rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

im starting to look at bmw e36 convertables just wondering is there anything to look out for on them? thanks guys

jameswrx

Rear springs, air-con, vanos, sticking calipers.

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

vanos? one i was going to look at just had that done he said?

S1rst

Make sure he has the receipts to prove it as they can cost a bomb to do.

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

what are vanos? cheers

Alps Pacino

Aparently they shread no4 and no6 big end bearing something to do with the oil feed or crank?????????????????????

Bloke i used to work with had an m roadster and that needed a rebuild at 44k his sons mates m3 coupe did exactly the same at 50k odd. He recons its a commen problem?????????????????????????

Ps just what i've heard not personal experience

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

hard to get to to do yourself? anyone know what bmw charge to grind crank etc? cheers

Si B

iTrader: (59)

I have one, and like it a lot.

Mine has needed a rear trailing arm bush, but that's it.

Check everything electrical works, and works well.

Pics of mine:





Mine's up for sale soon though, as I have plans for something bigger and better (Mondeo Estate I think )

Great cars IMHO, just need more power and more brakes. Oh and traction control would be nice!

Si

Si B

iTrader: (59)

Personally never heard of anything engine related as a common problem - apart from the Vanos units. Check for a receipt or make sure the car drives well - dead Vanos cars will go ok, but will feel "Flat" relative to a working one.

I'm getting mine rolling roaded to make sure it's making the numbers - certainly goes well though.

They also tend to get noisey from the front end of the engine when they are dieing (apparently)

Si

Ginge !

the rear prop rubber, the rear suspention mounts, VANOS !!!! and bottom end failing

oh and they feel very fucking slow nothing like a turbo car and can be quite boring

only suit a high speed driver not a person who likes to drive round town then do 80 on the motorway

they are also VERY VERY VERY VERY thristy cars

pop over to the essex meet one night and get jim to take you out for a spin in his hard top. thats a well maintained one with over standard horse power and that does go well,,,, but its not like a ford, you really understand the cars when your doing 120 to 140 below that then they aint that interesting for what they cost to insure/run/maintain

for the money a mx5 convertable can be a more fun car if you get one with the right engine

spare parts on a M3 and servicing are fucking disgusting too, jim paied 1500 for a inspection 2 service from a bmw specialist not dealer, the rear prop rubber is 80 quid for the part alone


oh and unlike a ford NOBODY buys a M3 UNLESS its got specialist history due to the repair bills to get em to run right

oh and the cabrios come with the WANKY seats like ive got in my 325i coupe, the hard tops ( as in the non convertable ones) only come with vadar seats

oh and in the next year there gonna start dropping in price like a stone,, the e36 is a dated model now and the price of the e46 is dropping to a half decent level,,, the e36 will be treated like the bat mobile 5 series cars

the BETTER car to get mate for you is a 328i cabrio on a S reg and fit a set of M3 alloys and mirrors and no fucker will notice the difference but parts and half price and more

oh and the acceleration on jims car to my car aint much imo( that i noticed but hes is still quicker) untill you go past 110mph and then the M3 keeps going where my car starts to slow down on accleration

Cowboi

worth asking simon actually paul.
as he has been in jims m3 and in johns 328i sport.

he can tell u if there is much in it!

why not piss kam off and get an rx7.

there are a lot of cars out there that u can afford if ur thinking about an m3.
could be worth looking about before just going for the m3

Ginge !

paul vanos is the variable cam timing system, it moves the cam to keep it open longer to make it more power, when that fails its a BITCH to fit

as i said bmw's are not a diy car as people get scared when you sell them

pop over to E36coupe.com and ask over there

oh and another thing,,,, bmw owners clubs aint like ford clubs,,,, they are still a little blinkered and aint technically minded,,,, there just a uprated saxo forum ive noticed with a few people who understand but they all pay for the work to be done and all use one forum member for there parts,,, if he made bmw toilet roll holders for the back seats 50% would bolt em into the car and not question the price

shiney on there is a good bloke to talk to and does alot of his own stuff and also aint afraid to help/give advice and wont try and sell you shite to make him rich

hes also got a m3 cabrio

dont listen to them when they claim that M3's are very very very fast,,,, they obv aint been in a fast car before

Cowboi

neither has paul

Ginge !

