e46 m3 - no longer a feeler
 

I've had and loved this car for nearly five years. I am not forced to sell, but life changes have given me less and less time to enjoy it, I've put less than 2k miles in the last year (boxster is a culprit). I used to do about 4k/year (do not commute to work, do not use this in the winter).

Basics

- 2001 BMW M3 Coupe 6MT
- Laguna Seca Blue/Gray
- 42,3xx miles (I bought it with 27k)
- HK Sound, Moonroof, Power/Lumbar/Heated Seats
- Rain Sensor
- CD Player + IPod hook
- No evidence of track or winter/salt/snow (previous owners averaged 2.5k miles/year)
- I always garaged it and it seems to have been generally well-kept
- All keys (including valet), manuals, tools and window sticker
- Near complete history from Day One to current (a thick folder of service). Indication of previous owners having OCD.
- No accident history. I had the lower portion of one of the doors fixed after my motorcycle leaned and marked it. The nose may have had a freshening respray when I got it, but since then has acquired a few chips. All interior parts look original so I think it was cosmetic.

While LSB, coupe and manual are highly desirable to the collector crowd, they do have a fetish for black interiors and slicktops. I get the top for track cars, but on the street, I personally enjoy both the light, airy interior and the tilt/slide/glass roof.

Mods/Additions

- Dinan Section 3 installed at Maximum PSI. An excellent condition stock exhaust will be included
- Autosolutions SSK 20%. Great improvement. I will include stock shifter and bushings but can't imagine anyone would want vague
- Off-road spec 35W halogen bulbs in low-beam, properly aimed
- Clutch stop, shortens travel, matches shifter
- OEM Front Strut Bar (01's didn't have it)
- Minor stuff like LED tails (non-OEM) (Stock tails included)
- Black grille and trim items (Stock chrome included)

Maintenance

- Valve Adjust done at 30k miles, most were in spec, visible part of engine super clean (pics available)
- Rod bearing recall done early on as well as many, many oil changes
- Airbag recall complete (passenger replaced, driver's was checked)
- Subframe inspected twice under previous owners at dealers, passed to their specs. I had it informally inspected at Maximum PSI at mid-30's mileage, he said it looked fine
- VANOS repair/rebuild at Maximum PSI using Beisan and Cryo (both broken hubs found)
- Plugs & Coils done recently at BMW specialist shop
- Moonroof shade track repaired by body shop
- Both door seals (large) replaced by body shop
- All fluids flushed under my ownership
- Michelin Pilot Super Sports, 80-90% in rear, 60% up front (will provide depth). Also fronts are XL, damned MPSS doesn't come in standard load for 225/45/18
- Driver's keyhole delete, color-matched
- Brakes original and vibration free
- No squeaks or sounds from the suspension
- Clutch strong and smooth, not abused

The Not-So-Perfect


- Wheels (original to the car) were refinished a couple of years ago, they are straight and look decent but not perfect (minor peeling around the edges)
- One wheel has small curb rash (maybe two?)
- Minor hairline scratches on bumpers, very small
- Some scratches under front spoiler (on plastic) driveway/parking stops
- A spill on front passenger footwell rug (bleach or paint?), mostly under the floormat
- Windows have tint from previous owner and the tint is slightly tired (not visible in pictures), I'm keeping it for protection, but a perfectionist might take off or replace
- Minor wear on driver's seat bolster
- Sunroof works, the shade recently came off the track

Detailed Maintenance (with records)

1135mi - 1200mi service
- diff & gearbox fluids
- brake bolts recall
- front door adjust/lube, clutch stop, alarm

4975mi - brakes lubed for screech
- door panel & seal replaced for closing effort
- dimming mirror replaced
- oil & cabin air filter
- brake fluid

5260mi - 2 rear michelin pilot sport (flat)

13450mi - parcel shelf speaker replaced
- DME update
- parking brake adjust

13600mi - connecting rod recall
- oil & filter
- front brake disc rotors & pads replaced for warpage
- power steering pressure hose replaced for leak

