E46 M3 - daily-ish track-ish
Discussion
An E46 M3 has always been on my car "bucket list" but I'd sort of written it off to be honest, prices are on the rise and it just never seemed to be quite the right time.
I was selling my Clio 200 track car and had pretty much decided to bank the cash and just run around in the Mondeo daily for a year while I built up a decent fund to get something really special. Then a friend of mine sent me a link to a 2002 M3 which was local, had just had a VANOS rebuild and an inspection 2 and was really tempting - apart from the fact it had the wrong gearbox. Yup, the hateful SMG box that all proper drivers hate.
I arranged a viewing anyway and it was clearly an honestly described car, a few paintwork imperfections, nothing you wouldn't expect for a fifteen year old car with 78k on the clock. More importantly underneath the car was really clean and the service history stacked up. It drove really nicely on the test drive and the owner seemed like a genuine guy with a really solid reason for sale.
But what about that gearbox? I love it. Genuinely. I just can't comprehend the hate. Admittedly in full auto mode it's fairly rubbish, dimwitted and very old fashioned, but in manual mode it's involving and a lot of fun. Admittedly mine has had the CSL rev-matching software flashed onto it so it blips on downshifts which really helps. If I want to drive it smoothly I just give the slightest of lifts on upshifting and it's all fine, if I want maximum performance I just keep my foot in and while you can definitely feel a kick from the change it's not a problem.
Reliability? Well these days a motor repair kit is available for around £400 and that's what usually fails on SMG boxes. In the event that it truly borks I'll get a manual conversion done - that will cost less than getting a full SMG replacement and since manual M3s are worth a bit more than the SMG it may even be a good thing come resale time.
If that isn't the finest man maths ever, I don't know what is
I took it out for a proper drive yesterday and (without wanting to go all Autocar here) it was just brilliant, stringing a sequence of corners together while flicking up and down the gearbox and hearing that engine howl is something that I don't think will get old for a long, long time.
The plan is that this will share the daily driving duties with my Mondeo shed and will also get used for the occasional track day. To that end a big brake kit is already on order and I've got hold of a set of fairly scabby but straight wheels to use for track tyres.
I'm under no illusions with this car, it is going to be expensive to run, it's just a question of HOW expensive.
Let's see eh?
I was selling my Clio 200 track car and had pretty much decided to bank the cash and just run around in the Mondeo daily for a year while I built up a decent fund to get something really special. Then a friend of mine sent me a link to a 2002 M3 which was local, had just had a VANOS rebuild and an inspection 2 and was really tempting - apart from the fact it had the wrong gearbox. Yup, the hateful SMG box that all proper drivers hate.
I arranged a viewing anyway and it was clearly an honestly described car, a few paintwork imperfections, nothing you wouldn't expect for a fifteen year old car with 78k on the clock. More importantly underneath the car was really clean and the service history stacked up. It drove really nicely on the test drive and the owner seemed like a genuine guy with a really solid reason for sale.
But what about that gearbox? I love it. Genuinely. I just can't comprehend the hate. Admittedly in full auto mode it's fairly rubbish, dimwitted and very old fashioned, but in manual mode it's involving and a lot of fun. Admittedly mine has had the CSL rev-matching software flashed onto it so it blips on downshifts which really helps. If I want to drive it smoothly I just give the slightest of lifts on upshifting and it's all fine, if I want maximum performance I just keep my foot in and while you can definitely feel a kick from the change it's not a problem.
Reliability? Well these days a motor repair kit is available for around £400 and that's what usually fails on SMG boxes. In the event that it truly borks I'll get a manual conversion done - that will cost less than getting a full SMG replacement and since manual M3s are worth a bit more than the SMG it may even be a good thing come resale time.
If that isn't the finest man maths ever, I don't know what is
I took it out for a proper drive yesterday and (without wanting to go all Autocar here) it was just brilliant, stringing a sequence of corners together while flicking up and down the gearbox and hearing that engine howl is something that I don't think will get old for a long, long time.
The plan is that this will share the daily driving duties with my Mondeo shed and will also get used for the occasional track day. To that end a big brake kit is already on order and I've got hold of a set of fairly scabby but straight wheels to use for track tyres.
I'm under no illusions with this car, it is going to be expensive to run, it's just a question of HOW expensive.
