I have to come clean - we bought an E90 M3

[saaron]

I always wanted a muscle car, so now I have one.    It's not a Mopar, Chevy, or Ford, but a little 221 cube Bimmer.  

 

It has records from new, and seems to have been nicely taken care of.  Last two owners barely drove it - the last five years or so it was a sunny-day-only car. 

 

It just clicked 60k miles as I drove it home.  It has very little wear and tear on it - either the body or interior.  

 

I like that it is a four-door (I know, I'm odd), and it has a 6 speed, which I like, too.  

 

Have to start the oil analysis.  PO said he did it two years ago and it was fine.  We shall see.  Hope it's OK in that regard. 

 

It sure is fun to drive.  And it is subtle, which I like - it doesn't scream...anything, really.  Pretty much under the radar.  Also comfortable...good seats, and the suspension isn't overly stiff.  I kind of wish it had 18" wheels instead of 19"...lousy roads around here.  

 

Will pretty much drive it when I need to.  I don't commute, so it isn't a true "daily" in my mind, but it is my main car now.  

 

The plates are back in the hands of the PO.  

 

Scott

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2018 by saaron
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[M3M3]

4dr M3's rule!

[jgerock]

Even more of an incentive to stop by your place on the return from MidAmerica.

 

 

 

[Jim_75Sahara]

I test-drove one of these a few years ago at a BMWCCA gtg at the dealer. I rode with another guy and we took turns driving it. The other fellow was extremely eager for me to turn it over to him after I'd driven it. Then the way he drove it was downright scary. He must have watched those Fast & Furious movies. A fast car that will roar when pushed hard.

[saaron]

Just washed it, finally.  And got rid of the goofy plates.  

 

It's a pretty color - sometimes it looks silver and sometimes it is very blue.

 

Scott

[jgerock]

Needs some chrome polish on those exhaust tips?. They will get blackened quickly.  Look closely at the rear edge of the door seals on the front. They easily get torn from the seat belt slamming into them when unbuckling while the door is open.  I see this on many BMW's. The seals are very thin.

 

Our E90 is still at the dealership awaiting warranty coverage repairs to the oil filter housing (leaking again after the first repair in 2015), leaking valve cover gasket and leaking front struts.  Buying an extended warranty has been the best thing we did. I took it in for the 17V-676 blower motor wiring recall and an oil service.  

[jgerock]

And another thing- replacement wiper blades are $55 from the dealership (for the set). No inserts on these cars. Make sure to get the correct type- there are two.  Make sure the parts department and service folks (if you ever take it in) makes a copy of your CCA card for discounts.

 

You can buy the engine air and cabin filters from Amazon.  They have the good brands.

Edited December 15, 2018 by jgerock

[saaron]

28 minutes ago, jgerock said:

Buying an extended warranty has been the best thing we did.

 

I was thinking about that.  Can I buy a warranty now?  Or did you buy it when the factory warranty was up?  Where is it from?  

 

How do you clean and polish your exhaust pipes?  You probably have that figured out.  The X5 and GLI both get sooty really fast.  I read somewhere it is related to the direct injection.  I could take a crack at them today.  

 

Looking forward to spending some time on it today - I've been busy and haven't been able to really poke around it a whole lot.  I need to do little stuff like pair my phone with it, get my seat settings correct and saved, program the M button, and get the blinkers to do the "three clicks" lane-change thing when you touch them.  

 

I'll look at the door seals, too.  

 

And probably just stand at the back while it is running and listen to it.  

 

Scott

[jgerock]

Extended warranty was thru the dealer when we bought the car. Car had 17,412 miles on it and was a lease return (but strangely not a CPO car).  Our Contract is called "The Mechanic" platinum coverage.  60 months /75 k miles price in 2014 was just under $3k. Coverage is beyond the factory warranty. They pressed us for extended warranty on the run flat tires. We declined it. Be prepared for expensive tires on your car.  

 

For the tips, just use any chrome polish. I use Turtle Wax liquid.  

[jgerock]

Pairing the iPhone was easy for Susan. Our car has nav but we don't use it.  

 

Weird thing with the phone: if she is on her cell inside the house and I start the car, I can hear her conversation automatically in the car. If I end the call, it hangs her up. Spooky.

[visionaut]

Nice pick-up Scott.  I recently landed in a new Bimmer myself...  The 3-blinks lane change works when you just slightly activate the lever, versus a full pull of it (which stays on until cancelled), you'll get then hang of it. ;-)

 

Jim - My guess is your spooky scenario is likely due to you & your wife sharing a single AppleID, and you having Apple's "handoff" activated.  I believe it's a newish bug within iOS 12 which hopefully gets fixed soon.  Meantime, you might consider turning off Handoff if it's too annoying...

 

Tom

[saaron]

Hey Tom -

 

Yeah, the 3 blink box was not checked in the iDrive.  I checked it, so now it does what I want it to do.  As I've learned with these newer ones..."that's adjustable...somewhere."  

 

What is your new Bimmer?  Don't be coy...

 

Scott

[visionaut]

Scott,

 

I picked up a CPO 2016 435iX Gran Coupe with most options, incl the Track Handling Package in August.  I'm totally impressed... It's the new main ride.

 

Yeah, you're right, you're driving a network of programable computer modules.  Especially if you add custom-coding via BimmerCode and such, to go beyond what's offered via iDrive.  (My fave  such mod - hold the comfort access area on the door 2 secs and the mirrors auto fold.  Tied for a close second is ability to turn off Active Sound and open the dual Exhaust flap...). 

 

Tom

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by visionaut

[saaron]

Oh yeah - I like that body style a lot.  There was one here that I really thought about - it was M Sport.  The styling is great and I love the N55 - we have a '14 X5 with that engine.  It's a honey.

 

Scott

[saaron]

I got the Blackstone analysis back today, and it is all good.  Everything looks fine.  I’ll keep on doing it to get trends going.  It was a relief...I wan’t expecting it to be bad but you never know.  

 

I love the car.  It is great.  So much fun.  Makes every little trip exciting.  I’ll drive it to Vintage this year since my 02 is mia.  I’ll find out what it’s like to park “across the way”.  

 

Scott