2005 E46 M3

[Scutch]

Im still not sold on the whole replica thing...

Dont get me wrong its not a bad thing, but im just not a fan of reps.

Awesome colour, wheels.

I was never intending to create a replica. The only thing I wanted on the car when I bought it was the alloys - I think they suit the M3 perfectly and IMO are the best looking wheels available.

The CSL bootlid gives the car an aggressive look from the rear with the integrated tail spoiler so that was the only mod I was initially interested in. When a "damaged" CSL front bumper came up for sale, I immediately bought it because I knew it was easily repairable - and at £40 I literally couldn't turn it down! As for the diffuser, I've bought 3 and 2 haven't been that good of a fit so were sold instantly. The one that's on the car now is much better, as I saw it on the car it was sold from. Again, not an item I was planning on buying, but at the price I just thought why not, as these CSL bits will always sell for good money. Exterior wise I'm still a way off a CSL "replica" - carbon roof, chrome bits, badging and side vents etc. I've put coilovers and spacers on which not many folk do on the CSL due to it's track focused handling. I have no CSL interior parts and the only engine component is the GSR carbon airbox, which was 1/3rd of the price of an OEM CSL airbox (Yeah, they sell for £3k - £4k!).

With the money I've spent on the car, I would still be a fair bit off being able to buy a CSL in the first place, but I've now created a car which I think looks how the E46 M3 should have looked when it was made. I'm very happy with it and in all honesty I'd be surprised if many folk actually know what a CSL is aside from a select few on messageboards and car enthusiasts, as there certainly aren't too many knocking about in Cumbria that people could differentiate between the M3 that came off the production line.

Once the bootlid is on, that's the exterior finished for me. Infact, it's probably the car finished. It's taken over a year but I've finally got the car I wanted and more.

Bear in mind all I wanted when I bought the car was the bootlid and smoked depo front indicators:

BC-R coilovers
Depo Smoked Front Indicators (since removed and sold)
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 265 Rears, Vredestein Vorti 235 Fronts
12mm Hubcentric Rear Spacers
15mm Hubcentric Front Spacers (since removed and sold)
12mm Hubcentric Front Spacers
BM54 Stage 2 Upgrade
Intravee II
Alpine KCA-420i
M3 Embroidered Mats
3x CSL Style Diffuser (2 of which since removed and sold due to fitment)
CSL Front Bumper
Geoff Steel Racing Carbon Airbox (Including all Ancillaries)
Stage 1 Remap
CSL Software Update
CSL Rev-Matching
Cup Holders
Matt Black Kidney Grills (colour coded outers)
Exhaust Clamp/Gasket Upgrade
Exhaust Euro Tips (since removed along with OEM backbox)
CSL Brake Discs
CSL Brake Carriers (since sold)
Performance Friction Z-rated pads (since sold)
Goodridge Stainless Hoses front and rear
Super Blue Brake Fluid
Supersprint Race Exhaust
2006 Porsche 911 Carrera Calipers (sprayed Atacama Yellow)
Textar Pads
Porsche Custom Brackets
Porsche to BMW Stainless Hoses
Porsche to BMW Pad Sensors
MB Quart Front and Rear Speakers
Exterior and Interior LED Lighting Kit
D2S 6K Bulbs
Crystal Headlight Lenses
Rear Brembo Discs and Pads
OEM CSL Bootlid
E92 LED Rear Bootlid Number Plate Lights
Interior Boot Release Switch
Detailing and Car Care/Prestige Car Shop Kit

😊

 

[JackD]

Having a car which looks similar to a CSL is like having a girlfriend who looks like Cheryl Cole, you're winning either way.

 

[Saner]

I was never intending to create a replica. The only thing I wanted on the car when I bought it was the alloys - I think they suit the M3 perfectly and IMO are the best looking wheels available.

