Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 25 (edited) I have just purchased a pretty high km E90 M3. Pretty sure I'll be on here quite a bit getting advice on fixing it up. Rod bearings will be ordered soon, I'm going to diy the job at home. Edited July 25 by Glacial Pace 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palazzo 478 Report post Posted July 25 Congrats. What’s the worst that could happen? Seriously, good on you for taking it on. Look forward to seeing the progress. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 25 The worst? Let's not talk about that ok? Haha. It was this one of anyone is interested. I checked the vin and it is actually a ZCP car. Not many sedan ZCPs around I don't think. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/m3/listing/4762936988?archive=1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neil McCauley 398 Report post Posted July 25 (edited) Great score! Was purchase price much higher than what it passed in at? I didn't realise it was a ZCP, that makes it even better as there were only 4 new sold in NZ. I'd almost be tempted to get an oil analysis before doing the bearings, could be a case of them actually being fine if they haven't popped by now. Edit: Looking forward to seeing you around! If you see a black 335d give me a wave, there's also a black ZCP down here too. Edited July 25 by Neil McCauley 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 25 I paid $17500 for it, which if it's even half decent I think it's a great price. I think I'll do rod bearings anyway for peace of mind, this one will eventually get roof racks with bike racks, so should be quite easy to spot. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MD13 496 Report post Posted July 25 Great looking car - I think the sedan looks better than the coupe. Love the detail on those mechanic receipts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palazzo 478 Report post Posted July 25 27 minutes ago, MD13 said: Great looking car - I think the sedan looks better than the coupe. Love the detail on those mechanic receipts! Particularly the price of wheel speed sensors and spark plugs compared with Spareto… Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Driftit 2093 Report post Posted July 26 3 hours ago, Palazzo said: Particularly the price of wheel speed sensors and spark plugs compared with Spareto… Wholly shiii. ATE ones are 23Euro each.. Awesome car. Hope you enjoy working on it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 26 So wheel sure sensors and spark plugs were wildly over priced, or just the good stuff? I'm sure there will be ups and downs while working on the car, I have a decent list of things I would like to do eventually, and I'm sure there will be more to add. Rod bearings will be done first, but I also have concerns over the rocker covers, vanos covers, oil pump maybe, idk, 280k km seems like a lot and a broken oil pump could be catastrophic, maybe I take it out and have a look when I'm in there doing the bearings. On top of that I'm sure it needs a suspension refresh, bushes and ball joints (seems like the way to go is just new arms) and the shocks must be worn, new EDC is pretty spendy though. Not sure what I'll do there. Maybe keep my eyes open for second hand low milage ones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 26 On 7/25/2024 at 12:53 PM, Neil McCauley said: Great score! Was purchase price much higher than what it passed in at? I didn't realise it was a ZCP, that makes it even better as there were only 4 new sold in NZ. Only 4 zcp sedans? That seems wild to me. I guess NZ is a small market and sedans were less popular. I was pretty ambivalent on sedan vs coup tbh, just happy to get an M3. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 546 Report post Posted July 26 Very cool car , congratulations. Rumours are the 2010s LCIs have slightly better performance. I guess ZCP is like the competition model in the next gen M3s ( USA name for them ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 26 (edited) 5 hours ago, Neal said: Very cool car , congratulations. Rumours are the 2010s LCIs have slightly better performance. I guess ZCP is like the competition model in the next gen M3s ( USA name for them ) Yes, zcp is the option code for the competition pack. Which as far as I can tell is different wheels, 10mm lower, some different software for the gear box and the traction control maybe, possibly some other minor stuff. No engine change like the m2 comp. Edited July 26 by Glacial Pace 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
