Finally got the ///M - Byzanz Metallic BMW E36 M3 Evo Saloon.

[Nick172Cup]

I don't want an M3 anymore.

Cannot believe the amount of money you've had to spend on the car, Nick... Especially as it was sold in 'mint' condition iirc?!

Lol.

Indeed I have spent a lot on it matey, maybe i've been unlucky with it given the amount of history and receipts it came with when I purchased the car. Its a tough one, like I said I went with what I thought was good, someone could buy a £2,500 s**tter and it not break down for years. I guess it's a lottery when buying any old second hand car if you dont know 100% everything about the car and cant get someone in the know to go over the complete car before buying, then it can bite you hard. It's all pot luck. Being so much more advanced than a lot of cars in terms of parts/design (double wisbone suspension etc etc) and it starting out as a £40,000 odd new, I guess its something you have to have clear in the back of your mind when buying an older expensive car that it may cost a lot to fix.

Anyways, I've still spent more on my previous clios modifying them so this doesnt seem too bad yet, just rather than spacing out a lot of money on clio bits i've spent large amountsquite quickly!

All I can hope is that i'm over that mountain of things to sort and now it should be (fingers crossed) reliable and cheap to run. I will say that if something isn't perfect and needs changing i'll get it done as quick as possible, likewise if its not a good quality part i'll want to have that changed also to save any future hassle. So that also contributes to how much i've spent, being anal about things! lol

This will be the last performance derived car i'll own for a long time bar the racecar, need to stop it somewhere to start actually moving in the direction of getting on the property ladder so an uber reliable and economical car will follow next.

Nick

 

[tameracingdriver]

I'm looking at E36 M3 as my expenditure on my 172 is pretty close but being a 172 and not an me makes it much harder to take. I still pretty big bills there though, made me think.

 

[Russ_16v]

As you say nick, although the car had had loads of work carried out, at the end of the day it is 15 (??) odd years old, so things can wear out, and unfortunately on what was a 40k car new it can get expensive, but saying that it has no doubt added value to it

 

[Daniel]

Its an M3. Its expensive.

At least Nick's doing it right and maintaining it properly.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

What would one that the owner hasnt given a f**k be like?!?!

Kudos for saving it, essentially.

 

[VeinAST]

Nasty bills Nick but at least it'll be properly sorted

 

[Nick172Cup]

I'm looking at E36 M3 as my expenditure on my 172 is pretty close but being a 172 and not an me makes it much harder to take. I still pretty big bills there though, made me think.

Your spending the same amount as I am on fixing your clio? Surely that cant be right!

As you say nick, although the car had had loads of work carried out, at the end of the day it is 15 (??) odd years old, so things can wear out, and unfortunately on what was a 40k car new it can get expensive, but saying that it has no doubt added value to it

Indeed I love to think that all the work i've done will help resale, though to some people its still a high miler car.

Its an M3. Its expensive.

At least Nick's doing it right and maintaining it properly.

Cheers mate, like I said earlier in the thread I can get very particular about doing certain things properly and genuine which hasnt helped the costs thats for sure!

What would one that the owner hasnt given a f**k be like?!?!

Kudos for saving it, essentially.

Well who knows tbh! This one had done a few miles and the first owner had it for 4 years and cover 85k in that time, so likely it was a company car, a very plush one at that. But it would have driven in all weathers etc. Think there'll be some scary examples that 'look' mint bodyworkwise which will fetch good money, that will be rotten as a peach underneath!

Cheers though!

Nasty bills Nick but at least it'll be properly sorted

Indeed Lawrence thats the main thing, as said it looks to be my last big performance car (only one really as the clios dont count) so best make the most of it. Even if it does take 10k's worth of house deposit away!

Nick

 

[Silent_Scone]

Its an M3. Its expensive.

At least Nick's doing it right and maintaining it properly.

This exactly. Bit of a s**tter Nick, I did think you must have real faith in it taking it out there - so must be a bit of a s**tter for that to happen

Fuel pumps pretty common on them though iirc?

 

[Nick172Cup]

This exactly. Bit of a s**tter Nick, I did think you must have real faith in it taking it out there - so must be a bit of a s**tter for that to happen

Fuel pumps pretty common on them though iirc?

Indeed so i'm told! Lol.

