Haha yeah, same boat here. Lots of hand buffing, polishing and waxing on black paint in the last year to revive a non bmw of mine. It looks ok but a da is in my future 🤞🏻
DAILY MOD/REPAIR UPDATES
Welcome to the daily update thread! Post any mods, repairs, whatever you have done to your E46!
Today I
Debadge the trunk lid (roundel still intact)
Added black grills
Yellow fogs
Clear front reflectors (PITA!!!)
6K D2S bulbs
![]()
Today I
Debadge the trunk lid (roundel still intact)
Added black grills
Yellow fogs
Clear front reflectors (PITA!!!)
6K D2S bulbs
44761 - 44780 of 44988 Posts
Installed the windshield cowl today. FCP Euro has em on sale at the moment, at least for early e46 coupes (01 330ci).
Anyway it was an uncomplicated, fun install with great results. Makes a huge difference to what was on the car. Also I failed to read the reviews and Q&A otherwise I would have known that the cowl comes with the clips.
![Automotive parking light Grille Vehicle Automotive tire Automotive tail & brake light]()
Anyway it was an uncomplicated, fun install with great results. Makes a huge difference to what was on the car. Also I failed to read the reviews and Q&A otherwise I would have known that the cowl comes with the clips.
i did my hard pipes at 200,000 one was weeping to be noticeable in the ex tank (coolant loss)When your 21 years & 270,000+ miles. Your hard pipes probably need changing, so why not everything else that's a hose, pipe or vaccum line. Motor mounts and rebuilt injectors as well.
Could it really do a 1/2 mill? Original auto tyranny and engine.![]()
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Water in the spare wheel well and dead OE ballast. Drained the water from the trunk/boot and disassembled the ballast from the headlight housing. Current searching for a replacement ballast and ordering gaskets for the tail lights. The originals are old and cracked. Prepping to repair the trunk lid seal as well, PO had a leak prior because the water in the well was aged. There is a small section of rot under the driver's tail light which will need to be mended. PO included the lower trunk lip and I have a welder.
Will probably write a DIY for the replacement of the piece.
Drained and repaired the spare wheel well today.
![Water Liquid Road surface Fluid Asphalt]()
This here is a drain plug, you can see a little of the gasket material on the right side of the circle
![Landscape Sand Soil Foot Pest]()
With a little persuasion the plug came out and drained all the water to the ground. I left the trunk to dry over night. Then started sanding down the rust and bubbled paint.
![Handwriting Rectangle Font Automotive exterior Gas]()
![Automotive tire Water Road surface Automotive wheel system Asphalt]()
You can see the drain hole a bit more pronounced now that I've removed a few layers of rust.
![Automotive tire Tints and shades Wood Art Circle]()
Almost there. I also used a brass brush to loosen any other rust not easily accessed by sand paper.
![Water Asphalt Grey Gas Circle]()
After a final pass with some 120 sand paper I applied a layer of rust stopping primer. I used gray because this is just the spare tire well and isnt going to seen frequently.
![Liquid Bottle Automotive tail & brake light Fluid Hood]()
I also cleaned and applied paint to the other side of the plug to prevent it from spreading beneath the undercoat. I have now popped a 1 inch body plug into the drain hole.
TOMORROWS PROJECT: removal of rear bumper and sealing the body from future leaks.
![Automotive tire Motor vehicle Hood Bumper Automotive design]()
Here's where the water is coming in, note how the fabric pad for the wheel chock is soaked. During this project I have discovered that the vehicle has been in an unreported accident. There is impact folding on the spare wheel well on the same side as the leak. It doesn't seem too damaged and could probably just be adjusted and sealed. It looks like someone backed into something or scrubbed a guard rail trying to drift it.
This here is a drain plug, you can see a little of the gasket material on the right side of the circle
With a little persuasion the plug came out and drained all the water to the ground. I left the trunk to dry over night. Then started sanding down the rust and bubbled paint.
You can see the drain hole a bit more pronounced now that I've removed a few layers of rust.
Almost there. I also used a brass brush to loosen any other rust not easily accessed by sand paper.
After a final pass with some 120 sand paper I applied a layer of rust stopping primer. I used gray because this is just the spare tire well and isnt going to seen frequently.
I also cleaned and applied paint to the other side of the plug to prevent it from spreading beneath the undercoat. I have now popped a 1 inch body plug into the drain hole.
TOMORROWS PROJECT: removal of rear bumper and sealing the body from future leaks.
Here's where the water is coming in, note how the fabric pad for the wheel chock is soaked. During this project I have discovered that the vehicle has been in an unreported accident. There is impact folding on the spare wheel well on the same side as the leak. It doesn't seem too damaged and could probably just be adjusted and sealed. It looks like someone backed into something or scrubbed a guard rail trying to drift it.
Attachments
Didn't end up doing the bumper today, instead I went to disassembling the Xenon control unit P/N 1307329023 from the headlight assembly.
![Automotive tire Tire Tread Wheel Motor vehicle]()
Corrosion present on Xenon control unit bracket and wiring harness. Power is present to connector, so wiring harness is still intact.
![Bumper Automotive tire Gas Motor vehicle Automotive exterior]()
Control unit had 3 philips head bolts, all three showed signs of deterioration. 2 of the 3 were no longer usable, with an electric drill and a metal bit I drilled out the heads of the two non-serviceable bolts. Seems like an M8 size at 18mm long
![Automotive lighting Automotive tire Hood Motor vehicle Car]()
Removal of the entire assembly was necessary to reach the control unit mounted on the underside of the headlight. Held in place by 2 Philips screws through the control bracket into the headlight assembly.
The assembly is now ready to accept a new ballast, during reassembly the connectors will all be weather proofed with silicone grease after being cleaned from corrosion.
Corrosion present on Xenon control unit bracket and wiring harness. Power is present to connector, so wiring harness is still intact.
Control unit had 3 philips head bolts, all three showed signs of deterioration. 2 of the 3 were no longer usable, with an electric drill and a metal bit I drilled out the heads of the two non-serviceable bolts. Seems like an M8 size at 18mm long
Removal of the entire assembly was necessary to reach the control unit mounted on the underside of the headlight. Held in place by 2 Philips screws through the control bracket into the headlight assembly.
The assembly is now ready to accept a new ballast, during reassembly the connectors will all be weather proofed with silicone grease after being cleaned from corrosion.
44761 - 44780 of 44988 Posts
