E46 Things

[B C 5104]

 

 

Chapter One ended with some soul searching that lead to pulling the plug on a dream.

Chapter Two reignites the dream under a different guise.

If not readily apparent, I bought it from Jordan, who did an amazing job tending to all the maintenance ignored by the previous owner and adding some excellent mods to make it track-worthy. It is nice to finally buy a car from someone who has high standards.

I very nearly bought a similar car with mods from Arizona back in December but something inside just told me it wasnt the one and the seller was a total bro that wouldn't work with me on the price at all.

Overall this car is a natural evolution from my E30: Black, mechanically sorted, in good condition cosmetically but certainly not something that would be on the lot at EAG/not something that will ruin my year if it gets the inevitable ding or scratch.

Unlike the E30, this is bought, not built.

There are plenty of opportunities for slight cosmetic restoration on this car that such as paint correction and replacing trim or interior bits with fresher ones but there isn't much need for mechanical tinkering or spilling the guts of the car onto my garage floor for the winter.

Being able to focus on driving enjoyment is always my goal.

Updates to this thread will probably NOT be very interesting and I will refrain from posting too many photos of the car. There really are no bad angles on an E46 M3 and it is very photogenic.

Very much looking forward to doing car things with my bimmer buddies this year 👍🏼

 

 

 

[suspenceful 725]

Yay. Not sure why you'd want to refrain from posting "too many photos of the car". We love photos here!

I'm a sucker for black E46 M3 on ARC-8s 

[SteelBlue 710]

oh yes bb

Having a car that's not a project all the time will be very enjoyable. 

[P_Roloff 237]

You already know how I feel about this. Congrats, I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[YoungCR 1117]

12 hours ago, suspenceful said:

Yay. Not sure why you'd want to refrain from posting "too many photos of the car". We love photos here!

I'm a sucker for black E46 M3 on ARC-8s 

I second this. There's no limit on good photos around here! Congrats again.

[straight6pwr 2331]

this is awesome!

i'd love to see this thing rip at least one time at autox this year.

thread title 🤙

[The Full Banana 292]

Oh snap! Congrats! 

[jc43089 873]

Hot dog!  That looks so good.

[patsbimmer1 1866]

Way to go Brian!  Thanks for bringing on winter #2.

 

[Rekpoint 519]

So when are the CSL trunk, diffuser and lip coming?

Also exhaust setup? 

😆😆😆

Let's see how long he lasts not messing with it.

[B C 5104]

2 minutes ago, patsbimmer1 said:

Way to go Brian!  Thanks for bringing on winter #2.

 

I accept full blame. Rekpoint is now absolved.

[B C 5104]

2 minutes ago, Rekpoint said:

So when are the CSL trunk, diffuser and lip coming?

Also exhaust setup? 

😆😆😆

Let's see how long he lasts not messing with it.

 

I would LOVE a CSL decklid. Exhaust is stock, car is very quiet. Im reluctant to open that can of raspberries anytime soon. 

I think a good intake may be one of the only other aftermarket things that happens.

[patsbimmer1 1866]

39 minutes ago, B C said:

 

I would LOVE a CSL decklid. Exhaust is stock, car is very quiet. Im reluctant to open that can of raspberries anytime soon. 

I think a good intake may be one of the only other aftermarket things that happens.

Brian I gothcu boo- this for the low low price of $8200!

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-european-bmw-parts/euro-csl-intake/11617833496kt/

[B C 5104]

I have started the cleaning and detailing process. I use the term “detailing” loosely as I operate to the best of my ability.

I started by wiping/scrubbing the leather on the seats with some Mequiars leather cleaner and conditioner to help add some moisture to the leather. Then began vacuuming thoroughly, removed the cup holders, trunk trays, and ash trays to take them to the sink and scrub them good with soap, warm water, and Simple Green.

There is a passenger floormat in good shape but not a drivers mat so I will be shopping for a good set.

A previous owner (not Jordan) replaced all the bulbs with some very old and weak 8000K LEDs. They are barely useful and I will be collecting a list to replace.

When I dug through the trunk I discovered 4 stray oval lock nuts that got tossed, the battery hold down bar loose and the actual hold down plate that goes under the bar was chillin under the trunk carpet with deez nuts.

I snugged the battery, secured a couple other small bits and will be steam cleaning at least the trunk carpet tomorrow if not the interior also.

Either the horn is not working or I am deaf. i will check the fuse on that tomorrow

side note:  E46 factory infotainment is unintuitive junk. Many of the buttons seem to do nothing at all. 

[i_love_cars 742]

I lost 8k on this car after all the mods. Worth it to see a friend back in a BMW where he belongs. 

Me putting 500 miles a year on the car wasn't going to do it justice. 

That infotainment screen is indeed the worst travesty I have seen I think as far as that sort of thing is concerned. I'd rather have a non-nav unit in the car but at this point just get a modern double din for it and call it a day.

[Rekpoint 519]

Both wallets are slightly lighter, sounds like a common BMW thing to me.

[YoungCR 1117]

More pricey that a standard double DIN but it’s basically plug n play with all the modern features. 

https://avinusa.com/avant-4-for-bmw-3-series-e46-m3-multimedia-navigation-system.html

[B C 5104]

There are 2 horn fuses, one is missing. Hopefully thats all I need to remedy to get the horn going again.

I replaced the air filter. Much to my wife's dismay, she came out into the garage and saw the hood up and parts removed (airbox) . I gave her the least effective advice ever:  “calm down” I also added a bottle of Techron for good measure. (I swear the stuff works)

 

The carpets were shampooed. The trunk mat could use another attempt later on but its much better

The low quality license plate LEDs were replaced with some better/brighter LEDs and an interior LED kit was ordered thanks to a recommendation from @patsbimmer1

 

[patsbimmer1 1866]

My wife has stopped asking.  Between customer parts and my own parts shipping to my house she just accepts that things will be taken apart and things will be put back together.  Then again, I've never owned an E30 so she hasn't been conditioned like your wife has.

[B C 5104]

Woohoo! The horn works!

some previous owner must have needed a 15A fuse in a pinch and never replaced it. I may need to comb through the fuse list and make sure there isnt a 15A in a 5 or 10A spot though. Never hurts to check.

 

I found the tow hook bumper plug in the glovebox and snapped that in place.

I still need headlight washer nozzles, they have been deleted. I also need a factory lug wrench, jack, and tow hook to complete the trunk kit. Im guessing the E46 only ever came with a can of tire foam instead of a spare. I would like to buy a spare kit eventually.

[Rekpoint 519]

I should have a lug wrench laying around

[B C 5104]

Did some more driving. Onramps can be taken a little faster than is possible in my van

 

[i_love_cars 742]

I love knowing the car is being driven

EDIT: i think I have the tow hook for you still it's in my garage I'm pretty sure

[B C 5104]

Quick car wash. Checked wheel lug torque. I got to try out the newly replaced horn fuse on someone drunk on Culvers Butterburgers

 

 

 

 

[B C 5104]

The S54 sounds like a chainsaw cutting through a pile of beer cans.

 

That’s all