E36 M3 3.0 Check List

[Krazytec]

Hi Guys ...

Firstly Awesome forum you guys have here...

Now for some advice please :

I am very interested in purchasing a '96 E36 3.0 M in a few days but just wanted to see what the local guys have experienced in terms of "Common Issues" with these cars over the years/km's. I know they old but they still awesome and this particular one is immaculate. Also maybe if you guys could add what to look out for when inspecting the vehicle.

Mileage is 162 000 kms, all services was done by Ross Duncan in Midrand,, has receipts for everything from the time he owned it (7 years)


Tried listening for the famous Vanos sounds but will be doing a cold start this weekend and the buyer happily agreed to do what i need too, he did advise there is a "Tick Tick" sound for a few mins on startup but once the motor is warm its silent, guessing this is the oil making it way up through the internals from a cold start.

Will also jack up the rear as the suspension is lowered, just want to check the rear shock mount from below and above.

All electronics work except the sliders from the sound roof, he said that needed to be replaced, roof opens etc but doesn't pull the material panel when closing.

Suspension is very hard, not sure if just the springs were changed but will it be hard to source OEM springs till i get Coilovers ?

Did the E36 M3 2 doors ever come out with a glass roof ?

Whats the usual roof lining colour with the black leather interiors ?

Common stuff that needs attention around the 160 000 + kms ?

Regarding the OBC, is there any buttons that i could press to throw the engine light or show if there are any codes etc ?

Any way to test and confirm there Vanos is functioning as per normal ?

Average prices for Discs / Pads / Clutch assembly if possible, ball park figures is fine as well - All decent brands

Think thats about it for now, will add to this thread if I have further questions.


Looking forward to having my first GERMAN vehicle.

Thanks Guys :ty:

 

[Technician]

welcome.

when buying a vehicle do all your checks- Vin number, number plate, check the engine number, go to BMW, double check all the claims.

Here's a list to look out for:

- Ripped or Failed Guibo
- Rear shock mounts
- Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
- Water pump
- Transmission mounts
- Shocks
- Radiator (hose fittings crack)
- Thermostat housing
- Vanos failures seem to be fairly common
- Sticky 5th gear
- Uneven idling on cold starts
- Bent wheels on the earlier models
- Front control arm bushings
- Camshaft timing sensor
- Faulty ignition cylinder
- Brake light circuit failure


if possible take the car to a trusted mechanic to have a once over, its worth the time.

Did the E36 M3 2 doors ever come out with a glass roof ?

i could be wrong-
but as far as i know it didn't have a glass roof. not sure about the '96 model. but i would say no.

Here are some posts worth a read:
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=25452
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=24611
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=24371

Regarding the clutch:
http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=24024


Try PM or search posts from- PRINI, calypso, PrevanP, Fordkoppie. (they all have owned or still own a M3)
Or pm or search, Millas- he has recently purchased a E36 M3.

Here is a link for a complete check list : CHECK LIST

 

[Fordkoppie]

Hi Guys ...

Firstly Awesome forum you guys have here...

Now for some advice please :

I am very interested in purchasing a '96 E36 3.0 M in a few days but just wanted to see what the local guys have experienced in terms of "Common Issues" with these cars over the years/km's. I know they old but they still awesome and this particular one is immaculate. Also maybe if you guys could add what to look out for when inspecting the vehicle.

Mileage is 162 000 kms, all services was done by Ross Duncan in Midrand,, has receipts for everything from the time he owned it (7 years)


Tried listening for the famous Vanos sounds but will be doing a cold start this weekend and the buyer happily agreed to do what i need too, he did advise there is a "Tick Tick" sound for a few mins on startup but once the motor is warm its silent, guessing this is the oil making it way up through the internals from a cold start.

Will also jack up the rear as the suspension is lowered, just want to check the rear shock mount from below and above. Check the subframe mounting points while you there
All electronics work except the sliders from the sound roof, he said that needed to be replaced, roof opens etc but doesn't pull the material panel when closing.

Suspension is very hard, not sure if just the springs were changed but will it be hard to source OEM springs till i get Coilovers ?

Did the E36 M3 2 doors ever come out with a glass roof ? No
Whats the usual roof lining colour with the black leather interiors ? Black material
Common stuff that needs attention around the 160 000 + kms ? Rear trailing arm bushes
Regarding the OBC, is there any buttons that i could press to throw the engine light or show if there are any codes etc ?

Any way to test and confirm there Vanos is functioning as per normal ? If it idles uneven/rough there is a possibility that the vanos is not working properly
Average prices for Discs R2000each / Pads R800 per side / Clutch assembly R3000 if possible, ball park figures is fine as well - All decent brands

Think thats about it for now, will add to this thread if I have further questions.


Looking forward to having my first GERMAN vehicle.

