WyattH | E90 M3 ZCP

[DanMpower]

Originally Posted by derbo

waiting for you to get another one.

Unfortunately not an E90 but my recently acquired AW E92 on Fox 6MT is almost ready for prime time, currently undergoing a full rejuvenation/maintenance treatment.

[derbo]

Originally Posted by DanMpower

Unfortunately not an E90 but my recently acquired AW E92 on Fox 6MT is almost ready for prime time, currently undergoing a full rejuvenation/maintenance treatment.

Oh I'm not worried you will sell this one abs get an e90 later 😅

[zareff]

Very clean. Love the fact there are no carbon bits sticking out anywhere.

[JIMN9NE]

Nice car. I noticed you went from Dinan to Alpine tune? Currently trying to decide on a tune for myself. Any real differences?

[wyatth]

Thanks! I went the other way around actually. They are a noticeable (albeit mild) upgrade over stock (not sure what version of OE software I had before, presumably not 240E and the difference could be even less versus 240E), but they are about equal between each other. I wouldn't expect much variation between the Stage 1 tunes - pick the tuner, service/support, and features you like more. I plan on sticking with Stage 1 and like the CARB certification, so Dinan was my long term choice.


While I'm here: Last weekend I replaced the cabin filters and hit the system with BG Frigi Fresh. Nothing was funky or visibly dirty yet there but it'd been a few years so figured it was due. I also cleaned the Dinan intake filter which was noticeably dirty after just a few thousand miles. It always cleans up easily and nicely.

[wyatth]

Gave the car a thorough detail and tried out some new gear.








Griot's foamer: I've never used a pressure washer cannon so I can't compare, but this handily beats a sponge in the bucket. Super easy to use, clean, and store; very happy for the ~$50.

Griot's leather cream: Easy to use, smells nice. At first I thought it left the leather a bit glossy for my taste, but after a day it dried to a rich sheen. A week later it's a nice matte and still smells nice. So far, so good.

Griot's ceramic window spray: Eh, not sold on this one. Was a pain to get completely streak free. Not sure if that's because I have the spray vs aerosol, but shouldn't matter. I understand the benefits of ceramic on the outside, but not the inside. At least it was free (recent Griot's promo).

Griot's satin tire shine: Pretty nice, gives a subtle and deep, clean look, not an in-your-face gloss/wet shine. In the garage I wasn't sure it did much at all, but outside it's perfect - rich black, no shine, and light enough it doesn't kick up on the paint at all.

[wyatth]

Went for a romp up Mt. Diablo with Jive. We became friends years ago when I had my E46. His was the first E9xM that I spent much time in, and is a big reason why I have an E90 today. It's always fun swapping keys, and now we each have a few different modifications which makes it more interesting. Pushing up the hill with the Akra Evo was a hoot!

Of course the scenery looks familiar. I have no experience shooting a pair of cars, but the white ZCP twins were a forgiving subject.

[wyatth]

Those of you who have been in the BMW community for some time will be familiar with Beisan Systems (BS). Raj Qubain is an absolute legend when it comes to bulletproofing VANOS issues that plague S52s, S54s, S62s, and other engines. His engineering, manufacturing, and tutorials reduced catastrophic issues to simple and safe DIYs. It’s with great sadness that I share the news of his passing on February 25th.

My interactions with Raj started in 2012 with my E46, when I ordered the full S54 catalog from him: VANOS seals kit, sealing plate, sprocket hub, oil pump disk, solenoid coil pack, and rattle repair kit. Everything was straightforward, performed as expected, and I found Raj’s service to be stellar.





Three years later when I began thinking about an E90, I learned of the throttle actuator woes and realized that the combination of electronic and mechanical issues were squarely in Raj’s area of expertise. I reached out to him and summarized M3Post’s findings, asking if he had any interest in exploring the problem and looking into a solution. He indicated that he might look into it, but that this platform wasn’t yet on his radar. In October of 2021, Raj dug up that old email chain and shared with me that he had been investigating the problem, working on a solution, and would like my help with beta testing.





