M3, 330d Touring, R53 S
Discussion
So I’ve decided to amalgamate my car posts into one, making it easier for me to update as its all on 1 and also as I don’t have an interesting or exciting life as many others on here, I can update the post as and when with a decent amount of info on 2-3 cars rather than the odd update every now and then.
For those that are interested the links to my original posts for the Honda Civic Type R (FK2) and the wife’s Audi TT 3.2 V6 (8J) are below..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - CTR
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - TT
So onto the updates..
Type R
The civic had been quietly getting on with the daily slog of commuting me to and from various work locations and shipping the family round at weekends but just as we ticked over into June, an SRS fault light intermittently flicked up on the dash.
After a couple of days of this happening I decided to drop it into my local Honda dealer, thinking any fault would be covered under warranty, I would get a courtesy car and it would be fixed and all would be right in the world again.. Little did I know this little red light would set off a chain of events that quite simply put, could be the most stressful scenario since the Cuban missile crisis!
Ok, an over exaggeration on my part but still its been a rollercoaster shall we say.
First of all the dealer told me they were having system issues as it was either hacked or had somehow got itself a virus.. After I stopped myself saying to the service assistant ‘did it forget to wash its hands’ I composed myself and explained that there wasn’t an issue if they needed to keep my car longer as long as they could provide me with a courtesy car. I was told no they aren’t offering that service currently but after a little toing and throwing for a WEEK
I clearly identified to them that they were offering test drives so they must be offering courtesy cars? The decision was then made to authorise one on the Friday, unfortunately it was a very underwhelming Honda Jazz… 
Last Saturday afternoon I found myself talking to the wife about cars (it’s normally a challenging conversation
) however to my surprise it went well and discussions soon turned to, ‘is it worth looking at some this weekend’ bearing in mind it was Saturday afternoon and Father’s Day was tomorrow, I wasn’t expecting much luck, however after a few phone calls 
we had booked in some viewings for 3 cars.
After a full day of looking around at some cars at a dealership in Essex (which was very underwhelming) a deal was done
with a private seller and the car was collected Monday evening.. MORE ON THIS FURTHER DOWN..
Anyway back to the Type R.. so basically long story short.. after all the moaning around the courtesy car I ended up giving it back Monday afternoon as we had the ‘new car’ and the TT to share whilst the Type R was being fixed. Then Thursday I was called and informed that the fault is the ‘SRS Control Module’ for the airbag in the Steering Wheel and that unfortunately Honda UK have rejected my warranty claim, so this will cost …. £1137 to replace…
Once the initial shock had passed you can imagine my reaction was calm, composed but also many expletives that an extended manufacturer warranty doesn’t cover this, which after reviewing the T&Cs it states in the exceptions ‘airbags’ not covered. After some more toing and throwing Thursday and Friday between Honda UK and the Honda dealership I managed to reduce this cost to £622 in total for the part and also no labour costs from the dealer (although this only amounted to £43 in total), either way you can imagine I am still not happy with this decision as the warranty doesn’t state ‘SRS control modules’ are exempt from it, so I expect this cost to be covered.
Its kind of a watch this space on this now.. basically the Motor Ombudsmen are involved and say I’m in the right. Honda UK said that’s their final offer and Honda dealership are not budging either..
So for now the part has been ordered, I will be paying under protest for the £622 and hopefully over the next few months the motor ombudsmen can sort something out..
TT
So the TT, what can I say, I haven’t been driving it often but when I have its been great, the V6 sounds lovely and pulls well, the automatic gearbox is smooth and faultless but unfortunately the size of the rear seats for our kids is now causing issues, as a result (as I’ve previously explained) we went a bought another car..
What’s happening with the TT well I don’t really know. The car is all paid for, tax, insured and quite simply doesn’t deserve the £3,500 price tag that webuyanycar are quoting however once the Type R returns its pointless having 3 cars.. or is it
let’s watch this space and see what happens.
The New Car
If you have managed to slog your way through my gumpf above to this point then you deserve a pat on the back, I hope its been worth the wait.. anyway here is the new car..
Welcome to the family, the BMW E92 M3
It’s an Alpine Edition and is in incredible condition for its age. We are thoroughly overwhelmed with it to be honest and can’t believe you can get that much car for the price we paid!
We have just been enjoying the whole package this car offers over the last week of ownership. We brought it from a guy on M3cutters.co.uk after viewing a couple of rough examples at garages.
I’m not going to go into to much detail on the cars specs now as I’m going to do a little write up on it once I’ve had a good couple of weeks of ownership. I may even do some comparisons to the Type R when it returns. Although being back in a BMW is seriously making me consider trading it in for a daily beemer too.. but we will see..
I will also get some better pics of the M3 next week.
Hopefully I haven’t bored too many of you who have decided to read this, please feel free to ask questions about the cars, I’ll try and keep this updated as best I can, but don’t be expecting any glorious trips across Europe or track days just yet, once everything has settled I’ll definitely be getting over to the ring in the M3 and maybe a track day or two..
Watch this space..
For those that are interested the links to my original posts for the Honda Civic Type R (FK2) and the wife’s Audi TT 3.2 V6 (8J) are below..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - CTR
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... - TT
So onto the updates..
Type R
The civic had been quietly getting on with the daily slog of commuting me to and from various work locations and shipping the family round at weekends but just as we ticked over into June, an SRS fault light intermittently flicked up on the dash.
After a couple of days of this happening I decided to drop it into my local Honda dealer, thinking any fault would be covered under warranty, I would get a courtesy car and it would be fixed and all would be right in the world again.. Little did I know this little red light would set off a chain of events that quite simply put, could be the most stressful scenario since the Cuban missile crisis!
Ok, an over exaggeration on my part but still its been a rollercoaster shall we say.
