Hey fanatics,
After crazy amounts of research and about 2 years worth of window shopping for a new project/hobby, I broke down and bought my M!!! :excited: I have been looking around and have spent countless amounts of time searching and dreaming on these forums and decided that an e46 fit my needs. The car is going to be a weekender project/daily driver if needed type of car, but I still want something I can tinker with and have people appreciate at shows. Every mod that I plan to do will be directed toward keeping the car appear, upon first glance, to be stock to many but to be noticed by enthusiasts. I hope to have a HPF turbo installed within the next few years as a "final modification" after most everything else has been touched on. This includes little aesthetic changes and performance modifications such as suspension and the like. I am posting this thread as my little journal/open recommendation request page if you will.
With ALL that being said... I welcome ANY and ALL recommendations. From here on out, as I purchase parts I will be posting pictures and short little reviews of everything that gets placed on the car. I will also do my best to post links as to where you can pick up the parts I have mentioned.
So I guess I'll start it off. I bought a 2004 carbon black e46 M3 and just to go ahead and get it out of the way... I'm in love.
I've always seen myself more as a muscle car guy, but I have been convinced to broaden my horizons!
A little info: before buying the car I was looking around and trying to decide exactly how far and what direction I was wanting to take my little project. After deciding that I was going to go no less than a HPF stage 2.5, I figured that as long as the car has no frame damage and it was taken care of by it's previous owners, there is absolutely no reason to purchase a car with little to no milage seeing how I want to replace the engine with a brand new one from HPF and to basically do a complete overhaul over time. Mind you this is just my personal opinion, but I just thought that purchasing a near brand new car and then having the suspension and drivetrain replaced would be a waste of my cash. My car was purchased with a little over 70k on the clock and I was fortunate enough to find a car in which all of the maintenance was documented via the vehicle's key at a BMW dealership on time as recommended. I decided on a stick. I know that the SMG's have been proven to be easier and quicker for the average joe on the track, but damn, sticks are just fun! The paint has a few imperfections as a car that has been driven would, but like I stated before, the car is my little project which puts a paint job in my near future.
I am sad that I did not decide to do this earlier so I will just go ahead and recap what little things have been done so far.
I first purchased a new shift nob. I realize the original was made tall for a reason and that is to put it closer to the steering wheel making it easier to switch between the two when you put your foot in it, but I just hated the look. Abiding by my plan to stick to "stock at a glance" I purchased a ZHP shift nob and replacement boot from Turner Motorsport. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1844-manual-bmw-shift-knob-zhp-style-weighted-anatomic-5-or-6-speed-pattern.aspx I love it! It feels fantastic in my hand and lowers the grip just enough to satisfy my aesthetic pleasure.
Before:
After:
Here is a great thread on how to remove the interior trim. http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=25 Once you get down to the piece surrounding the knob, do as they say for removing the shift boot, then just pull up directly on the knob. Be sure that you pull straight up and don't torque the lever in any way as to avoid any kind of damage. Also... make sure you don't give yourself a black eye because you may have to put some muscle behind it.
I am really pleased with the service and shipping from Turner Motorsport. Shipping was fast and the process was easy. I plan on purchasing from them in the future. They also make it really easy to get maintenance products such as oil (a pain in the neck when it comes to finding it), filters, and the like.
Next I went for halos. Personally, I absolutely love them! They look fantastic and when you turn the lights off at night. That clean glow just looks absolutely sinister! I purchased a kit from Bimmian. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-Halo-Rings-Kit-for-BMW-E46-3-Series I really recommend these rings. They feel like they have a great build quality and the clips that come with them make it super simple with the install. I recommend using this site as well just because they provide simple installation instructions with most of the parts they sell and the wiring harness that was sent with the kit allows the lights to fade on when I unlock the car using the key fob and fad out upon locking it- such a cool effect!
I also placed an order for replacement side indicators from Bimmian. My indicators were old, turning a bit yellow, and I could actually see water in behind them. Of course, I had an issue with this. That and I found that the original white indicators were a bit unattractive.
I ordered a pair of smoke LED indicators and I think they look great. Once again, installation instructions were included and the build quality is better than OEM. The indicator still lights up as amber though I believe they are available to light in white as well. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-LED-Side-Lenses-for-BMW-E46-3-Series
The next thing I absolutely HAD to fix was the freaking cap that covers the nut holding the windshield wiper on. Apparently the guy I purchased the car from lost one of them and it was driving me CRAZY! :banghead:
After searching around for forever I found it!
