Azukamii 86 Report post Posted July 22, 2018 (edited) If you've always wanted to know what happens when a now reformed, ex serial JDM tinkerer is locked in the same room as an E46 M3, then you've come to the right place! This thread will outline pretty much any remotely interesting things that surface throughout the ownership of this German brute. SO. Without further adieu: The first 2.5 weeks of ownership! Day 2: Back in auckland after a near 8hr drive. Stole keys to a private carpark with camera in hand:http://bimmersport.co.nz/topic/60252-first-time-euro-owner-text-heavy/ Day 14: Bullied the SO into taking his MV Agusta out for a little "photoshoot" to hone my skills: Please forgive quality, I compressed them into JPG so its MUCH grainier than the raw files Day 16: A passer-by heard what could only be described as "gale force winds" in the garage. On closer inspection its source was the mighty Germans air conditioning system. Replacement Final Stage Unit possible? YouTube and forum posts have confirmed this will indeed be a VERY ENJOYABLE TASK. Photos will follow... once I've located a replacement unit. VID_42110526_211411_140.mp4 Edited July 22, 2018 by Azukamii 7 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contrails 317 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 Red M3 and a MVeeeeeeee - Typo due to sticky keyboard. Is that the F3 675 or 800? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 @Contrails 800 of course We've got Termignoni headers and a QD muffler on the italian! It's a struggle to stay PG when you hear it on song!! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 Must have been a very enjoyable 8 hour drive in that M3. E46 M3 or E92 335i was the decision I had to make when car shopping. I have my reasons for choosing the 335i... but it wasn't an easy choice. Any mod plans? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 @Matth5 Curious as to why you opted for the 335i in the end. Mind you, they look awesome Mod plans I'm not sure yet. at the mo i already have an expensive list of to-do's: Replacing the stereo with a tablet setup Getting the subframe sorted Replace tyres Replace brake pads and front rotors get new FSU and install Given how well kept she is, I kinda feel wrong to mess with her too much, but later down the line perhaps a new set of wheels, a nicer exhaust and a tune up would certainly be considered Car will only be used for club events - be it track days, spirited runs or just parkups (like Caffeine and Classics in Takapuna this sunday; which i'll be going to!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 (edited) @Matth5 Curious as to why you opted for the 335i in the end. Mind you, they look awesome I had an E46 328i before so an E9x would be more of a change. It would be my daily so the extra comfort made sense too. If it was going to be a second/weekend car or I didn't drive to work, then I would have picked the m3. 335i has a decent list of modifications though, with the intention of being a track toy too Edited July 23, 2018 by Matth5 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contrails 317 Report post Posted July 23, 2018 19 hours ago, Azukamii said: @Contrails 800 of course We've got Termignoni headers and a QD muffler on the italian! It's a struggle to stay PG when you hear it on song!! Videos or it didn't happen! ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted July 24, 2018 Approved. Great colour too, congrats on the acquisition! ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 (edited) Day 26: Tried light painting for the first time a couple nights back. I'm sure theres a lot wrong with these photos, but for now I'm quite pleased with them! Didn't bother blanking out the mini's plates as the owner quite likes people knowing his car Perhaps next bimmersport meet I'll have a play with other cars! Edited August 2, 2018 by Azukamii 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 looks like heaps of fun! light painting is difficult and takes a lot of tries until you figure out how it works. a good light source is important and obviously timing and positioning Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted August 2, 2018 (edited) Look around for a used Nikon SB28 flash, they're inexpensive, have a buttload of power, and with the right filter to colourmatch ambient light, you're laughing. Edited August 2, 2018 by Olaf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted November 20, 2018 (edited) Day 136: Finally decided it was time to get to that pesky subframe. Took it to Auckland City BMW and a lovely man named Peter Burke had a looksee. found something the previous shop missed Now to decide. structural foam, or plates Edited November 20, 2018 by Azukamii Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted November 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Azukamii said: Now to decide. structural foam, or plates Isn't it recommended to use both? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted November 20, 2018 @M3AN I've heard of people epoxying the plates as well as injecting the foam, id be going down the route of welding if i decided on that. Really the info for foam is pretty limited. Peter at BMW Auckland central swears by the stuff, so all depends on what kind of quotes I get back from other parties! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnM575 112 Report post Posted November 20, 2018 1 hour ago, Azukamii said: @M3AN I've heard of people epoxying the plates as well as injecting the foam, id be going down the route of welding if i decided on that. Really the info for foam is pretty limited. Peter at BMW Auckland central swears by the stuff, so all depends on what kind of quotes I get back from other parties! Que @M3_Power; I recall a post that either you wrote or referred to discussing the structural foam reinforcement method at length? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted November 21, 2018 You are in good hands with Peter he works on all my cars exclusively and did majority of the subframe work on my Yellow car - find my post if you like for photos. Depending on the length and location of the crack the epoxy might not be suitable (stop calling it a foam people!!! It’s a bloody structural epoxy that you soak in boiling water to activate for crying out loud!). For cars without any previous cracks the epoxy has proven to work as a preventative as I stated 13 years ago. looking at the photos I think you will need welding given where that crack is and ita length. There will be more when you drop the subframe. Expect a big bill if you want it done properly. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karter16 404 Report post Posted November 21, 2018 11 hours ago, Azukamii said: @M3AN I've heard of people epoxying the plates as well as injecting the foam, id be going down the route of welding if i decided on that. Really the info for foam is pretty limited. Peter at BMW Auckland central swears by the stuff, so all depends on what kind of quotes I get back from other parties! Don't forget to check whether your vehicle has previously had the structural epoxy (foam) applied (BMW did the rear mounts as part of a service bulletin) before welding. You wouldn't want to be welding onto the RACP anywhere structural epoxy has previously been inserted. Bummer that your car has cracks, but not really that surprising. Fortunately it's a well known issue and there's lots of info out there about how to best address. Hope you can get it sorted out! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Azukamii 86 Report post Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) I should've checked this earlier! Picked up the M3 last night. $940 later the cracking is all glued up! Peter mentioned that the car had never had the repair done before. When i initially took it in and had a word with him, i did try to push getting plates welded or at the very least, that crack welded up. he insisted it wasn't worth welding and that the epoxy will do the job. I guess if it still fails I can always revisit it later down the line! for now, i'm just happy I finally have my car back. Just in time for my last weekend in nz too! Apologies about calling it foam, when i was doing the DD people seemed to refer to it as foam, rather than the epoxy, so i didn't realise it was the same thing till i actually spoke to the team at BMW!! Edited December 13, 2018 by Azukamii 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted December 13, 2018 Glad its sorted relatively easily! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted December 13, 2018 (edited) You can still epoxy the plates on if you ever want to add them. Edited December 13, 2018 by Matth5 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3AN 4016 Report post Posted December 17, 2018 On 12/14/2018 at 6:35 AM, Azukamii said: I should've checked this earlier! Picked up the M3 last night. $940 later the cracking is all glued up! Peter mentioned that the car had never had the repair done before. When i initially took it in and had a word with him, i did try to push getting plates welded or at the very least, that crack welded up. he insisted it wasn't worth welding and that the epoxy will do the job. I guess if it still fails I can always revisit it later down the line! for now, i'm just happy I finally have my car back. Just in time for my last weekend in nz too! Apologies about calling it foam, when i was doing the DD people seemed to refer to it as foam, rather than the epoxy, so i didn't realise it was the same thing till i actually spoke to the team at BMW!! Nice and not too expensive either! Don't apologise for calling it foam, many people, BMW included, called it "structural foam" when it was first made available... and they're not mutually exclusive anyway. Enjoy the driving. ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted December 17, 2018 My 2c... Depends when fully cured if it remains a lower density on the inside whilst keeping a higher density “skin” then it’s more like a foam, if it’s density is high through out then it’s more an epoxy.... Think of 2 part epoxy glue when cured... high density throughout when fully cured...Suspect it’s the latter as if it were to remain ‘soft’ on the inside whilst ‘hard skinned’ when injected in between the plates it would still allow them to deflect which in turn does nothing to prevent the spot welds from failing causing the cracks. The term structural foam i think was derrived from poorly translated German to English and made popular by American E46’ers. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted December 17, 2018 1 hour ago, BreakMyWindow said: My 2c... Depends when fully cured if it remains a lower density on the inside whilst keeping a higher density “skin” then it’s more like a foam, if it’s density is high through out then it’s more an epoxy.... Think of 2 part epoxy glue when cured... high density throughout when fully cured...Suspect it’s the latter as if it were to remain ‘soft’ on the inside whilst ‘hard skinned’ when injected in between the plates it would still allow them to deflect which in turn does nothing to prevent the spot welds from failing causing the cracks. The term structural foam i think was derrived from poorly translated German to English and made popular by American E46’ers. The actual product was designed and utilised in Formula car applications for bonding suspension pick ups and void area filling. It is Hard throughout and is both a structural adhesive and gap filler. Bond a bolt to it and you’ll struggle to remove it once set. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted December 17, 2018 1 hour ago, M3_Power said: The actual product was designed and utilised in Formula car applications for bonding suspension pick ups and void area filling. It is Hard throughout and is both a structural adhesive and gap filler. Bond a bolt to it and you’ll struggle to remove it once set. Hey Tom, where can it be bought from, apart from bmw themselves? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palazzo 477 Report post Posted December 17, 2018 Just chuck some of this in and hope for the best.... https://www.hilti.co.nz/anchor-fasteners/injectable-adhesive-anchors/r4929903 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
