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#1. Re: [E36M3] 1st time M3 owner tells all - from Jim Powell
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 11:31:19 -0700 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@apexcone.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 1st time M3 owner tells all I don't suppose it was a certified car? Glad you like it now though. Lee Conte wrote: > As for Santa Monica Lexus, well, I'm not quite through with them yet, but > that's another story. > > Lee Conte > Spring Valley CA US > NIA#6917
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#2. Re: Cool tool - from dbruce
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 14:45:18 -0400 From: dbruce <dbrucepoip@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Cool tool That snap on lift is $10,000 dollars. Just a bit expensive for something that lifts 2 feet and change. On Sat, 12 May 2001 13:34:26 -0500, you wrote: >Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 07:09:24 -0700 >From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@apexcone.com> >Subject: Cool tool > >http://www.apexcone.com/LogosandPics/Garage/Miscellaneous.html > >Look at the second row of pics. This is an even better alternative than >Snap-on for the 7mm hex socket required to remove the guide bolts on the >calipers of E36s. > >Jim
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#3. Re: Cool tool - from Jim Powell
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 11:55:15 -0700 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@apexcone.com> Subject: Re: Cool tool ??? Where in the world did you see a number like that? Even the newest version with adjustable arms, the EELR300A, retails for $3195. Typical discounts from Snap-on for any schmuck are 15%. That puts the delivered to your door price at $2715 + tax. Realistically, most people would pay $2500 tax included for the newest model. Now this is in the same territory as the higher volume full-sized two post lifts. But some people don't have the ceiling clearance for a full sized lift. Me included. The sad fact is that low volume sales drives up the price. So a scissors lift retails for about the same as it's bigger brothers. So I'm assuming you saw my quoted figure of $1000 to buy mine and tought I typed an extra zero. If not and someone really told you $10K for it, run like hell from them. Jim dbruce wrote: > That snap on lift is $10,000 dollars. > > Just a bit expensive for something that lifts 2 feet and change.
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#4. HRE vs Forgeline - from Brent95M3@aol.com
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 15:40:59 EDT From: Brent95M3@aol.com Subject: HRE vs Forgeline Ok, I had a set of Forgeline's on the car before it was wrecked (throttle stuck, curb, etc.). I had hit a pothole about a month before this happened however and two of them were bent. Come to find out after purchasing, they aren't that strong, only lightweight and wellmade. So, I am getting paid for three of them from insurance. I am considering HRE's as these are fully forged, lightweight, and look very good. I know, there are cheaper alternatives but these are the two I am interested in. If any of you have experience w/ either of these wheels, please email me. Thanks, Brent Parks Daddy needs a new pair of shoes
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#5. Front Speakers--Not What You Think - from Lee Hassig
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 15:42:53 -0400 From: "Lee Hassig" <lhassig@earthlink.net> Subject: Front Speakers--Not What You Think Folks, here's a mystery. =20 Some time ago, I noticed that the bezels around both tweeters in the doors had each developed two creases--as if someone had tapped them lightly with a chisel. If you were to draw a line joining the creases, it would cross the wire mesh that protects the speaker, but the mesh is unmarked. Recently, both bezels broke at these creases. =20 I've thought and thought, but I can't imagine what damaged the bezels. They don't come close to anything when the doors open or close. Has anyone had a similar experience? Know what the cause is? Most puzzling. =20 I'm told by my BMW parts person that the bezels are unavailable as separate parts; you can get new ones only by purchasing new speakers. Can anyone with access to a parts list confirm that? =20 BMW wants $58 less 15% for new speakers. Is there something as good or better out there for the same money or less? =20 Thanks, Lee '95 M3
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#6. Fwd: Re: [E36M3] RE: Which Tires - from Jim Bassett
