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Thread: BenFenner's 2000 Black M-Coupe

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    2000 M-Coupe, 1994 SE-R

    BenFenner's 2000 Black M-Coupe

    Table of Contents:

    Sister threads:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1825409
    http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113388
    http://www.sr20-forum.com/members-ri...k-m-coupe.html




    1) Introduction

    2) Up-to-date price record
    3) Up-to-date fuel economy record
    4) Up-to-date maintenance/modification record

    5) Original sale listing pictures
    6) "Taking delivery"
    7) Katie driving and other pics
    8) Random pics
    9) Rear view mirror replacement (due to de-laminated LCD)
    10) Replace rear Konis with proper height dampers, and install Ground Control rear shock mounts.
    11) Windshield crack filled
    12) Track day - Virginia International Raceway (VIR) South course
    13) Seat belt height adjuster fixed
    14) Rear tire punctures
    15) Driver's seat damage
    16) The daily hangs out with the track car
    17) Fender bender and repair
    18) Install grills and badge
    19) New rear tires
    20) New front brake pads arrive
    21) Whalen aluminum hood release handle arrives
    22) Another rear tire puncture
    23) New front tires arrive
    24) First oil change
    25) Car wash
    26) Fender bender #2
    27) Front brake job with euro rotors
    28) Measuring brake clearances for new wheels
    29) A/C recharge and assessment
    30) Installing Doug Whalen's aluminum hood release handle
    31) Install new front tires
    32) 2013 National SR20 Convention
    33) 2013 National SR20 Convention (Katie's pics)
    34) Low beam replacement
    35) Dressing the hood
    36) Touching up the side gill area
    37) Gear oil (transmission fluid) change
    38) Driveshaft flex disc (giubo) inspection
    39) Mechanical radiator fan removal
    40) Brake dust comparison
    41) Jonathan Thayer's (mcoupemindy) seat tilt mod install
    42) 130,000 miles
    43) Windshield washer fluid leaks - attempted fixes
    44) Interior light dimmer bypass
    45) Glove box knee crash plate removal
    46) Adjust sticking HVAC blend door
    47) Track day - Virginia International Raceway (VIR) Full course
    48) Covered in leaves
    49) Loose hatch latch
    50) Hide dash cam wiring
    51) Oil change
    52) Replace magnetic spats
    53) Hooning in the snow
    54) Rear tire swap
    55) New Apex ARC-8 wheels arrive
    56) Track day - Barber Motorsports Park (BMP)
    57) New front tires arrive
    58) New rear tires arrive
    59) Raise the rear with thicker spring pads
    60) Document the stock undercarriage




    Last edited by BenFenner; 06-01-2015 at 09:44 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    2000 M-Coupe, 1994 SE-R
    Introduction:

    Facebook album permalink (in case the images don't show up in the future).

    2000 BMW M-Coupe


    Research thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1518166

    Original listing: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1798519
    M-Coupe Buyer's Guide listing: http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.co...?ListingID=785

    Production information (rarity): http://listings.mcoupebuyersguide.co...CM9346YLC62163
    BMW VIN lookup link for my records: http://www.rubmw.ru/vincode/eng/

    For as long as I knew this car existed (might have been 2003 when I was clued in) I've been thinking about eventually owning one. It quickly reached the top of the list as most attractive car ever made in my opinion. How great would it be to actually be able to own what you consider to be the best looking car? Pretty cool I say. So, eventually I was in a position where I was seriously looking starting about a year ago. After doing some initial research in the research thread linked above, I realized I did want an M coupe, and Jon Martin's amazing web site was actually a big reason for that simply because they were much easier to find than a non-M.

    So I was looking for a black car, with probably a black interior, and if I could possibly manage it, no sunroof. It also needed to be affordable. Each month that went by the budget raised and more options were opening up. I was interested in a few cars but nothing came to fruition and they all had sunroofs. When I saw the listing for this car with a reasonable price (the highish mileage really meant nothing to me, same as the cosmetic stuff) and no sunroof I had to have it. The pictures of the grey interior were a little worrying (it looks a bit too light for me) but with the black exterior and no sunroof I was basically sold. The detailed maintenance history and the care with which the seller treated the car and the no-nonsense listing were all icing on the cake. I believe I got an amazing deal with this car. As it turns out the grey is much darker in person and I think it is now my favorite interior color (for a black car at least).

