What have you done with or to your M3 today?

[JP10]

Gave her a wash and drove to work this morning. Was on vacation all last week so it was nice getting to drive this morning. Crazy how much healthier my car runs in cool temps (60-70°F). Right before I left for vacations temperatures were up there, had one day that felt like over 110°F. Car just feels a little tired in that weather. Just love the cool weather for driving.

Bad news is I'm getting some low speed rubbing/vibration while cornering. Believe it is my rear differential. I think last time I flushed the diff fluid I forgot to add the friction additive, so that may be the culprit. Anyone aware of how long I can run it before it may become a problem, meaning permanently damage something? Ideally I'll get it taken care of soon, but regardless I'd like to be aware.

[fatalelement]

Changed my plugs because I forgot to do so for a lonnnnng time. Some wonkiness on downshifts that I thought was maybe my transmission leak was actually just ancient plugs added the helpful BMW sticker to the inside of my hood to remind my dumb ass to not wait 70k+ next time

Car sounds (and pulls) a lot better!

Managed to do it just fine without removing the plenum or anything other than the airbox. Was a little tight, but took me about 4 hours doing it my first time, mostly because my extension set is old and loose so I had to keep trying weird things to get the damn spark plug head off the plug for the back 2 cylinders on each side.

[stefan_e36]

Originally Posted by fatalelement

Changed my plugs because I forgot to do so for a lonnnnng time. Some wonkiness on downshifts that I thought was maybe my transmission leak was actually just ancient plugs added the helpful BMW sticker to the inside of my hood to remind my dumb ass to not wait 70k next time

Car sounds (and pulls) a lot better!

Managed to do it just fine without removing the plenum or anything other than the airbox. Was a little tight, but took me about 4 hours doing it my first time, mostly because my extension set is old and loose so I had to keep trying weird things to get the damn spark plug head off the plug for the back 2 cylinders on each side.

Oil on the thread of old plugs it is not good as for me...
Maybe the valve cover gasket should be changed?

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by stefan_e36

Oil on the thread of old plugs it is not good as for me...
Maybe the valve cover gasket should be changed?

The S65 valve covers have a tendency to warp once you get up there in miles (per Malek and another guy who I go to who specializes in M cars). They're on my to do list - mine are definitely leaking.

[pbonsalb]

That gap opened up a lot. It actually opens up a lot in the 37k mile recommended change interval. Probably 25-30k is better given that knock control is through the plugs in these cars.

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

That gap opened up a lot. It actually opens up a lot in the 37k mile recommended change interval. Probably 25-30k is better given that knock control is through the plugs in these cars.

Yeah, this was probably close to 90k by the time I changed them. Far from ideal. Valve cover leak is very light but I'm not surprised that the plugs looked this way given how long they were in.

Previous owner did not record the change but the selling dealership said they were done recently, but when I finally had them pull the records, that was incorrect (which was why I did this immediately). Stupidity on my part.

I generally keep good self service records but I wrote down that I did it when I had not. It was planned and I did not indicate that as I normally do in my notes so when I took it to a specialist for another engine service I misremembered that it was done. Dumb, but the engine seems to be doing fine and is definitely smoother on starts now.

[KrPa]

Big weekend for me! Finally got everything together to tackle changing the rod bearings, motor mounts, and an under drive pulley for some additional fun!

The job was done laying on my back in the garage, but with someone passing you tools it really wasn't too bad. I took some pictures documenting the process, overall it took about 2 days working at a relaxed pace.

[Ajolives]

I added a quart of oil and then drove around for a half hour to see if I hit the mark, because you know, no dipstick.

[m3gang]

Originally Posted by fatalelement

Yeah, this was probably close to 90k by the time I changed them. Far from ideal. Valve cover leak is very light but I'm not surprised that the plugs looked this way given how long they were in.

Previous owner did not record the change but the selling dealership said they were done recently, but when I finally had them pull the records, that was incorrect (which was why I did this immediately). Stupidity on my part.

I generally keep good self service records but I wrote down that I did it when I had not. It was planned and I did not indicate that as I normally do in my notes so when I took it to a specialist for another engine service I misremembered that it was done. Dumb, but the engine seems to be doing fine and is definitely smoother on starts now.

Hi, so are you saying you have 90k on the original spark plugs never changed? My car just threw a code recently for cylinder 4 misfire. On the history of the car, it states that the plugs were replaced around 70k miles ago. I though it might be the plugs causing the misfire, but if your car runs fine with 90k on original plugs then I'm not so sure if it's still the plugs.... Thank you in advance.

[wfdeacon88]

New Michelin PS A/S3+ Rears (needed them badly, but they lasted 30K miles+), new MS drop in filter. Other than gas, that's the only expense dropped on the M3 since the last oil change 4k miles ago... that's a record! 50 miles a day DD... at 124K miles, she's going strong and extremely reliable these days. (knocked on wood many times just now)

[Davisca455]

Started changing all of the belt tensioner and idler pulleys.
The annoying groaning noise was getting too loud.
61,034 miles on the original units.
All ready to go back together when the new parts show up on Wednesday.

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by m3gang

Hi, so are you saying you have 90k on the original spark plugs never changed? My car just threw a code recently for cylinder 4 misfire. On the history of the car, it states that the plugs were replaced around 70k miles ago. I though it might be the plugs causing the misfire, but if your car runs fine with 90k on original plugs then I'm not so sure if it's still the plugs.... Thank you in advance.

