E46 M3 journal - PF02 XLZ (Titan silver, SMG slicktop coupe)

[PF02XLZ]

Recently purchased this M3 & figured I'd create a thread to form a bit of a build journal; almost a digital service history and a nice way of tracking costs, any jobs no matter how big/small, I plan on updating the thread with a cost and will check in after a while and run the totals up.


A bit about the car:

Titan silver slicktop
SMG
101k miles
18" Style 67s (& practically new PS4s)

Spec wise:
16:9 Double Din Nav/TV & 6CD changer
Xenons & headlight washers
PDC
Black heated & electric leather
Rear sunblind
Various other things I can't recall...


Really clean on all fronts (bodywork, underside & interior) but especially clean in terms of paintwork. Not immune to the usual E46 problems though, there's some bubbling on one of the front wings that'll be seen to shortly.

Absolutely stacks of paperwork with receipts going back 20 years & loads of service history with very few gaps; seems a really well looked after car by each of its 4 previous owners.

The previous owner did a few major jobs during 2019-2023 at Redish including the rod bearings (their custom mixed ACL set), a VANOS rebuild (Beisan kit, VAC Motorsports hub, Beisan chain guide) as well as services, Inspection II & general day to day work. A reconned SMG box, pump & clutch were fitted around 70k too.

I have a fair amount of experience with working on BMWs having owned an E30 (still owned, ongoing resto), E90 and an F32 so will be doing most things myself, although plan to return the car to Redish for RACP work shortly.

Long term plan for the car is to give it a big refresh in terms of any items showing their age, sort any starting or hints of corrosion, re-bush the entire driveline, new suspension etc in an aim to reproduce as close to a "new car" feeling as I can get, before exploring any modifications or improvements. Generally aiming to keep it as a factory car, no modifications that aren't OEM+ or easily reversible.

[PF02XLZ]

First job as with all new-to-me cars, an oil change (not needed yet, but...)

Grabbed a Mahle service kit inc a set of NGK plugs and a few gallons of Castrols finest. It last had an oil change less than 2k miles ago at Redish as part of a trip there. 4-5k will be the OCI for this car going forwards as that'll be close to my yearly mileage.

The sparkplugs, intake & pollen filter were changed as part of the inspection 2 so I'll leave them & set them aside and the next oil change can be a full service.

Cost: £160 (with plugs, pollen & intake filter left over)

[PF02XLZ]

Couple of small jobs today;

New emblems & wing indicators. These really set the car off as the existing badges were a bit crusty. The original wing repeaters had started to fade & I wanted them looking all crystal-like and shiny again especially given the previous owner had fitted new rear clusters and headlight lenses - they were absolutely spotless, looked showroom fresh & the rest needs match..

Cost: £186

[PF02XLZ]

Bye bye, K&N...

Just a personal opinion, but I'm not a fan of K&N (or most other aftermarket panel filters) that the previous owner installed. I don't believe they offer better filtration than a regularly changed OE paper filter, the whole oiling process is a faff and can potentially gum up MAF/AFMs etc if overly heavy with the application, plus people rarely clean them out at regular intervals (as evidenced...).

Swapped out for a Mahle filter, the outgoing filter did not look to have been cleaned for a long time - it was covered in crap.

At some point I'd like to explore a carbon intake/airbox, but for now the OE setup is fine.






Cost: Free (filter accounted for previously)

[PF02XLZ]

Front struts...

Most of the suspension still seems original at 102k miles, so I am slowly working my way through refreshing everything.

Ordered and fitted the following:

-B4 struts
-Upper perch bearing
-OEM bump stops
-Strut covers
-Pinch bolts & other hardware

I did intend on changing the top mounts, but existing ones still seem compliant & new ones aren't available aftermarket - an enquiry to BMW and they're NLA pending a re-design & re-issue, some time around 2027!





Car drives much better now, rears up next.

Cost: £350

[PF02XLZ]

Rear struts...

Ordered & fitted the following:

-B4 struts
-Bilstein top mounts
-Z3 reinforcement plates
-OEM bump stops
-Shock covers
-New hardware (lower bolt, upper nuts etc)

I plan on a full drive-line refresh (anything rubber or suspension related front to back) but budget and time dictates I do this in stages as and when funds & free time comes available.

Old shock decided to empty its oil when I tested it off the car, no visible leaks when it was fitted though. Odd wear pattern on the shaft, looks like some crud had gotten in-between it and the bump stop, and had worn it down over time, precariously thin & pitted.








Total cost: £260

[PF02XLZ]

Rear view mirror...

