My E46 M3 Coupe
Discussion
em177 said:
Ha! Will be keeping my originals in case I change my mind.I think the smoked indicators suit certain colours better than others. I also think different brands can look more or less tinted. Yours seem quite dark whereas I think mine are a little lighter and suit the lamp unit perhaps a little better?
JakeT said:
Lovely car, that and as Mark said having a specialist inspect the subframe is a great idea. I don't mind the smoked indicators, but amber would do it better for me. As an owner, all of the best E46s are Topaz Blue.
Amber were the on my list but it's almost impossible to find a set of screw in ones (most are clip in and don't fit the M3) em177 said:
Ha! Will be keeping my originals in case I change my mind.I think the smoked indicators suit certain colours better than others. I also think different brands can look more or less tinted. Yours seem quite dark whereas I think mine are a little lighter and suit the lamp unit perhaps a little better?
Had the front seats and a couple of small bits refurbished by Rob from Leather Better (leatherbetter.co.uk).
Really impressed with his work. Colour match is perfect and the finish is exactly what I was after. A few before and afters...
Really impressed with his work. Colour match is perfect and the finish is exactly what I was after. A few before and afters...
Edited by rainmasterb on Monday 9th May 22:42
Edited by rainmasterb on Monday 9th May 22:45
Well, finally got the car serviced and new (old) wheels fitted.
Car hadn't been serviced in 18 months and this was the first time in my ownership (since March), so was quite a 'squeaky bum' moment. Went for an inspection 1, including the valve clearances, and luckily everything checked out very well. Was there when the car was on the lift so had a good look underneath and between us we couldn't spot any subframe issues, and the indie knows them very well and is also a M3 owner. Rear pads and disks will need changing soonish but other than that, just a few minor error codes that don't need addressing anytime soon, if at all.
Really prefer the look of the OEM 18s on my car. They're in the standard grey finish which I much prefer to the polished 19s, and also prefer to see a bit more tyre, and have some dish on the rims. Very pleased with them. The ride is certainly improved, as expected, and it also feels like turn-in has sharpened up a little?
Also had the e60 545 shifter fitted, which is an OEM short shift solution and huge improvement over standard. Still quite notchy but much more direct and positive. A great mod.
Finally managed to find an OEM grill with black slats today on eBay, so that'll be the next mod. Might be done on aesthetics then? Still not 100% with the depos, but prefer them to OEM. Have been considering ambers but again, not 100%.
Aside from either a new steering wheel or at least OEM refresh, just coilovers and exhaust to go, but not desperate for either - I think it looks just about low enough on the Eibach springs.
Cheers, Ben.
Car hadn't been serviced in 18 months and this was the first time in my ownership (since March), so was quite a 'squeaky bum' moment. Went for an inspection 1, including the valve clearances, and luckily everything checked out very well. Was there when the car was on the lift so had a good look underneath and between us we couldn't spot any subframe issues, and the indie knows them very well and is also a M3 owner. Rear pads and disks will need changing soonish but other than that, just a few minor error codes that don't need addressing anytime soon, if at all.
Really prefer the look of the OEM 18s on my car. They're in the standard grey finish which I much prefer to the polished 19s, and also prefer to see a bit more tyre, and have some dish on the rims. Very pleased with them. The ride is certainly improved, as expected, and it also feels like turn-in has sharpened up a little?
Also had the e60 545 shifter fitted, which is an OEM short shift solution and huge improvement over standard. Still quite notchy but much more direct and positive. A great mod.
Finally managed to find an OEM grill with black slats today on eBay, so that'll be the next mod. Might be done on aesthetics then? Still not 100% with the depos, but prefer them to OEM. Have been considering ambers but again, not 100%.
Aside from either a new steering wheel or at least OEM refresh, just coilovers and exhaust to go, but not desperate for either - I think it looks just about low enough on the Eibach springs.
Cheers, Ben.
A few cosmetic updates to report....