It was somewhere north of ~70k, but I can't be sure because when the dealership salesman told me they were done by the dealership is inaccurate per their own records. It has over 120k miles and has definitely had the plugs done at least once, as one of the coil pack plastic pull knobs was badly damaged by someone who did it before. It had them changed a few thousand before 40k, per BMW, and no proof they were changed after. So I am assuming they were not. I once had a misfire on a hard downshift rev, but otherwise I did not really sense anything off (until I changed them and realized the difference it made).

However, I would really not use my egregious maintenance failure as a benchmark - my engine also made it to 117k on original bearings (just barely), when some engines went almost 100k earlier. Plugs can absolutely cause misfires. Service rec is like 37.5k I think? From now on I'm doing 25k given how much of a general smoothness/startup difference it made, and while it's annoying to do, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a shop to do it yourself. A bit over 200 bucks every year isn't a bad consumable.

My recommendation would be to swap the coil to another cylinder (a 30min job max if you've never done it), unless 4 is in the back - can't remember the order on these - which is annoying, so call it an hour.

If the misfire moves with the coil, it's the coil (which is a bummer because they're not cheap), if not, it's the plug.

[6ixSpd]

Originally Posted by KrPa

Big weekend for me! Finally got everything together to tackle changing the rod bearings, motor mounts, and an under drive pulley for some additional fun!

The job was done laying on my back in the garage, but with someone passing you tools it really wasn't too bad. I took some pictures documenting the process, overall it took about 2 days working at a relaxed pace.

Doing it on your back on stands in a single car garage, now that's commitment!

[Epoustouflant]

I did a thing 😁

[m3gang]

Originally Posted by fatalelement

It was somewhere north of ~70k, but I can't be sure because when the dealership salesman told me they were done by the dealership is inaccurate per their own records. It has over 120k miles and has definitely had the plugs done at least once, as one of the coil pack plastic pull knobs was badly damaged by someone who did it before. It had them changed a few thousand before 40k, per BMW, and no proof they were changed after. So I am assuming they were not. I once had a misfire on a hard downshift rev, but otherwise I did not really sense anything off (until I changed them and realized the difference it made).

However, I would really not use my egregious maintenance failure as a benchmark - my engine also made it to 117k on original bearings (just barely), when some engines went almost 100k earlier. Plugs can absolutely cause misfires. Service rec is like 37.5k I think? From now on I'm doing 25k given how much of a general smoothness/startup difference it made, and while it's annoying to do, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a shop to do it yourself. A bit over 200 bucks every year isn't a bad consumable.

My recommendation would be to swap the coil to another cylinder (a 30min job max if you've never done it), unless 4 is in the back - can't remember the order on these - which is annoying, so call it an hour.

If the misfire moves with the coil, it's the coil (which is a bummer because they're not cheap), if not, it's the plug.

Thank you so much for the long reply, I really appreciate it. Yeah, unfortunately it seems like cylinder 4 is the worst to get to since it's the rear passenger cylinder. I already ordered new plugs and I will try swapping coils too. Thank you for your help!

[Cyberdemon]

Just got the car back from a full paint correction and ceramic coat, looks fantastic. Still a few spots I'll eventually need to respray but shines fantastic for a 10 year old car. Now to find some time to take real photos.

Now on the list - all the maintenence. Power steering fluid, diff service, brake flush, new plugs are all way overdue. Good thing FCPeuro is having a sale.

[stefan_e36]

Originally Posted by fatalelement

Yeah, this was probably close to 90k by the time I changed them. Far from ideal. Valve cover leak is very light but I'm not surprised that the plugs looked this way given how long they were in.

Previous owner did not record the change but the selling dealership said they were done recently, but when I finally had them pull the records, that was incorrect (which was why I did this immediately). Stupidity on my part.

I generally keep good self service records but I wrote down that I did it when I had not. It was planned and I did not indicate that as I normally do in my notes so when I took it to a specialist for another engine service I misremembered that it was done. Dumb, but the engine seems to be doing fine and is definitely smoother on starts now.

Also decided to change sparks, the old ones looks like this (37k km):

[SRB_Mpower]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

my sister's e92 328i got crushed by a huge oak tree falling on it
thankfully it fell into the street and not into their house!
and no one was hurt

a healthy looking tree falling over from the base of the trunk without any rain/wind...
must have been diseased and rotting away inside
time to check the trees on your street!

this happened in south pasadena

OMG!!

[PAM3Guy]

Just finished my first ever paint correction and polish, or at least my best effort at it, lol. Spent I don't know how many hours over the last 5 days doing full wash, decon, clay, cut and polish, IPA wipe and then finished off with The Last Coat as a protectant and gloss enhancer. For my first time it's not too bad but a pro would have definitely gotten more defects out. I didn't want to get too aggressive as I was afraid of damaging the clear coat, though it seems these BMW clear coats are really quite hard and pretty forgiving. I could probably repeat with a more aggressive compound and pad and get it even better but I'm pretty happy with it for now. Hell of a lotta work though, and spotting defects on a grey car is a major PITA.

[rhyary]

finished trackday
The usual mess to clean up

[Space Fox]

Originally Posted by PACarGuy

Just finished my first ever paint correction and polish, or at least my best effort at it, lol. Spent I don't know how many hours over the last 5 days doing full wash, decon, clay, cut and polish, IPA wipe and then finished off with The Last Coat as a protectant and gloss enhancer. For my first time it's not too bad but a pro would have definitely gotten more defects out. I didn't want to get too aggressive as I was afraid of damaging the clear coat, though it turns out these BMW clear coats are really quite hard and pretty forgiving it seems. I could probably repeat with more aggressive compound and pad and get it even better but I'm pretty happy with it for now. Hell of a lotta work though, and spotting defects on a grey car is a major PITA.

Looks stunning!

[PAM3Guy]

Originally Posted by space fox

looks stunning!

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