E36 Under-body Trim Panel

Posted on 2015/01/16 by Chad

Underneath the E36 (all models except ti compacts) there are two black plastic trim pieces found just behind the rear jack pads, in front of the rear wheels. These trim panels fill an oddly shaped gap between the plastic fuel tank and the rocker panel / cabin floor. They also have a small air dam protruding straight down to help funnel air around the rear tires. The M Coupe has something very similar in the same location. And just like on the M Coupe, this flimsy little piece of plastic is the first item to get damaged during any off track excursions.

The photo below (sorry for the poor quality) shows the right side trim panel, which had suffered a torn mounting tab. This allowed it to flap about, doing little to control the air flow underneath. The following photo shows the broken tab and the new panel.

These panels are held in place by a 10mm stamped washer/nut at the front and an 8mm screw at the rear and further secured by being sandwiched between the fuel tank and chassis.

It’s a very simple job, the hardest part is actually finding the part numbers for these two pieces. It took a lot of digging on RealOEM before I was able to narrow down the proper pieces. Hopefully this saves someone the trouble.

All E36 Models (Coupe, Convertible, Sedan, M3) exc 318ti Compact:
TRIM PANEL LEFT: 51718130071
TRIM PANEL RIGHT: 51718130072

E36 Door Handle Trim Replacement

Posted on 2015/01/14 by Chad

My ’98 M3 Sedan is in pretty clean shape, but there’s no getting around the ravages of 17 years on the rubber and plastic parts. One of the most common parts to show signs of aging and dry rot are the black rubber gaskets surrounding the door handles.

Thankfully BMW made these very easy to replace and fairly inexpensive. I learned how to pop them off when I repaired the spinning door lock issue on my M Coupe.

First the parts you’ll need:

1x Coupe / Sedan Left Front Door: 51218122441
1x Coupe / Sedan Right Front Door: 51218122442
2x Sedan Rear Doors: 51228119076

Open the door and you’ll see an oblong black plastic cap at the same height as the door handle located on the rear jam. Pop off this plastic cap, I found a 90 degree dental pick worked best for removing these (ignore the jeweler’s screwdriver in the photo below, I actually broke it on my first attempt).

With the cap removed you’ll have access to the metal slide that locks the plastic surround onto the door. It’s very difficult to see this piece and impossible to photograph. If you shine a light in the hole, you might just be able to see it. It’s a thin (~5/16″) wide metal strip that has a 90 degree bend on it at the end. That bend or prong faces inwards and is what you need to push towards the front of the car to unlock the trim piece. It should take very little pressure to push it. I used a hooked dental pick to accomplish this.

Once unlocked, the plastic trim can be lifted out from the top first then unhooked from the bottom. Again there should be very little resistance to removing it.

With the trim pieces removed I took the opportunity to clean up all the grime that has accumulated behind the plastic over the years.

The new handle trim goes on in reverse. Slide the lower plastic hooks into their holes then push the upper prongs through their slots. You’ll need to hold the trim piece firm against the door as you lock it into place. Using a dental hook pick, grab the metal slide described earlier, and pull it towards the rear. You should feel it tighten slightly as you do this and it will secure the trim surround into place.

Also make sure that the integrated rubber gasket on the backside of the trim has its lip up and over the trim as to prevent water intrusion into the door panel. With everything in place, check that the handles open the doors without resistance. If everything looks and feels good, go ahead and re-install the black plastic access hole plugs.

M Coupe ///M Emblem Replacement

Posted on 2014/11/07 by Chad

My M Coupe returned from the body shop after its hail damage repairs with a number of issues. One of which was the missing ///M emblem from the rear hatch. The shop ordered me up a new one, and I decided I’d be better off installing it myself. Now, if you’re like me, you are a stickler for the details and simply eye-balling the badge just won’t cut it. BMW, like most manufacturers, have very specific dimensions for their badge placement. Off I went to Google to see if I could find the official measurements. Fortunately I found numerous references to exactly where and how to install the badge.

Parts: There are two different badges depending on what model M Coupe you have. The first generation (1998-2000) S50/S52 powered M Coupes use a flat badge with a higher placement. The 2001-02 S54 M Coupe uses a curved badge placed lower.

RealOEM Reference:
51142250811 Letter “M” Rear (Flat) for 1998-2000 M Coupe
51142694404 Emblem, Adhered (Curved) for 2001-02 M Coupe

To make sure I had the emblem properly aligned, I used Power Point to print rectangles at 23mm width (also added 65mm for any S52 guys) on some card stock paper. I cleaned the paint with some wax & tar remover to ensure a good bond, then cut these rectangles out and taped them in place, parallel to the edge of the hatch next to the right brake light.

