
-The Clio 172 Cup however unsurprisingly was ahead of the M3 but surprisingly ahead of the 220! 38MPG! Man I miss those figures for the power!
It seems then that after this trip the M3 certainly has earned its respect from we as well as proving itself very well! Damn, I guess I am getting a little smitten with the old girl!
It was then time to get some fuel for back home from the REWE as shown above. If you don't mind a tipple the value there is staggering? 14 Euros for 20 pints of BitBurger? Not a problem. I am sure that will stay in the shed for a while along with the Vulkan!
With that in mind it was time to retire to Pinnochios for one of their classic Calzones with the Bolognaise sauce spread all over it!
As always you get a great pizza here if not a very large one!
After this it was time to put an end to my birthday shennanegans but how? We finished up at the Crown in Adenau. This is a strange one. Normally I am not a fan of English pubs. This one was a little different. It was run by some English folk yes. But they were 'Ring obsessors, talking about the cars, their journey and others. They seemed to have quite a good hanod with the locals too in Adenau to which they and the bar owners treated us as friends we had known for quite some time. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night.
Then came the next morning. While my friends retired to the Blaue Eke I went back on the 10 minute walk to mine. Normally I stay up etc. but I ended up going straight to sleep. I must have been shattered. So shattered that I slept in almost 2 hours late the next morning! Seeing my phone with a myriad of WhatsApp messages and missed calls did not exactly inspire me with confidence!
With that in mind it was a case of throwing all of my luggage into the car and setting off pronto! The time? 7:30AM. I had to be at the Eurotunnel by 12:25 the latest. A bit of a tall order when Google Maps tells you it will be a 5 hour trip!
With the car stuffed full of my gear it was time to set off:
But with a 1/3 tank of fuel in a tired state I was never going to make it to Calais on time! With than in mind I made a dash to the Aral. While meaning to pickup some 98 I ended up filling up with 102 RON! Whoops! I guess it is only money!
However, I took an executive decision to not stop. With a 2 litre bottle of water and a bag of Haribo sweet and sours I was set! This would be a bit of a test of man and machine!
Going through Germany wasn't too bad at all! The roads while being very wet were clear. From doing a steady 75MPH on the motorways I soon easied my speed up. All I will say is that when I had the cruise control set it was set to less than 100MPH. Sure, the contraflows, traffic etc. slowed me down but they would anywhere in the world in busy areas! With me getting closer and closer to Brussels I could see the traffic building up and up! However, the car soldiered on relentlously, running surprisingly smoothly.
What did annoy me at times much to the amusement of the proper 'box fans was the SMG's auto shifting in auto mode. Say you were going up a hill on the motorway. I'd put my foot down and it would go to 5th when I wanted to stay in 6th. I initially found this annoying. Right until I put it back into manual and found my mistake ; the engine doesn't really want to do much at 50MPH in 6th while climbing a hill on the Autobahn to overtake a few people. Yup, it was careless throttle action and user error in my sleep deprived state.
But when I got my head around that I found the car as a package an absolute joy to bring back to Blightly. I was eventally toggling in auto for the roadworks and reverting to manual elsewhere. Yes if I had a more careful foot I wouldn't have needed to but I guess we as humans are flawed things
.The car was wondeful. It proved that as a complete package it did have elements of a GT car about it! And what a soundtrack to come back home in! By some miracle I managed to get back to the Eurotunnel in Calais for 11:55! Not bad for rush hour at all! I did not even feel tired! I did however need the toilet, badly!
After a coffee and a meal it was time to get back onto the Eurotunnel. Yes, we both left our towing eyes in from the Nurburgring!
Yup, the 'ring and the return trip really had me bonding with the car more! It seemed that my hard graft on the car had been worth it! The rear end being planted gave me the ability to put my foot down as did the Michelin's performance in the wet passing trucks where the spray thrown off them could have you barely seeing where you were going! Yup, maybe that expenditure was worth it after all. It wasn't even that taxing on the fuel count!
How untaxing? If the trip computers are to be believed:
-The M3 did 28MPG ; it did drop on the laps but rose again ; it averaged 29MPG on the trp when I did the calculations on pen and paper! That includes it doing 15MPG on track ; it was wet remember.
