My E46 M3 Coupe
Discussion
Oh boy I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!
I'm a massive petrolhead and this is probably my favourite sub-forum, first of the day, every day, and at least 3 visits per day for updates!
Not quite sure why - I have a very wide interest in cars and you see a lot of variety here, but probably more for the stories and the whys and wherefores.
So my 'story' is below, but for those who prefer the car info and pictures, I'll make a start here.
So it's a 2001 E46 M3 Coupe, with manual gearbox and 83,000 miles on the clock. Paint is Topaz Blue and interior is grey leather. A previous owner has had the trim bits carbon-dipped that, whilst not my preference, does look pretty good and is a very good job. Pretty basic spec, no nav or heated seats, but they were pretty well specced anyway so has the electric memory seats and electric glass sunroof etc... It has some Eibach lowering springs and spacers that I would have fitted anyway and really give it a nice stance, without giving a boy racer feel - imho at least!
An eBay purchase and extremely long road trip to collect last weekend, it really is in very good all-round condition and drives extremely well. It's been quite recently under sealed and the underneath is very clean. Luckily we were able to get under the car and were happy to confirm both the seller and MOT testers view that the subframe is in excellent condition with no immediate signs of cracking. Paintwork is very good, despite the odd stone chip you would expect for a 14 year old car, and leather is also in good condition, with just a little recolouring needed on the drivers side bolster. I think I got it for around £1000 less than true market value so am doing my best to resist flipping it!
A few pictures before I ramble on....
I'm really impressed with how it drives. I've been in the industry for 13 years and have been fortunate enough to drive many nice cars, but this feels about as fast as you can realistically go whilst pushing a car to somewhere near its limits, and at the same time being very solid and comfortable. As a Brucie bonus, the wife loves the colour combination and my cousin works for a BMW dealer, so hopefully I'm well placed to enjoy this car for many years to come.
Plans? I'm hopeful that the immediate requirements amount to some minor stuff to satisfy my OCD - new boots struts (already ordered), a little leather recolouring, reattach window trims both sides (common problem). Also, I'm not a fan of the very white indicators, so will probably change these for Amber or smoked items.
Medium term it probably could use new brakes, although I learnt that they all tend to 'moan' a little. It needs a new diffuser as some of the attachments are snapped - will probably go for a CSL-style one but get it all painted body colour?
I prefer the 18" OEM wheels so will be looking to move my 19" on. The seller wasn't planning on selling up but was offered an E92 at a price he couldn't refuse, so my car has brand new Michelin Pilot SuperSports all round. Three of the wheels need a good refurb but are otherwise sound. So anybody fancies a swap or having these off me please get in touch!
Also I intend to replace the carbon dipped trim with wood. I know, I know, but I like it and I think it suits the overall demeanour of the car. So again, if anybody fancies a swap or buying my trim bits, please get in touch.
Further away? Some subframe reinforcement, maybe some good quality coilovers, a more fruity exhaust and...? Who knows.
So why this car? Here we go!
As mentioned, I work in the industry and get a very generous company car offering. They are truly lovely cars, but firstly they are mostly diesel and automatic, and secondly I don't get to keep them for long and they are never really mine. At the same time I am a big petrolhead and don't spend a great deal of money on stuff other than my young family, so can just about justify a weekend toy.
Before the kids came along I had a 944 Turbo for a few years. Turned it into a fast road/track car, did a few track days including Nurburgring and Spa. An extremely capable car but can't say that I ever fell head over heals in love with it. Just didn't really feel special enough just going out for a Sunday drive. Sold it to raise funds for a house move, bought said house, had three kids, and finally found myself in the position to get something again. Finally!
I've deliberated long and hard over what to get, ranging from two seater sports cars to big AMGs and rally specials, but finally decided upon the following criteria:
At least 6 cylinders - to aid a relaxed Sunday drive being enjoyable
Manual gearbox - for the full drivers experience
At least 4 useable seats - so that this could a toy for family enjoyment, rather than just my own
Ideally isofix seat points - to aid the above and make child seat swapping easier
Rear wheel drive - my preference for driving enjoyment
In addition, it had to be something that appealed to the wife in some way ( realistically something with a premium badge and fairly luxurious) and I wanted something under 100k miles within my budget.
