M3 Birthday Present

My 1999 M3 turns 13 this April, one of the last E36 M3 coupes produced. I usually publish a post in April to acknowledge the birthday, starting with this one in 2008. It’s description of how I feel about the car is still accurate today.

This year, I decided the car needed new wheels. Last year I wrote about how the car needed new tires. It got late in the year, and I decided it didn’t make sense to get tires right before the winter since I don’t drive the car much in those months. Plus, I started thinking about new wheels and I didn’t want to limit my options by getting 18 inch tires required by the CSL replicas I had on the car.

I decided to go with one of the three original equipment (OE) wheels offered by BMW on the E36 M3. The style 24 forged allow double spoke wheels were a $1,500 option when the car was new, and subsequently is by far the rarest OE E36 M3 wheel. The wheel is forged not cast, so it is the lightest and strongest of the three. Early versions had BMW Motorsport stamped on the rim, later versions were polished but did not have the lettering.

The stamped version was what I wanted. I decided to go with the wheel size that came standard on the 1995 M3, 17×7.5 wheels with 235×40 tires all around. Getting four of them turned into an involved process that took quite some time.

Buying four brand new wheels from BMW would have been very expensive. I but wanted to go with refurbished wheels to cut the cost. After some research, I called AllFactoryWheels.com, who advertised that they had the wheels I wanted. Lots of places show all sorts of wheels on their web sites — I wanted to be sure they actually had them before I ordered.

I called All Factory Wheels in late February, and they confirmed they had four 7.5 width wheels ready to ship. So I ordered four, and then waited. For over a week my order said “unfulfilled” when I looked it up online. So I called, and asked what’s up. I was told it would ship out the next day.

It did not, so the next day I called again. That’s when I learned they only had three BMW wheels, the other was a replica. I’m glad All Factory Wheels didn’t ship the wrong wheel, but I shouldn’t of had to work so hard for the information.

I finally got Phil on the line who said he was the owner, and he offered me a full refund if I wanted one. No, I wanted them to send the three they had and refund me 1/4 of the price, and I’d source the fourth wheel on my own. They did that and when I received the three wheels they looked great.

No one of the forums was selling a single wheel, and the stamped version with lettering is rarer than the polished. So I ordered a brand new wheel through TheBMWPartStore. I paid more this way, but less than going through a dealership and I enjoyed dealing with their parts guy Mike. He explained there would be a delay getting the wheel from Germany and going through customs, but gave me an accurate timeline.

Finally last Tuesday it arrived. Now I needed tires. I couldn’t get any of the tires I mentioned in my post last year since none of them came in the 235x40x17 size. Luckily for me Tire Rack was having a sale on the Yokohama S.Drive tire, an ultra high performance tire that had come in first place in a recent tire test. I had them mounted and balanced at Hollin Hall Automotive, who offer high quality service and who I’ve gotten to know well over the past few years.

So the M3 finally has new some great looking new shoes. There is still a little work to do, since two of the tires didn’t balance exactly right using the Hunter GSP9700 balancing system. When I called Tire Rack to tell them, they sent out two replacement tires to me without even asking for the read outs. So those will go on soon. It’s an example of why Tire Rack is so great to work with.

Finally Set

There’s more work to do this year on the maintenance front for the M3, mostly preventative stuff after so many years. I’m happy to invest some time and money to keep her as good as she can be. Newer BMWs are more powerful, but also bigger, heavier and more software dependent. My car only has 55K miles, so hopefully there will be many more birthdays to celebrate in style.

E36 M3 Appreciation – 12 Years and Counting

My E36 M3 turned 12 in April, and is going as strong as ever. It was a busy month on the car front for me, with me purchasing a beautiful 2002 M5 and putting my 2001 530 on the market.

Neither of those things lessen my appreciation of the M3, however. In the past I’ve published “birthday” posts in April, and I thought about doing so again. But I really said it all back in 2008, my first such post. Still only 52.5K miles, and still more fun to drive than 98% of the cars on the road today.

