Last weekend BMW of Sterling hosted the club for a DIY event. It’s a beautiful facility and they always make it a great experience. We’re careful not to bug the staff while they are working but foreman Tony was very accommodating if anyone was stuck or needed a question answered. My sister-in-law was visiting and she came with me and got on well with the DIY crew.
I did some straightforward work on my E46 M3. The hood struts were failing and the car needed a differential fluid change. The differential fluid wasn’t original, it had been changed at around 40,000 miles back in 2012. The car now has 78,000 and 30-40K is a good interval for differential fluid. I like Red Line and went with their 75W140 oil.
The hood struts were my favorite kind of DIY job – very easy. All you need to do is press a clip out of the way on both ends of the strut and then pull off. Replacing is even easier, just pop both ends into place. No matter how easy the procedure it’s always good to watch a video – here’s one from the 50sKid, a good source for BMW DIY info.
I didn’t have a fluid pump and borrowed one that belongs to the club. The last time I did a fluid change on my E39 M5 the shop had a pressurized pump to borrow, which I prefer. I lost a little fluid figuring out the best way to fill this one but hey, I should have brought my own. The fill and drain plugs take a 14mm hex bit socket.
Good rule when doing this job is to loosen the fill plug first, then drain. That way you won’t drain fluid without being able to replace it, which would leave you with no car to drive. Fortunately both plugs were relatively easy to remove. Once the old fluid drains you add fluid to the fill plug until excess starts dripping out. That’s how you know it’s full. I didn’t know the torque spec on these and just snugged them down nicely without going overboard.
While the car was up in air I pulled a rear tire to check the rear rotors and pads. I did the front rotors and pads in 2017 but haven’t touch the rears since I bought the car in 2014. The rotors looked fine and there is still plenty of pad thickness.
That’s all there is to an M3 differential fluid change. It’s very simple, at least when you have access to a lift. Crawling around on your back is another thing entirely, and a big reason to appreciate the DIY club events.
Chris, nice post. Here’s the easy way to do diff service. No pump needed, and we have a discount program for enthusiasts like you.
https://www.amsoil.com/p/severe-gear-75w-140-svo/?zo=506774
Vic Sorlie
682-465-6957
BMWCCA 130534