Ah well, i'll have a brand new car soon enough. Sure you dont want to buy it now Mike with all its nice new bits!

 

[Silent_Scone]

I did have another look at insurance at the new house, but I can't get a reasonable quote for the area . I decided to keep the Clio anyway as I've found storage over winter, and like you I've spent a fortune on it.

You may as well keep it lol

 

[Nick172Cup]

Better put up a bit of an update...

So after it eventually landing in England at the 'specialists', he got underway with fixing it. He assured me that the E36 M3 fuel pumps are strong and he's never had a problem with one on any car hes worked on, instead he always had problems with carbon cannisters affecting the running of the car. He changed this over, left it running for pretty much a full day and no problems. Result, FIXED! Got it back for the weekend before the insurance and tax ran out on the monday, so thought I'd use it a lot as I havent really had a lot of seat time in my ownership.

66 miles. FFS. Car cuts out again like before.

That's it, got it home, threw it on the driveway and is currently still sitting there as it was left in October.

Other issues that have arisen...
Front disks are warped.
Tyres at the limits.

So in 2013 sometime, i'm going to look into getting it back up and running. Though this year and from now on, i'm going to get more stuck in and work on the car myself rather than send it to a specialist. Thinking of maybe ditiching the whole 'restore' idea and maybe look into doing a more OEM+ approach, looking at using E46 330 front brakes (better/cheaper/reliable), different steering rack (poss Z3 rack?), and few other braces and interchangable parts to make even more involving to drive.

Likelyhood is i wont be driving it for a least a couple of years, got caught doing 101mph in a 70mph so i'm looking at points/fine/ban. So insuring this will be out of the question for a min of 2 years. Mates have said to fix it and sell it but there's something in the back of my mind saying to store it and fix it, and one day, i'll be able to enjoy driving it, trouble free!

Such a LOVE / HATE relationship I have with this car.

Nick

 

[TimR26]

Shame you haven't been able to drive it much.

Where did they catch you speeding? Hope the ban/fine is too bad.

 

[Cub.]

Sorry to hear about the speeding mate. As Tim said, where / how caught? Hopefully it will be a smallish fine with no ban time. If you have the space to store it, I'd store it and work on it at the weekends.

 

[eo52vug]

Mate try classic line.co.uk for your insurance ive got a 6 month ban on my licence ( for speeding ) no ncb (used on another car ) and my e46 m3 is £380 fully comp!!! policy is limited to 5k per year but i doubt you will find cheaper !

 

[Nick172Cup]

Caught me on the A3 southbound Tim, didnt even see them as naturally i'd of slowed down. So can imagine I was probably was speeding, i've got no way to prove otherwise! People reckon i'll get 6 points and roughly a £500 fine, and if the courts are feeling harsh I could get a 7-56 ban on top but normally its either a ban or points with a fine. I'd much prefer just a massive fine tbh, saves the hassle come insurance time.

 

[Nick172Cup]

Sorry to hear about the speeding mate. As Tim said, where / how caught? Hopefully it will be a smallish fine with no ban time. If you have the space to store it, I'd store it and work on it at the weekends.

Cheers Oli, it's definitely a strange one with this car! Any other car and i'd of just punted it on/broken it for spares (even at a loss) but through everything I still cant bring myself to get rid!

Mate try classic line.co.uk for your insurance ive got a 6 month ban on my licence ( for speeding ) no ncb (used on another car ) and my e46 m3 is £380 fully comp!!! policy is limited to 5k per year but i doubt you will find cheaper !

Cheers mate, will look into that! Incredibly cheap that!

 

[TimR26]

Meant to write "isn't too bad".

Was it a camera or car then? Hopefully it's just points and a fine.

I've been lucky couple of times already this year spotting cameras just in time.

 

[Tony Hunter]

When's the court case Nick??

 

[VeinAST]

Definitely store it Nick! Such a rare car wouldn't be worth it in the long run! I'll always regret selling my vulcan grey shed!

Looking forward to the update where it's all 100%

 

[BIGASH]

Caught me on the A3 southbound Tim, didnt even see them as naturally i'd of slowed down. So can imagine I was probably was speeding, i've got no way to prove otherwise! People reckon i'll get 6 points and roughly a £500 fine, and if the courts are feeling harsh I could get a 7-56 ban on top but normally its either a ban or points with a fine. I'd much prefer just a massive fine tbh, saves the hassle come insurance time.

