Do it!! I love the blacked out look! I'm doing the same thing. Just be prepared cuz it costs a pretty penny. $1700 is a good start, but you'll need plenty more. I've been pinching pennies wherever I can by trading parts, selling old parts when I get new ones, bargaining with dealers/distributors, and doing stuff in house at my dad's restoration shop rather than paying for mechanics to do it. I've saved several thousand dollars, but it still puts a serious strain on your wallet.
Here's a somewhat recent photo. Doesn't show everything, but gives you an idea. I have several other mods in progress, so it will look pretty different when I'm done. Below is a list of what I've done and how much it cost (to the best of my memory
) in the order in which I installed 'em.
- M-Tech Body Kit - $1250 from BMW IN PROGRESS (Later swapped front bumper for M3 rep, all painted for free in house, will be installed next week)
- Black Line Taillights (lower half tinted) - $225 lights + $25 vinyl tint (applied two layers of tint from RVinyl on lower half myself. Later sold OEM lights for $100)
- Sidemarker Bulb Replacement and Tint - $10 (cost was for LED bulbs. Used left over tint from taillights to tint the housings)
- 19" Breyton Race GT (8.5" front, 9.5" rear) w/Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires - $2670 (inclusive of TPS, shipping, taxes and fees)
- Hardwired V1 Radar Detector - $2.50 (already had V1. Cost was for adapter to tap proper fuse)
- KW V3 Suspension - $2100 installed (by far my best mod... soooo pleased with it! Bargained with Mach 3 in SF to include installation to bring down total cost)
- Window Tint (18%) - $245 installed
- Black Window Trim - Free (Swapped my chrome trim for a friend's black trim off his 325i)
- Matte Black Kidneys - $10 (Sanded, painted and cleared the chrome sections myself)
- Rho-Plate - $60+ taxes and fees (kept getting tix for no front plate, but didn't wanna drill holes)
- Dinan Stage 1 Tuning - $1700 (expensive, but doesn't void warranty because Dinan backs up manufacturers warranty. Would have done Stage 2, by my build date didn't include the required oil cooler)
- MyCarr Angel Eyes/Blackout Roundel Set/Headlight and Fog bulbs - $242 all fees included (Bought from EAS. The roundels are a must. The MyCarr angel eyes suck.. they are CCFL, not LED, and one set has already melted itself on me. Now on my second set and waiting for them to burn themselves out again so I can switch to LEDs)
- LED Turn Signals and Corner Delete - $45 ($35 for LED bulbs and resistors and from JLevi, ~$10 for wire, tools, and supplies to complete corner delete mod. Installed myself in house)
- Vitex Amber-Gone Covers - $38 all fees included (Bought from **********s. Installed myself. A temporary fix til I open the headlights and black out the housing)
- Rear LED Turn Signals and Reverse Lights - $55 (Picked up to save on shipping. Two sets of LED bulbs and resistors from JLevi. Installed myself in house)
- Debadged - Free (Easiest mod ever and cleans up the look of the rear)
- DiMisa 4" Exhaust Tips - $14o shipped (Will install next week. A temp fix until I gut my exhaust and go full custom)
- RD Audio Sub upgrade w/Custom Stealth Enclosure - ~$1500 IN PROGRESS ($650 for the RD Audio 1750.1 amp and Sonance 12" v3 D4 sub. Custom built enclosure, labor, and cables will run about another $800-$900. Modded the molded plastic under the trunk hatch to accommodate the amp, capacitor, and wiring myself in house)
Grand Total: ~$10,315
Holy shat... I felt better about it when I didn't know how much I spent.
Kinda scary, but I certainly don't regret it
