Thinking about getting an E36 M3

[scabtastic]

I have always liked the M3 but have always said "up keep is too much replacing parts is expensive blah blah blah"..but I have a new job at Global Imports BMW and ive been looking at them more and more...Now its come up to the point of where to look and stuff like that (we dont get alot of E36's)...but I think that upkeep wont be as bad since im going to school to be a BMW tech and i get parts on the low it wont be as much of a problem..To be honest I really want a E30 M3 we have at work...completely restored with an E36 motor swap.

[GTScoob]

Get that E30.

I'd like to own a BMW someday as a DD but I wouldnt mod one. They're too much money for the performance gain.

[Frög]

i was going to get one, but i didnt because of maintenance.. obviously you got that taken care off.. do it!

[scabtastic]

i wouldnt get the E30 simply because it's really just too nice to bring out...id probably shit a brick if something even slightly touched it...and im still shying away from the M3...I dunno yet...i might have to wait a little longer

[CVGTURBO86]

Hold off until you find a clean E30 M3.

[jfman]

pics of the e36 swapped e30 ?

[scabtastic]

ill snap some if its still at work

[jfman]

I heart e30

[Autofab]

If you are looking for a e30 m50/s50 swap we can do it no problem!
I have 3 e30 rolling chassis that need engines. The chassis are not in the best shape but they are all small bumper cars! If you find a good rolling chassis and want use to do the swap we can still work something out...

[loneSTAR]

dont be worried about these cars... they are great cars! YES, they are no e30 or e46 but have been proven to 1000+hp!!! The only thing you need to know when purchasing is who owned it and how it was maintained. Those motors, 3L or 3.2L are very strong and long lasting... Just do the research before buying! If you work at a Bimmer dealer, then you should be good as far as parts! Ask the mechanics, they are damn near bulletproof motors...


PS... since you work there, can I get the hook-up?!?! lol

[criticman]

Get one! I am loving mine. Good luck! (who knows, maybe you've bought one based on your original post date)

And since you work at GI...how expensive are you guys for alignments and standard brake work?

[Tracy]

We had an E46. It was nice. Leguna Seca Blue. I miss it.

[criticman]

Oh yeah LSB is an amazing color. If I ever repaint my e36, LSB all the way!

[megad]

what maintanence are you all scared of?

there's almost none, at 70k you replace the belt & waterpump, cabin filter

at 100k you replace rtab bushings

they are very low maint all things considered


getting HP out of them is a whole different issue, it's just not cheap

[SLow_POke]

www.e46fanatics.com is where looking to buy mine..
IN THE MARKET FOR 1 !!!!!!!

[DinanM3atl]

what maintanence are you all scared of?

there's almost none, at 70k you replace the belt & waterpump, cabin filter

at 100k you replace rtab bushings

they are very low maint all things considered


getting HP out of them is a whole different issue, it's just not cheap

Cool... so now you have 100,000 miles on the car and you have the folling problems.

All 4 shocks are blown. Rear Shock Mounts have been dead for 60,000 miles. The rear shocks have been blown since 40,000 miles.

Your radiator neck(upper) is going to break soon if it has already. Your trans mounts are dead. The guibo and CSB prolly needs to be replaced soon. You have already had to put on 5 or 6 sets of tires depending on how you drive.

You need to change the trans fluid and the diff fluid.

Clutch is going to need to be done soon and hopefully you didn't drive like a jackass because you will need a flywheel too.

The list goes on. Shows how much you know about the car.

[megad]

Cool... so now you have 100,000 miles on the car and you have the folling problems.

All 4 shocks are blown. Rear Shock Mounts have been dead for 60,000 miles. The rear shocks have been blown since 40,000 miles.

Your radiator neck(upper) is going to break soon if it has already. Your trans mounts are dead. The guibo and CSB prolly needs to be replaced soon. You have already had to put on 5 or 6 sets of tires depending on how you drive.

You need to change the trans fluid and the diff fluid.

Clutch is going to need to be done soon and hopefully you didn't drive like a jackass because you will need a flywheel too.

The list goes on. Shows how much you know about the car.

what the heck are you talking about?

My 325is had 285,000 miles on original radiator, clutch, trans, engine, everything, the radiator was going to go soon, they are plastic and they just dont last forever

guibo's only go out if you drop the clutch like a moron (buy a mustang) or something leaks on them

same with trans mounts

why are all your shocks blown, have you been jumping your car?


sounds like you should be in an american car, if your having those kinds of problems with your car

[DinanM3atl]

what the heck are you talking about?

