My view on the SMG gearbox

I think this is a great piece of kit. Sure, the purists will feel that stick is the only way to go. But damn, this box does change gears in a hurry. There are 2 modes (manual and auto) and 5 settings within each mode (setting for severity of gear change ie slow to quick). Disable the DSC and you get an extra setting in manual....a super quick change setting. And then of course there is the launch control feature, which most of you might be surprised to read that I have never activated once yet. Initially I used to drive it in auto mode with setting when going to work in traffic. This was lazy of me. Now I never drive it in auto, its always in manual on the max change setting with DSC on. I have a strange combination of driving....I change up with my right hand on the paddle, and change down with my left hand on the lever. Because the paddles are on the steering wheel, when going around tight corners it becomes a bit arkward to you have to change with the lever. And yes, I do tap off gently so as to ensure a smooth gear change. You don't have to, but I do.

My worst problem with the M so far

It all started with the DSC light coming on (meaning the system is off). No problem, everything else is working fine. But since you paid so much money for the car and since the system is there, you might as well have it working, especially in the wet. Booked it in at the dealership and it was covered under motorplan. Collected it that same evening and by the time I got home the light was on again. Another trip to the dealer and collected again....but you guessed it...same problem. I asked them what they had done and they said they had replaced the steering angle sensor....both times. Ok. I would give them one more chance to fix it else I would then take it to anoher dealership. Car was booked in for the following week. At this point I did not know that I was already involved in a vicious chain of events.

that Sunday evening while cruising home along the highway, suddenly complete system failure.....first the radio went off, then the lights, then the engine. I coasted over to the side of the road. Tried to start it. Nothing. Dead. It was about 7.30pm. I called BMW assist. i explained the problem to them. They guy was very helpful but everything ust took time. He took all my details, said he would call a technicial and then call back (which he did). He said that the technician said that it would be a waste of time for him to come out given the symptoms i've described so he was going to arrange a flatbed truck to come out and collect the car and take it to the nearest dealership. Unfortunately that would take over an hour to arrange. And I was already sitting there for 30 mins. So I told him that i would get a lift home and that the tow truck must collect the keys from my house. The tow truck only collected the keys at 10.30pm that night. I explained to the tow truck driver the dealership to which he had to take the car to as I figured they might as well fix the DSC problem as well.

Now here the story gets weird. Next morning I call the dealership to find out whats wrong with my car. (Lets call this dealership A). They tell me it has not arrived. I call the BMW roadside assist. They tell me the car has been taken to dealership B. I call dealership B. They tell me the car is not there. I am now well pissed off. So I drive out to dealership B and talk to the service manager. He calls BMW roadside assist himself and they tell him the car is with him but it is not. The service manager then calls dealership A and once again they say the car is no there. He then calls a third dealership (lets say C) and lo and behold, the car is there. But dealership C is about 30km away. Why did they take it there ? I finally get to to deleaship C and I see the car in the parking lot. OH ! but as I get closer i see the front bumper is hanging away from the fender ! The tow truck guys have damaged the car !
First...I need to get the car fixed. I'll sort out the damaged bumper later. the dealership fixes the car in 2 days. Turns out the alternator was toast so they replaced that. I then told them to fix the DSC as well. Turns out the DSC light then worked ok. Aparently the DSC light coming on was the first sign of alternating current in the vehicle. Dealer A didnt pick this up and ended up changing the steering angle sensor twice for nothing.
Long story short on the bumper....BMW said they not paying....the tow trucking company said they not paying. So I fixed it via my insurance and lost my excess. I am never having the car towed on a flat bed ever again, and I've lost all faith in BMW SA. This is not some 318 I own. Its their flagship performance car, an M3. And their tow truck people damaged the car and they don't want to fix it. I told the dealer that its nothing personal, but any squeak or rattle and I will be taking the car back to him to be repaired under the maintenance plan. (So that I can cover my lost insurance excess)

Someone broke into my car !

Now we know South Africa has a crime problem. On this day I just added to the statistics. Came home late, left the car on the property but not in the garage. Left my wallet and mobile phone in the car. Came outside the next morning to go to work and found this :

Everytime I look at these pics I get so angry. Oh well, at least I wasn't in the car at the time !

