Hey folks, earlier this year I got into my first BMW and it has been a blast so far. I've been doing a LOT to the car but I also have bigger plans in store so I figured I'd start a build thread and/or journal.
Previous cars (I've had way more than this, but these are the ones I've modified)
1990 CRX Si (built turbo B16 -- was terrifying)
2000 Buick Regal GS (amazing sleeper!)
2004 Subaru WRX Wagon (FBO, lasted me until 189k miles!)
2009 Infiniti G37 (barely touched this one)
2010 Jetta GLI (Stage 2)
2013 Fiat 500c Abarth (nightmare to work on)
2014 Honda Civic Si Sedan (barely touched this one)
1/6/19: Picked up the car in Houston, TX. 1 owner 2015 335i xDrive M-Sport 8AT in Estoril Blue with 46k miles on the clock. I live in Chicago primarily but also have family in/spend a great deal of time in Texas, so I try to buy cars down there to avoid rust (and register down there as it's cheaper and much simpler).
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First thing few things done were gloss black kidney grills, Cravenspeed Platypus license mount and red stop start button (amazon FTW!)
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Shortly after that, I downloaded bimmercode and, finding a set of used OEM paddles on ebay for a steal I did a paddle shifter retrofit. No photos of the install unfortunately, but I followed kies motorsports tutorial and it worked great.
Then it was time to add some carbon fiber vinyl to the interior trim as the walnut trim was KILLING me. I ended up messing up and need to redo it but the main trim piece doesn't look bad
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Then it was time for some POWER and noise! Bought BM3 and went stage 1, and also got a muffler delete and threw some tips from BMS on the car.
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I ended up adding a carbon fiber trunk lip from ebay. Fitment wasn't perfect but I'm okay with it for now. Also decided the BMS tips were too much color (burnt titanium), so I sanded them down and painted them matte black. Felt much cleaner IMO.
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I decided I needed more power and also wanted to be lowered. I strongly prefer working on my own cars but unfortunately lack of a garage at my current apartment dissuaded me from doing much. Went off a recommendation from a friend and the gentlemen at APMtuned in Villa Park were more than happy to help. Had them install VRSF dp, cp, FMIC, and Pipercross filter, along with Dinan springs and bumpstops. Ben, the owner, is a very knowledgeable guy and I was happy with his prices.
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Finally wheels and tires came in! Vörsteiner V-FF 107s in Carbon Graphite, wrapped in Contintel Extremecontact Sport tires. I looked forever for a set of wheels and fell in love with these the second I saw them. Completely happy with the drop on Dinans as well!
19x8.5 235/40 front 19x10 265/35 rear
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And now we're up to date!
In the works:
- just ordered a custom E30 tune from
CaryTheLabelGuy
- getting the transmission potentially tuned on Monday at APM
- just ordered parts to do the BM3 wifi agent DIY
- rewrapping the interior in matte CF vinyl from VViVid next week
- wrapping the roof in gloss black whenever weather allows
- ordering CF mirror covers, front lip, and rear diffuser soon
Further down the road as money allows:
- 6WB cluster retrofit (I know it's pricey but I NEED IT!)
- Turbo kit and fueling upgrades (still undecided on what route to take)
- LCI tail lights
- Android Display
- ??????
Also plan on taking the car to the 1/4 mile and dyno within the next month or so.
Thank you to everyone for all the help you've given me! This forum allowed me to make educated decisions with my upgrades and it is paying off! Stay tuned because I am FAR from done!
IG: @bemdubya