BMW E36 M3 - US Spec
Discussion
I decided to drive up Mt. Diablo yesterday, got some good shots of the car on the way down, once the weather had picked up a bit.
Really nice place, strangely reminds me of the Peak District, which I have very fond memories of.
Anyway, I digress:
DSC_0254 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0252 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0257 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0249 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0247 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0245 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0225 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0220 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0217 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0211 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0207 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
The car’s running really well after having an issue with the engine position sensor. Really happy with it at the minute, so much so, that I treated it to a wash after these pics were taken!
Until next time…
Really nice place, strangely reminds me of the Peak District, which I have very fond memories of.
Anyway, I digress:
DSC_0254 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0252 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0257 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0249 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0247 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0245 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0225 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0220 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0217 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0211 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0207 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrThe car’s running really well after having an issue with the engine position sensor. Really happy with it at the minute, so much so, that I treated it to a wash after these pics were taken!
Until next time…
S3_Graham said:
I'd guess your power is lost and reliability is gained in the single Vanos head over the double vanos of the S50.
Is yours a 3.0 or 3.2?
With your 'euro connections' you could probably bag some headlights cheap. Do you get vadars out in the states?
I'll have another one, one day!
Mines the 3.2, so the later OBDII version. Is yours a 3.0 or 3.2?
With your 'euro connections' you could probably bag some headlights cheap. Do you get vadars out in the states?
I'll have another one, one day!
We did get vaders, yes. The standard M3 did come with them, but mine is the 'lux' model, which means different (to the regular M3):
- sport seats
- padded leather door cards
- wood trim
- different front grille (painted)
- I think different side skirts
I'm considering vaders and keeping the padded door cards, I think it'll look lovely then! I heard they're not that comfy for the 'larger frame' though?
About time for an update? I’ve mainly just been driving the thing. Getting out and enjoying these Bay Area roads as often as I can. As well as working on the photography side. Hopefully you enjoy the pics. Any feedback would be very welcome.
I went to Cars and coffee SF again recently. However, this time I was joined by my friend who owns a Tesla. Some of the reactions to an EV at a car show were pretty funny, even here in SF! But the best part of the day was the drive after, introducing him to my favourite spots.
Some shots of the show: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyjuxqa
Otherwise, some parked up at Alices. A place I seem to frequent most weeks. The roads are astonishing.
DSC_0319 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0325 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0328 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0317 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0321 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0322 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Shame about the gas truck in the background, but hey ho, maybe next time.
I’ve also made an effort to attend my first BMWCCA (Car Club of America) event; the East Bay Cars & Coffee. Great bunch of like-minded folks with some very pretty cars. Two highlights; a new M3 Individual which was very very nice.
DSC_0343 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
…and my personal fav. Something I’ve been very excited to sit in (as my expression would suggest):
DSC_0337 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
The rest of the photos from the event can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyorWqL
One of mine at the event:
DSC_0361 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Which brings me on to todays activities. Those headlights. They are the biggest let down on the front end (followed closely by the dent in the nose panel, and that front plate, which although blanked for internet, I can assure you it’s awful). One of the very first things I bought for this car was a Meguires headlight restoration kit; a kit that, after today, I would very much recommend.
Here’s how they started today:
DSC_0378 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0375 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
During (actually almost done):
DSC_0381 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0383 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Done:
DSC_0387 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0390 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0393 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I hope you agree, it looks transformed! 10 years younger! Which is good since it turns 20 this year. I thought, since the headlights cleaned up so well, the rest had better get a quick going-over too. Then more pics, cos, well, everyone love them.
DSC_0395 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0398 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0400 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0404 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0409 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0415 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0418 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0414 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I still have that steering wheel to change, I just chickened out again today. Which makes 2 chicken-outs so far. Maybe I’ll get to it next time.
I went to Cars and coffee SF again recently. However, this time I was joined by my friend who owns a Tesla. Some of the reactions to an EV at a car show were pretty funny, even here in SF! But the best part of the day was the drive after, introducing him to my favourite spots.
Some shots of the show: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyjuxqa
Otherwise, some parked up at Alices. A place I seem to frequent most weeks. The roads are astonishing.
DSC_0319 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0325 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0328 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0317 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0321 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0322 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrShame about the gas truck in the background, but hey ho, maybe next time.
