Waking my M3 up.

[shibui]

Hi all,

My E46 M3 has been sitting in my parent's garage for the last 4 years while I've been working abroad in Japan. My dad starts it up from time to time but doesn't really drive it because it has race seats and a track suspension. The battery is okay according to him. I might be going back soon so I'm wondering if there's anything I'm forgetting from my to-do list (or maybe anything I don't have to do). They live in coastal California so winter/cold temperatures aren't a factor.

- Oil change
- Coolant change
- Transmission fluid change

Before I left I put on some new Michelin PSS (that's how you know it's been a few years) and they have less than 1000 miles on them. So I think they're okay, but I'm gonna test them out first.

I purposely left only a little fuel in the tank so I didn't have to use/drain old fuel whenever I got back. Do you think anything possibly dried out in the fuel system?

I'm a little nervous to get the S54 going again. It was my daily before I moved and treated me wonderfully. I always felt like the S54 is an engine that likes to be used and revved out often. The fact that it's been sitting idly for 4 years makes me a bit nervous.

Cheers.

[ATB88]

tentative okaeirnasai! curious: did you ever get to own/drive anything exciting while you were in Tokyo? I didn't in Nagoya -- buying a car as a foreigner felt too hard when I was working there (also sadly no need to drive)

M3-wise I bought a low mileage car whose S54 had driven only a few hundred miles in the 4 years before I picked it up, and no issues. You could always syphon out the old gas at the bottom of the tank, 30 minute job. But my feeling is if there's very little in there and you fill it up fresh you won't have much to worry about. If you start experiencing weird hard start issues or hesitations, then start looking at the fuel system but I don't think there needs to be any reason to start there. Do your fluids and drive it, see what you think!

[shibui]

tentative okaeirnasai! curious: did you ever get to own/drive anything exciting while you were in Tokyo? I didn't in Nagoya -- buying a car as a foreigner felt too hard when I was working there (also sadly no need to drive)

M3-wise I bought a low mileage car whose S54 had driven only a few hundred miles in the 4 years before I picked it up, and no issues. You could always syphon out the old gas at the bottom of the tank, 30 minute job. But my feeling is if there's very little in there and you fill it up fresh you won't have much to worry about. If you start experiencing weird hard start issues or hesitations, then start looking at the fuel system but I don't think there needs to be any reason to start there. Do your fluids and drive it, see what you think!

Arigato! Over the years I got to test drive some of my dream JDM cars R34 GTR, Hakosuka, and a pretty badass FD RX7. Still haven't driven an NSX or MKIV Supra though. I got to drive some Bimmers and Benzes here as well (an E30, E92 M3, and some W124s). My favorite surprisingly was the JDM-spec Land Cruisers though. I still want to drive a JDM-spec 964 Turbo before I leave. I love how passionate Japanese people are about their cars.

Thanks for the tip. Your experience makes me feel a little better. I'll try to take it easy and proceed with caution.

[Obioban]

Swap the gas and circulate the oil before you fire it up.

[old///MFanatic]

brake fluid