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      12-27-2017, 08:29 AM   #1
monochrom3
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monochrom3's 2018 M2 Journal

Update 2/18/2018: More wrap pics posted (see thread) and remaining exterior pieces


Update 2/17/2018: Wrap done, spoiler, side markers, grilles


Update 2/15/18: Wrap progress! See latest post!


Update 2/4/18: Lots of small mods added, but car goes for full wrap today So, check back in about a week to see the color change! Getting naked for the wrap!




Update 1/25/18: Yay, picking up in a few hours!










Update 1/24/18: Car has arrived at the dealership here in Austin! Likely pick up tomorrow night

Update 1/9/18: Car should be delivered the week of the January 21st

My M2 is nearing delivery. As of today 12/27, it just left the port and is on the way to the US. This car will be my fun/weekend car that can hold my small family of 3. I do plan to mod it to be OEM+ for the most part.

My short BMW history includes:

2004 M3, manual, Titanium Silver. Modded extensively, including ESS supercharger, full ground control suspension, Stoptech ST60/ST40 brakes, gears, OE CSL stuff and more. LOVED this car in every way, but since i was just learning to drive on the track, I got tired of beating up on it, and decided to get a cheaper, slower track car (see next, e36 M3), and I had a MKV GTI as a daily.


1996 M3, manual, TechnoViolet. Full track car. This car was cursed. 4 motors eaten, all for various reasons, some dumb and some un-explainable. Decided to part it out to the very last bolt.


1999 M3, manual, Cosmos Black, S54 swapped, caged, etc. Current track car. Love, love, love this car. Does everything I want for a track car. No, it's not the fastest thing at HPDEs, but keeps up with nearly anything in the turns. I have no plans to "upgrade"




To round out the current fleet, here's the truck that pulls the trailer. Trailer is a 28' Intech Icon.

2016 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD, Summit White



How I came to choose an M2... I have had a dedicated track car for about 6 years, and neither has been a street-legal vehicle. When I went the dedicated track car route, I decided to get a fun weekend car. At the time it was just my wife and me, so I went with a 997.2 GT3.



Absolutely loved this car, and did a few track days with it, but I was always very tentative with it due to the car's value. However, shortly after getting the GT3, we were blessed with our son.

Soon, I wasn't driving the GT3 much since we would take the family vehicle everywhere (2009 Yukon XL). So I sold the car to a friend who had been wanting the car from day one. I was fortunate in that i bought the car at the "bottom" of the market, and was able to sell for a nice profit after 3.5 years and 13k miles

The M2 had recently been announced, so i put my name in at the local (Austin) dealer, but was WAY down on the list, so I considered getting a Carrera S or Turbo, but as luck would have it, another friend backed out of his GT4 delivery, and the dealer offered it to me at MSRP, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I figured I had another year before my son would appreciate the fun weekend cars, and the GT4 would hold value fairly well.



Interestingly after a year of owning the GT4, the BMW dealer contacted me to say that my allocation had come up, but I let him know i had the GT4 and was quite happy with it. This was early 2017.

So, by September of this year, my son had been begging to ride in "Daddy's race car", so it was time to sell the GT4 and get something else. The GT4 sold in an instant (didn't lose a dime on it), and was looking at Carrera GTS', but the M2 kept coming up in the back of my mind as a lower cost option for likely just as much fun on the street.

So, I called the dealer, and they said that as luck would have it, their last allocation had just been vacated, and I could have it. So, in October, i put in my deposit and order.

Here's my spec:
  • 2018 Alpine White (my screen name says it all)
  • Manual transmission (more engaging for me)
  • Executive package (because)
  • Apple Car Play (love it in my truck)
  • No sunroof (I never use it)

And now the modification plans... i'll take this car to the track, but won't be a dual-purpose car. So, gotta get the kiddo squared away.