Ouch, Sorry to hear that Nick and also the troubles with the M3! That's the last time I go whizzing along the A3 then, Its about the only main road south of Milton keynes that doesn't have a camera on it when I come down to Guildford

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Pretty shitty about the speeding, i got done for doing something similar and got 5 points and a £200 fine

 

[Nick172Cup]

Tim - Lol I knew what you meant mate. The lady said it was a speed van on the other side of the road apparently. I asked for proof, but to get proof you have to plead not guilty which if I am guilty then the punishment will be more severe. So just easier to plead guilty as I know I was driving that road on the day and was probably going over the limit.

Tony - Unsure yet, can take up to 6 months so could be May/June time.

 

[ben81]

Sorry to hear of the impending speeding conviction, such a nice car, I'd be tempted to just keep it and sort it out unless you really need the cash.

 

[Richyy182]

Keep the M3 - you won't be banned for 2 years

 

[Fletcher]

Keep the M3 - you won't be banned for 2 years

Nick knows that. I think it's more for insurance premiums.

unlucky about the speeding mate.

 

[MarkCup]

Ooh, sorry to hear this Nick, hope there's leniency when the case is finally heard.

 

[Nick172Cup]

Definitely store it Nick! Such a rare car wouldn't be worth it in the long run! I'll always regret selling my vulcan grey shed!

Looking forward to the update where it's all 100%

It may be a while Lawrence though!

Ouch, Sorry to hear that Nick and also the troubles with the M3! That's the last time I go whizzing along the A3 then, Its about the only main road south of Milton keynes that doesn't have a camera on it when I come down to Guildford

No worries James, just one of those things with an expensive old car I guess. I had to have one to get it out of my system, after this one i'll be sticking to reliable cheap cars! And indeed dont go mad on the A3!

Pretty s**tty about the speeding, i got done for doing something similar and got 5 points and a £200 fine 

Fingers crossed i'll get the same, would be happy with that outcome tbh!

Sorry to hear of the impending speeding conviction, such a nice car, I'd be tempted to just keep it and sort it out unless you really need the cash.

Cheers Ben! Dont need the money thankfully, it still fits in and around my 5 year plan (to be on the housing market by 30) so i'll definitly be looking into fixing and keeping it for a while.

Keep the M3 - you won't be banned for 2 years

Nick knows that. I think it's more for insurance premiums.

unlucky about the speeding mate.

Fletch has it mate, insurance fully comp at 24, 6 years ncb with a completely clean license was £1100. So hate to think what it'll be with say 6 points! I'll leave it a couple of years so that the points aren' so much of a problem and fingers crossed i'll have a few more years no claims so insurance will be bareable!

Ooh, sorry to hear this Nick, hope there's leniency when the case is finally heard.

Cheers Mark! I too am hoping they're to harsh with me being the first offence and that, just going to be very sorry etc and see where that takes me.

As they say, dont do the crime if you cant do the time.

Nick

 

[eo52vug]

Just to put your mind at rest mate i got caught doing 62mph over the speed limit on the motorway and i got a £200 fine 6 month ban and no points !!

so i doubt you will get banned , having said there was a guy who got caught doing 156mph not much more than me and he got 18 month ban points and a fine.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Just to put your mind at rest mate i got caught doing 62mph over the speed limit on the motorway and i got a £200 fine 6 month ban and no points !!

so i doubt you will get banned , having said there was a guy who got caught doing 156mph not much more than me and he got 18 month ban points and a fine.

It's points or a ban, not both. IIRC

 

[Nick172Cup]

So planned to have the car plugged in by Sir_Dave with his BMW diagnostics a few months ago, so in preparation I got a new battery all set. Just before he turned up I thought I'd try to see if I can start it.... Bang. Fired first time and was running! Me looking bemused as Dave and Mike (budgie) turn up laughing that the car was running before their eyes.

Anyway, plugged it in to find a couple of faults, resetted a couple of times and wouldn't bring the same codes up each time. Plus nothing that was giving clear definition as to the problem I have. After 2 hours of messing about it eventually cut out again, bringing no fault codes up. So they left for home confused, me going into the house pissed off again.

