I got a great deal on this car but it does have a few minor problems.

When i got home with it, i washed the engine. After letting it dry for 20 minutes i tries to start it and it started but when i would hit the gas pedal it would bog down and die.

I'm thinking this is because of something being wet because it ran fine before.

I also need to install a motor mount. Is this a hard job? Also how do i do it?

Has anybody had an electrical problem where your door locks turn on and off randomley? If so how did you fix it?

The engine has 190k miles on it. Do you think it will last a lot longer. I plan on taking it to the track because the engine feels strong still.

What kind of 1/4 mile times does it run?

How many of these were sent to the U.S.?

Thanks for your help.

Originally posted by bmw325is
I got a great deal on this car but it does have a few minor problems.

When i got home with it, i washed the engine. After letting it dry for 20 minutes i tries to start it and it started but when i would hit the gas pedal it would bog down and die.

I'm thinking this is because of something being wet because it ran fine before.

I also need to install a motor mount. Is this a hard job? Also how do i do it?

Has anybody had an electrical problem where your door locks turn on and off randomley? If so how did you fix it?

The engine has 190k miles on it. Do you think it will last a lot longer. I plan on taking it to the track because the engine feels strong still.

What kind of 1/4 mile times does it run?

How many of these were sent to the U.S.?

Thanks for your help.

Ouch, washing a motor isn't a good thing, unless you tape off and cover the electricals! I hope everything is still okay. Have you let the car completely dry (leave it out in the sun with the hood open for a while) and tried it? You will probably need to take off your wires (the black wires leading to the spark plugs) and let the water that may have seeped into there dry. I hope you don't have any other problems.

How do you know you need to install a motor mount? While you are in there, go ahead and replace both of them. The tabs on the subframe might be in bad shape too (where the mounts connect to the car) check those out, and if you see any cracks, you will need to get a reinforcement kit. I'm not really sure what entails this job, I bet James would know.

5,000 E30 M3's were sent to the US over their model years, and it is guessed that there are about 2,500 left today. They are pretty rare cars.

The quarter mile times aren't very good. This is not a car built for straight line driving, it is for road courses. I believe the E30 M3 runs somewhere around 14 seconds? It depends on what mods are done to it.


Also, if you haven't allready, I suggest you join the BMW CCA and also the E30 M3 SIG. There are a ton of people who know tons about the E30 M3 there. (http://www.bmwcca.org) (http://www.bimmers.com/m3/index.html)

Have fun with your car, I hope you can get your motor running nicely soon!

Also, with 190k miles, it is hard to tell how much longer it will last. Do you know when the last time the timing chain/tensioner was replaced? These motors will last a long time if taken care of. It really depends on how it was driven by the previous owner also.

I have heard of an E30 M3 having 300k+ miles on it. Your car will have some wear on it, and it will not be making the same horse power that it did when it was new.

The reason i know the motor mount is bad is because you can move the engine to one side and it shakes a lot.


Yeah i think i 'm going to check out the timing belt and everything and then replace the motor mounts with 5 series mortor mounts.


I've got some money to spend since i got such a great deal on the car.

Whats the normal coolant temperature for our cars? Because i think mines running a bit hot it's a little bit above half.

Originally posted by bmw325is
Whats the normal coolant temperature for our cars? Because i think mines running a bit hot it's a little bit above half.

When driving, my car will stay around the 1/4 mark on the coolant temp gauge. When sitting, it will climb up to the half mark, and then the auxillary fan will kick on, leaving it at that position.

Here's a picture of the car.

http://www.***************************************?s=&postid=275822

Wow, very nice. It looks as if the washer nozzles were painted white to match the car. I kind of like that.

You should get the black bumper tape installed. I think it makes the car look a lot better!

Do you think the black bumper tape would look good on a white car?

Originally posted by bmw325is
Do you think the black bumper tape would look good on a white car?

I have it on my car because that's how it came from the factory. I just left it, but I have a friend who painted the tape white, kind of how people paint moldings on E36's. Just personal preference.

Originally posted by bmw325is
Do you think the black bumper tape would look good on a white car?

It comes from the factory with the tape, and I think it helps accent the lines of the car.

It is really an owners personal opinion.