Esquire's Dakar Yellow M3 coupe - a Photo Modification Journal

[DaveDee]

Originally Posted by esquire

REVINORA r-CRT Front Bumper - 1x1 Carbon Weave

Those of you who have been following my build know that for over a year now I've been struggling with whether I should modify my front bumper/lip, and if so, what exactly I should do with it. In my mind I've rifled through a thousand possibilities, for more than a year, constantly waning back and forth through the myriad possibilities, all of which had me curious, but none of which I was really passionate about. Then recently I saw the Revinora r-CRT lip, a re-envisioned and more aggressive take on BMW's CRT lip. As soon as I saw it, I instantly knew that my decision was made. I was that taken by it. It achieved each of my 3 goals - (1)it was entirely unique, (2) it was aggressive, but (3) because it didn't extend across the full length of the bumper, i could easily navigate speed bumps, and it could also be driven on the road without fear of it getting destroyed (something which I was very concerned about with other front lips I had considered such as the gt4 lip and the challenge front lip).

But i had another hesitation - Revinora in its earlier years had developed a reputation for questionable customer service. And I'm a big believer in customer service, reputation, and dependability. After reaching out to Revinora, and seeing what lengths they were willing to go to for me, and just how prompt they were in returning phone calls, as well as the quality of their weave and fitment, my doubts about them were resolved. Their work is stellar. They've surprised me with what kind of company they are. And in doing so, helped me take that final leap on modifying the front bumper I had struggled for so long with.



OSS Headlights with Full Blackout

Many of you also know that, for over a year now, I've also had a back and forth over whether I should modify my headlights. There were three issues in my mind. One - whether I should modify my headlights at all or leave them stock. Two - if I did modify them, whether I should go with highly regarded OSS which was far away and would require that I ship my headlights out to Florida, and be effectively without a car for a week, not to mention some pretty serious shipping fees, OR go with a more local company whose reputation I wasn't as sure of but whose proximity would have made my life easier. And Third - whether, above and beyond just modifying my halos, I should black out the corners.

After a lot of internal back and forth, I gave Luis from OSS a call to discuss my design philosophy with him, express my concerns, and to get his opinion. Namely, I was concerned that by by going with the full black-out I would be departing a little too much from the OEM+ design philosophy I've been trying to go with. Luis then offered me a great piece of insight that helped make my decision easy - he pointed out that my car's theme was two color (yellow and back). He said "sasan ,you've eliminated every other piece of chrome from your car, what's holding you back from removing this last bit?" He continued "you're taillights are LCI so they don't have the chrome anymore, your wheels are black, your side markers are black and so are your front grills... leaving the chrome in your headlights as the only remaining chrome on your entire car makes little sense from a design philosophy standpoint." That little bit of insight put all my doubts to rest. Full Blackout, it was.

What can I say about the OSS lights that everyone else hasn't already said. They are insanely bright and vivid, easily 2 or 3 times that of angel iBrights or similar plug-n-play applications. In fact, they were so bright, that it made taking pictures of them very difficulty because of the contrast they created. If you drove with only your OSS angel eyes on at night, and your low beams entirely off, you would have more than enough light - that's how bright they are. What's more is that they are equally bright from all angles, which is something you just don't get in the plug and play applications. Regarding the decision to go blackout, I have to say, I couldn't be more pleased with the decision. the car looks cohesive and clean, and its clear to me now that my fears of taking the car one step too far from OEM were entirely misplaced. Luis's work is very tasteful and detail-oriented. Working with him was a pleasure, and his product is amazing.



I struggled with these decisions, namely beacuse of their potential to change a car's entire character for better or for worse. I have to say though, after having put these pieces on, I'm more excited to drive this car now than I was the very first day I got the car - and that's saying a lot. Thank you both OSS and Revinora.


Now for the pics........
(All the after pics are iphone pics. Higher quality pics on their way come next weekend.)

FRONT BUMPER AND LIGHTS BEFORE:



AFTER
Attachment 656772



BEFORE



AFTER
Attachment 656773




A FEW OTHERS:

Attachment 659409

Attachment 659415

Attachment 656577

Attachment 656579

Attachment 656582

Attachment 656583

Attachment 656584

Attachment 656585

Attachment 656586

FINALLY....
I also just installed KW clubsports, M-stitched DCT boot and the M-sitched e-brake boot. I'll be posting up pics of those soon. (Along with more pics of the OSS headlights in both night time and daytime conditions and from different angles). Anyways, hope you guys like the new mods.