And by BMW standards, it’s been very reliable for me. (Fingers crossed as I say this). Just last week my garage tested my battery as strong and healthy — the 12 year old original battery! Incredible especially since the car is not a daily driver and regularly sits idle for days.  It was made by a company called Varta, which also made batteries for U-boats in WWII.

I’ll never be able to get another one — the company got out of the battery business in 2002, and OEM BMW batteries are now of lesser quality. I’ll figure I’ll ride this one until it tests bad. Believe it or not there are guys on the forums with even older original batteries in their M3s.

The only unexpected repair issue last year was a power steering leak, very common with BMWs. I hope to tackle replacing the rear shock mounts (RSMs) this July, a known weak point of the E36 model. Last year I also changed the transmission and the differential oils. With two M cars two body styles old, I know that maintenance will keep me busy.

Over the weekend I finally cleaned up the engine bay, and gave her a good wash. I figure with each passing year, there are fewer and fewer in as good condition. It’s been a fun ride, with no end in sight.

Won't win any contests, but better

12 Years Young

Thoughts on the Upcoming BMW 1 Series M Coupe

BMW M — that’s a term that means a lot to auto enthusiasts. It’s a term that connotes a car that is the epitome of its class, the absolute sporting pinnacle of that particular style of car.

Ever since BMW put the twin turbo, 300HP N54 engine in it’s 1 Series car, there was speculation around whether an M version of the car would be built. BMW will soon be bringing out a car with that designation, and there is a lot of buzz around it. Some of that buzz is around the question of whether this is an M car or not. (Link contains full spec sheet.)

Before we look at that question, let’s look at the car. BMW is doing an effective job of marketing its launch, including a dedicated web site at M-Power.com. These picture courtesy of that site.

Based on online reports, this sounds like one fun car. It’s got a tuned version of the N54 that puts out 335 HP and 332 foot pounds of torque. It has a M-developed differential and suspension. BMW says they want to give their customers a real driver’s car at a lower price point (relatively speaking, of course), and there are some positive signs they mean it.

There is only one transmission available – six speed manual. You can’t get a moonroof — to save weight and head room. Only three colors are available — black, white and  burnt orange — whoops, Valencia Orange Metallic. The M aero package definitely makes the car look more attractive than the very stubby looking 135. On the minus side, it weighs 50 pounds more than my 1999 M3, which indicates how much heavier BMWs have gotten in the subsequent decade plus. It compensates for the weight with massively more power.

But is it a M car? That used to mean a unique, normally aspirated engine head and shoulders above what you got from the “lesser” model cars — not a relatively modest bump of 35 HP. That engine is already in two other, non-M BMW cars, the 335is and the Z4is. Someone could buy a 135 today, and use $9,000 saved to tune the engine, add some aftermarket suspension, drivetrain components and cosmetics and pretty much make their own 1 Series M.

Here’s how Edmunds.com phrased it when talking about the current M3:

“Buy a classic M car while you can.” That should be the advertising catchphrase for the 2010 BMW M3. BMW’s Motorsport division (hence “M”) has always been about the pure joy of purpose-built, high-revving, naturally aspirated engines, but that’s changing in a big way. There are now two SUVs in the M lineup, both of which are powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 that also sees duty (albeit in a less powerful form) in non-M products. That same turbo V8 is also rumored to power the next-generation M5 super-sedan. Soon enough, the current M3 will be the only traditional M car left.

And that right there is the key to understanding the 1 Series M Coupe – the current E90 series M3. There was no way BMW was going to develop a car at a lower price point that could out-perform the M3. The N54 engine also has had its reliability problems, although BMW is calling this version “second generation.” This is a really fun, performance oriented 1 Series — but not a M in the true sense.

You may be asking at this point if this is all an inside baseball, BMW-head argument. The car is the car, right — who cares about the title? I think it does affect everyone – in the wallet. Putting the “M” badge on the car lets BMW charge a larger premium than a “135is” moniker would bring.

