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      08-22-2019, 12:23 PM   #23
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S65 Throttle Actuator service / gear replacement:

So, one Saturday whilst on Daddy Day Care duty, with all the kids in order and behaving nicely, we decided to tackle the throttle actuator job, and replace the internals with the kits which I got from the States.

The M was still in the service bay, so we set about getting things ready and the job commenced.

First up was removal of the airbox:



Looking closer, we noticed that the coil pack cover is missing on the LHS (sigh):




Here's the one from the RHS:



Next up, the intake plenum needs to come off. This is done by loosening the hoses underneath which attach to the throttle bodies, and unpluging a few hoses. Top tip, the 2 shiny nuts on the top of the plenum don't hold it down at all, rather it seems to hold the top and bottom halves of the plenum together.




Looking a little closer, you will notice how the back 4 throttles of the motor have a little more gunk buildup, this is probably due to the breather pipes entering at the back side of the plenum. We cleaned these up a little bit after taking the plenum off. Thereafter I blocked off all throttles and breather pipes with pieces of cloth.



Next step is to unplug a number of plugs, and loosen the wiring harness that runs just above the motor in the V. With all the plugs loose, the harness can be lifted just enough to make room to remove the throttle actuators. I used a rod as a spacer:




Here's a close up under the harness, where you can see the 2 throttle actuators nestled in nicely:




The actuator rods clip off, and then each actuator is secured to the motor with 3 bolts. We carefully removed these, making use of a magnet to ensure that we don't drop a bolt anywhere. Without too much stress or fuss, the actuators came out:




And a pic of the empty void where the actuators chill out:




In the next update, I'll document the service / repair process. Time is short now as parental obligations are calling....
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      08-26-2019, 01:35 PM   #24
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Moving on to the throttle body service...

Here are some pics of the replacement gear sets I brought in from the States. This particular kit has the brass gears, and also comes mounted on a new shaft, making the repair a fairly simple swap over (other kits require the original gear to be broken off the shaft, and then fitment of the new gear onto the old shaft).






We started by stripping Bank 2 (LHS). 5 screws, and then the pc board can be carefully removed from the rest of the unit:




From what I've read, if the car starts throwing codes, then there is a good chance that components on this board are fried = new complete throttle body actuator units.

Here's a pic of the main unit, showing the 2 gears (left and centre) which will be replaced:




The centre gear pulls out, inspection of this didn't reveal any significant, noticeable wear. However underneath was a different story. Where the centre gear mates with the LHS gear, there is some quite significant wear on the gear teeth. In the pic below, we are pointing to the worn areas with a screwdriver (by comparison, look at the ends of the same gear where the teeth are new):






Shaking the actuator to let any loose debris fall out onto the cloth:




After cleaning out the housing with a soft brush, things were looking better:




Installing the new gear + replacement shaft:




And the replacement centre gear installed:




After this, we closed up the unit by refitting the pc board. Job done for this unit. Time to move on to Bank 1 (RHS).


Following exactly the same process as outlined above, here's a view of the insides after opening up the unit:






At least as much, if not more wear on the gears. Also a lot more debris (worn gear bits and dried up old grease) which came out:




After cleaning up:




After this, we closed up this unit as well. Then as per my previous post, the reverse process was followed to reinstall the units into the car.

I would be lying if i wasn't a little nervous whether the car would start without hassles. Thankfully it started 1st time, although it was idling and hunting all over the place for what I assume is to reset / adjust adaptation settings etc. After a short while it did settle into a smooth idle. And no faults or warnings on display. Job done.

I ended off the day giving the car a quick wash before we headed out for a test drive. Took some pics in the late afternoon sun:









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      08-27-2019, 07:46 AM   #25
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Great job!! That was a lot of plastic debris from the wear, can you pm me the link where you ordered the gears from? I'm curious how mine will look haha
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      08-27-2019, 08:13 AM   #26
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Gav, did you get a code for the TAs or simply refreshed them anyhow?

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      08-27-2019, 12:03 PM   #27
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I didn't get any codes yet, decided to do it as preventative maintenance.