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Exterior/Wiper/ES169835/
ECS Tuning has that available and many other little parts that may seem near impossible to find. I wish that I had known about them before having the lining on my A and C pillars redone because they have the pillars already finished ready to install and I could have just purchased brand new ones for cheaper than it was to have them redone. :facepalm:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/
I had a hard time paying shipping for a part that was under 3 bucks so I also decided to replace those crappy looking (again, in my opinion) orange reflectors on the front of the car. I didn't really want to delete them completely as to loose any kind of function that BMW had intended for them so I was really excited when I found a pair of smoked lenses.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Lighting/Side_Markers/ES11208/
Before:
After:
I was impressed. I compared the old with the new and the build quality is identical if not better and for 10 bucks... please!
Also with this same purchase, I ordered a new center console.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Interior/Center_Console/ES86862/
Once again... previous owner... I guess he decided that driving with rings on your right hand was a good idea. The area under the emergency brake looks as if someone had taken a piece of 40 grit sandpaper and just went to town... heart breaking. That's okay I guess... tearing apart my interior for the install will be fun!
The quality of the part is OEM. Has the exact dimensions and is even coated with that strange feeling paint (for lack of a better term) that BMW uses on the part. For 50 bucks... not a bad find. I would have rather purchased a carbon piece but I wasn't able to find one that accepted the leather armrest (also available through ECS ). If any of you find one... by all means, PLEASE send me a link and I'll sell you this one for half what I got it for!
Separately but around the same time, I purchased some carbon fiber REPLACEMENT trim.
I absolutely LOVE the look and quality of the parts! Damn, they were hard to find but oh so worth it. I did not purchase the arm rests though... before I get flamed for the decision, I think I want to try and repaint the originals and add a heavy clear coat. I would like to try and incorporate the BMW color stripes in the part somehow but to do it tastefully with a base color that will still look okay with the carbon trim. The only reason for this decision is that I freaking love the carbon, but the problem is that everyone and their mom likes to do the same thing with their trim. I kind of want something that is different but without looking like crap (as that strategy often turns out). Once I complete the parts and put it all together, if it throws the look off any at all, I'll just purchase the armrests in carbon... no biggie.
I have decided to hold off on installing the interior parts though... don't hate... I want to purchase a new sound system for the car as well. If I get that out of the way before the installation, then I will only be tearing the car apart once vs twice which could give more opportunity for crap to break. I am having trouble deciding on which route to take though. Like I have expressed before, I really like the idea of keeping everything appearing somewhat stock upon first glance. In this state of mind, I have really considered picking up a Dynavin unit. On the other hand, I am unsure if that unit is going to make me happy. STOP STOP!!! Not trying to start a flame war and trust me, I have seen many threads about this subject turn out this way. The thing is that I realize what the unit was made for- basically giving you the stock look yet adding additional features that are not otherwise available. And I absolutely love the fact that the unit can be installed directly out of the box without having to modify the car! Fantastic! But I am afraid of making a 7-8 hundred dollar purchase then regretting it because I want more sound quality. The other unit I have been looking into is the Pioneer AVH-P8400BH. You see, I am an Apple fan and I do have an iPhone so the whole app radio thing sounds very appealing. I really like the fact that every time Apple does an update for their maps software, it is going to in turn update the navigation in my car. In addition, the sound quality is going to surpass that of the Dynavin because lets just be honest... the development on the Dynavin just wasn't steered in the direction of sound quality. Modifying my A/C duct isn't going to bother me, I'm aware that it will have to be done. On the other hand, I just don't want to wonder too far away from stock at a glance. I guess I am just going to have to ponder on it a bit more. Once again, recommendations are welcome as long as you don't declare war.
Moving on...
I made my first of many purchases from HPF :excited: It isn't a huge one but hey... stepping stones! I am aware that doing a whole bunch of modifications to the car's suspension is going to further fatigue an already flawed subframe. I dropped some cash on a set of HPF subframe reinforcement plates.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/HPF/Body/Subframe_Reinforcement_Plates//13757
I am going to take the car down to Buckhead Imports down in Smyrna Georgia on Monday to have the plates installed. I have visited their site:
http://www.buckhead-imports.com
From what I can see, I am impressed. I have spoken to them over the phone and they seem to be knowledgable and overall pleasant to speak with. They claim to do these installs often (The big deciding factor for me. I don't want anyone messing with my car unless they know what they are doing) and I was told that there are a few HPF cars in the shop currently. They will be finishing up a tune throughout the weekend, so... I might make it there in time to check them out!!! They have agreed to take good pictures of the entire process, so you can count on seeing those soon!