First of all the dealer told me they were having system issues as it was either hacked or had somehow got itself a virus.. After I stopped myself saying to the service assistant ‘did it forget to wash its hands’ I composed myself and explained that there wasn’t an issue if they needed to keep my car longer as long as they could provide me with a courtesy car. I was told no they aren’t offering that service currently but after a little toing and throwing for a WEEK
I clearly identified to them that they were offering test drives so they must be offering courtesy cars? The decision was then made to authorise one on the Friday, unfortunately it was a very underwhelming Honda Jazz… Last Saturday afternoon I found myself talking to the wife about cars (it’s normally a challenging conversation
) however to my surprise it went well and discussions soon turned to, ‘is it worth looking at some this weekend’ bearing in mind it was Saturday afternoon and Father’s Day was tomorrow, I wasn’t expecting much luck, however after a few phone calls we had booked in some viewings for 3 cars.After a full day of looking around at some cars at a dealership in Essex (which was very underwhelming) a deal was done
with a private seller and the car was collected Monday evening.. MORE ON THIS FURTHER DOWN..Anyway back to the Type R.. so basically long story short.. after all the moaning around the courtesy car I ended up giving it back Monday afternoon as we had the ‘new car’ and the TT to share whilst the Type R was being fixed. Then Thursday I was called and informed that the fault is the ‘SRS Control Module’ for the airbag in the Steering Wheel and that unfortunately Honda UK have rejected my warranty claim, so this will cost …. £1137 to replace…
Once the initial shock had passed you can imagine my reaction was calm, composed but also many expletives that an extended manufacturer warranty doesn’t cover this, which after reviewing the T&Cs it states in the exceptions ‘airbags’ not covered. After some more toing and throwing Thursday and Friday between Honda UK and the Honda dealership I managed to reduce this cost to £622 in total for the part and also no labour costs from the dealer (although this only amounted to £43 in total), either way you can imagine I am still not happy with this decision as the warranty doesn’t state ‘SRS control modules’ are exempt from it, so I expect this cost to be covered.
Its kind of a watch this space on this now.. basically the Motor Ombudsmen are involved and say I’m in the right. Honda UK said that’s their final offer and Honda dealership are not budging either..
So for now the part has been ordered, I will be paying under protest for the £622 and hopefully over the next few months the motor ombudsmen can sort something out..
TT
So the TT, what can I say, I haven’t been driving it often but when I have its been great, the V6 sounds lovely and pulls well, the automatic gearbox is smooth and faultless but unfortunately the size of the rear seats for our kids is now causing issues, as a result (as I’ve previously explained) we went a bought another car..
What’s happening with the TT well I don’t really know. The car is all paid for, tax, insured and quite simply doesn’t deserve the £3,500 price tag that webuyanycar are quoting however once the Type R returns its pointless having 3 cars.. or is it
let’s watch this space and see what happens.The New Car
If you have managed to slog your way through my gumpf above to this point then you deserve a pat on the back, I hope its been worth the wait.. anyway here is the new car..
Welcome to the family, the BMW E92 M3
It’s an Alpine Edition and is in incredible condition for its age. We are thoroughly overwhelmed with it to be honest and can’t believe you can get that much car for the price we paid!
We have just been enjoying the whole package this car offers over the last week of ownership. We brought it from a guy on M3cutters.co.uk after viewing a couple of rough examples at garages.
I’m not going to go into to much detail on the cars specs now as I’m going to do a little write up on it once I’ve had a good couple of weeks of ownership. I may even do some comparisons to the Type R when it returns. Although being back in a BMW is seriously making me consider trading it in for a daily beemer too.. but we will see..
I will also get some better pics of the M3 next week.
Hopefully I haven’t bored too many of you who have decided to read this, please feel free to ask questions about the cars, I’ll try and keep this updated as best I can, but don’t be expecting any glorious trips across Europe or track days just yet, once everything has settled I’ll definitely be getting over to the ring in the M3 and maybe a track day or two..
Watch this space..
Mikebentley said:
£3.5 k for the TT. That is a lot of car to be worth so little. Love your car choices but that’s a big bill for a Honda as they have a reputation for reliability.
Thanks for the kind words. Hoping to keep the TT for now as it’s nice to drive tbh. Not sure I wanna keep the Honda now, think I’m heading over the BMW or Mercedes garage at the weekend.. R12many said:
Eastcott Lodges in the first photo?
Sure is, was last years holiday.. such a beautiful place. So a brief update..
The Type R is back and working again.. luckily I’ve remembered why I like the car so much so I may keep it, although I’m going to test the water on some others just in case.
The M3 is going well, I took it out the other evening and can confidently say that it’s quite a bit of fun once you begin to push it. As previously said I will do a full write up soon and also do a head to head Vs the Type R
The TT has been sold, was sad to see it go to be honest as it’s been good for the 20 months we owned it. Oh well onwards and upwards..
The Type R is back and working again.. luckily I’ve remembered why I like the car so much so I may keep it, although I’m going to test the water on some others just in case.
The M3 is going well, I took it out the other evening and can confidently say that it’s quite a bit of fun once you begin to push it. As previously said I will do a full write up soon and also do a head to head Vs the Type R
The TT has been sold, was sad to see it go to be honest as it’s been good for the 20 months we owned it. Oh well onwards and upwards..
So had the M3 for over a month now so may as well give a little write up of my findings.. and some comparisons to my daily FK2 ..
Exterior:
Totally different to my Type R, the Mrs constantly says that the civic gets more attention than the M3, what I explain to her is that you need to know what your looking at. The civic is bright red with extended wings, gills and a huge spoiler, the M3 is subtle but also has some trademark parts that make it different from your standard E90 series..
I think that’s what makes an M car, it doesn’t shout it’s something special.. when I drive the M3 I’m ignored by 90% of road users, I’ll get stares from other BMW drivers and nods of appreciation from other M owners.. but all in all it’s just a very muscular look on a classic coupe shape..
Interior:
As with all BMWs it’s very functional, I think that’s a German thing tbh as the TT was the same.. the seats are comfy and it’s got enough gadgets and gizmos to keep the Mrs happy but it shows it’s age compared to newer cars, for example the civic.
The main thing is despite it being a coupe it fits the 2 kids in the back with ease, so doubles up as the family car when the Type R isn’t available..
Engine:
I could probably sum this up with a one liner but that would not do it justice, the 4.0 V8 is magnificent, it sounds glorious and revving it out to the 8300rpm redline is addictive.
Being n/a it’s totally different to the Type R in the way it delivers its power, for example you can come off a roundabout in 3rd Gear in the Type R and let the torque pull you along, the M3 needs more work, it took a couple of times driving it spiritedly to really get the best out of it but once you get it hooked up right in M Mode it feels very special indeed!
