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      11-30-2017, 09:59 AM   #1
DanM2C
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Things you wish you knew before you bought your M2

Hi everyone. Made my way over here from the f30 forums. For a while now, I have had my eye on the M2 but due to several factors (living in a city with no garage, quality of roads in the city, lower salary at job), I have not yet bought one. In the next year, I will be moving to a different area of the country, will not be living in a city, and will have a more competitive salary. I plan to see how the first 6 months there goes before making any major decisions/purchases, but if all goes according to plan at that point I will buy a M2.

Right now I have my eye on a 6MT in alpine white, no moonroof, executive package. I know that the CS will eventually be coming out but I think the n55 will be more than enough for me and one of my favorite experiences about having a car is the modding, so if over time I want more power there is room for expansion. After getting the car, I would eventually like to put on a set of HRE r101 lightweight wheels in gloss black, ohlins road and track coil overs, paint the calipers tiffany blue, add an aftermarket carbon fiber rear diffuser and front lip, and add either the akrapovic or m-performance titanium exhaust.

Enough of my rambling and to the point: for those who have already bought a M2, was there anything you learned from the buying or modding process? If you could have done it again, what would you have done differently? Any feedback is much appreciated!
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      11-30-2017, 11:32 AM   #2
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The one thing for me: how small the gas tank was...I make way too many trips to the gas stations nowadays.
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      11-30-2017, 12:54 PM   #3
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If I had to do it over again I would have planned for putting PPF on immediately and budgeted accordingly.

I also would have tried to get a deal on M Performance parts I wanted when buying the car, but I was too caught up in the moment just dealing with buying the car.

As far as N55 and modding there is room for more power, but there isn't a lot of room without adding a bigger turbo.

This is a big one for me, when I had the car tinted with ceramic tint, the rear window now has refraction glare at night when headlights hit the defroster lines. I think this is because ceramic is generally thicker than other tint. I would have asked this forum who doesn't have this issue on their rear window, and what tint did they use, then get that instead of what I have.

If you decide to get the MPE if you have them install it before you buy it I think it gets a longer warranty. I guess look into that if that is of interest to you.

As far as MT people like getting a cheap clutch stop to shorten the length of clutch travel.

Gas mileage is worse than I thought. Maybe the problem is my foot.
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      11-30-2017, 01:23 PM   #4
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I would have wrapped my rocker panels(side skirts) when I did my PPF install because the paint behind the front tires (facing the tire) is MELTED after 8.5k Miles
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      11-30-2017, 02:59 PM   #5
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A few thoughts after owning an LCI 6MT for a few months now:

1. Sounds like you're perhaps budget-minded--so....buying the M Performance parts separate from the car purchase will save you money. Prices are cheaper and the installation is not that big of a hassle. Grills, gills, rear diffuser and door projectors are all easy DIY projects with plenty of help on line. As long as you have the MPE installed at the dealer (mine charged me $300) before you take final delivery, the exhaust is covered under full warranty of the vehicle. Buying separately also give you flexibility to change back to stock and resell the M parts at a later date should you want to. Be prepared, though....the shipping box for the MPE is huge.
2. BMS clutch stop is $10 well spent
3. Something that did surprise me a bit was the size and weight of the doors. My other cars include 4 door versions of an E36 M3, E46 3 series, and Audi A3. The M2 doors are heavy, swing wide and the interior door handle is located near the front of the door. Just need to be mindful of opening the doors quickly or close to walls and/or posts.
4. I'd recommend you thoroughly test drive the car with the factory configuration you plan to order. I was able to test drive a DCT M2 and 6MT 240M, but not a M2 6MT before ordering. The 6MT was the correct choice for me, but i was not sure until I actually took delivery.

Hope that helps.
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      11-30-2017, 03:17 PM   #6
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Would have got the MPE And maybe the side carbon bits. Not that there is anything wrong with stock, it sounds great, but it's just inevitable I'll get it at some point anyway!
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      11-30-2017, 04:41 PM   #7
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Thanks to everyone so far for the advice! It is much appreciated and definitely the type of info I was looking for. Keep it coming!
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      11-30-2017, 04:56 PM   #8
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Definitely a disappointing gas tank...at 1/4 tank and the fuel reserve light comes on is annoying

Don't get M Driver's Package - its a ripoff and not worth it

Don't pay dealer markup - its a ripoff and not worth it

Don't pay dealership for add-on services like tint or paint protection or VIN etching (lol) - its a ripoff and not worth it