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 13:39:52 -0700 From: Jim Bassett <jimbassett@home.com> Subject: Fwd: Re: [E36M3] RE: Which Tires >At 06:24 PM 5/11/01, Kevin M. Gregg wrote: >>To what do you attribute the great mileage out of the Pilot Sports? >>1. rotating tires F-R >>2. dismounting & flipping them L-R >>3. freeway driving only >>4. some combination of the above > >All of the above (and being really an*l about getting as much life out of >them as possible :-)). > >And at the same time, I had a separate set of track tires and was going to >the track about every other week. I still drove "spiritedly" on the >street, but left the drifting through corners for the track :-) > >>I have 10,000 miles or so on a set of Potenza RE730s (stock wheels on a 97 >>M3 that I have owned 3 weeks). I won't be rotating these tires F-R or >>dismounting & flipping them L-R. Most of my driving is on the freeway. >>I'm wondering how much longer the RE730s might last (rears are looking >>pretty worn) and what would be a good tire to put on next time. > >If it's during the summer, and I don't have to worry about rain, I'll run >the tires down well into the wear bars. And it sounds like a lot of people >like the RE730 for a street tire, decent performance and inexpensive. >Without being able to rotate F-R, you will wear out the rears more than >the fronts, so you'll be replacing those pretty often. > >Hope that helps, >Jim Bassett >1998 M3/4
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#7. even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! - from Kit Wetzler
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 14:37:52 -0700 From: "Kit Wetzler" <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! Hi guys and gals, So, I've replaced the battery, the belts and the alternator. I still see 12.1 or so volts at idle. Voltage came up a bit while driving around, but not over 12.6 or so.... All accessories on (lights, a/c, stereo, fan on full) drops voltage to 11.63. This sounds bad. Could it be the new battery wasn't charged all the way? Voltage is being measured from the OBC. Car starts and runs just fine. Please help. Should I worry about this? -kit 97 m3/4
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#8. Re: [E36M3] 1st time M3 owner tells all - from Joe Dyer
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 15:08:50 -0700 From: "Joe Dyer" <joedyer@home.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] 1st time M3 owner tells all Lee, A true fairy story! Sorry about the faults that needed to be corrected. It's probably why the PO traded it! Hope you get something out of the Lexus dealer who was the go-between. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with it on the road. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee Conte" <leeconte@home.com> To: "E36M3" <e36m3@bmw-m.net> Sent: Saturday, May 12, 2001 11:24 AM Subject: [E36M3] 1st time M3 owner tells all | Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 11:16:01 -0700 | From: "Lee Conte" <leeconte@home.com> | Subject: 1st time M3 owner tells all | | I bought my first M3 last weekend, a silver 98 coupe. It was a pretty | heartbreaking week last week. I bought it from a Lexus dealer in Santa | Monica. When I went to see it, I took it for a test drive, but Santa Monica | on a Saturday afternoon doesn't seem to have anywhere within miles to do a | really good test drive, so I was limited to a few quick pulls from 0-40, up | and down a few streets, and that was it. It seemed fine, everything worked | as it should have, acceleration was fine, no weird noises, etc (I've been a | passenger in friends' M3s for years, so I was at least somewhat familiar | with them from that perspective.) For the last year I have been driving a | manual Isuzu Rodeo (SUV), so perhaps you can imagine the severity of | adjustment I needed to make to drive the car. Yes, I had some trouble with | 1st vs reverse ... I imagine it must be a rite of passage to get that sorted | out. | | Anyway, the car was in excellent shape externally except for some | almost-worn tires. It had 78k miles on it, and I wound up buying it for | $25k. Driving home to the San Diego area from Santa Monica, I couldn't | really do much since a friend who didn't know the way was following me in | the dreaded Rodeo. But after an hour of ~65mph driving I noticed something | very strange, nothing I'd ever experienced in any car I've ever driven (all | of which have been manuals since I stopped driving my parents' hand-me-downs | years ago). In 5th, I would occasionally hit the gas to accelerate, and it | would barely accelerate while the tach would climb several 1000 rpm. At | first I had no idea what was going on, but I soon realized that the clutch | was slipping ... arg!! | | I brought it to Cunningham BMW in El Cajon, not far from where I live. They | advertise that they're one of the top 5 BMW service departments in the US, | and I can see why, they were great. Well, not only the clutch, but the | flywheel and other associated bits were completely torched, one of those | "amazed it could be driven at all" type of things. Getting antsy about how | well this car had actually been taken care of, I asked them to do a | compression test on the engine. I got a call back later on that upon | preparing to do the test they found that the spark plugs were extremely old, | and #6 was jammed in so hard they stripped the hole removing it (which they | rethreaded at minimal charge). After hearing that, I asked them to just go | ahead and do an Inspection II. | | Well, the damage to my wallet was to the tune of $2500, I think probably not | bad considering all the parts and the work that was done. The service tech | was happy with the results - the compression test passed fine, and after | they changed the usual filters, fluids, etc and gave it the set of new | plugs, the engine was running great. I finally got it back from them | yesterday. | | So, I had been having serious