Rear view crystal had almost entirely failed, leaving a bright strip along the top but the rest of the mirror was permanently dimmed. This car had previously been driven very little & stored in the garage. With the heat of summer I didn't want to put this job off any longer and risk it leaking & damaging the trim.

Straightforward job, mirror removed & soldered the new one on the bench. Getting the mirror casing apart & back together without breaking any clips is by far the worst aspect of this job.







Cost: £80

[PF02XLZ]

A digital day..


The laptop, KDCAN cable and PSU came out today. Flashed the DME with the CSL rev matching & inertia tune for the SMG, as well as the v255 firmware so everything is talking together currently as per a factory CSL setup.

What a difference this has made - I think had this been setup from factory, the usual SMG slating would be practically none-existent.

By far the best upgrade & money spent on any car I've had to date. For those familiar with XHP/ZF8s, the before/after is even greater on this - throughly recommended & relatively straightforward to do. Auto mode is genuinely useable now, no hint of the car throwing in a shift midway through a corner now...





Cost: £20 (Ecuworx license)

[PF02XLZ]

Wing crust...

As mentioned prior, the only thing now letting the outward appearance down was a dent & some bubbling on the front wing. Inevitable wing crust has started showing since the cars now in use & driven often. Replacement wings are budgeted for in the future but for now I've just had a spot repair carried out - not expecting it to last forever as rust repairs never do, but if it sees me through until later in the year I'll be happy & the guys that carried the work out offer a no quibble lifetime guarantee, so new wings might be further away than initially thought.

Really happy with the paint match & overall finish especially considering I'd asked for it done cheap assuming there'd be no warranty/come back due to the nature of the repair, courtesy of Bentley Designs/Bay2Autos in Normanton, Wakefield.







Cost: £200

[PF02XLZ]

Brake fluid flush...

Flushed the 2yr old fluid with Typ200. Old fluid looked okay, bit darker than expected.



Cost: £20

[PF02XLZ]

Another small job day...


The alarm has gone off a few times when the car has been sat. I assumed it was the bonnet switch as it usually is with E46s... There was some dielectric grease on the switch connector, so someone's been here before. Leaving it unplugged proved me right as the alarm didn't go off after unplugging and a new one arrived shortly after from Cotswolds BMW - fitted and no issues since.



Cost: £35

[PF02XLZ]

A cool summer, or lack of...


The aircon doesn't really work - digging through the paperwork I've noticed this is a bit of a common theme - receipts for regasses, a new condenser, seals & various bits of pipe work haven't resolved the issue - looks like someone was just throwing parts at it rather than searching for leaks.

Popped to the local garage and had them pressure test, re-gas and dose it up with dye. It held vacuum for 30 mins with no change in pressure and blew ice cold for about a week before returning to blowing warm again. Removed the belt off the compressor after hearing some rough noises when engaged, looks like the compressor has seized as it's impossible to turn by hand, as well as various leaks around the compressor casing, UV torch had the compressor glowing solid green.

New compressor, drier & seals ordered, system flushed and new parts fitted, back for a re-gas. It held pressure and is now blowing ice cold, fingers crossed it lasts.

To gain access to the drier & compressor I removed:
- Engine undertray
- Headlight, washer assembly and trim
- SAP
- Bit of the fan shroud trim

Also undid one of the mounts for the oil cooler to tilt it, allowing the compressor to come out. It was either that or the ARB.

Cost: £200

[PF02XLZ]

A quick detail....

Since it's been a few weeks since the wing was sprayed & the paint cured, I gave the car a quick going over with the DA and a single step polish, followed by a ceramic coating (Gyeon cancoat).

Paintwork came up great, much more of a shine than the photo makes out.



Next up is a wheel refurb & probably some spacers - the wheels seem to have shrank into the arches with it sat on Eibach springs.

[PF02XLZ]

Windscreen scuttle/trim...


Noticed a small gap under the LH wiper, looked like one of the clips that holds the scuttle cover on had broken and wasn't sitting straight, holding the cover off the scuttle to create a gap.

Turned into a pig of a job due to seized wiper splines & none of my pullers fitting. Got them off eventually, replaced all the clips & washed 23 years of assorted dirt/road grime from under the panel - scuttle looks almost new now (all paint/seam sealer intact, no hints of rust which I was happy about as I know this can be a common spot) & the cover sits flat again. Changed the pollen filter whilst I was in there.

Cost: £12 (7x trim clips from the stealers)

[PF02XLZ]

Parts have started arriving for the full rubber/suspension refresh.

Starting at the front first, I'm changing:
- Wishbones & lollipops
- Tie rods & boots
- ARB bushes and droplinks (Delphi droplinks as a stop gap, most likely going adjustable in the future)
- Steering linkages

Will do a proper post & costings once fitted.