Handling:
Compared to the R it’s the same logic but delivered in a totally different way; the civic is lightweight front wheel drive with a special diff helping to put the power down, the M3 is obviously rear wheel drive, also with a special diff but carrying around 300kg more weight, I can definitely feel the difference between the two and have to adapt my driving accordingly, I was astonished at how much speed the M3 can take into the corners, turn in is good, just got to learn not to get on the loud pedal too early, where as the R encourages you to bury your foot mid corner. Both are very fun to drive, it would be great to get them both onto a track to really push their limits, we will see..
Practicality:
The M3 is deceptive in this department, against the Type R it’s down a couple of doors and the ability to fold it’s rear seats, however there is more than enough room in the back for 2 adults and the boot is bigger than you would think, no golf bats here though lol..
The driving side of things is good, like the Type R it could do the daily stuff effortlessly (albeit by using a lot more fuel), it pops to the shops just as easily as the hatch too and of course the spirited driving bit it does really well, I haven’t taken the M3 on any long trips yet but reviews say it does the GT bit really well, we took the Type R to Cornwall last year and was really good tbh.
All in all I would say apart from the fuel consumption it could do just a good a job as the hot hatch can in terms of general practicality.
Overall:
So the M3 is very special in its own way, it doesn’t shout at you like some other cars do but like all M cars it is a real drivers car with a great engine.
I can’t wait to spend more time driving it but it will stay as the weekend toy for now as the Type R has the daily driver bit covered..
As stated in some previous posts though I keep looking at other M cars and am now seriously considering one as a daily. Maybe an E46 M3 or M2..
Let me know what you think, I always like to hear others thoughts..
Thanks for reading
Exterior:
Totally different to my Type R, the Mrs constantly says that the civic gets more attention than the M3, what I explain to her is that you need to know what your looking at. The civic is bright red with extended wings, gills and a huge spoiler, the M3 is subtle but also has some trademark parts that make it different from your standard E90 series..
I think that’s what makes an M car, it doesn’t shout it’s something special.. when I drive the M3 I’m ignored by 90% of road users, I’ll get stares from other BMW drivers and nods of appreciation from other M owners.. but all in all it’s just a very muscular look on a classic coupe shape..
Interior:
As with all BMWs it’s very functional, I think that’s a German thing tbh as the TT was the same.. the seats are comfy and it’s got enough gadgets and gizmos to keep the Mrs happy but it shows it’s age compared to newer cars, for example the civic.
The main thing is despite it being a coupe it fits the 2 kids in the back with ease, so doubles up as the family car when the Type R isn’t available..
Engine:
I could probably sum this up with a one liner but that would not do it justice, the 4.0 V8 is magnificent, it sounds glorious and revving it out to the 8300rpm redline is addictive.
Being n/a it’s totally different to the Type R in the way it delivers its power, for example you can come off a roundabout in 3rd Gear in the Type R and let the torque pull you along, the M3 needs more work, it took a couple of times driving it spiritedly to really get the best out of it but once you get it hooked up right in M Mode it feels very special indeed!
Handling:
Compared to the R it’s the same logic but delivered in a totally different way; the civic is lightweight front wheel drive with a special diff helping to put the power down, the M3 is obviously rear wheel drive, also with a special diff but carrying around 300kg more weight, I can definitely feel the difference between the two and have to adapt my driving accordingly, I was astonished at how much speed the M3 can take into the corners, turn in is good, just got to learn not to get on the loud pedal too early, where as the R encourages you to bury your foot mid corner. Both are very fun to drive, it would be great to get them both onto a track to really push their limits, we will see..
Practicality:
The M3 is deceptive in this department, against the Type R it’s down a couple of doors and the ability to fold it’s rear seats, however there is more than enough room in the back for 2 adults and the boot is bigger than you would think, no golf bats here though lol..
The driving side of things is good, like the Type R it could do the daily stuff effortlessly (albeit by using a lot more fuel), it pops to the shops just as easily as the hatch too and of course the spirited driving bit it does really well, I haven’t taken the M3 on any long trips yet but reviews say it does the GT bit really well, we took the Type R to Cornwall last year and was really good tbh.
All in all I would say apart from the fuel consumption it could do just a good a job as the hot hatch can in terms of general practicality.
Overall:
So the M3 is very special in its own way, it doesn’t shout at you like some other cars do but like all M cars it is a real drivers car with a great engine.
I can’t wait to spend more time driving it but it will stay as the weekend toy for now as the Type R has the daily driver bit covered..
As stated in some previous posts though I keep looking at other M cars and am now seriously considering one as a daily. Maybe an E46 M3 or M2..
Let me know what you think, I always like to hear others thoughts..
Thanks for reading
custardkid said:
Worth getting the bearings done on the M3 for peace of mind
Looks good, awesome engine!
Mine including getting the bearings done
Yours looks good mate..Looks good, awesome engine!
Mine including getting the bearings done
Tbh in a bit of a weird situation in regards to the bearings/actuators etc, from what I can see In the paperwork, they haven’t been replaced, trouble is I’m reluctant to pay out on replacements when the car is under full BMW warranty until end of November and it says they are covered, will see what the renewal quote is, if it’s high then I will probably decline and get rod bearings done as a safety net..
TheAngryDog said:
BMW won't replace the bearings or crank under warranty, it will he a full engine minus ancillaries. Your warranty will only cover you up to the price paid for your car, minus the vat iirc. An engine I believe is north of £20k from BMW.
Car was bought in 2018 from BMW AUC with 24 month warranty, receipt says £22.5k so should be covered if something goes wrong, although I’ve been burned before by dealers so wouldn’t surprise me if it all went to s**t.Edited by 5mileofdeath on Saturday 15th August 22:20
Court_S said:
Nice M3, I’ve got a real soft sport for the E9x M3. I think they’re a good looking car and the engine is fabulous.
Surprised to hear how badly Honda have dealt with the issue on yours.
Thanks Surprised to hear how badly Honda have dealt with the issue on yours.
I had never driven one before this but they are amazing cars. Engine is fantastic not a lot better imo. Unfortunately Honda have made the whole ownership experience really poor and the more I dig the more I find Honda UK and the dealerships are a joke.
What makes me laugh is they called me up recently to ask if I wanted to renew my warranty for £300 which sounds cheap and worth it but it really isn’t, sooo many exclusions.