After he shared the details of his proposed solution, friend and fellow member Johal E32 (Jordan) and I eagerly agreed to test the new BS throttle actuators. Raj partnered with Bimmer Throttle Repair (BTR) out of North Carolina to rebuild the factory electronic boards with new OE transistors (4), an upgraded voltage regulator, a new can bus transistor, more thorough soldering, and very specific testing (including of the eeprom).

The BS gears are made from powder metal steel that is sintered and hardened to 55 HRC and have a surface alloy finish from tempering that deters rusting (in addition to being in a sealed TA housing and next to exposed electronics). The half gear has a pressed in stainless steel shaft that is hardened to 50 HRC and has a ground surface finish. Quite simply, the hardened steel is over engineered for the application, and the gear teeth should never wear. The stainless steel shaft is made from the same stainless steel, and is hardened to the same hardness, as the OE shaft, and should never wear.

The gears and electronic work combined seem par for the course of everything Raj worked on - methodical, comprehensive, overkill. While Raj said I was free to share any/all information with the forums, I had been waiting for an official product release before doing so. The information above is a summary of the BS/BTR solution, and I expect BTR to release the full details in due time when beta testing is complete. There’s a lot more behind it.

A couple of weeks later, 2 sets of gears and electronic boards arrived. Jordan and I cracked open our cars and completed the procedures. As always, the BS tutorial and DIY instructions were on point. This was our first time working on TAs and not only did we get them in/out of the car (a standard DIY), but were able to take them apart, rebuild them, and clean the DC motors. It took us about 5 hours the first time, and closer to 3 hours the second time, in each case going at a very leisurely pace. A major benefit to rebuilding your TAs versus a core exchange is that the brushes in the DC motors will wear out over time and these motors are not available separately, so rebuilding your own TAs allows you to clean and measure these motors, and ensure that you aren’t getting replacement TAs with more wear/miles on the DC motors. My car had just shy of 60K miles at the time, and Jordan’s had 120K total miles, but 60K miles on OE replacement TAs. Neither of us had any issues or symptoms and we were doing this preventively, both of us measured identical (and low) DC motor wear, and both of us noticed ever-so-slightly finer and smoother throttle modulation/tip-in. After 4 months (and some track days by Jordan), everything is holding up perfectly.

Attached are some photos of the process.

@Johal’s MY08 6MT, slicktop, single hump gem.




Plenum off, harness loosened, and ready to snake out the TAs.




If a 3yo can do this, so can you.




The white gear and the black half gear had noticeably worn teeth in all 4 TAs. Plastic gear shavings and carbon dust were visible in the TA housings.






TAs disassembled with the gears removed and housings cleaned out.




DC motors cleaned (simply spray brake cleaner through them to remove carbon buildup from the brush wear).






New gears lubed and installed. Their tightness and fit cannot be explained with words or videos, the feeling is beyond satisfying. The only semi-tricky part is lining up the gears on the spring that provides the tension, but it’s not complicated, and you’ll know if you have it right or not. After that you simply line up the electronic boards and close them up.




Video of the OE actuator movement:

Video of the BS actuator movement: "Like a nice bolt action rifle."

Buttoning it all back up.





Rest in peace, Raj. Your commitment and contributions to this community will forever be remembered.

[bake]

Wow. I remember Raj. I purchased his VANOS kit for my '05 330zhp sedan back in 2010 just after I acquired it. He has always willing to help. RIP

[W///]

Wow, that's so sad to hear about Raj's passing. Never talked to him before, but have used his products on many of my cars and was going to do the same on my Z4M.

Wyatt, thoroughly enjoying your build, the car is gorgeous.

[ilove90m3]

can't agree more

Originally Posted by wyatth

The 359Ms aren't an ideal track wheel, but they will do the job just fine for someone who wants to go occasionally and only has one set of wheels/tires. They are strong, relatively affordable, and readily replaceable. Someone with a dedicated set would surely get some lighter 18s.