Thanks Guys :ty:

 

[Krazytec]

Thanks for the links Technician...

Will read through them now.

---

:ty: Fordkoppie

Prices seem decent, now just to follow up on the list from Technician...

:ty: again Guys!

 

[Technician]

i updated my previous post :thumbs:

 

[444YYY]

I have had the sunroof inside panel 'disconnect' on my car.
I have posted something on it in the past.
I managed to fix it. It's requires opening up the roof, and a lot of TLC, to make sure u don't scratch the car.
There's a little plastic thingy that disconnects inside the roof. Its fixable!!!!

It sounds like you buying a good car, if the guy has 7 years of receipts.

Just budget a bit, in case of an emergency. Although it seems, u may not need to spend anything in your case.......

I wish you many happy E36 3.0 miles

 

[calypso]

If its been looked after Im sure you will be fine. E36 vanos units dont die catastrophically like they do in the E46. Chances are yours is abit tired but it wont harm the car.
Check for rust in wheel arches and under the boot, though if the car has not been in a knock, they normally pretty resilient to rust. Also follow the oil warming up procedure. These cars dont like working hard when they are cold. Headliner and rear shelf is dark charcoal/black, but turns purple after a while.

Brakes,shocks, thouse kinda jobs always seem to work out to R10k. Clutch is looked after will last a long time. I have 150000km on mine and there is still plenty left.

Umm so where the pics.

 

[Krazytec]

Thanks again guys

Will add those to the list to check

BTW this will be just my weekend car, maybe also Friday lol

Pics will be uploaded as soon as she is mine :joy:

 

[Krazytec]

Hi Guys,

Seen the car today,owner did wait for me to arrive to perform a COLD start and could not hear any sound from the vanos unit, although I did hear a "TICK TICK" sound around the motor which eventually went away.

Suspension looks good except for the shocks, car is way to stiff like a very hard knock is heard over ripples or small holes in the road, Car is lowered with original shocks so I'm guessing the shocks have been taking strain for some time. Any idea if replacing shocks will last a while or with the springs being shorter shorten the life of the shock dramatically; is short shocks even available for the e36 M ?


The other issue i noticed was a bit of oil where I'm assuming is the aircon compressor, where the two aluminum pipes start and lead to the firewall, he says there is no gas hence cant really test the aircon, just hope the oil on the airon compressor is not the cause of it.

Car has been chipped by SAVSPEED a couple of years ago but owner is unsure if its a Unichip etc, Limiter is in place at 7K RPM from chip, Idle is a lil lumpy when cold but once the oil heats up its absolutely stable, he says the idle had been like that ever since the chip and only is stable when oil is hot, is this normal after "chipping" or is this indication of the Vanos on its way out ?

Car is hardly being used and when parked owner removes the battery terminal, would this have an effect on the chip ? Are the EEPROM chips by any chance that SAVSPEED does ?

He said last dyno some years back was 152wkw, what is the average a 3.0 M makes on SAV's dyno ?

He did Rev the motor and didn't notice any smoke from the rear.

Interior Headlining is starting to sag, from about 3cm after the sunroof all the way back, Could attempt a DIY with some adhesive... Any other suggestions ?

Drivers window sits a little skew, the channel needed adjustment but the guys did a poor job, need to get that properly sorted as wind noise when windows up will drive me crazy, anyone who can assist with that ?

What is the book value of a 96 M3 3.0 (around 163 000 km's) ?

If all of the above does not seem serious I will most likely be taking the car...

BUT....

Will await feedback / comments from the forum.

Thanks again Guys

Really appreciate the help :thumbs:

 

[calypso]

Springs, shocks, your looking at about 10k there. The rest of the suspension probably needs abit of attention too if your hearing knocks, about another 5k. AC can get expensive in a hurry, never had to do it myself but have hears some high prices being thrown around (expect another 10k, everything works out to 10k on these cars). Headliner you need to get recovered my a pro shop, tacking it up often is just delaying the inevitable. Its not an expensive job, unless you chose to recover the sunroof panel too.

I would be scared of buying a modded car, though Im not really into that scene, if the original car was not powerful enough, how much harder was it pressed to make more power. Then you start worrying about the bearings and all that.

Book value on that car is I recall correctly will be about R75-80k. But book value doesnt work so well for M3's as most are hoks.

 

[BillyBob]

152 wkW at Sav's place is pretty strong... especially considering he hasn't tampered with the rev limit..

The motor's bulletproof in essence - it'll rev to 8000 RPM and beyond if you let it without any ill effects.

Roof-lining's a mission, and definitely not a DIY job unless you're an enthusiast with loads of time and patience on your hands.

Also, with regards to the driver's door - unless a window winding mechanism has broken, why is the window sitting skew? That'd be a tell-tale sign to very carefully inspect the paintwork on the door in question, and the surrounding area, as there's a likelihood of it having been smashed there.

As for the Aircon - NO NO NO NO NO... the ungassed aircon excuse is a crock for the vast majority of the time... an oily aircon compressor (assuming that the oil is coming from the compressor fittings) is a sign of one that's either failed, or going to fail in the not-too-distant-future. If it's only around the fittings, the fittings might be damaged - they're kinda fragile, which could point towards accident damage in the past, etc.. either way, I don't know if those can be remachined, so you might have to replace - and if it's been run with low oil or without oil altogether, you're guaranteed of having to replace it.

Ask the owner to take the car in - put down a deposit if necessary - get the aircon system pressure tested, and the aircon compressor function tested in terms of pumping ability, while checking that it isn't leaking more oil while running.

Pricing on a clean 2-door with that kind of mileage - how long is a piece of string? Some okes want stupid money for them - R130-140k - realistically though, dependent on your budget - I'd say you're getting a good deal at around R90-100k, dependent on extra's, spec, overall condition, and work that needs to be done..

 

[m0lt3n]

I had an aircon system redo, pump replace qoute two months back on my 97 318is for R6800. It should be the same thing I think.

There was another guy on the forum looking for R60 000 for his 328 (with favourable feedback) So I would judge a M3 at still being worth around a R100 000

 

[BillyBob]

m0lt3n

That was slotcars' 97 328i individual with 130k km on the clock - and he's subsequently dropped his price to R50k.

No offence, but favourable feedback on a forum means absolutely jack as to pricing - anyone can say "Ooooohh, if only I had the cash" - but the okes that are actually willing to step up with the cash can dictate the price - and it's a buyer's market at the moment.

You can look at most E36 M3's going for R120k or thereabouts - and easily find R20-30k's worth of work or more to be done on the car to bring it up to the "immaculate" condition, so often advertised as already being the case

 

[444YYY]

Springs, shocks, your looking at about 10k there. The rest of the suspension probably needs abit of attention too if your hearing knocks, about another 5k. AC can get expensive in a hurry, never had to do it myself but have hears some high prices being thrown around (expect another 10k, everything works out to 10k on these cars). Headliner you need to get recovered my a pro shop, tacking it up often is just delaying the inevitable. Its not an expensive job, unless you chose to recover the sunroof panel too.

I would be scared of buying a modded car, though Im not really into that scene, if the original car was not powerful enough, how much harder was it pressed to make more power. Then you start worrying about the bearings and all that.

Book value on that car is I recall correctly will be about R75-80k. But book value doesnt work so well for M3's as most are hoks.

+1

 

[Krazytec]

Thanks for the informative replies BillyBob & Calypso... :thumbs:

The window fell off the rail and the owner attempted to strip and attempt a DIY but didn't go to well, he ended up taking it to Ross to repair, guess i can always take it to any PG Glass or similar to get the channeling spot on.

Now the only thing that seems serious is shocks & springs, should I want to keep the current ride height as it does look beefy with that stance, what are my options in terms of shorter shocks ?

Also the cost of Coilovers...maybe at a later stage.

Will get him to test the A/C system and i'm going to try factoring the cost to repair the shocks in the asking price.


Thanks again for all the help and info guys :thumbs:

 

[calypso]

I wouldnt take it to PG Glass to align a window. You have to make friends with a dealer or a good independent with that.
And buy a bag of door clips to replace the once that break when you take off the door panel.

 

[sclass]

I wouldnt take it to PG Glass to align a window. You have to make friends with a dealer or a good independent with that.
And buy a bag of door clips to replace the once that break when you take off the door panel.

Can one get these clips anywhere or is a trip to the stealers?

 

[Ga-3M]

Hey Krazytec, I've owned 3 x E36 M3's, 2 x 3.0 and 1 x 3.2. I was lucky with the 2 doors as after I bought them just had a good service done and all was well. The 4 door however, cost me 20k to get into acceptable condition but this was factored into the price I paid for the car.

From what I've read I'd say a realistic price to pay for this car considering the couple of things that need attending to would be around R100k, so see how close you can get him to that. Another thing to look at is the later 96 models came with dual front airbags so check if its one of those, no major value in it, just a plus for your passenger.

Stock 3.0's make about 130-140kw on SAV's dyno, mine were both stock, my first one made 139kw on his dyno, my second one 148kw which SAV said was super strong for stock so yours at 152kw with a chip is very good. If you can buy the car and have everything sorted and come to a total of about 130k with recons done thats what you gotta aim at in my opinion.

 

[Technician]

Can one get these clips anywhere or is a trip to the stealers?

i bought 20 from the stealers at R 2.53 each, at a total cost of R 50.60