Let's see eh?
mwstewart said:
I really enjoyed my SMG M3. I loved the raw feel of it. Shift speed was very good.
I loved mine too. That's the thing I miss most after selling the car.Not sure a manual conversion would be particularly cheap or that it'd improve resale though. Sure the pumps were only about a grand to replace when I had my m3 about 8 years ago.
Personally I prefer the 18" wheels so I was happy to find one with them.
People who've owned an SMG do generally seem to be a lot more positive than people who've just read about them on the internet
Of course there are exceptions and no everyone likes them but I'm happy.
Unfortunately BMW hiked the price of the SMG unit a couple of years back - it's now £1600 and then you've got to get it fitted. The good news is it's usually the motor that goes and there's a refurb kit for that now.
People who've owned an SMG do generally seem to be a lot more positive than people who've just read about them on the internet
Of course there are exceptions and no everyone likes them but I'm happy.Unfortunately BMW hiked the price of the SMG unit a couple of years back - it's now £1600 and then you've got to get it fitted. The good news is it's usually the motor that goes and there's a refurb kit for that now.
I'm a month in to ownership and in terms of upgrades etc have done........ nothing
I have a set of track tyres, a spare set of wheels and a big brake kit ready to fit, just waiting for the final components to turn up (brackets and brake lines) before getting the work done.
The engine in these really is is something else, pulls cleanly from no revs at all right through to 8k and sounds fabulous. It feels like a genuinely exotic engine dropped into a much more normal car. When it gets a chance to stretch it's legs on a good road the chassis comes alive too. All in all I'm a bit smitten.
I'm commuting in it a couple of days a week and using it at the weekend (when there are no tip runs or furniture collections to do) and the Mondeo is covering all the other duties. It's a great combination, the contrast keeps me from getting too used to the M3 and gives me all the practicality I need.
No problems at all so far.
Hopefully will have something a bit more meaningful to report in the next update.
I have a set of track tyres, a spare set of wheels and a big brake kit ready to fit, just waiting for the final components to turn up (brackets and brake lines) before getting the work done.
The engine in these really is is something else, pulls cleanly from no revs at all right through to 8k and sounds fabulous. It feels like a genuinely exotic engine dropped into a much more normal car. When it gets a chance to stretch it's legs on a good road the chassis comes alive too. All in all I'm a bit smitten.
I'm commuting in it a couple of days a week and using it at the weekend (when there are no tip runs or furniture collections to do) and the Mondeo is covering all the other duties. It's a great combination, the contrast keeps me from getting too used to the M3 and gives me all the practicality I need.
No problems at all so far.
Hopefully will have something a bit more meaningful to report in the next update.
Exciting times! My first bit of work on the M3!
(Sorry, it really isn't that exciting)
A previous owner wrapped the gear surround as well as the door pulls in gloss black. It's not very nice, and also they made a total pig's ear of the gear surround. Removing the wrap showed that unfortunately they'd flattened off the plastic with some sort of abrasive before wrapping it. Gah. A new gear surround popped up on M3Cutters so I grabbed it and fitted it today. Slight improvement!
Nasty, nasty, nasty.
Much better.
The SMG badge is a truly classic piece of BMW design isn't it?
Just got to sort out the door pulls now, but no hurry.
(Sorry, it really isn't that exciting)
A previous owner wrapped the gear surround as well as the door pulls in gloss black. It's not very nice, and also they made a total pig's ear of the gear surround. Removing the wrap showed that unfortunately they'd flattened off the plastic with some sort of abrasive before wrapping it. Gah. A new gear surround popped up on M3Cutters so I grabbed it and fitted it today. Slight improvement!
Nasty, nasty, nasty.
Much better.
The SMG badge is a truly classic piece of BMW design isn't it?
Just got to sort out the door pulls now, but no hurry.
sjj84 said:
I loved mine too. That's the thing I miss most after selling the car.
Not sure a manual conversion would be particularly cheap or that it'd improve resale though. Sure the pumps were only about a grand to replace when I had my m3 about 8 years ago.
I also like mine. It has a rawness about it when pushing on and as charljtr said you do learn to work it well Not sure a manual conversion would be particularly cheap or that it'd improve resale though. Sure the pumps were only about a grand to replace when I had my m3 about 8 years ago.
