earon

Thanks for the advice Dave, appreciate it! By the way I'm a fan of your E36 M3 (I'm normally not a E36 fan, but your car is always quite the standout!)

I take it you have spent a fair period of time driving each applicable car..and it's just a matter of choice really. In really life it is an absolute mauling (just from first hand experience). I don't necessarily mean any disrespect against you or the E9x M3 I am just lucky to have spent a fair amount of time (a couple of months) with each car and unfortunately the real world isn't a race track ..and the competition mauls the underpowered E9x M3. Also forgot to add a slightly tuned 335i (n54 motor) gives the E9x m3 a good run for it's money. Each to their own sir

Watched it years ago. First hand experience of every respective car would count far more than a top gear video geared towards entertainment purposes for the audience.

E46 M3 CSL most definitely...arguably the single greatest thing bmw has ever rolled out. (On my second M3, it's one of the 275 M3 CS's made and it's a most definitely a mile ahead of the normal E46 M3, however the CSL is and was legendary) totally agree with Andy on the E9X M3, I've spent many many hours driving it, unfortunately it falls flat on its face and gets mauled by the RS4 and C63 AMG.

Yeah I was trying to avoid that route with just the 32mm wrench and hammer and ensure I've got that holding tool on the water pump pulley but looks like I'll have to go there now.

Hi guys, Would anyone in the Auckland region have a fan clutch removal tool (E46 M3) I could hire? I've already bought quite a bit of bmw tooling however certain weather issues in the states have delayed my postage and I'd like to have my project going along on schedule. Thanks Picture attached if reference needed.

I got it with the CSL exhaust system, whether original owner fitted them or optioned them (while in the UK) I can't say for sure unfortunately. quite unfortunate I couldn't get those 18" m3 wheels of you Tom! wanted them dearly for my 323i.. hopefully someone scoops them up, maybe even as a track day reserve set?

Front bumper, headlight trim, indicator lights, fog lamps, rear bumper and diffuser all in for stone chip repair, repaint and glass coat protection. A successful Wednesday

Yeah I have read that too, but this has the CSL spec wheel, with associated BBS part number engraved in the rear face of the wheel. Maybe last owner (original owner) spec'd it up or optioned it from new as that? Not too sure. Wheels look to be cheapest part of project! Haha ..customs are horrendous with charges on the genuine bmw parts I've ordered!

Yeah Mike I'm thinking of keeping it for the foreseeable future..since I'm not moving to Canada now however a F10 M5 or 2012 c63 amg performance package plus is in my plan for later maybe early 2016 maybe depending on depreciation. Replacing the CSL exhaust would be nice.. but I've kept the car completely stock till now, I might continue on that spectrum for now..this would be an awesome time to modify but I'll see I guess. I'll call you when I run into that inevitable problem haha

Absolutely agree mate! That's why I pretty much am changing everything I can haha, I'm only interested in getting access there once and a one time project hopefully. I can only hope all goes well.Car was/is in amazing condition, so hopefully this just builds on it.

Thanks! ..I'll try and take pictures while I'm doing the work but it gets complex as I'm normally really focused at what's on hand. Looking forward to working through it all though, have ordered specialist bmw tools as well..the end product should definitely be special.

