Got a E46, now what?

[John Hallen]

Recently acquired a 2001 325ci convertable with 100k on the clock. Same car BHUNT 73T sold my son's significant other back in June 2013. It has passed Md inspection, but I'm thinking what I can do to prevent a big problem on the major systems, fuel, cooling, ignition, electrical, etc. by doing some preventive maintanence. As always, I eagerly await your scholarly replies. ;)

[Jazzbass]

Replace the cooling system.

[mlytle]

my condolences. i have a 2002 325 with 120k. horrible for maint items. sure you can do all the usual mechanical stuff, but the crap connected to all the computers will kill you as the dealer computer is usually needed diagnose.

at least start with the cooling system. replace it. all of it. every hose, radiator, expansion tank, temp sensor, water pump, drive belt, tensioners, etc.

then go for the in tank fuel pump.
then the ignition coils.
then the oil separator system.
then the vanos valve.
then both front CAB's
then hope the hvac control unit keeps working.
etc, etc, etc.

[Jazzbass]

sure you can do all the usual mechanical stuff, but the crap connected to all the computers will kill you as the dealer computer is usually needed diagnose.

You do need to be able to read codes from these, so I bought a Bavarian Technic cable that works pretty well. John you're welcome to use it if you need to read/clear codes.

[John Hallen]

Wow, I had no idea I had just purchased Germany's version of the Yugo. Thanks Chris for your offer. From what I read in myltle's reply, I could become quite a regular at the Jazzbass garage. Does anyone have a recommendation for a repair manual (BMW For Dummies?) so I can acquaint myself with this particular vehicle. Thanks Guys.

[smdubovsky]

The M guys replace all the lower end rod (or was that main?) bearings at regular intervals. Not sure if the non-Ms suffer the same fate. Anyway, I've seen Wonger and crew drop the oil pan and replace bearings on EVERY bmw he's had (and a bunch of others.) They undersized them starting from the E30 M3s.

Dont worry. It could be worse. You could have bought a diesel bmw:D

[Jase007]

Its not that much maintenance ... really. Just replace the known issues. (echo coolant system)


Search for (Bimmerfest and Bimmerforums) and download the necessary software to set up Ediabas/INPA on a spare laptop.

Get the correct car (round under the hood or OBD2 port) to laptop cable (USB or serial connect) and set it up by following the well laid out directions in the forums.

Now, you have your own "dealer" scanning tool, that can also code modules as you replace them on this and MANY other newer BMWs.

Total investment = $40 cable, spare laptop and your time. :)

[VaSteve]

Replace the cooling system.

X2 and buy the BMW hoses, I had an aftermarket one from Bavarian Auto crack on me at the seal after a year.

Replace the noisy rollers on the belts.

Replace the gasket between the oil filter housing and the block. I did a write up in the tech section.

They are fine built cars. Mine has 120K on it and just drove it to Florida and back. Though, I think mine is due for a suspension bushing refresh. I replaced the shocks and springs @ 70K but I notice it's not as tight as it used to be.

Buy the Bentley E46 book. It's $100 well spent.

[ruffyz]

Cooling for sure, BMW rubber and plastic doesn't age too well from what I've read and seen and a cooling system failure is catastrophic. At some point bmw was using plastic impellers in the water pump. Vanos and cats/sensors/anything emissions are also potentials.

Didn't know about the engine problem, but wonger (and smd ;)) are a well recognized experts in the area.

Is the bottom end underbuilt only if you are going to rag out the cars? Aren't the m motors different than non m for e30 and later?

[jerome951]

Congrats on the new purchase. Good advice above so I won't echo, but recommend you check here for OEM parts (it's Tischer's on-line arm). They're just up the road from you so you can save on shipping by picking up.
https://www.getbmwparts.com/

[Lupin..the..3rd]

Buy the Bentley E46 book. It's $100 well spent.
Agreed, get the Robert Bentley book, it's very good.

And Xwhatever on replace the whole cooling system, all of it. Engine and transmission mounts are easy DIY's too and probably need replacing if you're over 100k miles.

If the suspension feels tired, replace the control arms, bushings, struts, mounts, etc. Check your oil pan gasket for leaks, and replace it at the same time along with the front suspension stuff. You have to remove the front crossmember to get at the oil pan, and that's a lot less painful if you're pulling the control arms off anyhow. I went with 330i ZHP control arms as an upgrade. They supposedly have more durable all-metal ball joints, instead of metal+plastic like the other models use.

Fluids go without saying, change them all. Brake/clutch, coolant, transmission, and differential.

[smdubovsky]

Didn't know about the engine problem, but wonger (and smd ;)) are a well recognized experts in the area.

Is the bottom end underbuilt only if you are going to rag out the cars? Aren't the m motors different than non m for e30 and later?

Im no expert. I've just seen bearings come out of too many of them looking pretty bad. I have helped replace a couple too but I try to forget any BMW knowledge asap. I let wonger deal w/ it;)

Yes, M motors are all different. I've seen bearings come out of street cars that looked pretty ugly. Out of the ~5 E30 M3s in salazar two ate the bearings entirely iirc. The other two we rebuilt and they were UGLY. Only Woody's didn't have the bottom end checked. He HAD to be on borrowed time esp w/ a zillion track days but sold the car before anything happened. Even so we only had an 80% confirmed problem rate;) I know when wonger buys bmws (and they are all street cars at that point) its SOP to replace the radiator and bottom end bearings. Heck, Last time I was over there a couple weeks ago, Rob T and Simon Kim(?) were replacing the bearings on Simon's spec3 (non-M). I didn't see what they looked like and have no idea if the non-Ms have the same accelerated wear problems. They were buttoning it back up and it was freezing so I didn't stick around:)

[Lupin..the..3rd]

Yes, M motors are all different. I've seen bearings come out of street cars that looked pretty ugly.

