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Arwox posted:What makes you say that? Is it the fact that the rigid suspension tends to vibrate things apart more? or is the car in general just needier than a non M bmw? It's the fact that M3 specific parts cost 2 to 3 times as much as their non-M counterparts. Things like brake rotors, pads, control arms, etc.
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Oct 26, 2008 00:23
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Arwox posted:What makes you say that? Is it the fact that the rigid suspension tends to vibrate things apart more? or is the car in general just needier than a non M bmw?
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Oct 26, 2008 00:33
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Arwox posted:What makes you say that? Is it the fact that the rigid suspension tends to vibrate things apart more? or is the car in general just needier than a non M bmw? It's the "M tax". It's primarily in parts cost and also that maintenance intervals will be slightly shorter as a performance car will wear through wear items (tires, brakes, clutch, etc.) a bit quicker if you're driving it like it was designed to be. The running joke is that the number behind the "M" in any given BMW is the maintenance multiplier over its non-M counterpart. So an M3 would be 3x as expensive to maintain over a regular 3, an M5 would be 5x more than a regular 5. Of course this is a joke and a bit hyperbolic, but there is a kernel of truth to it as well. The USDM E36 M3 isn't really that much of a screamer, and shouldn't be too ridiculous to keep up. E36s are also pretty straightforward to work on - the huge enthusiast following has created a million DIY How-Tos online, and the Bentley manuals for BMWs are fantastic compared to a Hanes/Chilton manual. Maintenance costs can be severely reduced if you do your own wrenching, especially on the more routine things. Ordering parts online and doing maintenance in your own driveway will save you an enormous amount of money (true for any car, but especially cars. Even if you're not up to the task of valve adjustments or what have you, just changing your own fluids, brakes, filters, etc. will save you a tidy sum - and give you the skills and confidence to tackle bigger issues as they arise. Rough roads are going to be hard on any car's suspension. A bit moreso on super stiff set ups, but as long as you try not to hit any huge potholes I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know it feels like you're abusing the thing, but it's just the nature of being able to feel every little bump. Every car's suspension has to deal with it, but the softer ones just make it less obvious. Guinness fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Oct 26, 2008 |
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Oct 26, 2008 01:20
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Guinness posted:Rough roads are going to be hard on any car's suspension. A bit moreso on super stiff set ups, but as long as you try not to hit any huge potholes I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know it feels like you're abusing the thing, but it's just the nature of being able to feel every little bump. Every car's suspension has to deal with it, but the softer ones just make it less obvious. Careful with the E36 M3 wheels, they are supposedly easy to bend on potholes and really rough roads. We haven't had any issues but that is one of the things some of the auto mags complained about.
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Oct 26, 2008 03:13
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Thanks for the replies gentlemen, and after much pondering i think im gonna keep her. For all the worrying i do about it, every so often i get this extreme feeling of  after taking it on an especially aggressive drive. And i think the extra work/money im gonna be putting into it will be well worth it just for those moments.
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Oct 26, 2008 03:36
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Arwox posted:Thanks for the replies gentlemen, and after much pondering i think im gonna keep her. For all the worrying i do about it, every so often i get this extreme feeling of Congrats, you're what we call an "enthusiast". 
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Oct 26, 2008 03:47
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Arwox posted:...an especially aggressive drive... Dude please look up an HPDE at Mid Ohio. You're near one of the very best tracks in the country, and $350 or whatever to do a weekend will be repaid with an undying love for your car. Just check your air and maybe do the weekend just after an oil change. God what I wouldn't do to have my first track weekend again in an M3.
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Oct 26, 2008 05:33
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I would LOVE to do something like that, do you stay down there overnight?
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Oct 27, 2008 00:51
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Arwox posted:I would LOVE to do something like that, do you stay down there overnight? Yeah, there's tons of relatively cheap hotels nearby because the SCCA and NASA have held their National Championships there in the past. If you want to camp at the track, that's also a viable alternative. EDIT: Here's some video to help you learn the track before you go. Seriously, all you need is a clean car, tires inflated to 35-40 PSI, and a helmet of some sort. You won't be doing this, exactly, but by the end of the second day, you'll be AMAZED at how close you will be: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4539482739883825026 Sterndotstern fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Oct 27, 2008 |
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Oct 27, 2008 02:07
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are stock bmw wheels from an e46 and an e39 interchangeable?
