BMW E46 M3 : That's the ticket

[pseudonymous]

Jul 3, 2022 6:37:37 GMT ChasR said:

It seems I've not updated this for a while!

The truth is, there hasn't been much to update on here!

It's a bit of a shame. I'm not going to say I've lost my mojo for it, because I haven't. I enjoy driving this car out everytime! It feels special, and has some great character.

But, I also can't escape some things

-With fuel being the price it is, this car now costs as much as what the Merc did to do mileage in. Goodwood and back was around a £100 trip for RRW, despite this doing over 30MPG there and back.
-It needs the wings replacing and the arch repairing on the rear. No matter how I look at it, that's alot of paintwork. With energy prices rising, that's not going to be a cheap job. I do have the new wings however, and have done for years.

I suspect it's the latter which is making me lack enthusiasm for the car. I know that's going to be a 4 figure bill. Small change for many on here I'm sure, but when I've spent around £1.6k on average for most of my cars, it does hurt a little.

I also suspect I like having a 'retro' just tucked up in the garage now, to pinch myself with, to know that I own it.

With me also recently discovering motorbikes, that's something which is also intervening. I now fancy buying one of those! Obviously, I need to repair the M3 as well. Choices choices! I know what most friends have told me to do, and it's not to buy the bike! Maybe they're right.

Maybe I just don't like spending between £3-5k to repair a car. But any retro these days will cost that to have bodywork sorted I suppose.

What will I do with this? I don't know. Selling it I doubt I'll do, or even parting it out, which it would do for very well. While I fancy other cars, I think the value for money and the memories of this car help me! £10k can buy alot of cars, but I've owned a few, and the pool of what I want to own isn't cheap anymore either.

But it seems a shame to have the progress on this car stagnate due to its bodywork. I've debated going to cheaper bodyshops and getting my own hands dirty, but seeing how cars look in the long term from such places, I know I'll kick myself.

Hmmm, I best think of something.

I am in a similar position with my E46 325 Sport. Following a recent MOT fail due to grot on the outer rear sills, which surprised the tester as much as me, I decided that even when sorted, it can no longer be used as a daily, in fact using it as one is why its ended up crusty. So it's now tucked away in the garage until I decide on a plan of action.

Its very low mileage, lovely condition apart from the aforementioned sills and absolutely standard, in the spec I always wanted (manual and undamaged alcantara). If I sold it I'd not a) find another one or b) be able to afford it even if I did. I got really lucky when I bought it a few years ago, after looking for a long time, hitting that sweet spot of great condition and the price trough just before values started to rise rapidly.

I don't even have a functioning car at the moment, used car prices are crazy and I can't find anything I'd trust for my family to travel safely and reliably in within my budget. Sub £1k stuff from 18 months ago is now £2k+ with higher mileage and more problems and most of them are total ****boxes when you look up the MOT history. 

Like you though, I do enjoy knowing that I have 'that' retro, the one I wanted, tucked away in the garage and it's mine. I enjoy thinking about tinkering with it when I'm sat on a bus, with the general unwashed public, haha. I suspect I'll end up amassing a pile of random parts for future use as well, as you can still buy plenty of genuine stuff for reasonable money.

[ChasR]

There are some great points you raise there pseudonymous, and it does remind us why we love the cars that we do, and how evening having an example in our garage makes a quite lucky TBH.

Anyway, apologies for a very late update! The year frankly has been a blur. But now that I am settling down into attempting to relax, let’s see where the path of the M3 has taken me, and what mischief I’ve been up to.

Firstly, another vehicle joined the M3 in the garage, in the form of a motorbike. A Yamaha XSR700. I never saw myself as a biker but I did always have a passing interest in them. I figured it was time to dabble, as it seems many retro enthusiasts are doing now.




Was that the only thing I did? Of course not. My friend with the S54’d E36 was in need of a lift to places far away, to get an E91z it seems he was gutted that he sold me his old car. But at least we both had a pair now

Both M57’d cars, except his was an LCI, mine a pre-LCI, with only months separating the two cars. Both however, are 325ds, despite both being 3.0i cars, albeit detuned.







