Few Questions for you Evo guys
Discussion
Hey all hows it going? First of all great forum ive been a member for two months and think ive read almost every post for tips on buying my M3
Bought it a few weeks ago and mechanically everything seems spot on. I paid less than 8000 for it so i knew it wasnt going to be a minter.The mileage is high also but didnt bother me as i will only be putting 3000miles on it max a year due to work.
The engine is perfect. Its smooth no rumbles or vibration from the vanos at all. The SMG gearbox doesnt feel clunky and doesnt delay on shifts. Maybe a small problem with pressure which ill mention later.
So a few questions for you now
Its a 1998 M3 Evo SMG coupe
1. When braking from say 60mph normally its fine. No squeaking or rumbling. When braking a little harder the brakes squeak. At low speeds only though. Also everytime i wash the car the first time i brake my alloys are covered in brake dust. Is this normal? I feel a slight vibration from the steering wheel as well on braking harder?Not too hard though that the wheels would lock up.Mind you my previous car was a 1.2 fiat punto so maybe the brakes are a little harsher lol.Are these cars fitted with ABS and is that what im feeling?
2. On the computer on the centre console when i run the checks etc everything comes up fine. Then every so often the brake warning light comes on. Is this just a faulty sensor? It stays on for an hour or so then the computer says everything is fine again.
3. Anyone know where i can pick up a walnut trim for the centre surround? Ive tried my BMW dealer but they quoted a fortune. Mines a little scratched and want everything lookin good.Also original car mats? Checked Ebay its all replica stuff that i know wont fit correctly
4. Also ASBO if your reading this i noticed your from round my neck of the woods. I read ome of your previous posts and you said you go to a small indy garage that is really good with your car. Can you give me the name of this place of possible. Do you use it for services as well or just checkovers?
5. When i turn the key in the car it doesnt start.I turn it bck and try again. It starts then with no problem. Is there a certain way the gearbox needs to be when i start it. I.e In sport then into Neautral? I did read something about the pressure being to low in the gearbox??Do i need to switch on the igniton then wait slightly untill it charges?
6.Last thing. Sorry to exhaust you guys. How much does it cost to recharge the Aircon?
Thanks again guys
Bought it a few weeks ago and mechanically everything seems spot on. I paid less than 8000 for it so i knew it wasnt going to be a minter.The mileage is high also but didnt bother me as i will only be putting 3000miles on it max a year due to work.
The engine is perfect. Its smooth no rumbles or vibration from the vanos at all. The SMG gearbox doesnt feel clunky and doesnt delay on shifts. Maybe a small problem with pressure which ill mention later.
So a few questions for you now
Its a 1998 M3 Evo SMG coupe
1. When braking from say 60mph normally its fine. No squeaking or rumbling. When braking a little harder the brakes squeak. At low speeds only though. Also everytime i wash the car the first time i brake my alloys are covered in brake dust. Is this normal? I feel a slight vibration from the steering wheel as well on braking harder?Not too hard though that the wheels would lock up.Mind you my previous car was a 1.2 fiat punto so maybe the brakes are a little harsher lol.Are these cars fitted with ABS and is that what im feeling?
2. On the computer on the centre console when i run the checks etc everything comes up fine. Then every so often the brake warning light comes on. Is this just a faulty sensor? It stays on for an hour or so then the computer says everything is fine again.
3. Anyone know where i can pick up a walnut trim for the centre surround? Ive tried my BMW dealer but they quoted a fortune. Mines a little scratched and want everything lookin good.Also original car mats? Checked Ebay its all replica stuff that i know wont fit correctly
4. Also ASBO if your reading this i noticed your from round my neck of the woods. I read ome of your previous posts and you said you go to a small indy garage that is really good with your car. Can you give me the name of this place of possible. Do you use it for services as well or just checkovers?
5. When i turn the key in the car it doesnt start.I turn it bck and try again. It starts then with no problem. Is there a certain way the gearbox needs to be when i start it. I.e In sport then into Neautral? I did read something about the pressure being to low in the gearbox??Do i need to switch on the igniton then wait slightly untill it charges?
6.Last thing. Sorry to exhaust you guys. How much does it cost to recharge the Aircon?