    I won't get too much into the pleasantries anymore because I'm sure the rest of the car needs no introduction to this crowd.
    I'll just get straight into the specifics of this particular vehicle, partly for my own records.

    The good:
    • Extremely well cared for by previous owner
    • Extremely well described in sale listing; much appreciation to the seller!
    • Aluminum radiator, t-stat housing, metal impeller water pump (Link)
    • Very clean interior (Link) (minus one issue, see below)
    • Relatively decent exterior for the price (Link)
    • Already lowered on decent suspension (TC Kline kit - H&R springs and Koni dampers)
    • The clock doesn't work! I don't have to get nagged by Katie for us being late for work!


    The bad:
    • The rear Konis are set to full stiff which crash over bumps, need to find out how to access the strut tops to adjust them
    • Scratch in paint on right side of hatch (Link)
    • Scratch in paint above driver on roof (Link)
    • Fading on stock rear spoiler (Link)
    • Stock wheels (I'm not a fan, but it could be worse)
    • Tiny windshield crack near bottom (Link) (might not have been there during sale)
    • De-laminating rear view mirror (Link)
    • The window tint is showing some age
    • The windshield fluid reservoir won't hold much fluid, might have a leak


    The ugly:
    • Dent by rear fender (Link)
    • Two small holes where car phone was mounted many moons ago (Link)



    Driving impressions:
    So you know where I'm coming from, I've driven a large selection of sports cars or sporty cars. I used to work at a shop doing interior work on mostly dealer cars and have helped relatives shop for sports cars which have provided me a lot of opportunity to test drive lots of various sporty cars. I've also had a good bit of time (weeks at least) behind a couple of serious performance cars, both modified and stock. I like a light, toss-able car (even at the expense of rigidity) with exceptional outward visibility and I'm extremely picky when it comes to pedal feel/placement, and shift lever feel.

    So I don't go on forever, let me just quickly explain the car as if I were giving a quick synopsis to a potential buyer. The chassis is unflappable if a bit heavy. The ultimate lateral grip with stock sized rubber is huge, I haven't even found the off-throttle limit yet.
    The seats are among the best in any car.
    The outward visibility is not great, but much better than I expected once the seating position is adjusted for my height.
    The interior secondary controls all make sense and haven't been ruined by modern "designers".
    The driving main controls are all pretty well placed. The shifter sits in the right spot for me. As many would agree, a smaller steering wheel and possibly even a quicker ratio steering rack is not a bad idea. I've always had issues with BMW throttle pedals and this is no exception. The accelerator pedals on these cars are too stiff, and I don't like them being floor mounted. They are also not well placed for heal-toe action as far as I'm concerned. Much better than most cars, but not up to the placement of even the B13 Nissan Sentra. I am getting used to it though. The brake pedal action is firm and what you'd expect from a decent sports car. The clutch pedal is a bit stiff, but overall offers good feel. I'm actually surprised it is so stiff, being a hydraulic actuation. I'm also surprised it provides so much feel, so I guess it is a wash. The shift lever action itself (I think I could write books about each vehicle shift action I've driven so I'll try to keep this brief) is decent over-all. One of the main things that can kill a driving experience for me is a bad shifter. The Coupe has a very direct gate, it is not vague at all like a FWD VW cable shifter if you've experienced them. While I do like a good bit of effort (the S2000 and RSX-S are too light to be ideal if you've driven those) the Coupe really has taken effort too far. The worst part for me is how notchy the shifter is. Again, I do actually like to feel when I've encountered the sycnhronizer(s) and I like to feel when I've left them behind but this Coupe's shifter takes that too far. If I had to describe shifting this transmission right now it would involve some type of bag-of-rocks metaphor. The transmission was completely replaced 45k miles ago (at 75k miles) so I'm not sure what to think. It also doesn't feel quite like the 2.8 Roadster and 3.0 Coupe I've driven in the past either, so I'm thinking a fluid change is in my near future. I'm aware of the shift pin issues. I'll keep my eye on it.

