What have you done with or to your M3 today?

Bigtriece wrote

Finished up the HAS install and some lower mileage factory EDC shocks. Need to pick the rear up a few mm and drop the front a few mm.

Nah. Rear needs to be dropped a few and the front raised the same. Else Nascar/dragster rake. No idea why people do this to their Ms.

Replaced the idrive buttons with a kit from Amazon.

Continuing the harness thining, no need for evap and heater core and so far I’m just thining all audio/airbag items-to my knowledge haven’t touched any CAN/PT-CAN harness.
For those with DCT and doing heater core removal/bypass where are you looping the heater core out of the system?

THEROK wrote

Nah. Rear needs to be dropped a few and the front raised the same. Else Nascar/dragster rake. No idea why people do this to their Ms.

Nah, Rear was 10mm lower than the front. I'm not into the Carolina squat. Even fender/ wheel gap front to back is where it's at.

Bigtriece wrote

Nah, Rear was 10mm lower than the front. I'm not into the Carolina squat. Even fender/ wheel gap front to back is where it's at.

No it's not. You level the car based on the sideskirt to the ground not tire to fender unless you're basic. This is why you see BMWs, bone stock, typically have more gap up front than rear.

Nascar in America fandom is real smh

THEROK wrote

No it's not. You level the car based on the sideskirt to the ground not tire to fender unless you're basic. This is why you see BMWs, bone stock, typically have more gap up front than rear.

Nascar in America fandom is real smh

You modify your car the way you like and I will modify mine the way I like. For being so uppity about your car you sure have zero couth.

No one is talking about nascar here. This is even.

While the harness thining continues-still keeping EDC and Idrive for now-we started playing with making a temporary carbon dash. This is not going to be a laminate but rather taped off the areas that’ll be blanked off so a lot of the lumpiness will be cut out and we’ll make CF brackets to mount it. Also made some CF blank offs for the interior cabin.

Bigtriece wrote

You modify your car the way you like and I will modify mine the way I like. For being so uppity about your car you sure have zero couth.

No one is talking about nascar here. This is even.

And I’ll share my thoughts as I see fit, sensipoo.

Looks uhhh modified. lol hard pass for me.

Yesterday’s service call to Portland and back. Work trips are so much more fun when you hit fuel cut at least once😈

Also, the new giubo and diff pinion seal are working out great. Plus the greased splines on the drive shaft have completely eliminated the cowbell ding.

I finished replacing the sticky door pull straps today. It took about 2-3 weeks for parts to arrive and allocating time to do the work. More information in the thread below.

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=32368969#post32368969

I just purchased new winter tires for my M3. Toyo Observe GSI-6 HP 235/40X18 and 255/40X18. I had this tire on my Audi A4 a few years ago and they worked great. I don't expect the same performance on my M3 but I'm hoping they will be better than my previous Dunlop Sport 3Ds. The Toyo's have walnut in them!

Baba Louey

baba louey wrote

I just purchased new winter tires for my M3. Toyo Observe GSI-6 HP 235/40X18 and 255/40X18. I had this tire on my Audi A4 a few years ago and they worked great. I don't expect the same performance on my M3 but I'm hoping they will be better than my previous Dunlop Sport 3Ds. The Toyo's have walnut in them!

Baba Louey

Nice! Report back your experience. I switch over to Michelin Alpina’s when we have threat of snow and they have prevented me from being stranded, which is their primary function.

But our winters are mostly rain and temps in the 40s F, so it’s a climate perfect for all seasons. I’m running AS4s for most of my winter use and they do well enough on snow in a pinch but have also left me stranded. ( but I think the Conti DWS+’s are a better all season for our cars. They get pretty loud as they wear though)

Weather is starting to turn to the rain and cold, so getting those weekend drives in while the weather is nice. Guessing the M3 will be put away end of October.

Ended up daily driving the M3 for two weeks (instead of as a weekend toy). Heard a noise from the SC on the Jag, so the dealer ended up replacing the whole TVS unit (even though I'm pretty sure it was just the coupler). Also, got them to replace the coolant pipes that are known to fail. Back to the M3, with all the mods, its getting to be a bit much to drive everyday. It's firm. Parking lots can be unnerving with speed bumps and hill angles. Not easy to get things in and out of (particularly my dog), so even short drives are bit of an event. It also really doesn't like dealing with 20-30 mph traffic. It wants to be doing 60+. Torrential downpours and standing water are also not its thing. Nice to have the daily back. And I'm kind of done with the dealer, so the Jag is getting some big upgrades on Black Friday.

