2006 E46 M3 Convertible – Magnaflow, Bilstein B12 - My Journey

[siamkazi]

UPDATED 8-2-2021 (almost 1.5 years)

Hi everyone wanted to give a personal account of my restoration/build, figured it might help those people who are starting out or thinking of jumping on. The car is an absolute joy and it’s been about a year of restoring and upgrading. I was on the fence about coupe of vert, given I’m in Southern California, I knew already what the heart wanted. Given I won’t track the car and most people can’t exploit the limits anyways (check copart and how many verts are totaled) Lies, I track it , I went in search of my car. I found the right combo from a lady in Oregon, flew up, bought the car, then had it shipped down. Mind you, the car needed work but I was aware from the beginning.

I’ve always been big on being ahead of the curve so most of these items I did in bulk so I wouldn’t have to worry about them later. Overall I’m at around $10k with everything so far Lies, It’s way more *omg*, a lot of preventative stuff.
Here’s a quick version:

• 2006 E46 M3, 117k miles, 6 speed
• Magnaflow full catback, Bilstein B12 Pro Kit, OEM Short Shit Kit
• VANOS rebuilt w/ Beisan, Subframe checked, Rod Bearings done with ACL bearing

Magnaflow Catback with Ebay Diffuser:

I loved the sound of the motor and the induction noise but the rasp and tin sound of the exhaust was always an ‘eh’ moment. I found a person on M3 Forum who had a magnflow he wanted to sell, full setup with all 3 sections. After getting the system, I bought a diffuser off ebay given I wanted to compliment the exhaust tips. My brother and I had to do some cutting and drilling to the diffuser but got it right eventually. - Impressions: I love the sound and especially at wide open throttle. Upon installation I had issues with drone and some fitting. Yogi and Enrique tweaked the hangers to have the tips fit right and put some insulation on various parts of the exhaust. After this, drone was gone and the sound settled into something that suits the S54. I did notice the car moved a bit better with the weight loss and minor power gain. Lies, got rid of it and went to OEM section 1/2/3 (put 200 cell cats in the section 1). CSL Intake and Quiet Exhaust FTW

Bilstein B12 Pro Kit: The car sits perfect now. My suspension was shot so I wanted something more serious for the car outside of OEM. This setup comes with Eiback Springs and yellow Bilsteins, there was a drop in the front and back which I love. The ride is brilliant the handling is ideal, super happy with the install.

SSK and Flat Bottom wheel: Since this is where the magic happens, got the OEM kit (can find on ECS or Turner). Came with a ZHP knob…btw, beware of fakes. Bought one on IG for a discount, found out it was fake. Shifts are nice and tight, most of the slop is gone, really is a connected experience. The wheel was off a gentleman on ebay (andri zakus) who custom made the wheel for me, took about 6 weeks to get to me.

Next steps: Eventuri and wheel spacers. I don’t want to mess with tuning or headers, I always want to the ability to go back to stock with minimal effort. Lies, went TMS CSL box and wider tires. Even more lies, headers and tuned by HTE.

[ATB88]

Nice to see some vert love, that's basically the exact same car as my first vert, currently on my second. Now have Imola interior instead of cinnamon, but I really miss the cinnamon. Also being in SoCal and not having time for a track hobby any time soon, vert was a no brainer for me too

A strong word of warning: it does not matter that your VANOS was "checked". At this mileage, unless it was already been done by the previous owner, it needs to be fully overhauled with the full set of Beisan parts: seals, solenoid pack, timing chain guide and a Beisan oil pump disc. If you don't at the very least do the oil pump disc your VANOS is a ticking time bomb, regardless what things looked like when it was "checked". Failure is not an "if", but "when", and it can absolutely fail without warning and ruin your engine. This is something that has to be done preventatively, not once you notice a problem. No brainer to do the seals, timing chain guide, and solenoid pack while you're doing those, as the seals get pretty tired at that mileage and stock solenoid packs are known to eventually fail. If you have no previous records of a recent valve adjustment then you should also get that done ASAP. You'll save a decent amount of money getting the VANOS and valve adjustment done at the same time while the valve cover's off. On the pricey side, but these are essential things that really should be done before you start spending money on the fun stuff!

