[owl1979]

Hi Everyone,

I just moved back to San Francisco and am looking to find a trusted mechanic who has worked a lot with the E46 M3. A search on the e46fanatics, bimmerpost, and other forums shows a few relevant threads from the 2005-2010 range, but I didn't see anything more recent, or I couldn't perform a good key word search.

I have owned my 2003 SMG M3 convertible for 5+ years and have put on about 11k miles. I'd like to:
get another opinion on a possible rear diff replacement or rebuild
some noise coming from the engine area, possibly VANOS-related
I got a PPI from a trusted BMW shop in Fresno, CA, but it didn't seem like they were specialists with the E46 M3, so I'm looking for another mechanical opinion on the car in general
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And if anyone has done a rear diff rebuild recently, I'm considering a kit from RacingDiffs to get rid of my rubbing/grinding sounds (that a fresh diff oil change with the XAF+FM fluid doesn't seem to solve) and to get rid of the clunk when I shift aggressively. I called all of the shops within 50 miles, and the price seems to range from $165-185/hour, with an estimate of 8-9 hours of work (including removal and replacement of the diff).

Thank you in advance.