I’ve also made an effort to attend my first BMWCCA (Car Club of America) event; the East Bay Cars & Coffee. Great bunch of like-minded folks with some very pretty cars. Two highlights; a new M3 Individual which was very very nice.
DSC_0343 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr…and my personal fav. Something I’ve been very excited to sit in (as my expression would suggest):
DSC_0337 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrThe rest of the photos from the event can be found here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskyorWqL
One of mine at the event:
DSC_0361 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrWhich brings me on to todays activities. Those headlights. They are the biggest let down on the front end (followed closely by the dent in the nose panel, and that front plate, which although blanked for internet, I can assure you it’s awful). One of the very first things I bought for this car was a Meguires headlight restoration kit; a kit that, after today, I would very much recommend.
Here’s how they started today:
DSC_0378 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0375 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDuring (actually almost done):
DSC_0381 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0383 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDone:
DSC_0387 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0390 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0393 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI hope you agree, it looks transformed! 10 years younger! Which is good since it turns 20 this year. I thought, since the headlights cleaned up so well, the rest had better get a quick going-over too. Then more pics, cos, well, everyone love them.
DSC_0395 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0398 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0400 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0404 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0409 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0415 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0418 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0414 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI still have that steering wheel to change, I just chickened out again today. Which makes 2 chicken-outs so far. Maybe I’ll get to it next time.
What did the engine in the European version produce? My memory says 286bhp for the 3.0 and 321bhp for the 3.2 but Wikipedia says 240 all round, which I'm pretty sure is incorrect.
I do love the E36 M3 and always fancied one but had to make do with the 325i instead. Yours looks lovely, OP. I'm envious!
I do love the E36 M3 and always fancied one but had to make do with the 325i instead. Yours looks lovely, OP. I'm envious!
jamesson said:
What did the engine in the European version produce? My memory says 286bhp for the 3.0 and 321bhp for the 3.2 but Wikipedia says 240 all round, which I'm pretty sure is incorrect.
Your memory of power output is, I believe, correct for the European cars. That said, I think the European figures might have been metric PS, as opposed to BHP (not sure about the 286, pretty sure about the 321) so I think the Euro 321 is more like 316BHP.Curiously, the US magazines always got faster 0-60 times out of the 240 federalised versions but I think this is due to a combination of technique used in the measurement and "correction," that US magazines used to apply for temperature, altitude and other factors.
Evening all, it’s been a tough couple of months for the M3.
It all started with a knocking developing at the back. I couldn’t work out where this was coming from, and in my efforts to diagnose, stumbled upon this:
The eagle-eyed of you may notice the cracking; the strut towers are a pretty well documented as being a weak point on the E36. I took the car to a local BMW specialist for a full checkover. They stated that the possible cause of the knock was the rear top mounts, and also came back with a raft of other issues, mostly stuff that can be taken care of at my leisure, but a couple of things that required fairly swift action. The exhaust hangers needed replacing, and the clutch hose was ’seeping’.
Both were changed and the car was booked in somewhere different for the welding.
Memorial day weekend, and a few days before the welding was due to be done (an hours drive away), I went to reverse out of a parking space, and the clutch dropped to the floor. Having had the flex host changed just a few days before, I was certain that the fix was inadequate, and that the garage would fix this. Turns out that the additional pressure from a functioning flex hose had caused a failure in the clutch master cylinder. So the car was recovered (at my cost) to the garage who proceeded to change the aforementioned master cylinder, as well as the slave.
The next day, the strut tower crack was welded and both were reinforced at a local metal fabricators - TC Design. They came highly recommended, and they did a fantastic job. I got them to change the top mounts too as they were the main suspect of the rear-end-knock. They were changed for E46 M3 items, and the knock was subsequently fixed.
Strut Tower reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
So all this has been a bit of a downer on the car. I’ve considered selling up, but frankly there’s really nothing much else that I want within my reach. It does drive very well now too. The clutch has a great feel, and there are zero rattles, which has to be rare for an E36.
I decided to do a couple of other little things to cheer me up.
Firstly, the drivers seat was getting progressively worse on the bolster, there is also a tear across the width of the base, on both the front seats, presumably due to the leather hardening, which will require some more care, but for now the bolster can be prettied up a little. I bought a leather(-like) patch from Amazon that I was hoping would at least tidy the area up a little, it was past repair anyway.
Before:
After:
Seat Repair by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Interior by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Not bad!