-The Clio 220 Trophy EDC did 31.3 ; No I am not joking and that was with him doing a sedate 75 all the way back ; he left before me remember
-The Clio 172 Cup however unsurprisingly was ahead of the M3 but surprisingly ahead of the 220! 38MPG! Man I miss those figures for the power!
It seems then that after this trip the M3 certainly has earned its respect from we as well as proving itself very well! Damn, I guess I am getting a little smitten with the old girl!
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 23 September 06:51
Mr Scruff said:
Good write up! Trips like that to bond with a car are always good, especially after all the hard work and expense that gets put in
Cheers! You are absolutely right. It certainly helps in making it worthwhile!Facebook reminded me that it has been just over a year since I bought it. On reflection it's been OK I guess
. Since last year I-Put on 9.5k
-Changed viscous fan, exhaust mounts and rear drop links which I knew about initially
-Performed an Inspection I ; Whether I'd do this again is another thing but it does drive better...
-Changed all 4 tyres all round ; I did not bank of the Falkens going out of shape or wearing so fast in FK453 form!
-Resprayed the front end as well as giving it a minor facelift in the form of new grilles and light lenses
-Changed the alternator, coil and drivebelt gear
-Got the rear end reinforced with Redish plates and Poly bushes
-Put the SMG CSL shifting onto the engine DME.
-Recently changed the oil cooler along with the VANOS filter ; ECS call this a 'Level 1' Service
If I had to put a summary on things and advice
-Whoever tells you that the clearances don't need doing is lying. Mine made a pleasant difference, enough for friends to notice! They are a pain in the proverbial to do compared to other setups but they are certainly worth it.
-Getting cheap/mid-range tyres on these if you plan to drive it much or in again is a fallacy ; yes it's an obvious one but it seems many are oblivious when they see the price. The PS4s made a nice difference on the rear. Going from FK452s to Michelin PS4Ss on the front however felt different as soon as I went around the first roundabout.
-Definitely get the RACP done. As said mine was given the all clear and it seemed OK to me on an inspection too.
-If you have the haters' 'box, sorry the SMG definitely get the CSL software done. It's OK without it but it's truly another car with it and it certainly adds another dimension of fun to the mix.
Best things I have done to the car?
-SMG CSL software ; I know it cost me £20 but even if you give a bloke £100 to do the work it's about the best money you'll spend on a SMG'd M3. I'd probably say it's the best mod if I was to rank what's been done. Even a manual 328i driver is quite surprised by this that I know!
-RACP work ; I don' know how much was done to the plates but I suspect alot was down to the subframe bushes. If you have an E46 of any sort I'd definitely rebush the rear subframe, especially if your car tramlines over white lines ; I thought it was mainly my front tyres! This was one of the pricier jobs on the car. But it transformed the drive alot. It's alot more predictable and stable everywhere. From the moment I pulled out of ETA's premises it felt tighter. It's certainly one of the best M3's I've driven now with that work done.
What has surprised me is the MPG of the car ; It getting 22-30MPG is not a bad shout at all. It's also a good car for the tinkerer. Sure I've been hit by M-Tax now and again but show me a modern where all of the parts are dirty cheap.
I will say something. While there have been ups and downs it has been one of the most complete packages I've had with a car. Sure it has a few flaws and traits but it helps give the car some charm and character. The latter is certainly aidded by the soundtrack inside the cabin, the feel, and the sheer versatility of the car along with a dynamic feel ; it's a bit of a cruiser one minute and within moments it becomes quite a stormer of a car. Yup, it's got me.
Edited by SebringMan on Monday 15th May 21:33
S10GTA said:
This is such a good thread. Thank you for keeping it updated, and well done on restoring the car back to a good standard.
Many thanks! It's great to get some C&C back. After all, it's all about improving things for everyone.Speaking of which it seems Photobucket decided to do the opposite. Like many threads on the 'net this one has fallen victim to Photobucket removing 3rd party hosting.
In time I do plan to move the photos back onto the thread. But for now I have made a thread which in essence summarises this thread:
So here is the thread in general in my blogs as I spoke through it here.
Buying the M3:
https://theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/03/11...
https://theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/03/15...