Kiddo stuff
  • Britax Pioneer Toddler Seat
  • Brica Seat Guardian
  • Back of seat kick guards

Then the fun stuff! Here is what is currently planned (as of 12/29), and most of this is in my garage and attic, just awaiting the car:

Interior
  • Storage net in passenger footwell: nice to have, especially for phones, wallets, and passenger walkie talkie during planned Hill Country drives
  • BMW all-weather floormats: I have to have these in all my cars
  • Ashtray insert / Sunglasses holder: make better use of the ashtray space
  • M Performance steering wheel trim
  • M5 Illuminated shift knob: Just like Chris Harris said, it's dumb that this car didn't come with the illuminated knob
  • Red start button: because F1
  • M Performance pedal set: gets rid of the plain rubber look

Exterior
  • CF Mirror caps: tie in other planned carbon fiber
  • M Performance black side markers: chrome elimination
  • M Performance diffuser: looks way better than stock
  • M Performance rear spoiler: looks way better than stock
  • IND gloss black grille surrounds: chrome elimination
  • Black M2 emblem: chrome elimination
  • IND Reflector delete package: because reflectors suck
  • 10mm spacers (x2): Porsche gets offsets right. I don't know why BMW can't
  • BMW slimline license plate frame: love the slim frames. provides a nice finished look

Drivetrain
  • UUC SSK: I've had good success with these in the e46 and e36
  • Ultimate Clutch Pedal: Have read good things, and am coming from what I believe is the best clutch+shifter combo in the business... GT4

Electronics
  • Hardwire radar: a must have in all my cars
  • ASD bypass: no fake sounds please

Engine/Exhaust
  • AFE Pro Dry: i always have reusable filters
  • M Performance CF exhaust tips: tie in the rest of the CF i'm adding
  • M Performance Exhaust: love the sound
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2018 BMW M2, Orange wrapped!, Journal
1999 BMW M3, Cosmos Black, S54 swapped

Last edited by monochrom3; 02-18-2018 at 06:45 PM..
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      12-28-2017, 09:52 AM   #2
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Congrats...It’s amazing how kids change our lives, I pretty much have the same specs on the M2 less the apple car play... less amazing is that a lot of us cross shopped a GT4 vs M2. I didn’t go for the GT4 for 2 reasons...1) my kid goes everywhere with us, 2). $70k extra for the GT4 to be a gym car....
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      12-29-2017, 05:16 AM   #3
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Shaweeeet
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      12-29-2017, 06:35 PM   #4
monochrom3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bt12 View Post
Congrats...It’s amazing how kids change our lives, I pretty much have the same specs on the M2 less the apple car play... less amazing is that a lot of us cross shopped a GT4 vs M2. I didn’t go for the GT4 for 2 reasons...1) my kid goes everywhere with us, 2). $70k extra for the GT4 to be a gym car....
100% with you on this! I love taking my son out, and he enjoys car rides. The Carrera GTS was so tempting, but for less than 1/2 the cost, I bet the M2 is just as much fun of a street car.
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      12-29-2017, 06:47 PM   #5
monochrom3
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And now the modification plans... i'll take this car to the track, but won't be a dual-purpose car. So, gotta get the kiddo squared away.

Kiddo stuff
  • Britax Pioneer Toddler Seat
  • Brica Seat Guardian
  • Back of seat kick guards

Then the fun stuff! Here is what is currently planned (as of 12/29), and most of this is in my garage and attic, just awaiting the car:

Interior
  • Storage net in passenger footwell: nice to have, especially for phones, wallets, and passenger walkie talkie during planned Hill Country drives
  • BMW all-weather floormats: I have to have these in all my cars
  • Ashtray insert / Sunglasses holder: make better use of the ashtray space
  • M Performance steering wheel trim
  • M5 Illuminated shift knob: Just like Chris Harris said, it's dumb that this car didn't come with the illuminated knob
  • Red start button: because F1
  • M Performance pedal set: gets rid of the plain rubber look

Exterior
  • CF Mirror caps: tie in other planned carbon fiber
  • M Performance black side markers: chrome elimination
  • M Performance diffuser: looks way better than stock
  • M Performance rear spoiler: looks way better than stock
  • IND gloss black grille surrounds: chrome elimination
  • Black M2 emblem: chrome elimination
  • IND Reflector delete package: because reflectors suck
  • 10mm spacers (x2): Porsche gets offsets right. I don't know why BMW can't
  • BMW slimline license plate frame: love the slim frames. provides a nice finished look

