2011.5 Monte Carlo Blue E92 M3 Detailed

Back in February, it was time to hand in my first E92 M3 (link) and pickup my second one. The cars are largely the same, excluding the change from 6MT to DCT and not wet sanding this car.

 

I told the dealer not to wash the car prior to delivery, and thankfully the paint turned out to be in near-perfect shape. The following process was used:

 

• Paint decontamination w/ P21S TAW
• Light polishing w/ Chemical Guys Paint Correction 1 and white pad
• Wax prep w/ Chemical Guys Vertua Bond 408 and black pad
• Chemical Guys 50/50 wax

 

If anyone has any questions, let me know.

 

After months of waiting, ready for delivery!

 

 

 

Painting the OEM European bumper:

 

 

Testing magnet mount for license plate:

 

 

Rear wheel removed for cleaning:

 

 

Wheel after waxing:

 

 

Side mirror housing before and after hand polishing:

 

 

Column cover before and after hand polishing:

 

 

Black Chrome aluminum pedals installed:

 

 

 

Finished; Chemical Guys 50/50 Wax applied:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love the plate and color.

 

Anal retentive and OCD are words that would describe your cleaning habits. I admire the passion for m3's though. Love bmws

Stunning, what a great car!

Love that blue, gorgeous.

 

BMW makes the best blues. Estoril, Laguna Seca.. but after these pics I think Monte Carlo is my new favorite.

gorgeous color. i thought it was available only on the M3 Edition cars.

Color is great. If you don't mind me asking how much did the color option cost? Or is this going to become a standard color?

Car looks fantastic. Love the color combo.

Normally not a fan of Bimmers but this one look really nice!

Who makes the carbon fiber pieces that you put on?

Thank you for the comments everyone.

 

Love the plate and color.

 

Anal retentive and OCD are words that would describe your cleaning habits. I admire the passion for m3's though. Love bmws

 

Thank you Mike. I am pretty OCD which isn't that great in some senses, but great in others. M3s have always been my favorite car model, probably always will be.

 

BMW makes the best blues. Estoril, Laguna Seca.. but after these pics I think Monte Carlo is my new favorite.

 

Monte Carlo is gorgeous in person. Did you ever see Velvet Blue? One of their crazier blues, it looks purple though in some lights.

 

gorgeous color. i thought it was available only on the M3 Edition cars.

 

This was the first time BMW made it available to US customers.

 

Color is great. If you don't mind me asking how much did the color option cost? Or is this going to become a standard color?

 

It cost $5,000.

 

Who makes the carbon fiber pieces that you put on?

 

BMW makes them, they're 'Competition' parts.

 

I need to get out and drive one. My 335i sedan suspension is SOOO stiff and unforgiving with the sport package. You feel every bump in the road through your body. It surprisingly doesn't handle that well though at maximum cornering speeds for as stiff as it is.

 

Maybe need to give the wife my 335i, and buy an m3. Probably wouldn't buy new though. Can pick them up second hand for $25k less with low miles.

I need to get out and drive one. My 335i sedan suspension is SOOO stiff and unforgiving with the sport package. You feel every bump in the road through your body. It surprisingly doesn't handle that well though at maximum cornering speeds for as stiff as it is.

 

Maybe need to give the wife my 335i, and buy an m3. Probably wouldn't buy new though. Can pick them up second hand for $25k less with low miles.

 

The E90s are holding their value pretty well actually. Hard to find them under $45k. And the suspension is stiffer than the 335!

 

But maybe you were referring to the E46 M3.

The E90s are holding their value pretty well actually. Hard to find them under $45k. And the suspension is stiffer than the 335!

 

But maybe you were referring to the E46 M3.

 

Nope referring to E90's. I think they are pretty close to depreciated in the short term for the 2008's. You could probably pick one up for $45k, drive it for a year, and not lose your shirt.

 

I need to go and drive one first though. My 335i with the sport suspension is tough on long drives. Normally when you are outside of the car and push down on the rear end of a car, you can get it to move a little because the springs and shocks have some forgiveness to them. Mine doesn't move AT ALL+the seat padding is hard, so you feel it everywhere. Tradeout would be ok if it handled great. I think the E46 3 series coupe was more forgiving, but handled better.

The sport is that stiff huh? IMO a lot of manufacturers over-use stiff spring rates to give an illusion of high-performance when there is very little correlation between spring rates and cornering ability (in street applications).

 

Did you see that Verde Ithaca E90 widebody?

Nope referring to E90's. I think they are pretty close to depreciated in the short term for the 2008's. You could probably pick one up for $45k, drive it for a year, and not lose your shirt.

 

I need to go and drive one first though. My 335i with the sport suspension is tough on long drives. Normally when you are outside of the car and push down on the rear end of a car, you can get it to move a little because the springs and shocks have some forgiveness to them. Mine doesn't move AT ALL+the seat padding is hard, so you feel it everywhere. Tradeout would be ok if it handled great. I think the E46 3 series coupe was more forgiving, but handled better.

 

If you can find a no stories 2008 e90 sedan for mid to high 40's with lower (20,000ish) miles think that would be a great buy. Coupes command a bit more. The next M3 is at the least 3 years away and there is not much hope it will have a n/a high revving V8. The M's are holding there value very well. Also while stiffer the M has much better seats. This side of a gt3, f-car or lambo there aren't many high revving engines like the M3's. Happy shopping.

Beautiful Car