It seems that once the codes pop up, the actuators are toast
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      09-05-2019, 04:27 AM   #28
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Great work! Thanks for sharing with the community.
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      10-09-2019, 01:29 PM   #29
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Just a quick little update here.

The bonnet shocks were a little bit tired, so even though the bonnet is aluminium, it wasn't fond of staying open. I had to lift it all the way up by hand, and then the shocks would barely be able to cope, I was worried that any bump or gust of wind would send it crashing back down, which could spell disaster for my head (or someone else's), nevermind if there are any tools lying about which could damage the bonnet.

So I had plans to replace these. New OEM shocks were around R1600 after ABM discounts, so I decided against that idea. The next plan would be to take mine as a sample and get some new aftermarket ones made up. When I arrived at my supplier, they actually tested my old shocks and didn't find any leaks, and then said that they could re-gas them for me.

I walked out the shop with 2 refurbished shocks, and spent less than R150. So that was a huge win for me. I reinstalled on the car and they are as good as new, even 1 shock is enough to hold up the bonnet.

Other than that, no major news. I got a keyring to help me with my first world problems of not being able to distinguish between the 130i and M3 key fobs:



Then there are 2 niggles which I need to investigate further:

1) LHS headlight gets moisture inside after a car wash, so it seems like maybe there is a leak on the lens seal somewhere.

2) Left rear tyre has a slow leak. I'm hoping it's maybe the valve, otherwise possibly a puncture of some sort.

Other than that I'm using the car about once a week for now, doing a school run / swimming lessons.

That's all for now.
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      10-13-2019, 08:49 AM   #30
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Love the attention to detail! I also have a white E90 with silver 359s and think it's such a classy look. Looking forward to what comes next!
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      11-22-2019, 10:35 AM   #31
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Update Nov-2019:

Something that was bugging me immensely was the luv gap between the boot and the lip spoiler. Every single time I walked past the car, I would cringe a little, and if i was close enough, grip the ends of the spoiler and restrain myself from just ripping the damn thing off. Some will find it odd how the wrong use of adhesive tape can result in a tacky outcome.

Anyways, rant over. I was also in 2 minds about the black spoiler. I'm sure it would have looked better if it was fitted flush with the boot, but I didn't go down that route. Instead, my boring, incognito, undercover persona took over, and I set about searching for a replacement.

As luck would have it, I found one Stateside for a decent price, and decided to pull the trigger. A few weeks later it arrived:






1x OEM E90 spoiler, painted in Alpine White III, with only an ever so slight mark on one spot. All the old tape underneath would also need to come off...







The next day I free'd up some time, and set to work. Here's some pics of the offending gap:








And a final farewell to the black spoiler:




I used some very thin coated wire to do the removal. I suppose thankfully in my favour this tape was cheap stuff, so it was literally like cutting through 3mm polystyrene...





After cleaning up the boot area, I took a few more pics of the car sans spoiler, a nod to the E36 M3 sedan if you will...








I then set about cleaning all the old tape off the white spoiler, and after a good couple of hours (and sore fingernails) later, it was ready for the new, thinner tape:




I did some careful measuring and marked out more or less the position it needs to line up using blue painters tape. The reality is that there really is only 1 shot at this, so I said a prayer and put the spoiler in place:










And importantly, no more gap!






I'm very happy with the outcome, and don't find myself picking at the spoiler anymore. Job done.

In other news, I contributed quite substantially to Diego and JP achieving their sales targets this month, so there will be major updates next month if all goes well.

Oh and a parcel arrived today from the UK, my LHS spark plug cover is finally here. Will install that in due course...

Oh and to end off on another good note, I'm in the 10s :smilebounce:




That's all for now...
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      11-24-2019, 11:25 PM   #32
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Nice clean up work!

Where did you source the TA gears?

My RHS headlight fogs up with a wash as well, it seems some just do this from the factory. I’m having mine professionally removed and resealed soon.
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      12-08-2019, 05:18 PM   #33
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Love the attention to detail in this thread. My kinda M 👌🏻
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      12-10-2019, 08:54 AM   #34
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Next thing to change is that over-sized black M3 badge!
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      01-15-2020, 09:30 AM   #35
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Time for a long overdue update from my side...

