Vert Life - 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!

[jpy1980]

You should give an update on your build/car. As a fellow vert owner, it makes me happy haha.

Question to other vert owners, have you addressed the subframe yet? If so, where did you get it done? Kevin at EAS says he checked and looked fine, but as that one poster wrote, you won't know until you take off the subframe. This may be on my to do list.

[siamkazi]

You should give an update on your build/car. As a fellow vert owner, it makes me happy haha.

Question to other vert owners, have you addressed the subframe yet? If so, where did you get it done? Kevin at EAS says he checked and looked fine, but as that one poster wrote, you won't know until you take off the subframe. This may be on my to do list.

Hey, you're right, totally forgot i had a build journal, need to to update in the coming weeks. I still haven't done my subframe, not sure why i keep delaying though. The other big 2 have been done (vanos/rod bearings).

[0-60motorsports]

Looks great

[siamkazi]

So it’s been a little over 5 years of ownership (just crossed 135k miles) and a lot has changed since my last build journal entries. A lot of assumptions I made initially changed throughout the years such as modifying the car (which I did heavily) and to what my true use of the car was.

The past 3 years I realized that it’s a really track capable car (been to quite a few track days) but that’s not what I wanted the car to be so I started changing it to a more ‘street’ version with the intention of making it the best vert experience possible i.e. it feeling like an occasion every time I take it out. I also realized that as great as the coupe is, the vert is special in every way. The design has aged well and it’s as raw as one would hope when in search of a ‘proper drive’. The sense of regret of not getting a coupe has long been erased and I’m so glad I went this route. The limits of the car far exceed what one thinks they can achieve so unless you’re a heavy duty track rat, the vert with a manual gearbox and supporting mods (CSL box, headers etc) with the top town is up there in rare air.

With my Brother's C55 AMG at South Coast Plaza:



Recently we were at a birthday party for a family friend and everyone brought their toys yet the group was always standing around the E46 i.e. sitting in it, talking and asking about it. Very cool to see.



11-4-2025:

TMS CSL Box V2

I’ve had this for a few years now and I still think this is one of the better boxes out there, the low grumble and roar at WOT is unmatched and incredibly addictive. I’ve been running an HTE Alpha-N tune (dyno tuned at EAS) and with just headers, box, 200 cell cats (stock section 2 and muffler), I made 335 WHP. I do plan on cams in the coming years, that’s most likely the final piece to the puzzle for me engine/power wise. The tune is great, runs like stock i.e. no idle hunting or hiccups at any RPM and just rips all the way to the top, Hassan took a lot of time tweaking it to get it to this point.

I did relocate my IAT to the brake duct per his recommendation and it worked well for me. I just recently replaced the brake duct with Bryson’s custom inlet that Kaiv sells and the change was noticeable from the butt dyno (obviously at speed when air is flowing) and the intake grumble is a little more pronounced so definitely recommended.






3.91 Gearing Change

This was a big one for me, I was on the fence for quite a few years on whether to stay stock go 3.91 or try the 3.85. I kept reading as much as I could on every post and forum (even the Z4M forums) on what this change was like and it all came down to this: what was my preference and what was I looking for. Personally, I wanted to get through 3^rd gear quicker and get the power down better. A little low end grunt would be an added bonus. Given I drive on the freeway a lot when I do take the car out and toodle around the city, the 3.91 seemed like the way to go. I sourced the ring and pinion and shims from Pedro at peaky parts who is based out of Portugal and had it installed at a local shop called Unitrax here in Corona. Install went well and the entire process was pain free.

When I left the shop the day it after it was installed, I was expecting a huge change like 1^st gear being unusable and a butt load of torque but the car moved away like nothing had changed, I almost thought they didn’t change anything at all. I got on the freeway and slotted into 6^th and noticed my RPM’s were a little bit higher (about 250ish) at cruising speed so it wasn’t annoying and bearable, you get used to it within a couple of drives and forget.

A couple of months of driving it and I realized that I actually loved it. The changes are subtle but significant at the same time. I get a lot more power down, I get around the city much easier and 5^th gear finally became a gear I use more which, oddly enough, has given me better gas mileage since I have more power in the higher gears so no need to downshift or rev out. 3^rd is a riot, when I go WOT at 3k rpm it just throws you back and you see the shift lights flash on (had Hassan flip them on for me, apparently it’s something you can switch on even with a manual car). When I want to drive easily to OC, 6^th is nice and I actually have power to move in and out without needing to downshift. My brother took it out as well and the first thing he said was that the differential upgrade is definitely great. All said and done, it suits the nature of the vert and so glad I went down this route, it compliments the other mods incredibly well.




Front Splitter & Side Skirts and Apex ARC8’s

To give the front a little more aggression, I added a front lip from Suvneer, fit well and the quality is great. Found some subtle side skirts and added those to complete the look. I also got rid of my 19 inch wheels and went down to 18’s (Arc8 18x9.5" ET35 and 18x10.5" ET27). Best thing I did for how the car rides, the change was apparent the moment I drove away. Everything was quieter and the ride is SO much better. No jarring and the fatter sidewalls help cushion the wheels from potholes and dents. Also, the cost of tires was a huge drop compared to the 19 inch counterparts.




Also, front end needed a respray, once done had a full paint correction



BI-LED retrofit - Sanvi projector

My xenons started going out so I started researching projector upgrades i.e. Osram Night Breakers etc. Eventually I reached out to a specialist named Grant who recommended a BI-LED setup. He said that the technology now surpasses the Osrams in terms of light output while costing the same if not less. Based on that, I had him build out a set for me with the option of a ballast delete to clean up the engine bay a bit (no need for the ballast since it’s LED now). Love the upgrade, it lights up everything for miles and the cutoff is crisp. I can’t go back to xenon’s after this, the amount of stuff you can see at night is so helpful. The headlights themselves look OEM so it’s a welcome addition.




Vantrue Dashcam and Rear Seat Go-Pro bracket

Got the E1 light on sale, I’d recommend it for everyone as an added insurance policy given how crazy people are on the road these days. Had it hardwired in (the have a low voltage kit) which monitors the car when parked and turns on when motion is detected.



Also got one of these to capture POV driving with the top down via Go-Pro:




Miscellaneous

Convertible top maintenance: bat flap replaced and gears/latches serviced. Also the top was cleaned and treated. Given that I drive with the top down more often than not throughout the year (SoCal FTW), having this maintained is critical.





Driveshaft replacement: had a clunking from 2k rpm to 4k in 2^nd gear which took a while to figure out, ended up being the driveshaft itself went bad. Replaced with a used one and the problem went away.

https://youtube.com/shorts/HnUKmfAJ_nk?si=La6NnIqVK_F22DC4

Android Auto: Apparently my kenwood system has it which I just recently found out, had my local shop relocate the USB to the coin tray area where I could plug my phone and have it sit in the cup holder.