It was a pleasure having the very rare Schnitzer ACS3 E46 M3 in our workshop for the first time.
The incredibly rare car has been in the hands of just one owner since she was one year old. Due to that the car has never fallen in to the wrong hands and has always been maintained regardless of cost and cherished. Despite the exceptionally low mileage for an E43 M3, the owner bought it to us to ensure that she is 100% up to date with all the age related maintenance. He is planning to keep the car for many more years.
He had been frightened by stories on the net about serious corrosion on E46 body shells and the dreaded cracks in the boot floor. The body shell was inspected first and found to be in exceptional condition with only the very, very early signs of surface corrosion to a few areas. Far better than most M3s we see. The boot floor was inspected with a camera video scope and also found to be perfect.
The underside of the car was then washed, the few small areas of surface corrosion taken back to bare metal, treated with a chemical rust neutraliser, etch primer, Gravitex Stonechip and then painted.
The final part of this underside detailing is the use of clear cavity wax as long term protection.
Mechanically the car was superb and only wanted for an Inspection I service and the DSC pressure switch replacing to rectify his faulty traction control.
The Schnitzer is now back with the owner and parked alongside his E30 M3 Evo 2. What a great pair.