BMW M Models Problems

M spells 'magic'where BMWs are concerned, particularly when it’s accompanied by the number ‘5’. In the case of BMW ‘M’ is the universally recognised symbol for the company’s ‘M Sport’ special tuning arm, which takes ordinary BMWs and transforms them into some of the greatest sporting models yet seen.It began in the 1970s with the M1 sports coupe, but gathered pace in the 1980s with the release of the first M3 and its bigger brother, the M5.The E34 M5 was the first of the line that continues with today’s awesome model. While the current M5 is well out of reach of most of us the earlier models like the E34 are also awesome sports sedans and much more affordable.MODEL WATCHThe M5 first appeared in local showrooms in 1990 when we were given a taste of sophisticated sports motoring in the form of the E34 model. That first model ran for barely three years before it left the market, to return in 1999 in the later E39 guise.The E34 5-Series was a great car to begin with which makes it a perfect foundation for the M5.The great thing about the M5 is that it’s barely recognisable as anything other than a regular 5-Series. The external changes are subtle so only the informed would pick it as something special.There is a subtle front airdam and side skirts, but no wild wing on the boot. The alloy wheels are larger than those on the regular 5-Series and there’s an M5 badge on the grille, but that’s about it.At the M5’s heart is the wonderful BMW six-cylinder engine. At 3.5 litres the 24-valve double overhead camshaft six is silky smooth and the extra tuning by BMW Motorsport makes it sing even sweeter.The power peaks at 232 kW at 6900 revs while the torque peaks with 360 Nm at 4750 revs. It’s red-lined at 7000 revs, with an electronic limiter set at 7200 revs to keep the most enthusiastic drivers in check when the engine feels as though it could happily rev on forever.When pressed that’s sufficient to propel the four-door flyer to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, and cover the standing 400-metre sprint in 15 seconds, before hitting an electronic wall at 250 km/h.The real strength of the M5 is its ability to cruise at very high speeds over long distances, it’s really built to burn on the ’bahns of its homeland.BMW offered the M5 with a five-speed manual transmission only. It had a slick shift that was precise and a joy to use. Through the gears it would do 60 km/h in first, 100 km/h in second, 155 km/h in third, 209 km/h in fourth and 250 km/h in top.Under the understated skin lay MacPherson Strut front suspension and semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension, tweaked of course by BMW Motorsport to produce response and balance that is nothing less than awe inspiring.Big discs at both ends provide powerful braking while standard antilock electronics deliver added safety.Not surprisingly the M5 came well equipped. Leather-trimmed powered sports seats were standard along with a sports steering wheel, climate control air-conditioning, trip computer, premium sound, central locking, and a sunroof.IN THE SHOPThere are few flaws with the M5. The engine is bullet-proof, but needs proper servicing, even more so if it’s been driven hard.The reality is that most of these cars are bought by people who rarely push them to the limit of their extreme capabilities so most are kept in good condition.The most common problem is the gearbox, in which second gear synchro is a weakness, so check carefully for any reluctance when trying to select second.On such a high performance car it’s important to use good tyres and brakes and they will be expensive, so be prepared to spend some money on maintaining the performance.IN A CRASHRecent surveys of cars in crashes suggest the E34 BMW is average in both protection of its occupants and its impact on those in cars it hits.In its favour the M5 has the steering, handling and braking prowess to avoid collisions, but without airbags its secondary line of protection is a little lacking by today’s standards.OWNER’S VIEWSimon Ansell has owned plenty of exotic performance cars, like an Audi Quattro, Lancia Delta Integrale, BMW M3, and a couple of Golf GTis, and says his M5 is one of the most fantastic cars he’s owned. He has restored it to as new condition as the previous owner lived in the country so it got a bit stone chipped. It has had a new gearbox, but other than that big job it has had a relatively trouble free run. One of the things he likes about it is that only motoring people know what it is and it is still so quick for a car of its size. The engine is an absolute gem and sounds sensational when run to the red line.LOOK FOR• subtle styling hides performance potential• superb six cylinder engine• possible synchro problems in gearbox• silky smooth performance• understated looksTHE BOTTOM LINEOne of the best sports sedans ever made if you can afford it.RATING90/100

