What have you done with or to your M3 today?

[Redd]

Originally Posted by olaf_aarts

Hi everyone, I went up north in my country (NL) to check out the below car. A few observations that you maybe able to give your opinions.

- when closing the bonnet the left lock locks and the right one needs another light push to close.

- front bumper and bonnet are not 100% aligned.



- mirror and mount on the car are not aligned.



Any more suggestions or feedback on the car?

Ad: Car for sale on internet.

Many thanks for any response.
In case I have put the post in the wrong category please let me know.

Kind regards,
Olaf Aarts
the Netherlands

Front bumper and bonnet edge not aligning is quite common. I have to pull my front bumper top edge as far forward as possible before tightening the screws. That helps a little.

The mirror 'legs' never align. That's just the way they are.

[Grip Addict]

Originally Posted by brantp

Had some free time this week so I went ahead and replaced my spark plugs. In all honesty, this is my first time changing plugs on any of my cars. Many thanks to this forum and those that contributed to the DIY thread. Made the job a breeze. Code free and she's running smooth.



The old plugs weren't terrible but the service records indicated 'spark plugs cleaned' at 30k miles. I'm at 46k now so I figured it would be worth the $80 to replace them if the car was in fact still on the originals.

Took some time and detailed the engine bay while I had everything apart.

It wasn't a pain in the ass to you?

I guess my big bear claws just had no room to move around on the sides of the engine.

[Aries326]

Got a new red start button.
New exhaust tips.
Active autowerks test pipes.
Alpine Stage 2 Tune e93
New Pedals
35% Tint

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by CarbonBlack88

Thanks dude I appreciate that. I actually got the brake stickers off Ebay. Not sure if I should list him here as he's not a Board sponsor, but if you search Ebay for M brake caliper decal stickers he'll show up. He's from the UK and has like 39000 positive ratings.

Shoot me a pm if you can't find him

How well do the stickers hold up?

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by bmwm3s65

installed full eventuri intake. Fitment is ok, sound is amazing, like a concerto. It is harder to daily drive in a civilized fashion now. Any time i have to go in the garage i find my self wanting to open the hood and stare at it like a museum piece, like a work of art, however, the shading between the plenum and the rest of the intake appears to be off and it bothers me. I am curious if anyone else running the same setup notices this as well? I contacted Eventuri and they told me this was normal, due to the difference in the direction of the carbon fiber weaves. in all but the most extreme angles regardless of the lighting conditions i have tested so far, it looks like a different shade.

This looks beautiful! Honestly, I'm torn with what I want to do with my car. Keep it "pure" and just add Eventuri plenum and intake or add a supercharger?

I already have test pipes. I can imagine what it sounds like with an eventuri set up.

[chocstraw]

Originally Posted by bmwm3s65

however, the shading between the plenum and the rest of the intake appears to be off and it bothers me. I am curious if anyone else running the same setup notices this as well? I contacted Eventuri and they told me this was normal, due to the difference in the direction of the carbon fiber weaves. in all but the most extreme angles regardless of the lighting conditions i have tested so far, it looks like a different shade.

off-topic but this is why exposed CF body panels are such an expensive option (~$100k) on hypercars. Koenigsegg said that it's a tremendous amount of work to get everything to look good when it's exposed. You have to think in terms of a whole car and not just panels.

Yours looks great as photographed though

[olaf_aarts]

Originally Posted by Redd

Front bumper and bonnet edge not aligning is quite common. I have to pull my front bumper top edge as far forward as possible before tightening the screws. That helps a little.

The mirror 'legs' never align. That's just the way they are.

Cheers, thanks for the feedback.

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by Grip Addict

It wasn't a pain in the ass to you?

I guess my big bear claws just had no room to move around on the sides of the engine.

No, really wasn't. Flat head screwdriver was my friend. I was able to rotate and wiggle all of my plugs around a bit to loosen them up then pop them off w/ the scewdriver and my hand. The only issue I had was my torque wrench is a big 1/2" wrench so it wasn't clicking at the appropriate torque setting (22ftlb) w/ all the fittings I had on the end to access the plugs. I just tightened to what I felt was an appropriate torque. Seems to have worked just fine.

[LakeSurfer]

Originally Posted by chocstraw

off-topic but this is why exposed CF body panels are such an expensive option (~$100k) on hypercars. Koenigsegg said that it's a tremendous amount of work to get everything to look good when it's exposed. You have to think in terms of a whole car and not just panels.

Yours looks great as photographed though

Boeing has been stock piling carbon for many years now and that causes a supply vs demand issue. Carbon is an "upscale" trendy option in the auto world and these companies can charge whatever they want. Carbon is labor intensive. Carbon really cannot be cosmetically repaired if the weave is affected unless a new layer is applied.

It shouldn't matter how the carbon is layed up, it should all have the same color tone regardless of lighting. I'd put money on it that they used different clear coats on each part of his intake and that's why they look off compared to each other. They know that the average person doesn't know much about the product and would never admit to switching clear coats. Strip or sand the clear off and re clear it and I guarantee they'll all match perfectly. I worked as a composite tech in aviation for years and none of what they said should matter.

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by LakeSurfer

Boeing has been stock piling carbon for many years now and that causes a supply vs demand issue. Carbon is an "upscale" trendy option in the auto world and these companies can charge whatever they want. Carbon is labor intensive. Carbon really cannot be cosmetically repaired if the weave is affected unless a new layer is applied.

