wilwynE46 Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 (edited) **14.5.2019** Ive been meaning to start one of these build threads ever since I bought this e46 back in 2015. Its now 2019 and I thought it's about time I get back into the car scene and upload the progress of the 330 and share it with you guys. I have much planned for this car over the next few months so keep an eye on this post! Anyway here's its first picture of the car to be posted on here and how it currently looks with a few OEM upgrades on it (more pictures to follow of those OEM upgrades) Comments welcome Edited May 16, 2019 by wilwynE46 Andrew Fanning and momo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilwynE46 Posted May 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2019 **Update 16.5.2019** Here's a few photos of these OEM upgrades I got back in 2018 which I personally think has made the car look a lot better. Genuine BMW M3 Mirrors which came painted in sapphire black WINNING!! (Was not cheap to buy) Front view of both the M3 mirrors- I think this upgrade makes any e46s look a lot better then those ugly square looking dated mirrors (especially on the pre facelift models) Genuine E46 shark fin antenna that I found on ebay from a bloke in Poland that was breaking his 2004 e46 which also happened to be in sapphire black too! I managed to retrofit this to my car, nice little touch I think momo and Andrew Fanning 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji83 Posted May 24, 2019 Report Share Posted May 24, 2019 Looking good 👍 Fully agree on the wing mirrors, standard rectangular ones are way too big 🤣 wilwynE46 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilwynE46 Posted May 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2019 (edited) **Update 24.5.2019** After months of having dated horrible looking rear tail lights it was time to get rid of them and purchase some LED lights which I bought from an M3 that was breaking not too far from where I live. All parts of course genuine Bmw For these to work properly on my car I then had to buy the retrofit adapter cable loom set which enables the installation of the original bmw e46 led taillights to work. Once they were on I needed the lights to be re coded to the car so there would be no warning lights on dashboard to say there is a bulb failure. Possibly my favourite upgrade to the car to date!! Why they didn't have these as standard on the 2000-2002 models I don't know 😂 Anyway heres a picture of how the Leds look on the car now 😎 Edited May 25, 2019 by wilwynE46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkynut Posted May 29, 2019 Report Share Posted May 29, 2019 A belated welcome! I don't get on here much as the Forum has become much quieter in the last year or so, which is a great shame. Your car looks a nice one. Do you have any more photos to share? What interior do you have? Is it manual or auto? How many miles on it? Have you had any problems? What are yours plans, or are you keeping them under wraps? Kirkynut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupEdin Posted May 29, 2019 Report Share Posted May 29, 2019 Nice one - of course LEDs hadn't been thought of in 2002. I stuck them on mine too. What else is on your list of things to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilwynE46 Posted June 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 (edited) **Update 1.6.2019** No major updates on the e46 but I thought i'd reply to "kirkynut" comment and give you some info and spec of the my car with some follow up photos to come. -2002 Sapphire black Bmw 330ci -M3 Front headlights which I believe only came standard on the 2002 330ci's not seen these on any other e46s from 2001 and 2003 onwards (Correct me if i'm wrong) -Bought at less then 100k on the clock with 4 Previous owners and a folder full of recipes and paper work of the car and the work carried out by the previous owners -5 Speed manual (Petrol) M52 engine straight 6 3.0ltr engine(sounds amazing) -Cream tan leather seats (fully electric and heated and memory) with the wood trim Interior -Bmw business cd player with AUX adaptor -Alarm and Computer - Rear sensors , Auto Wipers, Head light washers, Factory equipped Xenons with self levering headlamps, climate control, heated mirrors with reverse tilt -M sport steering wheel with all the buttons to adjust the volume and controls for the cruise control - Electric windows including rear pop out windows - 18' MV1 Alloy wheels - Tinted rear windows at 25% to keep that 'OEM Look"- Aftermarket mod Im sure Ive missed a few more bits out but you get the gist... Not going to lie guys but for a 17yr car this spec is bloody is amazing! EVEN TO THIS DAY!!! My next big mod which i'm kind of saving up for now is a set of BC Coilovers, I really think once I have these on my car it will look 10x better and change the whole stance of the car altogether, hopefully will purchase between now and August. Edited June 1, 2019 by wilwynE46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted June 1, 2019 Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 No such thing as M3 headlights.. They're Xenons.. They were probably only introduced in 2002 and it was spec'd on yours from new. I think the only variations of Xenons were either normal or bi-Xenon (push stalk away and a flap opens up so the cut-off is gone). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilwynE46 Posted June 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 (edited) @momo i don't know where I got the word "M3 headlights" from lol what I meant by that is its the same headlights as the M3 right? Anyway I do prefer these headlights with the Xenons does make the car look more aggressive! rather then the standard looking ones you get on the e46s Edited June 2, 2019 by wilwynE46 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted June 2, 2019 Report Share Posted June 2, 2019 Yep, I get you. But again, nothing M3 about them. lol They were an option on normal models but just standard on the M3 so I get what you mean. Agree though - look a million times better than a crappy reflector bowl.. They're MASSIVE on the E46! wilwynE46 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji83 Posted June 9, 2019 Report Share Posted June 9, 2019 Get yourself some silver indicators my friend! Will really bring up the M3 headlights 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkynut Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 (edited) Wow, that is a great spec! Thanks for taking the time to post it up. You're right about it being a big spec even by today's standards. We recently bought the Mrs a 2006 Octavia VRS and cruise control and parking sensors were optional and ours doesn't have either! They were standard on E46's from 2000, even in SE trim! Just not on E trim but when did you last see one of those? You've done well with that one! I'm keen to learn how you find the BC Racing coilovers. I've read good things but not necessarily on an E46. I'm interested in how comfortable the ride is at a low height without it hitting the bump stops when the dampers are not set too hard. Kirkynut Edited August 14, 2019 by kirkynut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Fanning Posted August 14, 2019 Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 nice going, can get all to easy to keep throwing cheap aftermarket parts on a car just so you feel like your making progress ( definitely guilty of this at times myself ) so nice to see you taking your time and saving for quality OEM parts and will definitely stand to the cars value and desirability as she gets closer to her classic years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
