advice on bmw m3 kit

Synkro

hey,

Im looking for a nice bodykit for my 3series coupe (yr 2000, e46) There isnt much around that i can see, just the stuff from the Rieger catalog. Im looking for something subtle yet sporty.

Im thinking of going for an M3 conversion. But Ive spoken to about five garages and no-one knows much about what has to be done.

If i go ahead with it, Id prefer to go the whole hog rather than something thats half and half. By this i mean...

*Replacing the front wings with real bloated m3 ones incl the side vents(alternative is to stick with the existing slender wings and cut to fit the grill)

*Front m3 bumper. (is there an issue with it matching with non m3 bonnet?)

*M3 sideskirts. (shouldnt be many complications there)

*Rear M3 bumper with cutouts for the 4pipe exhaust. (will this fit with non m3 rear arches?)

*Custom M3 sytle exhaust(is there room for this under the car? somebody mentioned that the battery tray interferes)

*Shark fin antenna (hope to mount a 2.4ghz wlan antenna inside)

Only part that doesnt seem easy to modify will be the rear wings. This will be the main give away thats it not an m3. Otherwise its a 'cut and weld' job to blow out the arches, but on the plus side the rear 255's wont rub however Im not sure how 'botched' up the car will look after. Its not like i can just buy new rear arches.

Anyone seen this done before or know of a good supplier for parts?

also my budget is about €2500

thanks.

adrian

elusiveguy

Synkro wrote:

also my budget is about €2500

nope!!! Budgets spell botch job and for what you're looking at you need WAY more than that!!!

What pasrt of the country are you in? Are you willing to travel to get the work done?

5500

Your probably talking over your budget for the kit alone,never mind the labour cost.One bit of advice would also be to stick with plastic for bumpers and skirts ect,fibreglass is too much hassle and every modifyers nightmare!

Id be VERY wary of people offering cheap services too,when it comes to kit fitting your best bringing it to someone who has a track record and who people will vouch for having work done before.

What part of the country are you in?

Synkro

hey, im living in dublin. The Rieger kits are all plastic so I was told. Ive seen how bad the fibreglass looks once it gets chipped or cracks. The dilema for me is whether to go for the 'E46 M3 Look' bodykit which is the kit bmw marketed with the last of the e46 models to boost the sales. OR.. whether to go down the road of widening the car both at the front and rear wings to accomadate the larger original M3 bumpers....

The next big hurdle is the custom exhaust, I need to find a shop to make it up for me, then I also face the possibility that there may not even be enuff space under the rear of the car to mount it!

Lots of issues and unfortunatley nobody knows for sure what kit with fit with what etc...

elexes

http://www.fcautostyling.com/BMWSilver.html
somthing like that ?

anything to do with my car i go to finbar now(my car is not the one above) . him and the lads that work with him do wonders imo

thats if you in the midlands .

the kit on my focus wasnt actually made for my year and the skirts werent made for the car and the front and back bumper well probloms with them too but i got sorted in the end

Synkro

hi,

FcAutostyling have some nice cars alrite

The blue bmw in the link below has cheap looking front and back arch modifications. This is defo not the look i want.

http://www.fcautostyling.com/Show_100Modified2005.html

also the silver bmw below

http://www.fcautostyling.com/Show_HEATWAVE2003.html

and a close up here...

http://www.fcautostyling.com/Show_100Modified2003.html

They couldnt be more obviosly out of place on the car.

Those poor bmw's have been destroyed!

(just my opinion, dont mean to offend anyone. Im just looking for an OEM M3 look thats all, nothing too radical)

kdevitt

BMW M style do a full M3 conversion for the standard coupe - http://www.bmwmstyle.co.uk/E46cc-Exterior.htm

You'd have to travel to the UK though to have it done. Eisenmann do a twin exit exhaust for a standard coupe, so no need to go custom.

Edit - by the way, there was no M3 look kit brought out to boost any sales on the E46. There were two Mtec kits - the Aero and the Mtec II, which I fited to my own. Aero was brought out in 99, the Mtec II was brought out in 2001...

5500

Try here for your kit -

http://www.icetronix.com/index.aspx?page=display_products&category=BMW+Euro

Here for your bodywork - www.mgautostyling.com

And here for any sort of custom exhaust work - http://www.performancezone.ie/

All are dublin based

Synkro

hi,

ive found the two bumpers which look similiar to the stock m3 type.


This is the MtecII bumper, its designed to fit the 3series coupe.




And here is the Rieger bumper. Its the closest thing to the M3 bumper but shrunk a bit and made to fit onto the e46 coupe.




I think its probably a better choice to go for a package made specially to fit the e46 coupe rather than modding the car to fit the real M3 bumper.

What do you all think?

KDevitt, Does the MtecII bumper fit the pre face-lift coupe, mine is a 2000 model? or is it the Aero kit i need. Have u any pics of your bmw?

kdevitt

Synkro wrote:

KDevitt, Does the MtecII bumper fit the pre face-lift coupe, mine is a 2000 model? or is it the Aero kit i need. Have u any pics of your bmw?

The Mtec II fits all the coupes - the changes in the facelift affected the front lights, bonnets and inwgs, but not the bumpers.

I fitted the kit about a month ago - was standard until then, fitted a CSL lid at the same time.




