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Ride of the Month - July 2008

Navin (Navin323i) 2000 BMW 323i Supercharged/5spd

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Owner: Navin
Age: 34
Vehicle: Twin Screw Supercharged, 5spd Manual 2000 BMW 323i
Location: DC Metro Area 

Engine | Suspension | Exterior | Interior | I.C.E. | Pictures | Interview

Engine/Performance:
ESS Twin Screw Supercharger – 7psi Boost (~300hp)
VDO Gauge Kit wiring and oil distribution block
Gruppe M Black Carbon Fiber Intake
Benfer Black Carbon Fiber Quatro Strut Brace
Black Carbon Fiber Oil Cap Cover
Black Carbon Fiber Cabin Air Filter Cover
Black Carbon Fiber Battery Terminal Cover
Optima Yellow Top Battery
NGK BKR6EQUP Platinum Spark Plugs
Hella Aftermarket car horns
OEM Upgraded Water Pump with Metal Impeller

Suspension & Wheels:
Brembo (Vorsteiner Edition) 6 Pot Front BBK w/Silver Calipers wrapped in 2x2 Twill Weave Black Carbon Fiber and Red Brembo Lettering
BBS RS-GT wheels in diamond black finish - 19x8.5 front, 19x9.5 rear, with red centercaps
Toyo Proxes T1-R tires 235/35/19 front, 255/30/19 rear
Brembo plain rear rotors with rotor hats painted black
Black Carbon Fiber Tuner01 Rear Caliper Covers with PBR Deluxe rear brake pads
Stainless Steel Brake Lines / Ate Super Blue Brake Fluid
KW V2 Coilovers / Rogue Engineering Rear Shock Mounts

Exterior:

Vorsteiner Black Carbon Fiber GTR Hood with custom paint scheme and M3 hood shocks
Black Carbon Fiber GTR Side Skirts with custom paint scheme
Eisenmann High Performance Quad Exhaust
AC Schnitzer rear bumper addon
AC Schnitzer sport mirrors
AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Mtech2 corner splitters
AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber 3 piece trunklid spoiler
BMW MTech2 front bumper with brake ducts and alternator duct
Black Carbon Fiber full replacement kidney grilles
Black Carbon Fiber headlight trim
Black Carbon Fiber hood/trunklid roundels
Black Carbon Fiber license plate frames
Black Carbon Fiber door pillars for both front and rear doors
Custom Black Carbon Fiber foglight rings
Custom Black Carbon Fiber racing tow hook
Sunguard Metalized Graphite Window Tint - 35% sides and rear
Custom painted all exterior body/bumper moldings silver
Custom silver-painted windshield washer grill plate on front hood
Custom Euro License Plate that says, “CRBN FIBER”
 

Interior:

Retrofitted OEM leather interior w/ heated/power sport seats and heated seat button console
VDO Boost, Oil Temp, and Oil Pressure Gauges mounted on black carbon fiber gauge panel
Rare AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber triangular airbag steering wheel
AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Interior Trim
AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Shift Knob
AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Instrument Cluster Trim
Black Carbon Fiber Trunk Toolbox
Black Carbon Fiber Door Sills
Black Carbon Fiber E-brake Handle
Black Carbon Fiber Foot Pedals (brake, accelerator and deadpedal)
Black Carbon Fiber Vinyl Shift Boot and E-brake Boot
Black Carbon Fiber Sport Seatbacks
Retrofitted OEM Compass Mirror
Custom Berber "323i" embroidered floormats
Halon Fire Extinguisher mounted in trunk
OEM First Aid Kit - German Version
Retrofitted OEM center front arm rest

I.C.E.:

JL Audio Stealthbox Subwoofers
JL Audio 250/1 Monoblock Sub Amp
OEM Alpine 6 CD Changer
Retrofitted OEM Onboard Computer (OBC)
Python alarm system with two-way confirming LED remote control
Umnitza Smoked LED Sedan Taillights (first one in the country to have it installed)
Depo Smoked front corner lenses and sidemarker lenses
Umnitza Predator Orion 6000K LED Angel Eyes
OEM Xenon Headlights
Philips SilverVision silver-painted amber turn-signal bulbs
Bimmian Platinumvision silver-painted amber sidemarker bulbs
Supreme Power Parts Yellow Ion 9006 Foglight bulbs

Interview:

MDSS: How did you hear about MDSS?
Navin323i: Chase (2000_328ci)

MDSS: When and why did you purchase the vehicle you have?
Navin323i: Purchased my vehicle brand new back in July 2000. Always wanted to own a BMW, which is why I bought one.

MDSS: What kind of condition was it in?
Navin323i: Brand new and completely stock with sport package, no sunroof, xenon headlights, clear corner lenses/taillights, and auto tranny as my only options.

MDSS: Daily, Weekend, show, or race car?
Navin323i: Originally a daily driver, but now a show car as well.

MDSS: What modification on your vehicle do you like the most?
Navin323i: From a performance standpoint, my favorite modification is definitely a tie between my new 5 speed manual transmission, ESS Twin Screw Supercharger, and Vorsteiner-edition Carbon Fiber Brembo BBK. From an aesthetic standpoint, my favorite modification is definitely my AC Schnitzer black carbon fiber steering wheel - found and bought the last brand new one in the entire world - got real lucky!