I would, however, take the M3 to the local DubClub event near me. It was good to see it out again, and TBH, it excites me
To see the car about and brought some
mojo back, both for the car and myself.














It was then Retro Rides time. I wasn’t banking on having a collection of 90s and 00s BMWs and an Alpina all in one spot!

























It was great, and I adored the convoy down.

I enjoyed it so much, that I started using the car again after quite a slumber.







Which is why a shame this is what resides around the car now. But that will probably be Xmas’s holiday’s task. Sort out the garage and crack on with the M3 once again. I've not forgotten completely about it however. I have, for instance, had it on the trickle charger quite a bit.

[Ray Singh]

Your M3 makes me go funny each and everytime i see it. I love that....

[sonus]

Still mis my 325d LCI E91. One of BMWs best 3-series imo. Definitivly better than my current F31. The 325d was chipped using ess tuning stage 1 and had birds b3 springs and shocks which transformed the car.

[ChasR]

Dec 6, 2022 22:25:12 GMT Ray Singh said:

Your M3 makes me go funny each and everytime i see it. I love that....

Good to see it does that!

It’s funny, you do wonder if the M3 lived up to the 944 Turbo or S2. I think we all know the answer. I suppose I take for granted that I own it. That’s until I drive it again, which I do need to do.

As someone else reminded me yesterday, I do need to throw the cash into this as well, and attempt to not get distracted by other toys, which we know can be inevitable!

How is the Alpina going bud?

Dec 9, 2022 22:02:40 GMT sonus said:

Still mis my 325d LCI E91. One of BMWs best 3-series imo. Definitivly better than my current F31. The 325d was chipped using ess tuning stage 1 and had birds b3 springs and shocks which transformed the car.

We shall have to see if I can’t not talk too much about the E91 🤣

Originally, I wanted an LCI car, especially when I learned the 325ds used the M57 non-swirl flap engines years after all cars went over to the N57. My requirements were odd but keen.

SE or M-Sport with SE Suspension
Auto
Ideally Le Mans Blue with a Lemon interior
Xenons
iDrive
Heated Seats
Parking sensors front and rear

my 2.5T Mondeo spoiled me, and the sensors made that car easier to park in town or the city than you would think. Motorways, however, did become tedious in that car with stop start traffic.

Obviously, this E91 came about with not the options I wanted. However, fully aware of the chip crisis and e failure that it will be years before “good condition” cars go back to the prices of pre-Covid, I bought a project of a car off a mate. It wasn’t quite what I wanted.

Pre-LCI - I do actually prefer some details I admit with this car, albeit I think the colour helps
Sparkling Graphite
Sensors all round
Heated seats
Business Radio
Heated Seats
M-Sport suspension
CANBUS detachable Towbar - A very handy bonus, which I didn’t realise it had until much later!

It is, as I’ve indicated, one of the last pre-LCI cars.

Compared to

The Mondeo - Probably the closest competitor in some ways
Merc C209 CLK 270 CDI pre-facelift
BMW E46 330dT LCI SE

This car is a better package for me. Driving Dynamics are better than the above. It’s not as practical as thr Mondeo, but it’s fine for my needs. It’s a near perfect size for getting around town l, and long journeys are a joy. It’s a great all rounder as you say.

It’s a shame I forgot about Birds and that when a damper blew, I went with OEM again. The B6s (part of a B12 kit) a mate put onto his E92 335i were mega hard, according to him, which did put me off. Birds may have been the solution.

I did have other reasons why I didn’t but I’ll detail that another time.

That reminds me. I need to think about if I put the E91 up on here. If I do, it will be in my repair thread. It’s a long way away however, mainly as I have two more cars to add to that thread. Not quite sure if it deserves its own thread in this forum but we shall see.

I’m surprised, even in this inflated market, how well good E9xs hold their value, especially E91s, moreso the 335is

[teaboy]

Dec 10, 2022 8:40:17 GMT ChasR said:

It’s a shame I forgot about Birds

How could you forget about Bird's!




Please don't forget about your M3 as well.