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Oct 27, 2008 09:42
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EvilMoFo posted:are stock bmw wheels from an e46 and an e39 interchangeable? I'm fairly sure the offset is different, and I think the hub diameter is about ~1mm different also.
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Oct 27, 2008 12:07
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EvilMoFo posted:are stock bmw wheels from an e46 and an e39 interchangeable? E39 wheels have a larger hub bore and will fit other cars with a smaller bore (like the E46) as long as you use hub-centric rings, but it's not recommended. E39's will take nothing but E39 wheels because of the larger hub bore. Hub-centric rings will make the E39 wheels "fit" an E46, but people have reported weird shakes/shimmies running in this configuration.
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Oct 27, 2008 13:53
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Quick question: Someone recently gave me three bottles of BMW branded fuel additive that is ~10 years old. Is this stuff still good? Should I use it and will it make a difference/do anything positive for my '99 E46?
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Oct 27, 2008 18:50
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Brock Landers posted:E39 wheels have a larger hub bore and will fit other cars with a smaller bore (like the E46) as long as you use hub-centric rings, but it's not recommended. E39's will take nothing but E39 wheels because of the larger hub bore. Hub-centric rings will make the E39 wheels "fit" an E46, but people have reported weird shakes/shimmies running in this configuration. Didn't it get concluded in some other thread that all wheels are lug centric and don't need hub centering to fit correctly? I think it was oxbrain that said so.
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Oct 27, 2008 18:56
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kimbo305 posted:Didn't it get concluded in some other thread that all wheels are lug centric and don't need hub centering to fit correctly? I think it was oxbrain that said so. From my own personal experience with swapping BMW wheels, I have to disagree with this. I put some Style 25s from an E39 onto my E34 without hubcentric rings, and I would get some pretty significant vibrations above 80-85mph. I ordered some $15 hubcenric rings from eBay, threw them on to fill the hub bore gap, and the vibration is entirely gone. Smooth as butter at all speeds.
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Oct 28, 2008 00:24
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Guinness posted:From my own personal experience with swapping BMW wheels, I have to disagree with this. I put some Style 25s from an E39 onto my E34 without hubcentric rings, and I would get some pretty significant vibrations above 80-85mph. I ordered some $15 hubcenric rings from eBay, threw them on to fill the hub bore gap, and the vibration is entirely gone. Smooth as butter at all speeds. This is what I've heard as well. Also, some people who got crappy hub rings have vibrations too. Not saying it can't be done, just that BMWs are touchy when it comes to wheel balance.
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Oct 28, 2008 00:30
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My e36 325i shifter has turned to mush and needs some refreshing. I've read that putting an e36 m3/328i lever will reduce the throw by 33% (similar results from the Z3 lever) but I cannot find either of these levers for sale anywhere. The only lever I've found is for "E36 all" which doesn't sound too promising.
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Oct 28, 2008 01:59
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ynotony posted:My e36 325i shifter has turned to mush and needs some refreshing. I've read that putting an e36 m3/328i lever will reduce the throw by 33% (similar results from the Z3 lever) but I cannot find either of these levers for sale anywhere. The only lever I've found is for "E36 all" which doesn't sound too promising. HERE is an E36 M3 shifter.
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Oct 28, 2008 02:04
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ynotony posted:My e36 325i shifter has turned to mush and needs some refreshing. I've read that putting an e36 m3/328i lever will reduce the throw by 33% (similar results from the Z3 lever) but I cannot find either of these levers for sale anywhere. The only lever I've found is for "E36 all" which doesn't sound too promising. Also don't forget to get all the other associated bushings otherwise you're wasting your time, and won't get the full effect. It's a pretty bitch of a job to do, in my opinion, but sooo worth results if your shifter is really as sloppy as you say.
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Oct 28, 2008 03:49
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Pimpsolo posted:Also don't forget to get all the other associated bushings otherwise you're wasting your time, and won't get the full effect. It's a pretty bitch of a job to do, in my opinion, but sooo worth results if your shifter is really as sloppy as you say. No kidding, I bought a Z3 shifter for my E30 but it's still like a bucket of rocks. I just can't get to the bushing that's on top of the transmission 
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Oct 28, 2008 03:51
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Let me guess, do you have this thing surrouning your guibo? Now I didn't have that, but my friend's car did and I had NO idea how to get the driveshaft unbolted. What we actually ended up doing was dremmeling the drat thing off. There's got to be a better way? I was about to post in the thread with that image in it to ask what is the correct way. I couldn't even find that part on realoem or anything, or any reference to it anywhere. And if that isn't the case well, I'd say keep trying, it's possible to do. And look at all the diagrams and really understand what's going on. It's worth it.
