E90 M3 - V8 saloon
Discussion
Demelitia said:
Trying not to sound like I’m extracting the urine, are the anti-rattle clips in the right position and good working order? I’ve seen them sat on the wrong side of the surface they’re supposed to push against before now. They look right at a glance but on removal and reinstallation it ends up being obvious how they were wrong.
I’d check they'd not been bent out of shape too; they might not have enough tension to do their job.
E90 anti rattle springs are actually supposed to be changed every so often, I can’t remember the frequency-maybe every 2nd set of pads.I’d check they'd not been bent out of shape too; they might not have enough tension to do their job.
B'stard Child said:
Lovely
What Centre bore are the wheels/spacers
If 72.6 do you want to sell spacers and bolts to recover some coin?
72.56 I believe. What Centre bore are the wheels/spacers
If 72.6 do you want to sell spacers and bolts to recover some coin?
Nice car op, the E90 is definitely better looking than the e92 imo. I would be considering rod bearings though. 140k on original bearings is good going.
Gallons Per Mile said:
Yep the road tax is a bit annoying but I knew that before I bought the car. I'l just have to live with it! The MPG shouldn't be too much of an issue - I'm keeping my Golf for the boring mundane stuff like going to work.
Thanks for the offer but I'm going to keep the chrome kidney grilles. One's got a chunk taken out of it from a stone presumably but I'll get around to sorting that out
Thanks for the offer but I'm going to keep the chrome kidney grilles. One's got a chunk taken out of it from a stone presumably but I'll get around to sorting that out
I ran a proper tatty, ex met police Seat Toledo 20VT alongside mine in a similar fashion as you with the Golf, but more because I didn't want to leave it at the station or in the street when at work.
Enjoy!
Squishey said:
Lovely car there, old bean! But when are you going to get the RST done?!
Good luck to you and Mrs. GPM with the birth of your first born. If you want anything then just get in contact through your brother.
Hello chap! Good luck to you and Mrs. GPM with the birth of your first born. If you want anything then just get in contact through your brother.
How's the new job going? Long time no see! If you're back in my neck of the woods anytime then we'll all have to go for a pint somewhere 
Plus, I'd be able to show you the car... Thanks, some advice and tips would always be well received.Demelitia said:
Trying not to sound like I’m extracting the urine, are the anti-rattle clips in the right position and good working order? I’ve seen them sat on the wrong side of the surface they’re supposed to push against before now. They look right at a glance but on removal and reinstallation it ends up being obvious how they were wrong.
I’d check they'd not been bent out of shape too; they might not have enough tension to do their job.
Not at all. I did a sanity check and had the pads off and back on again. My thinking is that it's possibly the inner pad rattling because the clip's not holding it tight enough into the piston. I even bent the clips to make it fit more tightly but this doesn't seem to have done the trick. Possibly it's just too loose, but it feels no worse than any of the other hundreds of pads I've fitted over the years...I’d check they'd not been bent out of shape too; they might not have enough tension to do their job.
helix402 said:
E90 anti rattle springs are actually supposed to be changed every so often, I can’t remember the frequency-maybe every 2nd set of pads.
Didn't know that, thanks for the tip. I think the outer one has plenty of spring pressure against the caliper though. I may try a new set if I run out of options though.TheAngryDog said:
Nice car op, the E90 is definitely better looking than the e92 imo. I would be considering rod bearings though. 140k on original bearings is good going.
Thanks! Yes I thought 140k was good too I'll see what happens when I do the oil change and send off a sample for analysis. That'll happen very soon.B'stard Child said:
Well deal done and they will soon be on route to me - Lovely fella to deal with
No problem, and sorry to Mr Jakarta who emailed me beforehand when I thought they'd already sold via an M3 forum. Mr BC, you were in the right place at the right time!s3 akr said:
I ran a proper tatty, ex met police Seat Toledo 20VT alongside mine in a similar fashion as you with the Golf, but more because I didn't want to leave it at the station or in the street when at work.
