I use Leatherique. If it is good enough for RR then it`s good enough for me.
I use Leatherique. If it is good enough for RR then it`s good enough for me.
Sorry, mine were e30 (wonderful thing built by Korman, loved it, rear-ended by pickup..) or e36 (eh, didn`t like those as much but they were what we knew from Skip Barber). No idea what the e46 ones are like...
EDIT: Heh heh, had to come back and add that I`d sure be surprised if you *didn`t* like the e46 M3, everybody seems to think they`re great.
The whole process seemed to labor/time-intensive that I couldn`t bring myself to bother (so I gave it to a fellow Autopian). But like you, plenty of folks sure like it.
This is the second time in a few days that somebody here has said "good enough for RR, then.." and/but I don`t get that. My vehicles have virtually nothing in common with RR cars, and the way I use/care for them is almost certainly very different from what`s done with most Rollers. Eh, not flaming and don`t mean to come across like a [jerk], I just don`t see why that influences people who drive something different.
I just asked knowing that your e30 is pretty close to e46 and thought you might have some experience. Just trying to decide what to keep in AZ during the winter mos. and the bmw was one of my choices. Its going to be difficult as all my detailing equip. is up north and I don`t want to duplicate supplies and detailing tools.
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bcgreen --
Hope you guys are safe and well !
I have had a few Bimmers, including a new E46 3 Series, and a new, 2002 E36/8 M Coupe (Z3 M Coupe) that had the S54 M3 engine in it...
Totally a rocket !!! The 155mph limiter was removed, it would just keep going faster..
Also had a couple of new E39`s.. (the 5 Series)
This S54 engine is a detuned racing engine and requires ALL the required maintenance on time, as any racing engine should have.. It has 6 individual throttle bodies, just beautiful !
If you have a really great BMW Dealership or Indy Shop With the required BMW computers to talk to it, that will be a great source of help and repair..
The last versions of this engine (this was also the engine in the M3`s of that era), came with some rod bearing issues and the Factory recalled them all to change them.. My Z3 M Coupe did not have the defective rod bearings, so that was good..
The people I eventually sold the M Coupe to, drove it non-stop from Bellevue, Washington, to Minneapolis, Minnesota in less than 24 hours, never going below 100+ mph..
They told me the car absolutely tracked straight and safe all the way home..Never broke, no issues.
They sent me a picture of the speedometer at 160mph..
When they got it to Minneapolis, they sent me another picture of it - absolutely Covered in a million bugs!!!! All that driving at night!
They said they needed another 24 hours after they got home, to come down from the adrenalin rush..
Of course, I never drove my baby that fast that long, so I can only imagine how that drive must have been..
What do you want to know about the E46 platform ? I`ve detailed a couple of hundred Bimmers easy.. BMWCCA Membership for 18 years..
Dan F
I am thinking of purchasing a e46 m3 and wanted to know about reliability and how comfortable is it for long drives. We have a 2004 MC40 and it is our daily driver. We were thinking of using it down at our winter home in AZ. but I told the wife she might not like it for some of the long drives.
So we have a few choices I have narrowed it down to Cad. CTSV, Cayman/Boxster, or the BMW.
BCG -
WWW. Weekend Warrior Wrencher ? Not for the faint of heart, unless one wrenches beyond the 4 year warranty period. Parts and Labor will run you. Some things.......are just labor intensive. I would not recommend getting into the chassis unless one was a WWW or just had deep pockets for a Indy. When I say parts, some OE, some OEM from FCP or the like. Even on what I would consider a fairly recent chassis for us, I was looking at what I paid prior and what I paid for the same part now (this was like 2 months ago). Same OE part seems to have almost doubled in price.
Back on the Original topic. Water is all I use to clean primarily and -protect-. The more clean the surface is, even on surface dirt embedded in the grain of the leather, the less it will rub.
However, I am a big fan of coatings on light colored stuff and mitigating jean dyes and use of strong cleaners to remove them
Coatings do shift the sheen if not color of it, so I would treat it so it`s consistents (don`t do one part but not the other)
John. - OE- parts are usually from Morristown, Fairfax BMW, etc. Lot`s of -typical- places to order OE parts for less than list.
FCP sometimes may match but more often than not, the best prices are from said dealer discount parts mailorder. For OEM, than FCP for sure. It kinda depends on the part but there some that are OE only and many others which can be found at OEM equivalent.
The post was for BCG or just anyone getting into the chassis plastform post warranty. Kinda how you see these things on the used market. 2nd owner might have did some maintenance. Then he found it expensive . So it got sold to a 3rd owner who did nil to none maintenance. So the 4th owner is selling it now at 1/10 price, which may seem like a great price for any prospective buyer not aware of the costs of -proactive or reactive- maintenance. Luckily, the E46 does not have any many modules as even current cars, which can get costly....
bcgreen -- Love that Mini !!!
The E46 is long gone, since 2006. It was for me, a very nice, well sorted out, almost perfect balance 51%/49%, and absolutely a dream on long drives..
