Rat3d ///M - 2011 E90 M3 build/ownership thread

[Rat3d ///M]

Latest Updates (as of 1/22/2017)

After a little over two years of ownership, several thousand dollars of modifications, countless hours of sweat/tear/blood inducing wrenching, and many more hours of happiness, it's a sad day that I report I am leaving the BMW brand. This is my second ///M car, and I just know I will regret selling this one more than my first which I still wish I owned to this day.

I want to say I am done with BMW and the ///M brand for good, but who knows, I might return someday. As for now, I am moving into a P car, and while I would love to keep the E90 (it truly is the best car I've ever owned, and I wouldn't be selling if my heart wasn't somewhere else) it's just not in the cards.

I will still be on here from time to time, but only as a lurker.

It's been a fun ride, but all good things have to come to an end..


Coming Soon

A small preview of what's to come..




Description

This is going to be an ongoing build thread for my 2011 E90 M3. As the car reaches new milestones, I will document them and share them here. Unlike most build threads that notify the follower's with new posts for every update to the car, this will be updated by editing the OP when I have something to add, and will be kept in chronological order to make it easier to follow. Above this "description" there will be a "Latest Updates" section and a "Coming Soon" section which will be routinely updated every time something is added. Below this "description" will be the start of the "build".

Note: This is more for me to keep track of everything I do with the car, but I also want to share my passion with others for everyone to enjoy. Please subscribe to this thread and my YouTube channel below


My YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTc...36TmtcBOvlSGLw


My Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/rat3d_m/


Introduction/Backstory

I was in the market for a newer M3 for a couple months before finding this 2011 E90 for sale about 4 1/2 hours away, and after more than a month and a half of procrastinating and going back and forth with the owner, I took the plunge, hopped on a train, and went to Weiden, Germany to pick her up.

As you can see by the pic below, the car was a perfect find for me. I sold my 2005 Interlagos Blue ZCP about a year prior to getting the E90. I had a Mercedes C Class in between, and it just didn't do it for me. I always regretted selling the E46, and felt something missing when I drove the C Class. I was excited to get back into essentially the same car I sold (same color, similar transmission style, etc) as my 2005, only newer, nicer, and better. The E90 basically has everything I missed about the E46, and then some. It really is the perfect car for me. My only regret is not getting an E92 w/ carbon fiber roof, but I love the E90 all the same.




Here is the car on November 10, 2014 as she sat when I came out of the hotel just 12 hours after picking her up. She had just 43,xxx miles on the clock, averaging about 10,000 miles/year up to that point. I can't describe the excitement as I took this pic.




The car wasn't stock when I bought it. It had a few tasteful mods done mostly by the original owner. When I took delivery, the car already had:

1. The OEM ZCP wheels were painted by a professional body shop. They look black, but are actually a very dark metallic blue similar to Carbon Black

2. Turner Motorsports 15mm front/12.5mm rear spacers

3. Gloss black hood grills

4. Active Autowerke air filter

5. Paint-matched bumper markers

6. OEM exhaust mod

7. Euro tails and euro headlight switch


I couldn't go more than a few days without doing my first "photo shoot" of the car. These are a few of the pics taken on November 15, 2014, just 5 days after picking the car up.







UPDATE: 3/13/2015 - IND Keyhole Delete

The mod bug finally hit. It took longer than I thought, but I got started with something simple..IND keyhole delete cover.

Before:



After:



UPDATE: 3/27/2015 - IND Gloss Black Fender Grills

Installed a set of IND gloss black fender grills (thank you r1762, pleasure meeting you today).

Before:




After:





UPDATE: 4/3/2016 - Long Overdue!

It has been over a year since I've updated this thread, as I kind of forgot about it. I apologize for letting the thread die. Here are all the updates from the last several months that I have missed posting here..

Last year before putting the car away for the winter, I installed a set of Verstraße DCT paddles, and a JB Speed gloss black trunk emblem. No pictures of the trunk emblem unfortunately, but here is a quick pic of the shift paddles.




The car was in storage from 3 December until 1 April, so what better time to do some mods? An Active Autowerke underdrive pulley and a Stoptech ST60/ST40 BBK were installed over the winter months.








Lastly, here is a little photo shoot with the new brakes to bring in the 2016 Spring season.







UPDATE: 6/13/2016 - ESS VT1-550, coming soon!! + catless setup

I had been dying to go supercharged these last few months, and I couldn't shake the urge any longer, so I pulled the trigger on an ESS VT1-550 kit with carbon fiber manifold. Install will be taking place in a couple weeks. In the meantime, here are a couple teaser pics. Also have some Rogue Engineering test pipes on the way, which should put me around 570-580 bhp with the ESS setup





Stay tuned for the install process and some videos in the coming weeks..



