Photospot: Glendora Mountain Road
I found a nice photospot off Glendora Ridge Road in the Inland Empire. I went around sunset and got some really good lighting in the background, but not direct sunlight so it was perfect. Check out below for the photos and directions to this place as well.
Glendora Mountain Road, aka GMR, is a hidden (although public) road in the Angeles National Forest. The road can be accessed through two points, Glendora which is the west tail of the road and Upland which is on the east side. These roads are very dangerous and I should say you must obey all traffic rules to and from the mountain. Cops have been known to patrol these areas very carefully. Make it safe and take some good photos. Get directions to Glendora Ridge Road.
E46 M3 Inspection I DIY
Inspection I and Inspection II are mandatory service inspections specified by BMW and it is very important to service according to the factory recommended intervals to keep the E46 M3 free of any problems or premature wear. As my car is getting older with more miles being put on daily, I decided to do an Inspection I a little earlier. Here is my E46 M3 Inspection I DIY guide.
Inspection I and II should alternate every 15,000 miles. For example, say your car has 0 miles on the odometer, Inspection I is due at 15,000 miles then Inspection II at 30,000 miles. What is actually involved in these Inspections? Take a look below.
Inspection I
- Oil change (OEMÂ Castrol 10W60 TWS synthetic oil; BMW part #Â 07-51-0-009-420; 5.5 quarts
- Differential fluid (OEM Castrol SAF-XJ + FM booster;Â BMW part # 83-22-2-282-583; 1.2 quarts)
- Transmission fluid (OEM Castrol MTF-LT-2;Â BMW part # 83 22 0 309 031; 1.8 quarts)
- Engine air filter (OEM Mann air filter; BMW part #Â 13-72-1-730-946)
- Cabin air filter (OEM charcoal filter; BMW part # 64-31-9-257-504)
- Valve adjustment
Today I only did an oil change, differential fluid, and transmission fluid for Inspection I. I have scheduled to do the valve adjustment in the next week or two with my mechanic. The fluids I used are:
- Oil change (OEM Castrol 10W60 TWS synthetic oil; BMW part # 07-51-0-009-420; 5.5 quarts)
- Differential fluid (Redline 75W-140; 1.2 quarts)
- Transmission fluid (Redline D4 ATF; 1.8 quarts)
Transmission Fluid Change
Tools needed:
- 17mm socket
- 8mm socket
- Breaker bar / impact wrench
- At least 1.8 to 2 quarts of fluid
- 4 jack stands
- Fluid pump
- Torque wrench
- Drain pan
Step 1. Get your car up on jack stands on all 4 corners.
Step 2. Remove the two chassis panels located underneath the car on the drivers side. There are a total of 9 screws to remove by using an 8mm socket.
Step 3. After you remove the covers, you should have access to the transmission. There are two 17mm bolts; upper is the fill plug and bottom is the drain. Drain pictured above. Before you drain the fluid, make sure you try taking off the upper fill plug to make sure you can get that off. You don't want to be stuck with a drained transmission case and a frozen fill plug.
Step 4. Once the fluid is drained, torque the drain plug to 37 ft lb.
Step 5. Fill the transmission with fluid using a pump. I bought a hand pump at Auto Zone for $10 and it worked really well. You should be able to pump 1.8-2 quarts of fluid until the fluid starts overflowing. Cap off fill plug to 37 ft lb.
Step 6. Install chassis covers back on.
Differential Fluid Change
Tools needed:
- 12mm hex key. Some newer models have a 14mm hex key. Make sure you find out which one you need before you go and buy one. I was able to find a 12mm at Sears.
- 4 jack stands
- Fluid pump
- Drain pan
- 2 crush washers or 2 o-rings (BMW part #Â 07-11-9-963-355; part #Â 07-11-9-963-355)
The rear differential is exposed so you don't have to take off any covers to access the bolts. The diff has the same fill/drain plug setup like the transmission, but using a 12mm/14mm hex key instead.
Step 1. Check to unlock the top fill plug, then remove the bottom plug to drain the fluid.
Check your drain plug to spot any metal shreds or any visible particles. Visible shards of metal may indicate premature gear wear.
Step 2. Once fully drained, tighten the drain plug and being to fill with oil. I filled up 1.2 quarts before it started overflowing.
