E46 M3 Project

[mwstewart]

I had managed to pick up a few marks on the recently replaced centre caps and stickers, so I've got some genuine ones to go on as replacements.


Next up replacement discs.


My original front discs at 30k miles. They aren't even close to the wear limit - I'm sure some M3 owners would be horrified at the easy life this car gets I'm replacing them because they had begun to get a little crusty around the braking surface vent holes.


Fitted.


I'm really pleased with how the car has turned out. A few tanks of petrol in and its performing stronger than ever; where with a standard M3 I'm often thinking I could do with more power, I now find myself impressed with the strength of response and the performance. It is now a fantastic bit of kit.

As an aside I'm finding the Z4MC rack has really made me hone my steering precision, as the car is now pin sharp and hence high speed driving takes a considerably higher level of concentration and accuracy than with the standard rack - there really is zero room for error at high speed. It is rewarding but is perhaps a bit too much for road driving, so I'm giving thought to buying a CSL rack from BMW to drop the ratio back a notch.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

I've been thinking about a quicker rack for mine. I presume its just standard e46 now. Will the M3 / CSL and Z4m racks fit mine?

Yes, they sure will.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Where did you buy yours?

eBay. I found someone breaking a Z4M.

[mwstewart]

Since the last update in March the M3 has become my daily driver.



For those don’t frequent my Golf thread:

mwstewart said:

I am looking at the CLK63 Cabriolet but now wondering if it will be focussed enough for the little time I spend in a car these days, hence I'm giving serious consideration to running my M3. It's never going to be worth a fortune so the only person benefitting from it being stuck in my unit unused for months at a time is the eventual next owner.

It's a decision I haven't looked back on. I did initially feel a uneasy using the car daily given all the work that’s gone into it, but ultimately I felt it really is pointless leaving such a car locked away; I didn’t feel the M3 was special enough to drive occasionally but rather it’s a car that makes daily use a bit special - and it has certainly done just that. I’ll re-iterate what I’ve said before about the E46 M3 – it’s a car that continues to impresses with more seat time. They can feel underwhelming at first but really get under your skin with more use.

I mentioned the Z4MC rack in my previous update and I thought I’d try a geo change before I went to the trouble of having the rack replaced, and thankfully the changes have done the trick. Front toe is now parallel and at the rear I’ve gone for an additional one degree of toe in. The result is a car that still requires more concentration than its standard counterpart, but not by an unreasonable amount given the considerable improvement in steering response. Also, the Super Sports are awesome tyres which I recommend after my experience on the M3. I will order a set for the F430 before summer is here.

Performance-wise it is considerably quicker than a standard M3 which I always feel needed more power. Incidentally I don’t really bother about MPG but I thought I’d see what effect the 3.91 rear diff had made. I reset the trip following an Autobahn fill-up and did 63 miles at between 80 and 95:


Seriously impressive!

That is ultimately all I have to add - I am just enjoying the car

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Finally.

A man who has cars and enjoys them is a happy man.

Roger that. I did enjoy my time with the Golf - especially after the transformation - but it was time to move on.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

OMG - Have you been tinkering with your cheap run about?

I've bought myself a cheap run about too. I quite like it. I am trying hard to resist the temptation to tinker with it. I probably will tinker with it but nothing major.

Now get that Fiesta sorted out.

Yes - oops! http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Fiesta will be sorted. Need to get the Golf out of the way first

[mwstewart]

My rear view mirror had started to develop strange scratches behind the outer layer of glass:


Over time the auto dim function started to fail around the periphery of the mirror, which could only mean one thing: impending failure. The issue and potential effects are well documented on the internet, so I started to leave a towel underneath the mirror whilst a replacement glass was delivered from http://www.mirrorjohn.com/

Glass replacement was dead easy and took 15 minutes from start to finish. The only aspect I was slightly worried about was prying apart the mirror casing - it really bugs me if I mark any trim on the car - but thankfully the two halves come across fairly easily and without marring.


Electronics and backing plate transferred from the old mirror glass to new.


The new glass is filled with gel and unlike the liquid filled original glass is proven to be reliable.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Need some advice please.

I bought a Moton suspension setup from the Cutters for sale section - http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=124...

I tried to fit one of the rears last night and had to abort. The top mount which is fitted to the shock looks like it is on upside down to me. You can probably make this out from the pic below. Also it looks a bit rusty inside the top mount. Also annoyingly it does not have captive bolts like the HSD's I have now - so fitting could be a 2 man job as I'd need to hold the bolt and fasten the nut. Finally there was no rubber boot or protective cover on the shock, surely for a road car I need some form of rubber boot over the shock to keep sheet out of it.