[ChasR]

Dec 10, 2022 17:38:52 GMT teaboy said:

Dec 10, 2022 8:40:17 GMT ChasR said:

It’s a shame I forgot about Birds

How could you forget about Bird's!




Please don't forget about your M3 as well.

Don't worry, I almost did! I now haven't.

Why?

-The bodywork will need some money throwing at it. Probably as much in cash as what the Merc cost me to buy. That will be the front end, wing fitting, a rear arch repair to a very localised area, but then at least the side of the car painting.
-It needs other work.

Maybe I am too tight, but that's still at least for me, alot of cash to pour into a car, which I won't see back. Granted, you don't get into this hobby to see the cash back, but £3k buys alot of things ; my 325d wasn't alot more than this to buy. Maybe not as many cars, but certainly, a holiday, house improvements, investment, mortgage payoffs, you get the idea. It's very rare I've put that level of cash in as one lump sum into a car, if not ever.

But, driving the W124 made me realise that all cars need cash spending on them. Yes, they may have 4 round tyres, but some may be old, and a set of tyres these days, along with dampers and other little bits, all add up quickly.

That, and I realised that I sort of had my time with the 124. Maybe having the diesel variant and the coveted E320 estate tainted the experience of having the 230TE. Given that I bought this off a friend to help him clear his lot, I also moved it on, after titivating it gently, which the other thread can show. This does mean something though. I have some cash, and I have a dusty looking M3 sitting in the garage.

So, this Friday, a barn find in the form of an M3 left my house and went on a bit of a tour. Does it have problems? Of course it does

-Both wings look like the tinworm has well and truly taken hold ; I have spares, but as said, they need fitting, but then painting.
-It is very dusty
-The Pagid pads are MEGA squeally at low speed.
-The dampers are worse than I remember. It doesn't wallow but the front does bottom out a little more quickly than it should on some bumps.
-The spec of the car doesn't help itself well at shows, and maybe is another reason I've not committed to the bodywork
-Paint has doubled in price recently, which won't help the above, at least from what I've seen working in the industry. The energy prices on these places, I try to forget about.

But then, there is plenty for me to like:
-It's done several road trips with me
-It's done a couple of job interviews with me.
-It's actually been a car which I hate to admit, does cheer me up when I drive it, especially down the backroads
-The pace is fun for what it is. Too quick? Yes, but it's fun nonetheless
-The sound is immense and now certainly old school. We won't see those kinds of wannabe 'fake' race engines again in this form in the newer stuff, and haven't done for years
-The car has a real duality. It can be a cruiser to help knock off the boredom of traffic, or with the tap of a gear paddle, and a swift move of the right foot, quite a fun backroad entertainer.
-Despite the baggy suspension, the odd knock from the rear balljoints, it somehow holds the road well, and feels connected and special, in a way the 325d can't. Maybe it's a combination of the above that makes it special
-I'm quite enjoying the barnfind look, even if I can't see where I'm going from the rear view on sunny days.

So it's certainly staying. The question is what will I attack first. The elephant in the room which is the bodywork, or the suspension?

The suspension now has a plan. Parts will be bought for it over a year, and attached in localised areas. In short, the plan is to give it the following

-Eibach Pro-Kit 10-20mm lowered suspension (rears are fitted, as the pattern springs were lower than the Eibachs!)
-Koni Sport dampers all round
-Balljoints in the rear stub axle (I have these)
-Rogue Engineering top mounts, or genuine if I'm not feeling as flush
-Much later on, some uprated ARBs, but these are optional. It will be interesting to see what the above does.

The rear will be first, as the driveshafts I bought last year for it will also need fitting

Is the mojo back with the car? Oh yes! Taking the old girl up the redline yesterday, reminded me of why. However it's now a question of where the cash will go first. Arrrgh. Decision have to be loved. But your posterior will only ever get sorer and sorer sitting on the fence as well.

[teaboy]

Personally, I think you should sort out the bodywork first.


It’s pointless having all kinds of fancy suspension if you don’t have anything to bolt it to because the body has rusted away.

Good luck with it, however you go about it.