I wonder if this is mostly due to PO's not using the correct oil? Don't the //M cars require some crazy 10w-60 magic formula oil?

[mlytle]

Wow, I had no idea I had just purchased Germany's version of the Yugo. Thanks Chris for your offer. From what I read in myltle's reply, I could become quite a regular at the Jazzbass garage. Does anyone have a recommendation for a repair manual (BMW For Dummies?) so I can acquaint myself with this particular vehicle. Thanks Guys.

get the Bentley E46 shop manual. very helpful.

of the dozens of BMW's i have owned, the e46 has by far been the most unreliable and troublesome. 120k of near constant issues. i build race bmw's for a hobby so the mechanical issues are just work, it is all the body electric problems that kill me. way too many systems and actuators all controlled by computer modules. hvac controller, door window systems, hatch lock actuators, chafe points in the body harness, etc.

a yugo is a good analogy.

[John Hallen]

Hmmm.. seem to detect something common in all your replies. Perhaps I should look into doing a spot of work on the cooling system. Thanks all for your replies. Going to print the thread and put it in my new Beemer folder, which it seems will be shortly filling up with receipts. Got the Bentley book on order from Amazon, should be ready to go to war with all the lil' gremlins that are ready to pop up.

[Trak Ratt]

LOL you guys just talked me out of one I was looking at!

[mlytle]

Hmmm.. seem to detect something common in all your replies. Perhaps I should look into doing a spot of work on the cooling system. Thanks all for your replies. Going to print the thread and put it in my new Beemer folder, which it seems will be shortly filling up with receipts. Got the Bentley book on order from Amazon, should be ready to go to war with all the lil' gremlins that are ready to pop up.

PS - it is not a "beemer".

BMW car = Bimmer
BMW motorcycle = Beemer
dumb ass who drives around with fog lights on all the time = Beamer

[John Hallen]

My first instinct was to type in "Bimmer", but I had always heard it pronounced bEmer, so I spelled it just like I did in 1st grade, I sounded it out. Reminds me of my ghastly error when I was a Porsche noob. I called my car a Porsh, instead of correctly Porsh-a. Old Tee immeditately took me aside, and chided me for my utter lack of intelligence.

[cmartin]

Old Tee immeditately took me aside

That explains a lot :)

[Trak Ratt]

My first instinct was to type in "Bimmer", but I had always heard it pronounced bEmer, so I spelled it just like I did in 1st grade, I sounded it out. Reminds me of my ghastly error when I was a Porsche noob. I called my car a Porsh, instead of correctly Porsh-a. Old Tee immeditately took me aside, and chided me for my utter lack of intelligence.

That explains a lot :)
At least he was smart enough to learn!!!! John's tutorage got progressively more pointed for those who resisted his initial input... ;).

[PBJ]

John,

Good advice on the Bentley Manual and replacing ALL of the cooling system components. I'm the original owner of a 2002 325Ci, Euro Delivery car, has been very reliable with 122,000 miles so far, but stay on top of the preventative maintance, forget about the "lifetime" trans and differential fluids, and change oil/filter at 7.5k, not the 15k miles intervals. www.e46fanatics.com is a great site with links to a lot of DYI articles and videos.

[John Hallen]

PBJ, thanks so much for your reply. Got the Bentley manual, and am accumulating various parts for replacement. I bookmarked the site you recommended, looks like a great resource.

[Jase007]

John:

Bavauto.com (NH) is not considered that cheap but ... they do ship here (NOVA) in 1-2 days.

Recommend their blog for good instructional videos on common repairs across 3 and 5 series cars:

http://blog.bavauto.com/

*These 95+F days are taxing the BMW plastic cooling systems ... make sure yours is in good shape (esp before August!)

Cheers.

[John Hallen]

Thanks Jase. Checked out Bavauto, good stuff. Their cooling overhaul kit seems more inclusive than others I have checked into, and Cheaper!

[ItalyChicken]

Id get very acquainted with searching Google/Bimmerforums. Theres a lot of obnoxious little stuff that is better to fix yourself instead of having a shop do it. Nothing is ever straightforward or easy Ive learned.

One of the best things I did was install an iPod hookup in mine, I got one of the DICE modules. It just plugs into the CD changer. I just looked on their site and it looks like the merged or turned into Audiovox. They also have other models that have bluetooth.

Im not sure if the E46s have similar problems as the E39s, but +1 on the cooling system.

On mine both power seats were twisting, one the back would twist and other the seat would twist. Apparently pretty common issue. I spent the past weekend pulling the seats, removing the motors and fixing the cables. Shop probably wouldve charged a lot to fix. Huge PITA because theres no room under those seats even when theyre out of the car; its like performing microscopic surgery.

The swaybar droplinks are pretty notorious and probably the easiest thing to fix yourself.

If the lights are similar to E39s, on the auto-leveling headlights, they have this plastic piece in them that after time gets brittle and breaks, youll know because your headlights wont level and will be stuck facing down. Theres a metal replacement part, and replacing it without completely disassembling the lens of the headlight is also tedious/surgical but worth doing yourself and not getting new lights or paying a shop to do.