Chris's 2006 E46 M3 SMG Thread - Jet Black/Cinnamon

[CTI6095]

First post of my build thread. A little background is in order. I've always envied beautiful performance cars but never quite had the means to get one of my own until recently. As I was looking for a new vehicle several friends urged me to take a drive in an E46 M3. I found a local car for sale which on the face looked to be in good shape so I had a PPI done at a local shop. There was some power steering work to be done and sub frame reinforcing as well. I used these as bargaining chips and we struck a deal!

Before I took the car home I dropped it by the shop to complete the power steering issues. In doing so, as was expected some other minor things came up. I knew the shocks needed to be replaced so instead of putting a bandaid on them I opted to have coilovers installed. I ended up going for the ST XTA set. It provides great adjustability and rides well.

I've now had the car for a few months and love it. Although we had a light snow year in New England it still performed well as an everyday driver. There are many things I'd love to do with this car in the future. I made a list below and have already completed a handful of modifications. As I pick away at my desires I'll be sure to share! Thanks for watching.

Wants and Needs:

• Miscellaneous cosmetics - Replace/Refurbish various interior and exterior pieces as I see fit - minor paint correction where necessary
• M5 shifter swap - Hopefully do this soon

Completed so far:

• Subframe Reinforcement
• Summer Wheels
• SMG TTFS Tune
• ST XTA coilovers
• Upgraded to AVIN head unit - DIY post to follow..
• Misc cosmetics/functional
  • Black front reflectors
  • Black fender grilles
  • Rear window weatherstripping
  • Touch up sagging or peeling interior fabrics - completed A pillars and plan to work to the back - came out ok
  • Angel Eye LED headlamps

Heres some general pictures:

[CTI6095]

I love the look of Angel Eye headlamps. I did some forum searching and decided to go with the Angel Eye Guy (https://angel-eye-guy.myshopify.com/...gel-eyes-white). A handful of options with good response time. I also like there were DIY guides on the website. I ordered up the standard LED, opaque, non switchback style. I received after a few days of shipping. Using the instructions on the website I was able to install these within two hours time. I love the look the give the car. Overall I am satisfied withe product.

[CTI6095]

Hi All,

I recently purchased my first M3 and went for an Avin head unit upgrade. I figured this would be the best place to give the details on my install and thoughts on system functions.

I ended up springing for the PX5904GB32-E469 9" Touchscreen Multimedia Navigation System (TMNS). From the research I did I could not find a lot of information for this particular unit installed in an E46 M3. I’ve compiled all the info associated with my install including parts used and various resources I utilized.

My M3 has the HK system without navigation (PHEW). I was looking for something to get basic functionality’s including Bluetooth, CarPlay, back up camera, diagnostics, and a sound boost. I also wanted something a bit more modern and with some add ons the 9” TMNS has proved to be exactly what I was looking for.

Below are the parts I purchased for my install. All in it was about $850.

• PX5904GB32-E469 9" Touchscreen Multimedia Navigation System - $590
  • Base unit with the following add ons
    • IBUS USB Adapter
    • DSP Chipset
    • Autoplay Adapter
• Dynavin Double Din Stereo Dash Kit - $80
  • I liked this kit because it came with the addition of two USB ports
• Veakpeak OBD2 Scanner - $18
  • This is compatible with Torque
• Microphone - $8
  • Basic but necessary
• Back up Camera and Wireless Receiver/Transmitter - $13/$19
  • I ended up going this route because I did not want to take the interior of the vehicle apart to run the camera cabling
• Trim Removal Kit - $26
  • This kit was clutch along with an extra bag of dashboard trim clips (EBay or Amazon)
• Magnetic Wireless Car Charger - $27
  • I had a planned upgrade to the IPhone 11 and I wanted the car charging to be as seamless and convenient as possible
• E46 Specific Phone Mount - $55
  • I looked into adding a wireless charging pad or installing a speck kit but neither of those options shook out so I ended up with a sturdy mount

The unit does not come with install instructions.. really none of the parts above do. Thanks to some forum scavenging and YouTube searching I found just about everything needed to get this job done. Because of added searching the overall install took about 8-10 hours soup to nuts.

Before.. just the standard business head unit.




I first took everything apart to get ready for the new components. This was pretty simple and included removing the dash trim, the old head unit, center console trims, and the old cig lighter/sunglasses case frame. Additionally I went ahead and took apart the trunk lid to prep for the camera install. The most useful videos for this work are below.

• Backup Camera Install – Trunk lid disassembly and camera install
• Avin Head Unit Install – General Install
• Dynavin Head Unit Install – General install and used this for running the microphone
• SMG trim removal – Because I have an SMG..
• Similar E46 Android Head Unit Install – General Install and final trim fitment

Once everything was apart I prepped for the install. I unboxed everything and got it all sorted before diving in. It was particularly cold out on the day I did it so there was not time to waste outside.

I went first to the Dynavin HVAC relocation kit. This went in fairly easy and I opted to button the center console trim back up before testing. No issues there.

Next I went after the back up camera and transmitter. I initially tried to run through the trunk release wiring hole but with the weatherstripping tight there was no way to get the release trim back in place snuggly. Following some deep through I pulled out the drill and poked through in the trunk with two new holes for the camera and wiring. I mounted and tightened the camera about 85% so I could twist after and get it dialed in. From there I spliced the transmitter wiring with the camera and splice those both into the rear left reverse light power and ground. I let things hang out until the rest could be buttoned up.

Moving to the interior the head unit install was relatively painless. The timeliest thing I did was run the microphone cabling to the factory location. Having identified which harness was needed earlier I took all the cabling and plugged it all into the head unit. There are 3 USB ports, one went to the USB in the cig lighter tray, one went to the IBUS, and the last one went to the wireless charger.

I left the unit out for start up as I assumed there would be some general trouble shooting but to my surprise there was very little needed. The unit fired up quickly and with the help of a hot spot I was able to download the IBUS and airplay apps required for those functions to work. I also implemented the AGAMA Car Launcher app which has provided a much more thought out display.

I messed around with the camera and found a position I liked. Once I settled that I was able to button everything up. The one tricky part at the end was getting the dash trim in over the unit. The unit is proud of the dash by about ¾” and makes it impossible to get the trim piece above on after the unit is in. Leaving this piece twisted in place while installing the head unit proved to be the solution.

It’s been about a two months since I’ve had the unit and my pros and cons are below.

• Pros
  • Large Display
  • Accurate and Seamless touch sensitivity
  • Quick startup
  • AirPlay – Works really well
  • Apps function smoothly
• Cons
  • Head unit sticks out a smidge at the bottom because there are no anchors holding it in place
  • Had to spend a good amount of time searching for info both on Avin Support and the interwebs
  • Unit slightly dims but not enough. Makes for a bright cockpit at night

Overall I am very happy with the unit. It has given me everything I was looking for and I think it looks great.

Some additional tips/notes below.

• Do not finish installing anything until you’ve tested EVERYTHING
• If you’re doing the back up camera the trim kit above and a handy set of tools are a must
• My Bluetooth microphone was to muffled inside the stock location so I ultimately face mounted it
• Basic electrical knowledge goes a long way here
• Somebody’s already done it and made a video of it – you just need to find it!
• Give it a week with the back up camera before adjusting
• I also ended up using the AGAMA Car Launcher app which I think provides a good user interface and experience

After install pictures of head unit, magenetic mount, back up camera, and car launcher interface.