Report: 1 YR+ and 14k+ miles on S3..... - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

DRM · 20th January 2008, 23:39

'Waiting for Charger game to start; so thought I'd share S3 experience since project was completed more than 1 year ago. 'Not a whole lot to say; you know, just a "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" type summary. To reiterate, I'm the original owner. 'Car was stock almost 3 years; "full monty" S2 mods completed Jan. '05; full S3 conversion done 2 years later at year-end '06.

She has accumulated almost 70k miles; with only very minor "issues" (leaking review mirror/pixels out/front fan clutch/fuel gauge sending unit/lower front control arm bushings) having required repair/replacement during this entire time. I've never had even an SES light come on; let alone anything major go wrong with this car. 'True, 'been anal about proactive maintenance; replacing every single sensor/filter/plugs (regardless of having no symptoms) @ 53k miles, for example.

"The Good" - S3 power is "as advertised" (already reported verified on Dinan's dyno when I picked up the car there); 530rwhp and 507 lbs tq (assuming standard 15% drivetrain loss). Locomotive and linear, she's quite docile when just cruising around; but ready to "play", from any gear @ any speed, when it's time to "get it on". I've pegged the speedo a couple of times (in Mexico

) in 5th gear; and she was still pulling like a freight train.

To me, even more impressive than power, are suspension/handling, brakes, clutch, and oil cooling (latter being Dinan's bespoke high capacity oil cooler for S3). Whether "hot foot'n" on back country 2 laners or going 10/10th's @ "Big Willow's" 2.5 mile road race track, she stays completely "glued", oil temp never gets to 210 mark, BBK w/Ferodo pads goes all day with no noise/dust/fade, and Dinan's very beefy, designed for specific S3 application, very smooth clutch/flywheel set-up holds power/torque without protest.

IMO, 'sum and substance of S3 is that, top to bottom/ stem to stearn, it's a complete pkg that tranforms a stock M5 from an already great car, into a superb performance sedan. 'Economics (cost) of this "transformation" have been well discussed here on the M5Board. For me, it was an easy decision to do an S3 upgrade. 'Cost was far, far less than suffering $$$ differential to acquire a new car. Besides, after having an opportunity to spend several days with a completed S3 (Martin @ AGA had bought S3 #001 from Dinan); and comparing it to all the new sedans/big coupes I'd tested during '06, no car ("M" or otherwise) came remotely close, IMO. It was a "no brainer".

"The Bad" - A few months ago, 'tranny began experiencing intermittent 1st gear "pop-out"; especially when cold. AGA opened it up and discovered a worn part ('can't remember exactly what) that was the cause. Martin told me he could fix it with some expert welding on the affected part. Fortunately, AGA also had a used M5 tranny (pulled from a wrecked '03 w/14k miles). I opted to buy that as a replacement for mine. So, for WAY less than cost of new tranny, 'replaced my 65k mile Getrag with a relatively fresh one. End result is just like new; "snick, snick, snick", as it should be.

"The Ugly" - 'Not related to S3, but poor luck. 'Have had to repaint my front end 3 times; 2 blowing sand occurrences and getting caught behind a caravan of gravel trucks spewing pebbles. These were "comprehensive" insurance claims and I have zero deductible; so no cost to me. Each time I took the car to the highest end body/paint shop in San Diego County. And each time it was a fight with State Farm to get them to approve the "right" way to repair/repaint ($8k+ for every instance; example is getting them to relent to completely stripping each affected body part; then 2 primer coats/4 color coats with color sanding between each one/3 clear coats). Well, the shop owner and I were bull dogs about it. 'Good news is the car looks brand new. 'Hope I don't get trapped in any other mishaps. 'Plan to keep her 'till the wheels fall off.

Anyway, by my count and not including AGA's car, there's only five S3 owners/members on this Board. Other than "Kelster" (who reported tribulations getting his software "dialed in"; then his exploits at 1/4 mile drag racing), nobody has said anything about S3 experience as owners. So 'hope this little summary was informative.

s1rch · 21st January 2008, 00:19

cool!
nice read and glad to hear your M is running strong.

gsfent · 21st January 2008, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRM

'Waiting for Charger game to start; so thought I'd share S3 experience since project was completed more than 1 year ago. 'Not a whole lot to say; you know, just a "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" type summary. To reiterate, I'm the original owner. 'Car was stock almost 3 years; "full monty" S2 mods completed Jan. '05; full S3 conversion done 2 years later at year-end '06.

She has accumulated almost 70k miles; with only very minor "issues" (leaking review mirror/pixels out/front fan clutch/fuel gauge sending unit/lower front control arm bushings) having required repair/replacement during this entire time. I've never had even an SES light come on; let alone anything major go wrong with this car. 'True, 'been anal about proactive maintenance; replacing every single sensor/filter/plugs (regardless of having no symptoms) @ 53k miles, for example.

"The Good" - S3 power is "as advertised" (already reported verified on Dinan's dyno when I picked up the car there); 530rwhp and 507 lbs tq (assuming standard 15% drivetrain loss). Locomotive and linear, she's quite docile when just cruising around; but ready to "play", from any gear @ any speed, when it's time to "get it on". I've pegged the speedo a couple of times (in Mexico

) in 5th gear; and she was still pulling like a freight train.

