Night Hawk - Photo Modification Journal Thread *Updated - Please Read First Page*

[Falcon Keeper]

After my owning my first M3 ever, a 2005 Jet Black M3 (SMG), I knew from that moment on, I was stuck on M3's! After an accident in which a drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned me on the passenger side, that car surprisingly wasn't totaled and never ran right afterwards as it was plagued with problems. After getting fed up with it, in October 25th, 2010, I put in an order for a Melbourne Red M3. After a week of debating I ended up switching the color to Space Gray Metallic; I haven't looked back since! After a long, excruciating wait amongst building up anticipation and frustration... my car arrived at the dealership on Jan. 15th 2011. Unable to go pick it up being that I was deployed TDY to Tyndall AFB in Panama City Beach, FL... I ended up getting pissed off because I had to wait another month to get back home and take ownership. Counting down the days as they seemed as though they couldn't get here fast enough, that day finally came! After going to the dealership and taking ownership, I began inspecting the car to make sure no damage was present. After an hour of signing papers, learning the features and so on, the time finally came to drive my baby home as I took the LONGEST route possible. Now, the nerve racking 1300mi break-in period ensues! As god as my witness, that was the most harshest thing I ever had to endure with a car as it begged me to rip through all of the gears but I knew I couldn't...

On November 17th, 4:40am, I was heading home. While driving through a green light, I was struck in my drivers side door by a red light runner totaling my car. Full story can be found on bottom of first post in updates section, Post #49.

In the midst of my car being totaled, I immediately start looking for a new car, I knew I had to have another M3 with little to no miles. I stumbled on a 2012 Melbourne Red Metallic M3 (back to my original color choice before my Space Gray Metallic M3) in Chicago, IL. that had only 6,800 miles. I was looking to get away from DCT, don't get me wrong, I loved that transmission and it was fun but I wanted more control over the car, I opted for a 6 speed manual. I didn't like it at first because it did not have the features I wanted such as premium sound, carbon fiber leather interior, extended leather to name a few like my last car but knew I had to jump on it being it was hard and possibly rare to find a Red M3 in a manual. Sandy Sansing BMW here in Pensacola agreed to tackle the job of adding the Enhanced Premium Sound and submitted to recoding job to BMW NA/ Germany. I was amazed that they also agreed to build the retrofit for me and tear apart the car to build a whole new wiring harness and rebuild it and install the extended leather, all they asked for was my last VIN#. Aside from that, they would submit a whole new build order to reflect the new options that were added on the car. So with that, I am slowly starting to rebuild it exactly as my last one was.


On to the packages, options and dealer installed accessories:

Exterior Color: A75 Melbourne Red Metallic
Interior Color: Black Novillo Leather

ZCP Competition Package:
- 223 Dynamic Damper Control
- 7MA Competition Package
- Z59 19" Alloy Y-Spoke Wheels (Style 359M)
- Lowered Suspension (-10mm)
- Sport Mapping for EDC/DSC

7KB Navigation Package:
- 609 Navigation System
- 620 Voice Command
- 6UH Real Time Traffic Information
- 7H8 Enhanced iPod/USB Adaptor, Bluetooth, and BMW Assist

ZPP Premium Package
- 313 Power Folding Auto Mirrors
- 319 Universal Garage-Door Opener
- 322 Comfort Access Keyless Entry
- 415 Power Rear Sunshade
- 459 Power Front Seats
- 4MX Blue Gray Brushed Aluminum
- 4NA Digital Compass Mirror
- 507 Park Distance Control (Rear)

Options:
- 494 Heated Front Seats
- 639 BMW Assist w/ Bluetooth
- 302 Anti-Theft Alarm System
- 6NR BMW Apps


Exterior:
- OEM BMW M3 Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Wing (N/I)
- OEM BMW M3 Performance Carbon Fiber Front Splitters (N/I)
- OEM BMW M3 Performance Carbon Fiber Side View Mirror Caps
- IND Gloss Black Hood Vents
- IND Gloss Black Grills
- IND Gloss Black Side Gills
- IND Dark Tinted LED Side Markers
- IND Painted A75 Front Bumper Reflector Covers
- Challenge GT Carbon Fiber Rear Diffusor (N/I)

Interior:
- OEM BMW M3 Performance Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
- OEM BMW M3 Competition Door Sills
- OEM BMW M3 Embroidered Floor Mats
- GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition
- Passport 8500 X50 Radar Detector (Red Display)
- Blendmount Custom Radar Detector Mount

Suspension:
- KW Clubsport Coilovers w/ EDC Code Isolators and Top Mounts (Ordered/ N/I)

Wheels:
Macht Schnell 15mm Front Wheel Spacers (Ordered/ N/I)
Macht Schnell 12mm Rear Wheel Spacers (Ordered/ N/I)

Performance:
- Macht Schnell Stage 2 Intake (Ordered/ N/I)
- Eisenmann Polished Race Exhaust w/ Perforated Tips and Connecting Pipes (Ordered/ N/I)

Special Thanks to Rob@EAS and Greg@GTM_Challenge for working with me to get me back on my feet and giving me superior customer service and the best buying experience ever!. My number of questions and advice were answered immediately and professionally.