simon reconed that jons 328 was super rapid,,, but then said that jims car didnt feel that fast so im confused at that as i went out in jims car and found EXACTLY as i type, boring car to be in unless going top speed as then the car it going a decent speed and aint creaking/shaking all over the place and stll has power left but is cruising comfortably at that speed

paul you need to find what kind of a driver you are first mate, you may not be into "fast" cars but into low power band cars, if thats the case then the bmw aint really the car for you

you also like diy stuff,,,, they aint a diy car as that affects the retail value on the car BUT bmw's are not a fix it at the weekend car

ive ABUSED the shite out of my 325i, im about to get a THIRD set of tyres for it, ask anyone whos been in the car with me, it spends most of its life at 130, ive serviced it once and changed the water pump and center bearing,,, thats it

pikey held my bmw at 145 on the M6 for about 12 mins when i first got it and we drove all the way at a average speed of 110 to 130 and i also done it again when we went blackpool a few weeks ago

theres nothing goes wrong with them,,,, and ive given that car some shite ( my average MPG is 12mpg and 16.4 on motorways, never had more than 19mpg in the car and its a 325i )

Ginge !

good point,,,, though in his defence simons xrt dont "feel" fast but its prob down to wheel spin and simons driving as he lets the car wheel spin rather than control the clutch to give the " its just too powerfull,,,,, this will spank a cossie" driving style

i found his car was WELL high in revs at 130,,, recon its got a TOP speed of 150 MAX reving the arse of it due to the gearbox ratios being too low, needs higher gears that car as its pointless, all that power and you need to feather the throttle to put it down ( a set of tyres with tread would help also

but paul aint got that much of a clue about turbo cars calling simons one laggy ,,,, my cossie was laggy, simons power band is perfect for a turbo car i recon, just gearing is shite

Cowboi

how does jim drive his car though?
probably not the same as john at a guess.

i aint sure that the bm is for u really paul.

by all means get it if uve got ur heart set on it. get it out ur system or u will always wonder. at the end of the day its ur money.

just got a feeling u might be a be disapointed. not because of the car. more because of the style. (like ginge just explained)

why dont u finish building ur engine and steel one of ur dads cars to put it in

Cowboi

yeah ur cossie was laggy!
i aint been in simons car. but when following him in my nova it does look fast. i just want him to let dan drive it. or some 1 else who has NO respect for cars.
simon has ALWAYS said he aint a top speed driver. so he will never change his ratios. he was trying to make me put a f15 box in my nova.

but like u say there is to much power for small ratios.
there is to much power in my nova and that has a propper 2ltr astra box on it

Ginge !

jims SPANKS the arse off his car,,,, he dont drive like a pussy at all !!! he revs the bolloxs out of his car ( he drives worse than me ha ha )

all german cars are top speed cars, the M3 is the same and cause it aint turbo powered you dont get the rush of power and cause the gearing is higher than a ford due to them being designed to be fast cars and not shopping cars with a tweeked engine

paul drive my 325i when ever you like, take it for a drive round town, A406 then drive it up the M11 along the M25 and then along the road near emmas house, get a idea how that feels THEN drive a M3 and compare,,, seriously id NEVER get a M3 now just based on seeing the little difference

just like i would never buy a cossie thats less than a t34 stage 3 as they are just not that brillient to drive

but the M3 you cant tune alot, just tweek it, a 328i you fit a 325i inlet manifold and M3 rear diff and you got 2 cars that will do your driving style alot better for half the bills and also you aint got the vano worries like the M3's suffer with ( yes i know the 328 and the 325 also have a vanos but not the same system)

the vanos is expensive as most bmw garages dont understand em and so replace all of it at your expence ( remember bmw drivers just pay the bills and couldnt find the oil filter it it was painted green)

honestly if i was buying a e36 cabrio i would DEFFO buy a 328i on a S reg as it comes with all the kit apart from the mirrors as the cabrios dont ahve the M3 front seats ( will cost you min 500 to a grand for the vadars)

m3 stuff there aint any ebay bargins either ive noticed, infact ive been looking for a stainless exhaust for my car for fucking months and they seem to go for too much money

oh maf sensors also fail on the bmws too

EIL132

In 14 months of owning the Evo and doing 12500 full on miles, I've had to replace a rear top mount. The 3.0 needed a top mount, clutch and springs in 18000 miles. Look at plenty and get to know what a decent one feels/looks like.