Ownership of the M3:
https://theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/05/22...
https://theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/07/18...
https://theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/07/26...
theleylandlegends.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/spring-lows-highs-m3-ownership-part-3/
I will look into transferring the images onto here but TBH it will take me a while.
On other areas of the forum a few have wondered whether the the M3 had been sold. The truth is no. I did however put it up for sale and had a few offers but TBH I have decided to keep it. After all, it has alot of good things about it now.
There is another update to come but not until I return from my travels.
I left the last post a little open ended. Why? I was in Spain at the time.
Night 1 started off with me waiting for the boat:
Night 2 had me being in between San Sebastion & Pamplona. Yup, that was one long drive! Was I loving it but also worried at the time? You bet!
More will come later. I have to get the retro ready for a car show this weekend at Shelsley Walsh!
Night 1 started off with me waiting for the boat:
Night 2 had me being in between San Sebastion & Pamplona. Yup, that was one long drive! Was I loving it but also worried at the time? You bet!
More will come later. I have to get the retro ready for a car show this weekend at Shelsley Walsh!
From where I last was with the the old girl it was fair to say that it was busy redeeming itself. For the next 3 months it was nice where the car had been spend free for once. It was 3 months in come August when I would broke this rule. Why? I needed cupholders and an SMG relay. While the relay could be justified what about the former item? This was easy ; I was going to drive the M3 down to Spain for a bit of a trip.
Given their reputation these days for many things going wrong I was apprehensive about doing so. Thoughts about the head gasket, SMG pump, VANOS and bottom end issues all went through my head. I had taken £200 stters previously across Europe so why worry so much about this trip? I guess when it is your pride and joy that has cost you a few quid to maintain this feeling is quite normal.
Since the car had a service during the oil cooler saga only months before I left I knew it would be a case of checking the car over. Before I knew it there was little else to do but fit the new cupholders. While there was a mixup with the colour of the cupholders being delivered to me Cotswold BMW to their credit bent over backwards to get me out of this jam.
Changing the cupholders is something any of us folk can do. It really is a simple yet very effective job in an E46. OK they are £50 but it's cheaper than damaged interior.
I did not hesitate to fit the grey cupholders and to pack my tools and spares for the trip.
Little did I know the time for me to leave the UK for Spain would creep up very quickly! But at least the car was a joy to drive down, with me having some great company in the form of a good friend for the trip. Leaving at 6pm on a Thursday night however would hamper how much progress we made in France that day, especially when the Eurotunnel had a delay on of an hour until we actually would get onto the boat. With that in mind we made ourselves comfortable and attempted to sleep on the train and while waiting for the train with limited success.
Once in France and the time now being past 12AM we decided to call it a night and stopped off just outside Calais to rest and hit the road the next day.
This day would be testing. We would be driving from Boulogne-Sur-Mer to Pamplona, Spain. In a day. Yup, it was not going to be a short hop. With that in mind we jumped into the car and hit the autoroute. The M3 did come into its own here.
Despite it being 14 years old and with a few miles on the clock it literally cruised all of the way down through France. 4 hours felt more like 2 and even the weather was cheering up for us. This would all change when he hit Bordeaux at 4pm that day. Going through the hot traffic you could hear the car’s fan operating at maximum speed as the heat went up to 33 degrees centigrade. The car by this point had been running for 7 hours with us only stopping for lunch and fuel. Before 5PM we hit Bordeaux traffic. The car was fine albeit with the oil temps above 100 degrees centigrade and it was generally fine however. With this in mind I decided to stop off and let the car cool off for ½ an hour and let the traffic die down. Oh, and treat myself to an ice cream.
With that done it was then time to hit the road again with our next stop being Pamplona. After Bordeaux however this leg would drag on a little. However, we made it to Pamplona for 9:30 to meet up with our friend who had been there for quite some time. Not a bad time to get there really!
After having a beer and a small meal we all knew it was time to get to bed and to see what sights Pamplona had to offer. The truth is it was more than I was expecting!
Given their reputation these days for many things going wrong I was apprehensive about doing so. Thoughts about the head gasket, SMG pump, VANOS and bottom end issues all went through my head. I had taken £200 s
tters previously across Europe so why worry so much about this trip? I guess when it is your pride and joy that has cost you a few quid to maintain this feeling is quite normal.Since the car had a service during the oil cooler saga only months before I left I knew it would be a case of checking the car over. Before I knew it there was little else to do but fit the new cupholders. While there was a mixup with the colour of the cupholders being delivered to me Cotswold BMW to their credit bent over backwards to get me out of this jam.
