A personal era closed out this past weekend. After almost 11 years of ownership, I sold my 1999 BMW E36 M3. It only has 62,500 miles, and is in pristine condition. Not only was it in great shape with loads of preventative maintenance, but over the years I made incremental improvements — performance software, exhaust, […]
Last weekend I did an easy but important piece of DIY maintenance. I removed, cleaned and reoiled the Conforti cold air intake (CAI) on my 1999 BMW M3. Two years ago I had to replace the foam filter as part of a full DIY tuneup. I needed to replace it because I never cleaned it, […]
This weekend I gave my 1999 M3 a thorough checkup. The car is running great but it also turned 15 years old this month. In performing the inspection I was greatly aided by these excellent videos from Bavarian Autosport. An important area I wanted to focus on was the suspension bushings. Bushings connect the suspension […]
I’ve enjoyed my 1999 BMW E36 M3 for more than 10 years. When the car was introduced back in 1995, it sparked criticism from some BMW enthusiasts. The E36 M3 wasn’t as raw as its E30 predecessor, a truly iconic car. The version sold in North America also did not have the more exotic and […]
The onboard computers in modern BMWs contain a wealth of information. Much of this information can be accessed by the owner, yet BMW doesn’t include such information in owner’s manuals or any other documentation. The story I wrote about the BMW hidden menu options in my 2002 E39 M5 has become one of the most […]
This weekend I replaced the front sway bar links on my 1999 BMW M3. Recently I had new OEM Sachs front struts installed, so it was time to refresh the end links as well. My car has low miles, but 14+ years still take a toll. Replacing front sway bar links is a perfect DIY […]
My 1999 BMW M3 turns 14 this month. I’ve owned the car for almost 10 years, having bought it with less than 16,000 miles. The first birthday story back in 2008 still says it all on how I feel about the car. It’s been a busy year keeping the car in top shape. That’s because […]
Everyone who even cares a little bit about their car knows the awful feeling. You come back to you parked car, and some $#*&^#$* has left you with a ding. It happened to my M3 a couple of weeks back. I drove to the gym, and when I walked back out someone had left a […]
Over the weekend I installed my big Christmas gift from my wife, new headlights for my 1999 E36 M3. The new set is actually the same kind of headlights from the manufacturer Hella I installed back in 2004, but in black rather than chrome. For a little background, the stock headlights on the US E36 […]
This weekend the battery in my 1999 BMW M3 finally gave out. I bought the car in late 2003, so I know it was at least nine years old and probably was original equipment. The fact it lasted so long is testament to BMW quality a couple of car generations ago. When my car was […]
Last month I wrote about performing a DIY tune-up on my E36 M3. In that post I talked about replacing spark plugs and the air filter. This weekend I finished the main components of a tune-up by replacing the fuel filter and cleaning the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor. The fuel filter is a very […]
My 13 year old M3 is approaching 60,000 miles. In BMW vernacular, that means the car should receive an Inspection II service. An Inspection II involves a large number of things getting inspected (hence the name), but when you look at the work actually done it boils down to a general tune-up. Spark plugs, air […]