[generalstirlingprice]

My two pennath worth......the suspension will improve your driving experience.. the bodywork only makes it look pretty!

[RetroWarwicK]

Fit the parts you already have. Then do the suspension. Get the paintwork done when energy costs hopefully come down.

[teaboy]

Apr 7, 2023 9:48:16 GMT RetroWarwicK said:

Fit the parts you already have. Then do the suspension. Get the paintwork done when energy costs hopefully come down.

It isn’t just paintwork though, these things can rot and rust is not something that improves with age.
If there is visible corrosion on the rear wheel arches, for instance, then the inner arches are already rotten.
The sills are covered in plastic which can hide some horrors.
The longer you leave it the more expensive it becomes to repair.

[jjeffries]

I had to look up LCI.

John

[ChasR]

Apr 7, 2023 23:01:49 GMT jjeffries said:

I had to look up LCI.

John

Life Cycle Impulse. Basically, the Facelift.

Maybe I'm appreciating the cash a little more. I generally always wanted facelift cars from any brand, so

-90 spec Escort Mk4s (91MY (MY=Model Year)); Ironically, my cabrio was an '89 spec (So a parts bin special : Earlier exterior bar the decals, but the later "Zolda" interior trim, which was a little brighter inside.
-Kas ; these had 2 facelifts from memory, possibly even 3.
-M3 : Mine is a facelift/LCI but the changes are small. Biggest change were the LED lights on the rear. Mine is one of the first LCI cars, being a March 2003 model.
-Merc W124s ; The diesels and the 230TE were the '1/2 Facelift' cars, which IMHO are the nicest. The later details but still with the old Mercedes class. My E320, signified by the E at the start of the numbers, was a full facelift, with the smaller grille, which I was never a fan of.

It's interesting. I was saying this the other day. Folks used to update their cars to look like newer models. With Fords, it used to be going with clear indicators, as the 90s updates (came with these) ; it's actually what a friend has done with his E90 330i ; he's LCI'd it, but it's quite a job to do on the rear, as the tailgates are physically different for the light shape changes.

But as time goes on, I actually prefer the middle/earlier cars now. Maybe I feel they best represent the original concept of the car. Or I'm just liking saving a few quid

[Battenberg]

I’d put a cover on it and come back to it in 5 years, in the meantime start collecting parts for its rejuvenation and start putting £200 a month (will come to nowhere near the budget needed but a start) into a separate account. Look at teaboy and the colossal amount of work his M3 is consuming in chasing out the grot, I suspect you do not have the skills to do that?.

As the prices of these are no longer dropping I’d be looking to revert it back to factory which the purists will pay for if you decide to sell it in 10 years. I can guarantee you will not be interested in Cars now the weather is getting warmer and you have the bike, maybe sell the 325 and invest the money in the M3 and keep that Merc estate.

[pauly22]

Part of the reason I sold my m3 last year, wings and some rust repairs and paint was coming in at 3k plus buying the wings, wheel refurb and your at 4K, they are going up in value although the highs of 2020 seem to have gone.

[ChasR]

Well, since the last before one post, a few things have happened and changed, with more of a plan. I'll say more shortly.

Apr 15, 2023 18:28:51 GMT Battenberg said:

I’d put a cover on it and come back to it in 5 years, in the meantime start collecting parts for its rejuvenation and start putting £200 a month (will come to nowhere near the budget needed but a start) into a separate account. Look at teaboy and the colossal amount of work his M3 is consuming in chasing out the grot, I suspect you do not have the skills to do that?.

As the prices of these are no longer dropping I’d be looking to revert it back to factory which the purists will pay for if you decide to sell it in 10 years. I can guarantee you will not be interested in Cars now the weather is getting warmer and you have the bike, maybe sell the 325 and invest the money in the M3 and keep that Merc estate.

I was quite tempted to throw a cover on, I'll be honest. It has been garage stored for some time.

In theory, I've already started collecting 'bits'. Outside of this, I've also started off a pot for my house and the car, thanks to some luck regarding re-mortgaging etc.

