'99 M Coupe Log

[19Spec3]

Just yesterday I brought this beauty home:



1999 M Coupe, estoril/black interior, with a little over 96,500 miles. Purchased locally from "pap" here on bimmerforums and it was clear that pap loved this beast. I hope that my ownership is a continuation of the excellent care it received from pap. This thread will document some of the major maintenance, repairs, and modifications that I perform, hopefully over the next many years.

Though the car is in very nice condition for almost 100k miles, it has some known issues:
1) Low clutch engagement
2) Shot rear subframe bushings
3) Tiny tear on rear diff mount and slight rust on a couple spot welds
4) Minor steering wheel vibration above 60mph
5) Pulls left under braking
6) Driver's seat bolster wear
7) Front endlinks shot
8) Hatch struts shot

Below is a list of modifications and repairs that I have performed since taking ownership:

Repair/Maintenance Item	Parts	Status
Driver Seat Bolster Repair	Colourlock Color & Care Set	7/21/15
Stainless Clutch Line	Bimmerworld Style 2	7/25/15
Rear Subframe Bushings	Powerflex PFR5-311X2	7/30/15
Rear Subframe Reinforcement	Piper Motorsport, Leesburg VA	7/30/15
Balance Wheels / Tires	Radial Tire Co., Silver Spring MD	8/13/15
Replace Foggy Headlight	BMW OEM	10/25/15
Front Swaybar Endlinks	URO 31352227203 x2	10/25/15
Clutch Pedal Bushings	AKG Delrin	10/25/15
Stainless Brake Lines	Bimmerworld v2	10/28/15
Brake Caliper Seals	ATE 34111157037, ATE 34211158578	10/28/15
Front Brake Caliper Pistons	Centric 146.60009	10/28/15
Hatch Struts	Tuff Supports 611774	12/12/15
LED 3rd Brake Light	Made by Robb1887	12/20/15
Transmission Mounts	Bimmerworld Urethane w/ Metal Cups	4/30/16
Window Regulator Rebuild	51321938884 x4	4/30/16
Shocks and Struts	Koni Sport Damper x4	5/22/16
Rear Shock Mounts	Rogue Engineering	5/22/16
CD43 Head Unit	BMW OEM	8/14/16
Spark Plugs	Bosch FGR8KQE x6	11/23/16
New "M" Stickers	Never Done Garage	1/15/17
GROM Audio Interface	BMWS14 + BTD	1/15/17
Transmission Fluid	Amsoil Manual Syncromesh Synthetic	7/17/17
Differential Fluid	Amsoil Severe Gear 75W140 Synthetic	7/17/17
20mm Spacers (rear)	ECSTuning	9/10/17
265/35/18 Rear Tires	Hankook Ventus S1 Noble	11/7/17
Inner/ Outer Tie Rods	32111139315 / 32111139316	12/16/17
Steering Rack Dust Boots	32211139786	12/16/17
Adjustable Rear Camber/Toe Kits	Garagistic w/ BMW Hardware	12/16/17
Poly Differential Bushing	Garagistic 80A	12/16/17
Poly Rear Trailing Arm Bushings	Garagistic 80A	12/16/17
E30 Front Ball Joints (x2)	31121126254	1/13/19
E30 Front Ball Joints (x2)	31121126253	1/13/19
Front Strut Mounts	31332227897 and 31332227898	1/13/19
Front Bump Stops (x2)	31332225377	1/13/19
Giubo	26112226527	1/13/19
Shifter Selector Rod Seal	23128677736	1/13/19
7.5mm Rear Spring Pads (x4)	33531136386	1/13/19
AKG 95A FCA Bushings	FCC30369	1/13/19
H&R Sport Springs	29520	1/13/19
Oil Temp. Gauge	62132497680	6/23/19
HVAC Bulbs	61138353797 (x2)	6/23/19
Valve Cover Gasket	11120034108	6/29/19
Euro 6-speed Mount	23702227892	Acquired
Zionsville 6-speed Adapter Bracket	Direct from Zionsville	Planned
6-Speed Transmission	GS6-37BZ	Planned
6-Speed Clutch Kit	21207531556	Planned
CAE Adjustable DSSR	Sold by Hard Motorsports	Planned
6-Speed Shift Knob	25112228742	Planned
S54 Oil Filter Housing	11427839858	Acquired

[robb1887]

Nice pick up and good plan. There are quite a few Coupe owners in that area as well depending on where in MD you are. Though MD isn't too large.

[KBH22102]

Didn't know he (pap) was selling. I think I may have actually worked on your car at one of our local fixit events in years past. Enjoy her! Maybe we can get see each other at a GTG sometime.