In any era there are cars that, for one reason or another, stand out from the crowd. In the 1950s, for instance, the big finned ’59 Cadillac stood out for its extreme looks, the E-Type Jaguar became the iconic car of the ’60s for its timeless elegance and high performance, and the 1970s belonged to the awesome Bathurst winning Falcon GT HO.They’re all life changing cars. A moment or two at the wheel and your life is changed forever, suddenly no other car is good enough.It’s like that with the BMW M3. It may look like any other BMW 3-Series, but once you’ve experienced the turbine smooth power of the M3’s highly tuned six-cylinder engine and its superbly balanced chassis you quickly realise you’ve driven something very special.In time the M3 will come to be regarded as one of the greatest sports sedans ever built, if it isn’t already by those in the know.The M3 story began in 1987 when BMW launched the very first in the line. The E30 M3 was a barely disguised racer created to contest the one-off World Touring Car Championship for Group A cars.Group A was a class based on production cars, and the rules demanded carmakers build a minimum number of cars before they could be raced. It spawned great road cars like the Ford Sierra Cosworth, the various Holden SS Group A models, and the M3.The world series folded after just one year, and Group A was scrapped in the early 1990s, replaced here by the current Supercar V8 cars.Thankfully BMW continued to build the M3, developing it from the original bare bones racer into a sophisticated all round sports sedan, one of the greatest to ever hit our roads.The E30 M3 was never sold here by BMW, it was built in left-hand drive form and sold only in its European home market.Thankfully when the M3 became a regular model in the 3-Series line-up with the E36 model it found its way to Australia in 1994.The M3 was based on the E36 3-Series two-door coupe, and for all the world looks like any other 3-Series coupe. If you want to identify it from the outside you need to look for the details.Things like the smallish M3 badge on the boot lid, the distinctive alloy wheels, the twin exhaust outlets, and if you’ve got a keen eye the body kit. The problem is that many of these also found their way on to more modest Beemers so the boot lid badge is the surest way of picking the real thing from the wannabees.At the heart of the M3 is a mighty straight six-cylinder engine. Three litres in capacity, with dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, fuel injection and a new variable camshaft timing system BMW dubbed VANOS, the B30 six was super smooth, pulled hard from low down in the rev range right to the top which was in excess of 7000 revs.With the right foot buried deep in the carpet, and the rev counter nudging 7000 revs, the B30 six would produce a massive 210 kW, but it wasn’t just the staggering power it produced because it also produced an equally staggering 320 Nm of torque at 3600 revs.When unleashed it would propel the 1460 kg coupe to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, and account for the standing 400-metre sprint in 14.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h, but you don’t need to be travelling that fast to appreciate the M3.The VANOS system varied the camshaft timing to extract the most torque from the engine at low speed and the maximum power at the top end of the rev range. The result was smooth performance right through the rev range.Helping the brilliant on-road experience was the slick five-speed manual gearbox, which was a delight to use.If the engine provided the power it was the chassis that allowed it to be unleashed. With independent suspension at both ends, and sports tuning, it was brilliantly balanced.Huge 235/40ZR17 tyres, on 17-inch alloys, generated enormous grip to keep the M3 glued to the black top, but the great thing was the M3 could be driven on the throttle.Huge disc brakes ensured it also stopped with assurance, and ABS was standard for extra safe stopping power.Inside it had beaut sports seats in cloth trim, there was central locking, a driver’s airbag, power windows, air-conditioning, and a trip computer among a long list of standard features.In 1996 a major update saw the engine enlarged to 3.2 litres, power jumped to 236 kW and torque was boosted to 350 Nm. At the same time BMW added a six-speed manual gearbox – a six-speed sequential manual gearbox was also added in 1997 – along with dual airbags and cruise control.The performance of the M3 almost guarantees that it will be driven hard, on the road and sometimes on the track. Many have been used in events like the Grand Prix Rally in which they’re always competitive.That should make anyone thinking of buying one wary, but the good news is that they stand up well to the occasional track outing.Chris Lake says most M3s he sees through his Auto Deutsche workshop have copped a hard time, but have coped well.He says clutches cop the most abuse and they tend to fail earlier as a result. The M3 has a dual mass flywheel, which can be expensive to repair if it gets overheated in the heat of the moment.Other items that tend to need replacement more often are the front lower control arm castor bushes and the trailing arm bushes in the rear end.According to Lake, oxygen sensors in the exhaust tend to have a fairly short life compared to sedans.If regularly driven hard on the track the M3’s brake discs can warp and crack, which mean expensive replacements are needed.M3s are generally well looked after by caring owners. Those that haven’t seen the track are the ones to look for, but even those that have been used for competition shouldn’t be dismissed.Seek out specialist help once you’ve selected a car, get it checked by an expert who can tell when things aren’t right.With a responsive chassis, powerful brakes with ABS, and sports tyres it has a great primary safety package.The first E36 M3 had a driver’s airbag only, but a passenger’s airbag was added in 1996.The E36 3-Series rated above average in the recent used car safety survey.Dean Sheffield’s life changed when a neighbour offered him a ride in his new M3 in 1994. It took another six years, but he now owns one and says it is a brilliantly balanced car that can be appreciated on the road as a family car or the track as a fun machine. After owning it for four years, it still looks and drives like it has just been run in.• silky smooth six cylinder engine• sizzling performance• great ride and handling• good looking two-door coupe• great road/race car for amateur club sportOne of the most exhilarating cars you’ll ever get to drive.

