various car pic albums : GTI Edition 30 / BMW E46 M3 / MR2 Spyder / Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo / GTI Mk2 8V

got some time to start syncing pics from an old machine to picasa.
Also added these album links into the right hand menu --->

E46 M3 5k !

guy on the golf gti forum just took this car in on part exchange!
bit leggy (nearly 150,000 miles!) BUT how much car for the price of a smart car and its imola red too
(im almost tempted to buy it just to break it for spares....)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260665784079#ht_1144wt_758

M3 E46 End of Term Review

Well here we go , an attempt to sum up this car.......

I have owned my (previous) M3 for 18 months , in that time going from 10,000 miles up to 42,000 miles.
A silver grey 04 plate.
I traded in a new Mini Cooper s (modified to 220bhp+) for this car.
Most of these were spent going up and down the motorway between Glasgow and Warrington (450 miles round trip) every weekend.
I regularly saw 32 mpg crusing @ 85 mph motorway, and 27 ish general travelling around.


PLUS POINTS (so many but heres a few!

Very understated looks , only those in the know really notice.
The 'fat' rear track. The twin pipes , BMW got the subtle look just right on the E46 M3 imho.

Fuel economy! ok you dont buy one of these cars for this , but its a huge bonus,
32mpg on the motorway just insane for a 340bhp car.
Can you name another car with this much power that does that?

Practicality , huge boot yet porsche pace. Only issue is making sure you dont damage the lovely nappa leather.

Performance (surprise!), can drive slowly , amazing tractability , or race car pace when reqd
The engine! rpm range is truly brill , workable pull from 2k to 8k.
No more getting caught passing cars having to change gear , 3rd just supreme.
Rate of acceleration above 100mph+ to limiter (private test track of course).
M3 just excels at the point your licence goes out the window.

Never really drove with sport button on , preferred more progressive throttle control

The exhaust noise with rear windows open and a full 7900rpm on the clock :-)

The rasp when its cold (ok no revs allowed but you can still hear it at 2k rpm)

Those polished alloys , a brilliant contrast to a subtle body (polished alloy)

seats are supreme, hold you well , remember settings. I dont think my back ever hurt.

grip (with the right tyres GSD3 F1), feel throughout the car when pushing on , t/c rarely intervenes in the dry.
Interferes too abruptly in the wet , smoother in the wet with it off

Xenon lights :-), std equipment but a must have for any car these days

And the sheer driving 'experience' , no drive was just a trip , every journey was a joy.
Rain , Sleet , Snow (caught around Birmingham in the big snow!),
this performance machine instils total confidence in ALL conditions.

I went from 220bhp FWD to 340bhp RWD and although you do need to respect an M3 , I found the transition very easy


MINUS POINTS

The way they all seem to drive like 'dogs' from cold lol

Costs to keep it in correct 'manner' are significant , but not excessive.

'Acoustic feedback' from the transmission ! I remember the first time I reversed into a parking space and thought the whole diff had destroyed itself!
Most seem to do it , but its easy to drive 'around' it. But I do feel it could have been a bit better.

Clutch is a pain , I think a CDV delete would sort this out. 1st to 2nd was always a excercise in 'patience'
(in fact the manual version drives better when you 'push' on a bit and quicken the pace)

polished alloys , one scrape and ... refurb still not the OE finish.

interior very germanic, to the point of it being 'unexciting', maybe a bit more special (dare I say like the RS4 !)

Engine sounds like its had it, lots of noise lol

Brakes can be made to fade even on road. Never actually lost pedal totally though.

Insurance costs @ Group20 are a serious , but are probably the main reason why M3 are still kept in a specialist market . Although it seems this is now changing.

std fit audio is cr*p beyond belief for a car of this value!

Warranty costs.

Understeer wasnt bad , but I felt could be improved , and some time at Thorneys would soon sort that.

(I have outlined some negatives , but really most of them are just being very picky :-) )


My favourite moment was racing a couple of motorbikes around the roads around the Carbeth Inn nr Glasgow.
(as a former motorbike owner I know these roads :-) ), really good fun and I kept up better than I thought. I even think the bikers were impressed :grinteeth:
The M3 gets better the harder you push it. Rear squats down , tyres dig in , and the package just comes together........

Regrets? none :-) , apart from the fact i wish I had done a track day , but the poor brakes just put me off enough to never do it.