Step 3. Cap up the fill plug. Tighten bolts to 44 ft lbs of torque for o-ring; 48 ft lbs for washer.
Step 4. Test drive! 10-15 minutes of driving should warm up the fluid to operating temperature. If you previously had grinding in the rear differential when doing u-turns, you should be free of any grinding now!
WARNING. Always use the proper equipment and follow safe-installation practices when jacking up your car. The DIY instructions in this and any other write-ups are for reference only. BuildJournal is not responsible for any damages to property or  people.
Track Day at Auto Club Speedway, M3 GoPro Footage
The best part about modifying your car is finding out how it performs at the track, big or small. You can install new coilovers on the car and take it out for a spin on the road. You feel the cornering is sharper, more stable, and there's less body roll on the car, but you will really appreciate it a lot more if you are on the track.
There's a reason why BMW engineers test on the Nurburgring. Plus, it's a lot more fun on the track. That's why we do this, right?
This was actually my first big track event. Big meaning high speed. The event was setup by SpeedVentures. They're one of the bigger track organizers in the country and a lot of enthusiasts come out with their cars ranging from beginners taking out their underpowered commuters to full on race teams testing their competition race cars. It's fun to just come out and watch these race-prepped machines fly around the course.
As it was my first time here, the course layout at Auto Club Speedway was quite intimidating. There are concrete walls placed throughout the course so it takes a bit of seat time to get comfortable with the track. Thanks to all the supporting mods, the M3 felt really planted. By the end of the day I was hitting around 145mph on the NASCAR straights and continued to hold around 130mph on the first turn. My best lap time was 2:04 and I got it on the GoPro! Check it out below. My track specs were the following:
- BC Racing coilovers with Swift springs
- Apex Arc-8 18x9.5 +22 square setup with 255/35/18 Toyo R1R up front and 265/35/18 Toyo RSR in the rears
- Stoptech ST-40 BBK with Hawk HP Plus pads
RaceWerkz Engineering BBQ M3 Meet
RaceWerkz Engineering hosted it's annual 4th of July BBQ meet at their shop in Irwindale, CA. Shop owner Casey Dennis and his crafty side kick Yoshi invited me out to their meet when I came in for some maintenance service on the M3 a couple weeks before. In the corner of the shop, I spotted some Super Soakers, water balloons, what seemed to be a ping pong table, and a kiddie pool. At that moment I was convinced to go.
RaceWerkz Engineering specializes in E46 M3s, but is no stranger to all BMW platforms as well as other makes. His shop race car is actually a Garret turbocharged Honda S2000 and competes in various time attack events including Redline Time Attack and Global Time Attack, shattering records in his class. Of course he works on his own race car, but he is actually the pilot for the car as well. I didn't get any close up pictures of the S2000, but you can still see some below. Also, scroll down to see a bonus GoPro video from Willow Springs. Now onto the pictures!
Thanks to the SoCal heat wave and a nearby brush fire, temperatures reached over 100 degrees, but we found a way to cool off thanks to the water-filled activities being on standby. The ambulance on standby also gave us some peace of mind. Wether you have an M3 or not, feel free to give Casey a call next time you need to service your car. And make sure to come to the BBQ meet next year! Also stay connected on their Facebook page because I hear they're trying to get a RaceWerkz Track Day setup sometime soon.
RaceWerkz Engineering
(818) 802-7327 / (626) 337-1404
16021 Arrow Hwy Suite H
Irwindale, California 91706
Casey Dennis Garret Turbo Honda S2000 at Willow Springs International Raceway
AP Headers, Royal Purple Transmission Fluids by Kaiv
One of the best mods you can do for the E46 M3 (while keeping it naturally aspirated) to get more horsepower is to swap out the headers. The stock headers have two catalytic converters, which restricts the airflow coming out the exhaust. A free flow aftermarket header will free up about 10-15 whp. My next mod, Agency Power headers. And while I'm under there, I decided to change out my transmission fluid with Royal Purple Synchromax and the differential with Royal Purple Max Gear 75w140.
For this install, I went back to Kevin because I did not have all the right tools to complete this DIY. If you want to try to tackle this install.