Doing some more maintenance while deciding on my power steering route.

You can almost smell the diff fluid through the photos!

Replaced the battery (again). It's the fourth battery my car has had since 2008 - 17 years ago. 17/3 = 5.6 year life on average. The Duracell I just took out was installed in February 2019 with a 10/18 build date. It hadn't failed BUT I've noticed some occasional slow cranks recently. I bought again the Duracell Ultra Premium AGM part = SLI49AGM 92Ahr, 850CCA 975 cranking amps and 160 min reserve capacity with an August 2025 build date.

Now for any newbies who haven't replaced a battery in a E9X M3 just know the AGM type weigh about 50 pounds (mine = 58.5lbs to be exact). What this means is you're probably gonna' have to get inside the trunk to yank the old one out - assuming you're the size of a jockey like me (which helps my lap times).. and can lift almost 60lbs in close quarters. Putting the new battery back in requires an equal wrestling gymnastics combo effort. The battery is covered with typical BMW stuff such as pyrotechnics device as well as various other loom wires - such as the intelligent battery stabilizer (IBS).

Anyway, while doing this job (again) I invented some new words due to my difficulty reinstalling the battery hold down clamp - which is way down the side of the battery in the bottom of the well. The hold down clamp bolt goes in at an angle and took me about an hour of finger finesse and experimentation with various extensions to successfully thread it back in.

There's a small pink O ring on the threads of the hold down clamp bolt. That O ring needs to be high up on the bolt threads - near the metal clamp - so the bolt can "find" the pilot hole in the dark (okay calm down everybody). For clamp bolt re-installation, use a small piece of duct tape on the bolt head so the socket will fit really tight and hold onto the bolt (and its corresponding clamp) then use a long (about 10inches) extension on a 10mm socket to insert the clamp bolt at a slight angle into the threaded hole. A wibbly-wobbly extension could've helped but I don't own one (yet).

I plan to write myself a note (or print this out) and leave it the battery compartment with these tips for next time. What a pullava! Both battery clamp nuts should be torqued to NO more than 44in-lb (yes, inch pounds). M6 Terminals (Positive & Negative): 5 Nm (44 in-lb). M8 Middle Connector: 15 Nm (11 ft-lb). Note to self: get a better (smaller) drop lamp and don't forget to reinstall the hydrogen gas vent pipe as well as the IBS connector, Since it's an identical spec battery you don't have to re-register it with the ECU. When reinstalling the battery put the hold down clamp back in first before the cables and other stuff etc.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/auto_light-truck/battery/duracell-ultra/sli49agm
.

DrFerry wrote

Replaced the battery (again). It's the fourth battery my car has had since 2008 - 17 years ago. 17/3 = 5.6 year life on average. The Duracell I just took out was installed in February 2019 with a 10/18 build date. It hadn't failed BUT I've noticed some occasional slow cranks recently. I bought again the Duracell Ultra Premium AGM part = SLI49AGM 92Ahr, 850CCA 975 cranking amps and 160 min reserve capacity with an August 2025 build date.

Now for any newbies who haven't replaced a battery in a E9X M3 just know the AGM type weigh about 50 pounds (mine = 58.5lbs to be exact). What this means is you're probably gonna' have to get inside the trunk to yank the old one out - assuming you're the size of a jockey like me (which helps my lap times).. and can lift almost 60lbs in close quarters. Putting the new battery back in requires an equal wrestling gymnastics combo effort. The battery is covered with typical BMW stuff such as pyrotechnics device as well as various other loom wires - such as the intelligent battery stabilizer (IBS).

Anyway, while doing this job (again) I invented some new words due to my difficulty reinstalling the battery hold down clamp - which is way down the side of the battery in the bottom of the well. The hold down clamp bolt goes in at an angle and took me about an hour of finger finesse and experimentation with various extensions to successfully thread it back in.