    The power output is surprisingly peaky. That might not sound right, but compared to the cars I'm used to driving, the Coupe feels an awful lot like an S2000 to me (which is not a bad thing). As some of you may know, I'm not really a fan of torque and so I'm not really bothered. I did expect the car to move with a bit more authority from low rpm in second gear, but I will just get used to dropping it all the way down to 1st just like I did with the SE-R when it was N/A.

    The traction control is surprisingly more performance oriented than the traction control in the 2.8 Roadster I drove for a bit. I guess the M division has a different algorithm for the traction control and at the least the heuristics for giving power back are much better. The non-M roadie would cut power for whole seconds it seems. The M just seems to keep you in line. Regardless, it gets turned off every time the car gets started.


    Future plans:
    Basically the car is going to be my new daily driver. I'm so sick of driving around the girlfriend's VW Beetle. It has served us well, but I wanted to daily something that was a bit more my style since I do 95% of the driving. There were thoughts of replacing the front bumper with a non-M bumper, but seeing those winglets/flippers in person I've decided they don't look too bad. They are a lot smaller in person than they look in pictures. Along with that I was going to get some non-M fender gills, since I think the M gills are a bit flashy and I really like the non-M versions better. That may happen, it may not. I was thinking of making them functional too, but after seeing the frame rail and fuse boxes behind them I'm not sure that's happening either.
    I need to loosen up the rear dampers, and eventually replace that damaged interior trim piece with the two holes in it. I want to get some new wider, lighter wheels with matching summer rubber. I'm pretty sure I know which wheels, I just need to get the money together.
    I'm pretty sure an M50 intake manifold is in my future, and something like the Shark Injector(?) ECU to smooth out the fuel delivery and raise that rev limit a little bit. I'm not sure if I'll do headers, but we'll see. The exhaust from the cat-back is going to stay stock, especially those cans out back.
    I'm thinking a clutch delay valve delete needs to happen, and I need to raise up the clutch grab point if I can. Also need to make sure the throttle stop isn't set incorrectly. The thing feels a little slow.
    An electric radiator fan is also in the plans. Whatever makes sense to free up some power and gain some efficiency without sacrificing reliability and drive-time I'm all for it.

    I'll get more into detail as this thread goes on, but for now I'll stop. As always stay tuned for updates as things happen and any questions or advice is always welcome. Cheers!

    Previous owner's title: Front Back
    Bill of sale: https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...68748057_o.jpg
    Property tax: Bill Receipt




    Last edited by BenFenner; 04-16-2015 at 06:11 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    2000 M-Coupe, 1994 SE-R
    Up-to-date price record:

    $14,000 - used 2000 BMW E36/8 (Link)
    $339 - sales tax (capped in SC at $300) plus misc fees
    $264 - property tax (Link)
    $95 - Sybesma's Electronics replacement rear view mirror (Link)
    $264 - Rear Koni shocks (Link)
    $114 - Ground Control rear shock mounts (Link)
    $80.34 - Windshield repair (Link)
    $20.60 - Tire puncture repair (Link)
    $403.71 - New OEM body and trim parts for body repair (Link)
    $1,300 - Body repair work (Link)
    $156 - Replacement kidney grills (Link)
    $235.20 - New rear tires, mounting, and balancing (Link)
    $99.87 - New front brake pads (Link)
    $30 - Whalen aluminum hood release handle (Links 1 and 2)
    $183.81 - New front tires (Link)
    $86 - Oil change with filter (Link)
    $374.16 - New OEM Euro E36 M3 2-piece floating brake rotors (Link)
    $21.96 - New front brake pad wear sensor (Link)
    $41.30 - Mount and balance new front tires (Link)
    $11.87 - Low beam replacement (Link)
    $45 - Amsoil transmission fluid. (Link)
    $199 - Lukas LK-7900 dash camera. (Links 1 and 2)
    $86 - Oil change with filter (Link)
    $44.90 - Spat (fender guard) replacement (Link)
    $41.30 - Swap rear tires (Link)
    $1,001 - Apex ARC-8 wheels, concave, hyper silver, 17x9 and 17x10.5 (Link)
    $372.93 - New Dunlop Direzza ZII front tires (Link)
    $210.84 - New Sumitomo HTR ZII rear tires (Link)
    $43.96 - New 14.5mm rear spring pads (Link)
    ---------------