It really came down to E39 M5 or E36 or E46 M3. I initially thought the M5 was the one, and drove several examples. Fantastic car but I soon realised that I could only afford one at the lower end and poorer condition of those available, and the wife wasn't too impressed with them. Then comparing the two M3's, well I didn't actually drive an E36, but it doesn't have isofix and it doesn't have those phwat arches!
So the E46 won! Then it was only a question of colour combination. I wanted something quite restrained and not too common. You see quite a lot of E46 coupes in Topaz Blue, but not so many M3s. But it's not an especially 'strong' colour, so I thought grey leather would better compliment it than black.
And that's it! Thanks for reading!
Oh and by the way, I run a monthly classic and sports car and bike show at Doddington Hall, just outside Lincoln. It's called 'Horsepower at the Hall' and you can find us on Facebook and in the events section of this forum. It's every 4th Sunday from 2pm, starting this month on the 24th. Hope to meet you there!
Cheers, Ben.
I'm a massive petrolhead and this is probably my favourite sub-forum, first of the day, every day, and at least 3 visits per day for updates!
Not quite sure why - I have a very wide interest in cars and you see a lot of variety here, but probably more for the stories and the whys and wherefores.
So my 'story' is below, but for those who prefer the car info and pictures, I'll make a start here.
So it's a 2001 E46 M3 Coupe, with manual gearbox and 83,000 miles on the clock. Paint is Topaz Blue and interior is grey leather. A previous owner has had the trim bits carbon-dipped that, whilst not my preference, does look pretty good and is a very good job. Pretty basic spec, no nav or heated seats, but they were pretty well specced anyway so has the electric memory seats and electric glass sunroof etc... It has some Eibach lowering springs and spacers that I would have fitted anyway and really give it a nice stance, without giving a boy racer feel - imho at least!
An eBay purchase and extremely long road trip to collect last weekend, it really is in very good all-round condition and drives extremely well. It's been quite recently under sealed and the underneath is very clean. Luckily we were able to get under the car and were happy to confirm both the seller and MOT testers view that the subframe is in excellent condition with no immediate signs of cracking. Paintwork is very good, despite the odd stone chip you would expect for a 14 year old car, and leather is also in good condition, with just a little recolouring needed on the drivers side bolster. I think I got it for around £1000 less than true market value so am doing my best to resist flipping it!
A few pictures before I ramble on....
I'm really impressed with how it drives. I've been in the industry for 13 years and have been fortunate enough to drive many nice cars, but this feels about as fast as you can realistically go whilst pushing a car to somewhere near its limits, and at the same time being very solid and comfortable. As a Brucie bonus, the wife loves the colour combination and my cousin works for a BMW dealer, so hopefully I'm well placed to enjoy this car for many years to come.
Plans? I'm hopeful that the immediate requirements amount to some minor stuff to satisfy my OCD - new boots struts (already ordered), a little leather recolouring, reattach window trims both sides (common problem). Also, I'm not a fan of the very white indicators, so will probably change these for Amber or smoked items.
Medium term it probably could use new brakes, although I learnt that they all tend to 'moan' a little. It needs a new diffuser as some of the attachments are snapped - will probably go for a CSL-style one but get it all painted body colour?
I prefer the 18" OEM wheels so will be looking to move my 19" on. The seller wasn't planning on selling up but was offered an E92 at a price he couldn't refuse, so my car has brand new Michelin Pilot SuperSports all round. Three of the wheels need a good refurb but are otherwise sound. So anybody fancies a swap or having these off me please get in touch!
Also I intend to replace the carbon dipped trim with wood. I know, I know, but I like it and I think it suits the overall demeanour of the car. So again, if anybody fancies a swap or buying my trim bits, please get in touch.
Further away? Some subframe reinforcement, maybe some good quality coilovers, a more fruity exhaust and...? Who knows.
