Powerhouse71
New member
I know its been a while since you posted this thread but i'd like to find out how you got those xenons retrofitted , I have been looking at upgrading from my halogens as well . Maybe you can DM me
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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My Alpine White E46 330i Sport
- Thread starter KPM3_30
- Start date
@Powerhouse71 I had a genuine set of OEM xenons from another car that I used for the retrofit. You would be able to get away with using your current set and just purchasing ballasts + projectors to retrofit into the existing set. This you could get from Jabsport or violet electronics.
You would then need to have them wired in and either have a set up with error cancellers or you can have a capacitor wired in, which is the route I went. I had them fitted by an ex-forumite so can't help with more details but happy to share his contact.
M3boi
Well-known member
Hard to believe its been 18 months since the last update on the showroom threads and some of the updates will be duplicated between threads, so please bear with me.. Time really has flown by and it has been a massive period of change for me personally, from a new job, to a new home in another province and the biggest blessing of all, a new addition to the family.. Not another car, as many may think but rather a baby boy that is already taking up all my time and attention (rightly so!).
Shortly after my return from Jhb to do the induction and collect my peripherals for the new job, I picked up that the ballast on the driver’s side was working intermittently and that meant the car was pretty much unusable at night. I called around and the ballast was prohibitively expensive, second hand wasn’t an option as there is no guarantee it will last. Got in touch with Jabsport and had this sorted by changing both ballasts to his own brand. Whilst I was there, my arm was twisted for a set of LED fogs – bright as hell (or is it heaven in this case).
Having met the mileage milestone on the way down, a service was due and I got around to doing it with my brother at my parent’s place. Completed a full service including a coolant flush as this was last changed when I overhauled the cooling system way back when. At the same time I also fitted a new ignition switch as the car had a tendency to not switch off after short distances, I could remove the key and it would throw all sorts of warning lights on the dash but not switch off. Having done some research, it could have been one of a few issues and the cheapest place to start was the switch. Thankfully this solved the issue and my only gripe is I didn’t go OEM (as this was part of troubleshooting), the feel of the ignition is different now and I prefer the old feel.
As I said in my previous update, I thought I was done with the car but the one thing I always wanted was a set of M wheels to compliment the rest of the Mtech 1.5 conversion. Knowing full well that the wide and narrow set I wanted would not work, I had left this by the whey side and that was the reason I refurbished the old wheels in shadow chrome and called it a day. Fast forward to December 2021 and @Riaad’s old set had come up for sale by the new owner, called him and managed to strike a deal. Wheels were packed up in a trailer and delivered to me by the owner as he was coming down to the coast for a family holiday. Wasted no time and had them fitted immediately at my parent’s place. This was my gift to the car for reaching (almost) 20 years of existence, that’s my rationale for buying them anyway.
A glaring issue that popped up when I changed the wheels was the fact that my red calipers were peeling where stones had made their mark and it looked pretty unsightly.. Decided a refresh was in order after nearly 5 years and proceeded to TWR to have this sorted in February, went with the same red as I liked the contrast. Also managed to do a whole 2k in the 12 months that followed, garage queen much (more on this).
I had a new OEM battery fitted some time back in 2020 and this gave out in March 2022, I still had a some of the warranty left and made a claim with BMW a few months later. They had to keep the car to run some tests and were happy that the battery was the issue, this was promptly replaced with a new one at the dealer at their cost. One of the reasons I prefer to go OEM, if I can help it.
I had planned to move with the family to my new place in June of this year and that meant I needed to get 2 cars up to Jhb before then. I treated the car to a valet and machine polish at Blak as the interior had developed some mildew having been parked off for a while due to the battery issue and I wasn’t keen to drive 5 hours breathing in mildew. Some pics after the valet:
I once again enlisted the help of my brother to pick a car to drive up and guess which one he chose.. No matter though, I thoroughly enjoyed the 30i and we had some fun on the way up with a few good cars, which made for an interesting trip.
Back to the garage queen moniker, I finally have my own garage for the cars and I couldn’t be happier. During the renovation stage of the property, I had additional plug points installed to accommodate the trickle chargers I so desperately needed. Part of the reason the batteries in both cars kept running down, as I only drove them once or twice a month when time permitted.
Also received a hell of a lot of love for the E46 in Jhb, even had 2 security guys at a centre flag me down so they could ogle the car and make an offer.
That brings the 30i showroom thread up to date and another service will be due in a few months at 275k.. Thanks for following.
Holy sh!t this is the nicest looking 330i I've seen. Jealous, what a stunner man.
A whole year later, and still only a few updates for posterity..
The E46 spent the last year as a garage queen getting the occasional run here and there. I was mostly using the X3 to do the daily grind, since the car developed an oil leak that needed to be sorted, as it was leaving stains on my garage mats (shock and horror, an E46 with an oil leak).
A rare pic of it out of the garage being used, for a change.
I then began to miss the E46 life after getting a dose of nostalgia using it a few times and started using it more often. Did a 'long distance' trip to Sun City for a work conference in Q1 and made a mileage milestone on the way there.