Edmunds Inside Line reports the car will start at $45,000, meaning close to $50,00 out the door.That’s a lot of money, even for an “entry-level” M car. The Audi TT RS is around that price, and its very close to the Porsche Cayman. Or you could get a new Mustang with all the bells and whistles for a good bit less cash. 

Personally, I hope there are enough BMW buyers left who want performance more than luxury to make the car a success. I think BMW may be hedging their bet — reports are the company isn’t producing a large number and is only importing 1,000 of the cars to North America. It shouldn’t be too difficult to proclaim a sell out next year with that number. A few of them should be at a dealership near you in the spring.

Who knows — if in a couple of years an original owner gets bored with his 1 Series M, I could be interested.

Newer Model Review — BMW 335i

It’s past time for another wheel post, but (thankfully) neither the M3 or the 530 have given me much to write about lately. So I called up my good friend Rich this weekend to meet up and take a look at the black 2007 335i he purchased back in May with about 40,000 miles and with a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) warranty. When he bought I suggested Rich not to spend extra for the BMW regular maintenance program, since BMW doesn’t do nearly as much maintenance now that they cover it, compared to the old days. Smart of Rich to buy CPO — new ones can push $50K with some nice options.

Mike Miller, Tech Q&A guy from Bimmer Magazine, sent me his “Old School” maintenance list a while back. If anyone would like a copy, just drop me a comment.

To use some BMW speak, the E90 body style seems to have been a hit with the public. That’s the nomenclature for the newest style of BMW 3 series cars, the the 3 series is the backbone of BMW sales in North America. BMW has been hit by the recession just like every business outside of bankruptcy lawyers, but not too dramatically. Sales of the 3 series in North America through October have totaled 75,459, compared to an October 2008 total of 97,329. They don’t break down sales by individual styles, or at least I don’t know where those numbers would be. Roughly 22% down — not that bad compared to some other auto makers.

Every BMW style car has a number. Recently BMW managed to make things more complicated by giving every body style a unique number. In the past, one style number was enough — for example, my M3 is an E36, as is every other 3 series of that vintage, coupe, sedan or convertible. Why did BMW change? Maybe the Germans just wanted it to be tougher to know the lingo.

So to be precise, I got to drive Rich’s E92 (for coupe) 335i today. It’s not hard to see why this car has been a hit. It’s a beautiful car, and it’s engine is a modern marvel. 2007 was the first year of the BMW N54 engine, an efficient 6 cylinder with two small turbochargers that puts out 300 horsepower while still getting 26 mpg highway. This engine now powers multiple BMW models — the 135, 335, 535, X6 and Z4.

Rich's 335i

Usually with turbos you feel the power boost hit at certain RPMs, but the power delivery from the N54 is very smooth. The car felt very luxurious, with a lot of options. There was a large display in the dash that showed the radio settings and GPS, and probably could be set for other stuff too using iDrive, sort of a computer operating system in newer BMW cars. Rich says it’s not intuitive and can be frustrating until you get the hang of it.

The car had an automatic transmission but you can switch to auto-manual and use paddles on the steering wheel. That sounded more fun than it was, I had some trouble getting used to the paddles but the auto gear changes were pretty smooth. Rich’s car has the sport suspension, and the it rode well but to me felt like a larger car. Maybe because my 530 also has a sports suspension, it felt to me like that car, not my M3.

The 335i is a beautiful and powerful car. The only thing I’d note was that I felt a little isolated from the road, the car was so smooth in ride and acceleration. Again it could be because I’m used to my M3, which Rich drove and agreed communicated the road very well to the driver. Later this year BMW is supposed to bring out a 2010 model with a diesel version of the N54, with even better mileage numbers. That could really be a market changer.

