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-   -   My 2001 BMW 328i (E46) build thread | EDIT: New video & upgrades on page 15 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/189534-my-2001-bmw-328i-e46-build-thread-edit-new-video-upgrades-page-15-a-12.html)

What a car!! Love he attention you are paying to all it's components. clap:

Have you planned for a lighting upgrade as well?

Thanks !

Not sure yet, may be will give it a thought after monsoons. But definitely keeping(retaining) the halo rings yellow to maintain the classic look :thumbs up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89qEy01uChU&t=2s

The video starts off focussing on the ALL BLACK themed Interior;



Then some visuals right from the paint booth;



Interiors;

- The dashboard with rest of all the interior plastics have been painted BLACK, the original grey was looking old & tired, and the all black treatment has turned out exactly as i had visualised.

- To compliment this we had to stick with all black treatment to the seats & for which we had a combination of PU Leather & alcantara style micro suede fabric. This micro suede fabric is the same which is also used on the head liner hence it gives the cars interiors a great theme.

- The interior plastic trims which were originally wood finish, but now all wrapped in brushed titanium metallic to add that sporty touch to it.

Paint Process;

- The paint selection was a sort of tedious process, if you would know the cars i own then you would be aware too that they are all white in colour. So definitely i had the urge to paint this in white too, but finally i did overcome that and selected SILVER GREY METALLIC (OE BMW Paint Code : A08) which is an OE BMW E46 shade.

- Once the car was stripped off and dent free, 2 coats of primer were applied before bringing it down to the paint booth.

- So the entire process was of totally 8 coats, which were namely;

* 2 coats of Primer
* 3 coats of Paint
* 3 coats of Clear Coat/Lacquer

^ The video focuses & covers the above processes of the build. And the video finally ends with a quick BEFORE & AFTER comparison, Enjoy ! :thumbs up

Awesome, interior looks sharp, now.

Slightly OT, what brand loafers you wearing, buddy?

Thanks Nandu, the interior definitely needed a lift & i am glad my vision of having a all black interior materialised well :thumbs up

Have already PM'd you :thumbs up

We've come a long way;

That is one sweet looking Beemer you transformed. Wish to see the beauty some day :)

Been following you on Youtube also. Every time a new video comes in, I make sure I see all the videos from the beginning to keep the continuity. stupid:
Just amazing Karan! Would love to see the car in person someday

Thanks for the love & support on YouTube as well as TEAM-BHP for Project E46 :thumbs up

Sure :thumbs up

Update;

So a few weeks back the only unchanged part of the car (rear Link Rod) gave way.

Only Rear left Link Rod was broken;



A closer look;



Ordered new ones for both the sides;



Got it fixed by an independent mechanic;



Replaced;



Right side replaced too;



Job Well Done :thumbs up

Hi Karan - would have preferred to PM you this - but team BHP is not showing me the option for this.

Wanted to ask what kind of duty do you end up paying on the parts from FCPEuro/ pelican parts etc. I am generally hand carrying parts for my E34 but some larger parts are proving to be trouble. Wanted to know what kind of hit to be mentally prepared for. Thanks!

Hi Dhruv, the duty is about 41% & the break up is as follows;

Custom Duty - 10%
Edu Cess - 2%
HEdu - 1%
GST - 28%

The Duty is charged upon the final landed cost i.e. Value of the Parts + Freight Cost.

All the best :thumbs up

Just another day in Mumbai Traffic;

Is your check airbag light on? Those BBS wheels are looking lovely. I am sure you are careful enough not to scrape them on curbs. How is the ride quality though? Being a project car I am not expecting it to be an S-Class.

Great thread and fantastic build! Well done! I love that you decided to keep a classic colour even after a repaint, and didn't go overboard in an attempt to make it an attention grabber. I'm jealous, enjoy your ride!