Some pics of my E46 ///M3

[Craigwww]

Hi folks

I've had the M3 for a few years now and managed to get around to getting all the parts fitted that had been collecting dust in the garage for a while.

The car has already been breathed on by EVOLVE and fitted with their Carbon Fibre CSL Airbox, Alpha N tune and a Supersprint SS exhaust and resonated mid section. So it was time to get the looks of the car to match the amazing sound and performance of it!

Well I picked up the M3 two weeks ago after MJ Racing in Motherwell (Scotland) had completed the following work on the car.

Paint & Fitting:

Genuine CSL Bootlid
Genuine CSL Rear Diffuser
Genuine CSL Wheels and new Vreds (+ 12mm rear, 15mm front spacers, supplied by Circmcn)
Genuine ACS Front Splitter
Front end & rear bumper respray

Mechanicals:

Fit and setup HSD Coilovers
Install Porsche Brembo Front BBK (incl. custom brackets, new pads and CSL discs)


I was like a kid at Christmas when I picked the car up and handed over the readies for all the work. The quality of the paintwork is better than OEM in my opinion and theres only a few minor things I want tweaked, which I will get Ali to address in the near future.

Anyway, I managed to get 2 miles into my journey home when the SMG box decided that 'N' was the only gear it wanted to select. The car was recovered to Parks of Hamilton BMW who duely diagnosed the problem as SMG Pump failure and fitted a new one during the week, along with new bonnet sensors, new + paddle microswitch and a new washer pump.

Also got around to fitting the Storm Motorwerks parts I had, the quality and fit is outstanding and really transform the interior. Next trip home I will be fitting the rest of the Piano Black trim, colour coded grills, new front lenses and new Depos to finish it off.


Here's a few pics for your perusal.

[cerb4.5lee]

That looks special, great work! i bet you are really chuffed with it, thanks for sharing

[leeson660]

That's very nice!

A large part of me doesn't like making a standard M3 look like a CSL but it does look bloody good I must say

[chilistrucker]

stunning.
really like that.

[R5YUP]

Out of interest, how much is the Piano Black trim - and how easy is it proving to fit?

I had a look at sourcing the trim and it looked bloody dear! Looks the part though.

[AngryApples]

Craigwww said:

Congrats mate,

That looks really nice and it's good to see some subtle paint, body and performance mods being done that really improve the car without making it look "McDonald's Car Park" - way to much of that kind of crap going on.

Quite interesting for me, as mine is finished in CB and practically all the mods you have carried out are what I'd like on mine.






P.S - my bank manager just told me to tell you he hates you!

;-)

[nickrex]

Very nice!

[JRBM5]

Car looks great.

Out of interest how much did all of the mods cost? Would it not have been cheaper to sell your car and buy a CSL?

[tommy vercetti]

Looks great, especially with the CSL alloys

[AudiSport]

JRBM5 said:

Car looks great.

Out of interest how much did all of the mods cost? Would it not have been cheaper to sell your car and buy a CSL?

Firstly, lovely looking car. However my first thought was also that you will struggle to ever see that mod money back - and should you not have just bought a CSL?

[Craigwww]

R5YUP said:

Out of interest, how much is the Piano Black trim - and how easy is it proving to fit?

I had a look at sourcing the trim and it looked bloody dear! Looks the part though.

Keep your eye out on M3 Cutters forum and ebay, the trim parts regularily come up for sale at about £100 for the set. Alternatively, you can remove your own trim and have it sprayed for a bit less.

My trims are all genuine BMW piano black and I just collected bits and pieces along the way. I actually have a full set spare, they will be going on sale on M3 Cutters forum soon.

[Craigwww]

JRBM5 said:

Car looks great.

Out of interest how much did all of the mods cost? Would it not have been cheaper to sell your car and buy a CSL?

Thanks mate. As you probably know genuine CSL mods do cost a fortune but I just collected bits and pieces along the way, some bought on forums, some bought via ebay.

Total cost of fitting and painting was £2k.
Totals cost of parts roughly £9k (including Carbon Airbox at £2500)

So £11k all in roughly. (not counting the £3k for the SMG pump)

Could I have bought a CSL cheaper? Almost, but I didn't really want one, the car was used as my daily commute between Glasgow and Reading and i didn't want to ruin a CSL doing that. I work abroad now so its not used much but I wouldnt think twice about blatting down south in it. Also the CSL is such a track focussed car and i like my creature comforts. In saying that I have toyed with the idea of selling it and getting a genuine CSL.

