Euro plates on imported E46

[jrgb 0]

Hi! My wife has just seen the light and come back to the BMW fold (she's had a 318is and AC Schnitzer coupe in the past) after a few years driving a non-bimmer. Yesterday she purchased a sweet Japanese import 1999 Silver 328ci (50,000km; 18" alloys; rear spoiler; clear indicator lenses; CD shuttle), but there is a problem. She likes the euro style plate fitted on my E38 740i, and now wants a euro plate on her new E46. Of course being an import the front number plate panel won't accept a euro plate - but I believe these plastic panels can be changed over. Anyone got any idea who sells these NZ/European style panels? Appreciate any feedback.

Question number two. Although her new 328ci has nice looking 18" wheels, she wants to put 19" on it (she likes her cars to 'look' good!). She's picked out the Protech, Albert, Model # P494 from the Mag & Tyre website (19x8.5 with 38mm offset). Anyone got any experience with these wheels? The only aftermarket alloys I ever buy are 3-piece Arrow wheels, so I have no experience with off-the-shelf stuff. Again feedback appreciated.

Only just joined your forum tonight, so looking forward to sharing ideas on these magic cars!

Edited July 29, 2006 by John B

[Bullitt 0]

Not sure on either question really. Have you checked BMW? Id imagine theyd sell those panels, though it may not be the cheapest way?

Had never heard of those wheels so I found a picture

Sorry I couldnt be more helpful

[martyyn 2]

Im not sure on the e46 (is 99 e36 or e46 ?) but the e38's have three pieces of plastic across the front and the center one can indeed be replaced to take the different plates.

As you would expect thought the dealers want an arm and a leg for them so a wreckers may be your best bet.

[kiwi535 538]

As you would expect thought the dealers want an arm and a leg for them so a wreckers may be your best bet.

*cough*

[cainchapman 0]

www.germanplates.com

[jrgb 0]

Not sure on either question really. Have you checked BMW? Id imagine theyd sell those panels, though it may not be the cheapest way?

Had never heard of those wheels so I found a picture

Sorry I couldnt be more helpful

Thanks for reply Bullitt. No haven't checked with BMW yet. Will phone them Monday re: panel for euro plate on e46.

Yip, that's the wheel. Looks good but don't want to pick some rare, one-off, odd-ball wheel that could be hard to replace in the future. Just found someone selling a set (new) on TradeMe for $1959. Again, I'll check out Monday.

[325GRANT 0]

theres a guy on trade me selling euro plates (with your number) for $100. i dont know if they are the "euro" style euro plate or the nz style euro plate.

whatever you do dont get them through Personalised Plates nz. the way they do it is to sell you your number plate as a personalised plate but put it on a euro style plate so it costs you $450

....oh and hoist up your sails .... couldnt help it

Edited July 30, 2006 by 325GRANT

[martyyn 2]

Sorry are we talking about europlates or the plastic moulded part of the bumper ?

[David 0]

I have one of the wider number plate panels that i got to fit a euro plate to my e46 330, but have now put the plate on

my e30 race car, so I can sell the panel. I bought the panel from BMW NZ, it is unpainted black plastic, and will fit the motorsport kit on my car so I dont know if it will fit a car with out a kit or not. I paid $100 for it.will sell for less. Let me know if you are interested.

It is part number 4 in the drawing.

Edited July 30, 2006 by David

[jrgb 0]

Sorry are we talking about europlates or the plastic moulded part of the bumper ?

Martyyn, good call. It's the separate moulded plastic number plate panel I'm after, not the europlate itself. See my reply to David.

[jrgb 0]

I have one of the wider number plate panels that i got to fit a euro plate to my e46 330, but have now put the plate on

my e30 race car, so I can sell the panel. I bought the panel from BMW NZ, it is unpainted black plastic, and will fit the motorsport kit on my car so I dont know if it will fit a car with out a kit or not. I paid $100 for it.will sell for less. Let me know if you are interested.

It is part number 4 in the drawing.