Changing the cupholders is something any of us folk can do. It really is a simple yet very effective job in an E46. OK they are £50 but it's cheaper than damaged interior
.I did not hesitate to fit the grey cupholders and to pack my tools and spares for the trip.
Little did I know the time for me to leave the UK for Spain would creep up very quickly! But at least the car was a joy to drive down, with me having some great company in the form of a good friend for the trip. Leaving at 6pm on a Thursday night however would hamper how much progress we made in France that day, especially when the Eurotunnel had a delay on of an hour until we actually would get onto the boat. With that in mind we made ourselves comfortable and attempted to sleep on the train and while waiting for the train with limited success.
Once in France and the time now being past 12AM we decided to call it a night and stopped off just outside Calais to rest and hit the road the next day.
This day would be testing. We would be driving from Boulogne-Sur-Mer to Pamplona, Spain. In a day. Yup, it was not going to be a short hop. With that in mind we jumped into the car and hit the autoroute. The M3 did come into its own here.
Despite it being 14 years old and with a few miles on the clock it literally cruised all of the way down through France. 4 hours felt more like 2 and even the weather was cheering up for us. This would all change when he hit Bordeaux at 4pm that day. Going through the hot traffic you could hear the car’s fan operating at maximum speed as the heat went up to 33 degrees centigrade. The car by this point had been running for 7 hours with us only stopping for lunch and fuel. Before 5PM we hit Bordeaux traffic. The car was fine albeit with the oil temps above 100 degrees centigrade and it was generally fine however. With this in mind I decided to stop off and let the car cool off for ½ an hour and let the traffic die down. Oh, and treat myself to an ice cream.
With that done it was then time to hit the road again with our next stop being Pamplona. After Bordeaux however this leg would drag on a little. However, we made it to Pamplona for 9:30 to meet up with our friend who had been there for quite some time. Not a bad time to get there really!
After having a beer and a small meal we all knew it was time to get to bed and to see what sights Pamplona had to offer. The truth is it was more than I was expecting!
Nunga said:
Without trying to sound bias, it's such a lovely colour; the E46 just doesn't look that dated at all and I must say yours wears the miles very well. The grey interior, however...
Any fuel figures for the trip on the continent? I've never seen better than 28, 29mpg on a steady slow cruise between 70-80mph, and lately I've been doing no better than 22 (but that is either city or high-speed Autobahn tomfoolery).
Mystic is a great colour eh? It cleans up lovely.Any fuel figures for the trip on the continent? I've never seen better than 28, 29mpg on a steady slow cruise between 70-80mph, and lately I've been doing no better than 22 (but that is either city or high-speed Autobahn tomfoolery).
Cheers! It's an honest car. The grey is not for everyone but I do quit like it; it brightens the interior up and I've had a few cars with black leather
.As for the MPG I got 30.5MPG going down with it cruising a little over 80 on this leg. Later legs however
.It is fair to say that I was dreading the leg from Calais to Pamplona. It was a 10 hour drive with stops allowed for with almost 600 miles to cover in a day! All to be done in a car with a reputation for not being mega reliable, and high performance one at that getting on for 14 years old! You can imagine my relief that it made it down! Then again you always worry more when it is your own car.
The descent into Pamplona was stunning! A far cry from monotonous French routes
It was then time to explore Pamplona, and what a city it is! Famed for the questionable bullfighting as well as Ernest Hemmingway residing there during the 1920s. Yup, there was plenty to see, but we decided to try something different first, something carcentric. But in Spain? How? This one was simple. We took a 40 minute trip out in the M3 from the great city of Pamplona to Circuito de Navarra.
Experiencing the atmosphere at a clubman level in Spain was very interesting. Interesting enough for me to say that it was fantastic. Sure, there were pit girls and the usual stuff at the bike event but there was more. There were loads of people present to watch the entry level series where the youth would prove their worth by their skill level, not necessarily by what the bikes could do. The bar was rammed with people ordering Jamon bocadillos. Beers, soft drinks and the odd coffee were being ordered too, all being sold at reasonable prices! There was no overpriced bar here, just loads of people having a great time and watching the racing their mates and loved ones.
