ArthurL's E93 M3 Progress Thread

[ArthurL]

Woohoo, my car is back from the bodyshop/mechanic and she looks better than before.





Had the my body guy paint these brand new un-painted sidemarkers I ordered along with the rear tow hook cap.

Now I need black kidney grilles. Should I get gloss black ones or matte black ones?

Tints are next on the list as well.

[avantegardestyle]

was just about to say you need black grilles but saw in your post…….

If I had a black car i would go CF with the grilles, even though those are more expensive………but such is life when you drive an M car.

My car is on its way up from Miami,
will link you when he weather gets warmer…….

[Blindside_137]

Sorry about the accident! At least it's on its way!

I say definitely get the DD trunk! I believe this car has it and it is amazing. I would love to see it on a black car. I would leave the recessed license plate area exposed carbon fiber but paint everything else.

[Blindside_137]

Another picture of it here

[ArthurL]

Originally Posted by avantegardestyle

was just about to say you need black grilles but saw in your post…….

If I had a black car i would go CF with the grilles, even though those are more expensive………but such is life when you drive an M car.

My car is on its way up from Miami,
will link you when he weather gets warmer…….

Sure thing!

Originally Posted by Blindside_137

Sorry about the accident! At least it's on its way!

I say definitely get the DD trunk! I believe this car has it and it is amazing. I would love to see it on a black car. I would leave the recessed license plate area exposed carbon fiber but paint everything else.

Yeah I think I'm going to get the trunk. I'm a bit worried about fitment. I'll have to test-fit my buddy's to see. I'll consider leaving the license plate area exposed. Not a fan of the fade that I see a few people have but CF in the license plate area may be a nice touch.

[WickedE93]

Originally Posted by ArthurL

Sure thing!


Yeah I think I'm going to get the trunk. I'm a bit worried about fitment. I'll have to test-fit my buddy's to see. I'll consider leaving the license plate area exposed. Not a fan of the fade that I see a few people have but CF in the license plate area may be a nice touch.

I have the DD trunk, fitment was horrible, took a lot of work to make it work. Thank god the body shop that did it for me was very experienced and it came out nice

[ArthurL]

Looks like I'll need to have my body guy take a look at the trunk and test fit it for me.

The CSL trunk looks great but I won't sacrifice the aesthetics of the car for it.

Some other things I want to do is to:
- Purchase AEs. I hear LUX is good but boy they are pricey.
- Get new wheels. I really like the 359s. I was considering getting the 220s done in a gunmetal color that's not too dark. I've seen 220s in black and they look sweet and I've also seen them in silver which look nice as well.

[WickedE93]

Originally Posted by ArthurL

Looks like I'll need to have my body guy take a look at the trunk and test fit it for me.

The CSL trunk looks great but I won't sacrifice the aesthetics of the car for it.

Some other things I want to do is to:
- Purchase AEs. I hear LUX is good but boy they are pricey.
- Get new wheels. I really like the 359s. I was considering getting the 220s done in a gunmetal color that's not too dark. I've seen 220s in black and they look sweet and I've also seen them in silver which look nice as well.

Yes definitely have him test fit and make adjustments before you paint it.

As for AE's I advice just going with full custom lights, I had the LUX lights and they leave you wanting more, nothing like what the Orion V4's or the rings that 180 uses can put out.

[ArthurL]

Originally Posted by WickedE93

Yes definitely have him test fit and make adjustments before you paint it.

As for AE's I advice just going with full custom lights, I had the LUX lights and they leave you wanting more, nothing like what the Orion V4's or the rings that 180 uses can put out.

Do you have custom headlights? If so.. let me see them!

[Blindside_137]

Definitely custom if you have the money.

I have lux and really do like them for just a couple hundred. Took just a few minutes to install and look very crisp and clear (from a distance) like most newer BMW's do.

But if you want something like what is on the newer M cars you'll have to spend several thousand dollars on a custom set.

As far as wheels go I love the 359 way better than the 220. And they weren't available as an option for convertibles so not many have them. I have them on my non M 328 and love the look.

[Blindside_137]

And I agree I'm not a fan of the trunk fade with carbon.

Hopefully the trunk fits well!

[WickedE93]

Originally Posted by ArthurL

Do you have custom headlights? If so.. let me see them!

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1032765

In the thread above you can see my headlights as well as my trunk

[ArthurL]

So it looks like USPS didn't lose my oil sample... just took them about a month and half to deliver it ...

I was completely surprised Blackstone sent me an email with my analysis report just now but here it is:



Judging from the comments in the analysis.. it seems like my engine is running fine? Let me know what you think.

[ArthurL]

Some new pics..

It finally warmed up in NYC these past few days so I was able to give her a wash.



I was able to finally drop the top this past weekend



And today I threw on a brand new M3 badge. When the I bought the car, it came with just the 3 emblem (someone stole the M emblem).


So I ended up removing the 3. When I removed the 3, I realized the trunk was repainted and the paint job wasn't great. I guess they painted around the emblem, leaving the indents of the badge on the trunk. So I bought touch up paint to fill in the emblem area.



Then I wet sanded it. I followed this DIY: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=617142





Compounded it.



Some more elbow grease and compound.



Finally I added the M3 emblem.



I think the results came out okay.

I used a placement measuring guide online for the badge and realized the previous owner/body shop placed it a little too low. So there's a 3mm area below the emblem with the indentation. Hoping to apply some paint/clear to the area and wetsand again.

This is the placement guide I used:

[ArthurL]

I have a few mods coming in soon, stay tuned

[thetastelingers]

The fix looks great considering what you started with.

[ArthurL]

Thanks!

Granted the pic above was after I applied a few layers of touch up paint. It was not that hideous starting off but you get the idea of how it might've looked like.

[ArthurL]

Installed a set of gloss black kidney grilles yesterday evening. I think it definitely makes a huge difference!

[ArthurL]

A few days ago I dipped my 220Ms in anthracite/gunmetal. It came out much better than I expected. What a difference! Waiting on spacers before I throw these on.

[ArthurL]

Spent Saturday compounding, polishing and waxing the car.

[ArthurL]

I installed a pet cover in the rear seats so my puppy could enjoy the top down with me as it gets warmer. I must say.. Although I would've loved an E90.. The E93 is pretty sweet when the top comes down.

Took my pup hiking with my girlfriend and I this past weekend.

[ArthurL]

Some more pics from yesterday