ECS News

A frequent dilemma when fitting an upgraded seat belt to track-prepared street cars is how to balance the needs of daily driving with the demands of performance driving. A dedicated track-day setup is typically impractical, while running without a substantial harness forces the driver to use the steering wheel to hold themselves in place. Schroth Racing Quick Fit Harnesses are fully reversible and anchor to the factory seat belt pre-tensioner, allowing the airbags to deploy as the BMW engineers intended. Both left (driver) and right (passenger) harnesses are available.

The E46 has been known to suffer from serious cooling system issues, putting critical engine components at risk due to overheating. Three tiers of ECS assembled & genuine OEM kits are now offered, depending on your vehicle's particular needs. All kits include a water pump with metal impeller, ECS water pump pulley, fan switch, thermostat, expansion tank, coolant, & radiator hoses; Level 2 kits add all accessory drive belts and a radiator drain plug. The most thorough option is the Level 3 Kit, further adding a Nissens radiator, idler pulley, hydraulic tensioner and pulley.

The VANOS refresh kit is an inexpensive route to give your system a makeover. VANOS failures include leaking oil, lack of pick up on the power curve, or a clicking noise from the solenoid. Replace the key failure components with this kit from ECS, saving you from more costly repairs when trying to diagnose an individual part of failure. This kit is also a great refresh for an aged car that you want to keep running strong.

Schwaben products are characterized by simple, clever designs. Their wheel storage solutions may be the best examples of these qualities. The Schwaben Wheel Tree holds up to 275lbs and allows you to safely stack your wheels without the risk of scuffing and scratching. Convenient locking casters allow you to easily move the whole set anywhere in your garage or shop at one time. And when saving floor space is the highest priority, the Schwaben Wall-Mounted Wheel Rack allows you to securely store up to four 11½" wide wheels and tires against the wall, away from your work space.

The M3 CSL is arguably BMW's most hallowed and revered sports car. To produce this extremely limited release model, the E46 M3 was further lightened and fitted with stunning engine upgrades, resulting in truly exceptional performance. Visual upgrades were few, though. The most recognizable aesthetic enhancement was a highly-aggressive front bumper, fitted with carbon fiber front splitters and a new intake inlet. Bring this legendary design to your E46 3 Series with the ECS CSL Front Bumper Conversion. The kit includes all pieces required for a complete installation.

If you've ever replaced a broken or cracked water pump pulley and wondered why the engineers at BMW didn't make it out of something more durable, you're not the only one. CNC machined from 6061 billet aluminum, the in-house engineered ECS pulley will never crack or break, leaving you on the side of the road. The hard anodized, corrosion-resistant pulley is a direct-fit replacement, bolting right up to the factory location. If you are replacing your water pump, now is the time to get rid of that stock pulley.

Park Distance Control was a costly option to check at the dealer - a fact evidenced by the shortage of PDC-equipped E46 models on the road today. However, BMW has assembled a superb license-plate mounted PDC kit for the non-M BMW 3 series, letting you enjoy the safety and peace of mind of this helpful feature. City parking is made infinitely more easy, alerting you to objects in blind spots that would otherwise go unnoticed. A beep sounds when nearing an object, the intervals between beeps shortening as the vehicle closens.

A failed air injection pump is more than a noisy annoyance. Bad pumps store a fault code and turn on your check engine light, a sure way to fail your local emissions test. Dying pumps don't go quietly. As they fail, they make a loud buzzing noise, audible shortly after a cold engine start up; continuing for a minute or so after that. Our secondary air pump kits contain a new pump, control valves, and hoses so you can put your air injection system back to normal, eliminate all that racket, and turn off that pesky dash light.

Avoid finding yourself without a key trim fastener - stock up for good with the Vaico BMW/MINI Fastener Assortment Kit. Designed with the DIY enthusiast or body shop in mind, this assortment comes stocked with clips for fender liners, interior trim, and body mouldings, all in a convenient storage case.

Alzor 881 wheels have the look and feel of an instant favorite. With their bold arched split-spoke design and eye-catching hyper silver finish with polished lip, this wheel set is just the finishing touch you've been looking for. Combine their muscular 18 x 8.5 or 9.5 physique with your newly lowered suspension and watch it all come together in an overall styling statement that's sure to turn heads. When you see how much they won't cost you, the choice is a four-gone conclusion.