I can weld, but not as well as teaboy, no chance. Luckily, my car isn't too bad, or it does not seem so. It's a far more solid girl underneath than it is on top. Maybe me garaging it since 2017, and trying to not use it over winter since around then, and then more rigorously since 2019 has helped. The jacking points are very good on this car, and the sills look good from what I have seen. The arch rust has started due to the arch liner rubbing on the edge annoyingly, but that's life. The front wings were never this bad, but they got worse and worse after I had the front end resprayed in 2017, at quite a rate. The battery panel strenghener is surface rusty, but again, pretty solid. The arches, bar the rear bleb, look good, but I won't know until we get more into that.

The original parts I've kept for the very reasons you've said. Standard cars will always sell better, but that's not to say I won't have fun . Airbox and lights are in the attic.

I did debate keeping the W124, but it was a little too old for me to daily (regarding rust issues), and it was too nice for that. It was also a little too slow, and the KE-Jetronic setup on that can be a nightmare to sort (mine wasn't problem free ; I managed to cure a power problem, but the idle issue was tricky to deal with), enough for W124 folks to have memes of folks hanging themselves over diagnosing M103 and M104 units. Think K-Jet with EFI bits attached (ICV and Lambda being 2 items), but no way of really knowing why they won't play ball. My friend who was a 124 enthuasiast and serial owner gave up trying to solve it. It was only for 1 or 2 years the Lambda-KAT version of KE-Jetronic was on these cars to make matters worse. But they will run in a fashion without an ECU, so there's that I suppose ; i.e it will always run.

The 325d will stay, but that's going to be a 'stock' daily.

I suspect you're right about the bike. I suppose the good news is I did buy 'well' on that. In that it won't need much more than just maintenance, which is still time, but it's not a project, which the M3 very much is. Maybe I should buy a daily like I bought the bike. It's just a shame 'new' dailies with a proper history and from an agent are so dear now!

It does seem prices have firmed up. One thing which stopped me putting in cash (and probably most principally), was seeing the car slated at shows. Why put cash into something that no-one will ever appreciate ; You may as well put all of the money on black in the casino hall or blow the lot on a few lines . While it's not my thing (on both counts), I think we know what will provide better vale. Usual comments were:

"Oh, it's got a sunroof"
"Oh, it's an SMG"
"Oh, it's got grey leather"
"Oh, the wings are rusty"
"Oh, a shame about the car and spec ; I bet it's awful to drive : Oh look, there's a lovely M3 there"

Truth be told, the comments did make me consider fragging the car, and donoring the engine into something else, an engineless JDM car, an old Triumph, who knows? M3s do now break well after all. But I annoyingly enjoy driving it, and like the car for what it is, inclduing the spec, and it has alot of history with me now.

This may sound stupid and nuts to you, I can appreciate. But given that I've rarely more than £1.6k on cars until very recently (average price I bought cars at is still £1.8k), you can see why I'm reluctant to sometimes pursue things on cars. I blame my dad being tight on buying cars for years . The ST220 I fixed up (OK, that was poor when I got the car) wasn't even £1k, but then it's not an M3. I can probably count on one hand, how many cars have cost more than £1.8k for me.

Apr 16, 2023 5:48:31 GMT pauly22 said:

Part of the reason I sold my m3 last year, wings and some rust repairs and paint was coming in at 3k plus buying the wings, wheel refurb and your at 4K, they are going up in value although the highs of 2020 seem to have gone.

Maybe we're old. For me, less than £5k got me into a 944 Turbo with a superb spec (KWv3s, new wings and sills), but that was 10 years ago, even if it doesn't seem it. Spending that much to repair a car just seems mad. But then, times changes, and £5k 944s are less commonplace, with Turbos being non-existant at those prices anymore. That, and any car needs cash really, when you dig deeper.

The values seem to be heading back up it would seem, but they did dip over Xmas quite considerably.


So, what plans have I made?

I took it out for a drive last bank holiday, and enjoyed it ; it's surprising it's still quite a fun and joyeous thing in the corners. The plan was to go to London in it, but I had a delivery for a fellow RRer to pickup, so that didn't happen. What did happen, was that I took it to a number of recommended bodyshops, from mates, and a fellow specialist.