[pap]

Kelvin, I didn't know I was selling either until I saw Sean's search thread here and I thought maybe it was time to move on as I wasn't driving it as much as it should be driven. I was aware of some of the more minor issues, and a PPI pinpointed additional matters noted above that frankly I didn't feel like tackling. Sean made me a good offer, and we completed the deal yesterday. I'm thrilled that the car is in the right hands and I look forward to following this thread over time.

BTW, you're correct about being hands-on at a fixit, the one at Clint's place on a cold December day a few years ago. I hope to continue seeing your gorgeous LSB S54 at Katie's Coffee.

Pete

[MrDangles]

Yay for another local coupe. Congrats.

[KJ79]

Looks awesome! Nice purchase, congrats, way to go!

[BMWBergy]

Though the car is in very nice condition for almost 100k miles, it has some known issues:
1) Low clutch engagement

Nice car.

Not sure what problem there is in 'low clutch engagement'.

[19Spec3]

Not sure what problem there is in 'low clutch engagement'.

Well, it's all a matter of degree but I think this one engages too low. The clutch starts to engage when the pedal is less than an inch off the floor. Sometimes, with the clutch pedal fully depressed, it is difficult to get the shifter into a gear. I surmise that, on those occasions, the clutch is not fully disengaging for some reason. Also, there is some lateral slop in the clutch pedal, so maybe the issue stems from the clutch pedal bushings or the pedal's interface with the master cylinder. Troubleshooting will begin next weekend.

[19Spec3]

Goodbye driver seat bolster wear.

Product used: Colourlock Leather Color and Care Set, available here.

1) Vacuum seats.
2) Wipe with damp cloth and allow to dry.
3) Clean individual panels with Colourlock cleaner and bristle brush, allow to dry.
4) Sand affected area with the Colourlock sanding pad until smooth.
5) Wipe with damp cloth and allow to dry.
6) Apply Colourlock blue dye, dry each coat with hair dryer, about 10 coats.
7) Allow dye to set for 2 hours.
8) Apply Colourlock leather protector.

Note: Colourlock recommends that you degrease the leather after cleaning and before dye. I skipped this step. I didn't skip it because I'm an expert or know better. I skipped it because the seat was bothering me and I didn't have the degreaser product on hand.


Before:



After:

[Grauc]

Well, it's all a matter of degree but I think this one engages too low. The clutch starts to engage when the pedal is less than an inch off the floor. Sometimes, with the clutch pedal fully depressed, it is difficult to get the shifter into a gear. I surmise that, on those occasions, the clutch is not fully disengaging for some reason. Also, there is some lateral slop in the clutch pedal, so maybe the issue stems from the clutch pedal bushings or the pedal's interface with the master cylinder. Troubleshooting will begin next weekend.

I have the same issue in mine - would love to hear your conclusions on this

[ScottMZ3]

Goodbye driver seat bolster wear.

Such a HUGE difference!! Fine work!

[19Spec3]

Installed the Bimmerworld "style 2" stainless clutch line yesterday. Wow what a difference. Clutch engagement point moved up off the floor to what I consider normal. Even better, I feel like I can shift quicker and with more confidence. A couple tips on the install:

The end of the existing flexible clutch line closest to the master cylinder is housed within a bracket and rubber grommet. You can spin the visible portion of the flexible clutch line for hours and it won't go anywhere. The portion that you want to get the wrench on is housed within that rubber grommet. You'll need to pull the flexible line down out of the rubber grommet to expose the appropriate hex head.

It took me a couple minutes to figure out the proper orientation. The new clutch line has a hard line on one end. That hard line screws directly into the slave cylinder. The slave cylinder has an existing hard line that you will remove and not put back on. The open end of the new clutch line attaches in the area of the bracket and rubber grommet mentioned above.

I tried to bleed the slave with my wife pumping the clutch in the car. For some reason, that didn't work at all. Instead, I unbolted the slave cylinder and pushed the rod against the transmission case to fully compress it, as I opened and shut the bleed nipple. Worked great and it was a one person job.

The lateral clutch pedal slop remains so I need to buy some new clutch pedal bushings.

[dklay]

Goodbye driver seat bolster wear.

Product used: Colourlock Leather Color and Care Set, available here.

1) Vacuum seats.
2) Wipe with damp cloth and allow to dry.
3) Clean individual panels with Colourlock cleaner and bristle brush, allow to dry.
4) Sand affected area with the Colourlock sanding pad until smooth.
5) Wipe with damp cloth and allow to dry.
6) Apply Colourlock blue dye, dry each coat with hair dryer, about 10 coats.
7) Allow dye to set for 2 hours.
8) Apply Colourlock leather protector.