Managed to find a brand new OEM gearknob emblem in Poland! Minor part, massive improvement!
Then decided to bite the bullet and go for Amber rear and side lenses. Just don't get on with the fronts. Same as the OEM clears, I just don't think they suit the headlamp unit, as the lights themselves sit so far back, compared to the indicator units having block colour at the very front and therefore not having any depth.
Won't be to everybody's taste, but I'm really pleased with them. They give a nice contrast to the blue paint and they date the car a little, which was the plan.
Finally, a private plate. To be honest, I've never been a fan of them. But when my Grandad passed away a few months ago, following my Grandmother a few years before, he left me a little bit of money and I wanted something to remind me of them. They were Jack and Vera, hence the letters, but does anybody spot the significance of the S2? Bit corny, but I love it! I've been really surprised what a difference the plate has made to firstly the overall appearance of the car, and secondly, my feelings towards it.
That's it for the outside. Steering wheel refurb and that's the inside done. Ordered the B4 dampers on the group buy, so suspension refresh next year, followed by steering components and brakes. Then that'll be me done.
Maybe.
Managed to find a brand new OEM gearknob emblem in Poland! Minor part, massive improvement!
Then decided to bite the bullet and go for Amber rear and side lenses. Just don't get on with the fronts. Same as the OEM clears, I just don't think they suit the headlamp unit, as the lights themselves sit so far back, compared to the indicator units having block colour at the very front and therefore not having any depth.
Won't be to everybody's taste, but I'm really pleased with them. They give a nice contrast to the blue paint and they date the car a little, which was the plan.
Finally, a private plate. To be honest, I've never been a fan of them. But when my Grandad passed away a few months ago, following my Grandmother a few years before, he left me a little bit of money and I wanted something to remind me of them. They were Jack and Vera, hence the letters, but does anybody spot the significance of the S2? Bit corny, but I love it! I've been really surprised what a difference the plate has made to firstly the overall appearance of the car, and secondly, my feelings towards it.
That's it for the outside. Steering wheel refurb and that's the inside done. Ordered the B4 dampers on the group buy, so suspension refresh next year, followed by steering components and brakes. Then that'll be me done.
Maybe.
Markbarry1977 said:
Speak to jack at royal steering wheels if your after a steering wheel refurb. His work is fantastic as is his customer service.
Had originally planned on doing just that, but the wheel itself is in great condition and I'd like to keep it original where possible, so I'm going to give it a good clean and spray the trim as it's lost a bit of paint in places.Few small updates...
Finally fell out of love with the smoked depos but still felt the OEMs were too bright, so I tried a light smoked tint film on them. Really pleased with the result.
Then on the interior I replaced the black after market mats with OEM grey ones. I know there's not a lot of love on here for the grey interior but I love it and the mats complete the look.
Also replaced the steering wheel trim. My OEM black multifunction had a few marks and I fancied something a bit different. Never been a fan of the fussy multifunction panel so went for a blank and sprayed them both a matt primer grey in an attempt to match the dash. It's ended up a little lighter than I would have liked and it looks lighter still in this image, but it's a very similar bluey-grey tone and I'm really happy with the finish, so I'll leave it as is for now.
Suspension refurb imminent.
Finally fell out of love with the smoked depos but still felt the OEMs were too bright, so I tried a light smoked tint film on them. Really pleased with the result.
Then on the interior I replaced the black after market mats with OEM grey ones. I know there's not a lot of love on here for the grey interior but I love it and the mats complete the look.
Also replaced the steering wheel trim. My OEM black multifunction had a few marks and I fancied something a bit different. Never been a fan of the fussy multifunction panel so went for a blank and sprayed them both a matt primer grey in an attempt to match the dash. It's ended up a little lighter than I would have liked and it looks lighter still in this image, but it's a very similar bluey-grey tone and I'm really happy with the finish, so I'll leave it as is for now.
Suspension refurb imminent.
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