To any new M3 owners, heres some 'suggestions' :

1. Check your tyre pressures
2. Check the oil (regularly!), it may not use it (mine didnt) but just in case...
3. Use good quality tyres (PS2 or GSD3F1)
4. Use 97+RON fuel. For me the M3 felt flat on normal fuel.
5. A noisy engine is just the way it is ;-), dont worry just enjoy it :-)
6. Acoustic feedback is a way of life , just drive around it.
7. Keep up to date on bm3w , its a wealth of knowledge that often pust your mind at rest.
8. Enjoy it and make sure once its warm you exercise the full rev range, inc the brakes. M3 's are meant to be driven and hard (in the right sense)


Will I get one again? Yes I hope so, ideally a CSL in years to come.
Equivalent cars in the market today? none
Nothing matches the sheer all round ability of the M3 E46.
Its all cars to all people.
Sure performance benchmarks have moved on (the M3 isnt as invincible as we would all hope against many of todays hot hatches!)

Thats it my homage , to a car I considered a dream as I was growing up , but now Ive had a chance to enjoy.

The greatest car I will ever own ? Probably :-)

The E46 M3 , what a car .............

M3 sold!!!

Yes , I can scarcely believe its true , but I have just watched my pride and joy drive away this morning.
Congratulations to the new owner , I hope he enjoys the car as much as I did.

So here (for now it ends), car went with 42,000 miles on clock.
I will eventually do a full writeup of M3 experience.

18 months ownership , 32,000 miles and a whole lot of fun.

I loved it , and would recommend everyone to have one at some point in there lives.
Fast, economical (not at the same time!), practical too :-)

Golf not here for 2 months , so not sure where to go from here........

M3 calipers get painted too !

Yep , once you pop you just cant stop...

After seeing the lovely black calipers of the MR2 I reckoned the M3 needed the same (ok yes Im selling it , but visually it will look better! and besides I'll enjoy it).

Got home tonight and got stuck into the M3
Took my time , painted calipers and cleaned and polished the inside edges of the wheels. I have to say the M3 wheels are really light for their reqd usage, I remember the compomotive wheels I fitted to my old mini cooper s (new shape) being much heavier!!
I also cleaned up the front discs to remove any edges , they look so much better.
Ok many will think its a bit an*l but it really is worth doing , and Ive been talking about doing it since I bought the car!

All in all a busy 2 days for car DIY :-)
I love it (although my hands dont ! they really hurt) , and feel the need for more ...... dont expect much todo on the ed30 though.

will try and get some pics up soon.
Enjoy

more M3 pics

sunny evening , car for sale , what else could I do , but wash it and take some more pics :-)

Car averaged 31.7 MPG @ 85 MPH on a run to scotland and back at the weekend which is probably better than I will get in the golf!
Dropped to 28 MPG whilst commuting though.
Now just passed 42,000 miles.






Also ordered some brake discs for the MR2 from brakesinternational (Thanks Allan) , which seems extremely cheap but hopefully good quality.
Will need to remember how to use a socket set :-) , its been a while since I was rebuilding the mini engine lol (its been 10 yrs now wonder where it is now?)

Enjoy

M3 goes up for sale!!!!

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/215227.htm

is there any more to say , Im gutted , what a car ..............

2004 / 04 BMW E46 M3 manual
Silver Grey / Full Black Nappa Leather
2004 July build Facelift Model so has the LED rear lights and wider rear boot handle.

Car has a FULL and up to date Main Dealer BMW Service History.
28/06/2004 : Originally supplied by Henry Bros , Glasgow.
08/09/2004 : Running in service at 1304 miles by Henry Bros, Glasgow.
01/02/2006 : Oil Service at 10163 miles by Henry Bros , Glasgow.
14/08/2006 : Inspection I at 24809 miles by Henry Bros , Glasgow.
21/06/2007 : Oil Service at 38486 miles by Williams , Manchester.

Car currently shows 41500 miles
11750 miles indicated to next service by dash, which will be an Inspection II at approx 53000 miles

I bought car in March 2006 from Henry Bros , Glasgow with 10200 miles on clock.
The car has then covered mostly motorway miles to the current mileage of 41500 miles.
So a total of 2 owners from new.
Fully documented history and HPI Clear.
All original BMW books, folders and receipts and service book history, inc all receipts for all work.