Also, I'm curious how the rod bearings were "checked"? If they went so far as to take the oil pan off and look at the bearings themselves, they should have been straight up replaced. If they haven't been replaced, then at this mileage, they're due. If your bearings are original then that's another "could fail at any time without warning" situation.

Many places say they "checked" the subframe, but only do so visually to what they can see with the subframe still attached to the vehicle. To actually properly check, you need to remove the whole subframe and inspect the mounting points. Another "not if but when" failure that needs to be addressed pro-actively.

Hope you're having a blast with it!!

P.S. your radio antenna looks much shorter than mine, is that aftermarket? or did they maybe become shorter sometime between 2002 and 2006?

[siamkazi]

ATB88 , thanks so much for the information, sorry for the late response, life caught up. Absolutely loving the vert, more details on yours!

I did get a valve adjustment done (11 needed to be adjusted) and am doing the VANOS refresh in 2 weeks with full Beisan parts once curfew / quarantine ends (appreciate the detailed info you gave, that did help a bit in understanding this aspect of it). Rod bearings were checked via oil analysis from blackstone, can't remember the numbers but they were okay, but they will be changed next month as well. I had an appointment to get my subframe redone (welded with reinforcement plates etc.) but COVID had to have me postpone till all this madness is over.

Yeah, it is an aftermarket radio antenna (stubby antenna)

Wherein SoCal are you? Would love to meet up one day, word on the street is you're one of the chosen ones with the new Turner box! Once again, thank you for the kind reminders up there, makes me appreciate the ownership even more!

[Doost]

siamkazi Hey I came across this thread while searching B12 kits on e46 m3 verts. Just wondering if you have a longer term take on it now that you've had this set up for year plus? When I bought my vert, ISC coil overs were on and I really didn't like them. I attribute part of this to being crappy quality, and the other part to the heavier rear end of the vert and the tiny little springs that came with the ISC's. As a result, I swapped them out for the original OEM springs and B6 struts/shocks. Now I'm thinking about swapping the OEM springs for some Eibach's, essentially making the same B12 kit. How's the ride, especially from the rear? Are bumps jarring? Did you put any kind of spring pad in to compensate for increased drop in the rear?

Thanks!

Dustin

[siamkazi]

siamkazi Hey I came across this thread while searching B12 kits on e46 m3 verts. Just wondering if you have a longer term take on it now that you've had this set up for year plus? When I bought my vert, ISC coil overs were on and I really didn't like them. I attribute part of this to being crappy quality, and the other part to the heavier rear end of the vert and the tiny little springs that came with the ISC's. As a result, I swapped them out for the original OEM springs and B6 struts/shocks. Now I'm thinking about swapping the OEM springs for some Eibach's, essentially making the same B12 kit. How's the ride, especially from the rear? Are bumps jarring? Did you put any kind of spring pad in to compensate for increased drop in the rear?

Thanks!

Dustin

Hey Dustin! Having this for a while, i'm actually quite pleased with the setup! Overall, i paid roughly $750 new (had some sales back then) and it was a straight swap, didn't add anything. I like the ride, i spend a lot of time on SoCal freeways and it isn't too jarring, its firm and compliant at the same time (for some of these roads, its almost impossible to make up for how bad the roads are sometimes). I've tracked it a few times and did well, it's a good all around setup. drop isn't that bad, the rear goes down more than the front.

[Doost]

Nice- thanks for the quick feedback!

[Tbonem3]

That first pic is so beautiful. Nice color combo too, first e46 m3 I ever sat in was black/cinn.

[siamkazi]

That first pic is so beautiful. Nice color combo too, first e46 m3 I ever sat in was black/cinn.

Thanks! Corona Hills FTW!