That said, I'll do my best here to give a complete and honest account of my experiences with the companies
listed below, trying to keep a positive tone. Maintaining a high-performance automobile like the M3 is
exacting work. I believe it is important to reward those companies that provide the best service
and value. Please note that a mention here, unless so stated, does not equate to an endorsement by me.
Here are a few specific, well-earned endorsements:
evosport (especially Vadim, Brad and Josh) has been very helpful in preparing and maintaining my car.
Ground Control makes great suspension components and Jay there has been extremely helpful and supportive.
A. Bauer Porsche in Oakland, especially the owner, Chris, was extremely generous with his time and shop facilities when installing my suspension. He's been great regarding my Porsches and very generous and honest with his advice.
Here are a few pans:
Avoid Stevens Creek BMW in Santa Clara, California. Their mistreatment of at least two M3 owners was so unprofessional and inexcusable that nobody should do any business with them, ever. They tried to force one customer to authorize a $4,000 valve inspection, the results of which were supposed to determine if his failed motor (typical S54 faulty bearing failure) would be covered by warranty. See also a post regarding their pricing "policies".
If you like to modify your car and/or use it for track events, avoid Beverly Hills BMW. Their service department casts an unreasonably jaundiced eye on anything non-standard. They gave me a hard time about installing the larger BMW SMG paddles and refused to look for a rattle in my car because it was "lowered."
A Roadfly member said his dealership, Hancock BMW in Columbia, South Carolina, told told him that "technicians are going to test drive it befor I take delivery so the car will have around 25-30 miles on it . . . He said they don't let the customer have the car before they test it first." This is not a common, fair or reasonable practice. I wouldn't toloerate it. for details.
For track events, competition driving instruction and clubs, see my
Track page. For Porsche links, see my
Porsche Links page. If you're concerned about the recent engine failures, as any E46 M3 owner should be, see my Engine of Damocles page.
Clubs, Lists & Organizations
The BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA) is the main national owners' club. See
http://www.bmwcca.org/. I enjoyed the
Golden Gate Region's High-Speed Driving School, though I thought they were playing it
too safe and not allowing us to challenge ourselves enough. I've now joined the
Los Angeles Chapter of the BMW CCA.
evosport does all manner of performance upgrades and maintenance. The guys I've
met, Brad, Simon, Josh, Frank, Ben and Vadim, all seems very knowledgable and cool, though there was
one snafu regarding the brake fluid flush on my E46 M3... Brad and Simon do a lot of
competitive driving, as does Brad's father. Vadim, who runs the SHO Shop installation and dyno
facilities, has been very helpful, candid, and generous with his time. See
http://www.evosport.com/.
I've heard good things about GT International (in West L.A.) from a number of
BMW folks. They do all BMW maintenance, plus some performance work. John,
the owner, seems quite knowledgable and helpful. Their rates seem high, but many say
they're worth the cost.
Bullet Performance, located in Costa Mesa, has a nice big shop. I met Mickey
briefly when I stopped by to buy some ATE brake fluid. I've spoken with Chris there about
putting a custom roll cage in my car.
AC Schnitzer located in Germany, at
http://www.acschnitzer.com/.
They've been making souped-up BMWs for some time and have all manner of aesthetic and
performance upgrades. Their stuff is quite expensive, however, so I haven't bought anything
just yet.
Borla Performance Industries in Oxnard, California, at
http://www.borla.com/.
They make the most reputable performance mufflers like the XR-1, which I had on my 928.
They did, however, completely screw-up the shipping, leaving me
sans car for four extra days. I'd wait until you have the item in hand before
starting any work. The muffler sure sounded good.
Dinan BMW in Morgan Hill, California, at
http://www.dinanbmw.com/ specializes in
BMW performance. They have an extensive catalog of maintenance and performance products, including
chipsets, suspension, aerodynamics, intakes, exhausts, etc. Though many feel their ECU/chipset
upgrades are not all that great, they do make some nice gear, such as the front strut tower brace
for the E46 M3, which I plan to get soon.
Escort, at
http://www.escortradar.com/ has out
a hot radar detector, the Passport 8500, which I now use. I'm not sure if it's better than the
Valentine One, but it seems to work well. Though it lacks the directional arrows, it does
provide a clearer indication of what type of radar is being detected. I'll post more when
I've had a chance to use it for awhile.
Granatelli Performance in Canoga Park, California, at
http://www.granatelliperformance.com/
does some BMW work. I spoke at length with Joe Granatelli about the custom cage I'd like
installed in my car. I plan to visit soon to see some of their work. His father is the Paxton
Supercharger guy.
Ground Control in California, at
http://www.ground-control.com/
makes some of the most trick suspension for a number of cars, including the BMW. Jay there
has an E46 M3. I installed the entire setup from them, including front coilovers, rear springs
and struts, front and rear swaybars and the rear-arm stability kit. I'll install the front
bearings very soon. The setup feels great so far after five hundred miles, though there have
been a number of small setup issues. Jay has been very helpful with advice and referrals.
PIAA of Beaverton, Oregon, at
http://www.piaa.com/,
makes some very bright blue-white halogen bulbs called, aptly, Platinum Series Super
White bulbs. They are noticeably brighter than standard replacement bulbs.
TC Kline Racing, out of Hilliard, Ohio, has a big catalog of performance products for BMW.
I worked with Pete there, who was extremely courteous and responsive. I got my Euro-version
Frozen Rotors from them. TC does a lot of BMW racing. See
http://www.tckline.com/, for details.
The Tire Rack, at
http://www.tirerack.com/,
has great pricing on tires and excellent service so far. Salespeople are
often surprisingly knowledgeable. I end up using them every time, though they
recently shipped the wrong size tires to me, delaying me by a few days.
UUC, at
http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/,
has a big catalog of stuff. I bought their aluminum pedal set, which I have yet to install.
It seems identical to the AC Schnitzer ones at half the price.
Valentine Research, at
http://www.valentineone.com/,
makes a superb radar detector, called the Valentine One. Build quality is
great. I used it for over two years and it saved my butt many times;
it paid for itself a few times over.
M3Forum.com "is an enthusiast site for BMW M3 and other M power
owners!" of E30, E36 and E46 cars, at
http://m3forum.com.
The E46 ///M3 FAQ, by "Marc Chu (Loki), Kristopher Linquist and many other
BMW enthusiasts ", is the older version of the FAQ; it has tons of information and
photos of the E46 M3 at
http://home.pacbell.net/atomo/e46m3_faq.html.
Ever wonder exactly what your car is worth? The Kelley Blue Book, at
http://www.kelleybluebook.com/
is most likely what your insurance company uses. It's not all that accurate when applied to rare,
specialty cars like the Turbo S.