2011 BMW M3 Competition Package - Project M3 Makeover Part 1

Last month we revealed our incredible good fortune to be loaned a 2011 BMW M3 Competition Package, and announced we'd begin modifying it as soon as humanly possible.

By wonderful coincidence, BMW Performance also released a number of new parts for the car, so we quickly grabbed a few choice items since the fit and finish is obviously OE quality.

Additionally, we obtained some parts from BMW tuning specialist Turner Motorsport (TMS) to give us an even wider array of options.

You can see the parts and read the installation instructions here, and there's also a basic installation video online at eurotuner.com and http://www.youtube.com/eurotuner

Most of the parts fitted here are straightforward and require no special tools. They should apply to E90, E92 and E93 M3 models, as well as regular 3-Series. However, we also discovered there were some surprising differences between the models...

Always take care when fitting new parts. Protect your paint, ensure bolts are torqued to the correct spec. If you're unsure about any step, consult an expert or have it fitted by a specialist or your BMW dealer.

All BMW Performance (BMWP) parts are available from your local dealer.

1 Use a suitable tool to insert into the stock trim piece and pry it away from the dash. It's secured by metal prongs and comes away easily

1 Use a suitable tool to insert into the stock trim piece and pry it away from the dash.

Carbon dash trim
Because our car was ordered with the Competition Package (see et 9/10), we skimped on other areas to reduce the overall cost. Therefore, it has the basic cloth seats and black plastic interior trim.

Fortunately, BMW Performance has interior parts for the car. If you drive the E92 Coupe they have a great deal more, but for our four-door E90 there's a two-piece dashboard trim kit and door panels in carbon fiber. Unfortunately, we were supplied an E92 kit by mistake so we'll only be fitting the dash trim at present, since it's the same on both models.

2 The vents are attached to the trim piece but you need to unplug the hazard and ignition buttons to free it

2 The vents are attached to the trim piece but you need to unplug the hazard and ignition

As always, the component quality is exceptional and fitting is the same as OE parts, so we enlisted the help of Derek Vieira who installed the parts on our previous BMW 135i project (et 3/10). He works at a local BMW dealership, working on the cars daily so has an intimate knowledge of them.

The dash trim takes a few minutes to install but take care not to break the vent clips when transferring them to the BMWP carbon parts.