It was strange how the entry level events were more fun to watch than the bigger Super 1000s. There were more chances being taken and more rawness present during the racing! If there is an event on here it is well worth the visit.
After this day however we decided to chill out in the city itself. The second day was mostly spent looking at Café Iruna, a lovely café that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent, as well as a bar in the same square, again another one of Hemingway’s haunts.
From then on thanks to some local Spanish company we ended spending quite a bit of the day indulging in many canas and quite a lot of tapas! From mussels to strangely fried eggs it was all lovely,
The Pamplona Bullring. A place of alot of controversy ; it was confusing being there!
The day would come however that we would move onto our second destination, Valencia. In comparison to driving down to Pamplona this trip was quite a bit shorter! It was however as hot as Bordeaux the closer we got to Spain. At one point it did go hotter, 35 degrees centigrade to exact! The car’s viscous fan fully locked up on a number of occasions on the way down once the temperature went north 30.
However, Valencia does not have a reputation of being kind on traffic. I had heard from a few sources that Valencia could be a pain to drive in! How would we cope? By the looks of it some cars were forlorn already at Valencia Airport! Our fingers would be crossed.
The descent into Pamplona was stunning! A far cry from monotonous French routes
It was then time to explore Pamplona, and what a city it is! Famed for the questionable bullfighting as well as Ernest Hemmingway residing there during the 1920s. Yup, there was plenty to see, but we decided to try something different first, something carcentric. But in Spain? How? This one was simple. We took a 40 minute trip out in the M3 from the great city of Pamplona to Circuito de Navarra.
Experiencing the atmosphere at a clubman level in Spain was very interesting. Interesting enough for me to say that it was fantastic. Sure, there were pit girls and the usual stuff at the bike event but there was more. There were loads of people present to watch the entry level series where the youth would prove their worth by their skill level, not necessarily by what the bikes could do. The bar was rammed with people ordering Jamon bocadillos. Beers, soft drinks and the odd coffee were being ordered too, all being sold at reasonable prices! There was no overpriced bar here, just loads of people having a great time and watching the racing their mates and loved ones.
It was strange how the entry level events were more fun to watch than the bigger Super 1000s. There were more chances being taken and more rawness present during the racing! If there is an event on here it is well worth the visit.
After this day however we decided to chill out in the city itself. The second day was mostly spent looking at Café Iruna, a lovely café that Ernest Hemingway used to frequent, as well as a bar in the same square, again another one of Hemingway’s haunts.
From then on thanks to some local Spanish company we ended spending quite a bit of the day indulging in many canas and quite a lot of tapas! From mussels to strangely fried eggs it was all lovely,
The Pamplona Bullring. A place of alot of controversy ; it was confusing being there!
The day would come however that we would move onto our second destination, Valencia. In comparison to driving down to Pamplona this trip was quite a bit shorter! It was however as hot as Bordeaux the closer we got to Spain. At one point it did go hotter, 35 degrees centigrade to exact! The car’s viscous fan fully locked up on a number of occasions on the way down once the temperature went north 30.
However, Valencia does not have a reputation of being kind on traffic. I had heard from a few sources that Valencia could be a pain to drive in! How would we cope? By the looks of it some cars were forlorn already at Valencia Airport! Our fingers would be crossed.
Edited by SebringMan on Friday 22 September 11:18
Hopefully some of you can comment.
After a certain hosting outfit nuked a load of photos off the internet with a familiar sign many threads including mine lost alot of photos.
I've put in a fix which has brought the photos back. At least on my end they seem to have done this. Are most of the pictures from early on in the thread also OK for you guys?
After a certain hosting outfit nuked a load of photos off the internet with a familiar sign many threads including mine lost alot of photos.
I've put in a fix which has brought the photos back. At least on my end they seem to have done this. Are most of the pictures from early on in the thread also OK for you guys?
appletonn said:
Yep, all good for me over here!
Happy days CornedBeef said:
That trip looks cracking, I did the Alps/Northern Italy in my leggy 335D this summer and I know that feeling of dread when setting off that something could go wrong. BMWs just seem great at big long journeys like that and eat up the miles though, at least the big sixes do.