MOT is up Tuesday but luckily booked it in elsewhere as I don’t trust them, annoyingly I have to let them service it a further 2 times as it’s included in the package I got when I purchased. I’m worried it will come out with more faults than it goes in with!
Rant over lol
UPDATE
Started getting squeaky back brakes on the Civic a few weeks ago so decided to get them changed, especially with the MOT coming up, which was Today!
She passed!
with 2 advisories which were both front tyres nearing legal limit. Gonna get them changed soon as possible but they have lasted well to be honest.
Thing that surprised me the most was that mileage between MOTs totalled 16,100 miles!! Yikes..
Anyway service due up next Wednesday with Honda, should be interesting
Started getting squeaky back brakes on the Civic a few weeks ago so decided to get them changed, especially with the MOT coming up, which was Today!
She passed!
with 2 advisories which were both front tyres nearing legal limit. Gonna get them changed soon as possible but they have lasted well to be honest.Thing that surprised me the most was that mileage between MOTs totalled 16,100 miles!! Yikes..
Anyway service due up next Wednesday with Honda, should be interesting
So another update..
Type R service went off without a hitch and managed to get them to sort valve clearances too, so it’s running really nice.
M3 is coming out every now n then to stretch it’s legs, such a capable car, love it. Used it for the commute whilst the Civic was in for service, amazing how I could just waft to work and back and it felt like a normal comfy coupe.
I’ve also begun to fiddle about with the Sport and gearbox settings, at first I was constantly driving it around in S5 and ‘Power’ mode, I found 2 things wrong with this, first was that when I used M Mode it didn’t really change how the car felt in terms of response, only MDM mode allowed a bit of slip when I was being an oaf. Secondly when driving round town it would flick into the lowest gear possible at say a roundabout or turning into a junction which made it a bit jerky.
I guess you could call these rookie mistakes or just learning the car, which I only use on odd occasions at the weekend so surely I can be excused?
Anyway I’ve now got it in manual mode S3 with Power mode off, the car just feels smoother at lower speeds and when downshifting it doesn’t give the large auto blip in lower gears, which don’t get me wrong I love, however it’s not always what you want.
Plus all of this makes M mode far more of an event and transforms the car into more of a beast!
What’s coming up next.. managed to get a ticket for B Road Hunting Club Petrol Ped meet on the 3rd October. M3 will be in attendance along with a friends F Type so hoping to get some decent pics..
If you down that way I would suggest going, should be a decent day as long as the weather holds out..
Type R service went off without a hitch and managed to get them to sort valve clearances too, so it’s running really nice.
M3 is coming out every now n then to stretch it’s legs, such a capable car, love it. Used it for the commute whilst the Civic was in for service, amazing how I could just waft to work and back and it felt like a normal comfy coupe.
I’ve also begun to fiddle about with the Sport and gearbox settings, at first I was constantly driving it around in S5 and ‘Power’ mode, I found 2 things wrong with this, first was that when I used M Mode it didn’t really change how the car felt in terms of response, only MDM mode allowed a bit of slip when I was being an oaf. Secondly when driving round town it would flick into the lowest gear possible at say a roundabout or turning into a junction which made it a bit jerky.
I guess you could call these rookie mistakes or just learning the car, which I only use on odd occasions at the weekend so surely I can be excused?
Anyway I’ve now got it in manual mode S3 with Power mode off, the car just feels smoother at lower speeds and when downshifting it doesn’t give the large auto blip in lower gears, which don’t get me wrong I love, however it’s not always what you want.
Plus all of this makes M mode far more of an event and transforms the car into more of a beast!
What’s coming up next.. managed to get a ticket for B Road Hunting Club Petrol Ped meet on the 3rd October. M3 will be in attendance along with a friends F Type so hoping to get some decent pics..
If you down that way I would suggest going, should be a decent day as long as the weather holds out..
Edited by 5mileofdeath on Sunday 9th May 09:23
Another update.
Me and a few colleagues from work have always said about going on a Sunday drive together for a bit of fun but we never did for one reason or another.
Then 2 weeks ago the weather changed to rain and high winds and that gave us the kick up the backside we needed to get out before the autumn weather really gets here.
The route was set, a 90 mile trip around some of the South East’s finest twisties.
Naturally the meet up point was at a Tesco to ensure tanks were full, especially as there would be 2 V8s roaming the countryside. I was first to arrive shortly followed by Mr Aston Martin
A few snaps of the Aston and M3 together..
Never really seen an Aston up close and was surprised at how much lower the roofline is to the M3 which is already pretty low.
Absolutely beautiful car and the fact you can get these for between 22.5-25k is ridiculous. Mr AMs example was immaculate, I’m a bit annoyed I didn’t get pics of the interior and engine but next time I will.
You will also notice I didn’t take the Type R, 2 reasons for this, First is, anytime I can get out in the M3 I do, it’s just an awesome car and Second, there was another Type R (same colour too) on the jaunt, this one slightly modified, running a stage 1 map and Aftermarket exhaust.
Mr Type R finally turned up and the sun was rising nicely so it was perfect opportunity for a quick pick of the 3 together.
I would like to add at this point that my plan was to get the GoPro footage onto YouTube to show some nice footage. Unfortunately my plan to strap it to the headrest worked but the plan for it to be worth viewing did not. Coupled with the fact I was the lead car pretty much all the way around it ended up being a very shaky video and me basically laughing and talking to myself
However Mr Type R has a dash cam and was regularly swapping between being behind me and the Aston so hopefully I can upload some of that footage instead.
We stopped halfway round for some of East Sussex’s finest delicacies. Yes it was McDonald’s breakie and we couldn’t park in the car park so had to resort to parking in the nearby Sainsbury’s
Grabbed a quick pic of the cars again, socially distancing obviously..
Roads were starting to get busy around 9ish so the usually awesome road from Rye to Brenzett was full of dawdlers off to the local market or boot fair.
We also just missed the getapic guys as they had just arrived in prime position along the Rye road, maybe next time.
We finished up near Faversham so we could go our separate ways, time for another quick pic..
As the guys departed to go home I attempted to get a video, again epic fail as I flicked it to photo and only managed to get this one..
