CSM updates the wad, using the data in the data/cars folder. On exit, it restores the wad unless you have auto restore de-selected.
When you use CSM, you do not touch the wad. That is what CSM is for, its job is to patch the wad with the files in the data/cars folder.
For CSM to run correctly, you need to have a clean original cars.wad, without that, CSM will not load the data into the wad.
So, do not update the wad manually, place your updated textures into the correct cars/ folder. Make sure the cars config.ini file reflects any changes, such as file naming conventions, otherwise csm will not load the data. If you change file names in the cars config, you should also reflect those changes in the global vars file, that is where CSM looks first, for loading, merging and swapping data, if this data does not match what is actually in the folders, things can get messy very quickly lol.
In a nutshell, keep your cotton pickin' hands off the wad! The only time you would compile a wad is when you are NOT using CSM. When you compile your own wad, you back-up the original, then replace the original with your compiled wad and run GP4 direct from gpx.
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www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
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www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central