Anyway (off the bunny trail), back to the parts. I am impressed with the quality. I am aware that Turner Motorsport also makes reinforcement plates for the same purpose and I am pretty sure they are actually a bit cheaper, but the only reason I went with the HPF plates is that apparently these are just a bit thicker... and let's just be honest... If your girl told you that thicker isn't always better... she is just trying to make you feel better...
It really doesn't show so well in the picture, but they used some pretty sturdy gauge steel with these because they are heavy and they feel like quality. I am also impressed with the cuts. It isn't exactly easy to cut steal of this gauge and these cuts are perfect, no imperfections. Im not saying that the parts from Turner Motorsport aren't cut the same way because I have not seen them, but these are certainly no exception. Worth the extra penny!
When I decided to have the plates installed on my car, I decided to go ahead and purchase new rear subframe bushings. I figured since the back end of my baby is going to be in pieces, I might as well have these replaced for just a little added labor. I ordered them with the reinforcement plates from HPF. I went with the yellow street version from Powerflex.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Powerflex/Suspension/Bushings//15489
I decided on the street version because, as mentioned earlier, I want a car that I am not afraid to drive on a daily basis. There is a reason that bushings are used on a car, that is, to get rid of some vibration and they are made to give a little which makes it easier on your subframe vs having your suspension bolted on directly. Kind of like having a pillow for your suspension to rest it's little head on . Race cars are usually taken apart and serviced much more than street cars which makes normal wear and tear on parts not such a big deal as they will just be replaced if needed. Well, with a street car, the car isn't disassembled quite so often which makes that added wear and tear (in my understanding, the race edition would be stiffer than the street) less than desirable.
Well anyway, thats about it for this post. I hope I didn't kill you with boredom. I am really excited about the subframe reinforcement plates being installed on Monday. If they are okay with it, I will certainly post some pictures of the shop and I will DEFINITELY be posting pictures of the installation process.
After crazy amounts of research and about 2 years worth of window shopping for a new project/hobby, I broke down and bought my M!!! :excited: I have been looking around and have spent countless amounts of time searching and dreaming on these forums and decided that an e46 fit my needs. The car is going to be a weekender project/daily driver if needed type of car, but I still want something I can tinker with and have people appreciate at shows. Every mod that I plan to do will be directed toward keeping the car appear, upon first glance, to be stock to many but to be noticed by enthusiasts. I hope to have a HPF turbo installed within the next few years as a "final modification" after most everything else has been touched on. This includes little aesthetic changes and performance modifications such as suspension and the like. I am posting this thread as my little journal/open recommendation request page if you will.
With ALL that being said... I welcome ANY and ALL recommendations. From here on out, as I purchase parts I will be posting pictures and short little reviews of everything that gets placed on the car. I will also do my best to post links as to where you can pick up the parts I have mentioned.
So I guess I'll start it off. I bought a 2004 carbon black e46 M3 and just to go ahead and get it out of the way... I'm in love.
I've always seen myself more as a muscle car guy, but I have been convinced to broaden my horizons!
A little info: before buying the car I was looking around and trying to decide exactly how far and what direction I was wanting to take my little project. After deciding that I was going to go no less than a HPF stage 2.5, I figured that as long as the car has no frame damage and it was taken care of by it's previous owners, there is absolutely no reason to purchase a car with little to no milage seeing how I want to replace the engine with a brand new one from HPF and to basically do a complete overhaul over time. Mind you this is just my personal opinion, but I just thought that purchasing a near brand new car and then having the suspension and drivetrain replaced would be a waste of my cash. My car was purchased with a little over 70k on the clock and I was fortunate enough to find a car in which all of the maintenance was documented via the vehicle's key at a BMW dealership on time as recommended. I decided on a stick. I know that the SMG's have been proven to be easier and quicker for the average joe on the track, but damn, sticks are just fun! The paint has a few imperfections as a car that has been driven would, but like I stated before, the car is my little project which puts a paint job in my near future.
I am sad that I did not decide to do this earlier so I will just go ahead and recap what little things have been done so far.