I’m only 32 so you wouldn’t expect me to be that bad with technology but I can be quite a clutz when I want to be. I’ll just put this down to over excitement
So anyway it was a fun morning ended up being 105 miles and averaged just over 23mpg, some would say that’s quite reserved but we weren’t exactly doing the land speed record.
We realised 3 things after the drive, a stage 1 Type R is slightly quicker than the M3 in a 2nd/3rd gear pull. The Vantage was by far the best looking car and got the most stares around the towns/villages. The M3 with its slightly modded exhaust sounded the best.
Hopefully I can upload some footage later on once it’s been downloaded from the dash cam.
Hoped you enjoyed the read..
Me and a few colleagues from work have always said about going on a Sunday drive together for a bit of fun but we never did for one reason or another.
Then 2 weeks ago the weather changed to rain and high winds and that gave us the kick up the backside we needed to get out before the autumn weather really gets here.
The route was set, a 90 mile trip around some of the South East’s finest twisties.
Naturally the meet up point was at a Tesco to ensure tanks were full, especially as there would be 2 V8s roaming the countryside. I was first to arrive shortly followed by Mr Aston Martin
A few snaps of the Aston and M3 together..
Never really seen an Aston up close and was surprised at how much lower the roofline is to the M3 which is already pretty low.
Absolutely beautiful car and the fact you can get these for between 22.5-25k is ridiculous. Mr AMs example was immaculate, I’m a bit annoyed I didn’t get pics of the interior and engine but next time I will.
You will also notice I didn’t take the Type R, 2 reasons for this, First is, anytime I can get out in the M3 I do, it’s just an awesome car and Second, there was another Type R (same colour too) on the jaunt, this one slightly modified, running a stage 1 map and Aftermarket exhaust.
Mr Type R finally turned up and the sun was rising nicely so it was perfect opportunity for a quick pick of the 3 together.
I would like to add at this point that my plan was to get the GoPro footage onto YouTube to show some nice footage. Unfortunately my plan to strap it to the headrest worked but the plan for it to be worth viewing did not. Coupled with the fact I was the lead car pretty much all the way around it ended up being a very shaky video and me basically laughing and talking to myself
However Mr Type R has a dash cam and was regularly swapping between being behind me and the Aston so hopefully I can upload some of that footage instead.
We stopped halfway round for some of East Sussex’s finest delicacies. Yes it was McDonald’s breakie and we couldn’t park in the car park so had to resort to parking in the nearby Sainsbury’s
Grabbed a quick pic of the cars again, socially distancing obviously..
Roads were starting to get busy around 9ish so the usually awesome road from Rye to Brenzett was full of dawdlers off to the local market or boot fair.
We also just missed the getapic guys as they had just arrived in prime position along the Rye road, maybe next time.
We finished up near Faversham so we could go our separate ways, time for another quick pic..
As the guys departed to go home I attempted to get a video, again epic fail as I flicked it to photo and only managed to get this one..
I’m only 32 so you wouldn’t expect me to be that bad with technology but I can be quite a clutz when I want to be. I’ll just put this down to over excitement
So anyway it was a fun morning ended up being 105 miles and averaged just over 23mpg, some would say that’s quite reserved but we weren’t exactly doing the land speed record.
We realised 3 things after the drive, a stage 1 Type R is slightly quicker than the M3 in a 2nd/3rd gear pull. The Vantage was by far the best looking car and got the most stares around the towns/villages. The M3 with its slightly modded exhaust sounded the best.
Hopefully I can upload some footage later on once it’s been downloaded from the dash cam.
Hoped you enjoyed the read..
A small update..
Some good, some bad and some ugly..
The bad first I guess. Petrol Ped meet this Saturday gone was cancelled. Was really looking forward to it but oh well, maybe next time..
The ugly.. The wife (No I’m not referring to her as ugly) was driving the M3 home from work last night and as she was going past a parked car down a narrow backroad, a 3rd party pulled out of a junction opposite and despite her braking hard and swerving left the idiot managed to still smack the drivers wing mirror so hard it bent it up.
Unfortunately this was 9pm at night so she couldn’t even see what type of car it was let alone colour or reg plate, and it sped off in the opposite direction apparently, which raises suspicions.
The positive thing is the Mrs was not injured at all and the tool didn’t smack into the side of the car, as it could’ve been a lot worse.
After inspecting the mirror casing all was good, not even a scratch! The mechanisms all work too, however the glass took the brunt of the damage.
I didn’t think was too bad until I started googling, seems this may cost a pretty penny due the auto dim function of the mirror! Possibly in the £200+ bracket, unless anyone can tell me different?
Fuming..
On a happier note, today I went out for a drive with a few guys from an E9X M3 group on Facebook!
Was a fun drive despite the weather and nice to meet some fellow enthusiasts.
The conditions made the drive interesting, first time I really pushed the M3 in the wet. I can confirm the Michelin Pilot Super Sports aren’t very good, felt myself trying to feather the throttle even at low speeds in 3rd as it just wanted to break traction.
Still a good day out and I fear we won’t see any decent weather again anytime soon, anyways onwards and upwards.
Some good, some bad and some ugly..
The bad first I guess. Petrol Ped meet this Saturday gone was cancelled. Was really looking forward to it but oh well, maybe next time..
The ugly.. The wife (No I’m not referring to her as ugly) was driving the M3 home from work last night and as she was going past a parked car down a narrow backroad, a 3rd party pulled out of a junction opposite and despite her braking hard and swerving left the idiot managed to still smack the drivers wing mirror so hard it bent it up.
Unfortunately this was 9pm at night so she couldn’t even see what type of car it was let alone colour or reg plate, and it sped off in the opposite direction apparently, which raises suspicions.
The positive thing is the Mrs was not injured at all and the tool didn’t smack into the side of the car, as it could’ve been a lot worse.
After inspecting the mirror casing all was good, not even a scratch! The mechanisms all work too, however the glass took the brunt of the damage.
I didn’t think was too bad until I started googling, seems this may cost a pretty penny due the auto dim function of the mirror! Possibly in the £200+ bracket, unless anyone can tell me different?
Fuming..
On a happier note, today I went out for a drive with a few guys from an E9X M3 group on Facebook!
Was a fun drive despite the weather and nice to meet some fellow enthusiasts.
