Looking for first M3, what do I need to know?

[niquehawk5]

Beginning to look for my first F80 M3 6MT (2015-2018) instead of another F30 340. Obviously there are many differences, upgrades, draw backs which are easily searchable, but I'm looking for any insight on what may not be as known. I'm very familiar with the 3 series platform when it comes to the 340 and B58, but this is another beast. Thanks in advance for any input on what to look for or avoid.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by niquehawk5

Beginning to look for my first F80 M3 6MT (2015-2018) instead of another F30 340. Obviously there are many differences, upgrades, draw backs which are easily searchable, but I'm looking for any insight on what may not be as known. I'm very familiar with the 3 series platform when it comes to the 340 and B58, but this is another beast. Thanks in advance for any input on what to look for or avoid.

A few things..
1) Verify the 1200 mile rear differential fluid change. BMW CPO F80's considered this mandatory.
2) Coolant expansion tanks tend to weep/leak. Check for white residue along the seams. If you're lucky to find a later year build date dealers should cover it. If not, it's a very basic DIY
3) Charge Pipes are plastic and are commonly upgraded to either aluminum or silicone pipes for durability.
That's all I have. Good luck, they are fantastic cars that have a lot to offer.

[niquehawk5]

Originally Posted by SCS55

A few things..
1) Verify the 1200 mile rear differential fluid change. BMW CPO F80's considered this mandatory.
2) Coolant expansion tanks tend to weep/leak. Check for white residue along the seams. If you're lucky to find a later year build date dealers should cover it. If not, it's a very basic DIY
3) Charge Pipes are plastic and are commonly upgraded to either aluminum or silicone pipes for durability.
That's all I have. Good luck, they are fantastic cars that have a lot to offer.

Thanks! This is exactly the stuff I am looking to hear about. Appreciate the response.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by niquehawk5

Thanks! This is exactly the stuff I am looking to hear about. Appreciate the response.

Expansion tank discussions.


M3 expansion tank - Is this normal? https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1632966

[kyleb350]

I haven't seen the charge pipe being a common issue. People will tend to upgrade those as they mod their cars though for piece of mind.

If you are buying a tuned or previously tuned M3, I'd check if the owner did anything regarding the crank hub since that failure seems to be a big topic on here.

[niquehawk5]

Originally Posted by kyleb350

I haven't seen the charge pipe being a common issue. People will tend to upgrade those as they mod their cars though for piece of mind.

If you are buying a tuned or previously tuned M3, I'd check if the owner did anything regarding the crank hub since that failure seems to be a big topic on here.

I will be looking for not previously modified, but its hard to be 100% sure nothing was ever done aside from looking for some easily modded parts looking moved/out of place/too clean, etc. I know charge pipes were definitely an issue on my N54 and N55 once boost got up there with any tunes. I have looked at the crank hub issues so I am aware of that. Thanks for the response.

[Adcampo]

+1 on crank hub for tuned cars. Not sure if it's an issue for stock cars.

I just bought a 2018 F80 6MT. Be patient to get what you want, but be ready to pull the trigger quick when a good one pops up.

[niquehawk5]

Originally Posted by Adcampo

+1 on crank hub for tuned cars. Not sure if it's an issue for stock cars.

I just bought a 2018 F80 6MT. Be patient to get what you want, but be ready to pull the trigger quick when a good one pops up.

I have until May/June 2021 before I really "have to" have something, so I will have some time before I have to start settling for different colors/mileage/options/etc. I really need to do more research on what options are available, people think are necessary vs nice to have vs never use. My last two I went out of state.....whatever is necessary when you find the perfect ones. Thanks.

[Sassicaia]

1.) a number of them left the factory flawed with only have two peddles. Confirm the 3rd one is there.

2.) don't put your money down on any model that starts with G

[spuntyb]

1. Make sure it had the 1200 mile check
2. Upgrade the charge pipes
3. Put some Michelin PS4S tires on
4. Enjoy

Also consider: stage 1 tune (but read up on the crank hub issue), and down pipes

[niquehawk5]

Originally Posted by Sassicaia

1.) a number of them left the factory flawed with only have two peddles. Confirm the 3rd one is there.

2.) don't put your money down on any model that starts with G

[///M4ster Yoda]

Avoid the G8x

[m3elmo]

i just recently purchased a manual F80 myself. I think the basic rules of buying a used car applies for this one. Things like the crank hub, charge pipes etc aren't a large deal for a mostly stock/oem car driven by a non-aggressive driver. That level of security or concern is dependent on the person.

I'm glad I got the 6 speed. The car driving around town is already pretty easy and numb as it is already, DCT would have diluted the experience even further.

[niquehawk5]

Originally Posted by m3elmo

i just recently purchased a manual F80 myself. I think the basic rules of buying a used car applies for this one. Things like the crank hub, charge pipes etc aren't a large deal for a mostly stock/oem car driven by a non-aggressive driver. That level of security or concern is dependent on the person.

I'm glad I got the 6 speed. The car driving around town is already pretty easy and numb as it is already, DCT would have diluted the experience even further.