Fast forward to now and her she still is...



Still sat doing nothing since the end of September. Now on a push to get it sorted now I know my fate for my speeding offence (6 points and fine), I did a few quotes which brought up prices half of what it was to insure last year with the points declared! Mental.

So, Michelin PS3's ordered all round, Brembo HC disks and DS2500's ordered for the fronts to cure the warped disks. Just need to get it running!

Spoke to Iridium Engineering (reputable BM specialist) who diagnosed the problem over the phone as fuel pump for the cutting out issues and Vanos solenoids for rough running on idle. Problem is he's mega busy and in Southampton, so just waiting to here back from him that he can book me in and get it all running!

Things are looking up! Lets hope the rust coloured 155mph panzer tank doesn't let me down, again.

Nick

 

[Tony Hunter]

6 points and a fine, I shall not ask how much lol. But lucky boy eh.

 

[Sam@NP]

Good news! Hope it works out for you buddy.

 

[Rob]

6 AND a fine, ooft.

Glad you can still use it though. It's a pretty unique motor this, so I approve.

 

[Nick172Cup]

6 points and a fine, I shall not ask how much lol. But lucky boy eh.

Fine wasn't as bad as I thought either Tony! £360 including all the fees etc. Had people say to me that I was so lucky with what I got, they were saying I could have been banned for 18 months or got 12 points which was just not true! The judge wanted to give me a ban, however my boss represented me and said it wasn't possible because of the job so it was points in the end. Unsure if it had been just a ban instead of points, or a ban on top of the points. We'll never know, at least I get to drive another day!

Good news! Hope it works out for you buddy.

Cheers buddy!

6 AND a fine, ooft.

Glad you can still use it though. It's a pretty unique motor this, so I approve.

Cheers Rob, the thought of driving it once its fixed makes me smile. Love how mechanical and involved the drive is for a reasonable sized car!

​Nick

 

[Lal B3N]

Points make prizes don't they? Haha.

A a guy who owns a local restaurant to me got 56 days for 105 and pulling away in his GTR lol. 2nd time he has been banned.

M3 looks awesome, really love the colour.

At least the £100 fuel vouchers might get it running for a week or so maybe.....

 

[DanielJames]

Lovely motor mate!

BMW INPA? May have to invest in that

 

[Jamie86]

Lucky boy on the points then Nick! Owe your boss a few beers no doubt!

Also doesnt sound to bad to get the car fixed or is the fuel pump a nightmare job on these?

 

[Nick172Cup]

So, some suitable tyres tyres turned up yesterday...

Brembo HC's and DS2500's should be with me within the week, so that's all the bits required to make it ready for an MOT. The only problem I have an seemingly always have is BMW specialists... Trying to get a reputable specialist to actually get back to me and finalise a booking to get my car sorted seems to be impossible, and its really starting to wind me up as all I want to do is use it now! Trying to find a specialist that's experienced in E36's that will diagnose the problem rather than just charge me a fortune to replace part by parts narrows the list even further. If anyone can recommend me one in the south east and surrounding (big area I know, but that's how desperate I am to get it sorted!) then let me know please!

Points make prizes don't they? Haha.

A a guy who owns a local restaurant to me got 56 days for 105 and pulling away in his GTR lol. 2nd time he has been banned.

M3 looks awesome, really love the colour.

At least the £100 fuel vouchers might get it running for a week or so maybe.....

Cheers Ben! Also got the tyres through, what's next with regards to claiming the vouchers?

Lovely motor mate!

BMW INPA? May have to invest in that

Cheers Daniel, yeah I've had Sir_Dave round with INPA but unfortunately it didn't bring any hard evidence of what the cause is of my non running issue...

Lucky boy on the points then Nick! Owe your boss a few beers no doubt!

Also doesnt sound to bad to get the car fixed or is the fuel pump a nightmare job on these?

Yeah my boss has been good to me Jamie, surprised really as a lot of BT management are ruthless!

Don't think that changing the fuel pump is necessarily a hard job, just I don't want to spend £450 for a new one to then find that it hasn't cured the problem.

Nick

 

[Wick]

Have you tried Birds for indy servicing?

 

[Nick172Cup]

I haven't thought of them tbh mate but now you've jogged my memory I remember driving past that place before, good guys then?