My other car is a BMW E92 M3...

[guile]

I’m well aware that this thread will get little to no traffic but I decided that I’d like to document the work that I’ve done on my BMW E92 M3. I originally didn’t want to start a “build thread” as I’m resisting the temptation to modify it but I have found that my Audi S3 thread is useful to go back through and obtain info / dates for when parts were replaced or upgraded…

Therefore this is more a maintenance record as I’ve told myself I just want to keep the car well maintained so it won’t let me down during spirited driving on the track. So enough waffle, on to the pictures and details. I’ll keep updating this first page with approximate dates when things are done to the car…

May 2017:
Genuine BMW Oil Filter 11427837997
Castrol Edge Professional TWS 10W-60

June 2018:
Genuine BMW Oil Filter 11427837997
Castrol Edge Professional TWS 10W-60
NGK Spark Plugs x 8 LKR8AP
Wesfil Cabin Air Pollen Filter WACF0098
Pipercross Air Filter PX1828
TRW GP600 Dot 4 Racing Brake Fluid PFB601
e Monitor Oil Analysis e-Monitor kit

August 2018:
Gates Low Temperature Thermostat; with Sealing Gasket 11537836155
Genuine BMW Coolant Hose, Radiator Top – Thermostat 11537838214
Genuine BMW Coolant Hose, Radiator Bottom – Thermostat 11537840661
Genuine BMW O-Ring – Thermostat Housing x 4 11531406249
Genuine BMW Coolant Temperature Sensor 13621433076
Genuine BMW Blue Coolant 1.5 Litre Concentrate Part 8319221191
Genuine BMW Fuel Tank Breather Valve 13907838281
Genuine BMW Fuel Tank Breather Hose Elbow 13907838439
Genuine BMW Fuel Tank Breather Hose Clamp x 2 16121180240
SSB iStart AGM SS88TI Leak Proof Battery

February 2019:
DBA42280S | DBA 4000 Series T3 Slotted Brake Rotor x 2 DBA42280S
Forza FP3 Front Brake Pads x 2 DB1498
Forza FP3 Rear Brake Pads x 2 DB1499
Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines x 2 BD7002-B
Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines x 2 BD7003-B
Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines x 2 BD7007-B
Front Left Brake Pad Wear Sensor FF.BM.026
Front Right Brake Pad Wear Sensor FF.BM.027
Rear Brake Pad Wear Sensor FF.BM.065
TRW GP600 Dot 4 Racing Brake Fluid PFB601

June 2019:
Genuine BMW Power Steering Reservoir 32416767161
Genuine BMW Power Steering Reservoir O-Ring 32410141428
Aeroflow Power Steering 45Deg 3/8" Npt To 1/2 Barb – Black AF845-08BLK
Aeroflow Power Steering 20.6mm Hose Clamp – Black AF150-10BLK (32416751128 - BMW 16.5mm)
Aeroflow Power Steering 24.9mm Hose Clamp – Black AF150-12BLK (32416751127 - BMW 21.0mm)
Genuine BMW Fuchs Pentosin CHF 11S Power Steering Fluid 1L 82110148132

July 2019:
Genuine BMW Oil Filter 11427837997
Castrol Edge Supercar 10W-60
e Monitor Oil Analysis e-Monitor kit
Red Line Full Synthetic D6 Automatic Transmission Fluid RED30705
Genuine BMW Gearbox Drain Plugs x 2 23117531356
Genuine BMW Motorsport Rear Differential Fluid (SAF-XJ+FM) 3 x 0.5L 83222282583
Genuine BMW Differential Drain Plugs x 2 33117525064

August 2019:
Genuine BMW Right Fuel Level Sensor 16117159162
Genuine BMW Repair Kit Conveyor Unit 16112283495
Genuine BMW Wash Pump Front Head Lamp Cleaning Device 67128377430

Upcoming 2019:
Genuine BMW Control Sleeve, Radiator Bottom Plug 17107523260
Genuine BMW Vent Screw, Expansion Tank Plug 11537793373
Genuine BMW Blue Coolant 1.5 Litre Concentrate Part 8319221191

[guile]

a few photos of the m3 from the carsales advertisement before i purchased it. pretty crappy photos but all part of the story i suppose...