Update (July 25, 2011): Post #36
Update (August 8, 2011): Post #38
Update (February 20, 2012): Post #42
Update (November 19, 2013): Post #49
Update (January 24, 2014): Post #140
Update (February 2, 2014): Post #157
Update (February 2, 2014): Post #158

For those wondering what kind of photography gear I am using, It can be found here >>> http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...postcount=1738

[Falcon Keeper]

[Falcon Keeper]

Packages, options and dealer installed accessories:

Mileage Arrived: 12mi.

Exterior Color: A52 Space Gray Metallic
Interior Color: NDSW Black Novillo Extended Leather

ZCP Competition Package:
- 223 Electronic Damping Control
- 7MA Competition Package
- Z59 19" Alloy Y-Spoke Wheels (Style 359M)
- Lowered Suspension (-10mm)
- Sport Mapping for EDC/DSC

ZCV Convenience Package:
- 302 Anti-Theft Alarm System
- 322 Comfort Access Keyless Entry
- 507 Park Distance Control (rear)
- 609 Navigation System
- 620 Voice Command
- 6FL iPod and USB Adapter
- 6UH Real Time Traffic Information

ZP2 Premium Package II
- 313 Power Folding Auto Mirrors
- 319 Universal Garage-Door Opener
- 459 Power Front Seats
- 4MY Carbon Leather Interior Trim
- 4NA Digital Compass Mirror
- 639 BMW Assist w/ Bluetooth
- Interior Colors (See Above Paint Options)

Options:
- 2MK M Double Clutch Transmission
- 494 Heated Front Seats
- 752 Enhanced Premium Sound

Dealer Installed Accessories:
- Window Tint 35% (F) 20% (R)

Extended Warranty:
- Platinum 84mo/75000mi



Exterior:
- IND Gloss Black Painted Kidney Grills
- IND Gloss Black Painted Fender Gills
- IND Gloss Black Painted Hood Vents
- IND Body Colored Front Bumper Reflector Covers
- OEM Performance Carbon Fiber Front Splitters
- OEM Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Wing

Interior:

Suspension:
- KWv3 Coilovers w/ EDC (Spec's on Post 38)

Wheels:
- 20" ISS Forged FM-10 (Gloss Black) (Spec's on Post 38)
- Vredestein Ultra Sessanta Tires (Spec's on Post 38)

Performance:



A HUGE thanks goes out to Nate @ IND, Tischer BMW, Julius @ WheelSTO and Simon @ Renn-Spec for their outstanding service and for making this happen, FAST!

[Falcon Keeper]

- IND Gloss Black Painted Kidney Grills
- IND Gloss Black Painted Fender Gills
- IND Gloss Black Painted Hood Vents
- IND Body Colored Front Bumper Reflector Covers
- IND Body Color Matched Keyhole Delete
- Gloss Black M3 Trunk Badge

[Falcon Keeper]

- KWv3 Coilovers
- OEM Performance Carbon Fiber Front Splitters
- OEM Performance Carbon Fiber Rear Wing

[Falcon Keeper]

[SchnellM3]

Did you get the new key chain?

[Falcon Keeper]

Originally Posted by SchnellM3

Did you get the new key chain?

LMAO! Yeah I went over to the base to get one... I had one about 4 years ago but I lost the fucker...

[bavarian19]

Wow. What a beautiful car!

[Falcon Keeper]

Originally Posted by bavarian19

Wow. What a beautiful car!

Thanks bro! I try... haha

[Digital.James]

looking good!

[Sean@PYSpeed.com]

Beautiful car! Love the new look!

[Gkap]

looks great!

[sawzall]

Good stuff, keep the mods coming!

[tha_good_life]

Sick look'n pictures!!! What camera and lens are you using?

[cghempel]

Beautiful car! You have great taste! Our cars are twins...well almost. Mine is the exact same except some of our mods are different (I don't have the custom wheels, coil-overs, or splitters). Great car!

[chuxdelux]

Been looking foward to pics of your m3. Im in the AF as well (maintainer), and Im anticipating the day that I will own an m3. I just have to get my r32 sold.

[Brucewonder]

Looking good, I love the splitter on SG

[GOLFFRR]

sweet

[Falcon Keeper]

Originally Posted by bapesta206

Sick look'n pictures!!! What camera and lens are you using?

Thanks! I updated the original post and included a link that show's what camera and gear I am using. For this shoot, I used a 28-135mm and 10-22mm w/ a circular polarizer.

Originally Posted by chuxdelux

Been looking foward to pics of your m3. Im in the AF as well (maintainer), and Im anticipating the day that I will own an m3. I just have to get my r32 sold.

Glad to see another Maintainer aboard this forum! haha Your days of owning an M3 will come sooner or later, just be patient! I know I wasn't LOL! Thanks for the compliments!


Thanks everyone for the compliments!

[Stormtroooper]

Looks good Greg. Can't wait to see the pics with the new parts on it!

[xquisit]

/drool