E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE - 2004

[Polarbert]

I'm a die hard manual fan but respect anyones own desire to own the SMG. Yours looks like a terrific example. Great pictures too. I've owned my Z4M for a couple of years now and I'm really impressed with it. The S54 is an absolute marvel of an engine. If I could get the CSL intake for less than it would cost to donate a limb I would be all over it. Think I will have to settle for an exhaust one day though.

[Nutty9000]

Congrats on your purchase, the convertible is so much classier than the coupe, don't know why just is.

[Cliff J]

Polarbert said:

I'm a die hard manual fan but respect anyones own desire to own the SMG. Yours looks like a terrific example. Great pictures too. I've owned my Z4M for a couple of years now and I'm really impressed with it. The S54 is an absolute marvel of an engine. If I could get the CSL intake for less than it would cost to donate a limb I would be all over it. Think I will have to settle for an exhaust one day though.

I do feel this car would really benefit from being manual, but maybe I just need more practice, I’m still not completely at one with the SMG.

[Cliff J]

Nutty9000 said:

Congrats on your purchase, the convertible is so much classier than the coupe, don't know why just is.

I agree about the classier statement but also do feel this car should be a coupe.
In my last 2 posts i’ve basically said it should be a manual coupe, but I kid you not, this is an immense car to drive, even if it is the runt of the litter lol

[Cliff J]

A nice little update..


The original purchaser of my car found me on Facebook and sent me the original bill of sale, a mere £49630 in 2004!!





I now have a short stubby aerial The radio reception is OEM quality IMO

I now have new ATE brake discs and pads for the front, basically the same as OEM BMW, plus a second set of OEM 19" Style 67 alloys in fantastic condition, I paid £295 for the discs and pads, £220 for the wheels.








Next I sold the 4 x front 19 x 8" OEM wheels for £200, which left me with 4 x 9.5" rear wheels and a square set-up...

I finally cleaned my car on Saturday, it was road salt city and pretty much matt black/blue!!

Whilst it was clean I decided to take some photos of my new square set-up, it's on 255/35 rear tyres and 235/35 front tyres for now, no front spacers and 15mm rear spacers.



















Coilovers are incoming asap.

It's not for everyone but I hope you like it.

Edited by Cliff J on Monday 11th December 23:48

Edited by Cliff J on Monday 11th December 23:54

[SebringMan]

Cliff J said:

I do feel this car would really benefit from being manual, but maybe I just need more practice, I’m still not completely at one with the SMG.

Drive it more and when you get the chance drive it faster . Or a minimum of D4 in manual. I found mine OK until I did the CSL update ; I didn't want to stop driving it then!

Alot of things can affect the performance of the SMG ; including a good service like an Inspection 1/2 done correctly. To convert to the manual if you fancy isn't quite as hard as you'd think either. It's now possible to not modify the bellhousing for example if you get a shifter like an CAE, Samsonsa or RTD. That is self centralising shifters. A few of the parts can be taken from normal M3s too (master cylinder and clutch pedal for example ; I believe the SMG uses the same pedalbox).

I'm beginning to miss driving mine but I'd like to think it's for the best .

Edited by SebringMan on Tuesday 12th December 07:35

[anonymous-user]

They really are still very fine looking machines the E46 M’s

Definitely my next car purchase but in manual coupe form.

[Cliff J]

SebringMan said:

Drive it more and when you get the chance drive it faster . Or a minimum of D4 in manual. I found mine OK until I did the CSL update ; I didn't want to stop driving it then!

Alot of things can affect the performance of the SMG ; including a good service like an Inspection 1/2 done correctly. To convert to the manual if you fancy isn't quite as hard as you'd think either. It's now possible to not modify the bellhousing for example if you get a shifter like an CAE, Samsonsa or RTD. That is self centralising shifters. A few of the parts can be taken from normal M3s too (master cylinder and clutch pedal for example ; I believe the SMG uses the same pedalbox).

I'm beginning to miss driving mine but I'd like to think it's for the best .

I'm keeping this SMG, as I said before, my left knee is in a poor state now and clutch work sat in traffic can feel like I have a hot knife has been stuck in the side of my knee. On the plus side, having driven this a lot now, I feel much more in control of the car using the SMG than I did before, learning the best settings etc.

[Cliff J]

DoubleTime said:

They really are still very fine looking machines the E46 M’s

Definitely my next car purchase but in manual coupe form.

They do look a little dated but I was recently parked up next to a great big Bentley sport thing, my car held its own I felt.
Put this car on a high street with your normal cars and then you can see how wide it really is.

[Cliff J]

Finally did my brakes!! My discs and pads were shot to bits!!!

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 SMG CONVERTIBLE in CARBON BLACK by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

I'll paint my calipers once I can decide on a colour!!

[Cliff J]

During the recent cold snap (Beast from the east), I used my M3 as normal, the snow made for some different photos with my new iPhone 8, plus, I had such a great time out in the M3, really feel like I learnt a lot about the car

BMW E46 M3 convertible in Carbon black by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

Untitled by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

Untitled by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

E46 M3 convertible in carbon black by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

[Cliff J]

Sadly, after the snow, my car was a complete state!!!

BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr



BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr



BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


So, first up, I snow foamed the car...........twice!!

BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

Then after using the two bucket method, the car was rinsed off to reveal I needed to wax it..


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Next was a dry and then Dodo juice Purple Haze..


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


BMW E46 M3 convertible wash day after the Beast from the east snow fall. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Fully waxed BME E46 M3 convertible in carbon black using Dodo juice Purple haze. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Fully waxed BME E46 M3 convertible in carbon black using Dodo juice Purple haze. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Fully waxed BME E46 M3 convertible in carbon black using Dodo juice Purple haze. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Fully waxed BME E46 M3 convertible in carbon black using Dodo juice Purple haze. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Untitled by Cliff Judson, on Flickr


Fully waxed BME E46 M3 convertible in carbon black using Dodo juice Purple haze. by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

[JamesRR]

Cliff J said:

During the recent cold snap (Beast from the east), I used my M3 as normal, the snow made for some different photos with my new iPhone 8, plus, I had such a great time out in the M3, really feel like I learnt a lot about the car


Untitled by Cliff Judson, on Flickr

That’s a stunning photograph, it would make an excellent desktop wallpaper.
Love the car too, great to see it being used as usual during the snow!

[SiT]

That is stunning and I think the square setup suits the car much more than staggered, I know its a bit of a hot potato but with the convertible which isn't ever likely to be a track weapon like the coupe the cosmetic improvement is considerable.

Miss my E46 cab, it was SMG too and although I set out to buy a manual was happy with SMG when I got used to it and didn't look like a learner driver everytime I pulled away! Lol!

Keep the pics coming and keep the M in that condition, values are only going one way....

Si

[Cliff J]

JamesRR said:

That’s a stunning photograph, it would make an excellent desktop wallpaper.
Love the car too, great to see it being used as usual during the snow!

Thank you James, well pleased with all of my snow photos.
My other car is a Skoda Octavia company car, I carry so many tools in the back that the front is quite light and it has zero snow grip lol

[Cliff J]

SiT said:

That is stunning and I think the square setup suits the car much more than staggered, I know its a bit of a hot potato but with the convertible which isn't ever likely to be a track weapon like the coupe the cosmetic improvement is considerable.

Miss my E46 cab, it was SMG too and although I set out to buy a manual was happy with SMG when I got used to it and didn't look like a learner driver everytime I pulled away! Lol!

Keep the pics coming and keep the M in that condition, values are only going one way....

Si

Cheers Si. I still bounce away from the lights sometimes if i’ve Left it in sports mode lol, but mostly I’m at one with the SMG.
It took me a while to feel comfortable with the flappy paddles and changing gears around fast backroad driving lanes, but now it’s second nature.

With the convertible, IMO you need to butch it up a tad, the square set up does that I feel.

The car will be front end resprayed at some point this year as it’s a little peppered.

[Cliff J]

[redacted]

[C70R]

[redacted]

[Cliff J]

C70R said:

I'm inclined to agree - I can totally see the look you're going for (as it's obviously your choice entirely), but the over-wide front wheels and heavily canted front suspension make it look a bit cartoonish IMHO.
I love this generation of M3, but the beauty of it for me is in its subtle simplicity.

A standard E46 M3 doesn’t inspire me, the front wheels are sunk deep inside the bulbous arches. The rear wheels are not much better.
Most owners use huge spacers to bring them out, go onto M3cutters and you’ll see it’s one of the first mods on the list.

I went for the square set up, it means I at least lose the front spacers.
The car is going into coilovers so that I can sit it right, from day of purchase I realised the suspension was odd front to rear, and that will be addressed.

I’m pretty sure most would describe this as either the OEM look, or OEM plus, as there’s no wild styling or a lots of add ons.

Have a look at the photos of the car from the rear in my most recent pictures, you can see the rear wheels appear wider stanced, it’s hard to actually get a photo to show accurately how the wheels are in person.

[C70R]

Cliff J said:

C70R said:

I'm inclined to agree - I can totally see the look you're going for (as it's obviously your choice entirely), but the over-wide front wheels and heavily canted front suspension make it look a bit cartoonish IMHO.
I love this generation of M3, but the beauty of it for me is in its subtle simplicity.

A standard E46 M3 doesn’t inspire me, the front wheels are sunk deep inside the bulbous arches. The rear wheels are not much better.
Most owners use huge spacers to bring them out, go onto M3cutters and you’ll see it’s one of the first mods on the list.

I went for the square set up, it means I at least lose the front spacers.
The car is going into coilovers so that I can sit it right, from day of purchase I realised the suspension was odd front to rear, and that will be addressed.

I’m pretty sure most would describe this as either the OEM look, or OEM plus, as there’s no wild styling or a lots of add ons.

Have a look at the photos of the car from the rear in my most recent pictures, you can see the rear wheels appear wider stanced, it’s hard to actually get a photo to show accurately how the wheels are in person.

You don't need to defend it, honestly. I'm not telling you it's wrong - I'm just saying what I think it looks like.

IMHO the front wheels protrude too far in the arches (I actually like the way the standard 18s sit), and the sill is nowhere near parallel to the ground (same with the arch gaps). That's just my opinion - if you like it, that's the only thing that matters.