Do you DYI your cars?

[NiBe]

Hello,

I'm a new owner of this magnificent engine on four wheels I love the car since 2008 and finally I have it in my garage

Do you DYI your cars? Or is better to ask shop to do it for better car history?

I will be changing engine oil, transmission oil, diff oil, coolant, front wheel bearings and few other things. I can do that by myself. I have also E91 318i and I service the car completely on my own.

I'm worried that by working on my own on the M3 the car's value will be affected.

How does it work with these classic cars which you want to have in perfect condition in order to keep its value growing? Is shop better?

Thanks!

[nycplumber]

Unless it's something I NEED a lift for I do all my own work now. I actually wish I would have started doing my own upgrades/maintenance when I first got it. As far as documentation, just take pics, keep receipts and write down when each thing was done. I would prefer to buy from a DIYer than someone who drops it off at a shop. The first person actually knows the condition of the car

[GotV8?]

I've done all my own maintenance, oil, radiator fluid, steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission ..etc...the only thing that I kept record for from shop was Subframe bushing upgraded and rod bearings that was done as preventative...other than that....I have records of all maintenance tracked on my spreadsheet. It helps to DIY because we know when the next maintenance is needed and also the time and care we put in.

[asma123]

I do diy most of the time but if I’m in a time crunch and don’t have the time to do it or if it’s a very complex thing I outsource. Most fluid changes tbh would cost almost the same if I do it myself so I usually get someone to do it so I don’t have to crawl under the car and clean the mess.
Pretty much anything underneath I will outsource and everything on top I’d do myself. I’ve saved quite a bit of money and learned a lot this way but tbh I found a couple GOOD guys that can do the labour pretty cheap so it’s not usually expensive anyways. M parts are pretty expensive tho

[nrubenstein]

Spending thousands or tens of thousands extra on shop service to increase the value by a few percent is not a good return on your money.

DIY if you want, use a shop if you want, but don’t do it for the future value of the car. It’ll add zero to a few bucks. The only way that it might actually be worth it is if you have some truly special example of an M3, like a CRT.

[brettcp]

I DIY everything on my E93 M3, with the exception of the rod bearings. Buying a quick jack easily paid for itself in no time. Most maintenance tasks on these cars are not too difficult to DIY if you do your research and pay attention to details.

[TechE]

I've spend many thousands on parts and done everything myself. It's allowed me to do much more maintenance with the savings. Plus, I don't think I could stomach the labor costs. The only shop work I've done is tire mount/balance and alignment.

I'd have no issue whatsoever purchasing from a mechanically inclined enthusiast who could talk about everything in detail, but that may not be the case for everyone.

[spammysammich]

It's a depreciating asset like almost every other car. As good as it is, it's not a hyper car or true exotic. The only way they bring really big money is if they're frozen in time, dead stock low mileage garage queens. The current market is a bubble except for those rare low mile exceptions. Either maintain it well yourself or through a trusted shop; keep careful records for the next owners peace of mind and to make selling it easier for you. But if you intend on enjoying the car on the road, don't expect it to be an investment.

[NiBe]

Thanks guys. Everything you wrote make sense to me. I do my cars for 8 years, I have all the tools and some experience. My last car is E91 318i with N43 engine which is hell of a bad engine so in last year I basically took it apart and put it back to almost perfect state. Of course on this way I did a lot of mistakes, such as broken bolts, damaged bearings, broken connectors, clips, etc. But I guess this is how you gain experience, by mistakes.

The E92 M3 / S65 is for me a technical masterpiece and it is why I always wanted it. My dad was an architect of plane engines and I somehow inherited admiration for technically perfect things. I will definitely not daily the car but use it just as a joy generator on sunny days. It is < 50K miles piece in very good condition. The previous owner paid a lot of money for exterior and interior restoration and it looks like new. And to be honest I'm kind of stressed by it. I feel frozen just standing next to the car worrying about doing something wrong to it. I need to somehow calm down first I guess.

I plan to do this:
- coolant
- engine oil
- transmission oil (MT)
- diff oil
- steering fluid
- front underneath plastic parts (broken)
- windshield seal
- air filter
- cabin filter
- front wheel bearings (one is shot)

(Btw thinking about coils and injectors as a part of preventitive maintenance. What do you think about this as a side question? Or is it too early? They are cheap and they ensure that the ignition pattern in cylinder is optimal, don't want any excessive carbon build up anywhere inside cylinders)

Btw2 rod bearings done 3K miles ago. By the shop I'm considering to use again. When I was there they had like 3 M3 E92 inside. It is a shop with good name.