It shouldn't matter how the carbon is layed up, it should all have the same color tone regardless of lighting. I'd put money on it that they used different clear coats on each part of his intake and that's why they look off compared to each other. They know that the average person doesn't know much about the product and would never admit to switching clear coats. Strip or sand the clear off and re clear it and I guarantee they'll all match perfectly. I worked as a composite tech in aviation for years and none of what they said should matter.

I would disagree with you on this. It looks like the cf came from a different batch or supplier. Just like how the Dinan intake tube will have a different shade or even a slightly different weave when pared with the Eventuri plenum.

Unless they used tinted clearcoat, which I doubt they did. The shade wont be off by that much.

[LakeSurfer]

Originally Posted by M4_GTS

I would disagree with you on this. It looks like the cf came from a different batch or supplier. Just like how the Dinan intake tube will have a different shade or even a slightly different weave when pared with the Eventuri plenum.

Unless they used tinted clearcoat, which I doubt they did. The shade wont be off by that much.

Carbon is carbon and supplier wouldn't make a difference unless they use a fake or hybrid cloth. Clear coat and resins are a mixtures of multiple chemicals and in small shots are mixed by hand. The amount of catalyst or hardener you use between batches can make a difference. Different brands of clear coats and resins have different additives at different quantities.

Soooo they probably don't even make the parts in house. Maybe they outsource them to a couple different shops that use different finishing products.

I'm not trying to argue, I'm just saying if the cloth is "real" carbon then it's not the cloth that's the problem, it's the finishing products that are the issue.

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by LakeSurfer

Carbon is carbon and supplier wouldn't make a difference unless they use a fake or hybrid cloth. Clear coat and resins are a mixtures of multiple chemicals and in small shots are mixed by hand. The amount of catalyst or hardener you use between batches can make a difference. Different brands of clear coats and resins have different additives at different quantities.

Soooo they probably don't even make the parts in house. Maybe they outsource them to a couple different shops that use different finishing products.

I'm not trying to argue, I'm just saying if the cloth is "real" carbon then it's not the cloth that's the problem, it's the finishing products that are the issue.

good read for you.
https://www.elevatedmaterials.com/ca...y-to-use-them/
https://store.acpsales.com/products/...ic-style-guide

[akkando]

Some more progress shots from the detailer.





Hood needed major surgery.





Detailer says that he is very happy with end result and can't wait until I see it, but wants to keep how the hood looks a surprise.

Hopefully Sunday night pickup of the car. Not sure if California will even allow it!

[Silos]

Did some semi-detailing of the engine bay, after doing a DINAN intake, with nothing but a paint brush, tooth brush, Simple Green.

[LakeSurfer]

Originally Posted by M4_GTS

good read for you.
https://www.elevatedmaterials.com/ca...y-to-use-them/
https://store.acpsales.com/products/...ic-style-guide

Umm great thanks, however, this article has nothing to do with anything because the weave is the same on all intake parts that he has installed on the car and the company is telling him that the colors are off because of the direction of the cloth, meaning the way that the show/top layer is laid up. This is untrue and wouldn't make a difference. Even if the weave was different it would still have the same sheen as long as you use the same resins and clear coats. I'm sorry dude but he was lied to. They had some shop in China make one component and another shop someplace else make the rest and each shop used different resins or different clears.

[Johal E32]

This was yesterday, but I put some ceramic coating on the intake manifold and air box

[M4_GTS]

Originally Posted by LakeSurfer

Umm great thanks, however, this article has nothing to do with anything because the weave is the same on all intake parts that he has installed on the car and the company is telling him that the colors are off because of the direction of the cloth, meaning the way that the show/top layer is laid up. This is untrue and wouldn't make a difference. Even if the weave was different it would still have the same sheen as long as you use the same resins and clear coats. I'm sorry dude but he was lied to. They had some shop in China make one component and another shop someplace else make the rest and each shop used different resins or different clears.

I guess you haven't paid attention to carbon parts from different angles.

whatever, you're a waste of time to argue with. Too stubborn.

[LakeSurfer]

Originally Posted by M4_GTS

I guess you haven't paid attention to carbon parts from different angles.

whatever, you're a waste of time to argue with. Too stubborn.

Stubborn? You're disagreeing with something I've been educated and certified on as well as many years of experience. I apologize if I sound cocky or arrogant but I know what I'm talking about. So who's being stubborn here?

[CarbonBlack88]

Originally Posted by Aries326

How well do the stickers hold up?

So far they're holding up great

[MLife614]

Originally Posted by FrozenE92M3

Detailed both my M3 and the 350Z today. the Z's been sorta neglected since I picked up the M, sorta sad since it's a great car.

I had a nissan 300zx twin turbo back in 1996 during my college days, they are definitely fun cars, but the V8 sound hard to replace. Enjoy the drive

[M43S7RO]

Had a '93 NA in early '00s and wouldn't mind a TT z32 for nostalgia sake. Recently looked at TT prices and they have climbed in price from where I recall. Personally much more a fan of the z32 vs the 370z. I really enjoyed it, even in NA.

Originally Posted by GotV8?

I had a nissan 300zx twin turbo back in 1996 during my college days, they are definitely fun cars, but the V8 sound hard to replace. Enjoy the drive

[Grip Addict]

So I have never had to deal with this, but due to the social distancing, my work from home ability, and back to back press loaners, I have not driven my M3 in weeks.

When does it get a little dangerous to just sit for a performance vehicle to sit for a long time?

Right now I am at 2 weeks, but I won't need to drive it until probably April-May. I thought about going on some spirited weekend drives (both for sanity and for keeping the M3 awake)

What would be the longest you would let your M3 sit before you made storage precautions?