My S50 MCoupe - The first year
I can still remember seeing these cars back in the late 90's, when I was a student. I thought 'one day, one day I'll have one of those'.
When I finally landed my first grad job out of uni I bought a 4 year old 2.8 roadster, which had about 20k on the clock, I instantly loved it. The double vanos 2.8 was a corker as was the tail happy rear end. I decided to move the Z3 on after a few months in a bid to save some cash.
Track forward 10 years and I had a hankering for an MCoupe.
Now, if you ask my friends and family, reckless car buying is not my thing. I am meticulous about the cars I buy and try and find the best deal/example I can.
So, in April 2014 I did something I'd never done before. I bought a car I'd never seen and never driven and another first, I bought it from auction. Those of you with a keen memory will know which car I'm talking about.
The car in question is a W reg S50 in Estoril blue with matching interior, sunroof and cruise control. At the time of buying the car had 71k on the clock. Before bidding the auction house did a walk round for me. It was no garage queen and by all accounts it had been stood for a while as the previous owner had passed away.
My wife went and picked the coupe up form the auction house and drove the 200miles home to Bournemouth, picking me up from Southampton train station on her way. My initial thoughts weren't too bad, the car was in one piece and it had 4 wheels that turned - I was onto a winner! Annoyingly, the accelerator cable was so stretched that 65mph seemed to be the top speed and the drivers seat was stuck in the highest position (both issues the auction house kindly forgot to mention when giving me feedback on the car).
I decided that I wouldn't drive the car until some remedial work had been carried out. First off, I replaced the accelerator cable and removed the drivers seat and fixed the mechanism (both jobs completed with guidance from the forum). Finally, I gave the old girl a good old wash and brush up.
The car had been laid up for some time so I decided an Inspection 1 was called for. I've used a local BMW specialist for years so I trusted them with the coupe. At the service I had the car fitted with an Earls braided clutch hose (night and day difference) and I had all of the fluids changed (engine, gearbox and diff) using C_W's recommendations from Opie Oils. Whilst in the garage the handbrake shoes were changed, a few bushes were replaced as they were found to be worn and I had a new door actuator fitted (which didn't fix the delayed window drop issue I have, grrr).
For the next 600 miles or so I simple 'ran the car in', at the advice of my mechanic.
June 2014
My first proper full on Mcoupe driving experience was in June 2014, when I drove to a friends stag do in Cornwall. I finished work on Sunny Friday afternoon and headed for Cornwall. The drive was immense the more I drove the more the coupe wanted to be driven. I was hooked!!!
A week after coming back from Cornwall I noticed that the idling was rough and that power was down. My heart sank at the thought of laying out a wedge on a vanos service. Anyway, onto the forum to see if there were any cheap DIY fixes I could try first. On investigation it sounded as though the rough running could have been solenoid related. I dropped into my BMW specialist and they hooked up the diagnostic tool. The fault code showed the vanos was to blame but it didn't detail whether it was the solenoids at fault.
On removing the air filter hose I noticed that the rubber sleeve, which covers a T joint was split but not sufficiently to cause an air leak. I replaced the part anyway as it was past its best.
I decided that I'd give the repair a go myself. Armed with a list of parts I went to my local dealer and purchased new solenoid seals, bolts, oil filter and gaskets. The repair was a little fiddly so I removed the fan and the fan cowling to gain access, as it was the fan only had 5 blades on it so that too was replaced.
On closer inspection it was evident that there had been an oil leak in the past from one of the solenoids. On removal there was no obvious damage to the solders nor was there any signs of fresh oil leaks. After a few hours everything was back in place, all parts were cleaned prior to being put back on the car. The turn key moment of truth, had I managed to save myself a big bill and restored the smooth idling? Abso-flippin'-lutely I had, the coupe once again settled into a stable idle. Job done.
Since then, I've had no mechanical issues (touch wood).
July 2014
I removed the plastic door sill covers and cleaned all of the dirt, fortunately no rust to be seen just a build up of grime. I also fitted 10mm H&R spacers all round. Definitely made a difference to the look and feel of the car, both for the better.
Feb 2015
I invested in a Meguirs kit to restore the hazy headlight and the results were astounding, not brand new but an amazing difference. At the same time I swapped out all the bulbs for some more powerful Osram ones.
March 2015
MOT time!! Before dropping the car off I took it for an early morning Italian tune up too clear the pipes. The coupe passed the MOT with a few advisories, two front tyres are close to limit and one rear tyre had a nail in it. Thank the Lord it only wears 17's!
At the time of writing the car has 74.5k on the clock and 3 green lights.
Plans for the next 12 months
It all depends on available funds really. I have a young family so funds are limited. Below are what I'd like to do in the next 12 months:
- Fit new tyres, I'm happy with the Goodyear's we've had fitted to our E91 so I suspect I'll go for these.
- Suspension refresh, I think at 15 years old it wouldn't hurt to show a bit of love here.
- Fix the drivers door window, the window doesn't drop quickly enough when the door is opened. If anyone has any suggestions how to resolve please let me know. I've replaced the actuator with no luck.
- The drivers seat has just started to creak so I suspect some new bushes are on the cards.
In all, it's been a great year. The coupe is entertaining and gets attention wherever I go. So far, the running costs are sufferable and on a run it isn't too bad.
Would I buy the same car again? Absolutely, at the time people questioned the price i paid and yes the car could do with some cosmetic touch ups but at the end of the day it is an M coupe and these cars are about driving and enjoying. Given the current climate, what I paid 12 months ago for my car doesn't seem that bad.
I may not be the most frequent of bloggers on here but I hope you've all enjoyed reading. Look out for me if you're ever in Bournemouth.