As you may have gathered, the car was sent in to have the bearings done. I had been accumulating the parts bit by bit over the past few months, so minimise the butt hurt come December time.

Anyways, after much procrastination, reading, discussions with fellow forum members, and also evaluations of other external parties, I decided to send the car to Peter. It was dropped off a few days before Christmas and collected shortly after New Year.

Honestly, it felt weird sending one of my cars for someone else to work on, given that I can throw a few spanners around on occasion. I did seriously ponder to do the job myself, but the lack of a lift, a fancy torque wrench and not being familiar with the intricate details of the S65 deterred me from doing so.

Overall, I am pleased with the service Peter offered. Despite my car going in just before holiday time, he soldiered on to complete the job whilst everyone else was relaxing with family and friends. On a daily basis I would receive pictures and feedback on progress made, as well as any other gremlins that popped up. Thankfully these were minimal.

Over and above the rod bearings. I had my suspicions about replacing the engine mounts (also seeing as the sub-frame comes off anyway), but didn't order beforehand. Once stripped down, one mount was KO and the other was also looking a bit sad and collapsed slightly. So new mounts were ordered and installed. There was also a plastic bracket missing which secures the oil cooler pipes, so this was also ordered and fitted. In it's past life, the radiator must have been removed at some point and installed incorrectly (skew), but this was rather easy to rectify, and minimal financial outlay - let's say things came to fruition.

Here's a summary pic of all the rod bearings:



Anyways, I've had the car back for about 2 week, and completed close to 400kms since the repairs. All is going well. It does feel smoother with the new mounts fitted, although I also suspect there is some placebo effect in the mix.

I'm going to take it easy for the next couple of months, to make sure everything is A-OK and settled down before stretching it's legs again.

Also, shortly after getting the car back, I replaced the cabin air filters. The ones which came out had done approx. 20000kms:



Other than that all is good. Will post more updates again soon....
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      04-06-2020, 10:49 AM   #36
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Update Apr-2020:

Since my last update, opportunities to open the car up were few and far between (ok maybe I'm making excuses for my laziness). But the daily grind to and from work just didn't present many opportunities.

Then in the beginning of March, BMW CCG organised a breakfast run to the Vaal Marina, which also included a tour of a private collector's fleet of cars. What an epic day, I literally walked around in awe at the variety of cars on display. I'm going to leave it at that out of respect for said individual's privacy wishes.

That being said, it was a nice road trip, and the plan was to enjoy the open roads and scenery. The trip to the Vaal was fairly relaxed, we were actually at the back of the back, and were following some oldies in a 70's 5-series. It was quite entertaining as they were really barreling along the highway at a rapid pace.

Anyway, after come car-ogling and a lekker lunch, we headed back to JHB in the afternoon. En-route, we stopped to admire the Cosmos flowers (sentimental reasons), and I snapped a few pics.



Subsequent to that, the car has been parked off for the past 3 weeks. This is because I was using my mate's A3 for a little bit, and then more recently the lockdown due to COVID-19.

@BrentBMW: to answer your question, I haven't lined up the 2 cars (would definitely like to at some point). IMHO, up here at altitude, the X3 is definitely faster, and more so because ours has JB Stage 1 fitted. Can't compete with Turbo power up here, hell I think even my bakkie may keep it honest to some degree.

That being said, I think the M3 will maybe be more competitive at higher speeds, and once it's able to exploit it's rev range better. But the X3 is actually such a lekker car to drive as well, I think it's deceptively fast in terms of get up and go.

And based on the above, I've even questioned keeping the M3, or letting it go. But there's a number of reasons why I pulled the trigger on it in the first place. This is also a debate I probably have with myself on a weekly basis (yes... I'm going mad).

Time will tell, for now, lockdown is enforcing no travel or business activity so no irrational decisions will be made (I hope).
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      04-06-2020, 11:15 AM   #37
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I love seeing this type of attention to detail OEM+ builds. So clean and perfect.
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      04-06-2020, 12:04 PM   #38
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I love seeing this type of attention to detail OEM+ builds. So clean and perfect.
I second this. Great reading your updates as well, a refreshing wit about them. Cheers.
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      07-01-2020, 12:09 PM   #39
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Update: June-20:

So, going back 1 year or so, during my M shopping phase, as much as I was test driving the various cars, at the same time, I was hitting the classifieds and overseas forums looking for various things.

