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Last September I was able to purchase an E46 M3, while I wasn't in the market for one, the opportunity that presented itself just could not be overlooked. Therefore I snagged her up and began making some changes so that I'd feel comfortable calling her mine. 2 owners and only 44k miles, loaded up every option, but pdc and competition package. The day I bought it:
The previous owner had a set of awful 19" chrome beyren wheels that did not suit the car at all. That was the first thing on my list of things to change along with the massive wheel gap. After some research I purchased a set of Status Gruppe coil overs:
That easily solved my wheel gap problem:
I've never really been a fan of chrome on any car so next I had to get rid of the wheels before I could continue to drive it. With such a small timeframe I ordered something simple and that I knew would work. I purchased a set of Apex racing wheels graphite in color threw some meat on them and headed down to H20 with my friends where I stuck out like a sore thumb. I probably had the highest ride height of anyone there lol….
Obligatory gas pump pic, I know I know I'm not doing it right …
They say that if you park your car and walk away from it without looking back at it you've bought the wrong car….well I always look back and every time I do I take a picture
Once I returned from Ocean City I slacked big time, couldn't make up my mind what direction I wanted to go in with the car. I just basically enjoyed driving it in its current state before mother nature forced me to park it while she dropped more snow in the north east than we've had in over a quarter century! First start up in three months…..
The thawing process begins…
We were finally able to get her out of hibernation
Then went to clean her right up!
As the weather got warmer and I began to close in on 50k mile mark I decided it was time to get going on some maintenance so I bought a few things:
~Castrol 10w60 oil (BMW recommended)
~ Oem Oil Filter
~Air Filter
~Oem Serpentine Belt & A/C Belt
Thirsty Bitch…
A little difference…
I decided the time had come to start doing shit so after researching and listening to a million videos of exhaust clips and looking at the damn prices I couldn't see myself dishing out so much money for an exhaust in which so many people had mixed reviews for. With the exception of Supersprint (of course the most $$$) everyone had mixed reviews regarding every exhaust manufacture for the e46 chassis. I came across someone who made customs exhaust for the E46 platform and at a decent price. The quality of the work was great, but the customer service was less than desirable therefore they shall remain nameless. Here's what I ordered essentially the loudest thing I could find, obnoxious throughout the entire RPM band other then idle
. Which is exactly what I wanted
The quality of the welds and material is A1, but the fit not so much. I think I can get it to fit perfect with some tweaking which is something I desperately need to do because it bothers me every time I walk up to the car. Compared to the stock exhaust its like a feather! Installation was pretty straight forward and easy other than the four bolts connecting sections 2 and 3. Due to the poor design/location of the flange the bolts and flange commonly rust since they're located right above the driver side rear tire.
I was going back and forth on a list of different wheels and looks. Couldn't decide whether I wanted to go stancy fancy or more meaty race inspired. I finally gave in on a set of BBS RSII that were built specifically for E46 M3 fitment by Stefan (SD wheels) and just needed a buyer to decide on how they wanted the wheels finished…
I contacted him, he explained the process and how he converted them from 2 piece to 3 piece and unlike most other wheel companies that weld them back together he converted them from 16 to 32 bolts for added safety.He gave me a bunch of different options for the finish and allowed me to pick what I wanted. Buying process was pretty smooth completed them by the date we agreed on and the wheels exceeded my expectations.
Once my wheels were completed I knew I had to repair a few things on the car that have bothered me since the day I brought her home. A. Million inconspicuous little dings and dents that resembled minor hail damage. Thankfully I know a PDR guy who's been practicing for over 25 years and is virtually a magician! While I had him take care of literally every single ding and dent I figured it would be a perfect time to refinish my heavily pitted front bumper and hood along with the rear bumper which some douche decided to park so close that his/her plate screws gauged my rear bumper.
Almost ready for the booth
In the booth almost ready for paint
The previous owner had a set of awful 19" chrome beyren wheels that did not suit the car at all. That was the first thing on my list of things to change along with the massive wheel gap. After some research I purchased a set of Status Gruppe coil overs:
That easily solved my wheel gap problem:
I've never really been a fan of chrome on any car so next I had to get rid of the wheels before I could continue to drive it. With such a small timeframe I ordered something simple and that I knew would work. I purchased a set of Apex racing wheels graphite in color threw some meat on them and headed down to H20 with my friends where I stuck out like a sore thumb. I probably had the highest ride height of anyone there lol….
Obligatory gas pump pic, I know I know I'm not doing it right …
They say that if you park your car and walk away from it without looking back at it you've bought the wrong car….well I always look back and every time I do I take a picture
Once I returned from Ocean City I slacked big time, couldn't make up my mind what direction I wanted to go in with the car. I just basically enjoyed driving it in its current state before mother nature forced me to park it while she dropped more snow in the north east than we've had in over a quarter century! First start up in three months…..
The thawing process begins…
We were finally able to get her out of hibernation
Then went to clean her right up!
As the weather got warmer and I began to close in on 50k mile mark I decided it was time to get going on some maintenance so I bought a few things:
~Castrol 10w60 oil (BMW recommended)
~ Oem Oil Filter
~Air Filter
~Oem Serpentine Belt & A/C Belt
Thirsty Bitch…
A little difference…
I decided the time had come to start doing shit so after researching and listening to a million videos of exhaust clips and looking at the damn prices I couldn't see myself dishing out so much money for an exhaust in which so many people had mixed reviews for. With the exception of Supersprint (of course the most $$$) everyone had mixed reviews regarding every exhaust manufacture for the e46 chassis. I came across someone who made customs exhaust for the E46 platform and at a decent price. The quality of the work was great, but the customer service was less than desirable therefore they shall remain nameless. Here's what I ordered essentially the loudest thing I could find, obnoxious throughout the entire RPM band other then idle
. Which is exactly what I wantedThe quality of the welds and material is A1, but the fit not so much. I think I can get it to fit perfect with some tweaking which is something I desperately need to do because it bothers me every time I walk up to the car. Compared to the stock exhaust its like a feather! Installation was pretty straight forward and easy other than the four bolts connecting sections 2 and 3. Due to the poor design/location of the flange the bolts and flange commonly rust since they're located right above the driver side rear tire.
I was going back and forth on a list of different wheels and looks. Couldn't decide whether I wanted to go stancy fancy or more meaty race inspired. I finally gave in on a set of BBS RSII that were built specifically for E46 M3 fitment by Stefan (SD wheels) and just needed a buyer to decide on how they wanted the wheels finished…
I contacted him, he explained the process and how he converted them from 2 piece to 3 piece and unlike most other wheel companies that weld them back together he converted them from 16 to 32 bolts for added safety.He gave me a bunch of different options for the finish and allowed me to pick what I wanted. Buying process was pretty smooth completed them by the date we agreed on and the wheels exceeded my expectations.
Once my wheels were completed I knew I had to repair a few things on the car that have bothered me since the day I brought her home. A. Million inconspicuous little dings and dents that resembled minor hail damage. Thankfully I know a PDR guy who's been practicing for over 25 years and is virtually a magician! While I had him take care of literally every single ding and dent I figured it would be a perfect time to refinish my heavily pitted front bumper and hood along with the rear bumper which some douche decided to park so close that his/her plate screws gauged my rear bumper.
Almost ready for the booth
In the booth almost ready for paint
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