I can still remember seeing these cars back in the late 90's, when I was a student. I thought 'one day, one day I'll have one of those'.
When I finally landed my first grad job out of uni I bought a 4 year old 2.8 roadster, which had about 20k on the clock, I instantly loved it. The double vanos 2.8 was a corker as was the tail happy rear end. I decided to move the Z3 on after a few months in a bid to save some cash.
Track forward 10 years and I had a hankering for an MCoupe.
Now, if you ask my friends and family, reckless car buying is not my thing. I am meticulous about the cars I buy and try and find the best deal/example I can.
So, in April 2014 I did something I'd never done before. I bought a car I'd never seen and never driven and another first, I bought it from auction. Those of you with a keen memory will know which car I'm talking about.
The car in question is a W reg S50 in Estoril blue with matching interior, sunroof and cruise control. At the time of buying the car had 71k on the clock. Before bidding the auction house did a walk round for me. It was no garage queen and by all accounts it had been stood for a while as the previous owner had passed away.
My wife went and picked the coupe up form the auction house and drove the 200miles home to Bournemouth, picking me up from Southampton train station on her way. My initial thoughts weren't too bad, the car was in one piece and it had 4 wheels that turned - I was onto a winner! Annoyingly, the accelerator cable was so stretched that 65mph seemed to be the top speed and the drivers seat was stuck in the highest position (both issues the auction house kindly forgot to mention when giving me feedback on the car).
I decided that I wouldn't drive the car until some remedial work had been carried out. First off, I replaced the accelerator cable and removed the drivers seat and fixed the mechanism (both jobs completed with guidance from the forum). Finally, I gave the old girl a good old wash and brush up.
The car had been laid up for some time so I decided an Inspection 1 was called for. I've used a local BMW specialist for years so I trusted them with the coupe. At the service I had the car fitted with an Earls braided clutch hose (night and day difference) and I had all of the fluids changed (engine, gearbox and diff) using C_W's recommendations from Opie Oils. Whilst in the garage the handbrake shoes were changed, a few bushes were replaced as they were found to be worn and I had a new door actuator fitted (which didn't fix the delayed window drop issue I have, grrr).
For the next 600 miles or so I simple 'ran the car in', at the advice of my mechanic.
June 2014
My first proper full on Mcoupe driving experience was in June 2014, when I drove to a friends stag do in Cornwall. I finished work on Sunny Friday afternoon and headed for Cornwall. The drive was immense the more I drove the more the coupe wanted to be driven. I was hooked!!!
A week after coming back from Cornwall I noticed that the idling was rough and that power was down. My heart sank at the thought of laying out a wedge on a vanos service. Anyway, onto the forum to see if there were any cheap DIY fixes I could try first. On investigation it sounded as though the rough running could have been solenoid related. I dropped into my BMW specialist and they hooked up the diagnostic tool. The fault code showed the vanos was to blame but it didn't detail whether it was the solenoids at fault.
On removing the air filter hose I noticed that the rubber sleeve, which covers a T joint was split but not sufficiently to cause an air leak. I replaced the part anyway as it was past its best.
I decided that I'd give the repair a go myself. Armed with a list of parts I went to my local dealer and purchased new solenoid seals, bolts, oil filter and gaskets. The repair was a little fiddly so I removed the fan and the fan cowling to gain access, as it was the fan only had 5 blades on it so that too was replaced.
On closer inspection it was evident that there had been an oil leak in the past from one of the solenoids. On removal there was no obvious damage to the solders nor was there any signs of fresh oil leaks. After a few hours everything was back in place, all parts were cleaned prior to being put back on the car. The turn key moment of truth, had I managed to save myself a big bill and restored the smooth idling? Abso-flippin'-lutely I had, the coupe once again settled into a stable idle. Job done.
Since then, I've had no mechanical issues (touch wood).
July 2014
I removed the plastic door sill covers and cleaned all of the dirt, fortunately no rust to be seen just a build up of grime. I also fitted 10mm H&R spacers all round. Definitely made a difference to the look and feel of the car, both for the better.
Feb 2015
I invested in a Meguirs kit to restore the hazy headlight and the results were astounding, not brand new but an amazing difference. At the same time I swapped out all the bulbs for some more powerful Osram ones.
March 2015
MOT time!! Before dropping the car off I took it for an early morning Italian tune up too clear the pipes. The coupe passed the MOT with a few advisories, two front tyres are close to limit and one rear tyre had a nail in it. Thank the Lord it only wears 17's!
At the time of writing the car has 74.5k on the clock and 3 green lights.
Plans for the next 12 months
It all depends on available funds really. I have a young family so funds are limited. Below are what I'd like to do in the next 12 months:
- Fit new tyres, I'm happy with the Goodyear's we've had fitted to our E91 so I suspect I'll go for these.
- Suspension refresh, I think at 15 years old it wouldn't hurt to show a bit of love here.
- Fix the drivers door window, the window doesn't drop quickly enough when the door is opened. If anyone has any suggestions how to resolve please let me know. I've replaced the actuator with no luck.
- The drivers seat has just started to creak so I suspect some new bushes are on the cards.
In all, it's been a great year. The coupe is entertaining and gets attention wherever I go. So far, the running costs are sufferable and on a run it isn't too bad.
Would I buy the same car again? Absolutely, at the time people questioned the price i paid and yes the car could do with some cosmetic touch ups but at the end of the day it is an M coupe and these cars are about driving and enjoying. Given the current climate, what I paid 12 months ago for my car doesn't seem that bad.
I may not be the most frequent of bloggers on here but I hope you've all enjoyed reading. Look out for me if you're ever in Bournemouth.
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