I would recommend going with factory parts every time - the fit is absolutely perfect, unlike some kits you'll see. Items like the Rieger skirts have to be glued in on top of the old parts, whereas the Mtec II skirts clip in place -about 10 minutes each side. Other stuff needs to be drilled, or cut - and if you want to add stuff like the club sport splitters you'll find they don't fit properly. The genuine M3 bumper will fit straight on, but won't line up with the wings properly, there would be too much farting around involved for my liking to get it right.

That crowd www.bmwmstyle.co.uk will deliver the kit to your door sprayed (and their paintwork is guaranteed for 5 years) for less than what the parts would cost from BMW over here. Colour matching has been perfect for anyone I know who's bought off them (Or you could get lucky like me and get the whole kit for €250 on eBay )

Also , as I said earlier - don't go for a custom exhaust,especially when there are options for what you want. As you probably know, the M3 exhaust won't fit yours because of the spare wheel well, but I'm running a group buy at the moment on my site on Eisenmann exhausts where you'd get 20% off one. You're looking at 6BHP gains from the backbox, add the soundpipes (will turn it into a CAT back exhaust) and you're looking at about 9-12BHP extra.

Synkro

Hey thanks for all the useful information! I originally checked the bmwMstyle link in work but didnt read thru it properly, they definitly seem like the people to do business with! I just got off the phone with Paul from BmwMstyle.co.uk and they have a very efficient operation on over there. £300 deposit and all parts will be waiting for me primed/painted, then a quick 2-3hour installation for the complete e46 M3 convertsion kit! I asked about bringing back my standard bumpers/skirts and doesnt look like they'll fit in the car (maybe somebody has already tried this?) but he said they could ship them back for around £50.

Your car looks great! There doesnt seem to be a huge difference between your bumper and the M3, exept that the M3 runs level at the bottom whereas yours dips at either side. I also like the flared side skirts are they the same as the ones from the M3 package? The quad pipe exhaust on offer from the uk guys also looks tempting. They said their custom exhaust runs in behind the bumper cos the spare wheelwell is in the way. Only thing is, I'll have to remove my detachable towbar How does it differ from the Eisenmann exhaust you mentioned?

Also great site (Bmw-Driver.net) must get my profile up there quick smart

kdevitt

Synkro wrote:

Hey thanks for all the useful information! I originally checked the bmwMstyle link in work but didnt read thru it properly, they definitly seem like the people to do business with! I just got off the phone with Paul from BmwMstyle.co.uk and they have a very efficient operation on over there. £300 deposit and all parts will be waiting for me primed/painted, then a quick 2-3hour installation for the complete e46 M3 convertsion kit! I asked about bringing back my standard bumpers/skirts and doesnt look like they'll fit in the car (maybe somebody has already tried this?) but he said they could ship them back for around £50.

Your car looks great! There doesnt seem to be a huge difference between your bumper and the M3, exept that the M3 runs level at the bottom whereas yours dips at either side. I also like the flared side skirts are they the same as the ones from the M3 package? The quad pipe exhaust on offer from the uk guys also looks tempting. How does it differ from the Eissman exhaust you mentioned?

Also great site (Bmw-Driver.net) must get my profile up there quick smart

You'll fit the standard bumpers in your car alright - but don't bother, no one will buy them off you!! Believe me I've been trying to shift mine, and they're going nowhere fast. I think I have to pay for them to be disposed now!!

I'm not sure what exhaust the guys in BMW M Style offer, so can't say how it differs.

The M3 skirts aren't flared like the Mtec II ones, but are like slightly chunkier versions of the normal ones. Being honest, I prefer the Mtec II kit to the M3 kit, the M3 looks so well because of the flared quarter panels and wider track, and thats not something that can be replicated.

My site actually got hacked by some islamic militant ****ers last week, so I had to take everything bar the forums down - heres a direct link to our exhaust fitting day which might help you decide on your exhaust - http://www.bmw-driver.net/Event-3_1.asp

Synkro

Gosh im sooo confused about which kit to get! I looked into replacing the front qtr pannels but its too much hassle so defo decided on minimum irreversible damage as a good option! I do think the MtekII side skirts have more body to them, especially for the money involved, so that gets my vote. The M3 vs MtekII front bumper is about 50/50, Its hard to notice to exact differences from pics on the web, but it would make the car a bit more custom and unusual looking. Although Im not sure if my existing fog lamp kit (circular type) would fit the M3 bumper. Im defo sold on the M3 back bumper especially since it can accomadate the M3 style quad exhaust. Will also want to get the Parking sensors mounted aswell.

I guess it all comes down to first impressions, I know it wont pass as an M3 without the flared arches but untill im making big $$$ and can afford one, i aint got much choice!

Ive priced the kit (front&rear M3 bumpers,skirts & exhaust)incl fitting/painting from the uk guys and it comes to €2471. The M3 wing grills cost €575 and genuine heated M3 mirrors are €721

Will probably go with front modified genuine M3 bumper, MtekII side skirts, rear modded genuine M3 bumper, 4pipe M3 style quad exhaust, M3 mirrors (non genuine set are €365 CHEAPER!) and M3 side grills. TOTAL = €3400 + Ferry accross ~€210...

Gonna send BmwMstyle an email and see what the bottom line is....