    Total: $20,175.75



    Last edited by BenFenner; 06-06-2015 at 02:45 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    2000 M-Coupe, 1994 SE-R
    Up-to-date fuel economy record:

    11.74 mpg - Worst track economy
    12.52 mpg - Average track economy (Raw - 37.57/3)
    13.44 mpg - Best track economy

    13.16 mpg - Worst city economy
    15.61 mpg - Average city economy (Raw - 795.97/51)
    17.68 mpg - Best city economy

    15.64 mpg - Worst mixed economy
    19.84 mpg - Average mixed economy (Raw - 476.19/24)
    24.65 mpg - Best mixed economy

    19.70 mpg - Worst highway economy
    23.02 mpg - Average highway economy (Raw - 230.21/10)
    25.50 mpg - Best highway economy




    Last edited by BenFenner; 01-27-2015 at 05:06 PM.

  5. #5
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    2000 M-Coupe, 1994 SE-R
    Up-to-date maintenance/modification record:

    Previous owner's maintenance history records:


    My maintenance history records:
    ~2012-05-26 ...... 121,xxx ...... Replace de-laminated rear view mirror with Sybesma's Electronics replacement
    ~2012-09-16 ...... 123,xxx ...... Replace rear shocks with proper height Konis
    ~2012-09-16 ...... 123,xxx ...... Replace rear shock mounts with Ground Control solution
    ~2012-09-16 ...... 123,xxx ...... Patch rear tire punctures
    ~2012-11-25 ...... 124,xxx ...... Have windshield crack filled
    ~2013-01-06 ...... 126,xxx ...... Fender bender repair
    2013-03-27 ........ 127,xxx ...... Replace rear tires with cheap Sumitomo summer tires
    ~2013-04-15 ...... 128,xxx ...... Patch rear tire puncture
    ~2013-05-01 ...... 128,329 ...... Oil and filter change with Amsoil Synthetic European 5w-40
    ~2013-05-17 ...... 128,xxx ...... Replace front brakes with Hawk HB135Z.770 Performance Ceramic Pads and OEM Euro E36 M3 2-piece rotors (34112227737 left, 34112227738 right)
    ~2013-05-20 ...... 128,xxx ...... A/C recharge and assessment (no leaks, A/C compressor on its way out)
    ~2013-05-22 ...... 128,xxx ...... Install Doug Whalen's aluminum hood release handle
    ~2013-05-27 ...... 128,xxx ...... Replace front tires with cheap Sumitomo summer tires
    ~2013-07-15 ...... 129,xxx ...... Install Jonathan Thayer's (mcoupemindy) seat tilt mod (passenger side only)
    2013-08-10 ........ 131,xxx ...... Bypass the broken interior light dimmer
    ~2013-08-17 ...... 131,xxx ...... Remove the glove box knee crash plate
    ~2013-08-17 ...... 131,xxx ...... Adjust the sticking HVAC blend door
    ~2013-10-15 ...... 132,xxx ...... Replace original transmission fill with Amsoil Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid (5W-30)
    ~2013-10-22 ...... 132,xxx ...... Remove the OEM mechanical fan
    ~2013-12-05 ...... 133,xxx ...... Properly tighten the rear hatch latch
    ~2014-01-15 ...... 134,xxx ...... Install Lukas LK-7900 dashboard camera
    ~2014-01-22 ...... 134,675 ..... Oil and filter change with Amsoil Synthetic European 5w-40
    ~2014-01-23 ...... 134,xxx ...... Replace the aging and poorly fitting spats (fender guards) with new, better ones from Roadster Solutions



    Last edited by BenFenner; 03-11-2015 at 04:31 PM.

  6. #6
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    I usually take a little bit of time to get around to hosting pics and updating my build threads. I picked the car up about a month ago. I really can't say enough good things about the seller. Everything went off without a hitch and I'm very happy.



  7. #7
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    Awesome, fuel economy sucks though, and when you want to upgrade you gills, let me know. I want the stock M ones.
    Last edited by Amuro Ray; 04-22-2012 at 06:56 PM.

  8. #8
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    What color are yours Amuro?

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    What color are yours Amuro?
    Topaz blue.

