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325xi Exterior Mods

43K views 61 replies 26 participants last post by  LatuniD 
#1 ·
What's up guys,

I recently bought an orient blue metallic 2002 BMW 325xi. I love everything about the car, but i noticed the car is not very fast. I have been looking all around forums and came to the conclusion that to make it quick i would need to invest in a turbocharger/supercharger, chip, exhaust, intake, headers, and all that good stuff. Problem is, I have a part time job and I am a student therefore I don't have 5k to blow on all this. I think I'm just going to modify the outside, and make it look nicer than it already does and leave the engine alone. I recently just bought 4 new bulbs for my headlights and that's the only mods I have so far. I know everyone on this site is a lot more experienced than me so I would appreciate if you guys could give me your opinions on what would make my car look better. Ill take into consideration all opinions and have pictures of my car up soon. I'm not on a tight budget, but I don't have tons of money to throw away.

Thanks to all. :)
 
#2 ·
M3 Sedan Bumper, Good Sideskirts, M-tech 2 Rear. Strassentech lip for the bumper, Umnitza P46's w/ Orion v2's, 35/55 Watt Hids in the Headlights/Fogs, Drop, Rims. DONE.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the suggestions. I've been looking at the angel eyes, and my headlights, and it doesn't look like the rings will fit over my stock headlights. Will it fit or will i have to buy new housings? Probably a dumb question but im interested.
 
#6 ·
Congrats on your car. There are tons and tons of information on this forum. I have been living on here lol and trust me you will just learn whats next on the car by looking at everyone's car around here. Not saying make an identical car that is on this forum, but look at pictures, find what fits your taste and then mod away. One thing people will get on you about is the searching subject, it kind of gets old reading the same question over and over again from a noob, so just a heads up. the search helps a lot, so search before you make a thread.

ps post some pictures
 
#7 ·
There is not a lot to do to the car performance wise without going forced induction. You can do an intake, exhaust and software but the power gains will not be more than 15-20 all together.

Exterior wise, start with clears, angel eyes and a replacement bumper (M-Tech II or M3). You can then go on to wheels and suspension to clean up the outside.

Congrats on the car, you've come to the right place :D
 
#8 ·
I'd like to think that 15-20 hp/tq is going to make a huge improvement but I don't see it. If you have seen 20 hp gains really make a beamer move I'll consider the intake/exhaust/tune. Angel eyes and clears are a definite, but I'm still iffy about the bumper because I'd have to send it to an auto shop/stealership to match paint and installation which I don't want to do. vmr vb3's and h&r springs coming in the spring. Thanks for the input though, I appreciate it.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, I'm gonna start with the exterior mods for sure. Might even grab a matte black grill from you guys b/c every time i try to take out the OEM grill I end up snapping a clip and I have only like 2 clips left. Yeah call me retarded but I can't get the damn thing out. :facepalm: Plus I cant wait to stomp the OEM grill that has given me so much trouble in the past month.
 
#13 ·
There is a website of a company selling specifically BMW bodykit in Thailand. Not sure if I can post the website address here but they have alot of pictures of E46 sedan and coupe with different bodykits fitted. Basically you can get the idea from them and get the right bodykit you need.
 
#14 ·
DROP

then,
Rims
Tint
RCR tails
Black Grill
clear corners and sides
m3 lip spoiler
roof spoiler (if you like em)
mt2 kit
angel eyes or city lights
 
#16 ·
very nice. maybe some new headlight covers to clean up the front.
 
#19 ·
I'm going for a clean look. I don't want it to blend in with the rest of the 3 series that are used for grocery shopping and driven by a 40 year old wife or the 17 year old girl. I'd really like it to not look like a monster truck with the small rims, high profile tires, and the dreaded 2 inch gap between tire and fender.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Don't do angel eyes if you're not touching the bumpers, especially on an xi (ridiculously high/goofy ride height.) Blue angel eyes are one of the riciest trends in this car community, I don't get why every new person wants them. I got them too, don't get me wrong, but I'm just telling you this because I grew out of them in about a month and seriously regretted spending so much time with them installed. Once I realized how lame it looked I just threw everything away. I was 17 at the time too, which should say a lot, because all the other teenagers loved it and got pissed at me for ditching them because of how 'dope' they looked.

Step 1 - lower the car and it will look WAY WAY better. Put decent wheels on in the summer and it jumps up yet another level. Wheels and drop are the 2 most important things you can do to a car. I always say that if you don't do both, don't bother with anything on the exterior. Period. It's better to be stock than ugly... period.

Step 2 - xenon headlights. you can do this first if you want, but this is something that makes everything look nicer no matter what. blue eyes make xenons look tacky.

Step 3 - miscellaneous (black grills, clears, tint, black window trim, painted moldings, whatever the hell you want to do.)




But since I've dedicated pretty much my whole life thusfar to modifying cars, I can tell you with some level of certainty that wheels + drop + xenon is the formula for a car that looks really great.
 
#24 ·
If you really want to improve your car performance wise, invest in tires. Nice tires on nice rims will do more for you than any cheeseball spoiler, plastic trim piece, or chrome 6" muffler. Watch out modifying the suspension on the xi; dont change too much geometry or you may end up with problems. Just keep it clean and remember that some of the smallest details really make a car unique and impressive.
 
#25 ·
I've been looking at angel eyes with a stock bumper. Haha holy **** it looks so goofy thanks for telling me. And the problem is I don't know if i want to drop b/c of fitment issues with the 18" vb3. If i do a drop I want rims that fit without cutting fenders or rolling fenders to make it sit good. I'm gonna do some research on it so don't yell at me for not using the search bar this time.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I've been looking at angel eyes with a stock bumper. Haha holy **** it looks so goofy thanks for telling me.


:dunno: I like it on mine.....

Edit: And also, this is your car...do what you think looks good and be happy with it. Don't just follow the trends because everyone else has already done it and you want to fit in with the cool kids. Now don't get me wrong, some mod's look like complete crap -- but i am not going to be the one to tell somebody they can't do something to their car b/c it isn't what I would do. just my .02, good luck with the new car
 
#29 ·
angel eyes on stock bumper look good to me.

but yeah, most of the mods have been done already... theres not a huge variety. basically, only a few things look good on our cars, and all of the combinations have been done.
just choose one and do what u gotta do lol
 
#37 ·
I just hate the look of the angel eye and then the black plastic bar that's under the headlight. I was looking at all angel eyes with aftermarket front bumpers so I didn't realize it until you guys brought it up. Still undecided on front bumper but clears and replacement headlight lenses are a definite. You guys think I should order the drop first or rims first? I think drop would make more sense b/c I can install it, see how it rides all winter and then when March/April rolls around order the rims. Suggestions?
 
#42 ·
A drop gives decent performance gains as well as a much better look for the xi. Pair the Eibach Prokit with Bilstein xi Sports
The Eibach website says:

As a driver you immediately feel more direct handling and greater predictability. Nose dive under braking is reduced, as well as excessive body roll in hard cornering. Tracking stability--and driver confidence--is greatly enhanced. Lowering your vehicle has one more additional benefit that we learned from all the race teams we work with and independent testing: reduced wind resistance. This allows for higher top speeds on the race track and better fuel efficiency on the street!
 
#43 ·
When i bought the car the owner replaced the OEM rims with crappy sport edition rims. I just measured them and they are 17's (I think). I measured them from beginning of tire to beginning of tire on the opposite side of the rim and got 17. I don't know if that's how you measure rims I just assumed. Yes, I know i'm retarded I just never really measured rims before.
 
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