Space Fox e92 M3 ZCP

[SalimM3]

Your car is looking great as always! I didn't see it mentioned in your thread here but what exhaust tips did you swap on to your car? Can you share a link to them please. I think they look perfect!

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by SalimM3

Your car is looking great as always! I didn't see it mentioned in your thread here but what exhaust tips did you swap on to your car? Can you share a link to them please. I think they look perfect!

Thanks man I appreciate it. They were an eBay purchase believe it or not. They were supposed to be a place holder until I decided which direction to go with the exhaust set up. Unfortunately the pair I bought is no longer available but the search below brings up some good results - basically just a dual tip straight cut staggered set.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...tips&_osacat=0

[Space Fox]

Some recent photos from the Motor Enclave Cars and Coffee over the weekend.

Car is looking and driving great. A couple of ticky tacky things I need to work on - most importantly the annoying plenum whistle. I haven't had a reason to remove the plenum in a while to address this but it might be time to just knock it out. While I'm in there I'm going to investigate my longstanding increased emissions code that is somehow related to the secondary air pump. Going to inspect the pump itself and make sure there's no obvious disconnects.



Winner of the show in my book - Hartge 5.0



Still loving how clean the front end is. So nice looking back and not seeing license plate holes

[Space Fox]

Haven't been on the track in a while. Went ahead and booked a track day this Sunday at the Motor Enclave here in Tampa. It's a new private/public car condo community with an F1 designed track in the center and extensive off road course. Pretty cool project and the track looks fun. Best of all it's about 20 minutes from my house vs 2.5 hrs to Sebring or the FIRM. Weather looks perfect and the car is dialed.

[Space Fox]

Finally got back out on the track yesterday. Weather was a perfect 62* and sunny. Car ran exceptionally well. My first time at this track so took me a session or two to get warmed up and comfortable. Was testing limits by session three and four. This is my first time tracking the car with the new brake kit and it performed beautifully. Full confidence into heavy braking zones and was able to put them through the paces. Braking was strong, progressive, predictable and sturdy. No fade. Amazing what a new set of tires can do for grip as well. Got props from all of the instructors on how the car is set up and the lovely noises it makes.




Had some good company out there. I gave the guy in the Touring props for tracking that thing - he's got bigger balls than I ever will. Said he wasn't even having fun though, was babying it the entire time (I don't blame him). That's what's great about the M3 - you can run it at it's limits and it shows you right where the line is. Even if you cross that line it's so manageable. Makes for a fun day.







I'll go through some of the GoPro footage from the day and post a few clips later.

Was also able to take the wife to dinner afterwards. Meaning I've got the car set up just how I envisioned - capable of putting it through the paces on the track all afternoon and still make it to date night

[Space Fox]

Finally figured out how to embed videos!

[Sideways91]

Looks awesome! You got your car around the same time I got mine, so I remember seeing your posts back in 2019 and being jealous of the fox red interior (Jerez or jet black on fox is what I wanted, but had to settle for black interior). I love seeing people hang onto these cars long-term. I've cycled through many supercars from R8's to multiple Huracans but I've always kept the e92 in the garage as it's just too hard to give up. I've had mine for 6 years now which is longer than I've kept any previous fun car - no plans to ever sell! You still enjoying your car and how often are you driving it these days? Any other mods planned?

edit: just noticed I did in fact comment on this thread in 2019 haha damn time flies...

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by Sideways91

Looks awesome! You got your car around the same time I got mine, so I remember seeing your posts back in 2019 and being jealous of the fox red interior (Jerez or jet black on fox is what I wanted, but had to settle for black interior). I love seeing people hang onto these cars long-term. I've cycled through many supercars from R8's to multiple Huracans but I've always kept the e92 in the garage as it's just too hard to give up. I've had mine for 6 years now which is longer than I've kept any previous fun car - no plans to ever sell! You still enjoying your car and how often are you driving it these days? Any other mods planned?

edit: just noticed I did in fact comment on this thread in 2019 haha damn time flies...