Exactly where I am at....daily drove manual for 6 years until I tore up my knee in 2018 and I am really itching to get my third pedal back. It will be driven spiritedly, but thats about it. It wont be tracked or anything besides some on ramps and longer weekend drives on some nice roads. By the time I could sort out a 340 to what I wanted, why not just buy the real deal from the start.

[Adcampo]

Originally Posted by niquehawk5

Exactly where I am at....daily drove manual for 6 years until I tore up my knee in 2018 and I am really itching to get my third pedal back. It will be driven spiritedly, but thats about it. It wont be tracked or anything besides some on ramps and longer weekend drives on some nice roads. By the time I could sort out a 340 to what I wanted, why not just buy the real deal from the start.

I test drive a 6MT ZCP a couple of weeks ago and it was a blast.

Dumped the clutch at 4K and giggled my way through an old fashion burn out.

[m3elmo]

Originally Posted by niquehawk5

Exactly where I am at....daily drove manual for 6 years until I tore up my knee in 2018 and I am really itching to get my third pedal back. It will be driven spiritedly, but thats about it. It wont be tracked or anything besides some on ramps and longer weekend drives on some nice roads. By the time I could sort out a 340 to what I wanted, why not just buy the real deal from the start.

the other advice would be depending on your budget to get the options and specs you want. You may need to look at a few different cars to figure if competition package is worth it, executive package, do you want the newest 2018 or slightly updated 2016 etc. From that you can see there are reasons why some spec-ed used cars go for a premium over some other cars.

[AlmondJayRoM3]

Test drive both a manual and DCT. I used to be in the 6-speed or nothing at all group, but the PDK on a Cayman changed my mind. Made me realize that an auto can be fun to drive. Having come from an RX-7 and the mazdaspeed3 manuals, I ended up finding the shifter on the M3 to be too rubbery and ended up with a DCT and never looked back. The quick shifting and the engine blips are super smooth on the track and quite addicting

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by AlmondJayRoM3

Test drive both a manual and DCT. I used to be in the 6-speed or nothing at all group, but the PDK on a Cayman changed my mind. Made me realize that an auto can be fun to drive. Having come from an RX-7 and the mazdaspeed3 manuals, I ended up finding the shifter on the M3 to be too rubbery and ended up with a DCT and never looked back. The quick shifting and the engine blips are super smooth on the track and quite addicting

+1 - Def at least try the 2 pedal variant... for research purposes

[Adcampo]

Originally Posted by AlmondJayRoM3

Test drive both a manual and DCT. I used to be in the 6-speed or nothing at all group, but the PDK on a Cayman changed my mind. Made me realize that an auto can be fun to drive. Having come from an RX-7 and the mazdaspeed3 manuals, I ended up finding the shifter on the M3 to be too rubbery and ended up with a DCT and never looked back. The quick shifting and the engine blips are super smooth on the track and quite addicting

I have PDK in my 991.1 S. Amazing transmission and I've enjoyed it. But there's nothing quite like rowing your own gears.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by AlmondJayRoM3

Test drive both a manual and DCT. I used to be in the 6-speed or nothing at all group, but the PDK on a Cayman changed my mind. Made me realize that an auto can be fun to drive. Having come from an RX-7 and the mazdaspeed3 manuals, I ended up finding the shifter on the M3 to be too rubbery and ended up with a DCT and never looked back. The quick shifting and the engine blips are super smooth on the track and quite addicting

That's what happened to me. I was dead set on the 6MT and randomly drove the DCT one day and was pleasantly surprised. It's no PDK, but I was amazed how close it was (other than driving around town). I was planning a 997.2 GTS before we got pregnant with our second, so that's what I was comparing the F80 against. I ended up going with the DCT, though I sometimes miss driving a manual

[icebiker]

Re: charge pipes...in addition to these, the top mount intercooler to which the charge pipe connects is known to leak on several cars, which deposits coolant into the engine. People who have had this problem have reported not getting any error codes so they end up unwittingly driving it with no coolant. Check the intercooler coolant reservoir (way back in the engine bay, near the rear edge of the hood). If it doesn't have fluid, have this checked out. Plenty of threads on this.

If you're going 6MT, be aware that turning off auto rev matching on downshifts (in Sport + mode) can only be done on some cars. Based on threads in this forum, it appears that sometime post mid-2017 the software changed to auto rev match in all driving modes. Not sure if manually rev matching is important to you (it is to me!) but if it is, check to make sure no rev match in Sport +when you do your test drive.

Good luck in your search. The F8X is a hoot!!!

[kchan]

For the DCT, I don't like the rough shifting on the gear 1/2. I came from an old 525i 6 speed, and the DCT while is much faster, is kind of rough for me.

Definitely spend some more time on both to compare. I have never tried the manual on the F80 (wish I had). When I lease mine, there were identical spec 6MT that I wish I have test drive. Wife prefer the DCT since she can drives it, so I didn't even try the 6MT...

Probably need to try the GTS/CS transmission flash...