Immaculate low mileage 2004 Silver Grey CSL Inspired Build

[0-60motorsports]

That looks absolutely gorgeous! I have started saving money for Matte CSL door panels to replace my Glossy OE CSL ones with. Also going to get the seatbelts done. The minimalist simple look Just won me over.

[cornerbalanced]

Reading your entires is always cathartic. Can’t wait until I have a proper garage and can devote a similar amount of effort/attention to detail towards working on my car.

Looking forward to seeing what’s up next for the car.

[Avedis]

While doing research for the CSL install, I found no comprehensive DIY for this project. I had to pick through various forums, YouTube videos, and random decade old PDFs to piece together some sort of a tutorial. I decided that I was going to take on a clear and comprehensive DIY that could be used by others in the future. Once it’s finished I will host the PDF on my website and give it to Karbonius so they can provide it to future customers. For now, here’s some info and photos of the install.

Everything stripped out of the interior.



Mirror adjustment harness was extended. I cut, stripped, soldered, heat shrunk then ran it to its new home under the center console.






Door brackets being installed





Here is the hardware I used. If anyone is doing this project and wants the correct hardware, please reach out. I have more than enough and I will send you a set for free.



Vapor barrier modified to fit new brackets.




Onto the door panels. Here is everything laid out for install.



Photos of the door panel modification and install. I had a lot more photos for you to follow along visually, but I reached the maximum attachment limit for my post and I had to delete them. Here are a few.






Prior to installing the new panel, I added a little bit of sound deadening to the back. It added about 7.5oz of weight to the panel. The panel now sounds and feels very solid, yet lightweight at the same time. It is a strange combination that is hard to describe. It’s one of those things that if you knocked on the panel with your knuckle, you’d know right away what failing to describe.



After the new panel was on, I replaced all of the clips with the version that contains the foam o-ring vapor barrier. They feel more solid and should allow less movement / potential rattling issues as well.



Door handles were replaced. I specifically chose the non HK versions for a more minimalist look. I never realized how worn the chrome on my door handle was until I held them side by side.



Here is the freshly modified and restored door panel. Also some shots in the sun so you get a more true look. The process for the rear panels was very similar so I will not be posting that unless someone would like to see something specific.





Mocked up on the door to verify the bracket location. It was such a relieving and satisfying feeling when the bracket lined up perfectly with the holes in the door panel.



Everything installed. Turned out exactly how I imagined. I will try to capture some more outdoor beauty shots soon.






Here’s everything that was permanently removed.


This was definitely a fun but highly involved project. I learned a ton in the process. I am by no means the leading authority on CSL door panel installs, but I now have a really good grasp on the project. If anyone needs help with this project, please reach out. If you’re local I can help you in person, and if not I can FaceTime to answer any questions as you do the install.

[bavarian3]

Many moons later it was all cleaned up. I used Carpro Tarx and a ton of paper towels to loosen and soak up the mess. I threw the whole lot in a trash bag and was surprised by just how much it all weighed, I get why the CSL ditched it.

Have you driven the car yet and observed any change in cabin noise?

[Actuary]

Awesome build and progress!! I have a soft spot for Silver grey

[0-60motorsports]

Great updates! Matte looks amazing.

You have me thinking now of doing the same. I have OE CSL door panels which i can remove and store for another project car in the future and get the KARB ones and do what you did. Thanks for the great idea.

[jhatch]

The Matte looks amazing. Even better with the Ceramic coat, that was a great idea. Excellent picks all around.

[Cronenberged]

^ this

[discoelk]

Never considered matte carbon for the CSL interior parts. That's a 10/10 decision.

[karter16]

That looks awesome! Great job and loving the personalised twist you're putting on the classic CSL interior! Also love the photos of your son, I had my 5 year old under the car with me earlier in the year and it's special memories to form.

Loving following this build!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Avedis]

Christmas came early!







I always loved the CSL, and nearly every detail of it. One of the things that always seemed slightly out of place to me was the gloss carbon in the interior. I love the shape of the panels, and the concept/thinking behind them, but something about a big glossy panel inside a 2000's era interior just seemed ever so slightly off. As the title of the thread states, CSL inspired, not CSL replica. I made some changes.

