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01-15-2015LAST POST
Hey guys,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I have been into cars my entire life and ever since I can remember I have put the m3 (E46 and E92) on a pedestal. I have dreamed of owning one for a long time and two saturdays ago I was able to make that dream come true. I am the proud owner of an 08 Interlagos blue over palladium sillve interior. It is a manual, has had 2 previous owners, was a CPO car previously and only has 40k miles. The car is pretty loaded with premium package, tech package, sunroof, premium sound & cold weather package but is missing some small but admittedly convenience features like an alarm and sat radio but I can make due without. I am coming from a 2011 fully loaded dct 135 with the dinan stage 2 tune but the ///M is worlds apart in raw power and handling and I am so happy I made the upgrade. This is my daily driver and the fuel economy is considerably worse but with this gem of an engine and the increasing scarcity of NA engines...who really cares? :) Since I live in MD and the winter is in full effect here my first mod was to buy a dedicated set of winter wheels. I went with the square setup from tirerack 235/40/18 with a7 sport wheels and blizzak LM32 tires which definitely takes away from the aggressive stance of the car and gives it more of a bland 328 look from the back but as its only for a couple months out of the year and actually makes the car winter capable (instead of the PS2s it had on it when stock) its a small price to pay. Other than a few small cosmetic upgrades I am going to keep it stock for now and will have to remove the tints because they wont't pass state inspection here.

Unfortunately on the way home today I coincidentally noticed that the oil level is too high and have to take in to the dealer first thing tomorrow. I have driven about 500 miles with the car like this but since nothing came up on the dash or Idrive I assumed all was well but after doing some research on here I noticed that it was a common problem with this car and engine due to the lack of an actual dipstick (seriously..what were they thinking?! Perfect example of German over-engineering..this coming from a German haha) Anyways I am going go get the oil chaged tomorrow as I bought the car from a used car dealership and want to double check the right oil is used for the car. I hope this has no long lasting effects on the engine but luckily for peace of mind I bought an aftermarket extended warranty that covers everything except maintenance/wear & tear items.

So this is a little longer than expected but for everyone who kept reading..thank you! Happy to be here and looking forward to being part of the community!
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Welcome!
Love the colour, and good luck fighting off the mod bug......lol
Congrats on completing one of your life's goals. Be good to her, and she will keep you smiling.
But I'm puzzled that it doesn't have an alarm? Never knew they offered it like that.
Welcome, It feels great to finally acquire something you wanted for years doesn't it!
Webb70 wrote
Welcome!
Love the colour, and good luck fighting off the mod bug......lol
Thank you! Haha I know it will be tough but the car is already so great in stock form so that will help...I must admit though I love those competition pkg wheels though :P
Tracyis300 wrote
Congrats on completing one of your life's goals. Be good to her, and she will keep you smiling.
But I'm puzzled that it doesn't have an alarm? Never knew they offered it like that.
In 2009 BMW stopped pre wiring for the OEM alarm. If you didn't order the car with the optional alarm you are SOL.
Tracyis300 wrote
Congrats on completing one of your life's goals. Be good to her, and she will keep you smiling.
But I'm puzzled that it doesn't have an alarm? Never knew they offered it like that.
Haha I will! Yes it came with the pre-wiring but not the alarm itself..how that isn't a standard feature on a 60+k car beats me! My friend got it dealer installed for his e46 but it cost him 500 bucks which is quite steep!
Wilsel wrote
Welcome, It feels great to finally acquire something you wanted for years doesn't it!
Totally agree! Nothing like working hard for something and finally being able to reward yourself after!
BigBoosting wrote  
Tracyis300 wrote
Congrats on completing one of your life's goals. Be good to her, and she will keep you smiling.
But I'm puzzled that it doesn't have an alarm? Never knew they offered it like that.
In 2009 BMW stopped pre wiring for the OEM alarm. If you didn't order the car with the optional alarm you are SOL.
Didn't know that!

To the OP, congrats! Love the color combo!
M3IN V8 wrote
Haha I will! Yes it came with the pre-wiring but not the alarm itself..how that isn't a standard feature on a 60+k car beats me! My friend got it dealer installed for his e46 but it cost him 500 bucks which is quite steep!
It's actually not that hard to install at all, but you do have to have the car coded after the installation......

See already planning your next mod......lol
Beautiful color man..congrats!
Congratulations. IB is my favorite color.
Congrats! I made the dream come true this past summer as well. Never thought I'd see myself in an M so soon but it's definitely a rewarding experience!

I put winter tires for the first time in my life on this car back in November and drove through my first snow last week and the car drove without a hiccup. Sure I could slide the tail out or spin the wheels but I was always in control of it. Definitely a great first mod for the car!
Congrats on the buy, I also just bought a 12' MW ZCP m3 and I've been on this forum more than anything this past week. Theres a ton of reputable info to be had here. Anyways enjoy the car!
Congratulations ! I pick mine up tomorrow also in IB:)
BigBoosting wrote
In 2009 BMW stopped pre wiring for the OEM alarm. If you didn't order the car with the optional alarm you are SOL.
Good thing he has an 08. Congrats op, like the color. Install of alarm is really easy if prewired. Just order the alarm and install sensor and siren.
Congrats OP. I still enjoy my car everyday. This really is a special engine. You know it is right when you start her up. Had my car at the dealer a few weeks ago and heard the SA drive her off. I'd rather drive my own car but was kind of blown away by how good she sounds from the outside as well!
Congrats and welcome!
Congratulations, you now own a piece of automotive nirvana! Wishing you many miles/years of trouble-free motoring. Enjoy in good health:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Congratulations with your fantastic car! Love the colour!

It's an amazing car. I just got mine (E92 M3 DCT) and could not be happier with it. Fuel consumption sucks, but this is not a surprise:-)

Just for your info., I'm driving on Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme 245/35/19 front and 275/30/19 at the back. So far I'm impressed with them.

Enjoy your car! Too bad for those not understanding how good a car this really is:) Drive safely!
I've been keeping my eyes on an M3 since the E36 era and never thought I could ever afford one (I was in hs back then). Its such a great feeling to own the best M3 ever made.

As for the dip stick, I think it was brilliant! That's one less component to worry about when it's electronically monitored.
OP congrats...there's a vast resource here on the forum for this car...for example, here's the DIY on alarm install:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150766

you still have to take it to the dealer to get it coded, but you save at least $200 in labor doing the physical install yourself.