I like to drive the first stint Sacramento to Tucson, AZ, around 13-14 hours straight, and in my new 2001 E46 3 Series, I was not even tired, when I rolled into Tucson.. The car is quiet, tracks straight, has great halogen headlights, the Sport Seats are very nice, adjustable, the rest of the car has room for luggage, and all just fine.. A perfect highway car in any weather condition..
If you decide to go with the E46 M3, again, it requires a lot more maintenance because of the engine.. If you ignore it, it will not be happy..
If you can find a good, well maintained - WITH verifiable records, it will be great !
My M car had the 6-speed.. Some M3`s I believe came with the SMG transmission, and I do not know much about them personally, but have heard that they are of course, more complicated, and of course require maintenance.. My 6-speed - never had an issue one..
If you can find a nice one, and can find a great Indy repair place, then you and your vehicle will most happy every time you get in there and fire it it up.
I don`t know if you can access the BMWCCA website or not, but if you can, they have a Classifieds section and lots of members put their vehicles for sale there..
Because most Bimmer owners are pretty fanatical about the marque And their vehicle/s, they mostly take pretty darn good care of them..
The ones I have seen in the past at this website have been just beautiful, well maintained, and always make me wish I had that great job again, and could just go out and buy one!
The interior of the E46 vehicles if it was an M or even with just the Sport Package non-M`s, had beautiful leather, carpets, a nice, thick, leather covered steering wheel, and nothing cheap or dumb inside.. As with perhaps most of the German vehicles, they are probably somewhat spartan, not full of little shiny things, just the right things, the correct placement, the correct touch and feel..
The only other thing I can tell you regarding the E46 M3 and variants of it, with the Sports Package in those model years, is that the wheel alignment is factory set to be very "aggressive" = the best traction, handling, etc.. This also means this wheel alignment will also wear out all 4 tires faster, because it is more aggressive, so you have to be ok with that, or perhaps, if you have a really good Bimmer mechanic, he can change the alignment specs a little to take out that setting a bit and your tires will last longer... Yes, it will not be as nimble, but it IS still a BMW, a Driver`s Car, in any model, etc...
Please be careful, if you pursue one from a private seller, and if they have no Verifiable Service Records, I would really be thinking of walking away.. Of course, if it has very, very, low mileage and that is also verifiable, then perhaps it is one of those unicorns..
And it makes sense to me, if I were in the market again, to already have found a reliable, trusted, lots of positive clients, Shop/Dealership that would be able to perform a very good pre-purchase inspection for you before you purchase..
BMW also sells Pre-Owned Bimmers that of course are inspected, etc., parts replaced, etc., so that might also be another avenue to explore...
Dan F
Heh heh, you mean my e36 was pretty close...that WONDERFUL e30 was a whole different type of car IMO. Most would prefer the newer models though...
Interesting cross-shopping you have in mind! CTSV/Cayman/etc... I think your wife might oughta spend a little time seeing just what she`d really like for those longer drives...it`s not always what one might expect (we`ve had lux cars that were worse than sportscars for travelling, and vice-versa, often really surprising us..never know until you have enough sticktime with `em).
Dan has worded it better than me. Not trying to discourage your purchase MeanGreen. IMO, german cars out of warranty will never be friendly on the pocket unless you are able to wrench on them yourselves. Good Indys (in which I know a few shops), are high, and that`s before parts. A visit may be a lease payment or 2 lease payments on a vehicle in warranty.
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But you`d be putting $ into something that you actually *own* rather than just renting..uhm, I mean LEASING..something that belongs to somebody else and that you`ll have to give back after paying for the depreciation. Eh, either way I hope expenses related to vehicles are never so significant at to really *matter* to somebody..lots of dirt-cheap ways to get around without imperiling one`s finances (heh heh...so says this guy who pays *dealers* to work on most of his car, including all the imported ones).
I figured the -own- comment would come up. I`m just drawing up some wild #`s but let`s say the E46 M3 was purchased for a 15K even.
I know service , housing, cost of living,wages is regionally based so my math may be off
A Indy around here runs $150 a hr. It`s not uncommon to have Indy service visit with a $650-$850 plus on a visit....if not more....
If you go the pockets, go for it @ the dealership Accumulator. I hope you get a free loaner at least.
Indy`s won`t have a loaner
I just can`t picture if one is not able to wrench themselves, and to own one past warranty.
For the E46 M3, if it was a enthusiast driven car, it may have a deteriorated subframe. That repair alone is around $900-$1400..
I have been leasing for a smidge over the last decade. Stopped doing purchasing quite some time ago. Cars are always under warranty. Have a loaner if it needs servicing. Accountant writes off X.
Off topic, but without getting into much specifics. I`m curious what the average cost is on a dealership visit. I can only imagine...
Case in point. Relative had you typical wire bitten from rodents - in this case, the tree rats...
I suppose a Indy could have found the fault and spliced it.
Said dealer repair was a wire harness replacement to the tune of $1500+ if I recall
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