I also decided to pull the trigger on a Clarion FZ102E. Having researched for hours trying to find a semi-oem-looking solution that (at least) had USB playback, I settled on this. It’d been sat in my eBay watch list for a couple of months, and was delivered from London. The previous headunit, was good, but I couldn’t see the damn thing in the sun and I don’t like the flashy lights. So it had to go.
Anyway, it’s pretty basic, and the operation of it is clunky, but it looks good, which is kind of what matters to me. It also sounds respectable too:
BMW E36 Clarion FZ102E by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW E36 Clarion FZ102E by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I also wanted to try a front plate delete. Not something I’m running daily, but perhaps for shows.
BMW front plate delete by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Finally, I found this cool little product while browsing around. Turns out that the boot/trunk latch can crack on these, especially spoiler-less boots. This re-enforces the latch. As you can see, mine was pretty good to start with, but I installed it anyway.
DSC_0464 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DTP Reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DTP Reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
So, that’s it for now. Just picked it up from an oil change service yesterday. Got a few more things I want to do soon. But it’s re-enforced now.
It all started with a knocking developing at the back. I couldn’t work out where this was coming from, and in my efforts to diagnose, stumbled upon this:
The eagle-eyed of you may notice the cracking; the strut towers are a pretty well documented as being a weak point on the E36. I took the car to a local BMW specialist for a full checkover. They stated that the possible cause of the knock was the rear top mounts, and also came back with a raft of other issues, mostly stuff that can be taken care of at my leisure, but a couple of things that required fairly swift action. The exhaust hangers needed replacing, and the clutch hose was ’seeping’.
Both were changed and the car was booked in somewhere different for the welding.
Memorial day weekend, and a few days before the welding was due to be done (an hours drive away), I went to reverse out of a parking space, and the clutch dropped to the floor. Having had the flex host changed just a few days before, I was certain that the fix was inadequate, and that the garage would fix this. Turns out that the additional pressure from a functioning flex hose had caused a failure in the clutch master cylinder. So the car was recovered (at my cost) to the garage who proceeded to change the aforementioned master cylinder, as well as the slave.
The next day, the strut tower crack was welded and both were reinforced at a local metal fabricators - TC Design. They came highly recommended, and they did a fantastic job. I got them to change the top mounts too as they were the main suspect of the rear-end-knock. They were changed for E46 M3 items, and the knock was subsequently fixed.
Strut Tower reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrSo all this has been a bit of a downer on the car. I’ve considered selling up, but frankly there’s really nothing much else that I want within my reach. It does drive very well now too. The clutch has a great feel, and there are zero rattles, which has to be rare for an E36.
I decided to do a couple of other little things to cheer me up.
Firstly, the drivers seat was getting progressively worse on the bolster, there is also a tear across the width of the base, on both the front seats, presumably due to the leather hardening, which will require some more care, but for now the bolster can be prettied up a little. I bought a leather(-like) patch from Amazon that I was hoping would at least tidy the area up a little, it was past repair anyway.
Before:
After:
Seat Repair by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrInterior by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrNot bad!
I also decided to pull the trigger on a Clarion FZ102E. Having researched for hours trying to find a semi-oem-looking solution that (at least) had USB playback, I settled on this. It’d been sat in my eBay watch list for a couple of months, and was delivered from London. The previous headunit, was good, but I couldn’t see the damn thing in the sun and I don’t like the flashy lights. So it had to go.
Anyway, it’s pretty basic, and the operation of it is clunky, but it looks good, which is kind of what matters to me. It also sounds respectable too:
BMW E36 Clarion FZ102E by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW E36 Clarion FZ102E by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI also wanted to try a front plate delete. Not something I’m running daily, but perhaps for shows.
BMW front plate delete by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrFinally, I found this cool little product while browsing around. Turns out that the boot/trunk latch can crack on these, especially spoiler-less boots. This re-enforces the latch. As you can see, mine was pretty good to start with, but I installed it anyway.
DSC_0464 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDTP Reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDTP Reinforcement by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrSo, that’s it for now. Just picked it up from an oil change service yesterday. Got a few more things I want to do soon. But it’s re-enforced now.
Hey folks! Another quick update on the M3 progress.
A couple of months ago, I was invited for a driving weekend away with a friend of mine and his buddies; a trip they do every year and have named “car guy cruise”. Incredible weekend of driving sparsely populated roads that carve through the Northern California mountains. Some of the best driving I’ve ever experienced. The cars I accompanied were also cool, top of my list is my friends 300ZX twin turbo; the sound!
