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So here is an update with some snapshots. The last of my parts should be arriving in the next day or 2 and i cant wait. Notice the wear on the lower cover from the chain, i count my lucky stars that wasnt any worse than it is. Even ordered the wrong water pump, but that was just peventative maintenance and can wait a little longer to be replaced. So far i have replaced the oil seperator, pcv tube, ccv and all associated intake gaskets, valley pan gasket re sealed and a new oil pump chain. The amount of guide pieces i have pulled out of every orrifice of this engine is just crazy, its as if a grenade went off in there, the alloy filings are another pain in the butt although the filter captured most of it thankfully. At least it feels like im on the home stretch now with every surface and orifice cleaned up and ready to accept the new parts.

New Year. New Update! After getting the car back home it was time to start fresh and sort out what needed to be done. First off i knew that the sump had a pinhole leak in it that needed to be sorted so the front end, suspension, subframe and cooling system was stripped back again to remove that to be re-welded, while i was at it i replaced the waterpump that was also leaking. A new clutch line was also routed up and over the gearbox, to keep it away from the headers, and the accelerator cable shortened and finished up with all the correct clips and grommets. After a couple of months everything was bolted back up and the car was taken to Sam Smith, of Smith Industries, to get a couple things tided up and fabricated, this included a slight change to the rear exhaust tips, a cold air box, a sump bash plate, heat shielding around the headers and a battery hold down in the boot. His work is amazing and id definitely recommend anyone who needs some fabrication done of any kind, for a good deal, to contact him. Once the car was back home it was time to tidy up the wiring side of things, as this had been worked on by a couple of others over the last few years. Local guru Nigel from Ignition Autosport was enlisted to undertake this job. While this was being done, the cooling system and necessary sensors were also completed and fluids checked before it was fired back up and ready for its first drive under its own power! A crack in the power steering reservoir was discovered, so a new one was ordered before this could happen. Coolant return hose and washer fluid hose from the rear bottle are neatly hidden away inside the front guard. A few parts were starting to accumulate over time, like the fresh bumper trims, thanks to fellow touring owner Dylan HJ, some small goodies from overseas and another set of perfect smileys from a local guy who didn't know the value of them, also thanks to Andy, Lucan, Richard (e46v12), Mike from EuroTurbo for the help over the last 9 Months sourcing small things. With things not going smoothly at times, photos like this just remind me how far things have come, and how it will all be worth it! First drive under its own power! IMG_4022.mp4 IMG_4198.mp4 IMG_4201.mp4 With the car running and no issues so far, panel and paint was on the list to get ticked off. So a few long weekends were spent striping it all and documenting, labelling etc so i knew how to put it all back together! DJI_0007.mov Watch this Space....

so let me get this right...you drove 419 km and nothing happened but bmw dont care?Who for the record is "BMW"

Once the tyre is flat, generally you can travel up to 80km at a speed of 80kph before the sidewall of tyre breaks down and requires replacement. Which in most cases is enough to get the next town or garage but not always M3's dont come on runflat tyres unless someone has retrofitted them. And if it is a new one still under warranty then BMW roadside assist will come pick it up with no charge

Don’t let the facts ruin a good thread..

nothing like playing insurance roulette eh? From having your claim denied, insurance cancelled, and even a permanent record with the insurers, due to undisclosed modifications? No thanks. You might enjoy that game; I could not recommend it. "have you ever had insurance cancelled or refused?" An insurance record lasts forever. YMMV.

Happens more than you think Yes you can, as long as it's not in the sidewall or in the edge. Same as a normal tyre.

With the previous headers from Ergen Motorsport in the UK not fitting as planned after we changed the mounting configuration, they were onsold and a full set of custom stainless headers and exhaust was completed by Gaz from LDS Fabrication, i went with a 2.5" system with 2 Borla buffers which have the crossovers inside of them, it is a little loud so will see if i have to quieten it down for cert closer to the time. To keep things cool I'm running the Mishimoto e36 Aluminium radiator, cheers to Neil from 41 Automotive for sourcing this for me. I just couldnt resist a quick bolt up to see what the finished product will look like! The small details, like notching the strut tower support for the stainless line from the coolant expansion tank adds to the overall tidiness of the install and Kerrys attention to detail.