Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7789871)

No PM needed.

$19.5K, he was asking $20K yet I had him knock off $500 since I may have to buy a new intake Vanos solenoid. They cost $500 online and I can DIY.

ICBC asked why it was $4K less than market value, its cause of the claims history.

Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7789800)

Thanks all!

Now lets talk mods. There's a couple things I want to do to start:
- disable auto lock when driving
- have the first unlock key press unlock both doors, not just the drivers door
- disable the interior lights from turning on when the car is unlocked or door opened
- replace the dull yellow DRLs
- angel eyes
- paint the side markers

Are there any other little things that can be done to improve its use daily?

Originally Posted by Z3guy (Post 7789932)

taylor 192, really watch out for the VANOs system, common prob on M cars. I don't have the details anymore, but if you go onto M3forums, there is a company in the US that sells the VANOS rubber seals for a couple of hundred of bucks Vs replacing the entire VANOS system for $3K.

Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7789747)

TiAg?

Its a 2003.5, 6spd manual, 110K kms. Black interior with grey trim and heated seats. 18" wheels, brand new rubber. Inspection 2 recently done at Nixon and all service records from Nixon.

I got it for a deal cause it has a long claims history. Parked in gas town so 5 incidents of vandalism or parking lot damage. Soft top was replaced last year due to vandalism. Also one recent accident, hit a grizzly bear (yes you read that right) so the front bumper, headlight, and fender was replaced. The front end is freshly painted, you cannot tell its been in an accident.

The only issue with it is a sticking Vanos solenoid which triggers the CEL if driven hard. Its noted in the last 2 service records from Nixon. Nixon was clearing the code and monitoring it, cause its only throwing the code a handful of times between service. He knocked the price down the cost of a new solenoid, so I'll replace it when it becomes a problem. Its a 30 min DIY to replace.

Originally Posted by ALEX1988 (Post 7790019)

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the m club!
trust me on this, the first thing you should get is a ZHP shift knob. It feels 10x better than the stock knob.

Originally Posted by bcrdukes (Post 7790032)

Dr. VANOS that shit.

Originally Posted by lowside67 (Post 7790031)

+1 definitely!

The auto-locking and the one push unlock all buttons can be done by Nixon or anybody with a BMW computer.

Mark

Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7790039)

I've read this a few times an gone to the Dr Vanos site, yet am confused. Dr Vanos offers a rebuilt Vanos for $1200 with a core exchange. Why would I do this when the most common solution is to just clean and swap the solenoids?

Am I missing something on the Dr Vanos site?

Originally Posted by Tapioca (Post 7790051)

There is also a company which makes Vanos seals. If you're comfortable messing around with a Vanos unit, then you'll save yourself hundreds of bucks.
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Originally Posted by bcrdukes (Post 7790044)

Dr. VANOS offers a rebuilt VANOS unit, not the VANOS solenoids. Your problem may not be the VANOS solenoid but rather the VANOS seals on the VANOS unit itself, the mechanical portion. If it were the solenoid, you'd have a fault code stored in your ECU/DME.

Over time, the VANOS seals dry out and become brittle resulting in loss of low-end torque and your engine sounding like a bag of marbles in a washing machine.

Before you do anything such as ripping it out and cleaning and WHY, go get it checked out and scanned by a shop. What year is your car again? If it's up to 2007, I could scan it for you. (Edit, you mentioned 2003.5) I can help you scan it.

Originally Posted by Tapioca (Post 7790041)

^ What he said.

Also, if the M3 has the clutch delay valve, get rid of it. You won't feel like a noob when engaging the clutch.
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Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7790054)

Thanks for the offer to scan, I'll need it after I swap the solenoids. Do you have the Auto Ingenuity scanner? I gotta get one.

Originally Posted by taylor192 (Post 7790056)

Moar info please! I have felt like a bit of a noob driving this manual as its so much different than mine.

Originally Posted by Tapioca (Post 7790074)

I'm not an engineer, but it's basically a small valve which eases the engagement of the clutch. I suppose BMW put it on to help noob drivers ease their shifts, but if you know how to drive, it can result in a frustrating driving experience as you're probably used to hitting the gas sooner.

I'm posting this from my phone, but if you search Youtube, I believe Bentley Publishers has an instructional video on how to remove it. But, I'm not positive that the M3 had them from the factory.

Something you should keep an eye on is your rear subframe mounting points. Early E46s were notorious for premature failure (the trunk floor literally rips open where the subframe is mounted), but it seems like M3s were susceptible throughout the E46 production run.
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Originally Posted by Tapioca (Post 7790074)

Something you should keep an eye on is your rear subframe mounting points. Early E46s were notorious for premature failure (the trunk floor literally rips open where the subframe is mounted), but it seems like M3s were susceptible throughout the E46 production run.
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Originally Posted by kchan (Post 7789867)

grats on your purchase!
i just got mine 3 weeks ago :D
maybe we can meet up this weekend? I am checking out this guys m3 vert sc'd as he is parting out locally

pm me if you are interested to meet up

Originally Posted by Redlines_Daily (Post 7790568)

I think I know the owner, is it a blue one with blacked out grills?