Aftermarket E46 M3 windshield cowl

[heinzboehmer]

This isn't a great candidate for 3d printing. It would require a very large printer or multiple pieces. Post processing (glueing stuff together) is tedious and time consuming and thus, expensive. Machine print time is a real consideration for something this large and complex as well. Especially when surface finish matters.

The tooled options from eBay or Amazon are likely to look better and be cheaper. Just figure out which vendor has the best tooling.

This is all assuming we want an OEM replica part. CF may be fine here just expensive.

+1

On top of that, I would worry that the smaller features like the ribs up front or the pegs that click into the white clips would be too fragile on a printed part.

Might be that repainting the original cowl and finding new windshield wiper grommets (likely from some other car) is the best option here.

[Cubieman]

+1

On top of that, I would worry that the smaller features like the ribs up front or the pegs that click into the white clips would be too fragile on a printed part.

Might be that repainting the original cowl and finding new windshield wiper grommets (likely from some other car) is the best option here.

I bought those grommets separately as I didn't know they came with the part when I bought it.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-gasket-ring-51718204864

These were only $6 when I bought them in July of 2023!