Thank you! I appreciate the comment. That's great to hear. I have not had the opportunity to own those types of vehicles just yet (only driven them) but it's always interest to hear these types of sentiments where people make room for these M3s in their garages despite having access to what would on paper be superior cars. Ironically I just hit my six year ownership anniversary with this car yesterday. I, too, have no plans to ever sell. The spec is too good and the car is in too great of shape. I'd like to add another vehicle but I think I will always have problems parting ways with this one. I'm planning to post an update here shortly and will answer your questions there.

[Space Fox]

Six year ownership anniversary update.

I've been quiet the last eight months or so as the car sat in a warehouse with a dead battery while we finished construction on a major home addition/renovation. I had to commandeer my garage for storage of boxes of our belongings.
Was a bit of an adventure getting it back working after I was able to clear the garage. The car was 'double locked' which I've never heard of so my hard key would not open the driver door. After attempting to break in to the trunk from the exterior using a clothes hanger through an opening above the license plate I gave up and called AAA and they were able to pop the passenger door open. After that I was able to get the dead battery to charge enough to get the car back to my garage. I purchased yet another battery from FCP Euro to the tune of $360. Funny having access to my order history as you can see real time inflation data as the battery was only $275 a little over a year ago.. Needless to say I'm still dealing with this electrical gremlin that doesn't let the car go to sleep and eats through batteries. A correlation I've noticed recently is that I receive the increased battery discharge warning after car washes and I drove the car through a nasty rain storm on the way to warehouse storage and the battery was completely dead after that. I'm thinking there's some kind of link between the car getting wet and the battery shorting - the battery terminals show no signs of corrosion and the rear trunk area where the battery lives is always bone dry so not really sure if we're looking at causation but that's for a later date..

More pressing - my short stint in non-airconditioned warehouse storage in Florida caused quite a bit of sagging in my headliner.. That seems to have found it's way to the top of my priority list unexpectedly. I think it's a good opportunity to look at reupholstering in Alcantara. I generally dislike Alcantara applications - mostly on high touch areas in Florida for somewhat obvious reasons. But I do think the headliner is a nice exception and it fits with my general 'if it breaks find a way to replace it better' theme with the car. This is not a project I plan to tackle myself as I have next to zero experience with upholstery unless you count my sewing M tricolor threads into the shift and hand brake boots during COVID. I haven't started honing in on a good local shop but my fear is that the half cage will be in the way of them removing the celling panel and this could turn in to a more serious project than I'm hoping for.. Also for another day.

Most importantly I got the car back in my garage, installed a new battery, washed the nice layer of dust off that it had collected, and gave it a good Italian tune up. Thing is still running like a champ.

I'm waiting for the first shoe to drop in the throttle actuator/idle control valve impending failures to have an excuse to take the plenum off and tidy up a few things. Otherwise I plan to be driving it a lot more in the coming months.

Cheers

[Sideways91]

Right on, car still looks great! I've heard the sagging headliner thing a few times...humidity seems to wreak havoc on these cars.

I replaced the throttle actuators on my car a couple years ago, that's the only repair I've had to do in 6 years. I went with the M Power rebuilt ones, haven't had a problem since. I also replaced my battery proactively a couple months ago, it was 8 years old so can't complain. I'm amazed your CF roof is still holding up in the FL sun? I've always had my eye on an eventuri carbon plenum as you can't beat the sound, i just have a hard time convincing myself to spend that much money haha.

[813_m3]

Nice ride… just picked up an e92 a little over a year ago and call Tampa home.

My headliner sagged in last month and I was able to have it repaired at Sunbrite Auto Works. I would recommend them as a starting point if you’re contacting places.

I too am dealing with the whistle as mentioned in some of your previous posts. Waiting for the shoe to drop as well to go into the plenum… thinking it is carbon build up in the ICV in my case due to a simultaneous rough idle on cold start at times.

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by Sideways91

Right on, car still looks great! I've heard the sagging headliner thing a few times...humidity seems to wreak havoc on these cars.