First deviation from the traditional CSL carbon components was matte clear coat instead of full gloss. Prior to ordering, I had the idea of using a traditional gloss ceramic coating on top of the matte finish. From all the research I had done, this would give the panels a deeper satin-like finish, without any gloss/reflectivity.

I tested a small spot on the front of the center console to confirm my research. It can be hard to tell on camera, but the coated portion has a much deeper finish and the black is definitely more saturated.Turned out just as I had hoped.

50/50 coated and uncoated (left is coated)



With that test successful, I moved onto a larger panel. Here you can really see the difference. He is a before, during, and after.





I then moved on and ceramic coated each panel. I am very confident when it comes to detailing, but this project made me nervous. If the application, and more importantly the removal of the coating wasn't done perfectly, it would be glaring. Not only would it look blotchy, but it would be semi-permanent. Due to this, I used an initial 3 stage buff off to ensure that there were no high spots and that the application/removal was even. After the 3 stage wipe off, I took the panel into the direct sunlight to check for errors. The final check was to take the panel into the garage, turn off all the lights and check each panel with a small flashlight. This was the only way I could confirm and reconfirm that I did a proper job coating the panels. They turned out perfect. Maybe the only satin finish 1x1 CSL door panels in the world? Who knows, who cares, all I care about is that it looks amazing!





The second deviation from the traditional CSL interior components was the door handles. Normally they are painted titan shadow to match the rest of the CSL dash trim. It’s funny how plans change. When I first purchased the car, I had planned on changing all the dash trim out to titan shadow or 1x1 carbon. I have since grown to love the brushed aluminum finish that came with the car. The brushed aluminum finish also matches the factory grey instrument cluster gauges and the aluminum pedals I added. I asked David if he could attempt to match the color of the factory aluminum trim when painting the door handles. David was incredibly generous to accommodate my request and said he would do some testing. They were not able to capture any photos of the process or the outcome, so I had absolutely no idea what I would be receiving. Turned out even better than I imagined.



Some photos of the door handles next to the factory aluminum trim. It is not a perfect color match, but it looks far better than titan shadow. The brushed effect looks great and I am very happy with the results.




My son approves (and a follow up photo showing I had to bribe him with a marshmallow to take the first photo)

[0-60motorsports]

Do you have a link to the eBay store for those belts please. They look perfect.

[Avedis]

Seat belts are back.


I sent them off to OEM RDC (Seat Belt Masters on eBay). They have stellar reviews and their pricing was literally half of other popular vendors. They arrived at RDC on Monday, and shipped back out to me on Tuesday (24 hour turnaround). The belts look identical to the factory BMW ones. RDC claims they are from the OEM/Supplier, but I highly doubt that. Regardless, they look great and the orientation of the stripes matches the factory cars just as I specified in my order. All of my factory hardware, including the factory seat belt tags, were transferred over. The only thing that was not transferred over was the limiter button. I purchased some BMW buttons thinking that the RDC ones were going to be cheap shiny plastic. Now that I have them in hand, I don't think I'll be installing the BMW buttons. The RDC ones are decent quality and have a nice satin finish like the factory ones. I will get some better installed photos at a later time.






While everything was out I did a small fabric repair on the b-pillar.

what's the lighting setup in your garage? even pics taken from inside your car the lighting seems very generous!

Here is a LINK to the exact lights. I have 4 rows hanging from the ceiling. Each row has 4 lights tied together for a total of 16 lights. They are set to 3000k for a little warmer look. The lighting is great and evenly distributed throughout the whole garage. Although the lighting inside the car is decent, I think my iPhone's camera exaggerates the amount of light in photos.

Your garage is beautiful. and love the level of detail you're bringing to the car. very inspiring.

Thank you!

Do you have a link to the eBay store for those belts please. They look perfect.

Website: LINK
eBay: LINK
Here is another company who will send you a full replacement set if you dont want to mess with your factory seat belts: LINK

Shoot me a private message if you need help with anything or have additional questions.

[bavarian3]

Your garage is beautiful. and love the level of detail you're bringing to the car. very inspiring.

[usdmej]

what's the lighting setup in your garage? even pics taken from inside your car the lighting seems very generous!