"In this entry, the V2 widened carbon fenders are prep'ed, primed and painted. I discuss the expectations to get them to OE paint standards."
- Matt 

Raw carbon needs work. 

To begin with, a reminder is needed. The V2 widened fenders are delivered in raw carbon; they are not ready for paint just yet.

This specific manufacturer has a preference to avoid paint shops altogether. As such the burden will fall on your paint and body contractor to adequately prepare and paint the fenders.

Luckily, the pre-preg carbon and autoclave curing processes creates a carbon part with little to no imperfections to begin with. Additionally, the manufacturer in question has strict QA processes and will discard any fenders that has imperfections such as air bubbles that may form during the curing process. 

Sanding raw carbon. 

The first step in the preparation process will be to perfectly level out the fenders by gently sanding out any finish imperfections. As a heads up, sanding anything made of carbon requires the proper personal protective equipment

Notes on fully exposed carbon finish. 

Can the fenders be clear coated immediately for a complete exposed carbon finish?

Yes. 

However, take notice of the carbon sections of the arches on pictures below. The fenders are not made with a continuous sheet of carbon. To better visualize the potential end result, we sprayed a surface preparation chemical to mimic the effet of clear coat. 

Primer application. 

The next step is what actually makes the fenders "ready-to-spray". After sanding of the carbon is completed, we masked off the inner sections along with the sections by the hood, and the door. 

Our end goal is to have partially exposed carbon, only visible when opening the doors, or the hood. Once primer is sprayed and has fully dried, sanding is again required to prepare for color coats. 

Notes on partially exposed carbon. 

We opted to apply primer on the upright sections under the hood. Our rationale was centered around hood panel gaps; as with the OEM fenders, we expected to be able to see ever so slightly the lack of paint on this section.

This was something I wanted to avoid - this car's quasi complete carbon body is on a need-to-know basis across all panels except the roof. 

Spraying color & clear coats. 

We then repeated the previous masking process in preparation for spraying the base coats. Those are the "color" coats of San Marino Blue Metallic. This step is critical to achieve perfect paint lines across the partially exposed carbon sections. 

I unfortunately was not present during the spray sessions of the color and clear coats. They were painted as part of the complete redo of the San Marino Blue Metallic, along side the front end panel to ensure matching shades across the car. 

Final installation. 

The final installation on the Phoenix had additional challenges that you will more than likely not encounter.

Most evidently; the entire car and its body panels were disassembled - the required assembly adds hours of panel gap adjustment between the fender and the panels in proximity: the carbon doors, original hood and CSL front bumper all needed to be aligned perfectly.

Preliminarily, we fitted the hood, its hinges and the front carrier assembly to achieve OEM clearances. Afterwards, edges of interjoining panels were protected and marked to install the fenders. They were loosely bolted for adjustments as we awaited new Genuine BMW fender bolts.  

The exposed carbon is a beautiful touch over the original V1 design. While subtle and hidden out of sight with the hood and doors closed, it is a visual reminder of their uniqueness for curious onlookers and acts as its confirmation for enthusiasts upon noticing the slightly wider front end. 

Overall, this was a smoother process than we had anticipated - a testament to the quality of the mold and carbon craftsmanship. Still, we weren't done, further adjustments would need to be performed with the headlights and front bumper fitted. 

Wet sand and polish.

Prior to final fitment, we took the opportunity of fully wet sanding and polishing the fenders with the front end disassembled. Less preparation and clean up is required in such state of disassembly. 

Of note, the pre-preg carbon resin selected for the manufacturing process of these fenders does not let carbon imprints show through the paint and clear coat even when heat is applied from the polishing process. 

This creates the potential for OEM level paint quality or better. We strived for better than original finish quality considering the aspirations of this complete restoration process.  

CSL bumper fitment. 

The final panel gap to validate and adjust was with the OE+ CSL front bumper made by Vorsteiner. This panel gap is peculiar as it is mostly dictated by the quality of fitment of the bumper - and not all CSL bumpers fit the same. 

It's fitment is ultimately dictated by the manufacturer's attention to detail, your own attention to follow the installation instructions and the condition of your brackets. Specifically on my E46 M3, the CSL bumper is further secured to the Performance Aluminum Undertray with 3x drilled holes into the lower section of the bumper. 

I will confidently state that its fitment is to OEM level and allowed perfect alignment & panel gap between the fender and bumper. We slightly adjusted the fender's position on the front carrier bracket to achieve the fitment you will see below. 

As a caveat, most E46 M3 owners will attest to the relative ease of achieving perfect static fitment of your bumper - and there's keeping it there for an extended period of time. I will further discuss the installation of Vorsteiner's CSL bumper in its specific series. 

P.S.; the Genuine BMW fender bolts arrived and replaced the temporary bolts, we kept them in original silver finish over painted them body color. Alternatively, you could paint them black to blend with the carbon. 

Lights and accessories fitment. 

As a final step, we fitted the headlights, corner lights, side grills, trims and their turn signals.

The E46 M3 is a notoriously difficult car in regards to front end panel gaps. It's classic design with 2 piece headlights, gaskets and lower trims adds complexity during its assembly.

We started with the headlights first, requiring multiple adjustments before achieving our target alignment for the corner lights. The corner lights can easily scratch the new of your fenders when you bolt them in if they are out of alignment. 

As you'll notice below, we were missing the gasket for the headlight trim. This did not affect fitment as it clips into the headlight assembly.

Out of caution, the CSL bumper was removed to perform this step. For most, you will likely already have headlights and the bumper fitted, making for an easier installation. 

The side trims, its lights and the side grills were easily installed. I do recommend that you pre-apply small stripes of paint protection film (PPF) to protect your fenders against the protruding edges of the side grills. While in there, we fitted new side grill ///M stickers. 

Pre-alignment checks. 

With the front end quasi-fully re-assembled, imprecise camber adjustments were made to ensure the Bespoke CSL style forged wheels in 19x10J and their 265/30/19 PS4S would not rub under compression. 

The car was rolled into the paint booth for a final validation of finish quality and overall fitment. 

Up next: fitment gets dial'ed on the alignment rack, and I discuss the recommended specifications.