balancerider 777 Report post Posted July 26 On 7/25/2024 at 1:12 PM, Glacial Pace said: I paid $17500 for it, which if it's even half decent I think it's a great price. Seller nearly paid for all those services 😉 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 26 2 hours ago, balancerider said: Seller nearly paid for all those services 😉 They also put 225k km on the car so I think they got their money's worth haha. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3341 Report post Posted July 26 Looks like good buying, well done. I agree with above, oil analysis. Seller statement all Castrol Edge 10W60 incorrect, Werkstadt segments have indicated Fuchs F1 used on at least one, FWIW. Careful maintenance should see fun running. LCI updated rod bearing specs IIRC? A steal overall. You've bought at a price that covers plenty of remedial maintenance to bring it up to brilliant and a great driver. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 27 37 minutes ago, Olaf said: Looks like good buying, well done. I agree with above, oil analysis. Seller statement all Castrol Edge 10W60 incorrect, Werkstadt segments have indicated Fuchs F1 used on at least one, FWIW. Careful maintenance should see fun running. LCI updated rod bearing specs IIRC? A steal overall. You've bought at a price that covers plenty of remedial maintenance to bring it up to brilliant and a great driver. Will oil analysis show much? I was under the impression that the newer bearings couldn't be picked up on it anyway. The owner did a bunch of their own maintenance, so I think they were saying that all the oil changes they had done were Castrol edge (is that the super car one or do they make 10w60 edge and supercar?) New rod bearings have been purchased, I went with Mahle ones. BE are out of stock until October and I want to get the job done, Mahle seemed like a good option, I also went for OEM bolts, the torque sequence seems tedious but not hard, and they were $400 less than ARP. So that's $400 that can be put towards a suspension refresh. Now I need to buy tools. Dunno how many times in going to need to use and engine support bar but I guess I need to buy one for this job. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3341 Report post Posted July 27 Yes, oil analysis will tell you much about the state of the bearings. But hey you're committed, you've bought the parts. My knowlege of these engines - all the BMW M engines - is that whatever oil you run, it needs to have the right 'stuff' in it, not just be the right grade. Eg - you may find subtle yet important differences between retail Edge 10W60 and what BMW spec. Some people say this sh*t is irrelevant... Your mileage may vary. One supposes you've done a bottom end refresh on other vehicles, previously? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted July 27 This will be my first bottom end refresh, but I have done multiple other jobs on various engines, and am confident that I can carry out the repair. Honestly some of the videos I have seen on yt of professionals doing this job have made me cringe, idk, maybe it's fine but I watched one a few days ago and the mechanic was removing the old roof bolts with an impact wrench, seems a bit rough to me. I also have a friend who can lend me a high end torque wrench for the rod bolts. My torque wrenches are fine for most stuff, but I want that to be dead on. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted August 1 Got up early this morning and collected the car from the transporter. It looks used but in relatively good condition for the km. Took it for a short drive but it was -4° so the oil didn't get up to temp after 20+ mins off driving and I didn't exactly want to give it much with the chance of ice all over the place. I am very happy with it just now, and also quite nervous as to what I might find in there once I look at it in the light. Shockingly I think it has an oil leak from the filter housing gasket. Unprecedented I know.... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted August 1 (edited) And here it is in all it's ratty glory haha. Got a check engine light the second time I started it, and a low battery warning as well. Possibly related. I don't think it's been driven much in the last year or so, so I'll try charging the battery. Also need to get an obd reader and see what causing the check engine light. It seems to drive pretty well, and the suspension doesn't feel as lose as I expected. The edc dampers are still noticeable different in the different settings as well. I assume it all still needs replacing but not as bad as I thought it might be. Edited August 2 by Glacial Pace 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted August 2 Also, it turns out it's got a Miltek exhaust. At least that's what the tips say, and they're welded to the back box so that much is Miltek anyway. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3341 Report post Posted August 3 Miltek is a bonus. you'll need to code your new battery - tell the system the size/capacity and date, AGM etc so it can reset its charging profile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Glacial Pace 32 Report post Posted August 3 Yes, aware of that, thanks for the heads up though. Coding required immediately? I'll probably get the battery on Monday, but my coding tool will be probably end of the week, if not start of next. Unless @Neil McCauley is able to help me out? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