Taxed until 31/01/2008
MOT until 28/06/2008
BMW Warranty until 27/06/2008 (transferable to new owner )

Work done at various points in my ownership

Xenon LHS bulb replaced under warranty (flickering)
New rear springs replaced under warranty (common M3 fault)
New tyres at approx 27,000 miles
New OE Rear Discs/Pads at approx 41,000 miles

Door shuts around mechanism resprayed under warranty (common M3 fault)
at the same time as this I also decided to have the front end done to remove all stone chips.
(in anticipation of keeping the car for longer!)
This was done by Williams Manchester BMW bodyshop , and I have to say the work is faultless and I cannot tell.
Don't take my word for it just come and see the car , it is now immaculate without a single mark on it.
(receipt included for £1800)

Only ever filled with BP Ultimate or Shell Optimax
Uses no oil (although I do carry a litre in the boot and check regularly just in case)
Car is always allowed to warm to 75degrees on oil gauge (not water temp!) before any load is placed on engine.

All 3 keys supplied
Aside from the usual massive M3 standard spec i.e.

Bi-Xenon Lights
Electric / Memory Sport Seats
Climate Control
Auto dim mirror
Auto-lights on/off
Steering Wheel Controls (cruise, telephone & stereo)
Cruise Control
DSC Stability Control
Sport Mode
LED rear lights
Electric & heating mirrors
Full fuel computer with range, MPG, average speed etc
Through load system (folding rear seats)
Tyre Pressure Warning System
Rear park distance control

The car comes complete with :

19" Original Diamond Cut BMW Alloy Wheels fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 tyres (235F,265R) roughly 7mm tread left all round.
Parrot Bluetooth (hidden in glove box)(manual supplied)
Kenwood KVT-627 DVD Flip up touch screen DVD + iPod interface (cable connector between seats) (all manuals,receipts (£1000)+ remote supplied)
both professionally fitted by Newministuff(Formby Car Electrical Services) on 18/03/2006
both work via OE steering wheel controls and phone functions mute stereo in use.
[this unit includes disabled sat nav function , that only requires an additional unit(DVD or hard drive(Kenwood KNA-G520)) to get working]
Original single CD business player supplied as well , should you wish to refit it.
TRACKER unit installed and still on an active subscription
BMW Leather Centre Armrest

Car is located in Warrington (1/2 way between Manchester and Liverpool).

Downsides
Wheels have some scuffs (previous owner!) and a couple of places of water under the lacquer(3mm diam max)
(maybe enough to get dealer to replace but I have never got around to it)
Stone chip on windscreen , out of drivers line of sight , passed MOT so OK.


I have a wedding ahead and I'm moving house so it's time to move on to a Golf which arrives soon.
A genuine car that's been well looked after. Lots of trouble free motoring ahead.
Trust me you will not be disappointed these cars really are as good as the reviewers say.
This car has been my pride and joy , but sadly it's time to move on.

I have nothing to hide and the full history of the car has been blogged by me on
http://johnoldfield.blogspot.com
I have also posted sometimes on the excellent www.bm3w.co.uk , which as an M3 owner you can't do without.
I will ONLY consider test drives if you are insured. Otherwise I'm afraid it will be just me driving.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the car, or would like to come see it.
Looking at the current market I am asking for £23,995 , which I feel reflects its condition.

RUST ! 41k miles .....

Well what can I say!!! poor BMW build quality or what?
I was drying the door sills and noticed a hint of a rust bubble around the door plate.
Pulled back the black plastic cover to reveal the true horror.
Car has never had any paint , and given that its on both sides it appears to be a bmw weakness . A quick BM3W forum check reveals others have seen the same problem.
Luckily BMW have agreed to fix it , as they should on a car thats only 3 years old!

So , I think its almost time to put the car in and get the door dent / lower sill / and front end blow over.
Slightly concerned about having paint done at all , matching,quality etc but it needs done.

On a lighter note , the 3rd pic is the 41k milestone

Seriously considering a downgrade to save money but M3 values have dropped so much its painful :-(

Cars I have considered which would all be 05 or newer

Ford Focus ST
Renault Megane R26
Golf GTI

All around 15k , with Golf above that if you want DSG etc , 2 others are MUCH cheaper , but of course lower quality.

, whats also nice is a Mk4 Golf R32 03 plate , 15k too for a 3dr black 30kmiles ish mmmm nice.

currently getting around 24.5 MPG general commuting !

enjoy

M3 Warranty renewed

Yes , sadly its been an expensive time.
The car was 3yrs old on 26th June 2007 (remember MOT etc) , which also means the manufacturers warranty runs out.

3 choices

1. Pay BMW for a years cover
2. Pay a third party warranty company
3. Stick cash in a savings account and pray it never happens :-)

Well weighing up the options and especially the fact I will probably sell the car in the next year , I have renewed with BMW for the not insignificant sum of £1000 bend over and cough did I hear u say !
I reckoned it may be an advantage for my car, esp as it doesnt have sat-nav and hk.


