Manda Marza's Pictoral Journal Thread

[Manda Mew]

Update on feel after rod bearing replacement.

Engine absolutely idles / revs more smoothly. This service definitely added some 5 series DNA to the car. The more I think about it the more I'm happy I got it done, and thankful to have Malek do the job. I will take pics of next oil change, I anticipate the metal flakes will be a thing of the past.

Also, here might be a quick way to tell if your engine mounts are shot (aside from having a noticeably rougher ride):

Notice the gap between these 2 pieces
Old Engine Mounts


Its hard to notice, but the gap is bigger, you can fit a finger in the gap now. Definitely not scientific but its something to look for
New Engine Mounts



Next mod will probably be replacing the front felt pieces in the undercarriage with the metal plate. Trying to decide between the Turner plates and the one I saw on these forums before from Deansbimmer. My current ones are so destroyed its embarrassing.

[Manda Mew]

Here's some more pics of mine and Malek's car!





PS photo credit is not me, its Arash.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Yes definitely figured engine turnover and shifting was from mounts. Can't believe my last ones were so bad. I just thought it was part of having an M3!!



Haha that's why I posted so many pics!!
And its odd, when I bought the car it was still on the original brake pads with almost full life on them.. So I figured it was driven softly. And the dealer history showed a lot of oil changes, but definitely not 5k intervals that I will be doing from now on.

Guess driving softly could still include rough warm up, and of course the infamous tolerance stack up may have played tricks as well. Anyways, car's back in shape!

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Guess driving softly could still include rough warm up, and of course the infamous tolerance stack up may have played tricks as well. Anyways, car's back in shape!

Ya and the phone name that was linked to the car was ‘Baby Doll’s iPhone’. For some reason I don’t think someone who names themselves Baby Doll warms up their car properly.

[KevinGS]

Nice job on the subtle mods, MM... Car looks great!

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Next mod will probably be replacing the front felt pieces in the undercarriage with the metal plate. Trying to decide between the Turner plates and the one I saw on these forums before from Deansbimmer. My current ones are so destroyed its embarrassing.

+1 for DeansBimmer

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Ya and the phone name that was linked to the car was ‘Baby Doll’s iPhone’. For some reason I don’t think someone who names themselves Baby Doll warms up their car properly.

Haha, maybe you're right!

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Nice job on the subtle mods, MM... Car looks great!



+1 for DeansBimmer

Damn I like your E93!

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Damn I like your E93!

Thanks. I want a brake upgrade next, when it's time to replace my rotors. What was your final decision on the WP Pros? Did you remove them, or do you still have them?

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Thanks. I want a brake upgrade next, when it's time to replace my rotors. What was your final decision on the WP Pros? Did you remove them, or do you still have them?

I think for the money you’ll find better brakes out there. I still have them on though.

[M3_Legend]

Which bearings did you for with. WPC OR Vac. PS I've been. Long time follower or your car in Instagram and M3post love your car.

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

I think for the money you’ll find better brakes out there. I still have them on though.

I don't necessarily need "better" as I don't drive all that hard on a regular basis to need great brakes...so it's all about the appearance for me. I'm just vain.

Yours look pretty good, but I also need them to be fairly quiet (no squealing and such). Reading the thread, it sounds like yours have an interesting sound.

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

I don't necessarily need "better" as I don't drive all that hard on a regular basis to need great brakes...so it's all about the appearance for me. I'm just vain.

Yours look pretty good, but I also need them to be fairly quiet (no squealing and such). Reading the thread, it sounds like yours have an interesting sound.

Okay so they have since updated the sawblade rotor design since I got mine to eliminate the sound that I’m getting. Without that sound, the brakes are no louder than a factory 991 911 C2S. Maybe a tad bit quieter. I don’t think you’ll have the same issue I’m having. Eventually I’ll upgrade to the new rotor design but have a hard time pulling the trigger since mine are so new! Completely understand the appearance aspect. My brakes are the first thing people comment on in person!

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by M3_Legend

Which bearings did you for with. WPC OR Vac. PS I've been. Long time follower or your car in Instagram and M3post love your car.

Hey! Thank you so much!!!! My m3 followers are my favorite followers. What’s your IG? I typed in M3_Legend but pretty sure that’s not you..
I went with MRF’s recommended gear:
Clevite (CT-1 Anti-Friction Coated) Extra Clearance Rod Bearing Set
ARP S65B40 Rod Bolt Set (not off the shelf ARP hardware)

[///Master]

The shots of your and Malek M3's are just amazing. Check out my page some time and return the like if you feel :P @motivem3

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Hey! Thank you so much!!!! My m3 followers are my favorite followers. What’s your IG? I typed in M3_Legend but pretty sure that’s not you..
I went with MRF’s recommended gear:
Clevite (CT-1 Anti-Friction Coated) Extra Clearance Rod Bearing Set
ARP S65B40 Rod Bolt Set (not off the shelf ARP hardware)

Hi Manda, that is the "aged 625" bolt is it (201-6001)? Just curious what they recommended.