Ginge !

the problem with that is simon wants more power but the car cants stick it on the ground

oh and that tear up with you and that skyline simon was fucking spanking that car, simons got better tbh but he still shits his pants when he goes over 100 mph,,,, he thinks when he get to that speed the old bill know and send out police helicopters just for him

if he changed the ratios he would reduce the wheel spin,,, but if you remember before when it first got the car with his " torque steer" he loves the " my car dont get traction at all ever" when hes spinning up the wheels

im more of a get the power down rather than spin up and thats why i sold my engine before cause i went out in a few RS's and found em pointless,,, in hindsight though its just down to the drivers

BMW aint gonna suit paul though, its too boring,,,, no wait,,,,, that WILL suit paul,,,, but they just aint worth the group 20 insurance and most companys wont even touch a M3 then theres pauls age too

i cant get insured on a bmw m3 coupe for less than 1200 quid fully comp but thats with 3 years no claims

paul needs to buy a 200 bhp fiesta and then decide what he wants from a car as thinking about it hes only owned 1300 escorts/1.1 puntos and the worlds SLOWEST frst,,,, buy a cheep fast car THEN decide what you like as people find different cars fun

i LOVED simons old nova, it was just soooo much fun to drive and i hardly broke much stuff on his nova but then theres the shame of driving a chavs car i guess,,,, but value for money a 2.0 nova is a fucking good choice of car with MUCH better gearing than his xrt for the engine that was fitted,,,, and i held that car till it stopped accelerating in 5th gear ( untill the wiper linkage broke and moved the blades up )

Ginge !

james your a good one to judge on this one having owned a decent powered erst

as a car to tinker with ( as he loves to tweek cars/fuck about with them) and a car thats prob never gona go above 100mph and gonna be used round central london in 30mph zones ect

would you class the erst as more fun or the bmw ( remember we aint talking about high speed motorway/ scotish A roads fun here)

or is it a little more refined ( going out with the missus for a meal instead of clubbing in ibiza) so not as much grin factor ?

for motorway journeys i would have a BMW ( not a m3 just due to the costs involved,,,, M5 though i would have ) and so thats why i would get a 328i convertable rather than a m3 convertable

EIL132

M3 Evo everyday of the week over the RST tuned or otherwise, there is no comparison IMO. 328 is far more affordable and way smoother than an M3 for everyday use.

Cowboi

no 1 really likes going over 100 because they know what will happen if they get caught. but sooo many people still do it coz its fun.

tbh the light on my speedo is broke and i try to guess what speed im doing from the revs.

well that and when the needle goes past what the clocks read its kind of pointless anyway.

i think you'd like my nova, nice and stiff and actually feels like it might make it round the next corner as well and being fun in a straight line.

just hope it passes the mot next week.

btw i got a letter from volvo reminding me my mot is due to to arrange a time.

Ginge !

james i was talking about low speed fun to impress the school girls ect rather than a driver cars, he dont need it everyday use but as a toy to abuse and modify blah blah blah and make hes heart race when he gets out the car

EIL132

328/325 sport will do everything nicely or a 318is will be very frugal compared to the others and still look like an M3 if that's your bag.

Ginge !

christ did i leave volvo exactly a year ago

oh and did you know that james and tony got sacked from there not long after i left due to the place being a state,,, its a shame cause james was a nice bloke but was left in the shite after tony wrecked things over 2 months before

cowboi i discovered im a fussy person when it comes to cars, i need a car that has around 400bhp but must have aircon and be rwd,,,, ive driven a few other cars and they all bore the crap out of me for some reason

the MOST fun car ive driven round town was my neighbours toyota starlet as that has lots of handling mods but again its got no top end

with cars it seems you get either a top end motorway cruiser or a fun pocket rocket thats shite and deadly on the motorway

its also showed me that TOOO many people in th car game as lying tossers who aint got a clue what a fast car is or actually means but are more posers who talk about what there latest dyno figure is but never actually drive there car fast

as for never liking doing over a done,,,, i was doing 110mph through the dartford tunnel a few weeks ago then i was picking my nose whilst doing 130ish in my shitter of a beemer,,,, you just dont feel like your doing it ( but at 16mph,,, the fuel bill reminds you

Ginge !

