Parts for sale

Currently in the process of swapping out rims, hood, and trunk.

Up for sale: Stock silver gray hood - minor paint chips due to dust
Stock silver gray trunk - no damage whatsoever, been clayed/waxed on a regular basis
Stock rims - only light scratches

Pictures and contact info will be posted shortly.

Interior & Exterior Care

Turtle car care gift pack and a little something for under the hood

Sam's Club is currently selling a nice care package for your car - it has a detailer, tire shine, car wash, vinyl protectant, rim cleaner, and synthetic wax. It's a good deal at less than $20. The synthetic wax I personally don't use since I'd rather use actual carnauba wax (Turtle brand also) but everything else in the package is useful.

Maintenance under the hood is a necessity to keep it running consistently but to be proud of your E46, keep it squeaky clean and shiny - inside AND out - with the Turtle package!

The rim cleaner got the brake dust off quickly and easily off the front wheels, the tire shine makes it looks wet even after it dries, and the vinyl protectant is key: I spray it over a small cloth and apply it to the rubber lining of the windshield, the lower vinyl base, and the same for the rear. Also used it on various covers under the hood.

Rain in SoCal doesn't do much, with the wax, it makes the water slide off fast and cleanly.

Best prices for products

A few votes have racked up and it's obvious that the best prices of products are in the lead.

A more detailed section for specific parts along with the exact price/website/location/etc. will be added in the future but for now, these have been reported by actual customers to be the best deals.

Legend Import: Personal favorite. $600 even for 6000K HID DEPO headlights with LED angel eyes for the '05 325Ci. What the $600 gets you: all items needed for installation PLUS professional installation. Will post pics of the job later-you can't even see any wires running around anywhere. Everything is clean and nothing is hanging out. The person who worked on mine used to build show cars and has much experience with wiring (used to install radio/sound systems).

Umnitza.
Khoalty.

If you are interested in a specific part(s), feel free to drop a note and we will be more than happy to list a few options for you.

Debadging and car clay

After a few years and much deliberation, the 325Ci has been debadged.
The intent was to give it a more clean, symmetrical appearance (same as a former debadged Infiniti G35-except for the logo in the center). However, it has been seen by many as a way to suggest that the owner wants to allude to a more powerful model (in this case, 325Ci to 330Ci).


The choice is up to you, however I thoroughly enjoy the new view from the end as it is now symmetrical (except for the exhaust of course).

Also, washing the passenger side of the trunk used to be a hassle. The sponge would always get caught by the 325Ci emblem and pieces would come off. Those days are over!

Debadged, clay, and waxed.

Griot's car clay-includes gloves, detailer (not pictured), and microfiber towels

Griot's car clay

Clayed the car in the process. Claying a car is similar to waxing but it is much more in-depth and precise. Car clay is used to remove the pollutants and other material that is still embedded in the car's paint. One way to prove this is to cover your hand with a plastic bag and running it over the surface of your hood (after washing and waxing). If you still feel bumps and dots, it's the pollutants and dust that you're feeling.

We recommend Griot's Paint Clay & Speed Shine Kit as it contains the whole shabang: 5 pairs of gloves, 3 microfiber towels, a bottle of detailer (used as the lubricant), and of course the clay itself.
The link to the item on their website: http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/paint+clay+speed+shine+kit.do

1) Thoroughly wash the car and make sure there are no debris on the paint.
2) Twist off about a fourth of the clay and form it so you can rub it yet grip it.
3) Starting with a small area, spray the detailer and gently glide the clay over the surface. DO NOT apply the clay to dry areas, you MUST use a lubricant before using the clay on the car's paint.
4) Knead the clay and expose a clean side if it becomes dirty/discolored from contaminants.
5) Wipe off the area with the cloth.

As for the debadging, we used Griot's Adhesive Remover. Really, all that was needed to be done was soak the backside of the "325 Ci" with the remover using cotton balls. Once that was done, floss was used to remove it by gliding it back and forth to saw away at the glue.
Once off, there is bound to be some residue left. Taped more cotton balls soaked with the adhesive remover for a while. Then gently used a Staedtler eraser to remove the minute pieces (hey, it came out fine!). Then clayed the area, then waxed.
Result: clean finish with a clean look and you won't be able to tell that there was ever anything glued on there.

Common E46 leaks: Vanos and Power Steering

Power steering leak

Vanos leak and buildup

The link in an earlier post will direct you to a thread to E46Fanatics.com. It is more in-depth and documents each leak that is common to the E46 and includes pictures along with the part names and part numbers needed to make the fix.

This E46 has residue buildup on the crimps of the Vanos line and is leaking. The check engine light has come on repeatedly and I've had to add, in total, a bottle and a half of Mobil oil to get the level to the correct range.
Also, the power steering is leaking. Suspect part is the O-ring.

Replacing the oil line and hoses. Will pick up the parts for the fix soon-for an '05 325Ci.

Part numbers:
11157532649
11611432559
11617504535
11617504536
11617501566
11361705532
32411128333

DEPO LED Angel Eyes

The LED angel eyes in the new DEPO headlights for my '05 E46 (non M3).

Common E46 Oil/Coolant/Fluid Leaks

The E46 has quite a few leaks that will happen to every E46 somewhere down the line.
This link to E46Fanatics.com is your one-stop guide to identifying them if you have any and also included are the part numbers needed for the fix.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=882732

Need to get a new VANOS line myself.

If you are not a member of E46Fanatics already, consider signing up. Credits for coming up with the thread go to 330ciandr6, an E46Fanatics member. He is still active and updates the thread so if you have any further questions, it's a good idea to sign up and ask him directly by posting on the thread.

So, after a little over a week the angel eyes are in! The specifics: DEPO 6000K HID headlights with LED angel eyes.

The professional installation was done by the same staff that sold the headlights.

Frontal view

Removing the stock headlights

Custom-wiring the DEPOs

The DEPOs

At first, the projectors did not work but it was fixed easily with......

So, after a little over a week the angel eyes are in! The specifics: DEPO 6000K HID headlights with LED angel eyes.

The professional installation was done by the same staff that sold the headlights.
If you are in/around the 626 area and are interested in BMW or Mercedes-Benz parts, stop by Legend Import at 618 West Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776.
They also do phone orders and will ship items to you, call (626) 291-2828 and ask for Alan. Tell him the guy with the E46 DEPO referred you over.

It took 3 days for them to get the items and 2 days to install them. I've seen the custom jobs online with wires running around everywhere or people baking their headlights just to save a few bills- it's not worth it in the long run. If the glue has even one little opening afterwards, it will fog up inside once you wash your car.

Legend Import also sells maintenance and replacement parts/fluids such as BMW coolant, ATF, rims, bumpers, hoods, etc. Just give them a call and they will get back to you with a when and how much.