What did you do for your M3 today?

[0-60motorsports]

In another episode of saving the SMGs:

I decided to refresh the steering wheel and was able to source the following, new:

1. SMG steering wheel with a tiny bit of damage on a bottom section of the leather (got a killer deal on the wheel)
2. E39 black lower steering wheel trim
3. SMG paddles

The top buttons/upper wheel trim were in excellent condition so I of course kept all that the same.

First two photos the old wheel is the bottom and the old SMG paddles.

I was impatient this weekend so I installed the wheel without touching up the bottom leather, but next weekend I'll take a small blade to cut off the pieces that are sticking out and then use dye and polish to return to “like new” condition.

Installation was easy enough and the new wheel looks great in the cockpit.










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Thats awesome! New ones are not worth the price to me any more so thats why im still looking for someone who can do a proper refurb job with the right leather. I have like 3 cores LOL

[Nate047]

I just half assed my regrease and reinstall, it was binding as well, but I am ready to get it rolling on its own and will replace it later if need be. How'd it look after you cleaned it out?

I have tomorrow off so I'm going to try to get to it then.

[fattycharged]

I’m going to open it up and take a look, tbh I don’t really know how much movement it’s supposed to have. I’ve never handled a healthy one.

I just half assed my regrease and reinstall, it was binding as well, but I am ready to get it rolling on its own and will replace it later if need be. How'd it look after you cleaned it out?

[karter16]

In another episode of saving the SMGs:

I decided to refresh the steering wheel and was able to source the following, new:

1. SMG steering wheel with a tiny bit of damage on a bottom section of the leather (got a killer deal on the wheel)
2. E39 black lower steering wheel trim
3. SMG paddles

The top buttons/upper wheel trim were in excellent condition so I of course kept all that the same.

First two photos the old wheel is the bottom and the old SMG paddles.

I was impatient this weekend so I installed the wheel without touching up the bottom leather, but next weekend I'll take a small blade to cut off the pieces that are sticking out and then use dye and polish to return to “like new” condition.

Installation was easy enough and the new wheel looks great in the cockpit.










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Nice - steering wheel refresh is one of the best things I've done. Makes such a difference over a worn out one


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[davidinnyc]

In another episode of saving the SMGs:

I decided to refresh the steering wheel and was able to source the following, new:

1. SMG steering wheel with a tiny bit of damage on a bottom section of the leather (got a killer deal on the wheel)
2. E39 black lower steering wheel trim
3. SMG paddles

The top buttons/upper wheel trim were in excellent condition so I of course kept all that the same.

First two photos the old wheel is the bottom and the old SMG paddles.

I was impatient this weekend so I installed the wheel without touching up the bottom leather, but next weekend I'll take a small blade to cut off the pieces that are sticking out and then use dye and polish to return to “like new” condition.

Installation was easy enough and the new wheel looks great in the cockpit.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AbbeyRoad]

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BL95-EUR-12-2003-E46-BMW-M3_CSL&diagId=61_1465

The tank part number for vehicles without headlamp cleaning (S502A=No) is specified as 61677892701.

Does this version plug and play with the oem CSL front bumper?

[Altaran]

Ordered a back up OEM CSL front bumper kit from Schmiedmann. Need to figure out if there's an OEM CSL washer fluid reservoir available for a no headllght washer M3.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BL95-EUR-12-2003-E46-BMW-M3_CSL&diagId=61_1465

The tank part number for vehicles without headlamp cleaning (S502A=No) is specified as 61677892701.

[nahvkolaj]

What brand water pump is that?

Saleri. Thankfully bought from FCP Euro so I'm exchanging it and hoping for a better outcome this time.


Got all my rod bearings changed out. Pastigauged each one to get some peace of mind that everything is in spec. They've been done at least once before as warranty/recall work according to the circular “422” sticker on the B-pillar. Copper is just starting to peek through the top halves. Cylinder 3 has (what I think is) weird wear on the bottom shell. This car is at over 142,000 miles, so I'm planning for the ACLs I installed to take me past 200k.