Track day

Yes, the day finally arrived. Our local race track was having an open day and the day was split into free practice in the morning and timed laps in the afternoon. It was a very well organised affair. All cars were scrutinised and numbered in the morning. All drivers were subject to a briefing. All drivers had to wear helmuts, long sleeves and long pants and shoes. Only 10 cars were allowed onto the track at the same time. Passing was only allowed on the right hand side and no passing was allowed in corners. I thought that male ego's would get the better of some people but out on the track it was quite well behaved. Now for the intersting bit. I had been out on this circuit before with my 4 door e36 m3 so knew what to expect. However, the e46 m3 with smg was something else. The paddle shift really came into itself, lights and all. With both hands on the wheel at all times and only your fingers grabbing the paddles, your driving is so much sharper, especially in the corners. I tried some alternate laps with the DSC on and off. For me though, in the end I left it on as there were one or two corners where there was some loose rubber and the back would come out. Here the DSC would step in and keep the car in line by not letting you get on the gas . After the morning session I came to realise that this car is actually the perfect track day car. However, in street trim it has its shortcomings. First of all, the oil temps. I had never seen my needle go over 100 degree C until today. The car definitely needs a bigger oil cooler and an oil pressure gauge. Secondly, the brakes. The go soft very very quickly. They still work perfectly, its just the pedal goes soft. Again, maybe an upgrade to stainless steel lines and racing spec brake fluid. Finally, tyres. Yes, whenever you do a track day you need a set of semi slick tyres. You really destroy your normal road tyres if you give it a good go on a track day. During the afternoon timed session I had a really good run. I set the third fastest time of the day (91s). I front of me were two guys in the same car, an M5 (the V8 one not the new V10). So theoretically I should have gotten second place as there was only one car in front of me (even though driven by two different people) but those were the rules unfortunately. All in al, a great day out at the track for the M3. And I impressed the kids by coming home with a trophy !

The first drive

Eventually the call came through. The car was ready for a test drive. I was like a kid receiving a new toy. I rushed through to the dealership and there she was in the driveway. I strapped myself in and then slowly eased her into the road. The SMG gearbox was new to me. I had heard and read about it but this was the first time I was actually handling it myself. Near the dealership is a highway and I quickly got onto it. Before long I was zooming through the gears, eating up the kilometres. I did not want to turn around but eventually did. Taking the offramp and gearing down I heard the automatic blipping of the throttle for the first time. It was awsome ! On the way back I took it easy, switching between paddle shift and the lever, getting familiar with the different settings. When I got back to the dealership it was a case of 'I'll take it....where do I sign ?' The paperwork was then done and I collected the car the following Friday.

Our first encounter

I remember seeing her for the first time like it was yesterday. Given that I have been driving performance bmw's for many years, I have gotten to know quite of few of the sales managers at the various dealerships here in Cape Town. In about June 2005 I got a call to come and have a look at an M3 that had just arrived. When I got to the dealership I was taken to the back of the workshop. It was a winters day and it had been raining earlier. There in the corner stood this silver M3. Quite dirty. Strangely though, the front was standing quite high, and the fenders and bonnet area had some oily marks on it. When the salesman raised the hood, the engine was missing ! Then he took me into the workshop and introduced me to the technician that was working on the car. The story goes that the all these cars were subject to a recall for engine bearing replacement. The previous owner did not bring the car in and unfortunately the bearings failed. I was shown the damaged cylinder head and engine block and the rest of the engine internals on the workbench. The plan was to fit a brand new engine from the factory to the car and the salesman and I went to his office to work out a deal.

BMW E46 M3 Owner

Lets start off with some background. I am a 37 year old male living in Cape Town, South Africa. I am a confirmed BMW fanatic. I have owned quite a few of their performance cars over the years. My first was a black e30 325is. As we did not get the e30 m3 here in South Africa, I believe this vehicle was a unique creation by BMW SA to satisfy local demand. Unfortunately I sold this vehicle when I moved to London. On arriving back in Cape Town in 2002 I purchased a silver e36 M3. This was the 3.0l 5 speed version. I then traded this in on a white 4 door e36 m3 a few years later. This was the 3.2l 6 speed version. Finally in July of 2005 I upgraded to a silver E46 m3. What follows is a detailed account of my experience with my m3 to date.