CTMike's E93 Journal

[CTMike]

BMW fan here through and through. I learned how to drive stick on my uncle’s old E28… my first BMW was a 2005 X3 2.8i 6MT that I brought my son home from the hospital in. At 130k miles that was sold to a fellow BMW enthusiast to make room for a larger 2011 X5 xDrive 50i. Great family car that was fun to drive, but before long it started sucking down oil like no tomorrow. Worried that I’d be in for a large repair (valve stem seals), that got sold for a sensible 2015 F31 328dx as a daily driver. It’s fine for a 4 cylinder diesel but doesn’t exactly stir the soul. I knew I’d need a fun car.

For me, that means a car that ticks emotional boxes, something to enjoy on weekends and trips with the fam. Must haves (aka my AutoTrader search criteria):
-BMW
-Convertible
-Able to fit my wife and kid
-Manual Transmission
-Less than 40k miles
-2010 or newer
-Flexible on exterior color
-Fox Red or black interior preferred
-Lightly modified or stock
-No accidents
-Ability to have a pre-purchase inspection

I kept an eye on some 135’s (still think they are great bang for the buck… just small)… maybe the occasional 335… but I kept coming back to E93 M3. I missed having a BMW V8, and the S65 is just special. Last 2 door M3, only one with a V8. Retractable hardtop is “best of both worlds” for me. I started looking more seriously this summer, and quickly found out that when an E93 M3 is listed… they aren’t available for long. Was close on a few but for one reason or another couldn’t close the deal.

Finally though - came across a 2011 Jerez Black over Beige within driving distance that checked all the boxes. Beige interior wasn’t really on my radar but I think it looks quite nice. It was inspected by a BMW dealer and was in good shape overall. Valve cover gaskets, battery, tires were replaced based on the inspection. It was noted that rear pads were low and due for replacement. No showstoppers… I was ready with a deposit and went to pick it up in mid August. Had a big grin from ear to ear the whole ride home.

[CTMike]

A few weeks after owning the car, I was out for a drive with the family on a warm day. Got off the highway and was doing some around town, low speed driving through various neighborhoods and noticed oil temps climbing. A few minutes later: overheating warning (I now know: this is the first warning). I made sure to drive carefully and keep RPMs low and as I was able to drive at speed more consistently (>30mph)… temps started to come back down to normal. Oil temps would bounce around over 210 occasionally, but no overheating episodes over the next month or so.

Fast forward to Columbus Day weekend and what better way to get to the White Mountains (NH) than the E93? On the highway, no issues at all. Drives great, temps great. Get off the highway and try to find a restroom for the kiddo before he poops in the backseat… slow driving, in and out of parking lots… temps start climbing. First overheating warning. SECOND overheating warning. Finally a red overheating warning that said to shut the car off immediately, which I did.

We were an hour and a half from our destination. Kiddo pooped in a plastic bag in a parking lot. I’m getting worried looks from the wife. Nerves are frayed.

I was relatively sure that if we got moving again at a good clip that things would be fine. After cooling down for 20 minutes (still warm) and hoping that I didn’t just strand my family or ruin a car I’ve had for 1.5 months… we got going, maintained good speed, temps came right down and we arrived in North Conway where we called it a night.

If anyone has been to North Conway in early October… it’s gorgeous, but swarms of leaf peepers means lots of traffic on the main drag through town. I know this. And yet the following day, there I was, trying to get back to the hotel in stop and go traffic, temps climbing. Overheat warnings. Pulled off and parked in a lot about a 3/4 mile from the hotel. Wife started walking the rest of the way with the kiddo while I waited for the E93 to cool down. Not great!

We make our way back to CT the next day, hyper sensitive to any predicted slowdowns or traffic… finding routes that kept us moving. I dropped it off at a local BMW shop the next day.

[SYT_Shadow]

Very nice! I need to add an E93 M3 to the family sometime

Welcome to the forum!

[CTMike]

Failed radiator fan replaced, picked it up a couple of days later… problem solved!

Not quite.

Drove it to my brother-in-law’s and had an OBDII reader hooked up to keep a closer eye on temps… no issues on the highway. I let it idle in the driveway just to make sure everything was good. Temps start climbing. Radiator fan never kicks in. I shut it off with first overheat warning at around 231 degrees.

Back to the shop (extremely apologetic and very determined to resolve the issue - they were great)… they replaced a fan relay under the passenger footwell, tested everything, and it didn’t overheat. I pick it up, let it idle in my driveway…. Temps start climbing, radiator fan never kicks in, I shut it off with first overheat warning at around 231 degrees. Sigh.

Back to the shop (even more apologetic and determined to resolve the issue)… They inspected the fan circuit again and found an overheated contact by the rear fuse carrier, near the battery. They think a high draw from the failing (old) fan was the cause. They restored said contact and things were running as expected. They delivered my car to me with a full tank of gas. I let it idle in my driveway, and the radiator kicks on full blast as needed. Success! I’ve driven it multiple times since with no issue.

tl;dr: Failing radiator fan took out relay and wiring contact upstream in the fan circuit. The more you know.