[6speedS54]

It's finally rod bearing time. Got the top of the engine bay prepped yesterday and came across some annoying finds. Biggest one is that my water pump has been leaking and the shaft has some play after only 3 yrs / 17k miles. Idler/tensioner pulleys are all gone too. And I'm gonna bite the bullet and do a PS refresh because I have a few leaking lines.

Anyone know where to get the AC (spring type tensioner) pulley only? Really don't want the whole tensioner.




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What brand water pump is that?

[AbbeyRoad]

Ordered a back up OEM CSL front bumper kit from Schmiedmann. Need to figure out if there's an OEM CSL washer fluid reservoir available for a no headllght washer M3.

[Wernd]

It's been a process the last few weeks and I'm almost done. The rogue oil cooler required the ac condenser to be shortened thanks to dsm metal it appears to not be leaking 🤞. The new mishimoto oil lines also came in handy as the custom one I had built wasn't going to fit under the csl intake. Thankfully mishimoto makes a clamp for their oil lines and I was able to use the stock mounting location on the back of the power steering pump with some modification.
The new spal fan was pretty straight forward
As with my ZHP the new AAF brake cooling required modification to the ac dryer lines but that typical and the lower fender liners.
The splitter and lip were also quite a chore as they don't really line up well with the bumper. Some fender washers for backing and two men pushing to sandwich the lip and bumper while setting the rivets did the trick.
Hopefully today I get the oil lines done and get to start the beast!

[kaiv]

Anyone know where to get the AC (spring type tensioner) pulley only? Really don't want the whole tensioner.

11287549557 works well.

[Nate047]

If you remove the snap ring you can clean up all the grease with a towel and have a better look at any potential damage. If that truly is a metal chunk it isn't a good sign. If it looks and moves fine you can order a new boot with grease but normally it is supposed to move more freely.

I’m going to open it up and take a look, tbh I don’t really know how much movement it’s supposed to have. I’ve never handled a healthy one.

[JokerElite]

Some context: I did a big refresh, modify, and RACP repair over a year ago, but we had to move abruptly so I never really got the car done. I got it just done enough to move, then life happened, and now after a year long time based art project / paint torture test, I have some time and motivation to pick things back up.

Dropped the exhaust and got the driveshaft out today. I ended up with a concerning clunk after the whole rear end job, and today I believe I have found the culprit. The CV joint on the end of the driveshaft seems to be toast. I’m going to clean it out and check to make sure but maybe you guys can chime in. Trying to get a sanity check about this amount of movement / play. (I did find some little metal shavings / remnants of some sort in there as well which I feel is a pretty tell tale sign that shit’s fucked. Also, crucially, the gasket that’s supposed to be there, wasn’t.)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f41h6d4gieyk6qanfqv5n/Video-Mar-06-2025-12-52-52-PM.mov?rlkey=snunjxyor1os4q8mmi6geq90m&st=91grznsf&dl=0

If you remove the snap ring you can clean up all the grease with a towel and have a better look at any potential damage. If that truly is a metal chunk it isn't a good sign. If it looks and moves fine you can order a new boot with grease but normally it is supposed to move more freely.

[Nate047]

Some context: I did a big refresh, modify, and RACP repair over a year ago, but we had to move abruptly so I never really got the car done. I got it just done enough to move, then life happened, and now after a year long time based art project / paint torture test, I have some time and motivation to pick things back up.

Dropped the exhaust and got the driveshaft out today. I ended up with a concerning clunk after the whole rear end job, and today I believe I have found the culprit. The CV joint on the end of the driveshaft seems to be toast. I’m going to clean it out and check to make sure but maybe you guys can chime in. Trying to get a sanity check about this amount of movement / play. (I did find some little metal shavings / remnants of some sort in there as well which I feel is a pretty tell tale sign that shit’s fucked. Also, crucially, the gasket that’s supposed to be there, wasn’t.)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f41h6d4gieyk6qanfqv5n/Video-Mar-06-2025-12-52-52-PM.mov?rlkey=snunjxyor1os4q8mmi6geq90m&st=91grznsf&dl=0