Hello!
I'm looking to buy my first M3. I went and saw a 2008 with 23xxx miles, 6 speed manual trans, one owner car and seemed relatively clean. I had a couple questions after seeing it and wanted opinions of people more experienced with these cars. I have rebuilt two cars before, but at this point in my life I really don't have time to work on anything myself so I want to be smart about what I buy. This was the first car I have seen so far, the 6 speed cars are not the easiest to find in my area.
1. When I started the car at first it idled surprisingly rough. Is this common on the 2008's? Once the car warmed up for a minute or two it was fine and ran smooth.
2. I read the throttle actuators go on these cars once they get to higher mileage. Is that something that tends to go with age as well? Using this 2008 as an example, its almost a 10 year old car, so if the circuit boards go bad with use I was wondering if anyone has experience with them going on cars with relatively low mileage.
3. Are there any other common issues with these cars? From most of what I have read online they seem to be pretty reliable. Any additional experiences are appreciated.
P.s. If anyone is looking to sell a convertible M3 or trade for a 2015 Maserati Ghibli SQ4 with 23,500 miles (only ever maintained at the dealer, car has almost every option that was available, has been babied, electric blue paint and ciou/black full leather interior, pics available at request) let me know!
Hey there,
Personally,
1: This is kind of a BMW thing, especially ///M cars. The loaded cold starts to warm up the cats are generally a tad rough. I wouldn't worry TOO much about it, but it could potentially be in need of spark plugs, or it may have a leaky injector that is causing the engine to run rough due to burning off extra fuel on morning cold starts.
2: I had one bank go out in my car at 45K miles. I think they are kind of hit or miss, there are some guys on m3post that have gone 100-150K miles without issue. FWIW, I now have 102K on mine, any haven't had any more issues with them. I don't think it's necessarily an age thing more so of use.
3: The only other large issue at hand to be mindful of is rod bearings. Don't let it scare you. Some people have had to replace them sub 50K miles, some have been fine. Again, people on M3post have 200K+ miles with OE bearings. I would request a Blackstone report from the seller, just to verify the engine is sound. This will take a few weeks, but it's real cheap insurance when you talk about how much it is to rebuild the bottom end... Even more so if you don't do the work yourself.
BUT, aside from that... These cars are just like any other. Take care of them, and they will take care of you!
Cheers!
Anthony Bartolini
Loki Motorsports
-2008 A30 E92 M3 6MT-
-1996 328is Drift Car-
Stock Internal M52
M50 Manifold
PTE 6262, ARP's, .140 MLS
OBX T4 Top Mount
Tial 44mm MVR
Tial Q 50mm
Open Dump Love <3
Without hearing it, I can't say with 100% certainty, but all s65's have a pretty rough idle for a minute or so after start. I've found this isn't limited to cold starts, though on a warm start, it will normally only be for 20-30 seconds. My understanding is that this is the ECU managing fuel mixture to more rapidly heat up the cats for EPA concerns. In short, a normal engine will sound like classic American V8 lumpy cam muscle for about a minute after start. Nothing wrong, enjoy the sound!
Still searching for the perfect e36 M3 coupe.......
Bookmarks