Anyway, having just ticked over 200k; ~4x the mileage of the other machinery and a broken fuel gauge (later fixed with some fuel cleaner), the M3 really held it’s own, and shone on those twisty mountain roads. Enough wittering, pictures. You can see the whole album here, should you so please: https://flic.kr/s/aHskLhZ2Dq
else:
Guy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Guy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Guy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Guy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
So I’ve generally been enjoying the car. I’ve had my ups and downs. Thoughts of selling, then keeping; changing by the day. I took it to a dent clinic run by BMWCCA last weekend in the hope of fixing the dent in the nose panel. Having taken grilles and headlights out, surrounded by fellow members, he didn’t manage to fix it. Fix one thing, find two more. But I genuinely find myself growing more and more attached to the thing. It’s plenty fast for anything I need it for. It’s raw and exciting enough, more-so than an E46, which honestly I’d love to own, but have also heard are way more expensive than the E36, especially the US variant.
So in the spirit of all this, I decided to to pull my finger out and finally change that steering wheel. A pic of ‘before’ for your viewing pleasure:
DSC_0247 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Ripped. Ugly.
I used the following guide to change: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=33...
Pretty involved process. Remove wheel, remove trim pieces, remove switch bracket, swap switch bracket, splice horn wire, replace everything. So happy with the result though. Smaller wheel, sportier, nice BMW emblem, and in amazing condition! Much more fitting for the supposed top spec 3 series. Drives soooooo nice with it.
DSC_0250 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
IMG_1667 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0253 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Weirdly, it all seems more solid since I put it back together. Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before, and it only took me 11 months! Till next time!
A couple of months ago, I was invited for a driving weekend away with a friend of mine and his buddies; a trip they do every year and have named “car guy cruise”. Incredible weekend of driving sparsely populated roads that carve through the Northern California mountains. Some of the best driving I’ve ever experienced. The cars I accompanied were also cool, top of my list is my friends 300ZX twin turbo; the sound!
Anyway, having just ticked over 200k; ~4x the mileage of the other machinery and a broken fuel gauge (later fixed with some fuel cleaner), the M3 really held it’s own, and shone on those twisty mountain roads. Enough wittering, pictures. You can see the whole album here, should you so please: https://flic.kr/s/aHskLhZ2Dq
else:
Guy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrGuy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrGuy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrGuy car cruise 2016 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrSo I’ve generally been enjoying the car. I’ve had my ups and downs. Thoughts of selling, then keeping; changing by the day. I took it to a dent clinic run by BMWCCA last weekend in the hope of fixing the dent in the nose panel. Having taken grilles and headlights out, surrounded by fellow members, he didn’t manage to fix it. Fix one thing, find two more. But I genuinely find myself growing more and more attached to the thing. It’s plenty fast for anything I need it for. It’s raw and exciting enough, more-so than an E46, which honestly I’d love to own, but have also heard are way more expensive than the E36, especially the US variant.
So in the spirit of all this, I decided to to pull my finger out and finally change that steering wheel. A pic of ‘before’ for your viewing pleasure:
DSC_0247 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrRipped. Ugly.
I used the following guide to change: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=33...
Pretty involved process. Remove wheel, remove trim pieces, remove switch bracket, swap switch bracket, splice horn wire, replace everything. So happy with the result though. Smaller wheel, sportier, nice BMW emblem, and in amazing condition! Much more fitting for the supposed top spec 3 series. Drives soooooo nice with it.
DSC_0250 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrIMG_1667 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0253 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrWeirdly, it all seems more solid since I put it back together. Can’t say that’s ever happened to me before, and it only took me 11 months! Till next time!
Hi all! Just a little progress update with the M3. Truth be told, there hasn’t been any work done on the car, but I’ve enjoyed using it a lot, and I’ve taken a few photos these past couple of months, and everyone likes pics!
It was my birthday over the holiday period, so I decided to treat myself. A visit to wine country motorsports at Sonoma raceway helped me pull the trigger on a helmet, since I really want to do some autoX or track days soon, I figured this would push thing along.
BMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Helmet by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Helmet by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I’ll make sure to take the stickers off
Ever since I changed the steering wheel, I had the airbag light on. I had a little mishap when installing the wheel which meant I had to drive a short distance without the airbag. So I knew there wasn’t an issue. I just had to reset the light. Sure enough, a $20 eBay win later, I had this:
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Worked a charm, no airbag lights!
