# eas | Silver Grey e46 M3 Progress/Buildup Journal



## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

I picked up a 2004 Silver Grey e46 M3 in April 2009. This thread will serve as an ongoing journal of upcoming mods and informational basis for other things discovered along the way.

*Color: *Silver Grey
*Interior:* Speed Cloth/ Grey Trim
*Packages:* Xenon's, No Sunroof, No power seats
*Mileage:* 49,000 
*Transmission:* 6MT

Ever since I was in High School, I have loved the performance and styling of the e46 M3. After browsing for over a year hoping to find one that I can call my own, I finally found this one in Costa Mesa, test drove it, got a Pre-Purchase Inspection done and took home the same day. The car came with some audio upgrades, Angel Eyes, smoked corners and painted reflectors, everything else was completely stock just like I wanted.

For the past year I have been focusing on the most important aspect of the car to me: *Maintenance*. I've had Inspection II done, replaced RTABs with Powerflex, put in Stainless Steel brake lines, threw in Cool Carbon brake pads, and replaced the worn tires with Hankook Ventus V12 K110.

The plans for this car will focus on Performance, Suspension, Braking, Interior pieces, with a hint of cosmetics. We will be doing DIY guides of installs along with maintenance work along the way.

Here are some photos of my car when I first brought it home:




































Feedback, recommendations or questions are always welcomed in this thread.


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

*Table of Contents*

*Macht Schnell E46 M3 Stage 1 intake charge kit*
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5128943&postcount=3

*Rogue Engineering Octane SSK- CNC Edition*
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5129162&postcount=4

*Rogue Engineering Clutch Stop*
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showpost.php?p=4706096&postcount=13

* Outer LED Ring Modification *
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5136283&postcount=8

* Arm Rest Delete, Reverting to OEM HK Stereo *
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5160804&postcount=10

*Cool Carbon Brake Pads*
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5181299&postcount=11


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

The very first mod I did to this car would be the Macht Schnell Stage 1 Intake Charge Kit.





































After putting this in, the car is a lot more throatier at higher RPMs and I can feel the slight increase in power in the top end. Definitely the best bang for buck mod out there, and quite a simple install too!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

The e46 M3 has definitely brought many smiles to my face, but that didn't mean that there were some letdowns after owning it. 
One of the biggest disappointments when I got into the e46 M3 is the shifter. Every time I drive, I feel like I'm rowing a boat, and I knew I had to get this fixed.

I decided to go with the Rogue Engineering Octane Short Shift Kit- CNC Edition with the Weighted Selector Rod because of the many great reviews I have read for this kit.

Stock:


















RE Octane SSK vs Stock. Look at the build quality!


















Finished:









The short shift kit made a tremendous difference, my throws are much shorter and tighter than before. I cannot be any happier with this short shift kit, the shifts are not too notchy and the height of the shifter is perfect for the stock shift knob.


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

Great thread!


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## jboucher (Feb 8, 2008)

Jon S. said:


> Great thread!


Agreed! keep it coming. I was thinking an e46 M3 would be a good project car to park in my driveway.

Is that an aftermarket hood? I didn't think the e46's had the bulge?:dunno:


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

I never understood why the clutch pedal had so much dead space, and was not used to it since my previous car's clutch engagement point was right off the floor. This had to be addressed, and I decided to give Rogue Engineering's Clutch Stop a try.

This is what the stock one looks like under the clutch pedal:









Here are some comparison pictures:
















Amazing how small and wimpy the stock Clutch Stop looks next to the Rogue Engineering part.

Here is the Rogue Engineering Clutch Stop installed.









With the clutch stop installed, there is about one inch off the ground before the clutch engages. Much better feel, and it makes it a lot easier to shift between the gears. I must say that this combined with the Rogue Engineering Short Shift Kit is the perfect combo, my driving experience is much better because of these parts. There is also a way to adjust the clutch stop, which I find very convenient.


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

I've always thought it was odd that there is an outer LED ring on the taillights that did not light up when using the brakes. My peers have pointed this out in the past, and had me thinking that I had faulty brake lights. After searching the forum, I found this: http://homepage.mac.com/ianlindvig/adaptive.htm

Seemed simple enough, and we got to work. A few minutes later, one side was finished and we tested it.









This is how it is different from OEM:









All done!

















One very inexpensive mod that makes the rear end more complete!


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## zhpfan4life (Aug 19, 2009)

Awesome thread, I will be watching this!

Great work!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

With my goals with the car, there was not much use for the audio system that came with my car. The driver door speaker had to be replaced, so I took this time to remove the rest of the audio components and revert to the OEM HK stereo set up so that I can have my trunk space back.









While the interior panels were being removed, I decided to change out the center console for a new one without an arm rest. Simplicity is key


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A little teaser of a small change on my car 









My brake pads were gone, so it was time for me to replace them with Cool Carbon Brake Pads. The box that they come in is very nice for brake pads, and the quality of the pads themselves is amazing!



















Here is a comparison of my old rears and the Cool Carbons next to each other.










I've gone through the first round of bedding, and my brakes have definitely improved from the previous pads. The brake squealing is now gone, and the stopping power is amazing!


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## veightkiller (Jun 23, 2007)

Good job


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

One of the features that was neat about the M3 is the ability to roll down the windows with my remote key fob, but I never understood why you can't roll it back up with it. I decided to have this coded so that I can roll up my windows with the key fob as well.

When I purchased my car, it did not come with an alarm and my lights didn't blink when I locked/unlocked the car. I wanted this feature so I can be assured that my doors have been locked, and upon browsing the forums I also have read that there is a rumor of activating the alarm light (clown nose) to blink like it would if I had the OEM alarm. Some people say it can be done, while most people say that it is impossible. We decided to take on the project and see if we can make it happen.

Here is a video of all three things coded onto the car:






The clown nose blinking activation was a success!

We offer in-house coding for these things, so contact us if you're local and interested in getting coding for your car!


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## Missmodena310 (Oct 9, 2008)

Love this thread very cool!


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## 323GSR (Jul 10, 2004)

jboucher said:


> Is that an aftermarket hood? I didn't think the e46's had the bulge?:dunno:


I don't think that's aftermarket. The power bulge on the hood was one of the original differentiating aesthetic features of the E46 M3.


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

The CCFL Angel Eyes that came with my car blew out on the passenger side, so I knew it was a sign for me to upgrade to Aurora LED Angel Eyes. While I took off my old headlamp lenses, I saw the horrible condition of my stock ones and replaced them with new Bosch Headlight lenses.

Here is the beginning of replacing the CCFLs with Auroras:


















You can see the poor quality of the CCFL Angel Eyes causing the clip to break off causing the ring to dangle:









Auroras are clipped on!


















Comparison of the old and new Bosch Headlamp Lenses (Old one on top)


















Comparison of Auroras and CCFL (Auroras on the left, CCFL on the right):









Finished!


















I'm glad the CCFLs went out, because these Auroras look incredible in comparison! The new headlamp lenses gives the front end a new look, and it looks much better than it did before!


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## SoCaLE39 (Nov 19, 2004)

Build is coming along very well. Looks like that shift knob needs replacing though


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## BMWenthusiast (Feb 27, 2005)

Nice job on the mods. Nice to see a lot of complete info!


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## eas (Jan 7, 2009)

A few shots of an EAS car:


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## shadyb421 (Dec 31, 2008)

how did you guys program the windows and clown nose?


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