Kevin_at_BW said:
Mmmmm, that new BMW Project Car smell.
We'll have a box of gummies waiting for the first round of goodies. Say the word...
Hey, I feel like we were just chatting. (Confession: We were.)
But this brings up another good point regarding our project cars: solid partnerships.
And I don’t mean “here’s a bunch of parts that you need to install” but, rather, “here’s what we’re seeing regarding these cars out in the field.” Then our job is to turn that into content because that’s what we do.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I had a brand new belt fail on a test drive after replacing the alternator on my wife's X3. I found parts of the belt under the hood, didn't know about the engine force feeding itself. Later found it had an oil leak at the main seal, not too bad though. I replaced the seal and installed a guard not knowing if any belt made it into the engine.
Fast forward over a year. "Low oil pressure" light comes on only when I'm driving...I tend to drive it harder than the wife,lol. I order a sensor and a valve cover seal(because they leak all the time too). I pull the top off the engine and notice a small piece of kevlar string in the time chain. berkeley!
I knew the oil pan had to come off, its an X drive so that has the bonus of an axle through the oil pan. The pan looked surprisingly clear of debris, like nothing! I pull the pick up off the engine and look into it, oooooo, that's bad.
The engine had been drinking oil that had been "pre-filtered" through this:
My wife driving like a grandma saved the engine. So, get a guard and keep an eye on the seals on the oil filter. Oil leaks are what usually take out the belt. I keep a close eye on the oil filter area for drips and I've had to do those seals twice in 3 years.
David S. Wallens said:
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Even $30k sounds like a lot of bread and, yes, I was just looking at a new RF. Just looking, just looking.
The take-home message here: New cars–and used cars–have gone up in price. Sadly, it’s no longer 1995. Or even 2015.
$30k in 2024 bux (actually, Nov 2023 bux) sounds like a lot, but it wouldn't have bought you a new 1990 Miata with steel wheels and no radio - even before the price adjustments that were rampant that summer. That was basically my point. The price of a new Miata (according to the CPI) has gone down, not up. It only sounds like a lot of bread because your mental "value meter" is out of date.
A new 1995 M Edition would have cost you the equivalent of over $48k in today's money. Whoo.
My question for that dealership is where the extra $5k came from on the unofficial part of that sticker. MSRP, as shown on the part from Mazda, is $37,490 with the handling fees.
If you're going all in on the floppy paddle thing you should get the x-drive version to complete the grocery getter must haves. Sheesh.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
No idea how that dealer’s math is working, but they’re asking $42k for it.
I just showed my wife a photo of the tan Miata RF. Now she wants it.
z31maniac said:
My DCT 135i kind of soured me on modern BMW turbo cars. But I'm still a BMW guy at heart.
I've meant to ask for a while now: what all went wrong on your 135i?
I have not followed the f3x aftermarket much so it will be interesting to see what you are able to do to this car. When new they got alot of bad press for having very bad steering feel & from the factory front camber can only be adjusted by replacing the knuckle. The n55 has a bad habit of locking up from rod bearing failure so if hard use is in its future a rod bearing change would be a good idea. The f8x m cars are great track weapons so the standard 3/4 series should have the basics to get there, but bmw did say this was the first generation that the m version was different enough to get its own chassis code.
My parents have an F3x–the wagon, of course–and like it. It gets regular oil changes and that’s it. Previously they had an E9x wagon and just wanted to get something a bit newer. They also have an ND MX-5.
Actual question here:
Don't these things have a lot of goofy-ass fasteners on them? Is there anything I need to add to my toolbox that might not already be there? I think I have like one set of triple-square sockets, but don't these things have like E-torx and other made-up sounding bolt heads buried in their nethers?
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I happen to have one of my favorite people (BMW or otherwise) on the other line.
His reply: Most everything will be torx or inverse torx or whatever you wanna call em
1) Does that whole belt getting sucked into the oil pan thing happen with the 2.0 turbos as well?
2) What are the LSD options for this gen? I suspect that will be on the list if there is not one from the factory.
this looks like a fun project, especially since it is your wallet, not mine.
GTwannaB said:
2) What are the LSD options for this gen? I suspect that will be on the list if there is not one from the factory.
this looks like a fun project, especially since it is your wallet, not mine.
The M4 complete diff bolts in. Looks like BMW wants $2500 or so for one. I'm sure they're all over the shelves.
Quaife and Wavetrac also appear to have diffs available, both of which I'm a fan of (and gear diffs in general). Those obviously require install into the pumpkin, but i'm sure they just pop right in.
Tom Suddard said:
That's not a sunroof, that's an escape hatch!
JG Pasterjak said:
GTwannaB said:
2) What are the LSD options for this gen? I suspect that will be on the list if there is not one from the factory.
this looks like a fun project, especially since it is your wallet, not mine.
The M4 complete diff bolts in. Looks like BMW wants $2500 or so for one. I'm sure they're all over the shelves.
Quaife and Wavetrac also appear to have diffs available, both of which I'm a fan of (and gear diffs in general). Those obviously require install into the pumpkin, but i'm sure they just pop right in.
The m3/m4 diff is variable lock & requires a control module. They also use a different rear subframe so it may not bolt up. Later m340's did get the variable diff as well & bmw made a bolt in 25% lock diff. The aftermarket will likely be the cheapest option & would probably make a good article.
I'm sorry I didn't know about this earlier, I'm a Cincinnatian doing the showbird thing in Florida, I would have spared you the long, boring plane ride and the equally long, boring drive back to Florida and done it for you. Just sayin', I would have made the sacrifice for you guys.
Yo we on a plane. Let's hope it was as nice as Lee said.
JG Pasterjak said:
Actual question here:
Don't these things have a lot of goofy-ass fasteners on them? Is there anything I need to add to my toolbox that might not already be there? I think I have like one set of triple-square sockets, but don't these things have like E-torx and other made-up sounding bolt heads buried in their nethers?
Yep. You need an E-torx set. I bought a decent one of Amazon for probably $75 that's done everything I've needed on my 235 so far.
In for what y'all do regarding oiling. I've got $2700 worth of S55 parts in my BW cart and just can't make myself pull the trigger.
God, the belt sucking into the oil pan thing is NUTS! You can't make this stuff up.
My the force be with you on this one. After the Z06 lunched it's engine, I'm praying for good luck here y'all.
My first thought.... maybe in GRM fashion they will be putting a whole Chubby C7 drivetrain under it. That would prevent the belt getting into the oil pan. 
Wait... THE BELT BREAKS AND THEN ENTERS THE ENGINE?!
What a time to be alive.
JG Pasterjak said:
Yo we on a plane. Let's hope it was as nice as Lee said.
An aisle seat isn't very GRM... you should be in the middle.
Tom Suddard said:
JG Pasterjak said:
Yo we on a plane. Let's hope it was as nice as Lee said.
An aisle seat isn't very GRM... you should be in the middle.
Given him a break, he appears to be flying Allegiant...
BoxheadTim said:
Given him a break, he appears to be flying Allegiant...
"Allegiant Air: We'll fly you from someplace you don't want to be to someplace you don't want to go, but we'll do it cheap!"
At least it's not a 737-MAX!
