Need to figure out how bad my bearings are

[bmwlover0725]

Originally Posted by Assimilator1

I did say not to leave the clutch much longer! lol, sorry to hear about the extra costs though.

How did you blow up the pressure plate though? A 'few' over enthusiastic clutch drops?

Amazing the engine is still going nicely though!

Yeah, new trans has low mileage though and I practically stole the entire repair at under 1800 all in with labor. I just hit 184k yesterday which puts me around 21k miles or something like that on the bearings.

[Assimilator1]

Sounds good

Annual mileage dropping? Just 1k in 5 mths, mind you, that's still more than I've managed this year! lol

[Assimilator1]

Been a few months, how's it going?

[bmwlover0725]

Originally Posted by Assimilator1

Been a few months, how's it going?

187k and going strong! I should note that I drive the PISS out of this car. I drive it like the stereotypical BMW driver would. I'm amazed at how durable it is. I did blow a clutch and the pressure plate tore apart the trans housing so I replaced it with one that had 112k on it and did a new clutch for under 2k in total with labor. Other things I've done is rebuilt throttle actuators after my second set went bad, replaced my radiator and fan after that blew up and destroyed the radiator, replaced belts after they ripped up on me, replaced two ballasts, and the list goes on but it's small stuff otherwise. I change the oil every 7-10k and basically wait until things fail as you can see. I know it sounds stupid, but this has become a beater. It's way long been paid for and I just enjoy the driving experience it brings me. My idea is to make this fun project since we have other cars. I'm considering taking it to a school body shop and just having it painted under supervision of a professional. It really wont bother me if it isn't perfect and I think it would be fun to give a bunch of young guys a chance to work on a fun car. If the paint peels, then whatever. If that goes well, I'll probably restore some parts such as suspension which is really the only thing I haven't touched in this car and call it a day. To each his own I suppose because I'll probably be roasted for this. Rest assured, my next fun car will be a newer E92 M3 anyway.

[Assimilator1]

Belts ripped up? Didn't you hear squealing or screeching beforehand?

and basically wait until things fail as you can see.
Err, yea that's not a good policy , costs you more in the long run, like having to replace the transmission, instead of just the clutch assembly.

Not sure why you'd let the paintwork potentially be ruined, let the students practice on old bangers, not a decent car

Good to hear it's still running well!
I always forget what mileage you put the new bearings in.... [edit] 162k, so you've done 25k on those bearings, amazing!

[bmwlover0725]

It's been a while since I posted here. I'm going to finally conclude my part of this thread with a somewhat detailed story of my journey - sorry in advance for the long read:

I had this car for over seven years. I got it for $16400 as-is at auction with multiple issues. I was able to fix it all for under $1000. The only mods I ever had were a BPM tune (would never go with anyone else on a BMW) and being catless. Rod bearings and the transmission issue totaled about $4k in repairs and were the bulk of what was ever done. I probably had about 7k in the car with maintenance and all. That puts me owning this car at about $23k.

Back in June, I decided that I was done debating if I wanted to fix the valve cover gaskets and do some other maintenance that I had neglected, but that it wasn't too late for. I sadly decided to sell the car and got $11k for it with almost 190k on the clock when I parked it for the last time. The way I see it, it's like I owned this car for over seven years for about $12k. I'm very happy with that for the joy it brought me.

So what car did I get? Well, I ended up with a 2018 Focus RS. I always promised myself I'd never own a 4-cyl, but I've always wanted a turbo and AWD with a rear wheel bias makes for a helpful, but very fun car during NY winters. I'll put it this way, it's far from being an M3, but it's something totally different from anything I've owned so I'm happy.

The E92 M3 is one of the greatest cars ever made. I have no doubt whatsoever that I will go back to one of these at some point. The fact that I drove almost 30k on this crank will forever astonish me. The sound, the driving dynamics - all breathtaking.

Unfortunately, I have to end this on somewhat of a sad note. I have been looking for my VIN and finally came across it last week. My only hope was that someone might get this and give it the attention it needed, or that some younger kid would have the coolest car ever for a short period and it could go down serving it's purpose to them. Sadly, it was sold at a US auction and shipped overseas to Ukraine. Ironically and to my surprise, it sold for $16500 ($100 more than I originally paid several years back with almost 60k less miles). Not the first place I would have chosen lol, but I'm glad I had the fun that I did.

Take care M3 community! I appreciate everyone's help while I owned this vehicle. I've mostly been a lifelong BMW owner and I've always gone back when I made the mistake of leaving, so I'm sure I'll see you all when that feeling hits me again and I go buy another one.

Cheers

[Assimilator1]

Thanks for the update mate, amazing that it was still going well (presumably) with 28k on those bearings!
Interesting that it shipped abroad, and surprising that it went to Ukraine! I hope it and the new owner are safe..... (I hope we don't it see it on news footage from missile strikes going on over there ).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your new car! What colour is it btw? Got a link to any pics?