JayDee427

When the 395+ hp BMW 555i debuts, it will be know as the "Return of the Living Dead".

pukka

The engines were failing because the red-line was set too high. The folks in marketing didn't listen to the folks in engineering. Once they released a software update that lowered the red-line, the problem went away.

Richard in NC

That sure isn't what I heard. Early E46 M3s had a bad batch of bearings that caused the failures. The redline on the last ones produced is still the same.
The original M Coupe may have had a slightly lower redline and a bit less HP in its tune but never the M3.

redwhiteblue

+1-redline never changed through the years for the e46 m3-it was a faulty set of parts that were outsourced, non bmw made that were not up to specs that went into a crapload of motors. When they stopped using the parts the problem went away-it was more than just the bearings but I cannot remember the exact part.

JetBlack5OC

Well your kind-of right and that wasn't the only problem.


1) Failure due to contamination of the engine lubricating system while assembly.

2) Unfavorable tolerances in the engine oil pump.

3) Connecting rods susceptible to overheating and subsequent failure.

4) SMG E46 M3, were experiencing a "mis-shift over rev".

AlB

I just have one word to say SoWhat !!!

All this rhetoric about V8's vs turbos is all internet ego's and machismo at its best. If you have a V8 E 60, you are driving one of the best sedans in the world. Why worry about tenths of a second or car lengths? At the end of the day, does it really matter?

I have owned many very fast cars in the past and every one that I have owned have gotten me to work, to the store and anywhere else I need to go very nicely. In the real world, tenths and car lengths are best suited for keyboards and kept off the public streets.

Sorry for the rant and this is not a personal attack on your post, but all of these "my Johnson is bigger than your Johnson" stories is taking up precious bandwidth.

pukka

All of these problems were exacerbated by a a higher than recommended red-line. Maybe the source is questionable, but i remember reading about it in a recent copy of BIMMER (Jun 07 print, I think). I no longer have the magazine, but there was a pretty good article about past generation M3's. I can't remember what the mechanical failures were (most likely what is being quoted), but I do remember reading that any M3 brought in for assoicated repairs under warranty got a software update which lowered the red-line (slightly, but lower nonetheless).

The article also stated the problem first occurred in non-SMG cars, which BMW dismissed as being the driver's fault. It wasn't until the SMG versions started blowing engines (since they are designed to never miss a shift) that BMW admitted to a bona-fide problem.