About

I probably started out just like you. Before I even got my E46 M3 I spent countless hours a day scavenging the BMW, Craigslist, Autotrader, BMW forums trying to find that super clean E46 M3.

How I Found My E46 M3

For me personally I wanted an Alpine White, at least a 2003, 6 speed manual transmission, and it had to be somewhat close by so I can pick it up. After 11 months of intense searching, I found it. It was 300+ miles away in Chandler, AZ which was about a 6 hour drive or 1 hour flight from where I am Southern California. I did all my pre-inspection checks and everything came out fine. I decided it was time to buy. I committed to purchase with the seller and bought a one-way airfare to Arizona. The current owner, at the time, picked me up at the airport and we went straight to the bank. I signed papers and soon enough, I was calling my friends and telling them to meet me in about 5 hours. I got an E46 M3!

What I Learned

Ever since then, my life has been all about my car. I can’t keep my cars stock. I have some sort of addiction to modifying. So off I went searching parts and researching everything I can do for the E46 M3. But it wasn’t all about modifying. When you play, you gotta pay. I quickly learned about all the maintenance required to keep our cars in good shape. And I quickly learned how to do my oil change. Like most of you, we all did some homework before we got our E46 M3 so of course the dreadful subframe issue, rod bearing and VANOS issues are floating inside the back of our minds. I’m also thinking of Inspection I and II services, fluid changes, cooling system refresh, etc. Whether it’s maintenance related or modifying, I want to document and share my experience.

Why I Started Buildjournal

I started Buildjournal as a build journal, as they say on the forums. It was purely just a website to showcase some of my projects and photos. Five years later, that is still what it is today, but we’ve grown a bit. Along with our DIY guides, reviews, news, tech guides and videos, we also tune S54 engines and code F30 vehicles. Why only those 2? Well because, that’s what I personally drive. For whatever work I do on my cars, this is where it’ll be showcased.

My goal is to have Buildjournal to be the highest quality website catering to the E46 M3 crowd – for all types of content. I hope you enjoy all the articles I create and services we provide, but at the end of the day, I do this because I enjoy it.