A lot from the above are messy jobs so it makes sense to outsource. But when I'm doing on my own car I have the opportunity to see the car and if I see something non-optimal I fix it or I plan another maintenance. In shop they will do what I ask for but I will be missing the info how the car looks like in various places, for example there can be some corrosion starting and if I see it I can fix that, shop will not care about it. That's basically about trust in quality of the work done by shop.

So to be honest I still don't know what I will do

[asma123]

Originally Posted by NiBe

Thanks guys. Everything you wrote make sense to me. I do my cars for 8 years, I have all the tools and some experience. My last car is E91 318i with N43 engine which is hell of a bad engine so in last year I basically took it apart and put it back to almost perfect state. Of course on this way I did a lot of mistakes, such as broken bolts, damaged bearings, broken connectors, clips, etc. But I guess this is how you gain experience, by mistakes.

The E92 M3 / S65 is for me a technical masterpiece and it is why I always wanted it. My dad was an architect of plane engines and I somehow inherited admiration for technically perfect things. I will definitely not daily the car but use it just as a joy generator on sunny days. It is < 50K miles piece in very good condition. The previous owner paid a lot of money for exterior and interior restoration and it looks like new. And to be honest I'm kind of stressed by it. I feel frozen just standing next to the car worrying about doing something wrong to it. I need to somehow calm down first I guess.

I plan to do this:
- coolant
- engine oil
- transmission oil (MT)
- diff oil
- steering fluid
- front underneath plastic parts (broken)
- windshield seal
- air filter
- cabin filter
- front wheel bearings (one is shot)

(Btw thinking about coils and injectors as a part of preventitive maintenance. What do you think about this as a side question? Or is it too early? They are cheap and they ensure that the ignition pattern in cylinder is optimal, don't want any excessive carbon build up anywhere inside cylinders)

Btw2 rod bearings done 3K miles ago. By the shop I'm considering to use again. When I was there they had like 3 M3 E92 inside. It is a shop with good name.

A lot from the above are messy jobs so it makes sense to outsource. But when I'm doing on my own car I have the opportunity to see the car and if I see something non-optimal I fix it or I plan another maintenance. In shop they will do what I ask for but I will be missing the info how the car looks like in various places, for example there can be some corrosion starting and if I see it I can fix that, shop will not care about it. That's basically about trust in quality of the work done by shop.

So to be honest I still don't know what I will do

Don’t do the ignition coils the oe are no good so you have to go for the oem and they’re EXPENSIVE but also they don’t fail too often anyways.
Just change the spark plugs and injectors and only change coils if they fail. Also add to your list CLEAN the ICV. It’s not a hard job to take it out

[NiBe]

If you look at here: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343867

both coils and injectors are BOSCH they should be 100% equivalent (except BMW logo).

[asma123]

Originally Posted by NiBe

If you look at here: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343867

both coils and injectors are BOSCH they should be 100% equivalent (except BMW logo).

That’s no longer the case with the coils. Refer to this thread
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1930195

[NiBe]

Originally Posted by asma123

That’s no longer the case with the coils. Refer to this thread
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1930195

Wow, bad news, thanks for the info. I guess it is caused by a lack of chips due to covid. Similar situation is with injectors for direct injection engines (N43/N53), also only original and as they are not being built currently thus price skyrockets. One injector is $500 ...

[nekbreaker]

I diy all the work I done besides the rbs I pay fir that one but all the other things I did myself I just save and make notes keep record envoice for anything you buy and should be fine

[Davisca455]

If you have the space, know your way around a toolbox and a floor jack, then my vote would be to do the work you are comfortable doing yourself.
NOBODY loves your car more than you do.
(I write the mileage on each parts receipt and save them in the "M3 folder".)

Bought my '08 when it was 10 years old and it is my first BMW.
Since then I have discovered that the car has been surprisingly straightforward to work on.
The DIYs posted on this forum (plus real time support) and videos I've found on YouTube have given me enough confidence to perform all of the work on the car myself…so far.

I've been able to repair areas of the car that I did not imagine I would have attempted when I made the purchase.

R&R'd the CCC unit.
Installed front BBK.
Installed BE rod bearings/bolts.
Installed Vorshlag camber plates.
Installed solid rear subframe bushings.

(Replace supercharger kit/Akra exhaust with OEM parts every 2 years)

Having said all of that, it's easy for me to imagine certain buyers feeling more comfortable about having maintenance records from well respected professionals.

[NiBe]

It turned out that the good shop I have been considering charge for parts the same amount as I'm able to get them (the cheapest way) directly. Based on this I decided to go 100% shop way.

Thanks everyone.