Looking back at the PPI that was done - there was note of a drain on the battery (they suspected Comfort Access was the issue) and the battery was replaced due to the drain - I’m thinking the fan was on the way out at that point. Ah well!

[CTMike]

In general: if I can replace a part with a better part for similar money, I’m all for it. More than anything I want it to look good, sound good, feel good to drive as opposed to chasing ultimate performance.

Exterior:
Overall, pretty good for a 9 year old car.
Has the expected pockmarks on bumper and hood of a 9 year old vehicle…
There is a small (approx 1”) golf ball shaped blemish above passenger side door handle
Scrape under bumper… need to inspect the felt undertray and consider replacing
Amber turn signals on bumper were replaced with white/clear
Grill was replaced with aftermarket blacked out grill with ///M striping
Carbon Fiber mirror caps - some slight peeling at the edges

Top priority: Paint. Should I touch up and fill chips, or is there a cut-off point where you should look to get it repainted? Not sure. I’d like to get it back to where it should be and take care of it going forward.

Low priority:
Trunk Lid: It looks like years ago Vorsteiner made a CSL-style trunk lid for E93 that has long since been discontinued… would love to track one down. (https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=558706)… It appears that DarwinPro makes a similar one (https://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-2012-B...kAAOSwxYBfGwej) but I’m not sure I want to risk it and test the fitment.


(apologies for terrible shadows below)

[CTMike]

Some minor wear and tear but nothing out of the ordinary for the age. Carbon leather trim is in perfect condition. I replaced all of the interior bulbs with LEDs and I think it looks much cleaner.

Top Priority:
-I have an AZA wheel purchased from a forum member ready to install. Love the look and feel of it… cleans things up nicely. Just need an afternoon to install it.
-Could use new floor mats… the color trimmed ones from IND look great but holy moly that price.
-Center console has scuffs... would like to get that and trim bits done in carbon fiber… get those looking brand new.
-I’ll be getting one of the Inductiv charging trays that would replace the ash tray/cigarette lighter
-M5 shifter with tri-stitch shift boot is on the list
-New pedals/ultimate clutch pedal
-Glove Box Latch does not work

Lower priority:
-Rear cupholder cover is scuffed… not sure if I will replace or wrap.
-Leather could use some refreshing/TLC.
-The seats. I must say, as a bigger guy… they are very comfortable for long drives. I just find their appearance to be kind of… bloated? I found the thread with the F80/F82 seat swaps to be fascinating but who knows if it would work for F83/E93 and the integrated seat belts. Probably not something I’m ever going to do… nice to dream though.




Stereo/iDrive:
Car has EPS sound and it’s… fine. I wish I liked it more. I find the HK system in my F31 quite a bit nicer to listen to, but I’m not looking to rip/replace EPS.

Top Priority: Apple CarPlay along with backup camera. Looking at either the Carsara unit or Bimmertech.
Low Priority: Perhaps replace the underseat subs with Eaton units based off various threads here.

[CTMike]

Brakes appear to be stock setup with calipers sprayed red… they look OK from a distance but that falls apart quickly upon closer inspection. I’d like new brakes (really: calipers) but frankly don’t need to spend big $$$$ on a BBK. I’m not tracking it, so I’m really looking for something that looks nice and performs at least as well as stock without breaking the bank. At the very least I need rear pads quite soon.

Wheels are 19” OEM 220M with scuffs and scrapes. Based on the PPI, tires were replaced with Continental ExtremeContact DWS (which I like well enough and have on my F31)… 225/35 upfront and 255/35 in back… close, but not quite. Ultimately I would like to replace this set up with ZCP Style 359 wheels in silver with Michelin tires… widths TBD. Today, I would lean towards a GTS setup of 255/35 in front with 285/30 in back.

[CTMike]

The Big One - Rod Bearings: No knowledge of this being addressed by prior owners. Is the issue as severe for LCI cars? This would be on my radar to get done in the next year or so.
Fuel Tank Breather Valve: My first fill up after driving the car home, the car promptly stalled out… but thankfully I was aware this could happen from reading the forum and that it’s not a major fix.
Throttle Actuators: Seem fine for now.
Shifter: Read a ton of good feedback on Autosolutions SSK. If it enhances shift feel as described, I’m very interested.
Clutch/Flywheel: not high on priority list, but would consider if there are better options than OEM when it comes time to replace.

Wayyy down on priority list but something I find undeniably cool is MFactory’s carbon fiber driveshaft.

[CTMike]

Comfort Access: Not functional. Need to dig in to this.
Glove Box: Only opens with physical key.

Suspension: No plans at this time. Stock EDC suspension. I’m not really well versed in this area. I know it’s a convertible and it’s going to flex but if there are options to make it feel more buttoned up I’d love to learn more. Keeping an eye on this thread: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1779316

Intake: I really like the look of the Karbonius setup and of course the sound enhancement. Carbon Fiber all the things.

Exhaust: No immediate plans… eventually, I just want something that enhances the sound… MPE or Corsa seem well regarded. Gains are secondary for me. There are various threads with folks trying to figure out how to do a forward X (like Bimmerworld) with high flow cats and have it not sound terrible… I’m fine with the stock X for now.