UPDATE: 6/25/2016 - Carbon Fiber Repair Process

As seen in the above photos of the carbon fiber manifold, it had several cracks when I bought it. I decided to take some time before the install to attempt a repair of the cracks. Below is the link to my write-up and an after pic showing the results of my efforts.

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1277466





UPDATE: 7/2/2016 - Supercharger installed

Installed the VT1-550 kit last night. Total install took about 5 hours, even with a couple minor hiccups and taking my time. Full disclosure: I had previously done a few steps in the install process a few days earlier which I had not included in this 5 hours, including modding the wiring harness for the IAT sensor, mounting the air inlet where the filter sits, and moving the coolant hose down a couple inches on the driver fender. Including those steps, I am probably around 6-6.5 hours total. Not bad considering ESS quotes 8-14 hours. Only thing left to do is route the supercharger drain tube (not sure where I want to route it yet) re-install the wheel well liner and put the driver front wheel back on. My tune isn't here yet (should be here mid next week) so I haven't driven the car, but I am overly excited and can't wait to take it on the first drive.

Regarding my test pipes, Rogue Engineering decided to cheap out and use the cheapest and SLOWEST shipping method possible. Given that I am in Germany, and using an APO address, the military says it could be 6-8 weeks from the time they shipped. So I wait..

As soon as I take it out on the road, I will put a video together and do a quick review. In the meantime, here are a few install pics:








UPDATE: 7/11/2016 - Some YouTube fun!! ..and dyno runs with the new ESS setup

Well, I got my test pipes installed finally, and the car runs and drives great. The test pipes really changed the sound of the exhaust for the better. I didn't know what to expect, but I am 100% pleased with the tone. It sounds the same down low, but above 4k RPM's, and especially at WOT, there is a slightly higher pitched tone to the exhaust note, giving it (IMO) a slightly more exotic sound.

The video below is one I did to document my Supercharger install. It includes some tunnel pulls in Luxembourg which do a great job illustrating to the new exhaust setup, plus my dyno runs are in there as well. Car made 559 bhp and 371 lb/ft of torque at 7600 RPM's. Judging by the curve of the hp on the below dyno chart, I know that if I had taken it to 8400 RPM's, I would have been closer to 585 bhp, which is more in line with what others with the 550 kit and test pipes are seeing. At that bhp rating, I should be just over 500 whp.

Anyway, without further delay, here is the video, and my dyno chart below.. enjoy!

UPDATE: 9/6/2016 - Stelvio Pass trip report

This passed weekend we took a trip down to Stelvio Pass in northern Italy. Needless to say, it was a great weekend! The link below is a write-up I did on the trip:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1302143

Same story below, only at BMW Blog:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/09/09/tr...ed-bmw-e90-m3/

A few pics and a video I put together from the weekend..

UPDATE: 9/20/2016 - AC Schnitzer pedal install!!

I got a great deal locally from a guy I know on some authentic AC Schnitzer pedals and decided to give them a shot. Overall I like the look, but it looks incomplete without the matching dead pedal (will probably get that in the future). Here are a couple pics of the new look. Sorry for the metal shavings in the pic. Haven't had a chance to vacuum after the install.





UPDATE: 10/1/2016 - Nokya 2500k angel eye bulbs!

I couldn't take the look of the factory headlights anymore, so I picked up a set of Nokya 2500k yellow angel eye bulbs just to see if I like the look. I am planning on a full DTM headlight mod project this winter, so this is just a temporary mod, but for $18.00 I figured why not give it a try and change up the look of the headlights a little. For $18.50 how could I go wrong?





UPDATE: 10/30/2016 - AC Schnitzer dead pedal and OEM Performance spoiler with CRT stripe installed!!

I finally picked up an AC Schnitzer dead pedal to go with my previously installed pedals and finish my pedal set. Love the new completed look! The car also received an updated spoiler in the form of a carbon fiber OEM Performance replica from JB Speed with a custom Interlagos Blue CRT stripe.







UPDATE: 11/5/2016 - Wheels are back from powdercoat! GTS look w/ custom wheel barrel emblems

I had a little "incident" on the Autobahn which involved losing control of the car in the rain and fishtailing into the curb at 70mph about a month ago which resulted in probably the worst curb rash I have ever seen. My driver side rear wheel was what I thought at the time destroyed. I was skeptical that it could be saved, but I am more than impressed with the work put in by the shop that did the repair/refinishing. Not a blemish on the wheels, and you can't tell the damage was ever there.

Because I was growing bored of the old carbon black look (gloss black with blue metallic flake) I decided to change the color altogether to a satin black similar to the GTS wheels. The shop owner had some ///M wheel emblems laying around for the wheel barrels, and I opted to try them out as well. Not sure how I feel about it, so let me know what you think.

More pics of the car will follow when I take it out this weekend (one of the last drives before winter storage).