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Oct 28, 2008 04:18
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Pimpsolo posted:Let me guess, do you have this thing surrouning your guibo? Yeah I don't have that... I understand how everything is situated in there, but there's a clip that's so loaded with dirt that I just can't get it off. I've tried prying it with a bunch of stuff but it won't budge. Next spring when I replace my clutch, I'll get to it.
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Oct 28, 2008 04:25
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two_beer_bishes posted:Yeah I don't have that... That's from my thread! I feel like a celebrity  As for getting the driveshaft out, I remember we had a bitch of a time and it was totally rusted. I think we cut some of the bolts at the diff and then dropped it out as one unit. I have a pic of the driveshaft I can post up tomorrow to show you how I bolted it all back up. I'll do that in the morning.
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Oct 28, 2008 05:45
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Pimpsolo posted:Also don't forget to get all the other associated bushings otherwise you're wasting your time, and won't get the full effect. It's a pretty bitch of a job to do, in my opinion, but sooo worth results if your shifter is really as sloppy as you say. Yea I'm going to have all the bushings replaced too. I'll probably end up paying for labor because it looks like one of those not very hard but tests your patience jobs. This all started when driving on the highway I hear a loud pop and buzz sound from the gear shift. Buzz has gone away but now shifter has a LOT of play in it.
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Oct 28, 2008 07:20
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How do I know if I need a new driveshaft or support bearing? Every once in a while I'll hear a clicking sound coming from (as far as I can tell while driving) under the middle of the car. Also, how tough of a job is the CSB?
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Oct 28, 2008 23:05
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two_beer_bishes posted:How do I know if I need a new driveshaft or support bearing? Every once in a while I'll hear a clicking sound coming from (as far as I can tell while driving) under the middle of the car. I had mine go on my old e36 318i. The symptoms were a strong rubber burning smell when i stopped the car and a loud noise that was like fast clunking and vibrating coming from under the car. Basically when it goes it will start to wobble out of true and shred itself. As for how hard the job is. Not that hard once you get the driveshaft out. The driveshaft removal is a pain in the rear end though. Just unscrew the driveshaft, pull the old one off, and push the new one on.
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Oct 28, 2008 23:10
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Jonontherun posted:I had mine go on my old e36 318i. The symptoms were a strong rubber burning smell when i stopped the car and a loud noise that was like fast clunking and vibrating coming from under the car. Basically when it goes it will start to wobble out of true and shred itself. Thanks!
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Oct 28, 2008 23:25
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How hard is it to retrofit powered seats into a car that originally had manual seats? Specifically E46 sport seats into an E36. I know that dimensionally they fit, but what wiring needs to be done? Just a +12V and GRND?
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Oct 29, 2008 00:53
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:How hard is it to retrofit powered seats into a car that originally had manual seats? Specifically E46 sport seats into an E36. I know that dimensionally they fit, but what wiring needs to be done? Just a +12V and GRND? I think there's an airbag occupancy sensor, and the seatbelt pretensioners/buckle sensor stuff also. I don't know if the plugs & wiring for that would be compatible. There's possibly additional wiring on cars with seat memory (I was told the car can be programmed to recall a seat position depending on which key you open it with, mine doesn't do this so I can't verify).
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Oct 29, 2008 13:02
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On a similar note, my E36 doesn't have heated seats. How hard would it be to go to a junkyard and find one that had them, and install them?
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Oct 29, 2008 13:09
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I assume only E46 saloon seats wills fit an E36 saloon? The vert/coupe and touring one are different, right? I take it the back seats won't fit, too? I've been thinking about getting new seats for mt E36 for a while and I never realized E46 ones fitted. Also, what kind of hassle am I looking at for changing the manual transmission oil? I've got two bottles of royal purple sitting but I'm a bit apprehensive about doing it. Do I need to drop the gearbox or use a syphon or any other kind of crazy hassle? stump fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Oct 29, 2008 |
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Oct 29, 2008 13:57
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stump posted:I assume only E46 saloon seats wills fit an E36 saloon? The vert/coupe and touring one are different, right? I take it the back seats won't fit, too? I've been thinking about getting new seats for mt E36 for a while and I never realized E46 ones fitted. I think any E46 seat will work, the only difference between coupe and sedan seats is the latch that allows easier entry to the rear seats on the coupe. They aren't a drop in fit, you have to enlarge the holes on the rails 1/8"-1/4", and then do all the wiring.