Make sure to buy new hardware for the installation to make sure you don't have any exhaust leaks. Here is what you should buy:
- (18) Hex nuts. Part #11721437202
- (6) Manifold gaskets. Part #11627830667
- (2) Crush gasket rings. Part #11627830668
- (2) Flange gaskets. Part #18307830674
It's very important that you wire up the O2 sensors back to the right banks or else you will get a Check Engine Light and your car will go into limp mode, meaning it tops out at 40mph or so.
Agency Power headers (left) vs. stock headers (right).
Kevin's connecting rod shattered into pieces! What a nice shelf display.
Kevin's Alpine White E90 M3 sitting in the rain.
Rogue Engineering El Diablo Exhaust
Well it wasn't too long for me to start swapping things out on the car again. I wasn't satisfied with the current exhaust, so I bought a new one! The old exhaust, a Borla oval tip. The exhaust tone was very deep and throaty, but I wanted something unique. Rogue Engineering is a long time aftermarket parts manufacturer for the E46 M3 and their exhaust is one of the most sought out for the E46's because of its unique tone.
I came across one on the M3Forums and it was a fairly decent price. I think I picked it up for around $900. It had a spot weld on the muffler to reinforce a dangling hanger, but other than that it was great.
The tips were originally polished chrome, but I painted it black. I used RustOleum High Heat paint to do so. Make sure to prep the surface before you paint. Sand it down with 800 grit sandpaper, clean with alcohol, and then paint.
Black tips are stealth! Making some progress on the rear, but I still need a CSL diffuser to get the whole CSL look.
Here's a picture of the Khoalty CSL splitters.
Leaving a Legacy, arrival of the M3
The daily driver at the time was a highly modified 2007 Subaru Legacy GT. Upgrades included a Blouch GT30R turbo, DeatschWerks 750cc injectors, Walbro 255 LPH fuel pump, Perrin front mount intercooler, Tial 50mm blow off valve, downpipe, exhaust, coilovers, Cobb Accessport and a custom tune by Jon at HB Speed (what is now Cobb Tuning Socal) in Fountain valley.
The car made 380 whp at 21 psi boost and the car just pulled all the way to redline with a really smooth power band.
This is the current car. It's a 2003 BMW E46 M3, an engineering masterpiece. It has one of the highest horsepower per liter output for an automobile engine. I found this car in Chandler, AZ which is 360 miles away from my home in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. The service history on this car was flawless so I committed to buy and bought a one way plane ticket to Phoenix where the owner came and picked me up. We signed papers at the bank and it was mine!
My remedy for a temporary plate. Just go to any dealer and ask for their dealership paper plate. It's free advertising for them, they'd be happy to give you one.
My long drive back. It was basically like this for 5 hours, but it was the shortest 5 hours ever. Mmm, cinnamon. I'm talking about the interior of course!
Driving into the night. I think I finished listening to 6 whole albums.
They very next morning, my friend Kevin comes over to perform an Inspection 2 on the car. By the way if you're in SoCal and have an E46 M3 I would highly recommend him if you need any mechanical work done. You may want to take a look at his massive support thread on M3Forums. He's very well respected on many BMW forums.
Two main things you want to check with these S54 motors! One, check and perform valve adjustment. Two, inspect VANOS hub and check for any broken tabs. You should inspect these two things every 15,000 miles or whenever you do an Inspection 1 or Inspection 2Â (rotates every 15,000 miles).
This is with the valve cover open. You can tell the previous owner maintained his car by replacing the oil well before the recommended service interval because of the shiny bronze-like color of the valves. The darker it is, the dirtier the oil.
Operation room. Those blue shop towels are best. So are the magnet catch bowls!
After the Inspection 2 was completed, I installed Khoalty CSL splitters. Yeah?
I just wanted to throw this picture in so you know how it sits now. More updates to come!
Welcome to BUILDJOURNAL
Well here it goes. BUILDJOURNALÂ is now running!
I'm creating this site to document the changes to my personal car. My daily driven, weekend track, mileage logging 2003 BMW E46 M3. For the next few days, I'll be posting up the changes made to the car from stock form to how it sits now and as I document these changes you'll see the shops I went to, DIY references I used, photo shoot locations, track videos, etc. Oh and of course, lots of photos! We don't all have the same taste when it comes to modifying, but one thing we all want to do is #BUILDITBETTER.