And then I came across this (and apologies, I'm not sure why image embedding isn't working for these pics...):

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1342

Pretty much brand new, only 500miles done installed in the car. Was removed prior to the guy selling the car. So exactly 6 days after taking delivery of the car, I pulled the trigger on this as well and a deal was concluded. I received the box with a bunch of other stuff in August last year, and after inspecting that everything was in order, I packed it away. My intention was to complete all the other planned and preventative maintenance first, before fitting the nice goodies.

Fast forward to Mar-20, the day lockdown came into effect, and I decided to scratch it out and install in the car. Some pics below...

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1339

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1340

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1341


Overall, I must say the kit is of a very high quality, can't complain at all about that. Installation was straight forward, but given the bend is a little bigger than stock, space is even more of a premium. From a sound perspective, if you stand in front of the car, there is even more throaty induction noise (not a bad thing on this car). Inside, there is a little bit more noise, although it may be subjective in my case because the Akra doesn't like competition in the noise department, lol. Performance wise, I can't honestly say that I notice a 10hp difference, but at the time I wasn't driving the car much anyway. I drove 5kms after fitting, and then the car parked off for a month. Since then, it's been too long to compare. I've also elected not to install the carbon scoop in the bumper duct for the time-being. Will see at a later stage about this.

So why did I buy it then? Well I'm an undercover engineer, fiddler, and quite enjoy geeking out on things where R&D has taken place, and there are meaningful results. It would be nice to optimise the S65 air pump as much as possible. The akra takes care of the gasses leaving the motor, so this intake can optimise the gasses going into the motor. Sure there are other options out there, I also seriously considered a Macht Schnell (see Arbee's thread), or even a Dinan kit, but like I say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading up on the R&D that went into the Eventuri. That, together with the top quality and design, and a decent price tag (relatively speaking) is why I did it.

Anyways, I'll post some more info below for those who want to read further. They've also got some videos available too:

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1337

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1338

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1425157


https://youtu.be/kRuaLm_TT4o


More recently, the car got a proper clean inside and out. The leather was cleaned and treated, and the outside was attended to with a clay bar, polish and wax.

I've also been driving the car a bit more now, and have been fiddling with my GoPro in the car. A few months back I got an external Mic kit for the camera (instead of the tiny integrated microphone in the camera housing itself). From my initial tests, it does pick up better quality sound. I've done some clips inside the car, so will share those soon.

Next up I want to try some external vids, and see how well the new mic copes with wind noise and stuff.
Not the greatest pic, but this was after getting the car nice and clean:

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      07-01-2020, 01:23 PM   #40
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Excellent post and it's good to see another E90 owner enjoying his car!

One issue, all your links for bmwfanatics.co.za are triggering a permissions screen

Quote:
Originally Posted by gavsadler View Post
Update: June-20:

And then I came across this (and apologies, I'm not sure why image embedding isn't working for these pics...):

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1342

Some pics below...

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1339

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1340

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1341



Anyways, I'll post some more info below for those who want to read further. They've also got some videos available too:

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1337

https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/attachment.php?aid=1338



Not the greatest pic, but this was after getting the car nice and clean:

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      07-01-2020, 01:52 PM   #41
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Some experimentation from the past week or so....

(Not sure why Videos are not embedding, these come straight from Youtube)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/55hCBjl8-yE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lY1o7RvSC_k" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cwnhg_D6fxw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lRtXDW3y-Zc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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      07-01-2020, 02:02 PM   #42
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you can just post the links as URLs without the embed code.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/55hCBjl8-yE
http://www.youtube.com/embed/lY1o7RvSC_k
http://www.youtube.com/embed/cwnhg_D6fxw
http://www.youtube.com/embed/lRtXDW3y-Zc
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      07-09-2020, 11:39 AM   #43
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A couple more videos where I clamped the GoPro to the back bumper:



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      10-20-2020, 03:43 AM   #44
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2011 E90 M3 M-DCT: 1-year (or rather 1.33-year) review

