Jeff_G 0 Report post Posted November 12, 2011 Hi, I'm in the market for another Motorsport E46 but want to know the best way to confirm Motorsport genuineness quickly. (I'm not really skilled to identify Motorsport suspension!) As the obvious signs (wheels, badges, interior trim) are fairly interchangeable are there more reliable things to looks for? - Were the 'sport' seats (either in leather or Alcantara) put in non Motorsport models? - Do rear clear indicator tail-lights with orange lamps confirm Motorsport? - Do any of the vehicle numbers prove authenticity? Any help is appreciated. Jeff Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaseNZ 53 Report post Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) Guess it all really depends on the options the person wanted in the car. There are many msport options that could have been put in or not. for example the following is a build list from my car that has many msport options but not all of them i would guess. Prod date 2001-01-18 Order options No Description 226 SPORTS SUSPENSION SETTINGS 255 SPORTS LEATHER STEERING WHEEL 337 M SPORTS PACKAGE 481 SPORT SEATS F DRIVER/FRONT PASSENGER 715 M AERODYNAMICS PACKAGE 788 M LT/ALY WHEELS Edited November 12, 2011 by M-Spec Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
curryinahurry 39 Report post Posted November 12, 2011 Hi Jeff, The most obvious difference between a M-spec and a non M-spec car would be the body kit. - The M-spec cars have sportier front and rear bumpers. If you're looking at a 4 door (sedan), then the M Spec models with have firmer suspension, but if you're looking at a 2-door, they're all the same for an E46. The interior (seats / door cards) are different, typically, M-spec models have half cloth / leather seats. But there are also sports leather / alcantara seats available. - You can identify these by the bigger side bolsters on the front seats. Also, if you open the door, there should be a large plastic strip with ///M written on it. A factory M-spec model should have all of the above. Cheers, Andrew Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaseNZ 53 Report post Posted November 12, 2011 Hi Jeff, The most obvious difference between a M-spec and a non M-spec car would be the body kit. - The M-spec cars have sportier front and rear bumpers. If you're looking at a 4 door (sedan), then the M Spec models with have firmer suspension, but if you're looking at a 2-door, they're all the same for an E46. The interior (seats / door cards) are different, typically, M-spec models have half cloth / leather seats. But there are also sports leather / alcantara seats available. - You can identify these by the bigger side bolsters on the front seats. Also, if you open the door, there should be a large plastic strip with ///M written on it. A factory M-spec model should have all of the above. Cheers, Andrew Ahhh , but mine does not have the ///m on the door strip neither does mine have 1/2 cloth or leather seats but are classed as sports seats. I don't really think there is a list of if it has all this then its a msport , I consider mine a msport. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
330iMSport 0 Report post Posted November 13, 2011 I went through the same process. Biggest tell tale I could find was the window trim. Genuine M-Sport ones all have (as far as I found) the shadow chrome, while the non-Msport ones have the normal chrome Just another one to put on the list! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
reelGOOD 2 Report post Posted November 13, 2011 A black headliner is a giveaway in the e39's, not sure about e46 though... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff_G 0 Report post Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks guys, a few more things to keep an eye out for! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites