Another National Capital Chapter (NCC) BMY DIY event, more maintenance for my 2006 E46 M3. We were graciously hosted again by BMW of Annapolis. On my agenda was fuel filter replacement, refreshing the passenger side muffler hanger, and a cosmetic repair to my steering wheel.
The fuel filter I replaced was not original to the car. I knew from service records that a previous owner had it replaced in 2011. Thirteen years is a long time and it might sound like I was neglecting my enthusiast ownership duties. But I wasn’t, the car has only traveled approximately 34,000 miles in those years. That’s on the low side for fuel filter replacement but it’s not expensive or hard to do. Especially with access to a lift.
As usual I was assisted by YouTube University, in this case an excellent video from Yevs Builds. Three panels need to be removed to access the filter, two plastic and one metal. After that the job is pretty straightforward. In the video Yevs also replaces the fuel regulator. I had a new one with me, but Bob the shop foreman said he’d never seen one in his career that needed replacing. So I skipped that and can do it later if needed. Real-world experience is another benefit of having professionals around to advise during these DIY events.
Next up was fixing my drooping muffler on the passenger side. I noticed this during the last DIY during which I installed a Vorsteiner carbon fiber rear diffuser. For some reason BMW has two rubber support brackets on the driver side but only one on the passenger side. The rubber had broken down badly over time. For this job Amels Garage did the best job of illustrating how to do the replacement. I was happy to see that removal of the diffuser would not be necessary.
When I first got a good look at the bracket I was concerned because the bolt looked very rusty. I saw another video on the procedure where the owner had to cut the bolt off. Fortunately, a heavy coating of PB Blaster and some time loosened things up enough for me to remove with a half-inch rachet and an extension. There is a metal bracket that needs to be transferred from the old bracket to the new, and I was careful to put everything back in the same orientation.
I completed the last job at home. While treating the leather on my steering wheel I got a little bit of Lexol conditioner on the plastic face. No big deal right? Not with BMW plastic. When I wiped the conditioner off it took the color of the plastic off with it. It was an irritating reminder that if you don’t concentrate 100 percent any time you’re doing anything with your car it can bite you. Obviously not a functional issue but not something I want to look at every time I drive the car.
So I had to research how to take the steering wheel apart. The best resource was an old standby, Ryan Schultz’s E39Source. In the video, Ryan is working on a 2001 E46. The video is 10 years old, and Ryan is assisted by Kennan Rolson, who now plays a prominent role at Doug DeMuro’s Cars and Bids. It’s fun to see how these guys developed their passion and made a career of it, and how so many of them know each other.
Predictably removal of the plastic face is a multistep process. First, the air bag needs to come off. It’s not the original airbag, I brought the car in a few years ago in response to the Takada recall. (I think there is still an open recall for the passenger side.) You do this by sticking a screwdriver into a small hole on each side of the wheel, which releases a spring. Then the top and bottom plastic come out together after removing some Torx 20 screws.
Doing this job reminded me of a potential retrofit I had put out of my mind. The previous owner had given me a multi-button top section and some wiring that could give my car the steering wheel of other M3s while also “awakening” cruise control. Competition package/ZCP cars like mine did not get this, just a single button on the wheel to implement M-Track mode. I’m not sure how much I’d use cruise control but seems like the car should have it. The wiring seems above my pay grade and the repercussions of a mistake too high for the payoff. So the cosmetic fix is all for now.
The last few DIY events have been focused on E46 M3 maintenance. It’s time to give the E39 M5 some love next month. Until then enjoy the rest of your summer.