Thanks again guys
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 07:44
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 08:15
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 08:17
Yup. Kwik Fit for a re-gass. Easys.
Trim - as I posed in another thread above, best place for e36parts is www.bmwowner.com.
Also - try www.partsgateway.co.uk where you can put in a search for what you are after and it goes out to breakers who answer back to you if they have it in stock. Walnut doesn't come up very often though.
Re the rumbling - could well be the ABS although you need to be braking pretty hard for that to come on. You'll feel it through the peddle too. Brakes squeeking - you can't do much about that but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. Are they new pads still breaking in? If so your heavy braking might have over cooked them a little before they have broken in.
Welcome to e36 evo ownership. You're going to love it!
Trim - as I posed in another thread above, best place for e36parts is www.bmwowner.com.
Also - try www.partsgateway.co.uk where you can put in a search for what you are after and it goes out to breakers who answer back to you if they have it in stock. Walnut doesn't come up very often though.
Re the rumbling - could well be the ABS although you need to be braking pretty hard for that to come on. You'll feel it through the peddle too. Brakes squeeking - you can't do much about that but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. Are they new pads still breaking in? If so your heavy braking might have over cooked them a little before they have broken in.
Welcome to e36 evo ownership. You're going to love it!
Edited by E36GUY on Tuesday 19th August 09:11
Hi Mate and welcome.
I will try and help with a couple of those.
1) You may have uprated pads in there. Somthing like red stuff or whatever they are called. That might explain the brake dust (they are known for this), the squealing and that possibly they have warped a disc. The pads can be worked harder, create more heat but the discs cannot take it and can warp.
2) Tne brake light circuit is a known problem although I dont knonw how to fix it.
3) Try here for the trim fabdirect.com
6) You can buy a tin of air con re-gas in halfords, its about £30 I think.
It goes in here,
PS - I always changed the Vanos filter every oil change, which for me was every 4k miles.
Neil
I will try and help with a couple of those.
1) You may have uprated pads in there. Somthing like red stuff or whatever they are called. That might explain the brake dust (they are known for this), the squealing and that possibly they have warped a disc. The pads can be worked harder, create more heat but the discs cannot take it and can warp.
2) Tne brake light circuit is a known problem although I dont knonw how to fix it.
3) Try here for the trim fabdirect.com
6) You can buy a tin of air con re-gas in halfords, its about £30 I think.
It goes in here,
PS - I always changed the Vanos filter every oil change, which for me was every 4k miles.
Neil
Hey there and welcome to M3 ownership. I used to have a lovely SMG EVO, sold it, missed the M3 so went and bought another (manual one though). Get yourself registered on www.e36coupe.com (they take a while to respond) as there is a wealth of info on there if you're prepared to look for it.
As for parts, try BMW (sometimes they are actually cheaper), GSF car parts (google them).
1. All the EVO's have ABS however when feeling that, you;ll get vibrations through the pedal and you'd have to be braking very hard for it to kick in. As for the dust, they all throw a lot of it, although it depends on what pads you have (which could be anything) but they all seem to throw a lot of dust. On the brakes, I will say that if you need new front discs, only use the BMW ones as they are a floating disc on the EVO. All the after market ones are fixed and almost all of them tend to warp quickly (from all the reading I have done). Also, the brakes are not brilliant and tend to wear quickly on E36 M3's, so steering vibration under braking is likely signs of shagged discs. They are a simple job to replace however. GSF stock the parts so call them for a price.
2. The brake light warning is a common intermittent problem. It's a £10 switch under the brake pedal which plays up but which you can change yourself (GSF stock them) or get it done at next service (should cost sod all).
3. Original mats you;ll need to go to BMW (obviously). Trim I don't know. The classifieds bit on e36coupe usually has HEAPS of stuff on it so maybe wait until you are registered there?
5. On the SMG1 boxes, when you open the drivers door you should hear the gearbox pump starat whirring. It will take 15-20 seconds to prime the hydraulics so if you initially turn the key, it wont start. You need to sit with your foot on the brake and the lever in neutral and you should see/feel the car move to neutral. Then you can start it.
6. I've not used the Halfords air con recharge. I'd ring up your local service centre / kwik fit and ask them. That said, all the EVO's I've been in have crappy air con (blows cold, but the car never really feels cool)?
