Recent content by ZapM3

I used This needle tip on a grease gun with lithium grease and had good results. I’m at 75k on my 2018 M3. In May 2020 at 26k, I had the drivers side front upper control arm replaced under warranty for the same issue. The replacement started creaking 2 months ago and became increasingly loud as...

My underbody panel also failed while driving in the rain last week . It was replaced under warranty without me having to argue for it being covered.

Assuming the wheel and interior color are the same Looks like you’d be saving $2,300 and getting FSD in order to take the older car. Plus there are potential sales tax savings depending on your situation. Four main things jump to mind. 1) Warranty. That 2018 is probably two years into its...

Inside the car with the larger (drivers side) rear seat split down. This allows for 2 passengers. I have to take the road bike’s seat off In addition to the front wheel and it’s a tight squeeze getting the rear wheel through the opening. I make sure to put it chain side up, and turn the handle...

Last winter I washed it every 2-3 weeks When a 40+ degree day came around. I wear waterproof jacket, pants, boots and most importantly neoprene diving gloves. It’s the ice cold water on the hands that would be the limiting factor for me. You can also fill your buckets with warm water. I bought...

I saved $40 a tire going with 225/45/18 Pirelli Sottozero 3s from Tire Rack. They were only $140 a tire after a rebate where the 235/45/18s were $180. The load rating on the 225s is 95 instead of 98, but for my LR RWD, it is still within the limit. The wheels I picked were 18 x 7.5 (Enkei EKM3...

My goal is to still turn my head but also listen for the blind spot warning chime, which should give you similar info to the screen. But sometimes I just glance at the screen and skip the head check.

Unplanned Protective formation of dirty M3s at the far reaches of a Chicago Costco parking lot. Sentry mode enabled.

Consider getting some neoprene diving gloves if you want to hand wash on cold (but not freezing) winter days. I picked up a 3mm pair on Amazon for $15 and it makes hand washing bearable even when using very cold water from the tap.

The Tesla Model 3 compare page also has the “EPA est” on the just those two models.

The Tesla site only says “EPA est” for the SR and LR RWD. This could be because they’re using the more optimistic EPA numbers to raise the min and max range of the lineup. Or maybe those are the only two configs tested by the EPA for range. I want to believe my LR RWD is getting additional...

Regarding the 325 mile range figure, on the Model 3 order page, the standard range and long range RWD both say “EPA est” under the range number. The other configurations do not include that phrase. Maybe this is evidence of no actual new range being unlocked on the LR RWD. That would also...

The cause of the noise was a sub-frame bracket that needed to be tightened. Concern: #VSC [CAT1]:Hard acceleration and hitting a bump, Customer hearing a pretty loud bang. Corrections: Exterior NVH General Diagnosis Technician verified concern with customer. Technician identified re-torquing of...

I tried removing everything and the noise remained. So it’s definitely coming from the car itself. The noise doesn’t bother me much. I love the car. I’m just worried that something is getting stressed in a way it’s not designed for and may eventually fail.

Has anyone experienced or learned about a banging noise coming from the rear of the car when going over bumps? It seems to happen almost exclusively under hard acceleration. It happens on my M3 (26xxx) anytime I encounter a fairly minor road imperfection while flooring it. My main theory is...