Anything special to look for when buying an 08-09 M3?

[mvvette97]

Hey guy I'm thinking of trading my 328i for an 08 or 09 m3. Looking at bot e90 and e92s. Alot of these are in the 70k miles range. Just wondering what specific things i should look for. Like are they prone to oil leaks at any given area? Another thing is I have read that the 08-09 years had some issues with the DCT transmission. Is this a huge problem or just random like anything else? If they cause alot of problems I may just look for a manual 6spd. oh and last thing does the 4.0 V8 have the electric water pump problems like my 328i? Thanks in advance for the help.

[jitenmazee]

K&N E-1994 High Performance Replacement Air Filter for '08-'09 BMW M3 4.0L

[CognitiveDistortion]

Originally Posted by mvvette97

Hey guy I'm thinking of trading my 328i for an 08 or 09 m3. Looking at bot e90 and e92s. Alot of these are in the 70k miles range. Just wondering what specific things i should look for. Like are they prone to oil leaks at any given area? Another thing is I have read that the 08-09 years had some issues with the DCT transmission. Is this a huge problem or just random like anything else? If they cause alot of problems I may just look for a manual 6spd. oh and last thing does the 4.0 V8 have the electric water pump problems like my 328i? Thanks in advance for the help.

I am not aware of any DCT issues. If you are looking to have iDrive then I would go 09.

Good luck!

[mrMTB]

If you opt to go with a 6MT, then there is a difference between the 2008 and 2009- clutches, and replacing the clutch on a 2008 requires replacement of the flywheel, as well. (The 2008 parts are discontinued, from what I've seen.)

As CongnitiveDistortion mentions, the 2008 system had CCC, while the 2009 and later received the CIC system. If navigation, etc. is important to you, it's a pretty substantial improvement.

As a blanket statement, looking for an M car requires that you get on top of a few items. If the car does not have complete maintenance records, I would be cautious of moving forward. Likewise a pre-purchase inspection from someone familiar with M cars should be table stakes. In that mileage range you could anticipate issues with the idle-air controller, throttle actuators (two of 'em), or cooling systems to be creeping up. Also in that mileage the suspension system will have some good wear on it, and might be in need of a refresh.

[mvvette97]

Originally Posted by mrMTB

If you opt to go with a 6MT, then there is a difference between the 2008 and 2009- clutches, and replacing the clutch on a 2008 requires replacement of the flywheel, as well. (The 2008 parts are discontinued, from what I've seen.)

As CongnitiveDistortion mentions, the 2008 system had CCC, while the 2009 and later received the CIC system. If navigation, etc. is important to you, it's a pretty substantial improvement.

As a blanket statement, looking for an M car requires that you get on top of a few items. If the car does not have complete maintenance records, I would be cautious of moving forward. Likewise a pre-purchase inspection from someone familiar with M cars should be table stakes. In that mileage range you could anticipate issues with the idle-air controller, throttle actuators (two of 'em), or cooling systems to be creeping up. Also in that mileage the suspension system will have some good wear on it, and might be in need of a refresh.

What cooling system problems do you speak of? Do they also run the electric water pump or are they belt driven? as for the Navigation well to me that's not a big deal. As for clutch replacement if the parts are discontinued then how do you get the clutch? Aftermarket possibly?

[Chin180sx]

You either have to put in a 09+ clutch and flywheel. Or go aftermarket

[mrMTB]

Originally Posted by mvvette97

What cooling system problems do you speak of? Do they also run the electric water pump or are they belt driven? as for the Navigation well to me that's not a big deal. As for clutch replacement if the parts are discontinued then how do you get the clutch? Aftermarket possibly?

No, the S65 has a mechanical water pump. Just the normal wear that comes along with heat cycles - impeller failure, thermostat, fans, etc. Nothing nearly so bad as, say, the e39. I've read that 70k-100k is when people are needing to service some of these.

[BimmerRookie]

- If I were to do it again, I would go for a 2009+
- Inb4 "Search"
- Rod Bearings
- Request Service/ Maintenance History and give it a look over just to see if the car has been taken care of
- If you're going for an out of warranty car just be ready for the bills. These cars are outrageously expensive to maintain (understandable, given it's a 70K car)