central3

Burgundy for me but maybe because this would look good in mine - who is going going to do this done for you and whats the cost?

very good - well done mum - E36 M3 for sale (swap people mover/SUV)

+1 for me

All the gear? Apart from the shims I have all of the gaskets/seals plus the magnetic shim removal tool so yes (dropped the first one I removed - took 20mins to recover - took my time after this)

I’ve spent too much time looking at M3Forum.com and have come down with a bad case of forum paranoia. Lots of posts about broken Vanos oil pump drive tabs and loose cam sprocket bolts. Also a bit of chat about con rod big end bearing failure. Anyway I wanted to do a full service, a valve adjustment check plus a few other jobs so I decided to look at these issues while I was at it. My M3 has 105K km’s on it and has a 1 or so second big end rattle on start up so this added some more reason for checking out the bottom end. I got all of the gear together (apart from the bearings) over a few months. $355 worth of fluids, gaskets and seals. Also brought a short shift kit and a set of wheels spacers (mainly to get the front end looking right), battery and a new centre console Car up on stands and given a thorough clean underneath. Still looking smart after last years make over. Valve clearance check went well (4 out of spec so will need to order shims ex Germany as no stock in NZ). Vanos oil pump drive tabs were fine. Decided against pulling the Vanos apart to check the cam bolts. I had all I needed to do this but you can check for looseness and bolt location (with around 90% surety) from the back of the sprockets. Hi-tech engine support in place. Took around 5 hours to get the bearings out. 2 sets perfect, 1 set marked a bit and 3 sets were pretty worn (white metal worn through to the copper). Glad I did this check - these bearings were replaced in 2005 (16K km's). Time to order a new bearing set (and power steering hose (weeping) plus ancillary belts and 1 x idler) Wheels spacers on and secured (20mm front, 15mm rear)

You missed the CSL for the E46 boys - and the mean pipes on the Isetta - and what about the dude rippng up the Welt staircase?

Wheel spacers, short shift kit, new centre console/tray and battery to be fitted this weekend. Work may over run as I will need to remove the exhaust and drive shaft to get at the gear shift. Haven’t got the BMW tool required to remove the shift lever bearing – may have to make something up. Fitting 20mm front and 15mm rear spacers – the front end of these cars look especially odd, I have read that manufacturers have to do this due to European regulations which require the ability to fit snow chains, don’t know if this is right . Also now have most of the parts together to do my valve adjustment, check the Vanos pump drive hub, check the cam gear bolts and replace my big end bearings. $350 worth of fluids!!

Thinking about coming up for a look - how many BS members will be there?

Welcome - you will have to sort the photo upload - I have considered the E92 wheels but in my opinion they look so similar to the E46 that any significant spend is hard to justify - if I had a set sitting around though I would definitely fit them as the 19' E46 front rims don't appeal to me (high offset results in a huge gap to the wheel arch and the "curl back" spoke looks horrible compared to the rears)

330 with Bilstiens and Eibach spings

I will be in Munich September 16 to 18 - visiting the BMW Welt

Welcome - great 1st car - need some more photos - who did your upholstery

Welcome - did the car come from Palmerston - saw one down there with the BBS rims as per yours

Snow here this morning and the M3 wouldn't start (starter clicky but no turny over). On charge for 7 hours and not looking good. The car has been cranking over noticably slower the past few months so not much doubt the battery is U/S. Queried the dealer - new BMW $445 or $667 for a BMW with AGM technology (stands for Absorbant Glass Matt) unit which they say they "fit to all the modern stuff as they last longer, can cope with deep discharges and colder temps". I imagine a run of the mill battery is around $300 (?) - I am keen on keeping this car top notch but do I spend 1.5 or 2 times more on a battery than I possibly need to?

4 hours away from Auckland so not easy. Raidal play in the diff output shafts is normal. Geoff Gray Palmerston North did the work but they really looked after me. The RCAB are't that hard to do if you have the tool -here is my post on the work I did on my M after purchasing last year

Being a bit nosey but How did the garage pick up the MAF fault? My rear control arm bushes (@100K) were worn/cracked and needed replacing - are the left/right bushes you're talking about front or rear? Steering hose is a common fault - mine is fine but may well have been replaced at some stage My diff side seals were weeping and I had them replaced (as well as the pinion seal) - dealer stuffed up the job by pushing the seals in too far but remidied for me at no cost. What are you having done? SpikeyLemon suggested a valve clearance check - I am currently setting myself up to do this and to check the Vanos oil pump drive hub plus change the cam bolts while I have the cam cover off. The american forums are full of drama about these last 2 items and while I know that only a very small number of (thrashed?) cars are affected I am doing it for peace of mind now I am over 100kms

This is terrible - where are the moderators when you need them ;-)

Buggered if I know - my invoice is the same as yours except my description is AUTO PARTS, the value is 596, frieght is 1 and GST is 89.55

Regarding the comment that the charges/GST are based on the total cost - my charge was based on the invoiced US$ cost less frieght divided by the exchange rate

I brought some gear from Turner Motorsport in the US to do my valve adjustment. Got picked up by NZ Customs for importation of Auto Parts (GST and duty = NZ$130 on NZ$750 of purchases). I have brought stuff from the states on 4 previous occasions but have never been hit with this. What is your experience - have I just been picked up on a random basis or is this normal? I am on the verge of another order so need to know whether this is likely to happen again

Very hard to tell from the video but my old E46 330 had a faulty DISA unit. It had a deep knocking noise at idle - $502.14 to replace - ouch but fixed it

This looks very nice - what rims are these?nice

Thanks - yes but hoping that someone has the gear in NZ - ~US$565 for kit and all gaskets from Turner MS

Bump

Does anyone have the gear (valve stem shim set and the removal/refitting tool) to carry out the cam follower adjustment. Would be looking to borrow/pay or purchase.