M3AN

Codes Edit: now I use INPA (BMW software) and get more reliable codes. As I discuss in this thread I have also had a #78, #36 and #169 code that I need to understand and investigate. I'm pretty sure I shouldn't need somebody to endlessly swap out parts, drive, check codes and tell me they can't find the problem (I can do that myself). I don't mind paying to have it "solved" but nobody seems willing to give me a fixed price to diagnose the problem... And I'm not willing to drop it off to find that $500 and two days later I know nothing more than I do now. Open to suggestions... (but perhaps reply to this thread instead if you do have ideas).

Rear Spoiler Stop Light Mine was cracked right down the middle, leaking and rusting. Picked up a good condition one from Ray and slotted that in without any drama. $30 and 5 mins. At the same time I noticed that my spoiler has a scratch on the back of it which bums me out but it can wait. I just want somebody to throw a brick through my rear window so I can get an insurance replacement (no excess on glass) that doesn't have the redundant stop light. I'll need a compatible parcel shelf of course but that shouldn't be too difficult and would look much better. Although I often think e36's look good (from the side, not the rear) without the spoiler...

More Interior A few things not really on my list but driving me crazy anyway were a missing horizontal slat in my centre aircon vent, loose internal door panels and a broken mount for the warning triangle in the trunk. I fixed the aircon vent with a bit of cumbersome effort, that thing's a bitch to get out. I purchased a whole new (used) unit from Ray (they're not cheap, even old, filthy, seized ones!) because I thought I might need to replace the whole thing. Luckily I discovered I could swap bits out without complete removal. Although even partial removal was a PITA I managed to replace the missing pin and broken slat and am happy with the results. $60 plus a trip to Silverdale and an hour of cursing but it's fixed now. The warning triangle mount was driving me crazy, the forward mount had been pulled from the trunk ceiling by a careless valet and the tiny clip was ex-Germany and unavailable in single units. To the best of my knowledge that clip and cap (51478117523 and 51711934930) is not used anywhere else in the car... nowhere (seriously BMW?). So in the end I used plastic versions of these that I picked up from Bunnings and chopped the pointy ends off, even more secure that the OEM part now... $5 and 5 mins. And now that I've done both doors I'm pretty happy. Both now close with a reassuring BMW thud and absolutely no rattle! It's seriously like the car sounded as new when I slam the doors, I'm pretty happy with this. EDIT 21 Jan: EPIC FAIL SEE THIS POST When I removed the door panel both lower pockets and the top bracket remained attached to the door! The only thing holding the panel on was the Torx screws and the side clips, all of the glue had failed including some on the side brackets... no wonder they rattled! I used this DIY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GghftCXKaDA And carefully hot glued everything back together and replaced all of the clips: I'm pretty impressed with how solid it all feels now. $30 (gun + glue + clips) and 2 hours to get both doors done really well.

So I lied a little and didn't do the clutch hose next, I'll revisit that in the new year. Since I'm 'The Transporter' this holiday period for four 16 year old girls I thought it best to get the stereo sorted. Everything was a mess so we stripped out the dash, centre console and rear seats and installed a Clarion head, Alpine amp and JBL components front and rear. I left the sub out for the time being because I'm going to need luggage space. I stuck with the head unit I had in a box because 1) it was there 2) it has multiple colours including a custom setting which you can match nearly exactly to the BMW amber and 3) because it's feature packed including a record feature for capturing stuff off radio, CD's or AUX and it's dual zone if I ever want to put a screen in the back somewhere. Turned out sweet.

I walked into a dealer in DE and picked it up on special. Part number 65 41 2 166 411. There's also one available with two USB slots. Will fit better in more modern BMW's I think but it's a good design and has a built in grab handle for easy extraction. Yes, seats are on the list. I'm going to see Retro in the new year to discuss options but I imagine I'll be swapping the seats over left-to-right at some time anyway to even out the harm.

I also added this decal which is slowly growing on me actually... I'm not usually one for decals and we'll see how I feel about this in Feb/Mar... I like this photo though...

Some Interior My gear knob was disgusting so I installed the ZHP one which is just fantastic, it's shorter and weighted and really improves the shift movement and engagement. Just get one. Also thanks to tips and advice here on Bimmersport I purchased Top Gaiters shift and handbrake leather boots with M coloured stitching. After initially being concerned about the fit I'm now quite satisfied and think it all looks quite good together. I also picked up a BMW USB Adapter for EUR8 but it sucks for the E36. I thought it would fit but BMW have obviously retreated from the shallow lighter of the E36 and this thing is a little too long to sit securely in the lighter socket. It's functional but doesn't look "standard" enough for me to keep it plugged in which was my intention. And it wobbles about.

Window Trim As per most E36's I've seen the window trim starts to fall apart over time. I find the worst to be the rear vent window trim but also noticed that the lower windshield trim is rooted and the bottom tabs on the upper rear window trim was also stuffed. Rear Window Trim: Fixed: That was pretty easy to do, took about 30 mins including a good clean of the crevice once the old trim was out. Cost me EUR11 all up. If you're doing this then be careful of the black tar-like adhesive that comes pre-applied, it's a bugger to clean off hands and surfaces. I recommend reinstalling from one top corner to the other then pressing the sides in, this allows for the best alignment I found. Vent Window Trim I didn't get pics of the old trim here but it was in shocking condition. As I removed both the upper and lower trim it simply disintegrated in my hands. This took me about an hour each side and the results are stunning, so much of an improvement. I could probably do it in less time now that I know all the tricks but I didn't want to rush this job and get it wrong and I spent AGES cleaning up under the old trim and removing all the adhesive so I got a near factory finish. I did note that BMW don't clear coat to the edge of the paint under that trim which I found interesting and this explains why some of my clear is chipping off right at the edges. This cost me EUR18 per side.