Drivetrain
  • UUC SSK: I've had good success with these in the e46 and e36
  • Ultimate Clutch Pedal: Have read good things, and am coming from what I believe is the best clutch+shifter combo in the business... GT4

Electronics
  • Hardwire radar: a must have in all my cars
  • ASD bypass: no fake sounds please

Engine/Exhaust
  • AFE Pro Dry: i always have reusable filters
  • M Performance CF exhaust tips: tie in the rest of the CF i'm adding
  • M Performance Exhaust: love the sound
__________________
2018 BMW M2, Orange wrapped!, Journal
1999 BMW M3, Cosmos Black, S54 swapped

Last edited by monochrom3; 01-01-2018 at 07:24 AM..
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      01-01-2018, 10:10 AM   #6
monochrom3
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Stuff just waiting for the car to arrive:









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2018 BMW M2, Orange wrapped!, Journal
1999 BMW M3, Cosmos Black, S54 swapped

Last edited by monochrom3; 01-07-2018 at 08:59 AM..
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      01-01-2018, 10:30 AM   #7
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And just one update for today... my friend is the owner/operator of Wrap Dynamics here in Austin. We worked out the details for my wrap this weekend

Was just going to go with Xpel PPF as I do with my cars, but decided to have some fun and do a complete color change.

I won't disclose the details now, but will definitely post once it's done. Hopefully the timing of my delivery works out with my scheduled wrap
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      01-02-2018, 12:40 PM   #8
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Nice!
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      01-02-2018, 08:57 PM   #9
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Which radar are you going for? Are you mounting it up top beside the rear vision mirror? Have these saved you in the past? Most highway cops use LIDAR in my area which radar detectors are pretty much useless against.
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      01-02-2018, 09:49 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dcmac View Post
Which radar are you going for? Are you mounting it up top beside the rear vision mirror? Have these saved you in the past? Most highway cops use LIDAR in my area which radar detectors are pretty much useless against.
I've got an older Beltronics RX65 that has served me very well over the years. I rarely do more than 10 over the limit, so am not too concerned about having the latest tech when it comes to radar detectors

I mount all my detectors drivers side next to the rear view mirror and hardwire to the overhead panel
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      01-03-2018, 03:28 AM   #11
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I got rid of my V1, the LCI driver safety features wreaked havoc on it and it was constantly blowing up
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      01-03-2018, 07:12 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m2ruder View Post
I got rid of my V1, the LCI driver safety features wreaked havoc on it and it was constantly blowing up
Interesting and good to know. I'll see how mine does. It's interesting how more and more technology is interfering with radar detectors. All of the new car proximity cameras set mine off all the time
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      01-04-2018, 08:04 PM   #13
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More fun stuff arrived today!





Thanks to Brit at BMWPartsPros!
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      01-05-2018, 01:46 AM   #14
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Do you have a picture of the "M5 Illuminated shift knob"?
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      01-05-2018, 07:11 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baltic_M2 View Post
Do you have a picture of the "M5 Illuminated shift knob"?
Not much for me to show right now, but will post pics once it's installed.

Here's a link to site + pics:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...iABEgIAlPD_BwE
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      01-06-2018, 12:31 PM   #16
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Final order from Brit at BMWPartPros came today along with a little schwag

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      01-06-2018, 11:02 PM   #17
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Awesome! Another M2 in the ATX!
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      01-07-2018, 08:55 AM   #18
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Quote:
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Awesome! Another M2 in the ATX!
Nice, are you the LBB that Xpel did the stealth wrap?
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      01-07-2018, 09:10 AM   #19
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Quote:
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Nice, are you the LBB that Xpel did the stealth wrap?
No, that's confusion car, mine is the regular boring stock LBB color
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      01-07-2018, 09:48 AM   #20
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Gt3 pic looks like it was little elm in cedar park?
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      01-07-2018, 10:15 AM   #21
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Quote:
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Gt3 pic looks like it was little elm in cedar park?
GT3 is sitting in cold pit at COTA
If you meant the GT4, it's in my neighborhood in Leander, not too far from Little Elm though
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      01-09-2018, 12:18 AM   #22
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Very nice car collection, good job sir
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