BMW E36 Forum

hi my 1st post since joining!ive just sold my m reg 320i which was low mileage lovely condition and upgraded(in performance terms supposedly)to an r reg 323i coupe.the car is very high mileage and due for a full service which i shall undertake in next couple of days.problem is my car just doesnt feel as lively as the 320i!admittedly it pulls like a train in top gear but lower down it doesnt feel that quick.could this just be a case of needing new plugs and fresh oil.oil was very low when i bought it and have put a litre of fresh in it to keep it going til parts for service arrive.i bought it of a young lad who didnt seem to know much about cars let alone bmws(this is my 3rd e36).any advice would be appreciated!

I don't think it's ever going to be a race car but a service will certainly do it some good.

service being done tomorrow so will hopefully improve i dont really want to go down the standard induction kit/exhaust route id rather keep it as standard as possible to the ears and eyes would an ecu remap or chip help and what sort of power gains should i see?

you will probably find this car has a multi valve head,they didn,t pull from low down the rev range,you need to rev it to get it to move.

yeah im driving it pretty gently at moment with all the snow when i briefly gave it some beans it did pull very well but ive got 9 points so i have to drive cautiously!

just completed a full service.added ngk spark plugs,quantum oil,new air/oil filter and pollen and fuel filters.old oil was awful and filters were completely knackered.plugs were corroded.i would estimate around 25,000 miles since last service.its a shame car fell into the hands of a muppet who didnt look after it(previous owner).im going to complete another oil change in next 2000 miles or so just to cleanse any traces of old oil out of system.i added some sts fuel injector cleaner and let the car run til new oil warmed then went for a drive.i must admit am surprised by difference to acceleration and throttle response.car feels much sharper

It's amazing what a service can do ey?

Keeping your car well maintained really is the best thing you can do for performance.

its a lot nicer to drive now power feels a lot smoother doesnt come in awkward lumps like it used to.

Thats good to hear. E36s are wonderful cars when they are working nicely. Whenever I forget how nice they are I have a drive of someone else's car then when I get back the the bimmer it's awesome... sitting in those lovely leather seats and it just accelerates and handles so nicely

thats very true.i had a vectra sri with the full irmscher kit and factory sports suspension.it was a lovely car to look at but i sold it after a month as it didnt have the right "feel" as soon as i went back to the e36 i was happy