18500mi - OBD communication/DME update
- HVAC, final stage resistor (FSU) replaced for erratic fan speed

18800mi - subframe (rear axle carrier) inspection
- rear diff fluid replaced (grinding noise while cornering SIB 33 01 02 (last service by first owner)

19400mi - subframe inspection (second owner, different dealer)

23950mi - oil & filter change
- air filter, cabin air filter
- brake fluid, L fog lamp (third owner)

24000mi - front & rear michelin pilot super sport

24500mi - stones removed from brake shields

25000mi - exhaust cam sensor & seal

26000mi - Bosch battery

26850mi - oil & filter change
- idler & tensioner pulleys replaced for noise

27800mi - 65W Osram bulbs (fourth owner - ME!)
- Dice Mediabridge
- black grille
- clear sidemarkers
- clutch stop

28100mi - valve adjustment & valve cover gasket (xxPowerx)
- front strut brace install

29800mi - passenger door seal replaced
- moonroof shade tracks (ECS Tuning kit + body shop)

31000mi - oil & filter change
- diff fluid
- gearbox fluid
- coolant flush
- Dinan exhaust install

31600mi - cabin air filter
- new floor mats

32000mi - LED tail lights

33700mi - Upgraded C300 VANOS exhaust hub
- Cam bolts, VANOS seals, gasket, cover & timing
- Beisan VANOS solenoid (broken tabs found)

34200mi - alignment

35000mi - front tire replaced (flat)

35300mi - oil & filter change
- fuel filter
- brake fluid
- hood emblem (stolen)
- horns replaced

36800mi - front tires replaced

37450mi - 6 ignition coils & spark plugs
- fuel filter
- deodorize HVAC system

37700mi - wheels refinished

37750mi - engine air & cabin air filter (self)

38250mi - Bosch battery (self)

38950mi - oil & filter change
- exhaust gaskets replaced
- Autosolutions 20% SSK Install
- power steering fluid flush

40200mi - 2 rear tires, michelin pilot super sport

40300mi - passenger airbag (Takata) recall at dealer, replaced
- power steering fluid leak found

40700mi - handbrake tightened
- power steering fluid leak fixed

40725mi - driver's door seal replaced (installed by body shop)

41350mi - driver's side fog light replaced (self)

41400mi - driver's airbag checked under recall at dealer, not replaced

41950mi - oil & filter change, brake fluid flush


SOLD

Pics 1

Pics 2

Pretty!

The color is so fun!

I confess I haven't kept up with these, so the price is kind of shocking, but I have no doubt that you've done the research on it. Good luck with sale.

It is weird how much more I like LSB now than when it came out. I remember being kind of revolted by it back in the day, but now it seems like a perfectly cromulent blue.

Thanks, wdc & rumatt.

Prices are all over the place. Got an offer for $25k at C&C (from a serious guy).

Had to look up 'cromulent'. I loved LSB then and still love it. Makes the car.

Yep and yep

GLWTS:cool:

As you mentioned, If I ever run into a chance to buy a slick top cloth decent color I would probably buy it.

I'm still not fond of that blue, but it looks awesome in the photos.

If I were looking for a nice E46M, I'd probably be all over this despite not being fond of the color.

It's beyond a feeler; I listed it in a few spots.

I've come to really like Smurf Blue. I really regret not picking up the CPO one that I test drove way back when instead of my optioned to hell and back new one for $25k more.

Agreed. Its status has embiggened in my judgment too.

Pretty car. GLWS!