David, thanks for the offer, but the diagram doesn't look like an E46 model. My wife's E46 has a one-piece wrap-around bumper strip, not the 3 separate strips shown on the diagram. The moulded plastic number plate panel on the E46 is not part of the bumper strip, it is a separate 'add-on' piece that fits onto the front of the bumper.

[Jazzbass 1]

As for the wheels, I have now driven three E46 328Cis. Two of them had 19" wheels. Both had a very harsh ride. Looks is one thing, but back/neck problems due to a bumpy ride will detract from her enjoyment.

People here have told me that they don't have the harsh ride problems with their 19's and I have no problem believing them. All I can directly comment on are my own experiences. Based upon said experiences, I wouldn't touch a set of 19's. ymmv.

[Guest Andrew]

Welcome to the site -

As for the numberplate it looks just as good screwing it straight into the bumper (remove the jappa plate support)

[martyyn 2]

Welcome to the site -

As for the numberplate it looks just as good screwing it straight into the bumper (remove the jappa plate support)

I wouldnt screw it on. What I did was got some excellent double-sided foam tape and stuck it on. Looks much better without screws

[dave 2]

Heya John, welcome to the site.. I'm the one who works at Lowe..

I'm sure you'll find whatever you need on the site.. the guys here are pretty helpful.

Edited July 30, 2006 by dave

[hybrid 1039]

Hey John welcome to the site

About a year or so go I went through the same pain your wife is going through with getting the correct wheel and tire fitment on an e46.

Have a look at my signature and also this link for photos of my 19x9.5 / 30's on a 42mm offset (offest to big had to flair) and 19x8.5 / 35 (offset isn't and issue on the front)

Please take what I say into careful consideration .. as a lot of people make this mistake when buying wheels for their cars. It is really important you get the correct offset ... and a few hundred dollars you save in getting cheaper wheels than getting the correct wheels ... youll be kicking yourself later. The worst thing i see day to day when people shell big $$$ into the larger wheels is the 'umbrella' effect ... where the wheels stick in about 1 - 2 inches from the gaurds .. thus the gaurd creating an umbrella lip over the wheel.

Regaurding the 'look' of your wheels she needs to make a descision if she wants the 'flat face' or 'deep dish' look ... I when for the deep dish look with polished lip and TI silver inserts matched to my paint.

She may want something like the BBS CH's wheels (flat face) shown here these are in gun metal and may not look to your wifes taste but they look stunning in silver

Notice NO umbrella effect

Ok on the ride confort thing ...

To make 19's fully 'sit' right with the car I recommend at least putting a set of lowering springs in ...

I have had mine lowered .. and am running on the lowest profile tires that I can fit.

the ride is excellent ... its not the same as stock by any means but it is fine .. infact I would go as far as saying its the same as any stiffness spec m factory ride from BMW. You do however have be weary of pot holes / curbes ..

If you get a polished lip that protrudes past the tires like mine does .. you dont get any second chances when it comes to parking / curbing the wheels (no tire / rim protector) I just program position 3 on my mirrors for 'parking mode' and set them down so I can see my wheels for reversing duties ... havent had a problem yet

[Gus 5]

BBS CH's make my pee pee go boing boing boing

Edited July 30, 2006 by Gus

[StylesM5 0]

BBS CH's make my pee pee go boing boing boing

Agreed, they're horny as.

[Nimma 1]

I gave this crowd a call and they said the part was only $40:

http://www.apinz.com/display_parts_detail....%20SERIES%20E46

I have the same problem, but ended up modifying the Jap holder in the short term. All sedans have black plastic trim on the bumpers, coupes are colour coded. You'll probably find that there are three separate pieces. If in doubt, post a picture.

I agree strongly with Hybrid on the wheels - I think offset is acutally more important than diameter. 8.5 wide with a +35 offset is a good start for front and rear.