So why this car? Here we go!
As mentioned, I work in the industry and get a very generous company car offering. They are truly lovely cars, but firstly they are mostly diesel and automatic, and secondly I don't get to keep them for long and they are never really mine. At the same time I am a big petrolhead and don't spend a great deal of money on stuff other than my young family, so can just about justify a weekend toy.
Before the kids came along I had a 944 Turbo for a few years. Turned it into a fast road/track car, did a few track days including Nurburgring and Spa. An extremely capable car but can't say that I ever fell head over heals in love with it. Just didn't really feel special enough just going out for a Sunday drive. Sold it to raise funds for a house move, bought said house, had three kids, and finally found myself in the position to get something again. Finally!
I've deliberated long and hard over what to get, ranging from two seater sports cars to big AMGs and rally specials, but finally decided upon the following criteria:
At least 6 cylinders - to aid a relaxed Sunday drive being enjoyable
Manual gearbox - for the full drivers experience
At least 4 useable seats - so that this could a toy for family enjoyment, rather than just my own
Ideally isofix seat points - to aid the above and make child seat swapping easier
Rear wheel drive - my preference for driving enjoyment
In addition, it had to be something that appealed to the wife in some way ( realistically something with a premium badge and fairly luxurious) and I wanted something under 100k miles within my budget.
It really came down to E39 M5 or E36 or E46 M3. I initially thought the M5 was the one, and drove several examples. Fantastic car but I soon realised that I could only afford one at the lower end and poorer condition of those available, and the wife wasn't too impressed with them. Then comparing the two M3's, well I didn't actually drive an E36, but it doesn't have isofix and it doesn't have those phwat arches!
So the E46 won! Then it was only a question of colour combination. I wanted something quite restrained and not too common. You see quite a lot of E46 coupes in Topaz Blue, but not so many M3s. But it's not an especially 'strong' colour, so I thought grey leather would better compliment it than black.
And that's it! Thanks for reading!
Oh and by the way, I run a monthly classic and sports car and bike show at Doddington Hall, just outside Lincoln. It's called 'Horsepower at the Hall' and you can find us on Facebook and in the events section of this forum. It's every 4th Sunday from 2pm, starting this month on the 24th. Hope to meet you there!
Cheers, Ben.
Hi Mark, there wasn't a great deal of underseal around the subframe mounts, so we were able to get a pretty good look.
The car could use a service anyway, so will get it inspected again then.
Can anybody recommend a good specialist in the Lincoln area?
The car could use a service anyway, so will get it inspected again then.
Can anybody recommend a good specialist in the Lincoln area?
Edited by rainmasterb on Wednesday 13th April 12:06
mwstewart said:
Geoff Steel Racing at Kirton Lindsey know the E46 inside out. I had Will fit the Schrick cams & followers in mine and always found him very knowledgeable.
There is also Forrest motors.
Don't discount Soper as main dealer servicing is pretty competitive these days.
Thanks Mark.There is also Forrest motors.
Don't discount Soper as main dealer servicing is pretty competitive these days.
Thanks for the comments and tips all. I'd rather not disclose what I paid for it, but manual coupes tend to go for between 7 and 11, depending on mileage and condition. I guess mine is probably below average mileage and I'd like to think above average condition, but I certainly paid less than the mid point of that range of values, so think I got a good deal.
Fermit - looks like you are in Slough, therefore I assume you offer a mobile service?
Fermit - looks like you are in Slough, therefore I assume you offer a mobile service?
em177 said:
Love the Topaz Blue. Mine is Silver Grey and yours is probably the only colour I'd rather have. What size spacers is it running?
I think 15mm front and 10mm rear, but haven't checked to be quite honest.Edited by em177 on Monday 18th April 11:52
Couple of little jobs done today.
Firstly, helped my OCD by removing a very obvious dead moth in the 3rd brake light unit!
Before.....aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!
After...
Then of a little bit more significance, I've change one of the front indicators for a smoked unit (the other unit is held on with a zip tie so wanted to be sure before I commit!).