Note: Colourlock recommends that you degrease the leather after cleaning and before dye. I skipped this step. I didn't skip it because I'm an expert or know better. I skipped it because the seat was bothering me and I didn't have the degreaser product on hand.


Before:



After:

Nice job on the seat bolster. First pic looks pretty much exactly like my drivers seat. Did you do all of the blue on both seats, or just the affected areas? Did you just use their F040 Blue dye or did you have them custom match the color? (Or do they have our blue on file as a custom?)

[19Spec3]

Nice job on the seat bolster. First pic looks pretty much exactly like my drivers seat. Did you do all of the blue on both seats, or just the affected areas? Did you just use their F040 Blue dye or did you have them custom match the color? (Or do they have our blue on file as a custom?)

I did the whole panel but not the whole seat. I tried to blend my sanding into the good looking portions of the affected panel with the hope that the dye would blend into those areas as well. Not sure that's necessary as the color was a perfect match. I only cleaned the passenger side bolster on the drivers seat, no dye on that side. I don't know about the color matching because the previous owner ordered the kit. Maybe Pete ("pap") can fill you in on the details.

[pap]

I bought the kit from another forum member. Is his original for sale post, he refers to the dye only as Estoril blue, without further detail. If you want to try following up, his name is MarkF.

[19Spec3]

The report from Piper is pretty good and roughly as expected. None of the spot welds had failed yet but the surrounding sheet metal was starting to pull on the spot welds creating a little bit of separation. There was a small tear on the differential mount ear and two other small tears in the rear floor pan. I'm glad I had this fixed before the rear end started tearing itself apart. I also had Piper uninstall the Billy Boat catbacks and install the stock catbacks for a quieter more wife-friendly ride.

Update: I picked up the car and it feels pretty good. I don't notice any additional NVH from the Powerflex rear subframe bushings. The most dramatic difference is that the car no longer makes a monstrous clunk on hard upshifts. It also wanders less and feels a bit more stable, particularly going over humps and bumps. The wife approves of the stock exhaust and I'm not unhappy with it.











Next up: Replace the torn front swaybar endlinks.

[dklay]

I bought the kit from another forum member. Is his original for sale post, he refers to the dye only as Estoril blue, without further detail. If you want to try following up, his name is MarkF.

thanks pap. you answered before I got around to PM'ing you!

[19Spec3]

Sometimes you just get lucky. The vibration in the steering wheel was nothing more than some uneven spots in the tire tread. The guys at Radial Tire Company in Silver Spring shaved off the high spots and the vibration is gone. If I lost any usable tread life in the tires, I certainly can't tell visually. Not many tire shops have the ability to shave tires, so it's very handy to have this shop nearby.

[19Spec3]

The Coupe has been largely neglected as I wrenched on my old Subaru to get it ready for sale. The Subaru has a new owner so it's time to tear into the Coupe. Brake caliper rebuild kits, stainless brake lines, and ATE brake fluid on the way from Bimmerworld!

[19Spec3]

Free time = Coupe time.

First the easy part, new front endlinks:



Then tedious but relatively simple, new AKG delrin clutch pedal bushings:



Then, defeat. I pulled all four calipers to rebuild them with new seals:



The dustboots on both front calipers were unseated from the caliper. Not a good sign. Corrosion on the caliper piston:



Lots of corrosion on the caliper piston:



So, new caliper pistons on order from Amazon should be here in a couple days. For now, the Coupe is out of commission.

[Nijapo]

If you're in need of a subframe bushing partner, let me know. I need to replace my subframe bushings as well.

[19Spec3]

If you're in need of a subframe bushing partner, let me know. I need to replace my subframe bushings as well.

Thanks, Nijapo, but my subframe bushings were done by Piper when they reinforced the rear end.

[Nijapo]

Oh. Yea, that makes sense.

[19Spec3]

The last two nights I banged out the rebuild on all four calipers, installation of stainless brake lines, new brake pad wear sensors, and a full bleed of the brakes and slave cylinder. I also installed a nickel with super glue -- more about that later.

The most dramatic improvement is, of course, proper braking. Before the rebuild, the car pulled to the left under braking making it impossible to drive hard. The suspension was always unsettled entering a corner and forget trail braking mid-corner. Now it stays dead straight under braking, which inspires a lot more confidence and keeps the suspension load predictable.

The new delrin clutch pedal bushings cured the lateral slop in the clutch pedal. Again, more confidence while driving.

The first test drive went great until I realized that the brake lights were constantly illuminated. Apparently when I reassembled the clutch pedal, I somehow increased the gap between the brake pedal and the brake pedal sensor. So, I glued a nickel to the portion of the brake pedal that pushes on the sensor. Problem solved.

[19Spec3]

Almost there...




Century mark.