I hope you enjoy the car, it really is a fabulous GT car with a very entertaining chassis. One of the best bang for buck cars out there.
My only other piece of advice is to fit an HID / Xenon headlight kit ASAP. I banged on about this to M3John for ages before he finally did it. Now he is kicking himself for not doing is sooner.
Best of luck and enjoy
As for parts, try BMW (sometimes they are actually cheaper), GSF car parts (google them).
1. All the EVO's have ABS however when feeling that, you;ll get vibrations through the pedal and you'd have to be braking very hard for it to kick in. As for the dust, they all throw a lot of it, although it depends on what pads you have (which could be anything) but they all seem to throw a lot of dust. On the brakes, I will say that if you need new front discs, only use the BMW ones as they are a floating disc on the EVO. All the after market ones are fixed and almost all of them tend to warp quickly (from all the reading I have done). Also, the brakes are not brilliant and tend to wear quickly on E36 M3's, so steering vibration under braking is likely signs of shagged discs. They are a simple job to replace however. GSF stock the parts so call them for a price.
2. The brake light warning is a common intermittent problem. It's a £10 switch under the brake pedal which plays up but which you can change yourself (GSF stock them) or get it done at next service (should cost sod all).
3. Original mats you;ll need to go to BMW (obviously). Trim I don't know. The classifieds bit on e36coupe usually has HEAPS of stuff on it so maybe wait until you are registered there?
5. On the SMG1 boxes, when you open the drivers door you should hear the gearbox pump starat whirring. It will take 15-20 seconds to prime the hydraulics so if you initially turn the key, it wont start. You need to sit with your foot on the brake and the lever in neutral and you should see/feel the car move to neutral. Then you can start it.
6. I've not used the Halfords air con recharge. I'd ring up your local service centre / kwik fit and ask them. That said, all the EVO's I've been in have crappy air con (blows cold, but the car never really feels cool)?
I hope you enjoy the car, it really is a fabulous GT car with a very entertaining chassis. One of the best bang for buck cars out there.
My only other piece of advice is to fit an HID / Xenon headlight kit ASAP. I banged on about this to M3John for ages before he finally did it. Now he is kicking himself for not doing is sooner.
Best of luck and enjoy
Edited by Cactussed on Tuesday 19th August 10:21
That advice is spot on guys cheers
It is new pads and disks. So hopefully thats why theres excess dust on the alloys.Well they where changed in february and the previous owner was a gentle driver so i knew he wouldnt be into hard braking. Im not braking that hard when i feel the rumble. And its through my steering wheel i feel it not the brake peddle. Prices for new disks? Dont want anything aftermarket at the moment. Would love to keep the car in standard guise for at least 6 months
Breathed a sigh of relief when i heard the aircon could be done by halfords ha. My bmw dealer(john clark aberdeen)seem to ask a lot of money for nothing when ive queired on parts
Yeah when i open the car i normally put it into neutral then go for the start. Will know now to wait. Also i like to sit for a minute or so before moving off. To let it heat up. Is this neccassary with it being normally aspirated. I never take it above 5000rpms before ive a good indication of warm oil either
Ill check out the sites everyone recommened about the centre console. I was quoted 300 pound from bmw. But if i can save cash on that it would be excellent
It is new pads and disks. So hopefully thats why theres excess dust on the alloys.Well they where changed in february and the previous owner was a gentle driver so i knew he wouldnt be into hard braking. Im not braking that hard when i feel the rumble. And its through my steering wheel i feel it not the brake peddle. Prices for new disks? Dont want anything aftermarket at the moment. Would love to keep the car in standard guise for at least 6 months
Breathed a sigh of relief when i heard the aircon could be done by halfords ha. My bmw dealer(john clark aberdeen)seem to ask a lot of money for nothing when ive queired on parts
Yeah when i open the car i normally put it into neutral then go for the start. Will know now to wait. Also i like to sit for a minute or so before moving off. To let it heat up. Is this neccassary with it being normally aspirated. I never take it above 5000rpms before ive a good indication of warm oil either
Ill check out the sites everyone recommened about the centre console. I was quoted 300 pound from bmw. But if i can save cash on that it would be excellent
Hi Ryan,
I see you bought the car from Cottage Cars. I happen to work just behind there. Small world eh?
