Jason's 2006 E46 M3 6MT Coupe - Tiag/Imola

[Titaniu//M]

Took care of the last 2 outstanding maintenance items on my M3 this weekend- differential and transmission fluid. I bought both sets of fluid back in March 2019, so it was about time I got around to changing it. Both are recommended items during an Inspection II at 60k miles. I also got new fill plugs and some Rogue Engineering transmission mounts.



Per the sticker on the transmission, some cars require MTF-LT-1 fluid, while others like mine require MTF-LT-2. People also use aftermarket options like Redline or Royal Purple, but I prefer sticking with the Genuine BMW stuff, even if it is more expensive.

I let the bottles of fluid sit in hot water for 20-30 minutes before I begin pumping it into the transmission. Heating it up makes the fluid more viscous, and easier to pump into the transmission.



Took out just under 2 liters of original fluid. More than likely the original fill.



While the trans fluid was draining, I started working on the transmission mounts. Having large hands makes this a bit more challenging, but it still wasn't bad overall. Having a 13mm ratcheting flex head combo wrench was a lifesaver here. Original mounts were in very good shape, but the new Rogue ones will hopefully provide more stiffness. Be careful of the order you put everything back together, because the section 1 of the exhaust gets in the way. I tightened down the bottoms of both mounts first, then installed the brace, then tightened the top of the mounts to the transmission.



Buttoned the transmission back up and started working on the differential. Same deal here - soak bottles of fluid in hot water, drain and fill with new fluid. I bought two pumps to prevent contamination.



Drained out ~1L of old fluid, and put in 2.5 bottles of new fluid.





Once I put the car back down, I went for a drive. The Rogue mounts do seem to make shifting a bit crisper, but there is not a huge difference in performance over OE.

[Titaniu//M]

I decided to knock out two jobs to (hopefully) keep my engine free of oil leaks for some time to come- the oil pan and valve cover gaskets.


After I rebuilt my VANOS with Beisan components in March, I reused my existing valve cover gasket that had roughly 10k miles on it. Occasionally, I smelled a faint oil burning smell when I drove the car with the windows down, and suspected this was the culprit. The VCG in our cars are made of Viton, and theoretically reusable, but I decided to swap it out for piece of mind.



Used this opportunity to break in a new toy of mine- a Milwaukee Fuel 3/8 in electric ratchet. Really happy with how it speeds jobs up.



Cleaned the mating surfaces on the valve cover and cylinder head, and hit the "half moons" in the back, as well as the area where the timing cover mates to the cylinder head with some OE Drei Bond 1209 based on the official TIS procedure.



This is the 3rd time I've removed the valve cover on this car, so the job went smoothly. Took about 2-3 hours from start to finish, working at a very leisurely pace.

The next job- the oil pan gasket didn't go quite as smoothly. It is worth noting this is the second time I am replacing the oil pan gasket. I did it back in March, but the new gasket leaked worse than the 14 year old original. I followed the DIY for rod bearings on M3forum, and put RTV on both sides of the gasket. After talking to some BMW techs, this was likely the root of my problems. It does not make sense to put RTV on a gasket that is already rubber. The official BMW procedure calls for a small amount of Drei Bond 1209 to be placed where the timing cover meets the block in the front, and where the crankshaft cover mates to the block in the rear.



I took advantage of FCP Euro's lifetime replacement program and got a new gasket for free.



Also ordered new bolts this time around.



Took the oil pan off, and took my time to make sure I got every bit of RTV off the engine block and oil pan.




Old breather hose had a broken connector on one end, so I replaced it.




I didn't replace the gaskets for the oil pan cover, oil level sensor or dipstick last time, so I made sure to do so this time.




Things were going fine, and I was about to finish up in half the time it took me to do this the first time. Until....I tried bolting one of the front control arm bushings (FCABs) back in. I believe the FCABs should be bolted up to the frame rail first, before the subframe. However, I was pretty tired and not thinking clearly, so I bolted the subframe in first. Then, I tried to bolt the FCABs in, but it was really challenging to get them to line up since the subframe was already in. I decided to thread one of the bolts in by hand to try and guide one of the FCABs into place, and the bolt ended up going in crooked. The first ~3 threads were messed up, and the bolt wouldn't go in straight no matter what.



I ordered a thread chaser, and tried cleaning up the threads to no avail. The remaining option would be to run a tap in, which is made of hardened steel and would hopefully clean the threads up. However, I had no experience using a tap and didn't want my first time to be on the frame rail of my M3. It takes some experience to get the right feel with a tap as to whether you are making new threads, or cleaning out the existing ones.