Detailed Maintenance (with records)

1135mi - 1200mi service
- diff & gearbox fluids
- brake bolts recall
- front door adjust/lube, clutch stop, alarm

4975mi - brakes lubed for screech
- door panel & seal replaced for closing effort
- dimming mirror replaced
- oil & cabin air filter
- brake fluid

5260mi - 2 rear michelin pilot sport (flat)

13450mi - parcel shelf speaker replaced
- DME update
- parking brake adjust

13600mi - connecting rod recall
- oil & filter
- front brake disc rotors & pads replaced for warpage
- power steering pressure hose replaced for leak

18500mi - OBD communication/DME update
- HVAC, final stage resistor (FSU) replaced for erratic fan speed

18800mi - subframe (rear axle carrier) inspection
- rear diff fluid replaced (grinding noise while cornering SIB 33 01 02 (last service by first owner)

19400mi - subframe inspection (second owner, different dealer)

23950mi - oil & filter change
- air filter, cabin air filter
- brake fluid, L fog lamp (third owner)

24000mi - front & rear michelin pilot super sport

24500mi - stones removed from brake shields

25000mi - exhaust cam sensor & seal

26000mi - Bosch battery

26850mi - oil & filter change
- idler & tensioner pulleys replaced for noise

27800mi - 65W Osram bulbs (fourth owner - ME!)
- Dice Mediabridge
- black grille
- clear sidemarkers
- clutch stop

28100mi - valve adjustment & valve cover gasket (xxPowerx)
- front strut brace install

29800mi - passenger door seal replaced
- moonroof shade tracks (ECS Tuning kit + body shop)

31000mi - oil & filter change
- diff fluid
- gearbox fluid
- coolant flush
- Dinan exhaust install

31600mi - cabin air filter
- new floor mats

32000mi - LED tail lights

33700mi - Upgraded C300 VANOS exhaust hub
- Cam bolts, VANOS seals, gasket, cover & timing
- Beisan VANOS solenoid (broken tabs found)

34200mi - alignment

35000mi - front tire replaced (flat)

35300mi - oil & filter change
- fuel filter
- brake fluid
- hood emblem (stolen)
- horns replaced

36800mi - front tires replaced

37450mi - 6 ignition coils & spark plugs
- fuel filter
- deodorize HVAC system

37700mi - wheels refinished

37750mi - engine air & cabin air filter (self)

38250mi - Bosch battery (self)

38950mi - oil & filter change
- exhaust gaskets replaced
- Autosolutions 20% SSK Install
- power steering fluid flush

40200mi - 2 rear tires, michelin pilot super sport

40300mi - passenger airbag (Takata) recall at dealer, replaced
- power steering fluid leak found

40700mi - handbrake tightened
- power steering fluid leak fixed

40725mi - driver's door seal replaced (installed by body shop)

41350mi - driver's side fog light replaced (self)

41400mi - driver's airbag checked under recall at dealer, not replaced

Holy mother of pearl, that's a lot of maintenance. :eek:

If I went back the full 9y with mine and not just the past three years I listed in my feeler its as intense if not worse.

I also think that color has grown on me. Beautiful car.

Did the first owner also Armor-All the tire treads to completely prevent stopping? *

Reminder - I have the official BMW de-skunking tool available for loan to 'mudgeons.

* Yes, this is the "Jet fockin' black" incident.

Why is it that I've never had to deodorize my HVAC system? Maybe my nose just doesn't work properly?

Right? You're picking up on something though. These are filtered a bit!

He took it in for the rear parcel shelf speaker at least twice, maybe three times, got at least two new ones.

Complained about how doors 'felt' (newsflash, that's how e46 coupe doors feel, heavy) and also complained about car 'bucking in 1st & 2nd in sports mode' which sadly is a feature not a bug. Some other stuff too...

Great example. :thumbup: How early in the production run was this car built?

Could have been an incorrect diagnosis and it was actually a wiring harness problem. At least in this era, wiring harnesses were hand built on a per-vehicle basis and not tested - if the car worked well enough to drive it off the line and onto the transport ship, it was assumed to be good. Oddly, spare harnesses are built with all options and machine-tested. "Quality control" was left to the selling dealer and the customer.

My car (9/2002 production) had at least 3 factory wiring errors (that's all I've discovered, at least):

1) Mis-wire of auto-dimming mirror sensor into (non-existent on E46) "panic switch" for emergency assist. This resulted in my car calling BMW and telling them my airbags had deployed every time I drove it after dark on a road with potholes (the headlights from the car behind me would dip when it went through a pothole, and that was a sudden enough transition on the mirror sensor that it was interpreted as a panic switch press). Since there is no panic switch on an E46, the car's phone kit (genuine BMW) interpreted it as an airbag deployment and called BMW.

