Pipe's Carbon Black/M texture M3

[PipeUy]

Even though I have all new tail lights I still had to do the ground fix because I started to have some melting in the connector



While I was in the "fixing electrical things mood" I finally wired the flap for the bixenon functionality





Now that the car was working properly with most of the equipment working correctly (looking at you parking sensors), it was time to fix the interior which was dragging down the whole car

All new short center console and cubbies



Kinda spoiled by the last picture, Recaro Pole Position ABE seats with Speed Engineering mounts which are soon to be upholstered in M-Texture like the rest of the interior



And finally, also spoiled by the last picture, recovered the headliner in the correct BM134 material

[PipeUy]

We managed to get together 5 out 7 E46 M3s in Uruguay



Ordered and fitted used but it very good condition door seals and OEM window regulators, both were from passenger side (US and UK)



A cool pic by a great friend and photographer



Then a coil failed and replaced all 6 with Eldor ones



Also fixed the autodimming mirror



Soon after fixing stuff the cluster went absolutely crazy so I ordered a US one and fixed it using parts from that one and my euro one

[PipeUy]

Long time with no updates.

So since buying the car the speakers were trash, rattles and no bass whatsoever. Ended up ordering a set of BavSound speakers and what a difference they made!



Soon after that the starter gave up, ordered one from FCP and while on a trip abroad that started also gave up, luckily I had a couple of friends to push start the car for the rest of trip haha



To compliment the speakers I ordered a BlueBus and after a couple months it arrived, awesome product!



Got together with some friends


And soon after that the alternator gave up

[PipeUy]

This weekend I managed to find some time to work on the brakes, took the opportunity to upgrade to 345mm front rotors using the ECS carriers and also Stoptech braided lines.

Old rotors were quite cracked.


Painted the ECS carriers.


Fronts done.


Rears done.


Fronts fill the stock wheels quite nicely.

[PipeUy]

That's the sign of a good detailer. Personally I would use a lambswool mitt as I believe it to be the best option. Also the rinse should be thorough at the very beginning of the wash.

When I make contact with the paint there is only a very light road film left. This is what you want to avoid abrasion. Don't ever touch the paint ie. dusting, wiping, quick detailing, etc after the car has been washed or dried.

Yeah, he is probably the best in Uruguay where detailing is a pretty new field and he's been at it for a long time. Yeah I have a lambswool mitt and a normal microfiber one too and I tend to use the lambswool one a lot more. I totally agree with what you're saying, the no touching the paint when the car is dry is a simple concept that a lot of people don't think about.

I really enjoy watching AMMO NYC videos to learn the correct technique and the concepts behind.

[jet_dogg]

That's the sign of a good detailer. Personally I would use a lambswool mitt as I believe it to be the best option. Also the rinse should be thorough at the very beginning of the wash.

When I make contact with the paint there is only a very light road film left. This is what you want to avoid abrasion. Don't ever touch the paint ie. dusting, wiping, quick detailing, etc after the car has been washed or dried.

[PipeUy]

Pipe, get you a proper wash mitt, two buckets, good shampoo and high quality towels and you'll be able to preserve the finish for longer.

Pressure washer with foam cannon is essential to removing the most grime possible before contact with the paint.

Your detailer should have given you some tips/advice.

Yeah he did but I already did most of them (good mitt, 2 bucket method, straight lines, good microfibers). He did tell me to use a special Gtechniq shampoo that's designed to be used with their ceramic coatings and to use a Gtechniq "lubricant" to prevent scratches while drying it. He also told me that coatings and very prone to getting watermarks so washing it in the very late afternoon is a must while making sure water doesn't dry on the paint.

[jet_dogg]

Pipe, get you a proper wash mitt, two buckets, good shampoo and high quality towels and you'll be able to preserve the finish for longer.

Pressure washer with foam cannon is essential to removing the most grime possible before contact with the paint.

Your detailer should have given you some tips/advice.

[PipeUy]

The sad reality is that CB only looks good for a small amount of time. I remember when I got my car ceramic coated and PC'ed.

I didn't want to even use the thing lol

Haha yeah, by the time I got home the car already looked dirty again. Such a difficult color to keep looking clean, hopefully the coating makes it a little bit more difficult to get scratched.

[Sharocks]

The sad reality is that CB only looks good for a small amount of time. I remember when I got my car ceramic coated and PC'ed.

I didn't want to even use the thing lol

[PipeUy]

Nice job on the boot floor buddy.

Thanks! We tried to make it look as OEM and as neat as possible.

Money well spent, car looking excellent bro.

Thanks! It's like a brand new car from the outside haha, next year I should focus on the interior since it's letting down the rest of the car.


Here are some extra pictures that the detailer sent me of the finished product.

[jet_dogg]

Money well spent, car looking excellent bro.

[R60BBA]

Nice job on the boot floor buddy.

[PipeUy]

Got the car back from getting polished and ceramic coated and I’m in awe with the result. The car was polished and coated with Gtechniq Serum Light and Exo V4 as a top coat. The wheel wells and floor were also cleaned and coated to make them easier to clean and preserve the plastics.

[PipeUy]

20mm front and 15mm rear Apex spacers were installed along bullet head studs.








I think the spacers improved the look of the style 67s a lot, looks much more aggressive. The car is getting polished and ceramic coated at the moment and should be done in about 10 days, I'm pretty anxious with how the result will look like.