- esquire

Finally got it done, we spoke some time ago and I got Luis's number from you. Took the lights to Florida on a visit from Australia... Now fitted the V4 rings, thought it would be worth a share.

[Malek@MRF]

Car is always looking good!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by beton6

Just read the whole thread, long one but enjoyed every post!

Any new things going on??

yeah, a number of new things which I'll be unveiling soon. at least one very major update

[gonoyaro11]

the fitment is not perfect

[John Tanglewood]

Is your CRT lip the street or race version?

[Powerbeast]

Originally Posted by batddubbongv8

the fitment is not perfect

Fitment on what is not perfect?

[ki__]

Originally Posted by rjd598

maybe we can work together and get a hookah meet going at bubblyz? i have a few friends in the general area and its like only 40 minutes away from me so im there occasionally

How is bubblyz? Never heard of it and a bit of a hookah fanboy myself.. Well more before than now, but still every so often I like to blow some O's

Looking forward to the new mods OP

[esquire]

Originally Posted by John Tanglewood

Is your CRT lip the street or race version?

There are two versions of the Revinora r-crt front lip. The first is just called the r-CRT, and the other is called the r-CRT street - which has a less aggressive and higher front end compared to the more aggressive "normal r-CRT" to help avoid getting it demolished. I have the r-CRT - or what you're referring to as the r-CRT "race". But again, its technically not called the race - it's just called the r-CRT

Its a beautiful lip, with remarkable build quality, and insanely light. You can read more about the lip if you go to the first page of my thread, and click the link that takes you directly to the r-CRT modification.

Originally Posted by batddubbongv8

the fitment is not perfect

Originally Posted by Powerbeast

Fitment on what is not perfect?

I'm open to criticism, but jeez at least tell me what you're criticizing so I can see for myself. haha.

Originally Posted by KEYON

How is bubblyz? Never heard of it and a bit of a hookah fanboy myself.. Well more before than now, but still every so often I like to blow some O's

Looking forward to the new mods OP

Keyon, bublyz is the spot for hookah in the south county area. Its in costa mesa. Great hookah. We should all get together and go one night. Like a BMW meet, but over some hookahs. Invite some friends and make it a fun night.

-esquire

[rjd598]

Originally Posted by KEYON

How is bubblyz? Never heard of it and a bit of a hookah fanboy myself.. Well more before than now, but still every so often I like to blow some O's

Looking forward to the new mods OP

quality hookah that lasts for a good amount of time. as someone who has been smoking it for a long time i'm super picky where i go and this place is pretty good for me. i would say 8/10 which is high for me considering i've never been to a place that was 10/10 in my standards

[Frosty]

Esqure....

THANK you for directing me to this thread. Your car is a masterpiece .

~Frost

[f32458]

how much more was a Dakar yellow cost? pre LCI are called Dakar 1? This is 2?

[esquire]

Originally Posted by f32458

how much more was a Dakar yellow cost? pre LCI are called Dakar 1? This is 2?

Dakar I is a 2 stage paint from the early e36 generation. They later changed the paint to make it a 3 stage paint process, and when they did, they changed the name to Dakar II.

That change was made sometime in the mid-e36 generation. So everything past then (in other words everything past 1995-6ish) is Dakar II. Dakar I and Dakar II are indistinguishable as far as actual color goes though.

Regarding cost - it depends on who you get it from. The invoice cost for custom paint is approximately 5k dollars.

FYI - BMW tends to restrict how many cars of a certain color can be ordered in any given region per year.


-esquire

[f32458]

Originally Posted by esquire

Dakar I is a

-esquire

Thank you Esquire for the explanation of Dakar I asked because I just got one last week. My plans are pretty much the same as yours. I want to make it as clean as stock as possible. I'll go for polished black on ZCP wheels. M Performance splitters or other lips and a M spoiler. I am highly considering to use my valve control iPE exhaust on my previous E90. I had an Akra Evo ( E92 ) installed for a week. The tips sticks out way too much on my E90. Vice versa now I may find my iPE too short on E92. I am sure it can fit. Anyway, nice write ups and great work!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by f32458

Thank you Esquire for the explanation of Dakar I asked because I just got one last week. My plans are pretty much the same as yours. I want to make it as clean as stock as possible. I'll go for polished black on ZCP wheels. M Performance splitters or other lips and a M spoiler. I am highly considering to use my valve control iPE exhaust on my previous E90. I had an Akra Evo ( E92 ) installed for a week. The tips sticks out way too much on my E90. Vice versa now I may find my iPE too short on E92. I am sure it can fit. Anyway, nice write ups and great work!