A couple of days later, I decided to take a few days to drive all the way to LA, down the PCH. No pictures, as the weather was terrible. But this was the final mileage at the end of the 3 days:
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Car performed faultlessly, burned no oil, no hairy moments; smooth all the way there and back!
Another week passed, and my wife and I decided to drive the coast again. Another load of driving, but good weather and pics this time (and another final mileage pic).
Car was obviously filthy after all this, and those swirl marks are standing out a lot. I’ll need to think about sorting that soon. Anyway…
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
Till next time!
It was my birthday over the holiday period, so I decided to treat myself. A visit to wine country motorsports at Sonoma raceway helped me pull the trigger on a helmet, since I really want to do some autoX or track days soon, I figured this would push thing along.
BMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW E36 M3 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrHelmet by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrHelmet by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI’ll make sure to take the stickers off
Ever since I changed the steering wheel, I had the airbag light on. I had a little mishap when installing the wheel which meant I had to drive a short distance without the airbag. So I knew there wasn’t an issue. I just had to reset the light. Sure enough, a $20 eBay win later, I had this:
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrWorked a charm, no airbag lights!
A couple of days later, I decided to take a few days to drive all the way to LA, down the PCH. No pictures, as the weather was terrible. But this was the final mileage at the end of the 3 days:
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrCar performed faultlessly, burned no oil, no hairy moments; smooth all the way there and back!
Another week passed, and my wife and I decided to drive the coast again. Another load of driving, but good weather and pics this time (and another final mileage pic).
Car was obviously filthy after all this, and those swirl marks are standing out a lot. I’ll need to think about sorting that soon. Anyway…
BMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrBMW M3 96 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrTill next time!
Looks lovely, and even though the USDM E36M is more of a 330i I don't think there's many Euro models that would burn so little oil at 200 large. The pictures are great and remind me of many of the drives I've done between SD and SF. Shame they're all in Rental cars though... I tend to prefer the '36 mainly because it comes as a saloon.
Thanks guys.
Couple more jobs done. I hope you’re sitting down, ‘cos it’s riveting stuff.
The glovebox sag has been improved. The vent panel was not sitting correctly; it seems the clips weren’t properly attached, which was evident by the fact the wood insert was bending. I installed it properly so now it sits flush. Unfortunately one of the clips has been snapped in the past, so it doesn’t clamp enough to solve the sag totally, but it’ll do for now. There’s a screw fix to get it sitting better, but I see that as a last resort, and I’m not there yet. The front of the glovebox was also coming unstuck, so I re-glued that. Looks much better. Not 100%, but better.
DSC_0160 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I’ve also had a battery vent tube sitting waiting to be installed since a garage inspection surfaced the fact that (they existed; something unbeknownst to me, and…) mine was missing. So I got that installed.
DSC_0157 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0158 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
I also picked up some light reading material, and renewed my BMWCCA membership. I’ll be taking more advantage of this this year too as I’ve booked my first AutoX school day on the 25th of this month. Looking forward to that.
DSC_0167 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
DSC_0164 by TheDukeGTi, on Flickr
See? Exciting stuff!
Couple more jobs done. I hope you’re sitting down, ‘cos it’s riveting stuff.
The glovebox sag has been improved. The vent panel was not sitting correctly; it seems the clips weren’t properly attached, which was evident by the fact the wood insert was bending. I installed it properly so now it sits flush. Unfortunately one of the clips has been snapped in the past, so it doesn’t clamp enough to solve the sag totally, but it’ll do for now. There’s a screw fix to get it sitting better, but I see that as a last resort, and I’m not there yet. The front of the glovebox was also coming unstuck, so I re-glued that. Looks much better. Not 100%, but better.
DSC_0160 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI’ve also had a battery vent tube sitting waiting to be installed since a garage inspection surfaced the fact that (they existed; something unbeknownst to me, and…) mine was missing. So I got that installed.
DSC_0157 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0158 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrI also picked up some light reading material, and renewed my BMWCCA membership. I’ll be taking more advantage of this this year too as I’ve booked my first AutoX school day on the 25th of this month. Looking forward to that.
DSC_0167 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrDSC_0164 by TheDukeGTi, on FlickrSee? Exciting stuff!
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