I replaced the throttle actuators on my car a couple years ago, that's the only repair I've had to do in 6 years. I went with the M Power rebuilt ones, haven't had a problem since. I also replaced my battery proactively a couple months ago, it was 8 years old so can't complain. I'm amazed your CF roof is still holding up in the FL sun? I've always had my eye on an eventuri carbon plenum as you can't beat the sound, i just have a hard time convincing myself to spend that much money haha.

Ya I'm learning that humidity lesson the hard way!
The only reason my CF roof still looks that good is because the car is garage kept. I don't think I would own the car if I didn't have somewhere covered to keep it. I couldn't bear watching the FL sun bake it every day.
I plan on getting the M Power rebuilds too when the time comes. Cannot believe your battery lasted eight years that's incredible. I'm lucky to get six months out of one with this battery drain that I cannot locate...
I agree with the Eventuri plenum but had the same dilemma. I went for the CarboProject plenum as a happy medium alternative. It has a thin carbon upper half for sounds but retains the factory plastic lower half so the cost is significantly less. I've been very happy with it it sounds fantastic.

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by 813_m3

Nice ride… just picked up an e92 a little over a year ago and call Tampa home.

My headliner sagged in last month and I was able to have it repaired at Sunbrite Auto Works. I would recommend them as a starting point if you’re contacting places.

I too am dealing with the whistle as mentioned in some of your previous posts. Waiting for the shoe to drop as well to go into the plenum… thinking it is carbon build up in the ICV in my case due to a simultaneous rough idle on cold start at times.

Congratulations man! Good to see another e92 enthusiast in the Tampa area - hope to see you at an event. Can't thank you enough for that recommendation I will definitely start with them.
I'm 90% sure the whistle is the stupid rubber gasket that fails in the back corner of the plenum where the breath tube is. Like you said, I just haven't had a reason to take the plenum off which I suppose I should be grateful for lol. Rough idle could be the fuel breather valve or idle control valve?

[Sideways91]

Originally Posted by Space Fox

Ya I'm learning that humidity lesson the hard way!
The only reason my CF roof still looks that good is because the car is garage kept. I don't think I would own the car if I didn't have somewhere covered to keep it. I couldn't bear watching the FL sun bake it every day.
I plan on getting the M Power rebuilds too when the time comes. Cannot believe your battery lasted eight years that's incredible. I'm lucky to get six months out of one with this battery drain that I cannot locate...
I agree with the Eventuri plenum but had the same dilemma. I went for the CarboProject plenum as a happy medium alternative. It has a thin carbon upper half for sounds but retains the factory plastic lower half so the cost is significantly less. I've been very happy with it it sounds fantastic.

Yeah I was shocked about my battery too, I wonder how much longer I could have gone..Funny thing is, with my new battery the starts are slower than with my old battery, I swear that thing was a beast for an OEM battery. I haven't heard about CarboProject, but maybe that's a good happy medium option. You seem happy with it, so maybe I'll check them out.

And parasitic drain can be tough to diagnose. It's usually some type of module that's not fully shutting down after the car is turned off. Have you tried reprogramming your Car Access System (CAS) module? It sends functions to a variety of components via the fuse box and if anything is faulty, the module will not fully shut down resulting in the parasitic battery drain you're experiencing. Maybe start by testing your fuses for excess current draw and see if it's something on the CAS circuit.

[Scrippy]

This is the best color combo IMO. Space Grey and Fox Red are the two best outter and inner colors. Enjoy buddy!

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by Scrippy

This is the best color combo IMO. Space Grey and Fox Red are the two best outter and inner colors. Enjoy buddy!

I agree! Part of the reason it's so difficult for me to ever consider trading this car in. I think I lucked out on the spec and condition and nothing else in the price range seems worthy. I have been itching to try a B7 RS4, e60 M5, e39 M5, and others - I might just sock away another 30 grand and buy and trade those out in driver condition lol

Originally Posted by Sideways91

And parasitic drain can be tough to diagnose. It's usually some type of module that's not fully shutting down after the car is turned off. Have you tried reprogramming your Car Access System (CAS) module? It sends functions to a variety of components via the fuse box and if anything is faulty, the module will not fully shut down resulting in the parasitic battery drain you're experiencing. Maybe start by testing your fuses for excess current draw and see if it's something on the CAS circuit.