So.....I put the rest of the car back together, and had the car brought to my independent shop of choice (RRT Racing) on a flatbed to have the hole re-tapped. Front bumper was in primer because I didn't want my painted one to get scuffed from being loaded/unloaded on the tow truck.



Happy to report the hole was re-tapped properly, and FCAB bolt went in without a hitch. I was glad to pay the bill for an hour of labor to have it done properly. Not all DIY projects go perfectly, and I'm not afraid to admit my mistakes in hopes it keeps other people from doing the same thing in the future.

[Titaniu//M]

Good stuff! Seats look new!

Thanks!

[Tbonem3]

Good stuff! Seats look new!

[Titaniu//M]

As freshprince2421 pointed out, I also had the steering wheel swapped out while the seats were in North Carolina getting restored.

A Coby wheel was one of the first mods I did to the car back when I bought it in December 2018. At the time, my pocket was still hurting from buying the car, so I went with Coby Wheel over Ledermanz. However, I desired something a bit more unique, so I decided to upgrade to a Ledermanz to match my newly restored seats. I had the sides done in Alcantara, an Imola leather 12 o'clock stripe, and top/bottom done in black Nappa leather. I also had the bottom trim wrapped in leather.

Shipping from Ledermanz in Latvia to the US only took 2 days.




Fit and finish of the Ledermanz wheel is superb. The Coby is not bad in any way, but it is evident from closely looking at the Ledermanz wheel that the guy pays attention to details. The 12 o'clock stripe matches the Imola red BMW leather both in color and grain, unlike the Coby wheel version.



I sold the Coby wheel quickly after I received the Ledermanz. But for a short time, I had 3 E46 M3 steering wheels in my possession - OE, Coby and Ledermanz.



Comparison of Ledermanz stitching and OE.



Stay tuned for installed pics, car is currently at the shop getting a few other things done.

[Titaniu//M]

I see you had the steering wheel redone again. I'm considering two tone as well but perhaps leather on the sides for better durability. Looks sharp!

Thanks! I did indeed have the steering wheel swapped out- went from a Coby wheel to a Ledermanz. Very impressed with the craftsmanship and wish I would've gone this route the first time around. I also had him wrap the lower trim in black leather, which I hope will hold up better than the original soft touch coating. Search for him on instagram, you can send him a DM on there and he can basically put together anything you can imagine.

[freshprince2421]

I see you had the steering wheel redone again. I'm considering two tone as well but perhaps leather on the sides for better durability. Looks sharp!

[Titaniu//M]

Beautiful, that turned out great. I need to have my Vaders completely redone.

Thanks! Really transforms the experience with newly restored seats. It is one of the only things you make contact with in the car after all.

[Mike0032]

Beautiful, that turned out great. I need to have my Vaders completely redone.

[Titaniu//M]

Wow, that is some incredible work. I might have him do my M-texture seats. If you don't mind sharing, how much did that restoration cost you? Did he replace the leather or just repair and re-dye?

Thanks! All the leather is original, he just repaired and re-dyed the seating surfaces. The color match is spot on, the headrests and seat backs are actually original and untouched, while the rest of the seat is re-dyed. I'll PM you what I paid, not sure if that is something he wants me to publicly share.

[BMWahba]

Wow, that is some incredible work. I might have him do my M-texture seats. If you don't mind sharing, how much did that restoration cost you? Did he replace the leather or just repair and re-dye?

[Titaniu//M]

With the car (mostly) sorted mechanically, I decided to focus some efforts on the interior.

Some pictures to show what I'm starting out with (please ignore the missing dash trim).



Quite a bit of work has already been done since I purchased the car including

• New center console and HVAC bracket
• New OEM A, B, and C pillars all around
• New OEM headliner
• Illuminated ZHP knob from an F10 M5, paired with an OEM Alcantara boot
• OEM M-Performance e-brake boot and handle assembly
• European Imola Red armrest (US version is black leather, not red)
• Coby Alcantara wrapped steering wheel w/red leather stripe
• XTRONS 9" Android head unit

However, there were a few areas still in need of attention.

I started out by addressing my front seats. My car was originally sold new in Florida, and spent most of its life there. This had kept the exterior and underside in immaculate shape, probably the best out of any car I've owned. However, the hot Florida sun had also dried out my front seats and left these small cracks along the entire edge of the driver's seat. Not too bad from looking at the photos, but the cracked areas had a really rough, scaly texture to them as well. The bolster is also worn from getting in and out of the car.






