"McChiken116 - Patrick H." (mcchiken116)
08/27/2013 at 11:21 • Filed to: None
1
9|
"McChiken116 - Patrick H." (mcchiken116)
08/27/2013 at 11:21 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
Finally getting rid of his awful SUV, and is buying a low miles 2003 M3. Anyone know anything about the SMG's on those?
HammerheadFistpunch
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:23 |
|
i know they are generally unloved by car mags, but as far as reliability...no clue.
Bird
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:29 |
|
SMG Pumps are expensive, and they like to go out.
I don't think the 2003's were affected by it, but check out the rod bearing recall.
magman007
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:30 |
|
I had my smg for 60k miles, and it never gave me an issue. It will take a while for him to get used to it, but after a while he will be smooth as butter. Tell him when shifting gears to lift his big toe off the accelerator, thats all it takes to smooth it out.
Also, I found I shifted smoother with the stick than the paddles most of the time, maybe some muscle memory from manuals? not sure.
Lastly, he will probably want new paddles for it soon, they make a great stocking stuffer and install in 5 mins. The stock paddles are a bit small.
Z_Stig
> Bird
08/27/2013 at 11:33 |
|
Yup, the SMG pump is expensive, but I don't think very many go bad actually.
As far as the rod bearing recall, virtually every e46 affected was serviced so I don't think that'll be a problem either.
Party-vi
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:35 |
|
The E46 M3 has been around long enough for good writeups on forums for what to watch out for before purchasing an example. Read these two threads at E46Fanatics for an idea of what he should be looking for before buying. I do know that the early '03 models (and '01 & '02 cars) had connecting rod bearing issues.
Also try this FAQ at M3Forum - it should cover any questions and basic known issues with model years.
J. Walter Weatherman
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:36 |
|
I got the chance to drive one on a number of occasions. I thought the transmission was pretty terrible. There is nothing that it does smoothly, and shifts are rather slow and jerky. When driving the car hard, it didn't bother me so much (when driving hard, you are not expecting a smooth ride), but for everyday driving around town, it just really wasn't very pleasant. I'm not just being a manual snob, either - my wife has a GTI with a DSG and I think that is a brilliant transmission, but I would honestly prefer a traditional slushbox over the SMG.
I have been told that with more time behind the wheel, you learn the transmission, and it becomes predictable, and therefore easier to live with, but I never got to that point.
YMMV. Just make sure your dad drives the car a bit before he buys. If he doesn't mind the driving dynamics of the SMG, he should go for it, they are great cars otherwise.
rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 11:38 |
|
Great cars. As others have said parts like pumps can be expensive, and I think in the older cars actually service was less easy because the unit was integrated (as opposed to later SMG and/or DCT cars).
I personally had a tough time getting the SMG to behave smoothly in traffic, and hated it, but you know what they say about opinions...
|
Bird
> Z_Stig
08/27/2013 at 11:59 |
|
I was under the impression the SMG pump failure was fairly common, but I'm not an M3 owner... I owned an E46 (auto) that was of the range to be affected by 'no reverse' and I never had a problem...even if something is 'common' it's still always pretty rare, it's just the people with the issue that are vocal about it...
Yeah, I mentioned the recall just because it's so serious, but probably dealt with long ago.
twinturbobmw
> McChiken116 - Patrick H.
08/27/2013 at 13:23 |
|
This thread could be helpful.