2) The aux input connector behind the navigation screen had the 3 pins in the wrong sequence.

3) The glove box flashlight socket was not wired to anything, so it never charged.

That's awesome.

Mine was built in 8/2002, and I was convinced that one of the rear speakers had the polarity reversed because the music was so flat, and had very little bass. The dealer tech told me "that's impossible because there's only one way to plug it in". So I mentioned the possibility of the harness being incorrectly wired, and he just laughed. They ended up replacing the head unit, which of course did nothing to solve the problem.

Not wiring, but I still remember finding a brand-new E46 330 on the lot at Passport that had one chrome headlight bucket (correct) and one black headlight bucket (from a 325).

I also remember the stench of weed outside the door at the factory in Munich, so...

Built 02/2001.

I'm getting some decent offers. They are not quite where I want to be.. But tick tock... Decision time.

PENDING.

:thumbup:

Had a feeling this wouldn't last long.

The car has to pass a PPI and I have a few days left for second thoughts.

Don't get sellers remorse ... you had your reasons for putting it up for sale and you need to remind yourself of that.

When the car gets picked up you will be a little sad but then comes happiness and relief when it is actually gone.

Car has passed the buyer's inspection & test drive with flying colors with only PPI left.

Second thoughts getting stronger. This car is different from my others. It has no A to B use and it is not more fun or better to drive than the 981S. BUT...

- I love the laguna seca blue (including the light interior)
- Dinan section 3 sounds not half bad
- Shifter (autosolutions 20%) has gone from mediocre/rubbery to pretty damned good
- A real M car
- Reminds me of easier more care-free days in early 00's, with the ipod plugged in but not much more tech than that. My significant other prepared a 1000-song ipod for this car, it sounds pretty good (much better than the standard 535i) through the speakers
- I really must be getting old if I keep a car if it's a reminder of a younger me

It won't be a huge deal for the buyer if I back out. He half expects it. It will be his fourth M car. He has a Shoe, a 1M and an M2. He got enough out of the fairly strong test drive and shifter/dinan experience.

So yes, I'll jack my own for sale thread content from marketplace to perseveration.

The buyer isn't that "Glenn's car collection" dude is it? :lol:

I don't recall you posting a lot of love for this car while you owned it. I have a feeling you'll think fondly of this car once it's gone, but will have move on fairly quickly.

But what do I know.

Yup, it's him. He actually found me at a Cars & Coffee two weeks ago. He was waiting for me at my driver's side as I pulled in to park and pretty much offered to buy it immediately. Cara and I were chatting on the way that I might get some offers on the smurf. Well, took not one minute but ten seconds!

My serial car buying is a small subset of his, but being in the same general area, we've met/interacted before. On planet-9 (back then caymanclub) he wanted to find/listen to an aftermarket cayman exhaust sometime around 2011/2012, so I took him for drive with my Remus 3.4.

Just checking his videos now...

I don't know about that. I use mine every day for taking the kid to and from school and commute to work. I suppose if I had a Porsche in the garage next to it I may change my mind though.
;)

Hah, that's too funny. I hate his videos but he seems like a nice enough guy.

If you sell to him, the car would live on in his videos. Seems like it could be kind of cool.

I've cancelled the sale. I can't let it go just yet.

Equ ... I totally get it. I have thoughts of selling my R8 to get a 2014/2015 with the S tronic transmission and I just can't get myself to do it. There is something about my car in my eyes I just love which is how you feel about your M3.

Meanwhile your M3's value isn't changing so why not keep it and one day if you decide to sell it down the road you'll feel more comfortable.

You probably feel a renewed love for it now :thumbup:

Good decision. I regret selling my 2006 M3C.

Heh. Good choice, either way, but I'm glad you decided to keep her. :thumbup:

Back on the market. For real this time... I think.

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Updated price & mileage.