The conditions made the drive interesting, first time I really pushed the M3 in the wet. I can confirm the Michelin Pilot Super Sports aren’t very good, felt myself trying to feather the throttle even at low speeds in 3rd as it just wanted to break traction.
Still a good day out and I fear we won’t see any decent weather again anytime soon, anyways onwards and upwards.
Edited by 5mileofdeath on Sunday 4th October 19:24
Edited by 5mileofdeath on Sunday 4th October 19:25
Court_S said:
Sounds like you’ve been enjoying the M3.
How worn are your MPSS’s? I did t find mind too bad last winter when they were still pretty new but now they’re just beyond half worn mike have really gone off the boil even in the dry.
I’m off to the Elan Valley tomorrow with a mate. I’ll get some new rears sorted this month with November fast approaching....
Yeah it’s been good to get out in it properly tbh.How worn are your MPSS’s? I did t find mind too bad last winter when they were still pretty new but now they’re just beyond half worn mike have really gone off the boil even in the dry.
I’m off to the Elan Valley tomorrow with a mate. I’ll get some new rears sorted this month with November fast approaching....
They have about 5mm of life left..
Ah very nice! I’m starting small with the drives, when the weather improves in the new year I’m going to do a couple of road trips further afield, here nothing but good stories about Wales’ roads..
BEAMS 162 said:
Understand the fuming issue re the mirror,especially as wing mirrors on 'newer' cars are mental money,even on normal cars ,let alone an M3 like yours.Nice car though.Civic FK2 is always a marmite situation,the looks,it is what is is and a modern interpretation of a designers wet dream or a nightmare of a crash through a Halfords shop window.Performance and handling on a track though,from the numerous 'Ring youtube vids etc,serious car.Though the usual swervy disappointing dealer experience,I hope you get that sorted more in your favour.I mean,come on seriously.
Living in the Maidstone area I know there are some seriously good roads still to be enjoyed in a not too huge mileage radius; especially through down from Appledore to Rye,amongst others.I can certainly understand why you'd want to take the Civic or the M3 down there . I don't own the same sort of cars as yourself,but its what you make of it; I have a modified 33 year old FWD Toyota Celica that eats up the roads we both seem to frequent,also my recent 4WD ST205 GT4 the same.I now have a 2005 Honda Accord Euro-R as a daily but is nicely modded to enjoy the same sort of trek if I decide not to take the Celica out. Enjoying your thread,though shame to see your enjoyment of the Honda is being stifled by the frustration of the issue you're having.More so the reaction of the dealer. Great pics though,from the numerous car shows I've attended over the years,and the variety of cars you'll see,I have to say that the pic including the Aston always fires something up in me.There is just something about the aesthestics of a car like that.Just a liquid,lovely shape.But yes,you're spot on with your M3,its not a shouty car but I can imagine its a joy to drive and hear that engine in song.
Hope you update with how you get on,and also hope you don't get too frustrated with the Honda thing.Hell of a pair of cars you have there,well done sir.
Thank you, really kind words.Living in the Maidstone area I know there are some seriously good roads still to be enjoyed in a not too huge mileage radius; especially through down from Appledore to Rye,amongst others.I can certainly understand why you'd want to take the Civic or the M3 down there . I don't own the same sort of cars as yourself,but its what you make of it; I have a modified 33 year old FWD Toyota Celica that eats up the roads we both seem to frequent,also my recent 4WD ST205 GT4 the same.I now have a 2005 Honda Accord Euro-R as a daily but is nicely modded to enjoy the same sort of trek if I decide not to take the Celica out. Enjoying your thread,though shame to see your enjoyment of the Honda is being stifled by the frustration of the issue you're having.More so the reaction of the dealer. Great pics though,from the numerous car shows I've attended over the years,and the variety of cars you'll see,I have to say that the pic including the Aston always fires something up in me.There is just something about the aesthestics of a car like that.Just a liquid,lovely shape.But yes,you're spot on with your M3,its not a shouty car but I can imagine its a joy to drive and hear that engine in song.
Hope you update with how you get on,and also hope you don't get too frustrated with the Honda thing.Hell of a pair of cars you have there,well done sir.
Edited by BEAMS 162 on Sunday 4th October 20:44
Your right the Honda dealer situation has made me frustrated and also put doubt in my mind about still owning the car but it’s still very good and does all the jobs I need it to do. So although I think about it, I don’t think I can get rid of it at the moment, especially as they are appreciating in value slightly.
Your right the Kent roads are pretty good, especially the roads in and out of Rye..
Love the old Celica’s I used to have a Gen 7 which was nice but the GT4 is awesome, and a Euro R which sounds cool, don’t see many about. Any pics of your cars? Or do you have a thread?
Edited by 5mileofdeath on Sunday 4th October 22:06
So another update just to keep the thread ticking along.
Type R
So finally got round to sorting the front tyres.. decided to stick with the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2’s.. reasonably priced and the last ones managed over 16k miles with pretty good levels of grip in both dry and wet conditions.
Booked her in at my local Pro Tyre and despite having to stand outside for an hour it was trouble free..
Me and the wife decided The family needed a short cheap getaway during half term, gave kids the choice of what car we took and they unanimously decided on the Civic, more leg room in the back for them and also no faffing with getting them in and out the back like the M3.
The morning of the trip I remembered why I love the Type R for family trips, it can just take so much stuff in the boot.
Once we were all settled on site I couldn’t help getting a pic of her, tbh crap photo but atleast she was clean and journey was trouble free.
We travelled to Essex for a break and tbh it wasn’t too bad. Was surprised how no one actually speaks like the Towie muppets (sorry to all Essexers that may be offended).
Anyway that’s the R’s exploits recently other than taking me to work and back. Probably won’t be much happening until after December, especially as we are now going into Lockdown again, although I’ll still be at work so mileage will keep on totting up.
M3
So an update on the mirror, we replaced it, went with a standard E92 one instead of the heated/auto dim.. reason is simply the cost, I can’t stomach spending that much on a piece of glass at the moment and to be honest both me and the wife have noticed minimal difference. When funds are available I will buy the proper one.
Whilst we were away the M3 was left in the garage, when we got back I took it for a drive and all was good.
Fast forward 24 hours and me and the Mrs decided to have a meal at our favourite local restaurant, as I came off the carriageway something didn’t feel right as I broke, limped into the car park with a number of people staring at us, concerned I quickly pulled up and got out to smell some pretty bad burning coming from the left rear.