I've replaced the footwell module and EDC module and checked the alarm module. I started messing with fuses as well just pulling them and seeing if the drain went away and eventually gave up. I can't remember if I had the CAS reset but that's probably something I'll try here in a bit. At this current juncture I hate to say it but I'm just pulling the negative battery cable when the car is going to sit for more than a few days. It's a sad solution but one that works and really only takes 10 seconds with how accessible the battery is.

[Space Fox]

Just been enjoying the car with the weather turning cooler here in Florida. My list of maintenance items is growing - about due for another oil change. Need to find some time - hard to break away for a few hours of car work with two kids!
I met with a local upholstery shop that was recommended to me - ironically the sister shop of the one that painted my euro front bumper. I like them and will use them. Unfortunately they did confirm that the half cage will need to be removed in order to remove the ceiling panel. Instead of paying them an extra $900 in labor to remove it I think I will tackle the project and just delivery the ceiling panel to them. Reupholstering in Alcantara was only a $200 upcharge so I'll likely be going with that. I think I'll get the sun visors done too since I'll have to remove them anyway. On theme with the car - if it's due for replacement might as well try to replace it with something better than stock.






Forgive the disastrous condition of the garage it's still in shambles from the home reno and is on my 'projects' list lol

[Space Fox]

Nice little Sunday wash
















I also hand waxed the car for the first time in a long time and forgot how good that feels/looks:

[Space Fox]

Car is fully waxed and cleaned. Had a light squeaking from the front brakes upon coming to a complete stop. I took the wheel off to inspect and there is still quite a bit of meat left on the pads. Could be build up or just the pad material itself. Ordered a new oil change kit, it's time yet again. Otherwise car is great, waiting for the right time to dive into roll cage and ceiling panel removal so I can have it reupholstered.

[Space Fox]

Man 5 months already since the last update. Haven't been driving it much sadly and have not dove in to the roll cage/ceiling panel disassembly. But have been keeping it clean!
The car turns 14 years old today and I did get it out for a nice drive and some parking lot sliding.. Still puts a smile on my face every time!













What's more is I've not officially owned the car for half of it's life and am now it's longest tenured owner. Original owner had the car for six years, second owner only 12 months and 1,200 miles. I'm right around seven years with the car. No plans to ever let it go.

[Space Fox]

Self motivation update. I dove into the roll cage/ceiling panel project a couple of weeks ago. The bad news is that the cage will not come out without removing the front seats - something I really don't want to get into at the moment.. The good news is the prior owner installed the quick release Studio RSR cage. It's a two piece clip/bolt together design so I can remove the rear cross brace. In doing so and unbolting the main cage from behind the seats it seems I can wiggle it around and lean it back enough to be able to drop the ceiling panel and remove it. I bought some extra trim removal and pick tools to make the rest of the job easier. Hoping to knock it out shortly.

I'm thinking while I have the cage half out and easier access to the back windows I'll have some clear XPEL or Crystalline tint installed just to help mitigate some of the Florida sun.

Also considering hard-wiring a Valentine 1 while I have the ceiling panel removed. Maybe converting the ash tray to a wireless charger, and installing Mr12volt to modernize the interior a bit. Haven't decided yet.

Second project - my FRM fried again. Most likely due to me repetitively disconnecting the battery negative terminal each time the car is parked for an extended period of time. I purchased another unit and installed it - a little easier the second time around. Now I just have to code in the VIN which sucks.. I'm not into coding but figured I could do it myself as I already have the cord and software from prior paid coding services. I'm missing some file for WinKFP so the program won't open. I'm sure I'll figure it out just always something!

[Space Fox]

Well my self motivation post worked. Took on the remainder of the ceiling panel removal project yesterday. Got the cage and the front seats to lean back, removed everything holding the ceiling panel up and played a game of tetris getting it out of the passenger door in one piece. Will be dropping it off at an upholstery shop this week to start retrimming in Alcantara. Going to trim the A and C pilar covers as well since they're already off.
Scheduling the tint installation this week as well.






You can see how bad the headliner was sagging in the last picture. Had to happen..