Do go to the BMW Performance Center and do 1-day M School (with BMWCCA discount) to learn how to drive the car prior to adding modifications - the stock car is very, very capable
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      12-01-2017, 03:38 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lax01 View Post
Definitely a disappointing gas tank...at 1/4 tank and the fuel reserve light comes on is annoying

Don't get M Driver's Package - its a ripoff and not worth it

Don't pay dealer markup - its a ripoff and not worth it

Don't pay dealership for add-on services like tint or paint protection or VIN etching (lol) - its a ripoff and not worth it

Do go to the BMW Performance Center and do 1-day M School (with BMWCCA discount) to learn how to drive the car prior to adding modifications - the stock car is very, very capable
+1 on school.

Many (perhaps most) drivers who have not taken such a course would get more of a performance upgrade from $1K spent here vs $1k spent with Dinan or other similar vendor.

I took a course at the performance center in SC and all the instructors agreed almost no one drives their car anywhere close to what it's capable of.
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      12-01-2017, 03:48 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lax01 View Post
Definitely a disappointing gas tank...at 1/4 tank and the fuel reserve light comes on is annoying
you can code it to just go off at 1/8 of a tank

ESYS: KOMBI > 3000 > CC_RW_WARNUNG_2 > inaktiv

Bimmercode: Instrument Cluster > Fuel range warning 2 > Not Active

Last edited by AndrewC1989; 05-16-2018 at 05:13 PM..
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      12-01-2017, 04:29 PM   #11
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Just so you know.....almost all the above complaints affect the F80/82 also.

fender bump getting blasted, small as fuck gas tank. Try running E30/40...your fuel vaporizes. Performance parts are thru the roof. The one thing it does have is more headroom for quick cheap HP...other than that same as the others
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      12-01-2017, 06:03 PM   #12
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Easiest way to save is buy m parts later, there are some good vendors and dealers that are very competitive on pricing, often hitting 30% less than retail with free shipping. Installs are all pretty basic.

Also, I don't know if you're able to find m2's to test drive, but you may be able to find a few local bimmer groups that would be able to give you firsthand experience with the car since most dealers won't have any available to even see.
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      12-01-2017, 07:14 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lax01 View Post
Don't pay dealer markup - its a ripoff and not worth it

Don't pay dealership for add-on services like tint or paint protection or VIN etching (lol) - its a ripoff and not worth it
Good advice but you knew those two before you bought the car.
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      12-01-2017, 08:04 PM   #14
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Get the Executive Package.
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      12-01-2017, 08:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ORIGIN M. View Post
Get the Executive Package.
Yes what he said
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      12-01-2017, 08:16 PM   #16
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Dam, I wish I knew ahead of time just how gosh darn FUN this car was going to be!!! The rest of minor complaints pail in comparison to the pure RIGHT FOOT FUN!!!!!!!!!

Mike
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      12-01-2017, 11:50 PM   #17
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Gas tank being small is not even funny. The bright side is that you pay a lot less because of the size lol
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      12-02-2017, 12:43 AM   #18
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If you are thinking of adding a Fabspeed 200 down pipe; add that prior to other exhaust modifications...it really takes the stock exhaust and ups the volume and improves tone to pretty much perfect!!!

Swap out the ashtray for the sunglass case insert...

Consider the Ohlins R&T with 80N/mm front and 160N/mm (15% lower) rear spring rates, still plenty stiff but better for those of us who will only do a track day or two each year...mainly backroads for me!!!!
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      12-02-2017, 07:52 AM   #19
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Become a member of the BMW CCA if you are not already. After one year of membership you qualify for a $500 rebate on the M2. That will help pay for the paint should you decide to upgrade from primer white
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      12-02-2017, 09:16 AM   #20
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Did not know the sunroof option for the LCI and the dealer did not mention it.
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      12-02-2017, 09:48 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XProject View Post
Gas tank being small is not even funny. The bright side is that you pay a lot less because of the size lol
This is true but I didn't add it here simply cz I knew it ahead of time.

The M2 doesn't have great range but it's a lot better than the other car I briefly considered, the Shelby GT350.
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      12-02-2017, 10:10 AM   #22
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I wish I knew I was going to have to wait more that 425 days from the day I put my deposit down to the day I get the car...still waiting!! Can't 'complain' about anything else yet, lol
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