With the milestone, I finally got around to having the car serviced. Took the car through to Ross to diagnose the oil leak and once on the lift, could clearly see the sump gasket had developed a leak. Ross advised me to do the sump gasket the same time as the oil service, and whilst I was there, replace the engine mounts which were understandably tired. He also did a few other odds and ends whilst the car was at the workshop.
The bonnet badge and centre caps had seen better days so I had that changed and also ended up buying a windscreen cowl from the agents.. The old one was shoddy and I was meaning to do it for the last few years, but never got around to it. Finally happy that its in the garage at least, will get it fitted soon. Some random pics on a drive to Pretoria
A basement shot at the office
Happy to say, the E46 life is good and this car is so much of fun at fairly legal speeds. Its why I enjoy this platform so much, its the bridge between the rawness of the E36 and the luxury of the E90 platform, more skewed to the E36 which I wouldn't have any other way.
Still want to own an E36 at some point, for now I will continue in the E46. For an old car, it still gets a thumbs up and a knowing nod from the odd enthusiast.
The E46 spent the last year as a garage queen getting the occasional run here and there. I was mostly using the X3 to do the daily grind, since the car developed an oil leak that needed to be sorted, as it was leaving stains on my garage mats (shock and horror, an E46 with an oil leak).
A rare pic of it out of the garage being used, for a change.
I then began to miss the E46 life after getting a dose of nostalgia using it a few times and started using it more often. Did a 'long distance' trip to Sun City for a work conference in Q1 and made a mileage milestone on the way there.
With the milestone, I finally got around to having the car serviced. Took the car through to Ross to diagnose the oil leak and once on the lift, could clearly see the sump gasket had developed a leak. Ross advised me to do the sump gasket the same time as the oil service, and whilst I was there, replace the engine mounts which were understandably tired. He also did a few other odds and ends whilst the car was at the workshop.
The bonnet badge and centre caps had seen better days so I had that changed and also ended up buying a windscreen cowl from the agents.. The old one was shoddy and I was meaning to do it for the last few years, but never got around to it. Finally happy that its in the garage at least, will get it fitted soon. Some random pics on a drive to Pretoria
A basement shot at the office
Happy to say, the E46 life is good and this car is so much of fun at fairly legal speeds. Its why I enjoy this platform so much, its the bridge between the rawness of the E36 and the luxury of the E90 platform, more skewed to the E36 which I wouldn't have any other way.
Still want to own an E36 at some point, for now I will continue in the E46. For an old car, it still gets a thumbs up and a knowing nod from the odd enthusiast.
///M3 - ZN
Active member
Looking good,
Thank you bud, appreciate the comment. This car has the most value to me, been with me through many of life's ups and downs.
You actually just reminded me, December will be 10 years with the car - coincidentally the same length of time the previous owner had the car. One would be hard pressed to say its 20 years old with almost 275k on it.
Sabretooth tiger
///Member
This Is my dream E46
DINODENASH
Active member
car looks so hot with those wheels !!
Thanks @Sabretooth tiger appreciate it! When you back in Jhb you must have a listen to the exhaust.This Is my dream E46
Thanks bud.
Its certainly not perfect but I do try to keep the car in good nick (as far as possible for what was/is a daily driver).
One of my favourite wheels for the E46, next to the CSL's.. Had both and the 19" was too much for the car, IMO.
Dewald Basson
///Member
Glad to see the twin is still doing well
Sent from my SM-A315F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-A315F using Tapatalk
Another year down and still thoroughly enjoying E46 life, almost 11 years later. Hard to believe that I have owned this car for over a decade, it has been the one constant that has been with me through so many of life's changes and the one car I couldn't possibly imagine selling.
Managed to finally hit my 275k mileage milestone late last year
Not much has changed in the past year, aside from me finally getting around to having the cowl fitted and doing a bit of DIY on the tired wiper arms whilst I was at it. Pretty happy with the end result and whilst this would make zero difference to anyone else, it has been something I had been wanting to do for quite a while.
A few night shots taken here and there..
The E46 is back to being a garage queen for the moment, as I have been using the X5 as the daily for the last few months to try and put some miles on. It actually makes driving this car more of an occasion, again. A new daily will be on the horizon at some point in the future once the X5 is commandeered, I have no intention of returning this car to daily drive status - it is simply too special now, for me.
Managed to finally hit my 275k mileage milestone late last year
Not much has changed in the past year, aside from me finally getting around to having the cowl fitted and doing a bit of DIY on the tired wiper arms whilst I was at it. Pretty happy with the end result and whilst this would make zero difference to anyone else, it has been something I had been wanting to do for quite a while.
A few night shots taken here and there..
The E46 is back to being a garage queen for the moment, as I have been using the X5 as the daily for the last few months to try and put some miles on. It actually makes driving this car more of an occasion, again. A new daily will be on the horizon at some point in the future once the X5 is commandeered, I have no intention of returning this car to daily drive status - it is simply too special now, for me.