I still love my two BMWs, but I do envy the horsepower a bit. And, since BMW is very conservative with the boost they use for their turbos in stock format, an extra 40-50 HP is easy to achieve with some after-market software from several reputable vendors. Of course it doesn’t make that much sense living in an urban area, but I’d probably get it!

Now That’s Thinking with Your Dipstick — DIY Oil Change

Over the weekend I changed the oil in my ’99 M3. It was actually pretty easy, since I didn’t have to go under the car at all. I used an fluid extractor that I picked up from Griot’s Garage. It siphons the oil out via the dipstick column.

I don’t have access to a lift, and when I first heard about the extractor I checked it out on the boards. Others had used it successfully, so I pulled the trigger. As far as the filter goes, BMW uncharacteristically made that easy if you can believe it. Instead of on the side or below the engine, the filter is right there front and center when you open the hood. So I bought a Mann filter, seven liters of Royal Purple 5×30 — BMWs are very thirsty — and tackled the job Sunday.

Saw a couple of neighbors looking and probably wondering what the??

Takes about 15 minutes to get all the oil out, but after a few pumps it keeps going on it’s own. The new filter looked different than the Mahle filter in there, hard exterior versus soft filter. But slid in easily after removing the canister top with a 13mm wrench. Car took a little over six and a half liters of oil.

I had a little drama when I started the car after I thought I was done — lost some oil out of the canister top. It was because I hadn’t seated the rubber O-ring properly, just removed and fixed easily.

Guess you can tell old vs. new

Will drop off the used oil at my local garage Hollin Hall Automotive, good guys. Next up is changing the manual transmission fluid, although I may wait until spring. Read online the extractor can be used for that too, must find more information…

Happy Birthday M3

This month my M3 turns nine. She was built in April 1999, one of the last E36 M3s (BMW speak for the 3 series body style from 1992-1999) ever built. The design of the M3 version goes back to 1994, yet she’s still more fun to drive than 99% of the cars out there today. Only 39K miles, and I’ve done some tasteful mods that make her even better today than day one.

Today it’s all about horsepower — heck even the new Honda Civic (!!) can be had with 268 HP. The E36 M3 is much more about the entire package — handling, acceleration, feeling connected to the road. It came with 240 HP standard, so it wasn’t all about power. I’ve done a few things to goose that number a bit — software download, cold air intake and Dinan exhaust — but those add maybe 20 HP max.

Unless you’re buying only for the brand, part of the fun of owning a BMW is getting hip to some seriously arcane info. For example — in the 1990′s BMW made two versions of M3′s, one for the United States and one for the rest of the world. The non-US version had a different motor that produced more HP, as well as a few other variations like clear white lenses, elliptical headlights and floating brake rotors. (those differences can be easily addressed after-market) But the Euro version produced many of those additional horses very high in the RPM range, because it was designed for the autobahn. The US version has much better low end torque and acceleration, reflecting how Americans drive.

Still, this gives some people reason to criticize the US version, even — I’m ashamed to say — some who own them. This I’ve never understood — if you don’t love the car, if you’d rather drive something different, sell it to someone else!

Am I biased as hell on this issue — you bet! But I’ll close with two respected third parties. Edmunds.com called the 1999 (of course!) M3 the best sports coupe under $55,000. I especially like this line — “If you’ve got a pulse and even an ounce of automotive enthusiasm, you’ll know what we’re talking about:”

http://www.edmunds.com/bmw/m3/1999/?sub=coupe

And here’s Bimmer Magazine’s take from the June 2005 issue — text not available online:

“Some enthusiasts will always criticize the North American E36 M3 for lacking the more exotic and powerful Euro-spec engine, but that is simply nonsense. While there is certainly a noticeable difference in power once you rev both engines past their power peaks (particularly the 321 HP model), the 240 HP M3 is torquier at the bottom end, smoother at the top end and requires less regular maintenance. This makes it a sublime daily driver that gives up little in comfort or civility to a 325i or 328i, yet provides many more thrills on a twisty canyon road or racetrack.”

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