I checked the MOT history on that Mondeo, it ran out in 2007 so that's potentially been there since then - surely someone would have moved it by now wouldn't you think!
Many thanks! That trip was superb with a few surprises in sight too! The strange thing is that I have access to a Mondeo 2.5T which I very nearly almost took. Despite it being leggier at 157k I trust that more than the M3! Maybe the scare stories don't help with the BMWs of which there are many!I checked the MOT history on that Mondeo, it ran out in 2007 so that's potentially been there since then - surely someone would have moved it by now wouldn't you think!
I shall have to update this thread further on the rest of the trip.
As for the Mondeo it wouldn't surprise me if it was driven with an MOT for a few years over there. It is something Ex-Pats do over there. After all, until recently it was not like the EU could be bothered to chase the owners down or even check the car with ANPRs etc. For a Mondeo it was surprisingly rust free mind you! LOL!
With me coming into Valencia things seemed different immediately. From travelling on the Spanish motorways with barely any traffic we suddenly saw many more cars around us! The cruise control would not be all that useful now! But at least I was in the right car for the job.
When it came to parking the car up however you could tell the car was hot. The temp gauge was stuck smack bang in the middle of the gauge and the viscous fan was fully locked up. Yup, it was warm alright. But at least the car could have a well deserved rest for a few days; it even had a companion in the form of a friend's E89 Z4 30i sDrive. It’s just as well as I had heard on the grapevine that Valencia is not what you would call car friendly. But for once that didn’t matter.
The accommodation was spot on for the break. In the heart of the city with it only being a stone’s throw away from the main square it certainly felt like we were living the high life! Gorgeous buildings with a chilled atmosphere and variety? This is the place! Oh, and a bit of sunshine to go with it.
But I had to be honest. Valencia is no place for a car. With that in mind a friend suggested that we store our cars at Valencia Airport while we were there. After seeing the many webs of one way streets in Valencia this seemed like a good shout in hindsight.
Without the cars at least you can enjoy a beer in the sun. Happy Days!
But a lack of cars between us would not spoil the fun, oh no! After all, a lot of the a places to visit in Valencia were accessible by foot. However, they were even more accessible by bike! It’s almost like Valencia is built for bike travel ; it’s matrix of cycle lanes make it a breeze to go around on bike ; I could have been there all day! The UK could learn a thing or two here in the quest to harmonise and reduce traffic. Make no mistake, I love my cars, but I also hate traffic jams and waiting!
With that in mind we were just lapping up the scenery. However, the day would come that we would have to leave Valencia. This would not be without sampling part of the Formula 1 track first. After all, when in Rome, even if it was on bike!
Yup, my companions on the trip were loving it on Valencia's street circuit!
The next leg of the trip would be interesting. Partly because it was very familiar territory to use. But also partly because we had a surprise in store as well.
When it came to parking the car up however you could tell the car was hot. The temp gauge was stuck smack bang in the middle of the gauge and the viscous fan was fully locked up. Yup, it was warm alright. But at least the car could have a well deserved rest for a few days; it even had a companion in the form of a friend's E89 Z4 30i sDrive. It’s just as well as I had heard on the grapevine that Valencia is not what you would call car friendly. But for once that didn’t matter.
The accommodation was spot on for the break. In the heart of the city with it only being a stone’s throw away from the main square it certainly felt like we were living the high life! Gorgeous buildings with a chilled atmosphere and variety? This is the place! Oh, and a bit of sunshine to go with it.
But I had to be honest. Valencia is no place for a car. With that in mind a friend suggested that we store our cars at Valencia Airport while we were there. After seeing the many webs of one way streets in Valencia this seemed like a good shout in hindsight.
Without the cars at least you can enjoy a beer in the sun. Happy Days!
But a lack of cars between us would not spoil the fun, oh no! After all, a lot of the a places to visit in Valencia were accessible by foot. However, they were even more accessible by bike! It’s almost like Valencia is built for bike travel ; it’s matrix of cycle lanes make it a breeze to go around on bike ; I could have been there all day! The UK could learn a thing or two here in the quest to harmonise and reduce traffic. Make no mistake, I love my cars, but I also hate traffic jams and waiting!