A phone call to BMW assistance and 90 minutes later a friendly breakdown engineer diagnosed what I already thought, sticking / binding rear caliper (a common fault Facebook says lol). Another 90 minutes and the recovery truck took the car and us home.
Doesn’t matter how you try n laugh it off, your car on the back of a breakdown truck is so undignified..
Next day the Mrs worked from home and got the tow truck back to take it to our local BMW dealer
Luckily our courtesy car was a 69 plate 520d, a very luxurious motor to be honest and my god they are long..
BMWs diagnosis was the same as the breakdown guy, so they set about pricing up the job.
Left rear caliper
Rear pads
Rear discs
New brakes pipes
£1687 with labour..
So glad we still had the used approved warranty from the previous owner!
Walked away with nothing to pay and picked the car up Thursday evening.
This is where it goes a bit sour..
Basically the wife realised they had driven the car 17 miles to “Test and bed the brakes in” and that our average MPG had dropped from 21 to 17 in that time.. Fortunately for them I can’t work out how to see what MPG they managed in those 17 miles but nonetheless I let them know I wasn’t happy that the car was most probably abused a bit on the ‘test Drive’.
The service persons defence was that they test all cars for that amount of miles and to quote him “we get M3s, M4s and M5s all the time your car ain’t treated any different”. Brilliant thanks for that
What made matters worse was that evening we noticed a rubbing noise from the front so we had to take it back to BMW, they found that the felt undertray was cracked and had moved from its mounts, they fixed it with cableties and we now have the car back.
I didn’t push the undertray thing with them as I think the Mrs cracked it not long after we got it but it never rubbed so whatever they did on the test drive was enough to move it closer to the wheels.
Anyway car is back now and running sweet, warranty runs out next month and the renewal price we got quoted was minimum of £2100 if we have £250 excess.. so gonna have to think hard on this one.. tbh I was going to get the rod bearings done in January so may just forget the warranty.
What I would appreciate is any opinions on the ‘test drive’ BMW had to do and the comments I received about it, do you think I’m being pedantic or do you think it’s excessive mileage??
Comments welcome I won’t be offended..
Type R
So finally got round to sorting the front tyres.. decided to stick with the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2’s.. reasonably priced and the last ones managed over 16k miles with pretty good levels of grip in both dry and wet conditions.
Booked her in at my local Pro Tyre and despite having to stand outside for an hour it was trouble free..
Me and the wife decided The family needed a short cheap getaway during half term, gave kids the choice of what car we took and they unanimously decided on the Civic, more leg room in the back for them and also no faffing with getting them in and out the back like the M3.
The morning of the trip I remembered why I love the Type R for family trips, it can just take so much stuff in the boot.
Once we were all settled on site I couldn’t help getting a pic of her, tbh crap photo but atleast she was clean and journey was trouble free.
We travelled to Essex for a break and tbh it wasn’t too bad. Was surprised how no one actually speaks like the Towie muppets (sorry to all Essexers that may be offended).
Anyway that’s the R’s exploits recently other than taking me to work and back. Probably won’t be much happening until after December, especially as we are now going into Lockdown again, although I’ll still be at work so mileage will keep on totting up.
M3
So an update on the mirror, we replaced it, went with a standard E92 one instead of the heated/auto dim.. reason is simply the cost, I can’t stomach spending that much on a piece of glass at the moment and to be honest both me and the wife have noticed minimal difference. When funds are available I will buy the proper one.
Whilst we were away the M3 was left in the garage, when we got back I took it for a drive and all was good.
Fast forward 24 hours and me and the Mrs decided to have a meal at our favourite local restaurant, as I came off the carriageway something didn’t feel right as I broke, limped into the car park with a number of people staring at us, concerned I quickly pulled up and got out to smell some pretty bad burning coming from the left rear.
A phone call to BMW assistance and 90 minutes later a friendly breakdown engineer diagnosed what I already thought, sticking / binding rear caliper (a common fault Facebook says lol). Another 90 minutes and the recovery truck took the car and us home.
Doesn’t matter how you try n laugh it off, your car on the back of a breakdown truck is so undignified..
Next day the Mrs worked from home and got the tow truck back to take it to our local BMW dealer
Luckily our courtesy car was a 69 plate 520d, a very luxurious motor to be honest and my god they are long..
BMWs diagnosis was the same as the breakdown guy, so they set about pricing up the job.
Left rear caliper
Rear pads
Rear discs
New brakes pipes
£1687 with labour..
So glad we still had the used approved warranty from the previous owner!
Walked away with nothing to pay and picked the car up Thursday evening.
This is where it goes a bit sour..
Basically the wife realised they had driven the car 17 miles to “Test and bed the brakes in” and that our average MPG had dropped from 21 to 17 in that time.. Fortunately for them I can’t work out how to see what MPG they managed in those 17 miles but nonetheless I let them know I wasn’t happy that the car was most probably abused a bit on the ‘test Drive’.
The service persons defence was that they test all cars for that amount of miles and to quote him “we get M3s, M4s and M5s all the time your car ain’t treated any different”. Brilliant thanks for that
What made matters worse was that evening we noticed a rubbing noise from the front so we had to take it back to BMW, they found that the felt undertray was cracked and had moved from its mounts, they fixed it with cableties and we now have the car back.
I didn’t push the undertray thing with them as I think the Mrs cracked it not long after we got it but it never rubbed so whatever they did on the test drive was enough to move it closer to the wheels.
Anyway car is back now and running sweet, warranty runs out next month and the renewal price we got quoted was minimum of £2100 if we have £250 excess.. so gonna have to think hard on this one.. tbh I was going to get the rod bearings done in January so may just forget the warranty.
What I would appreciate is any opinions on the ‘test drive’ BMW had to do and the comments I received about it, do you think I’m being pedantic or do you think it’s excessive mileage??
Comments welcome I won’t be offended..
Edited by 5mileofdeath on Saturday 31st October 22:07
So my final comments of, the M3 is back and running sweet were short lived!!