The leather on the driver's seat bottom was also somewhat loose, and had these strange crosshatching marks on it.



To top it off, the dealer technician that did my passenger side airbag recall must have had a pen in his back pocket, and marked up my passenger seat. Unfortunately I discovered this weeks later, or else I might have complained. I tried removing the ink stains with Leatherique pristine clean, but when the microfiber towel began turning red I stopped fearing I was going to damage the color.



After much thought, I decided the most reasonable solution was to have my seats reupholstered in blue plaid- inspired by the Volkswagen GTI.



Kidding aside......the Imola red interior is one of my favorite features of this car, so I decided it was worth the effort and expense to restore my seats. I did extensive research, and found a few professional, as well as DIY options. The basic process of restoration is that the seats need to be deep cleaned, lightly sanded, the cracks need to be filled and the seats need to be recolored. The Imola red finish on these seats is more of a paint than a dye.

Leatherique, and a company called LeatherX both sell kits that contain all the supplies to do this. However, body work and other artisan type stuff is not my strength so I decided this was a job better done by a pro.

I came across one of AMMO NYC's videos on YouTube featuring a BMW interior color change, and was confident that the company featured in the video- Fibrenew NRWF was who I wanted to restore my seats. Fibrenew is actually a network of leather repair franchises, but I was unsure if a franchise closer to me could deliver the same results. In the end, I took the seats out of the car, wrapped them up, loaded them into my Toyota Tacoma daily and made the 4 hour trip to Raleigh, NC.

Found 27 cents under my passenger seat 😂



Brian Marks, the owner of Fibrenew NWRF, is well known in the BMW community not only for his leather work, but for his wagon builds, including the S62 swapped E39 wagon that sold for $72k on BaT last spring. When I showed up to drop my seats off, he was very generous with his time and showed me all the interesting stuff in his garage, including a M57 swapped E91 wagon, and S54 swapped E46 wagon.



A week after I made the initial trip to drop the seats off, Brian reached out and told me the seats were finished. I borrowed my father's Kia Rondo for the return trip, as rain was expected along the way.



Finished product. In addition to having the seats restored, I also had Brian replace the bottom foam on the driver's side as it had lost much of its elasticity. Brian steamed the leather before installing the new foam, making the leather fit tighter and losing the baggy look it had before.

Some creases would not come out of the seats, but short having the seats entirely reupholstered, this is probably as close to new as it gets. Very pleased with how they came out.







Teaser pic to show what they look like in the car. A full photo shoot will follow once everything is back together. I seized the opportunity to do some other work while the front seats were gone, and unfortunately broke some plastic clips in the process. Waiting on those to come in so I can button everything back up.

[Titaniu//M]

Been spending quite a bit of time in the garage lately. Some major updates to come later.

First things first, I tied up some loose ends with the Dinan intake I installed a few weeks ago. The Dinan intake interferes with the heater control valve/auxiliary water pump assembly on top of the frame rail. It is possible to install the intake without relocating the assembly, but clearance is slim and I was concerned the intake would rub against the connector on top of the auxiliary water pump and eventually sever some wires. The relocation bracket Dinan provides is useless, as the assembly slides down and falls off the bracket super easily.

Installation instructions and pics from Dinan for reference. The point where the connector touches the intake elbow circled in red.




Some research led me to discover that the normal E46 3-series and E46 M3 CSL use a different version of the assembly that deletes the auxiliary water pump – part number 64118369805. I decided to give it a shot and sourced a Febi Bilstein version of this part, saving around $70 over the Genuine BMW counterpart. New part is a fraction of the weight and size of the original.




Installation was easy- I lost a bit of coolant, but overall it wasn’t a messy endeavor. The old connector was wrapped up in electrical tape and routed aside in case I need to revert to stock later. I did bleed the coolant afterwards just to be safe. I will need to code the auxiliary water pump out with NCS expert at a later date, but the car runs fine without coding for now.



I also installed a Bimmerworld silicone intake elbow while everything was apart, replacing the accordion style stock version. Hoping the new elbow will smooth airflow out a bit. Ate the Haribo gummy bears included with my purchase while I was at it. Fitment is very snug on both ends, but I managed to get it on. About 1” lengthwise needed to be trimmed off each end.





All finished under the hood (for now)

[Titaniu//M]

Beautiful ride and beautiful combo. Like how u are very meticulous of things

Many thanks!

[MrClutch55]

Beautiful ride and beautiful combo. Like how u are very meticulous of things