Quit fussing with wood blocks, ramps, and the like with the Schwaben Low Boy floor jack. The Low Boy is low-profile, allowing you to sneak it under the ground-hugging rockers on your lowered car. Constructed of lightweight aluminum, this floor jack features a front central roller for increased ease of use and maneuverability. If you work on your car, you'll be doing some lifting. Get the right equipment with the Schwaben Low Boy floor jack, a great compliment to the other Schwaben tools in your arsenal. Atta' Boy.

No more Mister Nice Guy. Fire your under-achieving stock pump and replace it with a High Performance water pump from EMP Stewart. This is the pump your BMW should have had from day one. Designed for performance and durability, EMP decided to do it right the first time, increasing flow a full 20 percent over stock, while reducing parasitic draw with a highly efficient stainless steel impeller. Add a heavy-duty bearing and high quality water seal, and you have a pump durable enough for daily driving; tough enough for the track.

Fresh coolant is paramount to safe & reliable engine operation. Unfortunately, the process of bleeding air out of your cooling system during a coolant refresh is tedious and therefore often neglected. ECS offers a highly convenient solution to the tedium & frustration associated with a coolant servicing – the Schwaben Coolant Evacuation Kit. The unique kit resolves several common cooling system issues: - No heat, overheating, or erratic temperature gauge readings after a cooling system service - Problems with coolant uptake or circulation - Cooling system leaks

Why a strut nut socket? To secure shocks and struts to their mounts, the retaining nut must be torqued to its proper specification with the use of a torque wrench. Strut nut sockets allow for the use of an Allen wrench to hold the damper shaft while utilizing a torque wrench on the socket to achieve proper torque. Schwaben, a company known for exceptionally crafted specialty tools, now offers 18mm, 19mm, 21mm, 22mm, and 24mm Strut Nut Sockets for your own suspension project. A superb addition to any home mechanic's tool arsenal, this latest Schwaben release is built to last.

Wheel spacers offset wheels to improve vehicle appearance and handling. These flat discs with matching hub design fit between the wheels and hubs to push the wheels outward. Wheel spacers from ECS Tuning come in thicknesses from 5-20mm, to widen track, improve cornering, and provide extra room for altered suspension and brake components.

For years, ECS Tuning has been your trusted source for original, aftermarket, and performance parts for your European car. Our team of enthusiasts have worked hard to build the best catalog in the industry, providing you with the knowledge and expertise to keep your car looking, sounding, and performing great year after year.

The specialty tool experts at Schwaben have released a series of superbly engineered, exceptionally reliable car ramps, ramp extensions, wheel stands, & wheel chocks - now available from ECS tuning. 30" to 67" Low Profile Car Ramps are specially made to accommodate vehicles with low bumper clearance, eliminating the risk of body damage & sliding ramps. Schwaben Wheel Stands feature a cradled wheel support for superior stability compared to jack stands, supporting up to 3000 lbs. And when lifting your vehicle or placing it on an incline, Wheel Chocks are a wise investment.

DISA valves control the intake manifold runner length to improve engine performance at different rpms. When they fail, the DISA valve bangs around in its housing, making a rattling noise accompanied by rough idle and off-idle hesitation. If your BMW experiences these symptoms, don't wait to fix it. In some cases, parts of the DISA--including a metal spreader pin--can be sucked into your engine, causing serious engine damage. Easy to replace, your new DISA screws to the side of the intake and comes with pre-installed sealing gasket.

Too often, E46 owners live with a broken or damaged sunroof, partly because sourcing the necessary parts to fix the problem feels like a challenge. ECS offers several repair kits and replacement parts to address your specific problem. For sunroofs that cease to function normally, a replacement motor may be required to restore functionality. If your sunroof headliner is malfunctioning, ECS offers a repair kit including a replacement water channel, slide driver, driver's side slide elements, frame corner pieces, adhesive tape and hardware. OEM sunroof switches are also available.

The primary issue with premium suspension upgrades is that these components mount in the same locations as the factory units, and utilize the same control arm designs. Suspension Reinforcement components are parts that work alongside your upgraded or factory suspension to triangulate suspension geometry more precisely. The ECS Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Limiter more exactly specifies the range of motion of your trailing arms, while Heavy Duty Rear Shock Mount Reinforcement Plates provide better rear suspension response while eliminating the possibility of rear shock blowout.