Click the image to the left to open an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file of the emblem placement instructions. Print off the document, preferably on card stock, and carefully cut out the spacer templates you need. Then using some masking tape, you place the cut-outs parallel to the edge of the hatch to properly align your emblem.

NOTE: Make sure to uncheck “Fit to Page” option on the print dialog. There may also be an option to print “Actual Size” rather than scaled. You must print it to its original size.

With the paper templates in place, I double checked to make sure everything looked correct. Take a step back and ensure your lower line is parallel to the road surface, which pretty much follows the gentle horizontal sheet-metal crease running across the hatch.

Then remove the wax paper backing from the emblem and lightly place it above the lower template and aligned right to the vertical template. I emphasize placing the emblem only lightly at first, just in case you need to readjust it. I took another look from a distance to ensure everything looked right before pressing the emblem firmly in place.

Remove your template and admire your work.

BONUS: Just in case you happened upon this page in search of emblem placement for your Z4 M Roadster (E85) or Z4 M Coupe (E86), here you go…

Motion Motorsports Underpanel for the E36M3

Posted on 2014/05/27 by Chad

I had purchased a Motion Motorsports underpanel a year or so ago, intending to install it on the E36 race car. After evaluating how it installs and what I wanted to do with the race car, I decided it would be better suited for a road car. My reasons: it’s unnecessary if running a front spoiler and it makes removal of the front bumper difficult.

That said, it does offer a number of benefits. The stock plastic under-panel is a bit flimsy and only serves as a duct to the radiator, providing no real aero benefit or protection for the front of the engine. The Motion Motorsports panel is made of a fairly thick sheet of aluminum and comes with some beefy hardware. The install is relatively straight forward, just a few things to look out for and no special tools required.

I also ordered the radiator duct piece from Motion, which helps deflect and funnel air through the radiator, rather than around it.

Here you can see the stock plastic piece, which is held in with four screws.

And here it is removed, with the bottom of the radiator exposed.

Now for the hardware. The kit includes four plastic nut inserts, which are inserted into existing holes on the front frame horns. This is what the aluminum standoff plates are mounted to (sorry I forgot to grab a photo of that.) The leading edge of the panel is attached to the urethane bumper using some T-nuts, small carriage bolts, and nuts.

There aren’t any existing holes on the bottom of the OEM bumper, so you have to temporarily install the panel on the standoffs and use it as a template to drill the holes. Pay close attention to your placement, as the panel is an exact fit. If you are shifted slightly to one side, it will not seat properly. With the holes drilled, the T-nuts and carriage bolts are inserted from the top-side. Then another nut is used to secure the bolt, which essentially sucks up the soft urethane plastic around the T-nut and creates a mounting stud. See the photo at the right for a better idea.

While I had access to the back of the bumper, I took the opportunity to fix a loose center grill and also secure the OEM brake ducts which had a few broken clips. Some HVAC aluminum tape worked great for both fixes, which are obviously hidden behind the bumper.

Here you can see the panel and radiator duct together prior to installation. The radiator duct has a punch out for an electrical connector on the AC condenser, and the whole assembly can be shifted forward or rearward as needed.

The panel also replaces the flimsy pork chop panels that attach to the wheel well liners. Here it uses some OEM style nut plates and the same bolts as used elsewhere. Overall the whole system is very stout and adds some rigidity to the entire front bumper and liners. Not sure if there is any appreciable amount of aero advantage, probably very very little, but it has to smooth out the air flow under the front a bit. It also adds some protection to the front of the engine for the PS pump, AC compressor, and associated belts.

Cleaning up the M Coupe

Posted on 2013/07/20 by Chad

The Coupe was in desperate need of a bath following the last track day. Track days mean getting black marks from the tons of tire rubber littering the track and filthy wheels from brake dust. I also smashed a whole swarm of grasshoppers during the drive to and from the track. After reading a few reviews on the Chemical Guys products, I decided to give them a try. I’ve been using them for a while now and have been very pleased. At first I was just using their wax, now I’m using their wash and spray sealers. The soap does a much better job than store bought brands at lifting marks and bug guts. The spray is very simple, just spray on and wipe with a clean microfiber. As a bonus, it smells just like orange cream-cicles. I’m also using the two bucket method now, which really helps keep the dirt out of the soap.