I’m a little bit overdue on this (well 4 months but who’s counting?), but rather late than never. I’ve had some opportunity to think back and reflect on the past year and a bit of ownership, and subsequent drives after this introspection have confirmed a few thoughts and findings, and highlighted some new ones. Anyways, on to the review…

Exterior and Design:

I still enjoy looking at this car. I find myself having an appreciation for the straight-forward design, not overly complicated with flicks and huge grills or intakes, massive wings or diffusers and so on. Every design element has a purpose. This is pure Q-car material. When comparing to a regular E90, it’s great to see how things are the same, yet subtly different. I’m a fan of the bonnet bulge, that’s a constant reminder of what lies beneath. Also, more recently, I much prefer the transition from the rear doors to rear fender of this car compared to the new G80 M3. On this car, the rear doors are actually flared out to blend in seamlessly with the swollen rear arches. On the G80, the doors are regular 3 series, followed by a huge jutting out of the fender, not a fan.

I’m glad I went ahead to fit the Style 359s, IMO they suit the car perfectly. Also, when the car is parked next to another vehicle, it’s great to see just how much tyre is squeezed under the arches, both front and rear. Even 17in or 18in rims in 205, 215 or 225 widths look remarkably small in comparison.
The only thing that I still have not warmed up to is the titanium tips of the Akrapovic exhaust. For me they are just too big, and look too aftermarket, too in your face. I’ll see with time, as I’m arranging for titanium tips, so will see if that changes the look for the better. That will only be in the new year though.

Interior:

A very nice place to be. I haven’t been left disappointed or missing out on anything in particular. The seats are great, plenty of adjustment, and even at 1.9m tall, I find that the seat does go low enough for gangsta driving if the need desires (this should also be suitable for occasions where a helmet needs to be worn). The Harmon Kardon sound system is good, with nice clear vocals and ok bass notes. Again, it’s not a pavement pounder, but suitably improved over the rubbish stock setups in these cars.

Being an older car, there is not a touch screen in sight. Can I get an Amen from those in agreement? Adjusting functions on the go is intuitive. If you want to adjust the sound, you reach for area X, if you want to adjust the climate control, you reach for area Y. Perhaps I’ve not been exposed enough to the newer cars with these systems, but I honestly don’t see myself warming up to these anytime soon. I’m proud to say I fail miserably at multi-tasking, so I don’t see me doing well driving and navigating various menus and sub-menus whilst on the go. Long live the humble button.

Also worth noting, is that the buttons are not showing any noticeable signs of wear / graphics rubbing off. I think from the F-series cars this became a hotly debated issue. The only thing which is bust is the Power button on the centre console, it seems as if the hinge piece has cracked off, so the button can lift up away from the centre console.

In terms of space, this is also adequate for our needs. The kids are able to comfortably get into the back, and there is enough legroom for them when using the car seats, and still enough for us up front to drive comfortably. That being said, the X3 is still king of convenience here. Reaching in to fasten seatbelts is a breeze. In the M3, it’s a bit more of a not-too-graceful exercise. You end up mooning fellow soccer moms and dads for a good period of time whilst strapping them in.

Ride and handling:

The ride is firm but comfortable, nothing out of the ordinary. I can’t complain in this area. Sure, the Competition model with the adjustable dampers, or even other manufacturers with there new electronic / magnetic dampers will cater for a broader spectrum of driving circumstances, but that also comes at a price. I’m happy that this car has a simple, straight-forward setup. In and around my area, the roads are also far from ideal, but the car remains settled and composed at all times. I haven’t noticed any tramlining either. I’ve also hit some fairly bad bumps and dips, and the car did very well in these instances, with no bottoming out or touching of wheels on the wheel arches etc.

The one area where I can commend this car is how stable and direct it is, particularly at speed. I’ve had to respond to a few medical emergencies during the lockdown period which required some rather spirited driving antics, and at no point in time did I ever feel unsafe, or out of my depth in being able to control the car. This car is properly planted. The steering is nicely weighted, and IMO does provide good feel. Whichever way you point the steering, that’s the way the car will go, no mess, no fuss. As a comparison, the M3 makes the 130i feel positively floaty by comparison, and I didn’t think I’d ever say that based on the hard setup in the 1-series. I haven’t really driven other E90s at speed (in recent years anyway), but I think this is where the benefits from the M Division are apparent. I’m really looking forward to taking this car onto the track at some point in the future.