I'm not really one for smoked or tinted lights but the indicators on these cars always seem so in your face to me, I just don't blend in very well. The choice really comes down to the sort I have fitted, or a projector style one. I had thought the projector style might suit the xenons in the headlamp unit quite well, but in the end I thought they just looked a bit after market.
I'm sure some of you will feel this style does too, but I think they give a much better look overall.
Before...
After...
Might now shadow chrome the kidney grills to help them blend in a little better?
em177 said:
Funnily enough I've just done the opposite on mine and gone back to standard...
Before:
After:
Ha! Will be keeping my originals in case I change my mind.Before:
After:
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?
em177 said:
Funnily enough I've just done the opposite on mine and gone back to standard...
Before:
After:
Ha! Will be keeping my originals in case I change my mind.Before:
After:
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.
Almost a year since I updated this! Big expense this year was a suspension refurb. Car already had eibach springs but was on the original dampers. So I replaced the dampers with Bilstein B4s and replaced most of the rubber perishables.
Also needed new discs and pads at the rear.
It wasn't a night and day difference, but a noticeable improvement. Still nice and firm but not at all crashy and very controlled.
Not a great deal else to report, just been enjoying driving it really. Pics from trip out last week..
IMG_1594 by ben chambers, on Flickr
IMG_1592 by ben chambers, on Flickr
Still need to repair if required or at least reinforce the boot floor and will probably need front tyres fairly soon. Tempted with an alcantara wheel and gearknob, and maybe some reclining buckets?
Happy new year all!
Also needed new discs and pads at the rear.
It wasn't a night and day difference, but a noticeable improvement. Still nice and firm but not at all crashy and very controlled.
Not a great deal else to report, just been enjoying driving it really. Pics from trip out last week..
IMG_1594 by ben chambers, on FlickrIMG_1592 by ben chambers, on FlickrStill need to repair if required or at least reinforce the boot floor and will probably need front tyres fairly soon. Tempted with an alcantara wheel and gearknob, and maybe some reclining buckets?
Happy new year all!
Small cosmetic update today...
Have never been happy with the positioning of my bootlid M3 badge, so off it came today.
Before...
IMG_1383 by ben chambers, on Flickr
After
IMG_1598 by ben chambers, on Flickr
Quite like the debadged look so going to leave it for now and see how I feel!
Have never been happy with the positioning of my bootlid M3 badge, so off it came today.
Before...
IMG_1383 by ben chambers, on FlickrAfter
IMG_1598 by ben chambers, on FlickrQuite like the debadged look so going to leave it for now and see how I feel!
Max M4X WW said:
Looks good actually, a non perfect placement of the badges on BMW's always looks off (or on anything really)
Are you fitting front ambers?
Toying with the idea but not convinced myself yet. I don't really like how they look anything other than dead front or dead side on - the headlights are clear with the bulbs set back so having amber indicators with no depth to them looks a bit odd to me.Are you fitting front ambers?
Wow over 2 years since I updated this! Car itself has gone through a few minor changes in that time, but the biggest change is that it is now my daily driver.
When I bought the car 4 years ago I was in a job with 2 company cars, so it was weekend car predominantly, but bought with the view that sooner or later I would change job, and chances were it would be a job with a maximum of 1 company car.
Low and behold, as of September 2018 I moved into a job with just the 1 company car. We were living some distance away so the M3 was the wife's car whilst I was doing the long commute, but after moving last year, and then only a 22 mile commute, I wrestled it back from her indoors and it's been my daily ever since.
It has certainly justified my choice 4 years ago - I really can't think of another car that could offer as much as it does in it's role - over a commute of 5 miles x 50mph A Road, 1 mile x 30mph town driving, 5 x 50mph A Road again and then the rest dual carriageway, it is entertaining, comfortable, relaxing and exiting all at the same time, and manages to do 27.9mph! Furthermore, with our 3 kids it can do the school pick-up and a family drive out at the weekend. To make matters even better, it only costs me £280/year to insure including commuting.
Finally, and very importantly, in the 4 years and 10,000 miles I have had it it has been super reliable.