[guile]

in its new home the first day i picked it up...



i just managed to squeeze it in there...



i left it in the garage for the day while i went out looking for a place to store the s3. i came back to find that something had dropped off the garage shelf. i could not believe it and thought someone was playing a practical joke; i hadn't even owned the car for 24 hours...



i'd been parking the s3 in there for 2 years and nothing ever dropped on that. not happy is an understatement...



not that it would have stopped the dent but i decided to cover it up in future to try and protect it somewhat...

[guile]

as the car was going in to get the bonnet fixed I thought I'd tidy up the rest of the paint work starting with a clay bar..



the clay didn't remove a lot of contaminants but it left a nice smooth surface to get the polisher on...



a few lick with the polisher provided a nice glossy finish...



I used that much tape it probably looked like I was gong to spray it...



With the tape removed I was happy with the final result...



I slipped on a seat cover ready for it going in to the shop...



and these are the wheels I ordered to put on once I got it back...

[guile]

I eventually got the car back from the body shop but I wasn't happy with the repair on the bonnet so I fitted a carbon fibre unit along with a carbon splitter and black kidney grilles...



I got the number plate holes plugged and painted on the front bumper at the same time as the bonnet which came out ok. I prefer the smooth bumper look so I will run an offset plate fixed to the towing eye location...



I think fate played a part in forcing me to buy the carbon bonnet, I think it looks pretty mean with the extra louvers. As part of my plan to de-chrome the car I have ordered some black only front bmw emblems and side repeater inserts which is why they are missing in this photo...

the new wheels were also installed and I was really happy with the quality and fitment. the graphite colour contrasts the black and carbon well and it was good to get rid of the chrome on the standard rims...



I was pretty impressed that I could use all the standard hardware with the new bonnet including the bonnet latch loops and the air vents...



I also installed a carbon rear diffuser...



but it looked like poo due to terrible fitment so i sent it back. thank the little baby jesus that the bonnet was 100% better fitment than that...

[guile]

there were a few basic things i needed to tick off the list starting with the cabin filters, or micro-filters in bmw language...



I also bought brand new oem micro-filter covers as some superior bmw service tech snapped the tabs off the previous items. this is part of the reason I prefer to service myself...



the pop out cup holder in the dash had a severe dislike to popping out, so it got replaced...



I never use them but its the small things that count...



I upgraded the sat nav dvd to the latest I could get, 2014 I think. again I don't use it as I use google maps on my iPhone but I thought I may as well install the latest I can get hold of...



I had an issue with my fuel gauge not reading full so I went in to the secret garden of menus to read the actually results. 45.4 litres apparently...



then you can measure left, right and total. don't ask me why the total doesn't match the figure above. germans can't count obviously..



this is supposedly the crucial bit to let you know which sender is knackered. from what I've read the ohms should never be greater than 400...



I got the offset plate on so all nice and legit, officer...



I marked out the position of the rear badge with masking tape before I removed it and swapped over to a black badge. mission de-chrome is now complete...

[guile]

the QLD Watercooled happy laps crew were kind enough to let me bring the M3 along as I was having some issues with the S3...



Thanks to Ale for some awesome photos as usual...



helping clear the track of leaves with its inbuilt front vacuum cleaner attachment...



common blow by issue from the power steering reservoir when you get up it on the track...



an attempt at a fix but it didn't work very well so it came back off...



this will be the permanent solution once its installed. the turkey baster is for artificial insemination of power steering fluid...



the old leaking reservoir was promptly removed...



in order to keep the OEM M3 steering fluid hoses I had to use some AN fittings to adapt the OEM M1 reservoir which meant cutting threads was involved...