1. Do I need new top mounts - if so do I just buy any or get some Moton specific ones.
2. Do I need some rubber boots / covers?

You don't need new top mounts - they look just like the Rogue Engineering RSM's that I have fitted.

Coilovers aren't really designed for street use hence they don't really come with protection for sat and water etc. Perhaps you can smear some grease over the rusty parts to prevent out any more water ingress.

[mwstewart]

I now have a digital TV tuner:

[mwstewart]

richtea78 said:

What's going on with the Fiesta lately?

Absolutely nothing at the moment...not forgotten it though.

[mwstewart]

ATM said:

Its the rears shockers that I think need a rubber boot.

I dont think they're Rogue. They look like they have a spherical bearing which is a little rusty. I'll get some better pics.

No, they're not Rogue but the mounting style looks the same. I can see yours have a spherical bearing in place of a rubber isolator. On mine the thicker reinforcement piece goes inside the wheelarch, and there is another reinforcement piece on the inside of the car which has some captive studs. It looks like you may be missing that piece? They will still bolt up fine just a lot more fiddly as you say.

[mwstewart]

Nunga said:

I've read the build thread a couple of times now, and the attention-to-detail still beggars belief. So impressive.

Who did the DME modifications and tune? I'm having a great deal of trouble here on the continent finding a company that will actually do the required hardware alterations AND software mods. Might be I need to send it to the UK.

Have you enjoyed driving the car in the current nice sunny weather?

Thank you. I will message you the DME information.

I've not used the car for several weeks now, but it is running well

[mwstewart]

rows said:

Hi there,
Nice work on this car.
I was wondering if you can help me?
I have recently got a twin charging socket compartment for the centre console myself and was hoping to fit it like you did.
But I can't find a part number for the two Purple connectors and the metal prongs that go inside?
Can you remember what they are or where I can get them?
Tried BM and Real OEM but no luck.
Cheers Neil.

Neil,
Thank you. Sorry but that's about the only piece of info I didn't log. I've been asked a few times but cannot for the life of me find the part numbers.

Cheers,
Mark

[mwstewart]

I stopped using the M3 a few months ago and went back to the Golf. She's now on 36k and will be for sale after an inspection 2 at BMW.

I did have a small issue whereby the starter motor wouldn't engage with the first turn of the key, and this got progressively worse until it took a minute or so of trying before the car would start. I diagnosed a sticking starter motor solenoid so I fitted a new OEM part. Issue resolved.

For the benefit of anyone else replacing the starter I did so from above by removing the inlet manifold. The two torx bolts securing the motor are tricky to access, and to break them loose I cut an E11 3/8" drive bit in half then welded an M10 threaded bar to it, which I bent in a way that allowed me to work easily from the engine bay. I used a 10mm ratchet spanner to undo the bolts once they were free.

I understand the procedure is more difficult on SMG cars but is still possible from above.

[mwstewart]

Podie said:

Didn't see that coming...

In truth, neither did I, but it's too nice to be outside on the street in London and I have the other car in the fun/garaged/occasional role, hence in my case the M3 began to seem a bit superflous.

It's a fantastic car and will likely suit someone who wants to keep it in a garage for occasional use.

[mwstewart]

m3sye said:

MW

I need a few new parts for my M3, when yuo say bought from BMW - where do I go exactly?

What cost what your new interior trim too (cube) mine has been damaged in a break in of my car so need new.

Sorry to hear that. I now use www.bmminiparts.com as they are often a lot cheaper than the dealer. Cost for the trims was in the reigon of £500.

Cheers.

[mwstewart]

Cheers both.

[mwstewart]

dom9 said:

Any update, Mark?

All this chat about CSLs in General Gassing reminded me of your car.

Are you going to sell? Have you sold?

Ahh, that thread The M3 has been sat under a dust sheet since June when I put the Golf back on the road with an intent to sell it too. The Golf didn't sell and I never went back to the M3. It's going to BMW at the end of the month for a service, and after that I'll put it back to bed until next summer when I'll decide what to do.

I don't use it so it's probably not worth keeping, but they don't make 'em like that anymore so I never wholeheartedly attempt to get rid of it.

[mwstewart]

supercommuter said:

Hi Mark - If you do sell please could you PM me as I would be interested

Sure thing.

dom9 said:

Back of the queue

I look forward to more updates next year then.

I really think it's the spec (and possibly price point, compared to a good CSL, I'm guessing) that would make it very attractive to others.

Yes, you're right: it won't be anywhere near CSL. I would have thought a lot less than half a mid-30k mile example.

[mwstewart]

Inspection II and passenger airbag recall: December 1st.

I'll make sure I'm happy with the passenger side dashboard trim after the serice.