The CSL bootlid gives the car an aggressive look from the rear with the integrated tail spoiler so that was the only mod I was initially interested in. When a "damaged" CSL front bumper came up for sale, I immediately bought it because I knew it was easily repairable - and at £40 I literally couldn't turn it down! As for the diffuser, I've bought 3 and 2 haven't been that good of a fit so were sold instantly. The one that's on the car now is much better, as I saw it on the car it was sold from. Again, not an item I was planning on buying, but at the price I just thought why not, as these CSL bits will always sell for good money. Exterior wise I'm still a way off a CSL "replica" - carbon roof, chrome bits, badging and side vents etc. I've put coilovers and spacers on which not many folk do on the CSL due to it's track focused handling. I have no CSL interior parts and the only engine component is the GSR carbon airbox, which was 1/3rd of the price of an OEM CSL airbox (Yeah, they sell for £3k - £4k!).

With the money I've spent on the car, I would still be a fair bit off being able to buy a CSL in the first place, but I've now created a car which I think looks how the E46 M3 should have looked when it was made. I'm very happy with it and in all honesty I'd be surprised if many folk actually know what a CSL is aside from a select few on messageboards and car enthusiasts, as there certainly aren't too many knocking about in Cumbria that people could differentiate between the M3 that came off the production line.

Once the bootlid is on, that's the exterior finished for me. Infact, it's probably the car finished. It's taken over a year but I've finally got the car I wanted and more.

Bear in mind all I wanted when I bought the car was the bootlid and smoked depo front indicators

I wont bother highlighting the rest.

Accept it, you like modding and fancy as many cool bit off a CSL and other cool cars, lol.

 

[ForceIndia]

It's not different to the hoards that stick turinis and cup/vee spoilers on a 1#2. It's not a replica, it's cherry picking the nicest oe bits that suit the car. I don't see any issue with it, looks great.

Bar the squinty front bumper

 

[Scutch]

It's not different to the hoards that stick turinis and cup/vee spoilers on a 1#2. It's not a replica, it's cherry picking the nicest oe bits that suit the car. I don't see any issue with it, looks great.

Bar the squinty front bumper :wink:

It's functional 😂

 

[josh11490]

The perfect M3

 

[BIFCAIDS]

It's not different to the hoards that stick turinis and cup/vee spoilers on a 1#2. It's not a replica, it's cherry picking the nicest oe bits that suit the car. I don't see any issue with it, looks great.

Bar the squinty front bumper :wink:

Just like a Singer Porsche.

 

[EVOgone]

Pic with boot lid on please..............

 

[ForceIndia]

Pic with boot lid on please..............

Erm, Google m3 csl?

 

[EVOgone]

Scutch car isn't a CSL.....just want to know what my next car looks like ;-)

 

[ForceIndia]

Scutch car isn't a CSL.....just want to know what my next car looks like ;-)

It's csl colour, with csl wheels, and the csl diffuser. So once the boot is fitted it'll look identical from the rear. Unless I'm missing something? Disregarding that he's said it won't be fitted until June.

 

[EVOgone]

I want to buy the car ;-)

 

[JD]

@Scutch Neil, are the rear 3/4s not different on the CSL? Just had a look at some of the photos you've posted in the shine and share Facebook group and the rear angle that joins with the boot appears higher? Or is it just an optical illusion?

 

[JD]

As a comparison;

 

[Scutch]

@JD - That's a convertible rear end, I believe. Different to the stock M3 rear. That's why not many folk use the CSL bootlid on the convertible.

Mine:

 

[Stay Puft]

Such a gorgeous car.

Something i've never realised, but on all of the above pics, do the rear lights on the boot lid not properly line up with the rear lights on the actual car body?

 

[welshname]

Such a gorgeous car.

Something i've never realised, but on all of the above pics, do the rear lights on the boot lid not properly line up with the rear lights on the actual car body?

The light clusters themselves line up. If you look its the seal around the cutout on the boot that doesn't. If it was the other way round it would be more noticeable.

 

[Scutch]

Took my car in to Thursby Blast Shop on Monday to have my CSL alloys sent off for powder coating and painted Hyper Silver again. They weren't actually too bad but a couple had a bit of rash around the rim (oo-er).

Anyway, got a set of donor wheels in the meantime...

Can't say I'm particularly fond of the 18's, but they serve a purpose and it was nice to retain my car while my alloys were away getting sorted.

I will say though, that it's a good job I have spacers on the car. There's no way these wheels would have gone on without them, as they distance between the inside of the rim and the caliper is minimal!

