Hi All, Just purchased my first BMW 6 weeks ago! Its a 95 M3 with 122k miles on it. My plan is to make this car a show car eventually.... although making a track car has crossed my mind a bit also (no experience there yet, but always have been interested!). So far the car has been great and I love it! Has some clunks in the back end, so Ill need to get that checked out at some point soon. Anyone know of any good BMW mechanics around Lansdale PA? I haven't found anyone other than dealers yet... Here is a pic for show! Dan
Well I'm officially jealous! Plus isn't yellow kind of rare for an e36? Have fun with it - Someone here will post the buyer's guide for e36 m3's that will go over all of the common maintenance here's at least a little something Billy
Thanks for the link! I am not sure if the yellow 95 M3 is rare... If Im not mistaken there were only like 2900 US OBDI M3's made in 95 (could be wrong, but I thought I read that somewhere) before they switch to OBDII in 96... don't know how many were yellow. This one has been painted as evidenced by the yellow trim, but they matched the original color. It has some small dings and nicks in it, but that gives me some stuff to work on... Guy I bought it from waxed it himself before he sold it... did a poor job and actually took the paint off the upper door trim on both sides (drip edge..? molding.. not sure what its called, but it goes up around the side windows). Gonna powder coat it at work, so its no trouble... Great car though! Has bilstien coil overs, K&N intake and a cat back exhaust (unsure of the brand but it sounds fantastic!)
Sharp looking car. Make sure you get that clunk taken care of. Does it happen whenever you go over bumps or is it just something that happens time to time? I think that is a sign of the rear floor failure that has plagued many E36's and a few E46's . A aftermarket kit is available to fix that.
Thanks! The clunk is whenever it goes over a bump. Someone told me that it sounds like the shock mounts... not sure.. but I don't like it. The thing is the suspension is really stiff, and I have no experience with a car like this... So it could be normal... my guess though is its not. Thats part of the reason I am looking for a good mechanic around here! Other than that the car runs awesome!
Congratulations on the car, the more you drive it, the more you're going to love it!! Regarding the clunk in the rear...chances are pretty good it's the upper rear shock mounts. That's a very common failure point on the E36's. I've changed them out in all of mine and it's a very easy process. Be sure to use a heavy duty one with a backing plate when you change them out. I've used TC Kline's rear shock mounts with the Z3 backing plates and they've been flawless (and silent...no more clunking on every bump!). Definitely get it checked/repaired soon though, if they fail completely, the top of the shock will actually come up into the trunk and can cause additional damage. As long as you take care of the car and perform regular maintenance on it, it will last forever. I've got about 150,000 miles on my white one (it's a '95 also), with more autocrosses and track days on it than I can count, and it still runs and drives perfectly. It's also my daily driver so they really do make outstanding dual-purpose cars. Nice choice!!!
Thanks for the insight. So do you think someone who has mechanical ability, but hasn't worked on cars before could change these? Or should I try to find someone who knows a little of what they are doing to help... I like this car more and more everyday. I sold my 03 Lancer for it.. what a difference! The lancer felt like it was made by fisher price after I drove the M3!
Chances are, you could probably do it yourself if you're mechanically inclined but if you can find someone in your area that's done it before and is willing to come give you a hand, it will make life a LOT easier and safer. Safety is the biggest thing. You need a good jack and very good jack stands (and they need to be properly placed) because you need to access the shocks from underneath the car as well as inside the trunk. Here is a great link to a DIY from Pelican Parts: http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tec...-Mounts/101-Projects-62-Rear-Shock-Mounts.htm Read through it and see if it's something you think you want to try on your own. If not, I'm sure you could find a helpful club member that would be willing to assist.
Thanks again Dan. I like that site. Looks like it has some great stuff. So anyone in Montgomery county PA looking to help replace some shock mounts!
I've always had great luck with Pelican Parts and their technical articles have helped me a bunch of times! You may want to check your chapter's website and see if they have a forum or mail list you can reach out on. That way you target just the people in your area. Not sure if you've been there yet or not but here's the address: http://www.delvalbmwcca.org/index.php Also, if you want to find a good, local independent BMW shop, check out http://www.bimrs.org/. If I'm not mistaken, you have a couple of great shops in your area...Bavarian Specialties and VAC Motorsports. Keep us updated on the progress of the car!