[David 0]

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QUOTE(John B @ Jul 31 2006, 01:34 AM) 88646[/snapback]

David, thanks for the offer, but the diagram doesn't look like an E46 model. My wife's E46 has a one-piece wrap-around bumper strip, not the 3 separate strips shown on the diagram. The moulded plastic number plate panel on the E46 is not part of the bumper strip, it is a separate 'add-on' piece that fits onto the front of the bumper.

The drawing is for a e46 but it is for the kit on my car.(see pic)

I to have BBS CH weels but are 18's and the car is lowered. I would not want the ride any harder, it is on the limit of

being a bit a bit boy racer bouncy on the motorway, but is fantastic on the open road

[jrgb 0]

A big thanks to everyone who has replied to my original post regarding my wife's E46 328ci. All your suggestions regarding wheels and euro plate has been extremely useful. She picks the car up tomorrow, so it should be riding on new wheels and tyres, with its new numberplate panel by the end of the week.

The plastic moulding for the euro plate was a much easier exercise than I thought. The part was available across the counter from Team McMillan for $85.33 + GST (part number B51118244354; description 'Licence Plate Base'). Shame I didn't see the posting from Nimma before going to Team McMillan ... the price from API was even cheaper! However, the Team McMillan part comes pre-primed ready to paint, and a local panel beater will spray it for $50, so the whole exercise is not particularly expensive - and will make the car look less like a Japanese import.

[jrgb 0]

I agree strongly with Hybrid on the wheels - I think offset is acutally more important than diameter. 8.5 wide with a +35 offset is a good start for front and rear.

Both yourself and hybrid were absolutely right - the offset is critical. I guess that's why I have always fitted custom-made 3-piece Arrow wheels to my cars in the past. A 3-piece wheel allows you to have any offset (positive or negative) that you require.

The wheel my wife is going for is a 19 x 8.5 inch with a 38mm offset. This wheel has been fitted on other E46s, and from the images I have seen, they fit ready well. Maybe we will have to lower the car, but we'lll make that decision once the wheels are fitted.

I know a number of you have recommended not to go with a 19 inch wheel (because of the harsh ride), but my wife doesn't seem too concerned - she's been driving a Porsche for the last five years, so I guess she's used to hard riding cars. Plus she only drives about 5000km each year, so hopefully won't get tired of the ride. She's going with a 35mm profile so it should be okay ... touch wood! Maybe we shouldn't sell the 18" wheels currently on the car to quickly, just in case she changes her mind!

[hybrid 1039]

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Maybe we will have to lower the car, but we'lll make that decision once the wheels are fitted.

trust me ... you will want to get it lowered ... looks a little silly othewise ...

On the harsh ride tip ... It may be true with other vehicles with 19inch rims ... but your quite lucky in the fact that BMW have such good suspension and are heavy'ish vehicles so it wont be as harsh as you think.

on the technical front the tire measurements go in percentage not mm this is why a say you see 19 x 265 / 30 and 19 x 235 / 35 the 35 is 35% of the tread of the tire.

Good luck man and enjoy ... be sure to maybe head to one of the bimmersport meetings / drives

[martyyn 2]

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QUOTE(John B @ Aug 1 2006, 09:57 AM) 88796[/snapback]

The plastic moulding for the euro plate was a much easier exercise than I thought. The part was available across the counter from Team McMillan for $85.33 + GST (part number B51118244354; description 'Licence Plate Base').

Damn little 3 series, the reason I said it would be expensive was because I was quited over 600 when I thought about replacing my UK ones with NZ ones !

[jrgb 0]

... the 35 is 35% of the tread of the tire.

Well spotted...the 35mm was just a typo...I do understand about profiles / percentages. About 12 years ago I was running 205/35 - 17 on the front an Alpine (check out the red Alpine at SPR Race Team). The sidewalls were so narrow that both front rims were badly dented when driving over the railway cross on SH1 at Mangaweka. Both tyres went flat and I was marooned in the middle of the North Island at midnight on the way to the Wellington Street Race. Moral of the story, if you're running ultra-low profiles, make sure they are ALWAYS well inflated!

Edited August 1, 2006 by John B