Should get the alloys back next week, but in the meantime the car is going to Greta Bodyworks in Keswick for a bit of a refresh. That includes front end adjustment and the CSL bootlid painted and fitted

Expensive month!!

 

[Philip.]

Expensive month indeed!
I think it looks alright on those wheels too. :smile:

 

[cat171]

Wow! CSL make a massive difference. The standard 18's look so s**t.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

It's not different to the hoards that stick turinis and cup/vee spoilers on a 1#2. It's not a replica, it's cherry picking the nicest oe bits that suit the car. I don't see any issue with it, looks great.

Bar the squinty front bumper :wink:

Im getting a coupe front end now

I don't see the problem with people mixing and matching, Its the badging up of lower spec cars to high spec cars I don't like. i.e. M badges on non-M's. When I was using the M3 for a couple of weeks I just so happened to being going past a lad in a 320 coupe with an M badge on it, I was a child and dropped it a couple of gears to let him hear a real M.

 

[Scutch]

Wow! CSL make a massive difference. The standard 18's look so s**t.

I agree Craig, but can understand why a lot of folk think it looks more purposeful. Just not for me at all and can't wait to get the CSL alloys back.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

Gonna get my 359's done in a couple of weeks defo going for Hyper Silver.

 

[Scutch]

Gonna get my 359's done in a couple of weeks defo going for Hyper Silver.

Yeah, it's so much nicer than normal silver. Works well on darker shade colours

 

[ForceIndia]

I agree Craig, but can understand why a lot of folk think it looks more purposeful. Just not for me at all and can't wait to get the CSL alloys back.

I'm one of those. Just drives a bit sweeter on 18s.

 

[Scutch]

I'm one of those. Just drives a bit sweeter on 18s.

It doesn't with these Maxis tyres on, mate!

 

[ForceIndia]

It doesn't with these Maxis tyres on, mate!

Drifto?

 

[Scutch]

Drifto?

Ditcho.

 

[cat171]

Lol!!!!

 

[Cookie]

It doesn't with these Maxis tyres on, mate!

Such slide. I need to experience an M3 on not great tyres. You need to kick the s**t out of it to get the Contis I have fitted to move

 

[Sir_Dave]

My z3m had contis on the front, & wanli's on the back. I learnt alot in that 6 months ...

 

[Detail Chris]

Scutch-it's truly stunning mate, quick question. Running it as low as you are, do you ever get any arch rubbage or bottoming out?

 

[Ian_182]

My god it looks pants with 18's on compared to the CSL alloys.

 

[Scutch]

Scutch-it's truly stunning mate, quick question. Running it as low as you are, do you ever get any arch rubbage or bottoming out?

Going over certain speed bumps it can bottom out, but not excessively. Depends how fast you take them Normal driving etc. it's fine and it never catches on the arches even over speed bumps.

My god it looks pants with 18's on compared to the CSL alloys.

Agreed! I should have put the OEM 19's on TBH, which I also have. But I don't have any tyres on them 😂

 

[JD]

Such slide. I need to experience an M3 on not great tyres. You need to kick the s**t out of it to get the Contis I have fitted to move

Buy Winter tyres. That gave me some interesting feedback!

 

[Lal B3N]

Should of sent them this way for a refurb dude! :wink:

Crazy how different (s**t) it looks on them wheels lol.

 

[JackD]

Is your front plate slightly smaller than standard? Do you know the measurements?

 

[Scutch]

Is your front plate slightly smaller than standard? Do you know the measurements?

Yeah it is mate. I'll measure it when I'm back home. Length is standard, height is smaller.

 

[Cub.]

Yeah it is mate. I'll measure it when I'm back home. Length is standard, height is smaller.

Snigger.

OT - absolutely epic m3. I love the fact that every one of your cars looks great. I'd happily buy any of them, and that isn't the case with most "modified" cars as I'm massively fussy

 

[Scutch]

Snigger.

OT - absolutely epic m3. I love the fact that every one of your cars looks great. I'd happily buy any of them, and that isn't the case with most "modified" cars as I'm massively fussy :smile:

Thank you mate. Very kind. Just got the car back last week with CSL bootlid fitted, front bumper aligned and corrected and rear diffuser much better fit now. Waiting on my CSL alloys back now which is on Friday. These 18's are s**t.