MDSS: What is the most expensive part on your car?
Navin323i: European Supercharger Systems (ESS) Twin Screw TS1 Supercharger

MDSS: What was the last modification you installed on your vehicle?
Navin323i: 7/29/08 - Pioneer Avic N4 Multimedia System with Bluetooth, iPod, Navigation

MDSS: What modification's have you done to your vehicle since your last ROTM Win?
Navin323i: TOO MANY, but here goes:

Engine/Performance:
- 5 Speed Manual Transmission Conversion (Tranny came with only 12k miles on it)
- ESS Twin Screw Supercharger – 7psi Boost (~300hp)
- Custom One Off Black Carbon Fiber OEM Intake Cover and Airbox
- ESS Black Carbon Fiber Engine Cover
- ESS Black Carbon Fiber Fuel Rail Cover
- Retrofitted OEM Clutch Kit, Clutch Master and Slave Cylinders
- Retrofitted OEM Flywheel
- VDO Gauge Kit wiring and oil distribution block
- Black Carbon Fiber Oil Cap Cover
- Black Carbon Fiber Cabin Air Filter Cover
- Black Carbon Fiber Battery Terminal Cover

Suspension/Rims:
- Brembo (Vorsteiner Edition) 6 Pot Front BBK w/Silver Calipers wrapped in 2x2 Twill Weave Black Carbon Fiber

and Red Brembo Lettering
- Red BBS center caps for BBS RS-GT wheels in diamond black finish - 19x8.5 front, 19x9.5 rear

Exterior:
- Vorsteiner Black Carbon Fiber GTR Hood with custom paint scheme and M3 hood shocks
- Black Carbon Fiber GTR Side Skirts with custom paint scheme
- Custom Euro License Plate that says, “CRBN FIBER”

Interior:
- Retrofitted OEM leather interior w/ heated/power sport seats and heated seat button console
- Custom Carbon Fiber Dash Gauge Panel w/ VDO Boost, Oil Temp, and Oil Pressure Gauges
- AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Auto Shift Knob Converted to Manual Shift Knob
- AC Schnitzer Black Carbon Fiber Instrument Cluster Trim
- Custom One Off Black Carbon Fiber Sedan Outer Sport Seat Trim
- Black Carbon Fiber Trunk Toolbox
- Black Carbon Fiber Door Sills
- Black Carbon Fiber Manual Pedals (clutch, brake, accelerator) and Footrest Pedal
- Black Carbon Fiber Vinyl Shift Boot and E-brake Boot

I.C.E.:
- Pioneer Avic N4 Multimedia Navigation Head Unit with Custom Carbon Fiber Trim
- Custom Euro Carrier Bracket to Center the Head Unit Properly
- Pioneer Bluetooth
- Pioneer IPod Adapter interfaced into Head Unit
- Umnitza Predator Orion V1 6000K LED Angel Eyes

MDSS: What has given you the most headache working on your car? (Part, experience, shop)
Navin323i: Definitely the 5 speed manual transmission swap... mechanically the swap is straightforward but all the required electronics changes are a huge PITA!

MDSS: How much of the work have you gotten your hands dirty with versus outsourcing to a shop?
Navin323i: Because of my heart condition I'm unable to do much of the work myself, so the majority was outsourced to a shop, however the few mods I've done include the carbon fiber interior trim install, carbon fiber kidney grill install, carbon fiber trunk toolbox install, replacement carbon fiber roundel install, carbon fiber door pillar install, carbon fiber foglamp covers, carbon fiber sport seat backs, carbon fiber oil cap cover, carbon fiber air filter cover, and carbon fiber battery terminal cover.

MDSS: Are there any future plans for this vehicle?
Navin323i: My recent auto tranny failure has forced me to re-evaluate my financial priorities in life, therefore I don't see myself modding for much longer and I'd simply like to enjoy my vehicle as is. HOWEVER, I do have 2 final mods in the works... headrest monitors so that my little girl can watch her cartoons in the car while sitting in the backseat, and my second mod is my new set of winter wheels... 18x8 OZ Ultraleggera wheels in black finish wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S tires that are reinforced in carbon fiber. More than likely I'll keep the OZ's on for all of next year just to change up the look of my car.

MDSS: How long have you been working on this vehicle?
Navin323i: 8 years

MDSS: Are you into the show or race scene? Or both?
Navin323i: Show scene.

MDSS: Do have any sponsors?
Navin323i: Yes, several... Vorsteiner, Bimmertools, DPEngineering, European Auto Source, WheelExperts, and ArmkreuzDesigns

MDSS: Are you a part of a local car crew?
Navin323i: EUROWERKZ

Shout outs: My wife and my 3 year old daughter - both of whom make my life truly enjoyable. My friends here on mdstreetscene.com, e46fanatics.com, and Eurowerkz... all of whom have supported me all these years... I truly thank you all. To all my sponsors who have helped me out over the years to save money on their products, and finally to my parents and brothers who have always looked out for me... thank you!
 

Pictures:

Engine | Suspension | Exterior | Interior | I.C.E. | Pictures | Interview

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