UPDATE: 1/22/2017 - Feeling nostalgic..

A few weeks ago a new owner took delivery of the car. She is staying local, which might be good (or bad) and the gentleman that purchased her says he loves the car, so I know she is in good hands. I recently pulled the trigger on a 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo (997) that I will be flying into Texas next week to pick up, and then shipping back to Germany. I am absolutely excited for what's to come, and can't wait to get to Texas to spend a couple days with the car before putting her on a boat to make the 4-6 week trek across the Atlantic Ocean to Bremerhaven, but I miss the M3 already and the camaraderie and friendships that she afforded me with fellow ///M owners. This brand certainly breeds a sort of brotherhood among it's owners. I had some of the best times of my adult life (automotive related) while owning this car and being in ///M Flight (particularly the Stelvio Pass trip as described above) and I feel that the 911, while I am sure I will love owning it just as much for what the car is, won't bring the same experience.

Oh well, here's to a new year, and I can't wait to see what Spring/Summer of 2017 will bring

[Amirsm3]

Gorgeous! Can't wait to see the results.

[Alen E90]

Beautiful ride, congrats!

[Yvette]

colour is sick

[corchar]

Nice! �

[r1762]

Nice! M-FLIGHT!

[rd13]

congrats, love reading these kind of thread especially E90 M3

[Rat3d ///M]

Updates: Installed IND gloss black fender grills and started my detail/paint correction.

[Rat3d ///M]

Update: Took the car out of winter storage Friday, and have been enjoying it all weekend despite a misfire issue I am currently trying to diagnose and fix. I have to say, it's been a LONG 4 months, and I missed this car deeply, but it was all worth it. I was like a kid at Christmas driving home from work Friday with my plates just dying with anticipation knowing I was going to get to take the ///M out of the garage. It was like the day I bought it all over again. That is the only good thing about winter storage (it keeps you from getting bored of the car).

Winter projects are on, and the car feels great! Updated the original post with some winter mod pics and a few pics from a quick photoshoot I did today. More to come in the next couple months..stay tuned.

[Rat3d ///M]

Update..ESS VT1-550 kit coming soon!! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for the install.

[ApexWheels]

Very nice sir. Love the IB e46 by the way

- Ryan

[FIS65]

Originally Posted by ||||||||||

Update..ESS VT1-550 kit coming soon!! Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for the install.

You'll love the VT1, had mine for 4 years/30k miles and it's been nothing but big fun behind the wheel!

[Rat3d ///M]

Updated with some ESS install pics. No tune yet, so can't drive the car until mid next week, but I have officially joined the elite. Can't wait to get behind the wheel!

[X5-User]

Originally Posted by ||||||||||

Updated with some ESS install pics. No tune yet, so can't drive the car until mid next week, but I have officially joined the elite. Can't wait to get behind the wheel!

you can still drive it without a tune but you have to keep RPM below 4K

[Rat3d ///M]

Bump!!

It's been awhile since I've added to this thread, but here are the latest updates:

-Added a video on my supercharger setup and dyno sheet from a trip I made to Luxembourg at BR Performance for some dyno runs after the new supercharger install

-Added a link to a trip report I did on a recent ///M Flight trip to Stelvio Pass a few weeks ago. A few pics, and a video added as well

-Added some photos of the new AC Schnitzer pedals I recently installed

-Added a few "coming soon" items..angel eye bulbs and Cyba exhaust tips

Let me know what you think of the new progress!

[Helmsman]

Great progress pics and vids Rat3 - keep'em coming man!

[shrimp_chips]

Originally Posted by Rat3d ///M

Regarding my test pipes, Rogue Engineering decided to cheap out and use the cheapest and SLOWEST shipping method possible. Given that I am in Germany, and using an APO address, the military says it could be 6-8 weeks from the time they shipped. So I wait..

I feel ya lol. I ordered some parts from Rogue last week via 2-day shipping, and it shipped out two days later.

Build is coming along nicely!

[Rat3d ///M]

Added some updated pics and changed the coming soon section. Sadly the car is up for sale, so this ride will likely be coming to an end soon. No comment (yet) on what I am looking at moving into, but I can assure everyone it is what dreams are made of

[kamber]

Are you going to be parting anything out? I'd be interested in taking the AC pedals off ya if so.

[Rat3d ///M]

Originally Posted by kamber

Are you going to be parting anything out? I'd be interested in taking the AC pedals off ya if so.

Vultures! You're the second person to ask. I am offering the car as is. If the buyer wants it without SC or BBK I will sell those separate. All other parts will stay with the car most likely.

[kamber]

Vultures indees, hehe. GLWS!

[Rat3d ///M]

Wheels are back from powdercoat. Wanted opinions on what you all thought of the ///M emblems. Never seen anyone do this before, but the shop owner had them laying around and I opted to give it a try.