318 should have its bmw badge removed

its a ford xr3i with a bmw bodykkit fitted to it,,, a bloke at work has a 318is,,, christ thats a shite motor,,, dont even sound like a bmw when your ragging it

its about as convincing a m3 as my 1300 hcs erst replica with its rattly tappets and 1ins exhaust

328i convertable is the correct car for hes needs and alot cheeper to run

( bet he still gets a m3 and wastes what the cars used for but pays the extra cost for owning a M badge

Stavros

How anyone can compare a chavvy shitbox RST to an M3 is beyond me.

Not that fussed with normal M3s (still a different league from an RST tho and piss on one with reagrd to well, pretty much everything) but M3 Evos are fantastic cars that are noticably faster, and deffo faster in a straight line than a SMG E46 M3 too.

Nice short and to the point replies from Ginge as ever too

No idea what you mean by the "batmobile 5 series" either Batmobile was the nickname for the original 6series CSL model (mainly the mental racing ones) that cost a fucking fortune still.

Cowboi

yeah i heard about james about the day it happened. poor sod.

maybe u should get a bently or something ginge

Ginge !

steve wasnt talking about the nicknames but was refering to the same model style shape as that car, only way i could discribe it

and steve refering it to the fun factor round town, i could have also used a R5GTT, ive known paul for a few years, from when he had his body kitted 1.1 punton running on 18ins wheels when hes lot where driving small engined cars and the quickest car int he group was xrt-si's vts with a huges stereo system and veilside style bumpers

they aint into driving fast as they are worried about losing there licence YET they got no issues doing 60 to 70 in 30mph zones on there way to the local mcdonalds drive through

thats why i was comparing it

long answer is cause its to a mate of mine,,,,, and id rather tell him here than have him call me up at 630 to 7am in the morning like he usually does when im still in bed sleeping ( yes paul i do now turn my phone off at night )

Ginge !

did james sort it out with his missus then in the end ( feels like a episode of eastenders i missed since i left )

Cowboi

nah its all gone tits up for him now tbh.

she wanted her nameoff the mortgage. he wouldnt let it happen.

now after a load of fucking about with banks, estate agents and the pair of them she is basically owed half of the house and it was in both their names.

he fucked her about, so now she is fucking him about and stands a good chance of geting a load of money from it.

just shows, dont fuck women about.
i'f he'd just signed the form to get her off the martgage in the first place he'd be happy.

Ginge !

well to be fair he moved house and got a bigger place WITH her, dont think he could afford the morgage where he moved to


oh and it dont show " dont fuck women about" it shows dont trust em at alll EVER and if they fuck you about rather than loose 45k you can get someone from essex to take the problems away from you for 2k these days,,,, and trust me if i was in that situation and on the floor considering ive done EVERYTHING to sort things and she tried that i would not be best pleased

but then when me and nikki broke up in january i still payed the morgage and had no intention on selling the flat ( fucking too i didnt too,,, considering im living back here now )

tis a shame as james is a nice honest decent bloke,,,,,, fucking boring as fuck and dont drink/take drugs but apart from that hes a nice guy

are we sure he aint related to paul

Ginge !

the other thing i cant understand is the hearless bitch dumped him just after his fucking dad died !!!

sorry but WTF

i know shes a mate of your birds but fucking hell, she could have waiting a few months,, its not like they both would have noticed any difference

indycos

iTrader: (2)

look inside the rear arch lip, if its had 18's on it with a std suspension set up, they can rust away from where the tyre hits it on a bump

most have had their mirrors nicked, so check if the car your buying has genuine BMW ones, if not that means the price should go down a few hundred quid!

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

i dont really worry about it, i just give it and see what the cars got lol

Jim Galbally

please dont compare my car to an RS turbo


its not true thats its not exciting at less than 100mph, but it is true that there's not RUSH like on a turbo motor

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

i dont want an rst im fed up with thieves helping themselves, i want comfort and power at the rear wheels or 4wd.
i have a van for commuting so i want something for power

jameswrx

A decent one does go well..

Drive a few and I'm sure you'll notice a difference between them. I had one years ago with low mileage and it didn't seem quick (although it was almost identical from 0-150 to my mates modded 95 wrx impreza running circa 290bhp) I had one more recently with high mileage and it was noticeably quick (in relative terms) and seemed to pull harder and had a bit of a kick to it compared to my old one. (both 3.0L's)

They are stupidly expensive to maintain at dealer or specialist, a quick browse through old history will normally see £800 services (if they were lucky) but sometimes £2k isn't uncommon to see.