[wyatth]

Not much of an update but I just wrapped up a round of maintenance with the car:

• Annual oil change (still using Castrol TWS) + Techron treatment. I'll send a sample out to Blackstone for my first UOA; somewhat meaningless on these engines, but oh well.
• PS fluid (CHF 202, which supersedes the 11S our cars came with). I'll add an overflow reservoir this winter.
• Brake fluid (replaced ATE 200 with Brembo LCF600). Feels the same so far, which isn't a bad thing. Rotors and pads have ~30% life left, will likely replace with Girodisc rotors and Brembo FM1000 pads when due.
• OE coolant + thermostat + upper hose. Thought I had a really slow warm up, but nothing has changed so this probably wasn't necessary.
• Replaced the weather stripping at the bottom of the rear window; one corner had its adhesive failing and was drooping a little.
• Recharged the AC and topped off R134.
• Reset EDC and DCT adaptations (thank you derbo!). I'd noticed the difference between the EDC modes was not as distinct as it used to be, and I was beginning to consider suspension options. But the forum recently discovered the EDC adaptations so we gave that a try. It's back to normal after the reset and I am back to satisfied. No perceptible change from the DCT adaptations.
• General/comprehensive inspection, including of the Fall-Line DCT pan. Happy to see it's still bone dry after 2 years. Slight weep from the passenger side VC, so will plan on VCGs, vanos covers, injectors, plugs, etc. sometime next year. Checked the air filter, still really clean after 4K/1yr so will clean/oil it next year.

And recently added the following:

• OE M Performance carbon splitters. Also adjusted the fitment of the bumper a bit tighter around the hood. These cars have a lot of variance from the factory with hood/grill gaps.
• OE M Performance carbon mirror caps. These are NLA - so thank you SAMM3Y!
• iND alcantara DCT and e-brake boots to match the M Performance wheel.
• OE carpet mats (replaced the OE Performance all season mats).
• Venoxy gauge faces (OE finish/font, 8500 redline, illuminated ///M, and without the KMH ring).
• Swapped out the Nuna Rava for a Diono Radian 3QX booster, of course in black with red.

While giving the interior a refresh with the boots, mats, and gauges, I also removed the MPW to give the alcantara a deep/thorough clean, and painted the stripe red. They only come with a blue stripe, but red fits my car better. I'd used red gaffers tape for a couple of years which did the trick, but I wanted it done right with the leather finish and stitching showing on the underside. It wasn't a hard process with the Angelus products, just a bit tedious. I'm very happy with how it all came out.

[M3_Legend]

One of my favorite E90 on the forums. So clean and simple.

[wyatth]

Gave it a full detail including wash, clay, ceramic wax, dressings, etc. Had some 4yo help as usual (of course I assigned him to the wheels). Same Griot's products as always but I've added a DeWalt 20v blower to the arsenal, which helped quite a bit with drying.







And then promptly went for a drive. Really smitten with the look of the M Performance carbon bits.

[Damage Inc]

Awesome E90. Enjoyed the thread.

I also have an E90 Alpine ZCP. While it looks "clean", I do wish it was more "aggressive" looking. I normally go with black or gray, but found a nice E90 I could not pass up (plus white is so much easier to keep clean).

Came across your thread looking for pics of white E90 M3's with carbon splitters. I've been on the fence to install mine or not... your thread convinced me to install mine this weekend

Keep the thread going... enjoying the updates!

[parkjake50]

That view looks incredible. Wife and I are thinking of Sacramento/Elk Grove/ Roseville area OR DFW. There really is not much going on in Michigan for us to do (esp since we don't have kids).

[wyatth]

Originally Posted by Damage Inc

Came across your thread looking for pics of white E90 M3's with carbon splitters. I've been on the fence to install mine or not... your thread convinced me to install mine this weekend

Keep the thread going... enjoying the updates!

Thanks! White is pretty boring, but classic and low maintenance. Look forward to pictures of yours with the splitters, looking pretty sharp there already!

Originally Posted by parkjake50

That view looks incredible. Wife and I are thinking of Sacramento/Elk Grove/ Roseville area OR DFW. There really is not much going on in Michigan for us to do (esp since we don't have kids).

Good luck with your move! I'd go wherever I had family/friends/work prospects. Otherwise I'd be on a semi-remote island.


---

Blackstone UOA received. Not really sure what I expected or what one can learn from these reports on these engines, but results seem fine.

[M_Torx]

Originally Posted by wyatth

Good luck with your move! I'd go wherever I had family/friends/work prospects. Otherwise I'd be on a semi-remote island.