My 325is had 285,000 miles on original radiator, clutch, trans, engine, everything, the radiator was going to go soon, they are plastic and they just dont last forever

guibo's only go out if you drop the clutch like a moron (buy a mustang) or something leaks on them

same with trans mounts

why are all your shocks blown, have you been jumping your car?


sounds like you should be in an american car, if your having those kinds of problems with your car

AHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHA

I own 2 BMWs. I am a BMW tech. I HIGHLY doubt you have the original radiator. Did you buy it new? Look on the side. There is a sticker. It has the date the radiator was produced. The end caps are plastic not the whole thing.

Guibo's only go out if you drop the clutch? They are made of rubber and get covered in road grime like oil and such. If you seriously think they never go out you are a true moron.

Same with trans mounts? They get covered in oil also and expand and get floppy. They don't last forever. Again. Moron.

Jump my car? Let me let you in on a little secret. The shocks on the e36 for the rear are too long for the car. They easily bottom out and thus blow out the seals. This is a known problem. Your rear shocks are blown if they are original.

You sir are a moron. You obviously have no idea WTF you are talking about.

[megad]

where are you a tech at, global?

I was 2nd owner on my 325is, original owner never touched anything on the car, other than the cat

my m3 was lowered, the stock shocks were long gone


I've had 8 bmw's, I've yet to replaced a clutch, guibo, or anything you listed as a problem, my 325is's radiator was rotten on top, as I said above


in fact, the ONLY thing I've ever had fail, were these items in no particular order.

Radiator on my 2002, rusted out
Water pump on everything after the E30's they are ceramic and dont last
Timing belt on my E30's, they need to be replaced like clockwork
Control arms on my E30's
window regulators on my wifes X5
shifter bushings, the yellow plastic things

undersides of my cars all could be eaten off of, I dont know how people get that area all dirty, ie the guibo and probably bushing failures


I'm sure you see some abused cars as a tech

but I'm kinda doubting everything you are saying, because all you seem to know how to do is throw insults

I've got over a million miles on bmw's now, no guibo failures, not a single one

I could insult you, but I'm not about to stoop to that level, it's simply childish

if you want to continue the conversation on all these failures you think e36's have, you can talk to me on bimmer forums, or 2002faq or any bmw forum, I post on most of them

[DinanM3atl]

hahahaha alright

Fall-Line Motorsports
Peforming Imports


Look them up noob. You obviously aren't very maintenance heavy. As you seem to not even know that the e36 shocks are too long. Cool bimmerforums? That ultimate internet myth site for bmws? Cool. I have 6,000 post there.

hahahaha

Listen to this guy. He is the BMW God. Never replaced a guibo.

Read here... Shows what to check at 75,000 miles but remember I am stupid.

http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?...d=24&Itemid=55

Some of the items they list...

Shocks/Guibo/radiator/subframe bushings/TRANS MOUNTS/tie rods/sway bar endlinks/control arms and bushings.

But damn that list is wrong too. 200,000 miles you never have to replace anything!

What about e36 subframe failures? Cracked Shock Towers or torn shock mounts? These are uncommon too right?

You are hilarious!

[megad]

You can post about this on one of the bmw forums, with more than just me, it should be interesting over there

remember, checking <> part failing and replacing, which you seem to equate they all fail at that time.

again my subframe never failed, shock mounts never failed, tie rods never failed, shock towers never failed, control arms did not fail, etc etc, in fact my E36 was one of the most reliable cars I've owned

it's all about how you care for your car, obviously some people dont, and shops get those cars, ie people that cant fix things themselves, or know how to care for the car, things like testing the coolant ph get skipped, and your cooling system rots out

you get those cars

you didnt touch any of my cars

why you insist on name calling? I dont know, it shows your age though

[kendogg]

You can post about this on one of the bmw forums, with more than just me, it should be interesting over there

remember, checking <> part failing and replacing, which you seem to equate they all fail at that time.

again my subframe never failed, shock mounts never failed, tie rods never failed, shock towers never failed, control arms did not fail, etc etc, in fact my E36 was one of the most reliable cars I've owned

it's all about how you care for your car, obviously some people dont, and shops get those cars, ie people that cant fix things themselves, or know how to care for the car, things like testing the coolant ph get skipped, and your cooling system rots out

you get those cars

you didnt touch any of my cars

why you insist on name calling? I dont know, it shows your age though

I'm not super familiar with the E36, but I do have a good bit of knowledge about them (I'm an E30 guru )

Rear shock mount failure is infact a fairly common problem among most BMW's, and the aftermarket has responded to this in many ways, from Poly bushings on the mounts, to the 'repair shop' bushings with lifetime warranties. Rear shock mounts can normally be diagnoses on mild to poor roads, and listening for a metallic clunks easily heard from inside the vehicle.