I first purchased a new shift nob. I realize the original was made tall for a reason and that is to put it closer to the steering wheel making it easier to switch between the two when you put your foot in it, but I just hated the look. Abiding by my plan to stick to "stock at a glance" I purchased a ZHP shift nob and replacement boot from Turner Motorsport. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1844-manual-bmw-shift-knob-zhp-style-weighted-anatomic-5-or-6-speed-pattern.aspx I love it! It feels fantastic in my hand and lowers the grip just enough to satisfy my aesthetic pleasure.
Before:
After:
Here is a great thread on how to remove the interior trim. http://www.e46fanatics.com/howto/howtodetail.php?howto_id=25 Once you get down to the piece surrounding the knob, do as they say for removing the shift boot, then just pull up directly on the knob. Be sure that you pull straight up and don't torque the lever in any way as to avoid any kind of damage. Also... make sure you don't give yourself a black eye because you may have to put some muscle behind it.
I am really pleased with the service and shipping from Turner Motorsport. Shipping was fast and the process was easy. I plan on purchasing from them in the future. They also make it really easy to get maintenance products such as oil (a pain in the neck when it comes to finding it), filters, and the like.
Next I went for halos. Personally, I absolutely love them! They look fantastic and when you turn the lights off at night. That clean glow just looks absolutely sinister! I purchased a kit from Bimmian. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-Halo-Rings-Kit-for-BMW-E46-3-Series I really recommend these rings. They feel like they have a great build quality and the clips that come with them make it super simple with the install. I recommend using this site as well just because they provide simple installation instructions with most of the parts they sell and the wiring harness that was sent with the kit allows the lights to fade on when I unlock the car using the key fob and fad out upon locking it- such a cool effect!
I also placed an order for replacement side indicators from Bimmian. My indicators were old, turning a bit yellow, and I could actually see water in behind them. Of course, I had an issue with this. That and I found that the original white indicators were a bit unattractive.
I ordered a pair of smoke LED indicators and I think they look great. Once again, installation instructions were included and the build quality is better than OEM. The indicator still lights up as amber though I believe they are available to light in white as well. http://www.bimmian.com/WeissLicht-LED-Side-Lenses-for-BMW-E46-3-Series
The next thing I absolutely HAD to fix was the freaking cap that covers the nut holding the windshield wiper on. Apparently the guy I purchased the car from lost one of them and it was driving me CRAZY! :banghead:
After searching around for forever I found it!
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Exterior/Wiper/ES169835/
ECS Tuning has that available and many other little parts that may seem near impossible to find. I wish that I had known about them before having the lining on my A and C pillars redone because they have the pillars already finished ready to install and I could have just purchased brand new ones for cheaper than it was to have them redone. :facepalm:
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/
I had a hard time paying shipping for a part that was under 3 bucks so I also decided to replace those crappy looking (again, in my opinion) orange reflectors on the front of the car. I didn't really want to delete them completely as to loose any kind of function that BMW had intended for them so I was really excited when I found a pair of smoked lenses.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Lighting/Side_Markers/ES11208/
Before:
After:
I was impressed. I compared the old with the new and the build quality is identical if not better and for 10 bucks... please!
Also with this same purchase, I ordered a new center console.
http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-M3-S54_3.2L/Interior/Center_Console/ES86862/
Once again... previous owner... I guess he decided that driving with rings on your right hand was a good idea. The area under the emergency brake looks as if someone had taken a piece of 40 grit sandpaper and just went to town... heart breaking. That's okay I guess... tearing apart my interior for the install will be fun!
The quality of the part is OEM. Has the exact dimensions and is even coated with that strange feeling paint (for lack of a better term) that BMW uses on the part. For 50 bucks... not a bad find. I would have rather purchased a carbon piece but I wasn't able to find one that accepted the leather armrest (also available through ECS ). If any of you find one... by all means, PLEASE send me a link and I'll sell you this one for half what I got it for!
Separately but around the same time, I purchased some carbon fiber REPLACEMENT trim.
I absolutely LOVE the look and quality of the parts! Damn, they were hard to find but oh so worth it. I did not purchase the arm rests though... before I get flamed for the decision, I think I want to try and repaint the originals and add a heavy clear coat. I would like to try and incorporate the BMW color stripes in the part somehow but to do it tastefully with a base color that will still look okay with the carbon trim. The only reason for this decision is that I freaking love the carbon, but the problem is that everyone and their mom likes to do the same thing with their trim. I kind of want something that is different but without looking like crap (as that strategy often turns out). Once I complete the parts and put it all together, if it throws the look off any at all, I'll just purchase the armrests in carbon... no biggie.