I think it turned out fairly factory fitment looking and with the use of AN type hose clamps on the end of the M3 hoses its a neat job and best of all no leaking messy engine bay from now on...



I extracted the old fluid and topped up with new stuff. the steps were repeated numerous times using 3 bottles of Pentosin in the process until the last fluid change was nice and clear, clear green actually...

[guile]

a genuine oem ZHP m sport gear knob and genuine oem sunglasses holder replacement which i swapped out for the ashtray...



installed and looking tidy...



the gear gator matches the bmw m sport colours on the steering wheel very well...



on closer inspection i would prefer the diamond stitching on the gator too so that will get swapped at a later date long with the handbrake gator...



safety first, my moto is "if you have it, you won't need it..."



genuine 19" space saver from an X5 as the M3 only comes with tyre goo which I'm not a fan of...



19" is the only way to clear the front brakes so they are not easy wheels to come by...



nice unused tread but it didn't matter anyway as I had to swap it for something with less of a side wall to match the other low profile tyres. again I hope I never need it...



after removing the compressor and the goo I managed to fit these tools in the same compartment under the boot floor...



I put the bike carriers on Friday night ready for a trip up the coast on the weekend...



not what you'd normally see on an m3...



i didn't have time to remove the racks before a midweek Queensland BMW meet...

[guile]

time for an oil change...



I went with the recommendation on the sticker...



picked up the oil that was left from the previous owner so I know he was using the good stuff..



using the genuine bmw oil filter too...



cleaned out the inside of the oil filter housing to get as much of the old oil out as possible and look for any signs of engine wear...



replaced both o rings on the filter housing and the copper washers are for the oil pan drain plugs. this monster has 2 drains for its 9 litres of oil...



replaced all 8 spark plugs with the recommended ngk items...



I scanned the car prior to doing the spark plugs and it was showing a suspect coil so that was changed at the same time and all coils labeled up before hand so I didn't swap the wrong one out...



all back together now...



I bought a 10 litre water bottle from woolies especially so I could transport the 9 litres of old oil to the tip...



i split my nipple on the first use, not happy Jan. i bought 4 of those brake bleeder bottles as they were supposedly good quality...



oil analysis showed minor levels of fuel in the oil which will require investigation...



any metal levels were acceptable though which is the main reason I did the test to keep an eye on the rod bearings...



I took it in to the main stealers to get all recalls carried out...

[guile]

shortly after replacing my plugs and coils I rechecked for any fault codes which brought up an error for an intermittent thermostat operation. after some googling it appeared a relatively common issue so I wasn't too nervous and decided to undertake the work myself. I used a gates thermostat with all bmw oem o rings from the dealer and two new radiator top hoses. while I had the plenum cover off I also replaced the fuel tank vent valve in the hope it would cure my positive fuel presence in the engine oil...



All back together and I can say both issues have now been fixed...



i thought replacing my fuel tank vent valve might also fix my fuel gauge reading, the signs looked promising now both tanks have similar resistance. but alas no, it looks like i need to replaced the fuel sender unit in the tank...



more track work with a bit more confidence in the motor now some of the maintenance has been taken care of...



that riot was ridiculously quick; i can see why they call it a riot...



another track day at Lakeside; it was awesome fun but i have to say i prefer Willowbank in the m3 and Lakeside in the s3...



back from the track and looking a bit moody parked in the street...



i ran out of brakes last time i was at Willowbank so i'm hoping this lot will help. I have has chance to get back to the track to try them unfortunately...



I started by replacing the rear brakes lines as I knew that would be the hardest part and I wanted to get it out of the way...



the two short rear lines on the swing arm were a complete pain and not a job I ever want to do again...



getting them off was one thing but getting the new ones on was another...



it was all straight forward from there, i finished the rears on each side to the callipers...



and finally did the fronts...



on to the easy part, front disc and pads and rear pads and finished...