Engine and Drivetrain:

Starting off with the gearbox, the 7-speed DCT has performed well over the past year, through a combination of mixed driving styles. Whether you are plodding along doing the school run, doing the weekly shopping, or just taking it for a hooning session, it has performed as expected. If I leave it in D2, I like to think of this mode as “American V8 mode”, responses are fairly lazy, and it stays in higher gears for what can sometimes be longer than desired.

Something else which I have also noted is that there is a jerk / wobble when changing 1-2 and 2-3, literally just before the gear change takes place. I’m not sure exactly what this is, but it can be annoying. I haven’t seen much information around this, but what has been well documented is the jerking motion when coming to a stop, almost like the gearbox doesn’t know exactly what is happening. Now and then it will also do a throttle blip when you least expect it to, or when trying to remain as incognito as possible. Nevertheless, these are quirks of the box, and not a deal breaker. It’s still on my to-do list to arrange the GTS flash with Danny from DSC Motorsport. Will see what changes that brings about….

At partial throttle, the gear changes take place around 1800-2400rpm give or take. Progress is relaxed. Unfortunately, though, right at 1800rpm, there is noticeable exhaust drone, which is more prevalent when all the windows are open. As much as I have tried to dismiss it in the past, it is still there, and confirmed as much by the Mrs.

However, this problem can be quickly eradicated. When circumstances allow, press the button on the centre console to speed up the gear shifts. D3 is a little better than D2, whilst retaining the same easy-going characteristics. If you select D4 or D5, rev matching on downshifts is also added, and the car instantly adds about 10points to your Racing Driver credentials. Shifts both up and down the cogs become razor sharp and super quick. Forward progress is relentless, and in the higher modes, each gear change is accompanied with a satisfying thud to the back. On the downshifts, the car makes you feel invincible, matching engine revs to wheel speed, and preparing you blast out of the next corner. The exhaust tone also seems to change, from when it’s warm, to piping hot after a few blasts. In either instance, that’s where the sound comes into its own, when you are pressing on. One thing to note though, when pressing on, the car lets you know that you are consuming dinosaur fuel at a rapid rate. The lack of primary cats mean that you are enveloped with the fumes of spent 95octane whenever you are slowing down or come to a stop. It can seem odd at first when you are used to other modern cars which clean and purify the exhaust gasses. Nevertheless, it’s one of those things that you learn to accept. It’s actually a good way to determine whether you (or someone else) has been driving the car nicely, or like a complete yobbo.

The engine is great. A cold start in the morning is supported with all sorts of mechanical clicks and clunks, some whirring and the lovely ping from the exhaust headers as the gasses pulse through from each cylinder. It is certainly very un-appliance-like. As it completes the warm-up cycle, it eventually settles into a smooth, steady idle. The engine is smooth and responsive, and goes about its daily duties without much fuss. As mentioned previously, I would say daily driving characteristics are mostly governed by what mode the gearbox is in.

From my experience, I’d like to think that the engine essentially has 3 power bands / operating windows. From idle up to about 3000rpm, it sounds fairly mellow, not making itself too obvious to those in the surrounding areas. Then from 3000-6000rpm, it has a healthy beat, very satisfying and never intrusive. This is also the typical V8 sound which many of us Petrolheads love. You’ll also get this sound from many other V8s in the market. But then what makes this motor special, and different, is it’s high-revving nature. From 6000-8000rpm, it becomes a lunatic. There is a distinct increase in urge in this rev range, and it sounds like its ripping apart a telephone directory. It’s definitely an occasion to get the motor into this rev range, but it must be said, you need a lot of road to enjoy it at these RPMs. As much as it really wakes up in the upper rev ranges, it must be said that it is not found wanting or lacking in the lower rev ranges, but I suspect this is also largely due to the full Akrapovic Evolution system fitted (with primary decats) which helps the motor to breathe better. It can probably also be argued that the Eventuri intake also helps with breathing matters, although this will be more noticeable in the upper rev range.

