Immaculate low mileage 2004 Silver Grey CSL Inspired Build

[Avedis]

BMW NA coordinated with local dealerships to send a mobile tech out to replace the car's airbags. Reading through the forums, I found it was best to do all the prep work myself to minimize possible damages to the car.


I removed the trim, screws, and air vent then very carefully checked the passenger’s side airbag cover. Unfortunately the white single use retaining clip that was integrated into the airbag cover was already broken. I took the entire airbag cover and cradle/mount out. I mended the tab with a little bit of 2 part epoxy. I made sure to use the epoxy extremely sparingly, so that the tab could break, as designed, when the airbag deploys




I fully prepped the car but the technician never showed up. Turns out the appointment somehow never got submitted.


In the meantime, I took on my nav delete / HVAC control relocation project. I wanted to delete the navigation, add a radio delete panel, move the HVAC, and add a sunglass tray. To do this I ordered the following:
Radio delete panel (65128229147)
Radio frame mounting bracket (51458237560)
New instrument panel switch center without rounded corners (51168268891)
Sunglass tray(51168260312)



Lower components removed


Nav unit removed. Highly recommend buying these factory nav removal tools. Made it very easy to remove.



Radio frame mounting bracket going in


Transferred the cigarette lighter and buttons over to the new instrument switch panel


Everything back in. Awaiting new airbags then the dash trim will be reinstalled.


I reconnected the battery to test the HVAC unit. I was caught off guard when NPR radio channel came on instantly and incredibly loud despite the nav unit being removed. I will have to disconnect the audio components in the trunk until I get around to physically removing them.

[WestBankM4]

Great build journal, keep us all in the loop. Extremely clean example to start working on, I'm sure your son will appreciate it in his growing years.

[Will]

Car looks great, congrats. Looking forward to updates. The homes in the background of some photos reminds me of neighborhoods around me. If so, see you around.

[eforty6_m3]

Can't wait to see where this goes. So far, great work!

[Sharocks]

Man doing all this to a 26k mile car is wild in this economy.

Good for you haha

[0-60motorsports]

Looks great! looking forward to seeing the progress.

[TexaZ3]

Looking good!

[Avedis]

I recently purchased this immaculate 2004 Silver Grey E46 M3 with 26,000 miles with the intention of doing a CSL inspired build. My son, who is 19 months old at the time of creating this thread, already has the BMW bug. I wanted a long term project that we could enjoy together and work on throughout the years.

This is my 8th BMW, but first E46 M3. Historically, I would modify the exterior of my cars first. This time, I am taking an inside out approach to modifying. I will be doing little exterior modifications here and there, but in the early stages it will be interior focused. This thread will capture and document the process.


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Fresh off the trailer from Texas. Heavy layer of road grime.





Seats out, carpets scrubbed and hot water extracted, all surfaces steamed, brushed and cleaned. Before it went back together, all surfaces were ceramic coated (Carpro Dlux and Leather 2.0). Ceramic coating was not photographed. Interior felt mint.













Exterior was given a solid wash. I will decontaminate, polish, then ceramic coat at a later date. For just a basic exterior cleanse without paint correction, the paint looks great.



Engine bay was cleaned, then dressed with diluted Carpro Perl




Color matched front reflectors installed to hold me over until a CSL bumper is installed.



Car then went to European Auto Source for a PPI (post purchase inspection in this case). Thankfully the car was given a clean bill of health. They get to look at some of the best BMW's in California, and even they stated that this car should be in a museum. Made me feel incredibly justified and happy about my purchase. While there, I purchased some Macht Schnell wheel spacers, 18mm front and 12mm rear. This will hold me over until I install coilovers.





After the initial post-transport wash, I found a small but clean dent in the driver's side door. It appeared the transporter opened the door, hitting one of the metal supports on the trailer. Luckily it was very easily removed by Dentlez paintless dent removal. Highly recommended if you're in Southern California.



Shifting back to the interior, the lower trim of the steering wheel shows normal wear. The lower portion will be sent off to TexaZ3. He will be refinishing the lower trim to look like factory black plastic, not soft touch. Instead of reinstalling the same multi-function upper steering wheel trim, I am using this as an opportunity to make a small change. The upper trim will be replaced with a fully blank version (part no. 61318383366). Will update once I receive the lower trim back from refinishing.