Joshua Turner
Member
Absolute stunner. Keep up the amazing work on the car Kev. Looking beautiful, such a classic.
Missed my yearly update, been meaning to get around to documenting the last 15 odd months but time has been scarce and life has been hectic. In case you were wondering, I still have the E46, some 12 years later....
I started at a new company last year and the E46 moved from a 5km commute to 50km and I wasn't the happiest given the dramatic increase in risk factor with the new found commute. Still, I had to get to work while a new daily was found and I alternated use between this and the M3, it helped only going into the office only 2 days a week. Three generations of 3 in the basement:
The two dailies:
After doing the route for a few weeks and dealing with drivers that have no business being behind the wheel, I decided in earnest to find a new daily. Not exactly what I was looking for, but it was an offer I couldn't refuse so I ended up with a new manual daily driver in February of this year. The transition of daily duties from one 3 to another:
With a new daily being found, the E46 went back to garage queen status and has been barely used over the past few months. Took a few pics of the car in the occurrences where it saw daylight, for proof of life:
The car was due for a service as it only did <2k since the last service, but it has been 18 months. I needed to do an oil change and at the same time, retire my very tired bonnet struts after 22 years of service. I also decided to give a BMC drop in a try as I was curious, seeing as though the X5 and M3 have drop in filters done - I wasn't disappointed, the intake noise is a bit more pronounced and the butt dyno says its worth the small outlay.
I got in touch with @Clint@MMS AUTO and we had the car booked in earlier this year. I cannot rave enough about Clint's service and workmanship, I have happily referred friends and family to experience the same level of care and attention to detail. Some pics from my visit, honestly there was probably triple this and I've had to be choiceful:
More on this here --> https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threa...-bmc-upgrade-bonnet-strut-replacement.102506/
Post the service, I decided to put some miles on and the E46 was used for a few weeks as the daily. I managed to cover almost 1k in that time, which is something for me.. Also managed my Mileage Milestone:
I started at a new company last year and the E46 moved from a 5km commute to 50km and I wasn't the happiest given the dramatic increase in risk factor with the new found commute. Still, I had to get to work while a new daily was found and I alternated use between this and the M3, it helped only going into the office only 2 days a week. Three generations of 3 in the basement:
The two dailies:
After doing the route for a few weeks and dealing with drivers that have no business being behind the wheel, I decided in earnest to find a new daily. Not exactly what I was looking for, but it was an offer I couldn't refuse so I ended up with a new manual daily driver in February of this year. The transition of daily duties from one 3 to another:
With a new daily being found, the E46 went back to garage queen status and has been barely used over the past few months. Took a few pics of the car in the occurrences where it saw daylight, for proof of life:
The car was due for a service as it only did <2k since the last service, but it has been 18 months. I needed to do an oil change and at the same time, retire my very tired bonnet struts after 22 years of service. I also decided to give a BMC drop in a try as I was curious, seeing as though the X5 and M3 have drop in filters done - I wasn't disappointed, the intake noise is a bit more pronounced and the butt dyno says its worth the small outlay.
I got in touch with @Clint@MMS AUTO and we had the car booked in earlier this year. I cannot rave enough about Clint's service and workmanship, I have happily referred friends and family to experience the same level of care and attention to detail. Some pics from my visit, honestly there was probably triple this and I've had to be choiceful:
More on this here --> https://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/threa...-bmc-upgrade-bonnet-strut-replacement.102506/
Post the service, I decided to put some miles on and the E46 was used for a few weeks as the daily. I managed to cover almost 1k in that time, which is something for me.. Also managed my Mileage Milestone:
I came across the E-Unit on social media and one thing that struck me was the sheer number of older gen cars and I had to join a run. Most of the runs I attend are with the M3 and I needed a reason to get the E46 out amongst its brethren and so a plan was made..
www.instagram.com
It was absolutely awesome to see so many E36's and E46's out and about, felt a massive sense of nostalgia from when I first joined the BMW club and attended my first meet. I am really glad I went, met some great gents @Migz_330i and a few other non-forumites, gave the car a PROPER hoon and also got some really nice pics taken at the event by a talented young photographer, Sedzani:
The E46 has since been washed and parked away, awaiting the next hooning occasion. Sadly the weather hasn't been great, so its been a while, longer than I would like.. Hopefully soon.
E-Unit (@e_unit_za) • Instagram photos and videos
407 Followers, 336 Following, 106 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from E-Unit (@e_unit_za)
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It was absolutely awesome to see so many E36's and E46's out and about, felt a massive sense of nostalgia from when I first joined the BMW club and attended my first meet. I am really glad I went, met some great gents @Migz_330i and a few other non-forumites, gave the car a PROPER hoon and also got some really nice pics taken at the event by a talented young photographer, Sedzani:
The E46 has since been washed and parked away, awaiting the next hooning occasion. Sadly the weather hasn't been great, so its been a while, longer than I would like.. Hopefully soon.
CK4LIFE
Active member
I agree.. Probably the cleanest E46 on the road... If it ever gets on the road 😂