—-

Blackstone UOA received. Not really sure what I expected or what one can learn from these reports on these engines, but results seem fine.

is the throttle response the same with metal gears compared to plastic or is there not really and mass difference for the DC motor ?

[wyatth]

I thought tip in response was slightly refined, but it could also have been a placebo. But, that's not the reason to change TAs, and I think all TAs use metal gears. The Beisan/BTR units are still holding up well and I think they're a great solution. The procedure has now been added to the Beisan site: https://www.beisansystems.com/proced..._procedure.htm

[Jive]

Originally Posted by wyatth

Gave the car a thorough detail and tried out some new gear.

I definitely know which of your spray cannons I’m less impressed by.

[elliotw44]

lovely E90. Do you have a photo which showcases the illuminating M in the gauges?
You never followed up with thoughts on GTS DCT tune vs CRT DCT tune.

[wyatth]

Originally Posted by elliotw44

lovely E90. Do you have a photo which showcases the illuminating M in the gauges?
You never followed up with thoughts on GTS DCT tune vs CRT DCT tune.

Thanks! Sure thing, photo below. KMH ring removed, 8500 redline, illuminated M.

Regarding the DCT tunes, I swapped from the Alpine GTS DCT tune to the most recent OE GTS/CRT DCT tune. To be honest, I noticed no change at all. I am not sure if there even is any difference given the lack of data behind tunes. I think all aftermarket DCT tunes are based on, if not a copy of, a GTS tune. Supposedly Alpine slows down the shifts a smidge in S6, but I don't feel the OE GTS tune is any faster. We simply can't perceive milliseconds. They're all an improvement and I've not heard of a failure from any of them, so choose whichever flavor you prefer.




-----


In other news, I recently installed a BavSound (BSW) Revenant amplifier. I’ll preface this by saying that I am no audiophile and my hearing is shit, and to be honest I'd be perfectly happy with the factory EPS system. Even the HiFi was acceptable for 95% of my use. The only scenario I feel it's lacking is when driving on the freeway with the windows cracked or down. With that wind noise and the music up loud enough to hear it at all, the HiFi setup would get muddy and sound stressed. I don't like my music loud generally, but that scenario naturally requires some volume. After researching a bit on here, it seemed clear that an amplifier would be the best place to start.

The Revenant is based on the Audiotech Fischer Match Up7 amplifier, which is the same plug-and-play DSP amplifier that Bimmertech's amplifier is based on. The only differences between the three come down to tuning and customer service. The BavSound product (while technically NLA, they do have some new old stock still around) has 2 tune files which can easily be toggled between based on your speakers (stock HiFi speakers vs their Stage 1 speaker kit), but cannot be customized. Given that I have no desire to learn how to tune an amplifier and cannot imagine I'd be able to do it any better than BavSound, that ability did not interest me at all. And I figure if I ever change the speakers, I'd just as well go with their Stage 1 kit. I had the full BavSound setup in my E46 and was happy with it, so it’s a known quantity to me.

So far, the amplifier does seem to cure my issues. It obviously doesn't transform the system into some 20-speaker 2000-watt top shelf setup or something you’d find from the factory in a Rolls or Maybach, but it’s a bit cleaner, broader, and seems to hold those qualities at higher volumes, or at least as loud as I want to go. Installation was a breeze. The bass is noticeably punchier and fuller, too. I didn't really have any interest in changing out the underseat woofers, but now I surely don't. Though I do now want to finish the setup with their speakers, so their Stage 1 speaker kit will go in someday.

The amp comes nicely packaged with all you need: Amp, harness, and HD velcro strips to secure it to the factory bracket.






The factory amp is easy to access, just remove a handful of clips and pull back the trunk liner.




Unplug the harness, unscrew the 4 bolts holding the bracket to the chassis, and remove it all.




Then remove the factory amplifier from the bracket by sliding out 2 pins that hold it in place. Then simply apply the velcro stickers to the BSW amp and the bracket. Reverse the process, screwing the bracket back to the chassis and then connecting the BSW harness to the factory harness and the amp. Put your trunk liner back in place, and voila. I weighed the amps for shits and giggles: HiFi @ 2.1lb, BSW @ 2.5lb.




-----


Annnnd a few random shots while I'm here for an update.