To me, even more impressive than power, are suspension/handling, brakes, clutch, and oil cooling (latter being Dinan's bespoke high capacity oil cooler for S3). Whether "hot foot'n" on back country 2 laners or going 10/10th's @ "Big Willow's" 2.5 mile road race track, she stays completely "glued", oil temp never gets to 210 mark, BBK w/Ferodo pads goes all day with no noise/dust/fade, and Dinan's very beefy, designed for specific S3 application, very smooth clutch/flywheel set-up holds power/torque without protest.

IMO, 'sum and substance of S3 is that, top to bottom/ stem to stearn, it's a complete pkg that tranforms a stock M5 from an already great car, into a superb performance sedan. 'Economics (cost) of this "transformation" have been well discussed here on the M5Board. For me, it was an easy decision to do an S3 upgrade. 'Cost was far, far less than suffering $$$ differential to acquire a new car. Besides, after having an opportunity to spend several days with a completed S3 (Martin @ AGA had bought S3 #001 from Dinan); and comparing it to all the new sedans/big coupes I'd tested during '06, no car ("M" or otherwise) came remotely close, IMO. It was a "no brainer".

"The Bad" - A few months ago, 'tranny began experiencing intermittent 1st gear "pop-out"; especially when cold. AGA opened it up and discovered a worn part ('can't remember exactly what) that was the cause. Martin told me he could fix it with some expert welding on the affected part. Fortunately, AGA also had a used M5 tranny (pulled from a wrecked '03 w/14k miles). I opted to buy that as a replacement for mine. So, for WAY less than cost of new tranny, 'replaced my 65k mile Getrag with a relatively fresh one. End result is just like new; "snick, snick, snick", as it should be.

"The Ugly" - 'Not related to S3, but poor luck. 'Have had to repaint my front end 3 times; 2 blowing sand occurrences and getting caught behind a caravan of gravel trucks spewing pebbles. These were "comprehensive" insurance claims and I have zero deductible; so no cost to me. Each time I took the car to the highest end body/paint shop in San Diego County. And each time it was a fight with State Farm to get them to approve the "right" way to repair/repaint ($8k+ for every instance; example is getting them to relent to completely stripping each affected body part; then 2 primer coats/4 color coats with color sanding between each one/3 clear coats). Well, the shop owner and I were bull dogs about it. 'Good news is the car looks brand new. 'Hope I don't get trapped in any other mishaps. 'Plan to keep her 'till the wheels fall off.

Anyway, by my count and not including AGA's car, there's only five S3 owners/members on this Board. Other than "Kelster" (who reported tribulations getting his software "dialed in"; then his exploits at 1/4 mile drag racing), nobody has said anything about S3 experience as owners. So 'hope this little summary was informative.

Great to see she is holding up as advertised and you are still having a blast. With the upcoming horsepower wars, 620 will just be "adequate". Unbelievable!

Keep enjoying her and keep us updated so we can enjoy vicariously!

Regards,
Jerry

Gustav · 21st January 2008, 00:56

Thanks for the report, its an excellent car you have!

Laidback · 21st January 2008, 01:14

Guys i was lucky enough to get a ride on Dan's S3 ( for awhile i was hesitant to go because i will know the outcome ) and yes my hunch was right ...it's a Monster!...It was very comfortable, feels like nothing till Dan opens her up and all bets are off

n(it pulls and stops on a dime)

i was trying not to hold the arm rest too tight (playing it cool

) but my toes are trying to grip on my shoes

...very clean car and a sleeper S3 indeed

EM5PWR · 21st January 2008, 05:50

Dan , time flies when your having fun huh?? Great write up..

greer · 21st January 2008, 10:11

Hi Dan,

About the clutch, is the effort to depress it much greater then the stock E39 M5 clutch?

Also, if you drive with the DSC on, does the system cut down the power before you can get some serious speed going?

Thanks,

Gene

CSBM5 · 21st January 2008, 16:27

Thanks for the update Dan. It sounds like everything Dinan claims for the S3 has worked out, so that's great to hear. It lends support to the argument (that this board has gotten into in the past) about Dinan pricing and why it is worth buying a fully sorted, well-engineered product with a complete warranty (and CARB approval) which is never the cheapest product on the market.

The only sad part about the E39 M5 to me is that we are entering the "decline" phase of the majority of them. Prices have fallen to where people who will not maintain them are buying them, low mileage cars are now rare, etc. All to be expected of course but a bit sad still.

Thanks again for the update and go enjoy the S3!

Chuck

wilsodh · 21st January 2008, 19:14

Dan! What a nice report. You indeed have a real gem. As one who has experienced 'Martin's Wild Ride' in your car, I can say I'm honored to have experienced her at 10/10ths. Just amazing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsfent

With the upcoming horsepower wars, 620 will just be "adequate". Unbelievable!

Another way we might look at it is that the S3 keeps the old gal relevant, even with the upcoming horsepower orgy..

Quote:

Originally Posted by CSBM5

The only sad part about the E39 M5 to me is that we are entering the "decline" phase of the majority of them. Prices have fallen to where people who will not maintain them are buying them, low mileage cars are now rare, etc. All to be expected of course but a bit sad still.

On the other hand, the economics of taking a nice, depreciated e39 and upgrading her to an S3 look more attractive. As Dan alluded, it can make more sense than going out and buying new.

Dave