[CTMike]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

Very nice! I need to add an E93 M3 to the family sometime

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks SYT - you seem to be quite a wealth of knowledge on here!

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by CTMike

The Big One - Rod Bearings: No knowledge of this being addressed by prior owners. Is the issue as severe for LCI cars? This would be on my radar to get done in the next year or so.
Fuel Tank Breather Valve: My first fill up after driving the car home, the car promptly stalled out… but thankfully I was aware this could happen from reading the forum and that it’s not a major fix.
Throttle Actuators: Seem fine for now.
Shifter: Read a ton of good feedback on Autosolutions SSK. If it enhances shift feel as described, I’m very interested.
Clutch/Flywheel: not high on priority list, but would consider if there are better options than OEM when it comes time to replace.

Wayyy down on priority list but something I find undeniably cool is MFactory’s carbon fiber driveshaft.

If I ever add an E93 to the stable with the current E92 and E90 I will address rod bearings on the first weekend I have the car. Just like I did with the E90 that I got used.
LCI or not LCI makes zero difference.

BE bearings are fortunately returning to stock so you can do it with the proper bearings.

It's pointless to do TAs preventively. From the time you get the first check engine light to when the car is no longer driveable you have plenty of time to take care of them.

The AS SSK is fantastic. I'll have that in every manual BMW I own.


If you want to get a feel for a M3 with a forward placed xpipe, Karbonius and AS SSK let me know, my E92 hasn't been put away yet.

[CTMike]

THANK YOU for the feedback, SYT_Shadow ! I just might have to take you up on your offer.

[CTMike]

Anyone with kids read the book "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie..."?

That's how I feel right now. "If you give CTMike a Bimmertech MMI Prime unit with rear-view camera kit..."

A lot of trim needs to come out to install it, so trying to be as efficient as possible with everything exposed.

To run the rear view camera cable, I'll be behind the glove box that only opens if I use the physical key. A common problem for E93's, it seems. SO I think I'll be looking at repairing the glove box "while I'm in there".

Center console has to come out... so:
-looking to see about getting the console itself done in carbon fiber.
-induktiv wireless charger to replace the ash tray/12v
-tri-color shift boot with F10 knob

Looks like I'll be routing a mic under the steering wheel trim, so great time to install the AZA wheel I have.

Oh, and the actual MMI Prime lol. That part should be easy.

[CTMike]

Soooo 3+ years sure goes by in a flash.

After accumulating and accumulating parts… it was finally time to get things done. Neat to look back at my initial thoughts here and see I stuck pretty close to what I had in mind.

Autosolutions SSK: no introduction needed, shift feel is short and and precise I don’t know how else to describe it other than the complete opposite of stock feel. That, plus…
M5 shift knob on IND tri-stitch boot: there’s a nice heft/sturdiness to shifts. I had to do some surgery to marry the two… not 100% perfect (I’m probably the only one that knows there’s a tiny imperfection) but close enough!
Ultimate Clutch Pedal: feels great. All in all, shifting is just a pleasure.
AZA Steering Wheel: the original was quite worn, this one looks and feels great.
Carbon Fiber Center Console: original had a few scuffs from when I bought it, and I just love the look of it.

YCFM Carbon Fiber Driveshaft: original driveshaft had the tin can “cowbell” noise for a couple months before it simply disappeared never to be heard again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Didn’t want to replace it with OEM and have the problem pop up again years from now, plus… the carbon driveshaft is just cool
Rogue Engineering power pulleys: does it make a huge difference? Hard to say with so many other changes. Steering has a nice weighty feel.
Solid subframe bushings/Powerflex diff bushings: no drama, no objectionable noise or harshness… just solid
Titan TS-5 wheels: 18x9.5 up front and 18x10.5 at the back. Came with 265/35/18 Continental Extreme Contact Sport and 285/35/18 Nitto NT555 G2 tires.

Only had 20 minutes to drive it (most of which it was still warming up) but it just feels so much more solid and responsive… very happy with all the work, big thanks to the great folks at Northeast Motor Werks in Middletown, CT.

Looking forward to driving it more when it’s not gross out… and figuring out what the next round of updates will be!

[CTMike]

Last pic was way too dirty, had to fix that today…

[pedro2u]

Mike - small world! Great thread

Also a Northeast Motor Werks customer, Mark saved my E92.... had it for months to solve the issue!

My 2011 E93 M3 has Fox and black two tone interior. Plus after owning a ZHP, I had to have a short shifter in the M3! The lighted F80 shifter fit that bill. Love it! I also have a nearly identical AZA steering wheel as yours (so does my E92 and my previous ZHP)

[CTMike]

Awesome, we’ll have to get the cars together this spring… I’m next town over in Berlin! We pop over to get breakfast at the Pepper Pot a lot

[pedro2u]

Sounds great!. We're new to CT (from NH) and still learning the "go-to" spots but let's align in the spring since mine is in storage. Be a great pic to see them together and compare notes!