I was expecting prices of £3k+ for the car, and that would have led to me deciding what to do with the car at that point, for the aforementioned reasons above (spec of the car and perception from the wider publuc, and the level of cash to sort it out. I was frankly, surprised at the prices. I was a little more surprised to hear the chaps saying 'it's worth sorting it out, the car warrants it', albeit I was on the fence. Long and short of it is, the car will get sorted out.

That's going to be the car getting repainted on both sides, the rear arch done, and the wings fitted. Granted, I'll need to get my hands dirty, with stripping it down, to make the work easier, but it's fine. The price is still pricey, but nowhere near as much as I thought. Dare I'd say it, I'd say it's reasonable. So this year, the car's the bodywork done, and new metal let into the rear arch. The other arch looks good and will be checked on as the car is being worked on.

The garage floor also had a plan since Christmas. I'm epoxy flooring it. I know it's not M3 related, but it's nice to make the place of work nicer to work in . It's time I updated the garage thread.

Over the next 18 months, the car now has a plan:

-Bodywork : I have the wings after all. The fixings I've started buying
-Suspension : The pot Battenberg mentioned, I technically have for the car from the W124 seale, and it will have that pot. Rear end I'm doing in 1 hit. That's balljoints, dampers, driveshafts, and whatever else I find down there
Front, I'll do probably over winter. That's going to be springs, dampers, top mounts, and Lollypop bushes. An assessement will be made on the lower arms and the tie-rods at the same time. I suspect the tie rods will be changed. Steering coupler will also be checked.
Seats : They will not be re-trimmed, I think for a while. However, I'm going to buy a base, to see if I'm happy with the Recaro as a driver's seat and if I can live with it. I could in an E36. That will probably be bought towards the end of this year.

Oh, and I finally gave the car a wash. Some 'barn-find' images to it looking smart are coming soon...

[adam73bgt]

Glad to hear you're going to get it sorted

Don't take notice of what others say, although I've swapped out a grey interior in the past for black, and I've pooh poohed those early 00s mechanised manual auto gearboxes (without having driven one I might add) as long as you like it and enjoy the car, that's all that really matters. It comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.

I had similar when I came to sell my RX7, being a convertible, I had many saying "eugh wish it was a coupe" etc. coupes are very nice but the convertible was by no means a bad car and I miss it now

Hope you don't find any other hidden issues while completing your plan

[ChasR]

Apr 16, 2023 19:24:03 GMT adam73bgt said:

Glad to hear you're going to get it sorted

Don't take notice of what others say, although I've swapped out a grey interior in the past for black, and I've pooh poohed those early 00s mechanised manual auto gearboxes (without having driven one I might add) as long as you like it and enjoy the car, that's all that really matters. It comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.

I had similar when I came to sell my RX7, being a convertible, I had many saying "eugh wish it was a coupe" etc. coupes are very nice but the convertible was by no means a bad car and I miss it now

Hope you don't find any other hidden issues while completing your plan

Cheers bud. I suppose when I've grown up with little cash until around 5(ish) years ago, I've always tried to squeeze the value out of any car, and had those considerations. It's not always worked out well, but it's a hard habit to shake, especially as the sums get larger. So to a degree, what others think will always play a small part, as, it will guide your decisions on what to do with the car, come a potential resale time. I've almost sold this car twice, both for mortgage related reasons, hence the thoughts .

However, the above has taken a turn on its head! Fear not, the car is still staying!

Basically, I asked a mate for some prices on Koni dampers, expecting not much discount on them. I also expected to buy them an axle at a time, so as to make the spending more palatable. However, that didn't go to plan.

He couldn't get a great price on the Konis, or the supply of them via his contacts. On one set, he could however. Bilstein B16s. I got offered them for a price which frankly, I'm still surprised at, and almost comparable to the Konis, and cheaper than genuine BMW.

Since I was surprised, I Googled all sorts of information about them. All sorts of thoughts went through my head, including
-Will they be too low (I'm sure I'll try an RR slammed look at one point!)
-Will they be too firm
-Is the adjustments OK.