Want to do something bold? Bodacious, even? Check out this line of 3M Scotchprint films. Add texture and style to interior and exterior surfaces by applying these durable adhesive backed films to body panels or trim. Want variety? Channel Darth Vader with gloss black or carbon fiber, or go sci-fi-starship with brushed aluminum or titanium. Buy rolls five feet wide in lengths from one to 20 feet. Hi-tech look. Low tech installation. User friendly and easy to apply using simple tools, 3M 1080 film lets anyone get professional results on the first try.

ECS now offers a range of excellent Cup Suspension kits for the E46 3 series. Sport Cup Kits contain shocks that are matched to a spring set, ensuring that spring rates and ride height are appropriate for the specific damping characteristics. H&R Sport and Touring Cup Suspension kits are available, lowering an average of 1.3 inches at the front and 1.2 inches at the rear. ECS-assembled Cup Kits featuring Koni Yellow or SRT.T offer stiffer damping and higher spring rates, while the FSD Koni/Eibach kit offers a more race-ready ride with 1.4" front and 1.4" rear average lowering.

The MediaBridge takes the hassle and aggravation out of playing your favorite audio source through your BMW's sound system. The DICE Media Bridge module turns your car stereo into a master control for USB storage drives, IPhone, iPod, or any audio device that can be plugged into the standard audio port

Price and quality are important. You need to make a buck, and don't want comebacks marring your reputation, and eating into your profits. But convenience matters,too. Packaged kits simplify inventory tracking, improve repair quality, and fatten repair ticket bottom lines. ECS Tuning gives you all three; combine price, quality and convenience in a single package with our BMW Oil Service Kits.

The rear shock mount for the E46 3Series proved to be a poor design; the rigors of daily driving deteriorated the rubber, causing rattling, clunking & rear shock deflection - oftentimes resulting in a blown-out shock mount. The most highly advanced & intelligent solution to this common problem is the superbly engineered, fully serviceable Ultimate Performance Rear Shock Mount upgrade from ECS Tuning. 80A polyurethane isolation bushings allow damper shafts to better articulate, while hard-anodized 6061-T6 aluminum shock mount reinforcement plates make blowouts an impossibility.

A stripped thread can turn an enjoyable weekend project into an unbearably frustrating experience, occasionally bringing the entire job to a complete halt. The Schwaben Metric Thread Repair Kit was designed specifically for European cars with the most commonly used metric sized threads in mind, keeping your project in motion whenever metric threads are stripped or otherwise damaged. The kit contains everything to keep your project going - simply drill out the old thread, tap out the hole with the correct sized tap, and screw in a new insert with the installation tool.

When addressing a vehicle's braking system, it can be easy to overlook brake fluids. It's not always clear which parts are necessary to do the job correctly - usually resulting in unnecessary time and expense. ECS has assembled three Brake Fluid Flush Kits, each containing the convenient Motive Power Bleeder, Schwaben Bleeder Wrench, and one liter of brake fluid - everything needed for a basic servicing. The level 2 Kit includes a Motive Catch Bottle Set; the level 3 kit further improves the level 2 kit with high-performance TYP 200 brake fluid.

Looking to improve your vehicle's handling characteristics without spending massive amounts of money? If so, this new ECS Carbon Fiber Strut Bar is perfect for you. A strut bar is designed to reduce strut tower flex by tying two parallel strut towers together. This transmits the load of each strut tower during cornering, resulting in reduced chassis flex. The show-quality autoclave process carbon center bar is actual carbon fiber and mounts to your BMW with lightweight CNC machined aluminum tower plates. Once in place, it will seem like you have a whole new race BMW.

Guesswork is expensive. It leads to costly repair errors that compromise vehicle safety. Talented pro-sumer or repair professional, you need accurate vehicle data and specifications. That's why ECS is happy to offer an entire inventory of Bentley manuals, a reliable, respected source of repair data for many European vehicles. This comprehensive source of info on your E46 has been carefully edited and illustrated. A worthwhile investment.

The bold designs feature defined spoke patterns on a wide-open face, perfect for showing off your new coilovers, two-piece rotors, and painted calipers. Each wheel design displays bright accents that are sure to complement any car color. Just in time for summer driving, this is a great time to add a set of big-footed alloys that look expensive, but won't break your budget. Timeless designs that complement both modern and period-correct vehicles. We've got plenty of Alzor Wheels. Get some for yourself.