It Begins So the process of rejuvenating my car has begun now that I'm back in the country for a while. As above I sourced a lot of stuff from Germany when I was living over there and brought that back with me (thank goodness for 56kg of luggage allowance on Emirates, I used nearly all of it and MAF didn't even x-ray my bags!). I've not had a lot of time leading up to Christmas nor will I have much until the new year so I've just tooled around and done some basic things that have good bang-for-the buck. First up was a warrant and rego, wow registration is expensive now. Got the warrant with 3mm/3mm/3mm/3mm tread so that was lucky, will need new tyres for the next one obviously. Second up was a good wash and polish... wash completed but the polish is still waiting because 1) it was too hot out and 2) I needed a beer. So she'll get another wash and then a proper polish in the coming days. I also fixed my slow retracting driver side seat belt... seems like lots of opinions on the web but no firm answers, possible everybody has a different problem. My problem turned out to be that the b pillar trim was a little proud of the actual pillar causing the belt to rub. Removed the trim, adjusted the clip at the bottom, remounted the trim (a real PITA if you want to get that bottom clip on correctly) and voila, seat belt retracts at an acceptable speed.

So I thought I'd start a plog to document some of the things I'm doing to my car now that I've decided to return to NZ for the time being. I'll probably end up needing this thread to remember all the things I want to do. I was going to call this a "Tidy Up" thread but euroriffic already took that for his cool thread here which I took much inspiration from. Vehicle is a 9/96 Estoril Blue on Lotus White manual coupe, 3.2. Years ago now it picked up a Remus exhaust, carbon intake and BBS 18" RC's and I'm very happy with the combo. She also has aluminium doors from the Lightweight model as well which is a bonus. It's in "tidy" condition but far from mint and I want to see what I can do to bring her up to spec. 2021 Edit: Much better now, just a few more projects, mainly the original interior, and she'll be ship shape, drives like a dream. In no particular order I want to (or have completed): Get the wheels stripped, smoothed and refinished. (done, finally!) e46 (purple tag) steering rack (done) New steering tie rods (done, including adaptation for E46 rack) Z3 1.9 steering rack (done - adapted tie rods replaced with stock items) Paint needs a touch up in some spots and the clear coat is coming off a corner of one door Restore/recover front seats (some fixes applied) New shocks (done: Bilstein B8) New springs and spring pads (done: Eibach Pro Plus) New swaybars and bushes (done: Eibach Pro Plus) New OE front swaybar end links (done) Front X-Brace (done) Front strut tower bar (done) Vibra-Technics engine mounts (done) RTAB + RSB reinforcements (done) 3 spoke steering wheel (done) ZHP shift knob (done) BMW USB charger for lighter socket (done - waste of time) Braided clutch hose (done) New glove box (done) Drivers door side molding is cracked (done) New headliner, rear shelf and A, B, C pillars (all done) Replace slider clips for front windows (preventative) VANOS full rebuild w/seals and rattle kit (done) Suspension reinforcement plates (done - Rally Road RTAB and sway bar reinforcements + Z3 rear shock tower reinforcements) Rear side window weather stripping (done) Rear window weather stripping (done) Rewire stereo (done, new head, amp and speakers) Fix aircon control capacitor (done) Fix aircon itself, doesn't blow cold, need to diagnose... 3.62 diff CW&P (from e46 M3) (done) Diff seals, plugs and bolts. (done) Poly RTAB's (done - SuperPro) Laser alignment (done) Replace plastic panel under wipers (done) Fix/replace slow retracting seat belt on drivers side (done) New leather shift and hand brake boots with ///M stitching (done) Fix loose front door cards/clips (done) White LED interior lights (done) Replace spoiler stop light, original is cracked and leaking (done) Braided brake lines (done) New belts (done) Tensioners and pulleys (done) New water radiator, pump, thermostat, lines and gaskets (done) New front wheel well liners (done) New front undertray assembly (done - Turner Motorsport) I've already fixed some other bits and replaced various tools, screws, caps and covers so the car's pretty complete but there's still lots to do. I've also purchased a code tool and cable so we'll see what that turns up to add to the list. Most of this stuff shouldn't be too expensive and I'll be seeing how much I can do myself over summer because I'm not likely to be working for a little while. Have lots of parts waiting in NZ for me and I am bringing back this collection that I picked up from Germany (should be enough panel clips to last a lifetime).

EDIT: OLD AD SEE POST DATES, NOT CURRENTLY FOR SALE Hi there, I'm moving overseas so unfortunately my M3 has to go... it's a truly fantastic car, check out the TradeMe classified and email me questions or an offer. There's a bargain to be had here. Classified Ad - Click Here Happy to hear your opinions on price. Dave