There's a small pink O ring on the threads of the hold down clamp bolt. That O ring needs to be high up on the bolt threads - near the metal clamp - so the bolt can "find" the pilot hole in the dark (okay calm down everybody). For clamp bolt re-installation, use a small piece of duct tape on the bolt head so the socket will fit really tight and hold onto the bolt (and its corresponding clamp) then use a long (about 10inches) extension on a 10mm socket to insert the clamp bolt at a slight angle into the threaded hole. A wibbly-wobbly extension could've helped but I don't own one (yet).

I plan to write myself a note (or print this out) and leave it the battery compartment with these tips for next time. What a pullava! Both battery clamp nuts should be torqued to NO more than 44in-lb (yes, inch pounds). M6 Terminals (Positive & Negative): 5 Nm (44 in-lb). M8 Middle Connector: 15 Nm (11 ft-lb). Note to self: get a better (smaller) drop lamp and don't forget to reinstall the hydrogen gas vent pipe as well as the IBS connector, Since it's an identical spec battery you don't have to re-register it with the ECU. When reinstalling the battery put the hold down clamp back in first before the cables and other stuff etc.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/product-details/auto_light-truck/battery/duracell-ultra/sli49agm
.

Feel ya...experienced same struggle on previous DIY AGM replacement.
Your findings are spot-on.

Last AGM crapped out late `24 after < ~3 yrs.
Opted to go with AntiGravity...what a difference for install with weight savings, no venting...hopefully, as advertised, 5yr life.

What did I do to my M3 today? A lot. Buckle up, it’s a long one.

Short list:

• Valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, and spark plug tubes
• DCT oil pan and mechanics gaskets, mechatronics valve o-ring, suction filter, canister filter, and fluid flush
• Michelin Pilot Sport 4S all around
• New battery and ground cable
• Paint-matched front bumper reflectors
• IMSA license plate frame

Full story:
I bought my dream M3 in July and just a few weeks into ownership, my wife noticed a small red stain in the driveway where I park. So, I took it to the dealer for diagnosis. The reason I chose our local dealer was because I had purchased a one year/12,000 mile warranty from the selling dealership I bought it at; I sprung for this warranty solely as insurance for the drive home from Philly to Chicago.

The local dealer diagnosed a transmission oil pan gasket and mechatronics panel gasket leak. After two weeks of back and forth with the warranty company, the repair was approved. And according to the book, the transmission needed to be removed to properly replace the mechatronics panel gasket. So, I decided to capitalize on the transmission being out under warranty by paying out of pocket for a new suction filter, canister filter, and the hard-to-reach mechatronics valve o-ring that sits atop the transmission.

The technician also noted slight valve cover gasket seeping. I did not anticipate this being covered under warranty since it’s so often considered “nature of the beast,” but fortunately for me, the repair was approved! While the VCGs were being replaced, I paid out of pocket for new spark plugs and spark plug tubes.

During the brief time I had with the car prior to brining it in for warranty diagnosis and repair, I also noticed it experiencing a slow crank. After self-diagnosing a depleted battery, I paid out of pocket to have that replaced. The dealer confirmed one cell had failed in the battery. Additionally, they noted the ground cable near the exhaust manifold was corroded and could benefit from being replaced. The book charged $500 for that ground cable service, so I replaced it myself. Both the battery and ground cable have her cranking over better than ever.

Additionally, I bought the car knowing the rear tires would need replacing rather quickly. And on top of that, the driver’s side front tire had a slow leak. So, I bit the bullet and had Tire Rack ship four new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to my local dealer to have them installed in between the warranty work being done.

Last but not least, I installed paint-matched front bumper reflectors and an IMSA license plate frame.

All in all, the condition of the car now is exactly how I envisioned it being during my ownership. When buying the car, I had planned to replace the transmission oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs in the first two years. So, to have this, and more, handled by the warranty feels like a big win.

Time to really lay down the miles now!

smokinjoe64 wrote

Feel ya...experienced same struggle on previous DIY AGM replacement. :mad0260:Your findings are spot-on. Last AGM crapped out late `24 after < ~3 yrs. Opted to go with AntiGravity...what a difference for install with weight savings, no venting...hopefully, as advertised, 5yr life.