I have decided to hold off on installing the interior parts though... don't hate... I want to purchase a new sound system for the car as well. If I get that out of the way before the installation, then I will only be tearing the car apart once vs twice which could give more opportunity for crap to break. I am having trouble deciding on which route to take though. Like I have expressed before, I really like the idea of keeping everything appearing somewhat stock upon first glance. In this state of mind, I have really considered picking up a Dynavin unit. On the other hand, I am unsure if that unit is going to make me happy. STOP STOP!!! Not trying to start a flame war and trust me, I have seen many threads about this subject turn out this way. The thing is that I realize what the unit was made for- basically giving you the stock look yet adding additional features that are not otherwise available. And I absolutely love the fact that the unit can be installed directly out of the box without having to modify the car! Fantastic! But I am afraid of making a 7-8 hundred dollar purchase then regretting it because I want more sound quality. The other unit I have been looking into is the Pioneer AVH-P8400BH. You see, I am an Apple fan and I do have an iPhone so the whole app radio thing sounds very appealing. I really like the fact that every time Apple does an update for their maps software, it is going to in turn update the navigation in my car. In addition, the sound quality is going to surpass that of the Dynavin because lets just be honest... the development on the Dynavin just wasn't steered in the direction of sound quality. Modifying my A/C duct isn't going to bother me, I'm aware that it will have to be done. On the other hand, I just don't want to wonder too far away from stock at a glance. I guess I am just going to have to ponder on it a bit more. Once again, recommendations are welcome as long as you don't declare war.
Moving on...
I made my first of many purchases from HPF :excited: It isn't a huge one but hey... stepping stones! I am aware that doing a whole bunch of modifications to the car's suspension is going to further fatigue an already flawed subframe. I dropped some cash on a set of HPF subframe reinforcement plates.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/HPF/Body/Subframe_Reinforcement_Plates//13757
I am going to take the car down to Buckhead Imports down in Smyrna Georgia on Monday to have the plates installed. I have visited their site:
http://www.buckhead-imports.com
From what I can see, I am impressed. I have spoken to them over the phone and they seem to be knowledgable and overall pleasant to speak with. They claim to do these installs often (The big deciding factor for me. I don't want anyone messing with my car unless they know what they are doing) and I was told that there are a few HPF cars in the shop currently. They will be finishing up a tune throughout the weekend, so... I might make it there in time to check them out!!! They have agreed to take good pictures of the entire process, so you can count on seeing those soon!
Anyway (off the bunny trail), back to the parts. I am impressed with the quality. I am aware that Turner Motorsport also makes reinforcement plates for the same purpose and I am pretty sure they are actually a bit cheaper, but the only reason I went with the HPF plates is that apparently these are just a bit thicker... and let's just be honest... If your girl told you that thicker isn't always better... she is just trying to make you feel better...
It really doesn't show so well in the picture, but they used some pretty sturdy gauge steel with these because they are heavy and they feel like quality. I am also impressed with the cuts. It isn't exactly easy to cut steal of this gauge and these cuts are perfect, no imperfections. Im not saying that the parts from Turner Motorsport aren't cut the same way because I have not seen them, but these are certainly no exception. Worth the extra penny!
When I decided to have the plates installed on my car, I decided to go ahead and purchase new rear subframe bushings. I figured since the back end of my baby is going to be in pieces, I might as well have these replaced for just a little added labor. I ordered them with the reinforcement plates from HPF. I went with the yellow street version from Powerflex.
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Powerflex/Suspension/Bushings//15489
I decided on the street version because, as mentioned earlier, I want a car that I am not afraid to drive on a daily basis. There is a reason that bushings are used on a car, that is, to get rid of some vibration and they are made to give a little which makes it easier on your subframe vs having your suspension bolted on directly. Kind of like having a pillow for your suspension to rest it's little head on . Race cars are usually taken apart and serviced much more than street cars which makes normal wear and tear on parts not such a big deal as they will just be replaced if needed. Well, with a street car, the car isn't disassembled quite so often which makes that added wear and tear (in my understanding, the race edition would be stiffer than the street) less than desirable.
Well anyway, thats about it for this post. I hope I didn't kill you with boredom. I am really excited about the subframe reinforcement plates being installed on Monday. If they are okay with it, I will certainly post some pictures of the shop and I will DEFINITELY be posting pictures of the installation process.