KwS

Used the valvoline on all my past BMWs with no ill effects. You also need to remember that the 10W60 was only recommended for M3s AFTER the E46 came out, and didnt exist when the S50 was in production. The owners handbook doesnt specify a viscosity unless in a harsh climate. There is a huge amount of debate on the interwebs, with no solid answer on which oil is actually good for the S50, but the camps are generally split between 10W60 and 5W40. Its also well documented that in the S50 thicker oils result in higher oil temps, and more top end noise (both of which i have noted are reduced now running 5W40). FYI Castrol SAF-XJ is the old name for Syntrax Limited slip. Its the same stuff. Going from that its cheaper at BMW than Mercedes, and Merc doesnt do bottles bigger than 500mls. Good thing i didnt pay retail.

Did the sedans come with the lip, or was it like the vaders, and just not fitted?

Both previous owners. Its NZ New, and i think only two owner (now three).

Hi All, You some of you may have seen in my project thread, i discovered today that my M3 has had the Cats removed and replaced with resonators. I also noticed that both of the O2 sensors appear to be missing. There are two plugs tucked away next to the tans/drive shaft which i presume are for the O2 sensors. I dont have a CEL. My car is a late 1993 build. Being this early, does it need the O2 sensors, or could it have come without them? I dont know if the car has been coded to eliminate the O2 sensors. Removing the cats is OK as my car is too early to have post cat sensors, but having no pre-cat sensors is a mystery to me. Real OEM shows two sensors. If they have been removed, should i not have a CEL? Also, if i wanted to add then, can i? How can i tell if the DME has been coded to remove them?

You can get them from the dealer or pelican too, but all the overseas ones have stupid freight charges on them. Was hoping someone might have a spare in NZ they would part with. Ill probably hit the dealer up next week.

i love Dakar. Looks very tidy, although its almost E46 money now. I wish the sedans came with vaders and without the woodgrain, would be prefect.

ugh, ash tray full of butts. Maybe natural selection took its course with this car?

You'd be surprised actually. I have a massive folder of receipts and service history, including regular services. Why the oils were wrong, and over filled, im not sure, but it was regularly changed. Its also had a lot of other work like suspension, bushes, brakes etc. Other than the vanos, there is really nothing that is more than cosmetic. Even then the vanos is just noise (and maybe a little loss of power), and in terms of noise its pretty minor (going from the tube of you videos of noisy vanos's). E: Yes, Castrol Syntrax Limited Slip 75W140 is what BMW specs the plate type LSD for, and its what i have used. Its a great fluid, im impressed already. I think BMW sells it, but repco and BNT dont. I got mine from work, which was Mercedes, as its also used in the latest AMG diffs.

Havent had an update in a few days... So today, was Fresh Fluids Friday!!!!! Started early (about 10am, thats early for a public holiday!), and it took a good 3-4 hours by the time i rolled the car out of the garage. Diff oil, trans oil and engine oil all drained filled and filter changed. Had some small issues, like the bungs on the diff being crazy tight, so much celebration was had when i broke them loose. I also had issues filling the trans, as my suction gun decided it didnt like pumping ATF and stopped working. Thankfully the diff oil bottles were awesome and had spouts, so i filled one with ATF, attached the hose from my suction gun to the spout, and away i went. Trans definitely didnt have ATF in it (despite the huge orange "ATF ONLY" sticker next to the fill hole), and the engine was over filled by about 1.5L. No pics of the work in progress, far too messy (and smelly, ugh diff oil) for that. A few hundred dollars of oil Hovercar. Bilstein and braded lines Front to back Back to front Awesome oil bottle And some fancy bits i had to buy as i needed a 14mm Hex socket for the diff plugs I did note a few things whilst under the car. Firstly, it looks like its being mud bugging before i got it, so much mud coating the underside. Secondly, the cats are gone. Both have been removed and resonators fitted instead. Guess this explains the increased noise over standard. Also noted that both the O2 sensors are completely missing. Pretty common thing to do on the old ones, but not sure why its not throwing a code (no CEL on, and CEL works). Might look at refitting them at some point. In summary, Diff is good now, silent like new. Cant recommend that Castrol Syntrax Limited Slip enough, its good stuff. Gearbox is smoother, but still a little notchy, but its a 20 year old car, so good enough (no grinding, crunching etc). Engine feels a bit freer, and feels more powerful but this is likely just a placebo. Vanos still rattles, so that will need a rebuild to shut it up. Oil temps are lower by about 5-10c (also a common thing going to a lighter weight oil).

yeeeah boi. Will PM later.

Hi I thought i would try here before hitting up the dealer. Im after a 5 speed ZHP knob, PN 25117896031. Must be good condition. Cheers

the wheels and racing stripes can GTFO imo.

Any updates on the plates broski?

ive read his thread, but i believe it was a dual vanos 3.2 he did, not the single vanos 3.0 i have

Has anyone rebuilt the Vanos on an S50B30 engine? Ive done it on an M52, as it was OK but removing, refitting and doing the anti-rattle kit on the S50 seems much more complicated. Is it actually as hard as it looks to remove and refit the vanos unit and not have the timing on the piss?

On an S50B30, with the older metal cap on the oil filter housing. How does one remove the cap? Im used to the newer plastic cap which just screws off. Do i just undo the screw in the middle and the cap comes off?

Oh that is very nice!

For The Win

And according to my owners manual, the M3 is one of them. Hope its only used for a bike rack!

A couple of better pics of the interior with arm rest.

good sh*t, love all these M3s coming into the Bimmersport family.

knew it

Am i correct in saying that the two button key is an infrared key used on jap imports, whilst the NZDM ones had the 3 button radio key? This has been the case on my previous BMWs. My old JDM E46 323i (pretty low spec) had a interior boot release button, as did my JDM E39 525i. Both had the two button key, with no remote boot release on key.

So you have said a dozen times. Your purchase wasnt a regular tardme sale (where prices on average would be higher than buying from friend/family), and your car has very high KM. A good buy, no doubt, but an exception, not the rule. In saying that, the username of the black M3 winner looks familiar. It isnt also a forum member, is it?

Interwebs say Style 107, from a Z4. Not the best looking wheel imo. Looks tidy, but for that money you better hope it has a full history, and all major work completed already.