RACP Failure After Plates

[Nate047]

Really bad!!!

Long story short, previous owner went to a local shop for an inspection/quote to fix the RACP and the shop quoted him 10000$ CAD to replace the RACP and offered to buy the car for 8000$ CAD instead!! His friend than contacted me and offered me the car cause he knew I was able to fix it myself and that I would do a complete restauration of the car.

Car is a 2001/02 HEA package so one of the first E46 M3 in Canada.

The car previously had Turner plates welded. Than, when spot weld start to pop, someone tought it would be a good idea to fix it with undercoating… So problem got worst and it look like this now:

Damn that's bad. I would love to know what that felt like to drive, and if they didn't think it was a big deal or if they just were completely oblivious.

[Gt4]

Damn that's bad. I would love to know what that felt like to drive, and if they didn't think it was a big deal or if they just were completely oblivious.

I would like to say it feel like business in the front, party in the rear but all struts/shocks were original from 2001 and were probably blown long long time ago!!! I drove the car 20km back home and let say it feel ‘’different’’ on a concrete highway!!! It also sound like an old Pirate ship!!!

I don’t know when exactly the spot welds began to pop but probably more than 5-8 years ago cause there seems to have a little bit of corrosion on overlapped panels due to water. I know previous owner parked the car for 2-3 years because he was aware of the RACP problem.

Anyway, for the price I paid, I can’t complain! Just going to fix it and it’s going to be a nice M3 to drive to work and during track days without feeling guilty and my Estoril will stay park in the garage like usual!!! haha

[Maxima SE]

$1500 is honestly not that bad for a RACP nowadays. I paid $900 picked up back in 2016.

[Gt4]

$1500 is honestly not that bad for a RACP nowadays. I paid $900 picked up back in 2016.

1500$ CAD not USD

You replaced it back than on your PY?

[Maxima SE]

1500$ CAD not USD

You replaced it back than on your PY?

Yes I did. my car had a rear X brace across the shock towers and the morons welded the bottom of the x brace directly into the RACP panel itself from inside the trunk.... instead of mounting it to the diff carrier. It ended up cracking the RACP pretty badly and separating the floor in many spots. The labor to fix it was just as much as to replace it so I can a brand new RACP and welded reddish plates on it then reinforced it with mason x brace and vince front cups. I think the whole thing came out to 7-8 grand.

[Amos]

Yes I did. my car had a rear X brace across the shock towers and the morons welded the bottom of the x brace directly into the RACP panel itself from inside the trunk.... instead of mounting it to the diff carrier. It ended up cracking the RACP pretty badly and separating the floor in many spots. The labor to fix it was just as much as to replace it so I can a brand new RACP and welded reddish plates on it then reinforced it with mason x brace and vince front cups. I think the whole thing came out to 7-8 grand.

Sorry, I'm trying to picture this. Your car had something like a GTR/Mason X Brace but it was just connected to the inside panel, not bolted all the way through to the subframe mounts?

[Maxima SE]

Sorry, I'm trying to picture this. Your car had something like a GTR/Mason X Brace but it was just connected to the inside panel, not bolted all the way through to the subframe mounts?

Yes exactly. As crazy as that sounds. it was a custom piece that the previous shop decided to weld onto the RACP. They clearly had no idea what they were doing.

[Amos]

Wow, so close to getting it right but ended up completely obliterating the RACP. Crazy indeed.

[Nate047]

Do you mind posting what shop did that so I can make sure to never go anywhere near there?

[Maxima SE]

Do you mind posting what shop did that so I can make sure to never go anywhere near there?

They're not in Cali. Shop was called "Get nuts lab" in vegas area. Brace was installed sometime in 2015-2016 by the previous owner and neither him or me realized the f up.

https://www.instagram.com/getnutslab/?hl=en