My first project post guys... hope I don't do any injustice to all the other amazing projects that have posted here, mine quite clearly pales in comparison to the amazing work of most of the members here. This is my 2nd M3 and we've had a few M cars (2 M5's) in the family so it's not something that's completely alien to me. The M3 CS started off in amazing nick however preventative maintenance is something I'm quite keen on so this is my little project for the next few weeks. Started my wee January 2015 project on the CS (E46 M3), after 2 years of a mutually awesome relationship where engine oil/ filter, cabin/air filter changes were predominantly the norm, I decided it was time to do some extra work. (in addition to diff and gearbox fluid changes that were already done prior). The AC condenser took a bit of damage from the 'amazing' NZ roads we have hence equalling an AC leak and no air conditioning lately, so while ordering the condenser I decided to change a few more things while I'm 'making my way' to the condenser. - New xenon headlight lenses and weather strips - Front bumper repair and repaint from the 10 or so wee stone chips - Rear bumper and rear diffuser repaint depending on condition when I remove it - Removing CSL exhaust (rear and centre sections) and changing up gaskets while cleaning up pipes - New Condenser (of course) - Radiator pressure test and if it fails at all a new radiator - New AC pump - New Water Pump + o-ring - New pulleys and belts - New radiator hoses - New temp sensor + o-rings - New ac lines + o-rings - Replace Receiver Drier - New water valve + o-ring - New expansion valve - Replace fan - Replacing fan clutch - New thermostat + o-ring and genuine bmw coolant (after a thorough coolant flush) - Replace fuel filter - Refurbishing BBS CSL wheels As per what I've planned I've ordered all new bolts, screws and rivets for every component I'm removing and will be re-installing Today's results have been headlight, fog lamp, washer nozzle (this is a retarded part of the car! lol) and associated trim removal in addition to front and rear bumper removal (including diffuser). Did the fuel filter on Saturday arvo...task was successful) Will endeavour to take better pictures and update once parts get here and project continues.

He might as well try and buy the 'DSCOFF' plates off me.. with that much hp and Ryan's constant itch to turn dscoff ..it's bound to be a ton of laughs and tyre rubber haha

That's pretty good information. I guess what concerns me is major repairs, autosure and a few others have say that 10k limit. I'm also looking at the 2012 F10 M5 or a 2012 C63 AMG performance pack plus model so I'd definitely want to cover all the bases with the mechanical insurance..and ensure everything is covered and not things such as (dct gearbox clutches not covered etc etc) Edit: provident insurance sounds pretty good, anything else out there to seriously consider?

Hey guys so with these mechanical warranties being discussed, what are the; -claim limits -excess -and what's it normally cost in terms of coverage for say the span of 2 years etc etc Provident mechanical insurance sounds intriguing, I might change over. I ask these questions because I've been seriously looking at changing from autosure..(which I without exploring options unfortunately signed up for with a dealer a while ago) Thanks in advance Edit: sorry I should have stated my concerns are with claim limits e.g a 10k claim limit and what if the car fails and incurs damages well in excess of 10k

F10 M5 an absolutely amazing car.. also a serial killer in disguise

Ultra rare E31 850csi .. mint condition something like 20 odd thousand kms.. next to my M3 CS Thought I'd share the picture with you all

Hahaha a 525i motorsport touring? Made to look like an e60 m5? that's ridiculous! No this one was a silver coloured car. Quite possibly a rare m5 e61 touring.

E61 M5 anybody? Caught a glimpse of one today around the Airport vicinity.. maybe I was fooled by some modded 540i or 550i touring?

wow awesome! Looking forward to the development and final product.

Definitely mate.. glad you view it that way too! The sedans are a tad rarer too. However good the e9x m3s are, the m4 looks amazing and has been receiving rave reviews. Tristan hope all works out with your m3 mate.

Well with the introduction of the new m3 and m4, maybe give it a year e92 prices will steadily decrease. By the way the e90 sedan m3 definitely looks a whole lot more aggressive than the e92 coupe.. you should consider that in the near future. And EDC is a must with options and get the dct it's sublime! 08s had the introduction of dct amazing gearboxes, reliable too!

I actually looked at the e92 m3s in the UK (12 months ago), sure the price on UK autotrader may look like 20-22,000 GBP when you take into the vat you pay in the UK, shipping, compliance here, the cheapest you're looking at is 50k .. that's for an early 07 version.. which would be silly. I spent 9 months searching through e46 m3s, e60 m5s, e92 m3s, lotus ellise and the Audi rs4 (B7) till I finally found an m3 CS that I decided to bring over with help from a few mates based in the UK. I've had a few M cars.. would advise to give it a few years always.. that's why the early models are cheap and plentiful.. Every intelligent person knows always go for the later models.