Luckily, I had folks who tried enough setups, to put my mind at ease about all of the above. In short, the B16 setup is very good. And so I agreed to buy it.

Another bonus is, I planned to set the rear of my car on spring pads of varying thicknesses, this won't be necesary with the adjustable rear spring platforms.

The problem now? I had it in my mind that I was going to get the car sprayed and the rust remedied. Obviously, some of that cash has gone. I suppose a few more things will be sold, and any bike buying plans have well and truly been put on hold . That said, it's nice to get the two cars I have that little bit nicer .

Pics will come as goods arrive.

[RetroWarwicK]

Too many words, not enough pictures...😉

[ChasR]

Apr 25, 2023 19:46:27 GMT RetroWarwicK said:

Too many words, not enough pictures...😉

You’ll have shots impatient one! However, I’ll need to do a delete and re-hash of the post, mainly as the photo order has been jumbled when being uploaded.

I started off last weekend (or two) with me going down to a couple of bodyshops, so as to assess how much things would cost me. Suffice to say, I enjoyed driving the car, and even had the weather for it.




But let's not beat around the bush. 5 months of it being laid up in a bare floored garage didn't do the car any favours. It really did have the barn find look. While I wasn't after perfection, since the car is being painted anyway, I thought I'd attempt to get the worst off.










A true barn find eh? It certainly wasn't looking great. It was time to address that. With an array of Bilt Hamber products, I got to work.



Even the engine bay got a clean, and I normally don't touch them, for the fear of disturbing electrics. But with some Surfex HD, and the Touchless snow-foam, I carefully navitaged around, and got a much better looking engine bay. Naturally, the 'before' shot was more of a during shot. Even so, it goes to show that the engine bay has scrubbed up well.






With that, I decided to treat myself. Partly with leftover stuff, but also with 'decent stuff'. Shoreditch may be full of fancy sandwiches, but nothing compared to the ChasR realm!

With a 'Club sandwich', consisting of Roast Chicken, bacon, tomatoes, salad, mature cheddar, jalepinos, and a little bit of perrinaise, I dished it up. It was as lovely as expected, or as revolting, as some may say! Either way, it set me up for the rest of of the day.



It's just as well, as I tested positive for Covid. Great! As a result, I relaxed at home for a short while, where I did a few jobs on the Yamaha, since that was wanting, as well as the brake pads on the E91. Mainly, as the pads weren't playing ball. We'll see if I errect a thread for that car.

As soon as I felt well, and was clear, I didn't hesitate in getting the M3 out and about. It's a joy to take this thing about, even if it is tired.

Before that, however, a special delivery arrived, courtesy of a certain Bruce Holder, from Octane Legends, aka Mystery Machine on here. A picture of my M3. It does look great, and reminds me of the great shape of the car. It's funny, it is definitely looking quite retro and old now. Are the amber indicators helping it, do the E9x generation just look too boring afterwards, or have the HUUUUGE grilles from BMW now made everything before look dated? I'll let you decide.






That said, there was no rest for the wicked. I'd get down to Caffeine and Machine in the M3 on one of the nights, and enjoy seeing other cars.

What caught my attention, and a few others, was the 996 or Boxster seats fitted into an M3, with grey alcantara. It's something I'm keeping an eye on, as I plan to do something similar with my Recaros. It would be easier to refit a black interior as opposed to re-trimming them, but I do for odd reasons, like the grey. Maybe my E91 is too dark and glum inside!





That said, I saw the hen's teeth of an interior in an M3, the M-Technic alcanatara interior. I've only ever seen this on pre-facelift cars. It's a very rare no-cost option interior for these, but there is no doubt that it is now the desired interior to have. Naturally, that gave me ideas for the seat inner centres.








It was then time to survey the other cars there during the German night. There was plenty to like.











Since the car was clean, it was actually pleasant to get the bonnet up, and see that Mystic Blue paintwork have the great sparkle in the sun.










Finally, I went to Dub Club, a local event, where there was plenty of tasty material. It was great to meet the folks, and get the M3 out once more.