AntiGravity products are the battery gold standard for E9X M3 cars IMO, but unfortunately they're way out of my semi-retiree, budget price range. Definitely awesome batteries though.
.

e39Origin wrote

What did I do to my M3 today? A lot. Buckle up, it’s a long one.

Short list:

• Valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, and spark plug tubes
• DCT oil pan and mechanics gaskets, mechatronics valve o-ring, suction filter, canister filter, and fluid flush
• Michelin Pilot Sport 4S all around
• New battery and ground cable
• Paint-matched front bumper reflectors
• IMSA license plate frame

Full story:
I bought my dream M3 in July and just a few weeks into ownership, my wife noticed a small red stain in the driveway where I park. So, I took it to the dealer for diagnosis. The reason I chose our local dealer was because I had purchased a one year/12,000 mile warranty from the selling dealership I bought it at; I sprung for this warranty solely as insurance for the drive home from Philly to Chicago.

The local dealer diagnosed a transmission oil pan gasket and mechanics panel gasket leak. After two weeks of back and forth with the warranty company, the repair was approved. And according to the book, the transmission needs to be removed to properly replace the mechatronics panel gasket. So, I decided to capitalize on the transmission being out under warranty by paying out of pocket for a new suction filter, canister filter, and the hard-to-reach mechatronics valve o-ring that sits atop the transmission.

The technician also noted slight valve cover gasket seeping. I did not anticipate this being covered since it’s so often considered “nature of the beast,” but fortunately for me, the repair was approved! While the VCGs were being replaced, I paid out of pocket for new spark plugs and spark plug tubes.

During the brief time I had with the car,prior to bringing it in for warranty diagnosis and repair, I also noticed it experiencing a slow crank. After self-diagnosing a depleted battery, I paid out of pocket to have that replaced. The dealer confirmed one cell had failed in the battery. Additionally, they noted the ground cable near the exhaust manifold was corroded and could benefit from being replaced. The book charged $500 for that ground strap service, so I replaced it myself. Both the battery and ground cable has her cranking over better than ever.

Additionally, I bought the car knowing the rear tires would need replacing rather quickly. And on top of that, the driver’s side front tire had a slow leak. So, I bit the bullet and had Tire Rack ship four new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S to my local dealer to have them installed in between the warranty work being done.

Last but not least, I installed paint-matched front bumper reflectors and an IMSA license plate frame.

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with the condition of the car now. When buying the car, I had planned to replace the transmission oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, and spark plugs in the first year or so of ownership. So, to have this, and more, handled by the warranty feels like a big win.

Time to really lay down the miles now!

I love it when stuff goes right like this above ^. The warranty purchase price has now more than paid for itself and then some. Great move on the DCT servicing - especially the mechatronics valve O-ring which is bear to do with the tranny installed (a real knuckle buster even for a midget). I bet your glad the wife noticed the oil spot. How about posting a few pics of the car when you get a chance. I bet she's a beauty.

DrFerry wrote

I love it when stuff goes right like this above ^. The warranty purchase price has now more than paid for itself and then some. Great move on the DCT servicing - especially the mechatronics valve O-ring which is bear to do with the tranny installed (a real knuckle buster even for a midget). I bet your glad the wife noticed the oil spot. How about posting a few pics of the car when you get a chance. I bet she's a beauty.

Here’s a few from when I first got her (she’s currently in dire need of a bath after sitting in the dealer lot while I was out of town last week).

The prior owner/original owner, took great care of her. 45,000 miles and maintained at the selling dealer during its factory warranty period. The only modifications they did were painting the stock 219M wheels black, installing black grilles and side vents, and a paint-matched high-kick rear spoiler. Oh, and Escort Passport radar and laser jammers😉

For ha-ha’s, I also included an aerial picture of an e92 M3 that I took 14 years ago while busing tables in high school. It was that day that I told myself “I will own that car some day.” And not only did I land an e92 M3, but one in an identical spec!

Replaced my burnt out headlight bulbs and removed track decals. Really enjoying the OE front end without a lip. Kind of want to lower it.

Picked up a high mile 2010 and starting the process of going through the car to update anything thats needed.

This weekend did fuel injectors, fuel breather, inline fuel filter, and air filter.