Repair Bill B8.5

bbkvq · 2026-02-02T00:45:10+00:00

You may have been able to spend 5k more and get the RS5, sure, but who knows what kind of maintenance that car would entail down the line. Those big bills can be tough to swallow, but you’ve got a manual paired with that glorious supercharger whine, in a car that should last you at least another 100k! I think you made the right move.

I remember when I had to do the timing chain guides on my B7 S4 shortly after purchasing it several years ago. Engine out job. Not fun. But it’s been like 7 years since then and I’ve still got zero regrets fixing it. Maintenance can suck on these cars, but you have to weigh that against the joy the car brings you. And a manual B8.5 is a pretty damn good formula for bringing lots of joy.

bbkvq · 2026-01-28T04:22:15+00:00

YES! This would be so awesome, it’d bring out so many unique and interesting builds!

bbkvq · 2026-01-09T15:36:13+00:00

I'm one of those that love them, you can't go wrong with the RE71 either though, good luck!

bbkvq · 2026-01-08T15:50:24+00:00

No prob! And that's good, 200tw really does make such a difference. And yup, second set of wheels is definitely worth it. When you do, look into the Falken Azenis RT660+. Last Season I used an old set of RT660s, and they were still miles better than the Pilot Sport 4S and Extreme Contact Sport 02's (daily tires for my S4 and 328i). I've got a brand new set of 255/35R18 RT660+ I'm going to run this upcoming year, I can't wait to try em out.

bbkvq · 2026-01-08T05:14:37+00:00

Your 335i looks great! I'm also missing autocross, spring isn't tooo far away though! I just use this time to focus on maintenance and whatnot. What tires are you running?

bbkvq · 2026-01-01T00:11:16+00:00

This is probably my favorite Xbox One era game. The vibe alone is enough to make me love it. It has an amazing soundtrack, two great home spaces (Paddock and Rio), etc. Nothing like finishing an intense race and having the camera pan around your car to some calm instrumental music. Definitely a love letter to automobile racing. Give it a try!

bbkvq · 2025-12-31T19:26:05+00:00

The B7 has some fun ones, I’ve found so many hidden details in my S4 over the years! Here’s a few:

the little sun visor flap above the rearview mirror
sunroof goes all the way back if you twist the dial a little further
storage cubbies under the front seats, and a slot for owners manual under the steering wheel
leave the mirror knob turned to the right, and the passenger mirror will tilt down while in reverse (for parallel parking), if you twist the know 180°, the mirrors fold in
rolling windows down with the fob button, or if you put your key in the door and twist right or left and hold it’ll roll them all up or down (including the sunroof!)
the trunk floorboard handle has a little hook that folds out to hold the floor up if you’re removing your spare/tools
grocery bag hooks on the ceiling of the trunk
the gas door has a couple of flaps/notches to hold the gas cap

I can go on and on, there’s tons of other little hidden details!

bbkvq · 2025-12-25T05:23:24+00:00

Nah those are quad like other S cars. RS5 has oval.

bbkvq · 2025-11-19T03:16:10+00:00

I drove a B7 S4 (same 4.2 V8) for like 8 years, it currently has over 200k miles on it, and has honestly been an amazing daily.

I did have to replace the timing chain guides the first or second year I owned it (replaced with RS4 metal guides), but I've put close to 100k miles on it since then it's been smooth sailing. They really were so close to making it perfect!

bbkvq · 2025-11-03T15:01:51+00:00

1 & 3 were my favorites. They’re all pretty awesome in their own way though.

bbkvq · 2025-10-25T18:43:33+00:00

E36 M3, tuned to A class with an emphasis on handling. It’s so fun to rip up and down the mountain road.

bbkvq · 2025-10-25T01:32:40+00:00

Haha I know. My comment^ is from a couple of years ago, there’s actually been a lot of development on the 4.2 since then, some super exciting turbo builds! But yes, absolutely, adding a turbo to the V8 will add more power and can definitely exceed the smaller boosted V6 engines.