  10. #10
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    If I get in the painting mood, I'll let you know. For now, I'm going to sit tight. Maybe I need to get those exterior blemishes taken care of sooner rather than later, and have the bodywork all done at the same time. I'll let you know if I plan on doing that any time soon. I move kind of slow. =/

  11. #11
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    Me too, but if you want to sell them outright, let me know.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    los angeles
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    '01 Z3 Coupe, '91 318i
    Congrats. Jealous of the sunroof delete.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    Makings of a great thread. I was next in line for the car, and emailed about it, only to be told someone else was ahead of me. Congrats!


  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    1998 BMW Z3 M roadster
    Congratulations....I've read some post on here that indicate rear view mirrors in the condition yours is in could leak fluid and damage the finish on the dash.....

  15. #15
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    2006 BMW MZ4
    Congrats and that is a fine looking vehicle.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by clevertd View Post
    Makings of a great thread. I was next in line for the car, and emailed about it, only to be told someone else was ahead of me. Congrats!
    Sorry about that.

    Quote Originally Posted by mehig View Post
    Congratulations....I've read some post on here that indicate rear view mirrors in the condition yours is in could leak fluid and damage the finish on the dash.....
    Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye on it. I heard by the seller that there is someone on here who fixes or sells replacement mirrors? I hear you can't get them from BMW anymore? I'd like to get this fixed. And permanently?

  17. #17
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    Good purchase. Look up Dr. Colorchip for paint if you want to do some touchups. A couple hours spent was well worth the effort on my front end.
    "If the Corvette is a rebellious child of the extended automotive family, the M coupe is the blackest of sheep." - via Car & Driver

  18. #18
    Join Date
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    1998 BMW Z3 M roadster
    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    Sorry about that.

    Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep an eye on it. I heard by the seller that there is someone on here who fixes or sells replacement mirrors? I hear you can't get them from BMW anymore? I'd like to get this fixed. And permanently?
    Your are correct on all points. I have read a post about some one repairing these mirrors. Some people have opted to use a smaller rear view mirror account the original is SO large that people have complained that it obstructs your forward vision. While my 98 M has the smaller mirror installed when I purchased my car. I'm not sure which mirror is used as a replacement. I still have my factory mirror and It shows no sign of damage. I'm guessing that when installed the heat coming thru the windshield damages the factory mirror.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
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    Wilmington, NC
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    2000 Mcoupe estoril blue
    Quote Originally Posted by mehig View Post
    Your are correct on all points. I have read a post about some one repairing these mirrors. Some people have opted to use a smaller rear view mirror account the original is SO large that people have complained that it obstructs your forward vision. While my 98 M has the smaller mirror installed when I purchased my car. I'm not sure which mirror is used as a replacement. I still have my factory mirror and It shows no sign of damage. I'm guessing that when installed the heat coming thru the windshield damages the factory mirror.
    Read this: http://www.mcoupebuyersguide.com/ind...imming-mirror/

  20. #20
    Join Date
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    Thanks for the link! That's exactly what I needed.

  21. #21
    Join Date
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    BMW
    Congrats! Also slick top M coupe, it's like a dream come true!

  22. #22
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    It sure is a dream come true. I am loving it. I tried to get the GF prepared for it but she couldn't believe that even the first day out we had some 6-year-old asking us all about the car through his rear passenger window.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    Dallas, TX
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    Z3M, X5M
    Here's a company that will send you a refurbished oem mirror.http://www.sybesmas.com/home.html
    They remove the fluid and change the internal parts so that it still provides auto dimming. I have one of these mirrors and am very happy with it.
    I recommend taking care of this issue soon before the fluid destroys your center console. I wasn't so lucky
    -Phil

  24. #24
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    Don't worry, thanks to stamosenvy and post #19 I've already removed the mirror from the car and am going to ship it out to Sybesmas later on in the week. I confirmed over the phone that they still do this, and it's still $95. Worth every penny if you ask me.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
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    Wilmington, NC
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    479
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    2000 Mcoupe estoril blue
    Quote Originally Posted by BenFenner View Post
    Don't worry, thanks to stamosenvy and post #19 I've already removed the mirror from the car and am going to ship it out to Sybesmas later on in the week. I confirmed over the phone that they still do this, and it's still $95. Worth every penny if you ask me.
    You can actually thank Jon from mcoupebuyersguide . He posts on here often so he'll probably read this.

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