The brakes were squeaking slightly when we first got the car back however by Sunday afternoon they sounded like an East Kent bus and to top it off, going around tight turns and roundabouts the dreaded ‘rubbing’ noise was back, called BMW Monday morning and after faffing about with BMW Assistance to get a courtesy car the M3 was dropped back to them and the replacement was a rather nice brand new 320i.
Anyways, you can imagine how the conversation with the BMW service guy went, I swear I could hear him rolling his eyes as he sighed “yes sir, we will get your car looked at as soon as possible.”
Fast forward to Thursday and I got the call, we have finally found what is wrong with your car, no.1 the brake pads have a manufacturer deformity so will be replaced and no.2 you need a new rear diff! Bit of shock but I’m not surprised!
So bloody glad it was all covered under warranty!
Got the car yesterday and all totalled with hire cars, breakdown, parts and labour the total cost was around £6.5k, so lucky to be all covered under warranty!
Hoping to get out for a good drive in the M3 at the weekend and take some nice pictures in this lovely autumn weather we have been having!
Stay safe all
The brakes were squeaking slightly when we first got the car back however by Sunday afternoon they sounded like an East Kent bus and to top it off, going around tight turns and roundabouts the dreaded ‘rubbing’ noise was back, called BMW Monday morning and after faffing about with BMW Assistance to get a courtesy car the M3 was dropped back to them and the replacement was a rather nice brand new 320i.
Anyways, you can imagine how the conversation with the BMW service guy went, I swear I could hear him rolling his eyes as he sighed “yes sir, we will get your car looked at as soon as possible.”
Fast forward to Thursday and I got the call, we have finally found what is wrong with your car, no.1 the brake pads have a manufacturer deformity so will be replaced and no.2 you need a new rear diff! Bit of shock but I’m not surprised!
So bloody glad it was all covered under warranty!
Got the car yesterday and all totalled with hire cars, breakdown, parts and labour the total cost was around £6.5k, so lucky to be all covered under warranty!
Hoping to get out for a good drive in the M3 at the weekend and take some nice pictures in this lovely autumn weather we have been having!
Stay safe all
Another update.. (new car inbound)
So after the success of the M3 passing its MOT, I was due some bad luck.. unfortunately it came in the guise of a double puncture on the rear right tyre of the Type R, 3 days before Xmas!
Managed to get it fixed pretty quick the same day, considering we are in ‘lockdown’ seems pretty much everything is as it was in the summer apart from restaurants and retail shops..
Anyway moving on, I may of mentioned in previous posts that the Type R would be replaced with something else as the daily or be sold entirely, that time came shortly after the new year as I threw up a random post on M3cutters stating I was looking for a 330d / 335d.
Fast forward a week of sorting things out and the deal was done, so I now have an E91 330d manual
It’s pretty well kitted out and is in ok condition for it’s age, interior is immaculate with its full leather electric and heated seats and all the usual cruise control / automatic functions.. it has done 163,000 miles but tbh drives like it done half of that. The previous owner had a stage 1 remap done quoting 306bhp but I was sceptical, more on this later.
Moving on to present day, I managed to finally get the M3 booked in for its rod bearings, departing with £1500 has never felt so good! Here’s a few pics from the garage as they sent me a step by step update which was nice and reassuring..
As you can see the wear wasn’t as bad as I was expecting and you could argue replacing them was premature but considering the M is on 76k I felt it was the right time, especially as some ‘mods’ are on the horizon
Took the car for a quick spin afterwards and it feels so much smoother, maybe just thinking it in but I’m really happy with the result.. Crago’s in Dartford did the work for anyone looking for a reasonable price and great work with fantastic customer service.
Final update was from today, where I took the 330d for a service and full check with one of my favourite and most trusted mechanics WG Motorworks. Warren is a top guy.
Here she getting the main parts of the service done..
Finally I got him to get the car on the dyno to see what power / torque it has..
Best run was:
278.2 hp
476 lb ft or 645nm
Kinda knew it wouldn’t make the claimed bhp figures but to be honest I’m more than happy with it, it runs really smooth and to be honest is just gonna to be used for motorway runs and odd family trips (when we are allowed!)
Finally the Type R.. be a few updates coming soon, more than likely going to sell her, doubt within the current climate that I will replace her either but we will see..
Thanks all and stay safe..
So after the success of the M3 passing its MOT, I was due some bad luck.. unfortunately it came in the guise of a double puncture on the rear right tyre of the Type R, 3 days before Xmas!
Managed to get it fixed pretty quick the same day, considering we are in ‘lockdown’ seems pretty much everything is as it was in the summer apart from restaurants and retail shops..
Anyway moving on, I may of mentioned in previous posts that the Type R would be replaced with something else as the daily or be sold entirely, that time came shortly after the new year as I threw up a random post on M3cutters stating I was looking for a 330d / 335d.
Fast forward a week of sorting things out and the deal was done, so I now have an E91 330d manual
It’s pretty well kitted out and is in ok condition for it’s age, interior is immaculate with its full leather electric and heated seats and all the usual cruise control / automatic functions.. it has done 163,000 miles but tbh drives like it done half of that. The previous owner had a stage 1 remap done quoting 306bhp but I was sceptical, more on this later.
Moving on to present day, I managed to finally get the M3 booked in for its rod bearings, departing with £1500 has never felt so good! Here’s a few pics from the garage as they sent me a step by step update which was nice and reassuring..
As you can see the wear wasn’t as bad as I was expecting and you could argue replacing them was premature but considering the M is on 76k I felt it was the right time, especially as some ‘mods’ are on the horizon
Took the car for a quick spin afterwards and it feels so much smoother, maybe just thinking it in but I’m really happy with the result.. Crago’s in Dartford did the work for anyone looking for a reasonable price and great work with fantastic customer service.
Final update was from today, where I took the 330d for a service and full check with one of my favourite and most trusted mechanics WG Motorworks. Warren is a top guy.
Here she getting the main parts of the service done..
Finally I got him to get the car on the dyno to see what power / torque it has..
Best run was:
278.2 hp
476 lb ft or 645nm
Kinda knew it wouldn’t make the claimed bhp figures but to be honest I’m more than happy with it, it runs really smooth and to be honest is just gonna to be used for motorway runs and odd family trips (when we are allowed!)
Finally the Type R.. be a few updates coming soon, more than likely going to sell her, doubt within the current climate that I will replace her either but we will see..
Thanks all and stay safe..
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