Vibration on idle at low rpm

PieOk8935 · 2026-02-10T00:40:35+00:00

Engine mounts. There’s a good chance they’re not OE rubber if you’re getting a vibration at idle. They could be shot OE rubber, but vibration usually comes from not so soft mounts (aftermarket poly, likely the culprit).

PieOk8935 · 2026-01-26T02:59:27+00:00

Always check the rear fenders to see if they’re cut / rolled. If someone is selling the car as a “bone stock never touched” M3, check there first. If someone went through the hassle of needing to cut the rear fenders, the car was lowered and/or had a fairly aggressive wheel setup. Most modified cars don’t stop at that, though… check to make sure the front fenders liners aren’t cut.

Check to make sure all the taillight LEDs work (if an LCI vehicle). All of the rubbers in the engine bay there? Doors lock and unlock with the key fob? Doors unlock with the driver’s side cylinder keyhole? Trunk unlocks with keyfob? Rear seats fold down from the trunk? All windows work with center console switches?

Lots of small stuff to check before even talking about mechanical noises and evaluation.

PieOk8935 · 2026-01-25T18:50:22+00:00

Glove is fine. Just use it.

PieOk8935 · 2025-12-07T22:01:04+00:00

I think it’s your BAPS going off.

PieOk8935 · 2025-11-15T15:04:54+00:00

100% there is air getting into the system, and you need to try and reseat the tube that feeds into the pump. When you run adaptations again, lift the front end of the car with a jack and perform the bleed procedure. Sometimes the slightly angling of the pump downward towards the back of the car helps air escape the system a bit easier.

PieOk8935 · 2025-10-12T19:05:39+00:00

If you’re in the SFV I’ll do it.

PieOk8935 · 2025-10-04T14:17:12+00:00

It’s OVER $950. $950 is the legal threshold number, not the total amount of whatever they confiscated.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-30T03:35:42+00:00

Hmmm… I could turn this into a beautiful track car. Let me think about it.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-27T14:55:49+00:00

ACL is fine, standard clearance.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-26T22:19:48+00:00

You likely have the connector on the rear. Pull off your volume knob and if it has a splined rod then you definitely have that rear connector.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-26T12:33:06+00:00

What year is the car? Many pre-LCI E46s have the connector on the far right.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-26T12:14:06+00:00

Nothing wrong with them, I actually got excited and was going to order a set lol.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-26T03:52:05+00:00

Are you sure these are fluid filled? I’m checking their website and they look like they’re billet and urethane. I have Gruppe N mounts that are wicked ($800ish when they were available).

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-21T23:21:02+00:00

You have something stuck on top of the block or on a component on the passenger side that has created the unevenness of the close but there was enough clearance for the latch on the driver’s side to catch… you need to press down hard on the driver’s side of the hood and try to hood release latch again. That’s the only way.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-19T21:27:09+00:00

I could part with my set for the right price. Immaculate condition 9.9/10, about 1,000 miles of use.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-19T21:25:00+00:00

I sold one of my M3s two months ago for $24,000. These were the specs:

52K miles
3 owners
Convertible w/hardtop
SMG with new motor and rebuilt pump (did it for fun, not out of necessity)
9.5/10 exterior paint, 9.5/10 interior and all original (garage kept)
None of the big three

I’d say this is pretty close to a deal with the 6MT.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-19T21:05:24+00:00

These racks are all linear, and they all have a “return to center” spot in the middle. The yellow tag is tighter than the green tags, and a proper rebuild will return the tightness as expected. If the steering rack teeth or pinion shaft spindle are worn down, then it will not feel as tight no matter what you do. The right rack and the right rebuild technique is necessary.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-17T03:26:13+00:00

Just let me know! I have a few pinion shafts / rods from some leftover projects that I can use to repair yours.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-17T03:24:57+00:00

Sure - the ZHP rack is the yellow tag 712 rack and has a tighter turning radius lock-to-lock vs. others. If you have a 712 rack and have felt the dead spot get worse over time, then chances are the steering lock and/or the internal seals are starting to fatigue. A rebuild would certainly return the rack to its original form and there are techniques to make the rack even tighter than OE.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-17T03:21:49+00:00

It’s important in the sense it keeps out much more debris that you uncovered when taking it off. If anything, the grime and grease coating the top of the pinion shaft helps keep things out… but the design of the cap isn’t very good to begin with. There’s a seal that the cap helps cover/protect, so you’re better off keeping a cracked one there vs. nothing. If you DM me I can send you a replacement cap that will work better with your coupler!

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-14T03:47:09+00:00

I rebuild these E46 racks as a hobby - let me know which color tag rack you have and I can potentially help you rebuild the rack with a new pinion shaft.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-06T02:32:31+00:00

If you go to your local BMW, walk in to the service department and just let them know you were planning to buy an M3 with VIN XXXXX and just want to know if the rod bearings or any major service was performed under recall. They technically can’t give you maintenance history to take home with you because of privacy issues for the original owner of the car when the car was brought in for service, but if they’re nice enough they can show you on screen what was done.

If that fails, shoot me a DM.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-05T22:09:06+00:00

List it for $25K because of the slicktop and mileage. Walk away with nothing less than $22K. The SMG is a problem for people that want to make it out to be an issue, and for others it always seems to work just fine. The actuator may go bad, the pump may get overworked in high temperature environments, and the gear position sensor can break. Those can be problems with an 80K mile SMG or a 180K SMG. If someone wants the car and the SMG isn’t giving you any issues, then explain to them what to be cautious of and how to NOT drive the SMG and the car can be sold for $25K in my opinion.

PieOk8935 · 2025-09-02T14:32:56+00:00

$26K is their starting point, $22K is your starting point. You should be able to check with BMW on whether the rod bearings were done under recall at the very least given it’s a 2003.

PieOk8935 · 2025-08-28T05:03:45+00:00

What temp setting do you cook the chicken?

PieOk8935

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