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Thread: Which is easier to maintenance M5 3.6 or 3.8 ???

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by e34.535i.sport
    After replacing ALL the suspension bushes and ball joints on my 17 year old e34 it handles a thousand times better than my 6 year old (at the time) e46 ever did! I found the e46 to be very tail-end happy in comparison to my e34 (and that had traction control!) as well.

    I think this is all personal opinion however, others may see it differently?

    Overall the e46 seemed like a less well made car too, things seemed to go wrong that shouldn't if you know what i mean. Seems to me that BMW peaked in the 80s/90s particularly in design... Although the e65 is outta this world.
    actually as far as reliability is concerned My father ordered his brand new and within a week it had to back to the shop acouple of times for stupid little things, but on a brand new 30k bimmer it shouldn't happen. Which E46 did you have?
    -Mike

  2. #22
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    The 3.8 is defintely a lot smoother and better for tooling around town, but they normally also have EDC which is insanely expensive to fix when it goes.

    I personally love the raw power delivery from 3.6, and the shorter gearing makes it a tad bit quicker as well, although it would be nice to have a 6th gear on the highway.

    It all depends what you are looking for, personally narrow-snouted and 3.6L is what I prefer. Good luck in your choice and don't have too much fun
    1990 Islandgrun 535iM Sedan

    3k oil changes | Euro lights + trim | Eibach/Bilstein | EAT Chip

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam-Son
    actually as far as reliability is concerned My father ordered his brand new and within a week it had to back to the shop acouple of times for stupid little things, but on a brand new 30k bimmer it shouldn't happen. Which E46 did you have?
    I've heard a few stories like that, and for that kind of money you'd expect better really. I blame it on too much technology - more to go wrong and more expensive to fix when it does! I love the simplicity of my car now, but one thing i do miss in the summer is the air con. I had a 1999 316 with the 1.9L. Had to replace quite a few things in the time i owned it considering the age of the car and it wasn't as reliable as it should've been really.

    Wouldn't change the black beauty for anything now - i'm keeping it forever!!!!!
    1995 XJR: 4.0L S/charged straight 6 Auto

    What... It's not broken??? I can still fix it

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by e34.535i.sport
    I've heard a few stories like that, and for that kind of money you'd expect better really. I blame it on too much technology - more to go wrong and more expensive to fix when it does! I love the simplicity of my car now, but one thing i do miss in the summer is the air con. I had a 1999 316 with the 1.9L. Had to replace quite a few things in the time i owned it considering the age of the car and it wasn't as reliable as it should've been really.

    Wouldn't change the black beauty for anything now - i'm keeping it forever!!!!!
    Oh a 99 316. Well even though I've never driven one of those I willing to take a punt and say the 01 and 04 325Ci sports are much improved. wait your 5er doesn't have A/C?!
    -Mike

  5. #25
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    I am glad you brought that up. '92 and later 3.6s came with a taller 3.73 gearing. As far as the EDC, if they go, there are other alternatives for fixing them. There are even cheap reports of taking the shocks to trucking shops that know how to rebuild hydraulics.

    After doing suspensions on about a dozen e34s including several M5s, and eliminating self-leveling, I do like how I personally can tailor a suspension to me. Howeer, I still like the wheel travel of the EDC suspension and how it keeps the tires on the ground.

    After tuning a few S38 3.6s, the throttle sensor is better in the 3.8 as it can read partial throttle for fine computer adjustments.

    My ideal S38B38 would be to change the flywheel to 3.6L, change the diff gearing, add a chip, change swaybars, and if I wanted more, change the cams. Now that would be nice. I still love how I built up my e34 using the 3.6L and how it benefits the lighter weight.

    lol, both options are still awesome options!



    Quote Originally Posted by ILoveMPower
    The 3.8 is defintely a lot smoother and better for tooling around town, but they normally also have EDC which is insanely expensive to fix when it goes.

    I personally love the raw power delivery from 3.6, and the shorter gearing makes it a tad bit quicker as well, although it would be nice to have a 6th gear on the highway.

    It all depends what you are looking for, personally narrow-snouted and 3.6L is what I prefer. Good luck in your choice and don't have too much fun
    Brandon J

  6. #26
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    Check out Euromcars.com they always have a couple of cars
    like this one
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E...QQcmdZViewItem
    -Mike

  7. #27
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    -Mike

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam-Son
    Oh a 99 316. Well even though I've never driven one of those I willing to take a punt and say the 01 and 04 325Ci sports are much improved. wait your 5er doesn't have A/C?!
    I'd hope so!

    Nope, no air con for me unfortunately... although its probably a good thing considering the amount of juice it uses already!
    1995 XJR: 4.0L S/charged straight 6 Auto

    What... It's not broken??? I can still fix it

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by e34.535i.sport
    I'd hope so!

    Nope, no air con for me unfortunately... although its probably a good thing considering the amount of juice it uses already!
    Actually I try and keep my A/C off. the moment I switch it on I can instantly feel the power loss
    -Mike

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon K
    but really that S54 only dyno ~240 - 250 rwhp,
    I thought the s54 had like 300 or something hp?
    1993 525iA M50TU
    Black on Black...need pics
    208,888 miles

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