.I also don't get the hate. I reckon part of it is a bangwagon thing (after all, nothing makes you seem cooler than joining one) as well as people who expected miracles after a 5 minute drive which the SMG simply can't do. It's funny how no one mentions that you can overrev what is a delicate engine with the manual and how you can rush the changes in them resulting in second gear synchro wear
.Like you the car as a package works really well when pushing on. It's superb. Dare I say it the 'box gives the car a bit of a GTness about it.
The CSL software makes a big difference however. It's about the best money I spent on the car in terms of bang per buck.
The manual conversion if you know what you are doing is not as bad as it seems. In short you need:
-A bellhousing ; a bloke converts SMG bellhousings to accept the manual detent springs on eBay
-A clutch pedal ; all E46s share the same pedal
-A master cylinder ; believe it not the master cylinder is the same for every E46 up even until the F80 as well as the 1 series etc. etc.. Don't believe me? Look on RealOEM
.-Slave cylinder and pipework
-Sensors including the clutch sensor ;one of the gear position sensors is optional for the manual but it's a better better to put it in anyway is the popular opinion
-Wiring the SMG out of the car ; IIRC one wire is required to be fed elsewhere so that the car 'forgets' it is an SMG
-Coding ; with Martyn's binary tool this couldn't be simpler ; it's how I gave my car the CSL software
. NCS-Expert is also needed to turn off the SMG bits (like starting with the brake pedal down etc. and to active the clutch switch so that the cruise control etc. works).-The clutch is the same for both the manual and the SMG as is the gearbox. It's assumed that SMG 'boxes are generally in better condition regarding the syncros etc. Some people have been bitten by secondhand manual 'boxes which in theory can make the conversion easier.
-Linkages ; these are cheap enough from BMW and TBH most manuals see an improvement from fresh linkages and bushes. You could also fit a CAI or AKG shifter...
If your pump is still good along with the sensors they fetch a nice premium too
. That said, someone does sell reconditioned pumps now for £700.OK it's not that straightforward but it's nowhere near as bad as some people make out
Like anything, things are simpler with an idea of how to tackle them
.Enjoy the car. I debated getting 18s for mine but I stuck with the 19s. Like yours mine is a daily, albeit I don't do the miles I used to do.
Yours looks like a half decent example and it is refreshing to see one on 18s. As for expenditure you don't want to see my thread. The last few weeks have been pricey!
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 15th April 16:27
Edited by SebringMan on Saturday 15th April 16:30
At the risk of an E46 M3 love/hate-in, I'm still fettling/hemorrhaging cash & kidneys with my 02 manual coupe too as Sebringman knows!
Final piece of the jigsaw (he says more in hope than anything else!) will be 4 new Sachs dampers & mounts next week, along with front wheel bearing & reconditioned pas pump. Having spent the last week covering around 400 miles over gnarly N Yorkshire roads whilst away for a week, it's fair to say that the original shocks are fubar, only really exposed by driving it over some superb bumpy & twisty yorkshire roads. Once shocks got hot, damping disappeared & ride also became annoyingly crashy.
In other news, the reversing sensors started playing up, making the continuous 'you're about to crash into something' tone, as soon as you put it into reverse! Since returning home, it has 'fixed' itself! Might use my Carly app to see what's going on.
Ho hum, it's only money...
Final piece of the jigsaw (he says more in hope than anything else!) will be 4 new Sachs dampers & mounts next week, along with front wheel bearing & reconditioned pas pump. Having spent the last week covering around 400 miles over gnarly N Yorkshire roads whilst away for a week, it's fair to say that the original shocks are fubar, only really exposed by driving it over some superb bumpy & twisty yorkshire roads. Once shocks got hot, damping disappeared & ride also became annoyingly crashy.
In other news, the reversing sensors started playing up, making the continuous 'you're about to crash into something' tone, as soon as you put it into reverse! Since returning home, it has 'fixed' itself! Might use my Carly app to see what's going on.
Ho hum, it's only money...
Edited by appletonn on Saturday 15th April 17:37
appletonn said:
At the risk of an E46 M3 love/hate-in, I'm still fettling/hemorrhaging cash & kidneys with my 02 manual coupe too as Sebringman knows!