BMW M3 may look like any other BMW 3-Series, but once you've experienced the turbine smooth power of the M3's highly-tuned six-cylinder engine and its superbly balanced chassis, you quickly realise you've driven something very special. The M3 story began in 1987 when BMW launched the E30 M3 as a barely disguised racer created to contest the one-off World Touring Car Championship.  However, it took until the E36 model in 1994 before the car hit Australian roads.Model watchThe M3 was based on the E36 3-Series two-door coupe and looks like any other 3-Series coupe. If you want to identify it from the outside, you need to look at the details.Things like the smallish M3 badge on the boot lid, the distinctive alloy wheels, the twin exhaust outlets and, if you've got a keen eye, the body kit. The problem is that many of these also found their way on to more modest Beemers, so the boot-lid badge is the surest way of picking the real thing.At the heart of the M3 is a mighty straight six-cylinder engine: three litres in capacity, with dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, fuel injection and a new variable camshaft timing system BMW dubbed VANOS. The B30 six was super smooth, pulled hard from low down in the rev range right to the top, which was in excess of 7000 revs.  When unleashed, it would propel the 1460kg coupe to 100km/h in 6.4sec.If the engine provided the power, it was the chassis that allowed it to be unleashed. With independent suspension at both ends, with sports tuning, it was brilliantly balanced.  The 235/40ZR17 tyres, on 17-inch alloys, generated enormous grip to keep the M3 glued to the black top, but the great thing was the M3 could be driven on the throttle.Huge disc brakes ensured it also stopped with assurance, and ABS was standard for extra safe stopping power.  Inside, it had cloth trim sports seats, as well as central locking, a driver's airbag, power windows, airconditioning and a trip computer among a long list of standard features.In 1996 a major update saw the engine enlarged to 3.2 litres, power jumped to 236kW and torque was boosted to 350Nm. At the same time, BMW added a six-speed manual gearbox, and in 1997, a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, along with dual airbags and cruise control.In the shopThe performance of the M3 almost guarantees that it will be driven hard, on the road and sometimes on the track. Many have been used in events like the Grand Prix Rally in which they're always competitive.  That should make anyone thinking of buying one wary, but the good news is they stand up well to the occasional track outing.BMW mechanic Chris Lake says clutches cop the most abuse and they tend to fail earlier as a result.  Other items that tend to need replacement more often are the front lower control arm castor bushes and the trailing arm bushes in the rear end. Lake says oxygen sensors in the exhaust tend to have a fairly short life compared to sedans.  If regularly driven hard on the track the M3's brake discs can warp and crack, which means expensive replacements are needed. M3s are generally well looked after by caring owners.  Seek out specialist help once you've selected a car, to ascertain its condition.Crunch timeWith a responsive chassis, powerful ABS brakes and sports tyres, it has a great primary safety package.  The first E36 M3 had a driver's airbag only, but a passenger's airbag was added in 1996.  The E36 3-Series rated above average in a recent used car safety survey.Look forGood looking two-door coupeSilky smooth six cylinder engineGreat ride and handlingGreat road/race car for amateur club sportSizzling performanceRating18/20 One of the most exhilarating cars you'll ever get to drive.