Quick & Easy Mods to Transform Your M Sport 4 Series

Never did I think I would get into the world of car modifications when I got FiFi! But somehow, I was roped in when I made an Instagram account for her and started talking to some cool BMW enthusiasts. It didn’t take long for me to get my feet wet with aesthetic mods! I have yet to look into performance mods but that will be some time down the line. I am definitely an aesthetics kinda gal! Some of you have asked about the following mods on FiFi so far, so I decided to make a post about them with links. Enjoy!

My first mod wasn’t exactly a mod, but more of an accessory. These cup holder inserts were under $10, fit perfectly in FiFi’s little cup holders, and add a beautiful flair of color. Yes, it is hardly visible to anyone but me (or anyone with an attention to detail sitting in the car, maybe?). Someone put it this way: “It’s like lingerie – not obviously visible but you know it’s there.” LOL! Perfect way to describe it! Finally, let’s not forget about the practicality these guys offer – they make cleaning the area so much easier!

At first, I was very hesitant to mess with anything that required me to take the car apart in any way. But two weeks into ownership, I decided to try a supposedly easy mod – replacing FiFi’s OEM welcome lights with the M Performance shadow lights available on Amazon for about $15. Despite how simple of a mod this was, I was nervous and watched a ton of YouTube videos to ensure I was doing everything right and wouldn’t end up breaking anything. Luckily, it was as easy as people made it seem, and I was able to swap out both door lights in about 5 minutes. I definitely recommend this mod! My passengers are always fascinated by the shadow light at night when they open the door. And so am I, to be honest…

I am a huge sucker for all things matching, which is going to show in these next two mods. The start/stop engine button is a popular mod that a lot of BMW FX series owners seem to go for. Initially, I wasn’t sure I would like this mod because I low-key thought it might look tacky… but it really grew on me. I would say though, the fitment is not 100% the same as the OEM button (it juts out ever so slightly) but is honestly not noticeable unless you are just used to the OEM button. It didn’t take me long to adjust and now I love that the blue start/stop engine button matches FiFi’s blue interior trim! Talk about +10 HP haha! You can get this for a very affordable price on AliExpress or eBay, but I did not want to take the whole button housing apart so I paid a little extra (still under $10) on Amazon for the clay putty to be included. This bad boy made it so easy to just pluck the OEM button out and replace with the aftermarket one!

The stainless steel M sport foot rest is a nice touch, but one thing I don’t understand is why BMW didn’t make the gas and brake pedals stainless steel as well? The footwell area just didn’t feel complete without matching stainless steel pedals… so I got these for about $20. The fitment is really good and I’d say they match the foot rest really nicely. I love that there were no drills required. The gas pedal one slips right over the original with ease. The original rubber cover does need to be taken off the brake pedal, but after that you just slip the stainless steel one right on! They are super snug so I never have to worry about them falling off.

M Style Double Slat Grilles

Perhaps the most difficult mod I’ve done myself so far that did require a bit of surgery and elbow grease (or should I say, hand/finger-grease heh) was replacing FiFi’s OEM M sport single slat grilles with the M4 style double slat grilles that I purchased on Amazon for $35. This one stressed me out so much because it was NOT a breeze like the other mods I had done. I spent over an hour trying to pry off the OEM grilles, and thought to myself, “have I gotten my feet a bit too wet at this point?!” My hands and fingers were literally CRYING. I actually couldn’t do it but then my boyfriend stepped in to help. After some sweat and work, he managed to get the original grilles out and obviously putting in the new grilles was a breeze from there. Here’s a disclaimer for ya – those YouTubers make this mod look so easy, but I must say it was NOT! Some are able to just stick their fingers in between the slats and loosen the clips – we were not able to do that. We ended up opening up her hood and unscrewing the top of the bumper loose to get back there. Even then, it was still not easy… but alas, it’s done and I love how such a minor change makes her front end look so much more aggressive!

FiFi has yet to get into some big girl shoes, but for now I’m enjoying her stock wheels because they are still so mint. Eventually, I’ll want to get new rims and tires. In the mean time though, I wanted to somehow “upgrade” her OEM wheels without spending a fortune. We all know that it’s the little details that add up! I had been eyeing these M tire valve caps for a while but hesitated because I heard from other people having them stolen and I definitely did not want FiFi to be a target just over a few tire caps. But with her mostly being local here in Palm Springs, I thought she should be fine. Plus, for just about $7, I figured there’s nothing to lose. I’ve had them on for about a month now and proud to say still have all four caps! I’ll probably replace them for the original plastic ones if I plan to go out into the city just to be safe. I was warned by a few people that these caps can get stuck and cause issues in the long run, so I’ve been extra mindful to move the caps every once in a while to make sure they’re all good.

While not exactly a mod, I found replacing the license plate holder that came from the dealership with this cool M Performance license plate holder to be essential. Though not real carbon fiber, it doesn’t look or feel cheap… for a fraction of the cost – only $20! Bonus points for it having only two holes instead of four. The original plate holder only had the top two holes, so I did not want to add anymore unnecessary holes. Her rear end is going to look so complete once I finally get my vanity plate in!

There are a few other mods I hope to attempt soon like swapping out the OEM mirror caps with carbon fiber ones and getting smoked turn signal blinkers… and maybe some carbon fiber exhaust tips, but I believe that’s it for now. FiFi and I are in it together for the long haul, so I’m spreading these mods out to keep our journey fun and exciting.

Finally, my all-time favorite and not-as-subtle mod? If you haven’t seen my blog post about having European Auto Source install blackline LCI tail lights, you’re missing out!

 

Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission when you make a purchase. This helps to keep this website running (and hopefully more mods and projects coming); thank you for your support!