Let’s do a quick comparison to the N55 motor in the X3 35i. This is also a great engine, and delivers a great big wad of torque from low down in the rev range. The motor pulls cleanly, but then at around 5000rpm, the urge begins to ease off, and it doesn’t make much sense to rev it beyond 6000rpm, unless you want to hear the glorious 6-cylinder wail. Along with this comes some fairly rapid progress, it is actually deceptive how quickly the speed accumulates in that car.

Now the M3 on the other hand, it has a fairly flat torque curve throughout most of the rev range, and a linear power curve all the way to the top above 8000rpm. Accelerating from standstill gives a constant urge, as opposed to the surge you get in the turbo motors. But this constant urge stays there for as long as you care to rev it. 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 (hello!), 7000, 8000…. It just revs and revs and goes and goes. This, accompanied by the fantastic sounds coming from the induction and the exhaust make spirited drives an event. I initially thought the X3 would be faster than the M3, but driving them back to back, apart from the torque surge low down (which is deceptive), the S65 is much faster. The pace that the X3 exhibits say from 3000-5000rpm, the M3 continues on this trajectory all the way to 8000rpm. Immense fun. To end off though, they are both great cars and I am in no way putting either of them down, they are different driving experiences and I am blessed to be able to experience both of them.

Summary and Conclusion:

So then, what is my overall verdict? Well I’ve come to the realisation that I am probably getting old, lol. Those who are more senior than me will laugh and scoff at my thoughts. But the fact of the matter is that I am gravitating more towards the older model cars, than the newer ones. I’m also not dismissing the accomplishments of the modern cars. They are fast, safe, refined, comfortable, fuel efficient and full of tech and gadgets to make daily duties a breeze. But ticking all these boxes means that they have also become more clinical, more generic, more acceptable by the masses and satisfy the accountants by ticking more boxes in a single product.

The M3 IMO is one of the last great performance cars of it’s time. It executes its design brief with aplomb, that being the pinnacle of the 3-series range. It has all the creature comforts you could need, and goes about the daily driving duties without much fuss. Some would argue that a base 320i or 320d would do things better day-to-day, and they are probably right, but it’s not like the M3 is skewed towards the other side of the spectrum. I love the subtleness of the car’s design elements, that it is not in your face as a Civic Type R for example. It’s not trying too hard to make its presence known. It’s an athlete in a business suit.

Where I believe it excels, is on those occasions where you want something more than what will suffice to do the daily grind. It will entertain you to no end, and if you’re pressing on, the speeds become ridiculous. Handling is top notch and you never feel out of your depth with the car. It’s a car for all seasons and for all occasions. In my experience, that’s where the car becomes special, and that is where I have warmed up to the car in more recent months. If you’ve followed my posts over the past year and chatted to me in person, you will know that I have been fairly objective and sceptical about my ownership experience, questioning how long it will remain in the household.

Has my opinion changed at all? Not just yet, but it sure is softening from being a pure sceptical and objective view of things. Some emotion is starting to creep in, and every now and then I have a bit of a wry smile thinking about the car.

So, based on this, I’m pleased to say that I look forward to growing the relationship with the car, that the bond will continue to develop. Forthcoming drives will continue to unlock the depth of capabilities of the car and I am sure the feelings will grow.

<Can we have a slow clap for the M3>

My final thoughts: they are not about the M3, but rather my 130i. That car ticks all my boxes, makes me fizz and tingle, and gives me goosebumps every single time I drive it. (You may have also noticed I made no mention of getting goosebumps in the M3 – well it would be unfair to say they are absent, but it is more an occasional experience as opposed to a consistent experience). The M3 may reign supreme amongst the 3-series range, the 130i reigns supreme in my thoughts and in my heart as a Petrolhead. Having been in the family for 14 years means countless memories have been made with the car. This is not a relationship I would want to end anytime soon. My love and loyalties are not that easily swayed, but there is always room to grow and share the love.

Now please excuse me, it’s time to go and be weird and give the 1er a hug and a pat on the roof…
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