withdrawal symptoms from this car all week | while it was in the shop, even though I had hardly had a chance to drive it. | Of course I had to take it on a test drive immediately, and so I did. | | Went out East on I-8 and, well, what can I say. All the superlatives are | true ... everything about how perfect the engine/clutch combination is, how | the car just goes exactly where you point it effortlessly, and all the rest | of it, it's all just the simple truth. When I found a long empty stretch of | highway ahead of me , I started to wonder about the accuracy of the speedo. | It looked like I had hit 142 (before I lost my nerve), but I thought these | cars are limited at 137 unless they get rechipped. After I get new tires I | will have to try that again! | | My first real drive yesterday was an absolute epiphany. I can't stop | thinking about the car now. Even now as I type, I am daydreaming about when | I will next be taking it out. Driving will never again be about simply | getting from point A to point B. | | As for Santa Monica Lexus, well, I'm not quite through with them yet, but | that's another story. | | Lee Conte | Spring Valley CA US | NIA#6917 | | | ************************************************************* | List Commands | UNSUBSCRIBE - (in subject line) unsubscribes you from the mailing list. | DIR - sends a listing of files available in the list's GET directory. | GET filename1.ext,filename2.ext - sends the requested file(s). | | To issue a command/request to the server: | Send a message with the command you wish executed as the | subject of the message. | ************************************************************* | |
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#9. RE: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! - from Kit Wetzler
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 17:57:46 -0700 From: "Kit Wetzler" <kitwetzler@mindspring.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! Hey Jim (and rest of list), turns out it was the stupidest @*()$(@#*%ing problem I've ever seen. I looked at the electrical diagram for 97 m3, and the alternator power out goes directly to the starter, which then goes to the positive terminal in the engine compartment and then to the battery. I was getting 14+ volts at the alternator, and 12.0 at the positive terminal and everything behind that. I checked the starter (no easy task) and the nut on the terminal was loose! argh. removed and retightened and everything is back to normal. Aiyeeeee. Thanks everyone for the help and sorry to scream like a wuss. -kit 97 m3/4 happier now, but time to track down an 02 sensor gremlin...
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#10. Re: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! - from Jim Powell
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 17:56:22 -0700 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@apexcone.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! Uh-huh. Doubt me not grasshopper. :) Jim Kit Wetzler wrote: > Hey Jim (and rest of list), > > turns out it was the stupidest @*()$(@#*%ing problem I've ever seen. > > I looked at the electrical diagram for 97 m3, and the alternator power out > goes directly to the starter, which then goes to the positive terminal in > the engine compartment and then to the battery. I was getting 14+ volts at > the alternator, and 12.0 at the positive terminal and everything behind > that. I checked the starter (no easy task) and the nut on the terminal was > loose! argh. removed and retightened and everything is back to normal. > Aiyeeeee. > > Thanks everyone for the help and sorry to scream like a wuss. > > -kit > 97 m3/4 happier now, but time to track down an 02 sensor gremlin...
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#11. Re: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! - from Jim Powell
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Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 14:45:52 -0700 From: Jim Powell <jsp98m3@apexcone.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] even more alternator woes... PLEASE HELP! I'm sorry but this seems silly. Why are you replacing things based on the readout from the OBC? I can see replacing things when the car won't start or the Alternator light comes on. But other than that? Why not leave it alone? Who even knows where the OBC reading is taken? There could be all kinds of voltage drops involved. There is a very FREE way to find out if you have something to worry about. It's called Sears. They do free charging system checks. They will load test your alternator and your battery and measure the ability of your alternator to regulate and rectify the output. All for nothing. You don't have to buy parts or services from them, even if they find a problem. Recommended. Jim Kit Wetzler wrote: > Hi guys and gals, > > So, I've replaced the battery, the belts and the alternator. I still see > 12.1 or so volts at idle. Voltage came up a bit while driving around, but > not over 12.6 or so.... All accessories on (lights, a/c, stereo, fan on > full) drops voltage to 11.63. This sounds bad. Could it be the new > battery wasn't charged all the way? Voltage is being measured from the > OBC. Car starts and runs just fine. > > Please help. Should I worry about this?