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Oct 29, 2008 14:18
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stump posted:Also, what kind of hassle am I looking at for changing the manual transmission oil? I've got two bottles of royal purple sitting but I'm a bit apprehensive about doing it. Do I need to drop the gearbox or use a syphon or any other kind of crazy hassle? Incredibly easy. Jack the car up so the car is level (I used ramps in the front and a jack in the back, on the differential just to keep it level). Undo the drain bolt which is on the bottom of the transmission. Let it drain, then plug in back up. The fill hole (on mine anyway) was on the passenger side of the transmission housing, about 2/3 of the way up. You need a short socket (I don't remember what size, but it was large), as the heat shield gets in the way of a deep socket. Undo the fill hole, and use a hand pump to pump the fluid up into the hole until it starts coming back out, then tighten the plug. I filled mine up with 75W90, then found out that is apparently a bad thing to do, and drained it AGAIN the following weekend and put Dextron 3 ATF in, which is apparently what the tranny wants. I'd put Royal Purple in mine, but its expensive and I don't know how it would do in subzero weather. Besides, I realized its not my fluid that was making my shifting feel like crap, but likely the bushings.
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Oct 29, 2008 14:37
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Doctor Grape Ape posted:I think any E46 seat will work, the only difference between coupe and sedan seats is the latch that allows easier entry to the rear seats on the coupe. CornHolio posted:Incredibly easy.
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Oct 29, 2008 19:18
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CornHolio posted:Incredibly easy. I don't know how to word this without sounding like an idiot, but how do you know what kind of fluid a MT is supposed to take if my car didn't come with an owner's manual? E30, trans is from an 87 ETA.
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Oct 29, 2008 19:25
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two_beer_bishes posted:I don't know how to word this without sounding like an idiot, but how do you know what kind of fluid a MT is supposed to take if my car didn't come with an owner's manual? E30, trans is from an 87 ETA. I actually have a similar question. According to the info I found on the net my car needed gear oil. I can't remember specifically off the top of my head, but I ended up getting that. The tranny is a getrag 5-speed, but I'm not sure of the year. I haven't filled it yet, so I'm curious too. It just seems so wrong to put AFT in a manual transmission.
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Oct 29, 2008 19:40
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If you look on the transmission itself there should be a sticker that says what to put in, either ATF, or something like BMW LTF something something which is just a GL-4 70W80 gear oil, aka RedLine MTL or Royal Purple Synchromax. Just do a little research if it needs the MTL fluid, as BMW has 3 different kinds. I think most gear boxes after '95 take ATF, but still, it's easiest just to crawl under the car and see what the sticker says.
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Oct 29, 2008 20:12
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two_beer_bishes posted:I don't know how to word this without sounding like an idiot, but how do you know what kind of fluid a MT is supposed to take if my car didn't come with an owner's manual? E30, trans is from an 87 ETA. This is exactly why I was confused as hell and put the wrong stuff in mine at first. I read online to use gear oil, but my tranny had a big sticker that said to use ATF. I ended up calling the dealer and asking, and they told me that if the tranny says use ATF, to use ATF. So I did, and still think it sounds weird.
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Oct 29, 2008 20:15
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CornHolio posted:This is exactly why I was confused as hell and put the wrong stuff in mine at first. I read online to use gear oil, but my tranny had a big sticker that said to use ATF. Most BMWs from the 90's on use ATF in their manual transmissions. It's perfectly safe to use Redline MTL as well. The ATF helps gear engagement in colder environments, but with MTL, you can just slow your shifting down a bit. If you want to be truly "by the book", you have to find BMW's "Lifetime" fill MTF. They sell it in 5 gallon drums only, AFAIK.
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Oct 29, 2008 22:42
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I noticed people talking about swapping seats out, is it possible to install seats after the car is built that have the Active Comfort thing? Is that even cool/useful or is it just a gimmick? I love my BMW but it can get sort of uncomfortable after a couple hours of driving, I was wondering if that active cushioning poo poo helped.
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Oct 30, 2008 02:46
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