Exterior wise I've got it exactly how I want it now. The amber sides have gone and the rears replaced with facelift LED units, and I've refitted the badge in the correct position.
Mechanically not a great deal to report. New front tyres to pass the MOT last year made a nice improvement. Poly flex front bushes have also made a noticeable improvement in steering feel. CDV delete has made a marginal improvement to the shift quality, but the Jaffster v2 shift knob I fitted recently and reported about on here has made a massive difference. It is now quite a joy to change gear.
Few more interior updates that I will cover next week after getting a recovered wheel fitted.
For now, a couple of recent pics...
When I bought the car 4 years ago I was in a job with 2 company cars, so it was weekend car predominantly, but bought with the view that sooner or later I would change job, and chances were it would be a job with a maximum of 1 company car.
Low and behold, as of September 2018 I moved into a job with just the 1 company car. We were living some distance away so the M3 was the wife's car whilst I was doing the long commute, but after moving last year, and then only a 22 mile commute, I wrestled it back from her indoors and it's been my daily ever since.
It has certainly justified my choice 4 years ago - I really can't think of another car that could offer as much as it does in it's role - over a commute of 5 miles x 50mph A Road, 1 mile x 30mph town driving, 5 x 50mph A Road again and then the rest dual carriageway, it is entertaining, comfortable, relaxing and exiting all at the same time, and manages to do 27.9mph! Furthermore, with our 3 kids it can do the school pick-up and a family drive out at the weekend. To make matters even better, it only costs me £280/year to insure including commuting.
Finally, and very importantly, in the 4 years and 10,000 miles I have had it it has been super reliable.
Exterior wise I've got it exactly how I want it now. The amber sides have gone and the rears replaced with facelift LED units, and I've refitted the badge in the correct position.
Mechanically not a great deal to report. New front tyres to pass the MOT last year made a nice improvement. Poly flex front bushes have also made a noticeable improvement in steering feel. CDV delete has made a marginal improvement to the shift quality, but the Jaffster v2 shift knob I fitted recently and reported about on here has made a massive difference. It is now quite a joy to change gear.
Few more interior updates that I will cover next week after getting a recovered wheel fitted.
For now, a couple of recent pics...
Edited by rainmasterb on Friday 5th June 15:17
Gallons Per Mile said:
Looks perfect! Those 18's are the wheels to have.
The CDV doesn't make a difference to the shift quality per se, it's about clutch feel. Mine felt horrible with it in and fine without it, though my friend still runs the CDV and said with new fluid it's fine too. For shift quality you need to check out the bushes on the gearbox. They're prone to wear and made a big difference when changed on my friend's car.
For steering feel, have a look at the rubber UJ in the column assembly, just above the steering rack. If it's original it'll need changing, My steering felt completely dead in the straight ahead position and excellent as soon as I started to turn a corner - it was just play in that rubber UJ.
i've moved on to an E90 M3 now but I still look at my friends E46 and wonder if I should have kept mine! In fairness the E90 is brilliant, but there were many things I loved about the E46 too
Thanks! Yes you're right about the CDV affecting the clutch feel, was just summing it up with the weighted shifter too. Pretty satisfied with the shift now but appreciate it could be improved further.The CDV doesn't make a difference to the shift quality per se, it's about clutch feel. Mine felt horrible with it in and fine without it, though my friend still runs the CDV and said with new fluid it's fine too. For shift quality you need to check out the bushes on the gearbox. They're prone to wear and made a big difference when changed on my friend's car.
For steering feel, have a look at the rubber UJ in the column assembly, just above the steering rack. If it's original it'll need changing, My steering felt completely dead in the straight ahead position and excellent as soon as I started to turn a corner - it was just play in that rubber UJ.
i've moved on to an E90 M3 now but I still look at my friends E46 and wonder if I should have kept mine! In fairness the E90 is brilliant, but there were many things I loved about the E46 too
Also quite happy with the steering feel since I've put the oversized front tyres on.
I keep my eye on E90 prices but am not sure I like the look as much and don't think I could live with the <20 mpg!
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