[M3_Dust]

there is a bunch of relevant info to this thread posted in this one: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=119804

[tilolite]

I think that we are missing A/C maintenance and OEM shocks replacement schedule.

[m3 hal]

Originally Posted by tilolite

I think that we are missing A/C maintenance and OEM shocks replacement schedule.

I would replace OEM shocks at 30k miles tops. Matter of fact, after experiencing how much better a good shock is I doubt I'll ever own a performance car with stock shocks again for more than the amount of time it takes me to figure out what works best for a given car. There really is no downside to adding a good shock.

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by MYKIDZM3

Ian, Thanks buddy nice fred!

Do you believe in running the AC in off season months,weekly or a few times over the cold times,I hate to steer away from your major to do's?

I run mine year round, always. It keeps the car from fogging up in the winter and automatically disengages under WOT. Fuel economy isn't different enough that I want to deal with foggy windows. That said, lots of people do turn it off, and more power to them-- it's better for the world to do so. I'd run it a least once a week for 15 min to keep the fluids flowing.

Originally Posted by gtengr

what are our options for aftermarket radiators?

other things worth mentioning that MAY go out before 100k miles are the water pump and alternator

is there a guibo diy? I understand it's fairly simple?

not for nothing but a tranny and diff fluid change every 30k miles is excessive

Zionville is your best bet, imo. There's another company that makes a good, all metal radiator, but I can't think of the name of it right now. You could use a new OE one, 75k isn't that short of a life span

Originally Posted by deilenberger

Question - has anyone experienced a radiator failure before 100K miles? While the E36/M3 was/is notorious for radiator failures - I haven't seen or heard of them being widespread on the E46.

I'd suggest changing the belts at 50k miles.. while they look fine from the back that you can see - once they come off you'll see signs of cracking in the rubber teeth.

Belt-idlers are a 100k item (if not noisy before that.)

Tranny and diff are 50k mile items... as spec'd by BMW. The fluids don't become contaminated with combustion byproducts as engine oil does - so 50K should be a safe change interval ("lifetime" on all other BMW models..)

Fuel injectors don't wear much at all - so I think unless you've experienced injector problems, replacing them at 100k is overkill.

O2 sensors are spec'd for 100k - but many of them will happily keep working well beyond that point without any detrimental effects on the engine.

Radiators I'm leaving for now... they're still plastic so I'd assume they're going to fail. Clearly they're not as bad as the e36's ( ), but I'd put money on them failing-- I think there's just not enough cars at 80k+ yet.

added belt-idlers to 100k

Tranny and diff fluid are speced by BMW to Service 2... the same people that spec oil changes at 15k. The cost of changing the fluids vs the cost of a tranny/diff is significant enough that I think it's worth changing the fluids twice as often

02 sensors removed from the list

Going to change up the injectors as soon as I find a link to this great place that refurbs them...

Originally Posted by M3_Dust

there is a bunch of relevant info to this thread posted in this one: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=119804

nice, I added that DIY site link to the beginning of the thread

Originally Posted by tilolite

I think that we are missing A/C maintenance and OEM shocks replacement schedule.

Shocks section added. A/C... doesn't seem to go at certain intervals and you can always cut the belt when it goes to prevent damage.... so I'm going to leave it off for now

[n2///Mpower]

keep em coming guys , this is VERY usefull . STICKY STICKY STICKY STICKY

[JeST]

Originally Posted by gtengr

I would replace OEM shocks at 30k miles tops. Matter of fact, after experiencing how much better a good shock is I doubt I'll ever own a performance car with stock shocks again for more than the amount of time it takes me to figure out what works best for a given car. There really is no downside to adding a good shock.

Eh.. 30k miles is a little short for someone whose only daily driving it. I'd recommend it around 50-60k miles for an M3 that doesn't see much track time. Of course sooner for someone who tracks.

Originally Posted by Obioban

75,000 miles

Begin to think about replacing your radiator. The plastic parts of BMW radiators do NOT age will and when they fail (which they will) you must stop the car immediately or you will destroy the engine. Side note here, if the temp gauge is ever in the red, STOP THE CAR IMMEDIATELY. You may be able to time the radiator swap to go along with a coolant flush, which will save you a little money. I know my car should be due for inspection 2 around that point. There are several all metal radiators out there that mean you'll only have to do this swap once. I'll be putting a Zionville radiator in my car, which you can get from several places on the web (or from me )..

I haven't seen any M3's (E46's in general) with failed radiators. Majority of the cooling system failures I've seen comes from failed thermostats (some cases of cracked expansion tanks).

Heres some of the things I've spotted while working on other M3's (as well as my own)

1: Leaking expansion plug (it's a plug on the shortblock right under the #6 header runner). Around 45k miles.
2: Rear axle diff seals. My driverside started leaking around 50k miles. I've done numerous others.
3: "Rain gutters" it's the black trim that goes along the outside A pillars to the C pillars. Some cases of clients complaining of a "whistling" type sound.
4:

Can't really think of anything else. My brains fried, long day... I'll add when it comes to me.

[JeST]

Almost forgot about the battery. A good average life of the stock oem battery is around 5 years (less if running a aftermarket sound system).

[///M Rat]

Ian, might be a good idea to point to the RTAB/RSM DIY link in the RTAB/RSM replacement item under Inspection 2...

[Obioban]

Originally Posted by JeST

Eh.. 30k miles is a little short for someone whose only daily driving it. I'd recommend it around 50-60k miles for an M3 that doesn't see much track time. Of course sooner for someone who tracks.



I haven't seen any M3's (E46's in general) with failed radiators. Majority of the cooling system failures I've seen comes from failed thermostats (some cases of cracked expansion tanks).

Heres some of the things I've spotted while working on other M3's (as well as my own)

1: Leaking expansion plug (it's a plug on the shortblock right under the #6 header runner). Around 45k miles.
2: Rear axle diff seals. My driverside started leaking around 50k miles. I've done numerous others.
3: "Rain gutters" it's the black trim that goes along the outside A pillars to the C pillars. Some cases of clients complaining of a "whistling" type sound.
4:

Can't really think of anything else. My brains fried, long day... I'll add when it comes to me.

Do you think any of those should be added as preventative maintenance? I'd be more inclined to wait for failure...

Originally Posted by JeST

Almost forgot about the battery. A good average life of the stock oem battery is around 5 years (less if running a aftermarket sound system).

added

Originally Posted by ///M Rat

Ian, might be a good idea to point to the RTAB/RSM DIY link in the RTAB/RSM replacement item under Inspection 2...

done

[JeST]

Originally Posted by Obioban

Do you think any of those should be added as preventative maintenance? I'd be more inclined to wait for failure...

You're right it is preventative maintenance. I've seen a lot of cases of the plug leaking for some reason though.... Maybe its a northeast thing?