The car was never built to be a CSL substitute, it was more to have the best of both worlds and I love the CSL aero mods.

Edited by Craigwww on Monday 24th September 20:42

Edited by Craigwww on Monday 24th September 21:04

[Craigwww]

AudiSport said:

Firstly, lovely looking car. However my first thought was also that you will struggle to ever see that mod money back - and should you not have just bought a CSL?

Thanks mate.

I have modded cars before and I'm fully aware that I will never see the money back in full. However, I have all the standard parts to put back on if I decide to sell it and the mods would be sold separately, I probably wouldn't lose money on the purchase price of the CSL parts that way.

[Craigwww]

AngryApples said:

Congrats mate,

That looks really nice and it's good to see some subtle paint, body and performance mods being done that really improve the car without making it look "McDonald's Car Park" - way to much of that kind of crap going on.

Quite interesting for me, as mine is finished in CB and practically all the mods you have carried out are what I'd like on mine.


P.S - my bank manager just told me to tell you he hates you!

;-)

Thanks for the comments mate! BMWs never suit the 'McDonalds' look and luckily enough the parts available tend to be well designed and work well. I stuck with BMW CSL parts mostly to avoid the Chavvy look.

[Craigwww]

cerb4.5lee said:

That looks special, great work! i bet you are really chuffed with it, thanks for sharing

Cheers mate, appreciate the comments!

[Craigwww]

leeson660 said:

That's very nice!

A large part of me doesn't like making a standard M3 look like a CSL but it does look bloody good I must say

Cheers mate!

I know the stigma of 'fake cars' but it looks so good I couldn't resist. I wouldn't do it if the car was say a 330Ci Sport underneath, the CSL was just a track focussed version of the standard M3. Also anyone educated enough about CSLs to notice the aero mods would know that the CSL was never made in Carbon Black and its a standard front bumper with ACS splitter... and the fact there are no CSL badges on it!

Cheers

[kayzee]

Congratulations... I've just saved most of those pictures to my 'Cars' folder on the computer, not many make it in there these days! Awesome, exactly what I want one day.

[leeson660]

Craigwww said:

leeson660 said:

That's very nice!

A large part of me doesn't like making a standard M3 look like a CSL but it does look bloody good I must say

Cheers mate!

I know the stigma of 'fake cars' but it looks so good I couldn't resist. I wouldn't do it if the car was say a 330Ci Sport underneath, the CSL was just a track focussed version of the standard M3. Also anyone educated enough about CSLs to notice the aero mods would know that the CSL was never made in Carbon Black and its a standard front bumper with ACS splitter... and the fact there are no CSL badges on it!

Cheers

Yes definitely good stuff

Always considered the CSL Airbox + remap for mine, would you say it's worth the investment for the extra bhp? Obviously the noise would be immense

Also quick question on spacing - it definitely looks better but does it have an adverse effect on the handling at all?

Thanks

[Craigwww]

kayzee said:

Congratulations... I've just saved most of those pictures to my 'Cars' folder on the computer, not many make it in there these days! Awesome, exactly what I want one day.

Awesome, cheers mate!

[Craigwww]

leeson660 said:

Yes definitely good stuff

Always considered the CSL Airbox + remap for mine, would you say it's worth the investment for the extra bhp? Obviously the noise would be immense

Also quick question on spacing - it definitely looks better but does it have an adverse effect on the handling at all?

Thanks

The CSL airbox or Evolve's great version of it, isn't about bhp gains, I gained maybe 15-20bhp with the air box, exhaust and remap, so for the money it's not worth it if you are just chasing ponies. However, the smooth, linear power delivery, sharp throttle response and immensely addictive noise are worth every penny!

To be honest I haven't had a good chance to fully explore the handling yet as I have been working in Saudi but the handling has been tuned by an ex-race car engineer to be comfortable enough to use daily but effective when you are pushing on. The turn in is sharper than ever before and at low-medium speed the car feels planted and just sticks to the road. I do feel that at motorway cruising speed it feels a little lighter at the front end though and wants to tram line a little more than before but its very manageable. The car is on HSD coilovers with 12mm front and 15mm rear spacers, the fronts are required to clear the Brembos and the rears just balance the whole car out.