Enjoy!
Nice looking example that, and the LCI rear lights are a nice upgrade. Stick a plate on no one would know it’s true age
I had a Melbourne red one coming up for 6 years ago and completely agree the E90 definitely looks better than the E92
For the £1400 outlay I’d be doing the bearings regardless
I had a Melbourne red one coming up for 6 years ago and completely agree the E90 definitely looks better than the E92
For the £1400 outlay I’d be doing the bearings regardless
Very much agree with the washer bottle advice of trying to prevent it happening rather than curing it once it's gunked up. I became a reluctant expert at the removal of wheel/arch liner/bottle for a good clean out, it's a bit of a pain of a job.
I had a 335i before the M3 (both e92) and never once had the problem with that (or with a 6 series since), but had it several times with the M3.
Even though it frequently made me think it was a Friday afternoon car, with a hundred and one little problems, I absolutely loved it and forgave it everything. Still miss it now... hopefully you enjoy yours just as much.
I had a 335i before the M3 (both e92) and never once had the problem with that (or with a 6 series since), but had it several times with the M3.
Even though it frequently made me think it was a Friday afternoon car, with a hundred and one little problems, I absolutely loved it and forgave it everything. Still miss it now... hopefully you enjoy yours just as much.
wjb said:
Nice car OP.
Ten years ago I would've preferred the coupe.
Now it's the loon all day long.
Funny that isn't it?
I do find it fascinating because with the regular E90 3 series it is generally regarded as the ugly duckling compared to the regular E92 3 series. Whereas the E90 M3(which actually has a E92 front end) is generally regarded as much better looking than the E92 M3. Ten years ago I would've preferred the coupe.
Now it's the loon all day long.
Funny that isn't it?
I think this looks great in the Grey and the LCi rear lights really freshen the rear end up. I find myself really attracted to the E9x M3 again now big time.
Enjoy it OP.
sparks_190e said:
Lovely looking car, absolutely better in saloon form.
I too am surprised about that rusty subframe. I think it would take more than a few months of being in salty roads to get like that. However if it's just contained to that area should be easy to sort.
Yep, one of those 'older car' things I suppose. It's hardly a box fresh garage queen but I'll be happy if it's only the sub frame that looks a bit crusty. I'll have to have a good dig around underneath just to be sure. There are lots of under trays, but from what I've seen so far it all looks good.I too am surprised about that rusty subframe. I think it would take more than a few months of being in salty roads to get like that. However if it's just contained to that area should be easy to sort.
martin mrt said:
Nice looking example that, and the LCI rear lights are a nice upgrade. Stick a plate on no one would know it’s true age
I had a Melbourne red one coming up for 6 years ago and completely agree the E90 definitely looks better than the E92
For the £1400 outlay I’d be doing the bearings regardless
Ooh Melbourne Red.. That's a good colour on these too, plus it seems quite rare.I had a Melbourne red one coming up for 6 years ago and completely agree the E90 definitely looks better than the E92
For the £1400 outlay I’d be doing the bearings regardless
I might end up doing the rod bearings anyway, I'll see how paranoid I feel as time goes on!
TheAngryDog said:
I wouldn't put too much faith in the oil analysis. I have known a few E60 M5s have clean reports but when the bearings were changed they were very worn.
If you want to scare yourself, read my M5 thread.
Ps, V8 cranks were on back order earlier in the year.
Interesting! I guess there a few factors in taking a good sample. It wouldn't even be the end of the world to just take the sump off and have a nose. But then if I do that I've done 90% of the work to just change them anyway...If you want to scare yourself, read my M5 thread.
Ps, V8 cranks were on back order earlier in the year.
I've been reading your thread avidly. I'm not overly scared, but I did wince at the amount of money you've had to lay out!
Mattmox said:
Even though it frequently made me think it was a Friday afternoon car, with a hundred and one little problems, I absolutely loved it and forgave it everything. Still miss it now... hopefully you enjoy yours just as much.