I have noticed that radiator failures do happen to be a very, very common problem on E36's as well, they upper radiator neck sems to be the common failure point.

Tie rods, I honestly have no idea, I've only had to replace them on 5 series vehicles. Control arms and bushings are very use and road dependant. Minor balljoint play and bushing dryrot may not be considered a failure by some, but by the industry standard, it is. These parts rarely fail to the point of 100% failure unless directed so by lack of maintenence.

Rear subframe bushings rarey 'fail'. They do however dryrot, and flex more than they should, and they should be replaced when this occurs. However, very, very few owners actually replace subframe bushings.

You are right, though. How a car lasts is 95% dependant on how well the vehicle is cared for and maintained. The E36 does require a bit less maintenence than previous BMW's, but they are prone to the same issues as primarily all BMW's, from cooling system issues, to bushing replacements. Again, these parts rarely 'fail', but most enthusients consider the beginning of the end of their life cycle as the point of 'failure',a dn the time to necessitate replacement.

[DinanM3atl]

This is hilarious.

You want me to make a new post when we can just search all the threads that are already there?

Funny how these people agree with me:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure

Oh and whats this? All these threads with failed rear shock mounts...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=shock+failure

Damn that is a lot of threads and I didn't link to 1/10th of them!!!

Why don't you vote "nothing I am a liar" and see the results of the other ones:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=717057

Damn... 14 pages of results if you search for "radiator neck". This is for all BMWs on bimmerforums. But this is not a failure part remember.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...=radiator+neck

Should I do some searches for your other problems that are "not" problems?

[DinanM3atl]

That is a good point Ken. What one considers good enough to drive one person might say it needs to be replaced.

IE I drive my car hard on the track and don't want any play in my tie-rods and control arms. Driving to work and back I guess it would not be a big issue. I have gotten into so many cars and think "how the hell does this person drive this car like this".

Ask the customer if they noticed and had no idea.

[DinanM3atl]

And no reply...

Like I thought.

[megad]

it's like talking to a rock, why bother

I could go find hundreds of threads on other owners like myself who cared for their cars and did not have all these problems

but it wont do any good now will it?


if I ever go look at trashed E36, I would look at all the faults you listed, there's another list with even more items on the E36 forum at bimmerforums


But to insist that every car will have all those things fail, regardless of location, care, garaged, etc etc the millions of variables, is, well... I guess I'll leave that to the other readers to decide for themselves. I'm sure that they, like you or me, can decide for themselves


I was up in minnesota all week, I saw a couple E36's rusted though in the rear quarters

now do they do that down here in georgia? no, they dont

[kendogg]

it's like talking to a rock, why bother

I could go find hundreds of threads on other owners like myself who cared for their cars and did not have all these problems

but it wont do any good now will it?


if I ever go look at trashed E36, I would look at all the faults you listed, there's another list with even more items on the E36 forum at bimmerforums


But to insist that every car will have all those things fail, regardless of location, care, garaged, etc etc the millions of variables, is, well... I guess I'll leave that to the other readers to decide for themselves. I'm sure that they, like you or me, can decide for themselves


I was up in minnesota all week, I saw a couple E36's rusted though in the rear quarters

now do they do that down here in georgia? no, they dont

The problem that you are associating with is that you believe these 'known failures' are rare occurances, and have to do with maintenence, when in fact they are occurances in MOST of these vehicles, be it design flaws, manufacturing errors, etc. Will 100% of these parts fail in 100% of the vehicles? No. I would bet money though that 80% of them do in 80% of the vehicles though.

[Maki]

Such anger........wow.....

[zakkkaliscious]

i say get a e36 they are nicer.

[AvusM3]

I agree w/ DinanM3atl on this one.

OP, Why not just a non M e36?

[skillzilla]

Also, take into account of the PRICE of the maintenance, not just that there is a known point of failure. Whether you do your own work or take it to a shop, repairs on an E36 will be more expensive because they are newer and carry more of the luxury tax. Its not significantly more for most parts, but an E30 has a lot less technology involved as well.

[CosmoLTW]

Go for it. You'll kick yourself later if you don't trust me. BTW, is it the dark gray color with a black interior? I think I might have seen it up there. That or the black one.