If the IPE doesn't work, go Akra. The M-spoiler will look great imo. But take a look at some pictures of dakar yellow with performance splitters. I've seen that combo and am personally not a fan, but so long as you love it, that's all that matters.

Congrats on the car.

[Malek@MRF]

Originally Posted by esquire

Dakar I is a 2 stage paint from the early e36 generation. They later changed the paint to make it a 3 stage paint process, and when they did, they changed the name to Dakar II.

That change was made sometime in the mid-e36 generation. So everything past then (in other words everything past 1995-6ish) is Dakar II. Dakar I and Dakar II are indistinguishable as far as actual color goes though.

Regarding cost - it depends on who you get it from. The invoice cost for custom paint is approximately 5k dollars.

FYI - BMW tends to restrict how many cars of a certain color can be ordered in any given region per year.


-esquire

Correct on Dakar I. Dakar II is also a 2-stage paint system. (Base coat, clear coat)

[Malek@MRF]

Originally Posted by KEYON

How is bubblyz? Never heard of it and a bit of a hookah fanboy myself.. Well more before than now, but still every so often I like to blow some O's

Looking forward to the new mods OP

Bublyz is awesome. Let's all get together there sometime.

[esquire]

Every year or so I pick out 2 or 3 major mods and make it a goal to make them happen. I treat it as something to look forward to. Last year around this time I updated my car with KW clubsports, OSS headlights, and the Revinora front lip. This year I wanted to continue the process of making my car even more personal.

For me, the goal of this car has always been to keep the car clean and cohesive. Consistency and theme are important elements to me, and part of that for me is paying attention to small details.

For a long time now I've been wanting to make the interior more cohesive. The M3's lack of tri-stitch on any element other than the steering wheel has long been a sore spot for me, as has been the fact that the center console oddly doesn't match the interior trim. Those thing just never made sense to me. So I decided to change them.

First thing I did was to pick up the phone with Nate over at IND. Nate had the problem solved in his mind even before i was able to articulate it. The solution was simple - a tri-stitched DCT boot and e-brake boot, along with a color matched piano black center console. Though Nate said IND could do the center trim themselves, he recommended me to Nate over at C&C collision who I'd previously worked with on a number of occasions (yes - two different Nates), since C&C was local and would have access to my M3 to color match the center console to the OEM piano black trim perfectly. People who know C&C know their reputation for precision and attention to detail - my kind of company.

With the pieces and place we took to making it happen.

Center console before:
(pardon the random guy's shoe)



Center Console Removed:







Center Console Sanded and Prepped






Center Console in Full Piano Black

In the meantime, IND shipped me over the beautiful ///M tri-stitched DCT boot, and e-brake Boot. Its beyond me why these items didn't come tri-stitched in the first place. But thankfully IND had a proper solution which took no shortcuts. The quality of the tri-stitching is impeccable as is the leather.

Before



After

This was one of all-time my favorite mods. The pleasure I get every time step into the cabin was well worth it. I've always felt that the regular leather trim (is it even leather?) over the center console was completely lacking. Now finally with the introduction of a matching center trim, and more prevalent M-stitching makes the entire cabin feels so much more cohesive. Thanks to Nate at IND, and Nate at C &C.

Let me know what you guys think of the final product. More pics coming soon.

- Esquire



p.s. The other mods I was mentioning - posts on those coming very soon.

[flipm3]

Looks very clean and classy. Keep us posted on the other mods!

[AV9]

I love the tri stitched parts you have added to the interior - as you say, very cohesive. I also find it strange as to why BMW doesn't throw those in there from factory.

And that center console is just money.

Congrats bro, looking forward to your future posts with more exciting mods

[shaggag]

nice mods. I especially like the piano black. im sure it makes the interior feel more upscale.

[GOLFFRR]

sweet!

[Its_lobelt]

That center console looks amazing. One question though, how does it do with light scratches since that's an area of the car that has a high chance of getting scratched.