I just got my first M3...now i need help!

9iron · 04-01-2010, 06:37 PM

Hey guys, i picked up the car i've wanted since high school yesterday

. I got a CPO '08 e90 with 17k on the clock. It is alpine white with black leather/carbon. It has every single option and is a 6 speed. I am VERY happy with the car. The thing looks brand new and drives even better than i expected.

I have a couple questions:

1. I bought the car in New York, so the friggin' thing has a license plate on the front, which looks like crap. When i took off the plate holder, there were four holes drilled into he bumper and it looks like absolute garbage

. Is there an easy way to fix this myself, or is this a job for the bodyshop? I thought i could maybe put a euro plate up there to hide it (i think they look pretty cool) but i would much rather have nothing up there....what do you think?

2. Second question....do any of you take your car to the car wash? I'm not completely OCD about keeping my car PERFECT like i'm sure some of you are, but i do like it to look clean. It would be much easier for me to take the car to a high quality wash once a week rather than wash it myself. I live in an urban area, and my house doesn't have a garage (you probably think im nuts buying this car w/o a garage to keep it in)....only a small parking space with a carport over it in my backyard. I am planning to buy a car cover as well, but it is still outside and is pointless to do extreme detail cleaning if its gonna be exposed to the elements. What do you think....is a high quality car wash OK?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

ChineseGuy · 04-01-2010, 06:59 PM

Considering your car is white, you will not see too much scratches or defects from the touchless washes. Also considering you're not OCD and without a garage, I would just go with the touchless and maybe get a respectable detail shop or an experienced detailer to have it treated twice a year

Ricfutures · 04-02-2010, 02:26 PM

I had the same issue when I bought my M and decided to cover it up with a Euro style plate. I actually went to a few body shops here in SoCal to get quotes on covering up the holes and they want $650 for the job. As much as I would like to cover the holes it isn't on my priority list and would much rather use the $650 towards an SSK.

In any case, the Euro plates do look good IMO and I purchased mine from here: http://www.licenseplates.tv/prod/cal...048.html#lpgen

I got the CA state symbol on mine with my actual plate numbers on it. They shipped out very fast and it's a quality product. I also ordered the black bracket. Keep one thing in mind though is that the plate and bracket are straight and the M3 bumper has a curve in it. You will need to bend the plate then insert it into the bracket a few times to the form of the bumper.

04-01-2010, 06:37 PM	#1
9iron Second Lieutenant 66 Rep 262 Posts Drives: 04 WRX Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Louisville iTrader: (0)	I just got my first M3...now i need help! Hey guys, i picked up the car i've wanted since high school yesterday . I got a CPO '08 e90 with 17k on the clock. It is alpine white with black leather/carbon. It has every single option and is a 6 speed. I am VERY happy with the car. The thing looks brand new and drives even better than i expected. I have a couple questions: 1. I bought the car in New York, so the friggin' thing has a license plate on the front, which looks like crap. When i took off the plate holder, there were four holes drilled into he bumper and it looks like absolute garbage. Is there an easy way to fix this myself, or is this a job for the bodyshop? I thought i could maybe put a euro plate up there to hide it (i think they look pretty cool) but i would much rather have nothing up there....what do you think? 2. Second question....do any of you take your car to the car wash? I'm not completely OCD about keeping my car PERFECT like i'm sure some of you are, but i do like it to look clean. It would be much easier for me to take the car to a high quality wash once a week rather than wash it myself. I live in an urban area, and my house doesn't have a garage (you probably think im nuts buying this car w/o a garage to keep it in)....only a small parking space with a carport over it in my backyard. I am planning to buy a car cover as well, but it is still outside and is pointless to do extreme detail cleaning if its gonna be exposed to the elements. What do you think....is a high quality car wash OK? Thanks in advance for the responses.
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04-01-2010, 06:59 PM	#2
ChineseGuy QuickShifter 137 Rep 1,500 Posts Drives: Black E90 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: North Pole iTrader: (2)	Considering your car is white, you will not see too much scratches or defects from the touchless washes. Also considering you're not OCD and without a garage, I would just go with the touchless and maybe get a respectable detail shop or an experienced detailer to have it treated twice a year
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04-02-2010, 02:26 PM	#3
Ricfutures Captain 150 Rep 659 Posts Drives: E90 M3 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	I had the same issue when I bought my M and decided to cover it up with a Euro style plate. I actually went to a few body shops here in SoCal to get quotes on covering up the holes and they want $650 for the job. As much as I would like to cover the holes it isn't on my priority list and would much rather use the $650 towards an SSK. In any case, the Euro plates do look good IMO and I purchased mine from here: http://www.licenseplates.tv/prod/cal...048.html#lpgen I got the CA state symbol on mine with my actual plate numbers on it. They shipped out very fast and it's a quality product. I also ordered the black bracket. Keep one thing in mind though is that the plate and bracket are straight and the M3 bumper has a curve in it. You will need to bend the plate then insert it into the bracket a few times to the form of the bumper. __________________ F97 X3M F80 M3 (Sold) E90 M3 (Sold) EB M235i (Sold) E92 M3 (Sold)
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