Thx

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Okay so they have since updated the sawblade rotor design since I got mine to eliminate the sound that I’m getting. Without that sound, the brakes are no louder than a factory 991 911 C2S. Maybe a tad bit quieter. I don’t think you’ll have the same issue I’m having. Eventually I’ll upgrade to the new rotor design but have a hard time pulling the trigger since mine are so new! Completely understand the appearance aspect. My brakes are the first thing people comment on in person!

Thanks! I kind of like the rotor design, so I'll do some research into the ones you have. I may buy yours, so you can buy the other ones you want. Let me do some research...

[M3_Legend]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Hey! Thank you so much!!!! My m3 followers are my favorite followers. What’s your IG? I typed in M3_Legend but pretty sure that’s not you..
I went with MRF’s recommended gear:
Clevite (CT-1 Anti-Friction Coated) Extra Clearance Rod Bearing Set
ARP S65B40 Rod Bolt Set (not off the shelf ARP hardware)

Thanks on IG I'm Bavarian_legends

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Hi Manda, that is the "aged 625" bolt is it (201-6001)? Just curious what they recommended.

Thx

Hey! I'm honestly not sure what any of that means. All I know is they prevent installation error like the stock bolts allow. I highly recommend reaching out to Malek@MRF for more info!

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Thanks! I kind of like the rotor design, so I'll do some research into the ones you have. I may buy yours, so you can buy the other ones you want. Let me do some research...

Email me at themandamew@gmail.com if you are indeed interested

Originally Posted by M3_Legend

Thanks on IG I'm Bavarian_legends

Followed!

Originally Posted by ///Master

The shots of your and Malek M3's are just amazing. Check out my page some time and return the like if you feel :P @motivem3

There's a lot more where that came from!
And followed! I love your color and side skirts

[Manda Mew]

Here's some more goodies:


I was playing around with PS after Arash's edit and removed all the random legal lettering on the tires. Looks so much more clean like that.
Btw whatever weird factory coating was on those PS4S' is finally gone and it takes tire dressing better now.
I love love love the PS4S. Especially ever since it started raining in SoCal. They feel so good. Noticeable difference compared to PSS.

And of course the holy grail of M3's (I swear my page is half filled with Malek's car)

[aus]

Congrats on the boards and the baby.
Get the biggest vehicle you can get. At least X5 size. That little guy will take up a TON of space. Might as well pop another 1-2 kids out to get it over with, but then you're looking at a van. Rear facing baby seats and 3rd rows in SUV's are a TERRIBLE combo. We call the van the kids car since we both have our own cars too.

Did you get VibraTechnic engine mounts? They seem to hold up better than OEM but a TINY bit of vibration, only if you're looking for it.

Have you considered a high kick spoiler? I think the car needs it to balance the front spoiler.
Keep us updated.
.

[admranger]

+1 for the deansbimmer front under tray. Had it installed on mine old E90M3 when I had the AC compressor bearing fail on my cross country drive and towed the car from Oak Ridge, TN to McKinney, TX to get the work done.

[BartM3]

Originally Posted by Manda Mew

Do I feel the difference? Its day and night. Here are a couple impressions I've gotten so far:
Engine startup, shutdown, and shifting is sooooo much smoother now. It feels a lot less raw than before. Engine startup especially, feels Bentley smooth with how it turns over. A lot of this might be due to engine mounts.
The revs are a lot smoother. I'm not talking about bouncing revs at idle, it just sounds like a lot smoother engine throughout the rev band. I had the same sensation when I installed my VR ECU tune. It feels more non-M if that makes sense. Again, less raw. Also, engine sounds a bit quieter, especially at idle.
Engine runs noticeably colder. On average it looked like -10 to -5 degrees on the engine oil temp.

It was expensive, yes. And I can't help to think about all the other things I could've bought with all that money. But now I feel like the car is better than new. The peace of mind is there, and now I look at the car differently. Like it will be sticking with me through thick and thin as cheesy as that sounds. I'm happy I did it and can't wait for the next 50k miles with this car!

So happy to read your experience after having the bearings and the engine mounts done. I just got my car back last Wednesday after having the bearings and the engine mounts replaced and felt the exact same thing: it runs so much smoother (but I thought I was making it up)!

Thanks for sharing!!!