Aayway, it seems like most of the guys have answered your queries so I'll not go over old ground. However, for servicing, you should give the guys at JD Motors in Insch a call.
If you go into the Scotalnd section, you'll find a garage recomendation sticky thread at the top. All contact details for JD are in there. The guys are spot on - I take (well took - I've sold my M3 now) both my //M cars to them and such is their quality of service that they've built up a reputation as being one of the best //M specialists in Scotland. They regulary get repeat customers from as far afield as the borders and Inverness.
Their labour rates are about the cheapest you'll find too. Oh and there's a train station on the doorstep so you needn't worry about getting home again
Give me a yell if you have any more queries.
I see you bought the car from Cottage Cars. I happen to work just behind there. Small world eh?
Aayway, it seems like most of the guys have answered your queries so I'll not go over old ground. However, for servicing, you should give the guys at JD Motors in Insch a call.
If you go into the Scotalnd section, you'll find a garage recomendation sticky thread at the top. All contact details for JD are in there. The guys are spot on - I take (well took - I've sold my M3 now) both my //M cars to them and such is their quality of service that they've built up a reputation as being one of the best //M specialists in Scotland. They regulary get repeat customers from as far afield as the borders and Inverness.
Their labour rates are about the cheapest you'll find too. Oh and there's a train station on the doorstep so you needn't worry about getting home again
Give me a yell if you have any more queries.
ryanm3evo said:
I never take it above 5000rpms before ive a good indication of warm oil either
Keep it below 2.5k rpm until the oil reaches 75C. (do you actually have an oil temp gague?)Especially in winter when the oils will be at around freezing in the mornings this may take about 10miles.
Thanks for the tip asbo. Was hoping i didnt have to travel far to have work done on it. What about things like mapping and such. Do they deal with that also?
That is a small world haha. Cottage cars did a good deal for me on the car. Really happy with it. Was looking for a few months and thought id have to go down south to pick up a good one then found mine. Only 15 miles from my doorstop
That is a small world haha. Cottage cars did a good deal for me on the car. Really happy with it. Was looking for a few months and thought id have to go down south to pick up a good one then found mine. Only 15 miles from my doorstop
There's no oil temp gauge on SMG cars (gear indicator sits there), only a water temp. From experience, the oil usually takes 2-3x longer to get up to temp than the water, so I'd be keeping revs down (3k) for a bit longer.
The HID I bought was from Ebay. I think you can get them for about £40 from memory. Its a straight forward plug in for the lights, although you need to drill a 10mm hole in the back of the dust cap to route the wires through. And yes, you can fit them with or without angel eyes as these are a separate kit.
The HID I bought was from Ebay. I think you can get them for about £40 from memory. Its a straight forward plug in for the lights, although you need to drill a 10mm hole in the back of the dust cap to route the wires through. And yes, you can fit them with or without angel eyes as these are a separate kit.
Edited by Cactussed on Tuesday 19th August 14:10
ryanm3evo said:
Thanks for the tip asbo. Was hoping i didnt have to travel far to have work done on it. What about things like mapping and such. Do they deal with that also?
That is a small world haha. Cottage cars did a good deal for me on the car. Really happy with it. Was looking for a few months and thought id have to go down south to pick up a good one then found mine. Only 15 miles from my doorstop
If you want it mapped, your only bet is to head down south unfortunately. I had my car superchiped up here at AW Autotech and it was the worst £300 I've ever spent. To have the car mapped properly, it needs to be performed live. The only people in the whole UK who have this facility as well as extensive knowlege of how these cars work, are either Chipwizards, Bexley Motorsport and Evolve. IME of course.That is a small world haha. Cottage cars did a good deal for me on the car. Really happy with it. Was looking for a few months and thought id have to go down south to pick up a good one then found mine. Only 15 miles from my doorstop
However, if you don't mind me saying, your car is higher mileage. Therefore, you'd get much more benefit from replacing all the sensors (particularly the MAF) and making sure the cats and lamda sensor are fine. These cars perform notoriously poor if the onboard electric communications are less than 100% Get it checked on the diagnostic machine first. JD can do this for you. They will also go over the car with a fine tooth cmb and give you a detaield run-down of everything that may be amiss. Tell them Simon sent you.