Only things left to do are

1. Get the door and lower sill painted (+ maybe the front end to remove stone chips)
2. Front brakes (although to be honest they are currently fine)

Im already working out in my head how much year 2 is currently costing....
Its a supreme car , but to treat it correctly costs lots.

oh and did I mention suzuki are doing 0% finance and £139 insurance on the GSXR750 now :-).........heres the darker blue (and no white) special anniversary TT edition


Enjoy

40k miles / MOT passed / new rear brakes / some classic cars

First two pics are ex police Pord Capri 2.8 and Talbot Sunbeam(Alpine?) recently seen outside the GMEX in Manchester for a police conference , I was just out for my lunch :-)

Second is the 40,000 miles milestone !!!!


And just after that it had to go in to Williams BMW because it was fast approaching the cars 3rd birthday.
Decided it was time to get the rear discs/pads/shoes replaced, lazy? me? yeah probably. I will attempt to replace the fronts later on myself though honest!


Third pic are my new rear discs :-) Yum , only job is to have the wheels back off and paint the bits that will just get rusty.

Just for you folks , the bill is below ......





another 'quick' £500 :-(

Once again top marks to Williams BMW , polite , courteous , effective , this is my second visit and so far I'm very impressed , they even put my plastic sill back on properly :-) that I had recently damaged. Phoned me about replacing the rear shoes for the handbrake , and of course the car came back with no extra marks.

On top of that I went to the bodyshop part of Williams to get a quote for chips/damage etc, and they were top notch too. Car will probably get put back to 'perfection' in the next month which would leave only the wheels as not up to 'john' spec :-)

On a personal note its a good week, my lovely nieces birthday this weekend , and a former work colleague gave birth to a lovely baby girl this week :-)


o and my car passed its MOT lol

take care
J

39k miles / stupid mistake .....

There you go , 39500 miles on the beast......

Oh and the small matter of 'stupid' here managing to hit a large boulder on the drive!!!! At first I didnt think much of it ....... until I got out........
Oh well these things happen and it just means i will be getting the door fixed quicker than I realised.
[perhaps even get stonechips on bonnet/wings blown over if it isnt too costly]

Sill panel itself looks easy enough to respray.

TODO =

1. Extend BMW Warranty for this year
2. MOT for car
3. Replace rear discs and pads (I hope to leave fronts for time being)
4. Get door dent and sill repaired
5. Get wheels refinished by Pristine Wheels

37,000 miles !

First pic is the car , one minute Id just finished washing it and the sun was out...!
Next minute its hailing ....odd pic but fun :-)

miles are slowing but a recent trip up to Glasgow/Ayr means I added another 500+ on Fri. 700 odd miles to an oil service.

Looking at getting the chips and dent sorted before I get the car detailed.
Wheels will also hopefully get done this year.

Tracker renewal £109 , so its almost exactly a year since I bought this car.

27,000 miles in 1 yr , at roughly 27 MPG (which is about right) thats 1,000 gallons of BP or Shells finest. which is 4546 liters x £1 per litre = £4546
holy mother of g*d thats a lot just on a 'consumable' ! food for thought money wise , not to mention the environment.

So thats

£4546 on fuel
£800 on the Inspection 1
£800 on 4 new tyres
£109 on a years tracker subscription
£>1000 for years insurance

thats £7300 just for a years motoring , thats £608 per month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(oh and the small matter that I was running a sports bike last year too)

worth every sodding penny :-) , sob , sob is it really that much!

New E92 arrives / Ipod Video ISkin Evo3

E92 M3
Yes , here it is finally unveiled at the Geneva motorshow today...

400bp+ V8 supreme.
Initial impressions are I love it APART from the wheels!
Jeeze all that development and its gets a set of CSL knock offs!
Spoils it for me. I love the wheels themselves but on an E46 not an E92 FFS!
Anyway some nice wheels and it'll look completely diff.

Do I want one ? YES.
Can I afford one? NO , its 50k basic........


Ipod Video ISkin Evo3

Top notch Ipod Video protection.
Albeit very pricey (20 UKP) , but it has a soft rubber case and a perspex front.
The thumbwheel area is also covered by a thin sheet which is brilliant cos thats the bit that gets most dirty.
All connection are accessible.
Only criticism I have is it make the video quite big , but then I have a 60GB model anyway so its no shrinking violet.
Would be a problem for some docking accessories though.

Thoroughly recommended :-)