With that in mind we were just lapping up the scenery. However, the day would come that we would have to leave Valencia. This would not be without sampling part of the Formula 1 track first. After all, when in Rome, even if it was on bike!
Yup, my companions on the trip were loving it on Valencia's street circuit!
The next leg of the trip would be interesting. Partly because it was very familiar territory to use. But also partly because we had a surprise in store as well.
Mr.Jimbo said:
Putting my Anorak firmly on (it never comes off these days tbh) but isn't that Coventry city centre!? Far cry from Valencia, although arguably the standard of spoken English is probably far better in Valencia.
I recently did a big (740 miles) trip from Basically Coventry down to Munich where I'm living, and have the return leg in November, the E46s just eat up the miles though, it was a long day but got out feeling pretty fresh - no worse than in my 6 month old Jaguar I'd go as far to say.
Guilty! I put the wrong shot up! I'll correct that at some point I recently did a big (740 miles) trip from Basically Coventry down to Munich where I'm living, and have the return leg in November, the E46s just eat up the miles though, it was a long day but got out feeling pretty fresh - no worse than in my 6 month old Jaguar I'd go as far to say.
.I am surprised at how well they eat up the miles for an old bus. Like yourself I sat in a new(ish) Jag XF and truth be told the E46 has stood the test of time quite well.
Mr.Jimbo said:
They've aged well, sat in my mates E36 and hadn't realized how old they looked. In my mind the E30 was better than the E36, maybe the doorcards age it a bit more.
Really enjoyed mine going from daily driver to Friday commuter and weekend plaything, they're not designed to sit in traffic all day, far better on the open road
I thought a similar thing when I owned my E36. I could never really jell with it. It's strange as the E46 is essentially a revised E36. But then a 968 is a revised 944 and in JaguarLand an X300 is a revised XJ40. I guess all of the changes do add up over time.Really enjoyed mine going from daily driver to Friday commuter and weekend plaything, they're not designed to sit in traffic all day, far better on the open road
Anyway, let's get back!
It was fair to say that I was lovely Valencia! Like a lot of Spain you find it hard to leave the great places ; the chilled atmosphere, great food and friendly people certainly do not help here! However, the next leg would leave me with a good reason to leave!
Not a car you much of at all! We came across this old Sierra just outside Valencia. It was good to see it being used!
Leaving Valencia was like most other Spainish cities. Plenty of motorways with lots of heat. However, I never remember the speed limits changing quite so frequently as they did as I was experiencing on this trip! I guess its one way the Spanish could break up the monotony of motorway driving! Not that you really need it in an M3!
I had the car, I had the shades and the weather. What more do you need?
However I soon saw another reason to keep myself awake. That was to turn off the A7 onto the CV790 heading towards Costa Blanca, or rather, Benidorm. This road soon renewed our vigour from a driver’s perspective. I can’t say that my passenger shared my enthusiasm on some of the bends where I enjoyed myself! It was a little like the Italian job pilot scene, albeit without the snow and the Lamborghini! I was loving many of the tight bends I was contending with but also the changing camber of the corners, even if they did catch me out on a few occasions! It’s times like these that you learn more about driving as well as about your car behaves itself!
Before we knew it we had arrived into the outskirts of Benidorm, ready to have a good night’s sleep, a few beers as what most people do on a holiday, relax! That said I did bring along another passenger for the trip, in the form of a bird that I unintentionally hit!
At this point the M3 would prove it’s worth as a practical car once again! With my friend’s car being strictly a two seater it was the car of choice whenever we left the house. Not a bad way to travel in the Spanish sun you could say! Naturally we spent most of the time just chilling out rather than driving!
Before we knew it we would be well rested and travelling back to the UK. As always the M3 munched up the miles with ease as we cruised back doing a 2 night stop. This involved going through the Pyrenees and many single cross country roads as well as towns, which broke up the scenery nicely initially. It was also strange going through a tunnel where there was a 15 degrees temperature drop in comparison to outside!
It was fair to say that this trip have been epic! So right on so many levels, yet with a lot of trepidation! It was a shame to be back home, but in another, also quite a relief given the baggage an E46 M3 comes with. All in, the trip was superb and the car proved itself as a European tourer that can master many trades. Here is to the next road trip of many!
Now to decide what to do...
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