I'm definitely loving mine too! Hopefully I won't have little problems (or big ones) but I guarantee I'm enjoying it RedXYC said:
Such a nice car. Love the E90 M3 saloons. Look better to my eyes than the Coupe.
Cheers! As said before, it's the rear wheel arches and rear end of the car that really set it off for me wjb said:
Nice car OP.
Ten years ago I would've preferred the coupe.
Now it's the loon all day long.
Funny that isn't it?
Thanks! 10 years ago I was driving XR2's, RS Turbos and Golf GTi's, dreaming of the day I could afford something even faster Ten years ago I would've preferred the coupe.
Now it's the loon all day long.
Funny that isn't it?
cerb4.5lee said:
I think this looks great in the Grey and the LCi rear lights really freshen the rear end up. I find myself really attracted to the E9x M3 again now big time.
Enjoy it OP.
Cheers! I'll have to dig out the pics from the advert. There was a shot of the back end which really sold the car to me Enjoy it OP.
And on that note, I'd better just say thanks for all the replies thus far! I'm amazed how popular this thread is with a few bad photos and some general rambling from me.
I've just spent a good chunk of money on a lot of suspension parts, so when they all turn up you can have some pictures of me doing the dirty work to bring the car back to proper OEM suspension.
I Definitely agree that the E90 M3 is a much better looking car than the E92, the proportions just look angrier.
Almost an identical spec to my Dad's car, what colour interior is yours?
Brilliant to see yours still looking so good with the miles. The LCI rear just finishes it off. I went for the mars rear lights on my Dad's pre-lci E90, not quite as good as your full conversion but a decent half way step.
Looking forward to see how you get on with it.
Joe
Almost an identical spec to my Dad's car, what colour interior is yours?
Brilliant to see yours still looking so good with the miles. The LCI rear just finishes it off. I went for the mars rear lights on my Dad's pre-lci E90, not quite as good as your full conversion but a decent half way step.
Looking forward to see how you get on with it.
Joe
1275 GT said:
...the proportions just look angrier.
Exactly that! I love it.Here are a couple of shots the PO took for the ad in the classifieds section. Main reason I bought it:
Oh and for those asking about the interior, here's one he took of that too. I'll get around to taking my own at some point soon! The leather's got some wear on it but it's not too bad. I'll get that sorted in due course, of course
Great thread about a really special car - thanks for posting it OP. :thumbsup:
In M3 form I definitely prefer the looks of the E90 to the E92 - but my E90 is an ugly duckling as it's a 330i.
On the screen-wash topic it's definitely worth sticking with just one brand - I've had to flush 2 reservoirs and clean the pump filters on an E46 and an E86, but as they are under the bonnet it's just a half-hour job!
I'm hoping I can avoid that job on my E90 so I just use the BMW stuff - my local Indy sells the OEM concentrated fluid for £4.10 a litre so it looks cheap compared to the pain involved in getting the reservoir out of the inner wing.
In M3 form I definitely prefer the looks of the E90 to the E92 - but my E90 is an ugly duckling as it's a 330i.
On the screen-wash topic it's definitely worth sticking with just one brand - I've had to flush 2 reservoirs and clean the pump filters on an E46 and an E86, but as they are under the bonnet it's just a half-hour job!
I'm hoping I can avoid that job on my E90 so I just use the BMW stuff - my local Indy sells the OEM concentrated fluid for £4.10 a litre so it looks cheap compared to the pain involved in getting the reservoir out of the inner wing.
Edited by Mr Tidy on Thursday 5th September 22:17
I'm a bit biased (as I own one) but the LCI E92 looks more purposeful than the saloon. I guess it ultimately depends if you want a coupe or saloon. Only thing I don't like with the coupe is the window-drop every time you open the door - can be problematic in winter. My bearings went mid 20k's - I would just get them changed for relative small cost involved (new engine was £23.5k - fortunately warranty & BMW covered most of that).
Edited by fido on Friday 6th September 12:28
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