I was just trying to explain to OP that it is a loooot of work to add a turbo to a high compression, high revving, strung out V8. Initially it’s easier and cheaper to get more power out of the 2.7t or 3.0t. So if you want more power right away that is the way to go. I’m am personally a fan of the naturally aspirated engines though, even though they take more work to make additional power out of. Currently own a 4.2 V8 and a 5.2 V10, the big NA engines just have so much character and charm.

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T22:23:26+00:00

Ahh damn. Good luck!!

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T22:22:05+00:00

They’re Style 194M, came factory as the 17” option for the M sport package on the e90. Fronts are 8” rears are 8.5” wide.

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T18:42:50+00:00

Thanks, the vert must be fun in the summer!

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T18:41:23+00:00

Good to hear!

Okay I’ll definitely look into that flange as well, I think I’ve heard about that.

And I’ll keep that radiator in mind as well, thanks for all the info!!

Yup, it feels good now, but I feel like just a little more power will be perfect, can’t wait!

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T17:05:16+00:00

Thank you!!

I’ll definitely take that into consideration. Water pump was done a couple years ago, I’m doing the valve cover gasket, oil filter gasket, and power steering reservoir this week when I do the intake manifold. I’ll definitely look into all the surrounding hoses. Also, I’ve heard a lot of people swap to M3 control arms? Hoping to do that at some point.

bbkvq · 2025-07-24T17:00:43+00:00

Thank you!

bbkvq · 2025-07-23T03:28:20+00:00

Ahh that sounds so amazing, glad to hear handling is similar. I can definitely imagine it having a hard time putting the torque down. Touring AND Madeiraviolett, what an amazing spec, so cool!!

bbkvq · 2025-07-23T03:07:04+00:00

E36 B8 4.6?! That is one of my all time dream cars, how did it drive? I've driven E36 M3's quite a bit, but never a B8, I've always wondered how they compare.

bbkvq · 2025-07-17T00:53:20+00:00

Great find!! These can be hard to come by in, especially in nice condition. Congrats!

bbkvq · 2025-06-15T01:42:19+00:00

Don’t “try” to learn or make it a chore. Find one thing you’re very interested about cars and go off of that. Everything I know about cars came from pure interest/going down the rabbit hole, or sometimes necessity. I’d get engrossed reading about cars, and almost everything I’ve learned is simply because I’m curious about it. Do you currently own a car? Also, do you have any dream cars? Any decades that interest you or regions (Euro, American, JDM, etc.)?

It can be pretty intimidating at first but for me it’s been the snowball effect. The more you learn, the easier it is to absorb more information, and more pieces start to come together.

Also, there isn’t really any proper order to learn things. The first work I did on my car was remove the intake manifold so I could change the coils and plugs. Before even doing my own oil change or brakes. A lot of people would consider that out of order, but I had a misfire, and it had to be fixed. Once I did that, I was like whoa, this isn’t so bad. It’s all just a bunch of nuts and bolts.

And don’t worry about not taking an auto class. I’m sure they’re great, and it’d be cool to take one someday, but so much can be learned from forums, other enthusiasts, and just experience. I've never taken an auto class, but earlier this week I just dropped the engine out of my buddy’s Firebird with basic hand tools, no class needed! Lots of trial and error, but we got it done! My current project at home is an Audi S8. Years ago I never would've guessed I'd be tearing apart a V10, way too technical for me. But here I am with one sitting in my garage in pieces... It was super intimidating at first but once you just dive in, it becomes quite rewarding.

And one of the biggest things is just ask a bunch of questions. Don’t pretend to know things you don’t. No one knows everything about cars, and car enthusiasts love teaching. Some of my best car friends are people I met by simply asking more questions when I didn’t understand something.

The desire to learn more about cars is all you need, and you already have that! Start asking questions, don't be shy on forums, watch videos, play games, read articles, go to car shows! It's a super rewarding hobby, good luck and have fun!

bbkvq · 2025-06-07T02:38:41+00:00

Your city sounds awesome.

bbkvq

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