You're next step should be to replace the suspension as I can guarantee you it will be shagged.
Thats what ill do then. How much is it for a full diagnostic and labour at JD. Bet its a small fortune saved over John Clark.Wasnt planning on getting it mapped as a HP gain. Was planning on full diagnostics and mapping to try and get it running 100%. But like you said ill concentrate on the electrics etc. first
The suspension bushes where changed in february along with brakes etc. Feels stiff round corners and doesnt dive forward on braking.
Oh and has anyone here dealt with BM Blitz for used parts. My advice..Dont. Ive never been treating so badly by someone on the phone
The suspension bushes where changed in february along with brakes etc. Feels stiff round corners and doesnt dive forward on braking.
Oh and has anyone here dealt with BM Blitz for used parts. My advice..Dont. Ive never been treating so badly by someone on the phone
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 15:43
ryanm3evo said:
Thats what ill do then. Wasnt planning on getting it mapped as a HP gain. Was planning on full diagnostics and mapping to try and get it running 100%
The suspension bushes where changed in february along with brakes etc. Feels stiff round corners and doesnt dive forward on braking.
How much do JD charge for labour then?
Mapping wont cure shagged sensors though. Hence you'll need to replace them. Reading between the lines, are you having some running issues?The suspension bushes where changed in february along with brakes etc. Feels stiff round corners and doesnt dive forward on braking.
How much do JD charge for labour then?
Bushes may well have been replaced, but I'd hazard a guess that the springs and dampers will be original and will need replacing. It's difficult tell if that's how you bought the car, but having experienced for myself how much new suspension transforms a car, I can tell you it's well worth doing.
JD are £30 p/h incidentally, so very cheap
No not having problems at all. For some strange reason im wanting something to go wrong so i can get it repaired under warranty.haha. Was just really hyped up about buying it and aware of the age and high mileage. But its running smoothly and never feels like its missing or spluttering.
Im just a bit anal and want it to be like it came from the factory. So gettin information on these various things is towards that. Hopefully i take it to JDs and its running perfectly. But im a little optimistic.
But your exactly right thats how i bought the car and ive never driven one before. So to me everything feels spoton. Wereas its maybe not right at all
Cant complain with 30pound an hour though.
When i take it in ill ask them to give me a full run down including suspension,brakes etc just to know exactly how i stand
Cheers
Im just a bit anal and want it to be like it came from the factory. So gettin information on these various things is towards that. Hopefully i take it to JDs and its running perfectly. But im a little optimistic.
But your exactly right thats how i bought the car and ive never driven one before. So to me everything feels spoton. Wereas its maybe not right at all
Cant complain with 30pound an hour though.
When i take it in ill ask them to give me a full run down including suspension,brakes etc just to know exactly how i stand
Cheers
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 15:50
Edited by ryanm3evo on Tuesday 19th August 15:56
Bit late to the party here but welcome to M3 ownership sir - you will not be disappointed. My own tails about SMG are quite well doccumented in these pages so i'll pass comment on that one 
As Cactussed has said below go and get your self some Xenon headlights as these are simply amazing !
My only other piece of advice is to fit an HID / Xenon headlight kit ASAP. I banged on about this to M3John for ages before he finally did it. Now he is kicking himself for not doing is sooner.
As Cactussed has said below go and get your self some Xenon headlights as these are simply amazing !
Cactussed said:
My only other piece of advice is to fit an HID / Xenon headlight kit ASAP. I banged on about this to M3John for ages before he finally did it. Now he is kicking himself for not doing is sooner.
Cheers for the advice guys.Just ordered them off ebay yesterday. Only cost me 60 so i bought a pair of angel eye rings to.Has anyone fitted angel eyes?Its saying soldering etc. Has anyone fitted using the chock blocks?? Only asking as im not the best with a soldering iron and like to know the easiest way possible.New number plate ordered(M3 0 RLC) so all will be fitted when i return to the uk. Think the plate and lights will really spruce up the front end of my car.Ill post the pics on here next week
Next step is a full diagnostics to make sure everything is running perfect.
Next step is a full diagnostics to make sure everything is running perfect.
Edited by ryanm3evo on Saturday 23 August 14:32
Edited by ryanm3evo on Saturday 23 August 14:37
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