Final piece of the jigsaw (he says more in hope than anything else!) will be 4 new Sachs dampers & mounts next week, along with front wheel bearing & reconditioned pas pump. Having spent the last week covering around 400 miles over gnarly N Yorkshire roads whilst away for a week, it's fair to say that the original shocks are fubar, only really exposed by driving it over some superb bumpy & twisty yorkshire roads. Once shocks got hot, damping disappeared & ride also became annoyingly crashy.
In other news, the reversing sensors started playing up, making the continuous 'you're about to crash into something' tone, as soon as you put it into reverse! Since returning home, it has 'fixed' itself! Might use my Carly app to see what's going on.
Ho hum, it's only money...
Not sure if you've fixed the reverse sensor issue since posting, but it is often the wiring that runs near the exhaust. On my 330i Touring, this only applies to one sensor, I guess it is at least two on the M3.Final piece of the jigsaw (he says more in hope than anything else!) will be 4 new Sachs dampers & mounts next week, along with front wheel bearing & reconditioned pas pump. Having spent the last week covering around 400 miles over gnarly N Yorkshire roads whilst away for a week, it's fair to say that the original shocks are fubar, only really exposed by driving it over some superb bumpy & twisty yorkshire roads. Once shocks got hot, damping disappeared & ride also became annoyingly crashy.
In other news, the reversing sensors started playing up, making the continuous 'you're about to crash into something' tone, as soon as you put it into reverse! Since returning home, it has 'fixed' itself! Might use my Carly app to see what's going on.
Ho hum, it's only money...
Edited by appletonn on Saturday 15th April 17:37
SuperVM said:
Not sure if you've fixed the reverse sensor issue since posting, but it is often the wiring that runs near the exhaust. On my 330i Touring, this only applies to one sensor, I guess it is at least two on the M3.
Hmmm will get underneath it & have a look. has still remained fixed for now & I've read about how the pint blistering on the sensors or being dirty can also cause this!Dropped the car into my mechanic yesterday for oil and filter (probably not needed for a while yet, but as it's going to be tracked better safe than sorry) and for a BBK to be fitted. He's also going to give it a general pre-track check over.
I've gone for the BMW Performance brake upgrade, so the calipers are BMW branded Brembos matched with CSL discs and custom brackets and hoses.
DS2500 pads front and rear, which I know wouldn't be everyone's choice because of their tendency to leave pad deposits on the discs, but good on-road performance from cold was important to me too so it's a compromise I've gone for.
Some H&R spacers on the front so the wheels clear the calipers and a stud conversion kit completes the work.
I picked up a brand new set of 2016-compound Nankang AR-1 tyres cheap because they've been superseded with a new compound now. Those are going onto a scabby but straight set of OE alloys to be track tyres.
Oh, and I bought a cheap part-leather interior from a breaker because the standard M3 electric seats don't go low enough for me to be completely comfortable with a helmet on. Hopefully the less padded, manual seats from a lower spec coupe will fix that but at the moment they're still in the process of being cleaned so they're not in the car yet,
Other than that I've just been enjoying owning and driving the car, really looking forward to exploring it more thoroughly on track.
I do have a niggling suspicion that this is going to turn into another project car where the mods keep on coming, something that I swore I wasn't going to do because of the M-tax, but let's see......
I've gone for the BMW Performance brake upgrade, so the calipers are BMW branded Brembos matched with CSL discs and custom brackets and hoses.
DS2500 pads front and rear, which I know wouldn't be everyone's choice because of their tendency to leave pad deposits on the discs, but good on-road performance from cold was important to me too so it's a compromise I've gone for.
Some H&R spacers on the front so the wheels clear the calipers and a stud conversion kit completes the work.
I picked up a brand new set of 2016-compound Nankang AR-1 tyres cheap because they've been superseded with a new compound now. Those are going onto a scabby but straight set of OE alloys to be track tyres.
Oh, and I bought a cheap part-leather interior from a breaker because the standard M3 electric seats don't go low enough for me to be completely comfortable with a helmet on. Hopefully the less padded, manual seats from a lower spec coupe will fix that but at the moment they're still in the process of being cleaned so they're not in the car yet,
Other than that I've just been enjoying owning and driving the car, really looking forward to exploring it more thoroughly on track.
I do have a niggling suspicion that this is going to turn into another project car where the mods keep on coming, something that I swore I wasn't going to do because of the M-tax, but let's see......
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