Advice on a 320d

neacy69

Hey All

Im going for a look at a 320d later on today and I was hoping some of you could advise of any known issues I should look out for or problems I should be wary of

Some more info on the car:

02 BMW 320 SE D 150BHP
120k miles
6 months MOT
no tax
northern reg
New oil, filters and diesel filters
serviced 1k ago

I've no car at the minute and looking for something for commuting to work (1000km's a week)

All help appreciated!

Anan1

Service history?

OldmanMondeo

If you doing around 600 miles a week, would you not be better trying to get someing less prestigus and getting lower milage? At 120k a lot will need doing, bushes, clutch, b/disc etc. These parts will be near the end of their life, unless they have been changed.

neacy69

Anan1: not sure how much service history there is with. I will know more later on.


I was trying to get something less prestigeous but i still want something reliable and comfortable seeing as Im going to be spending a good bit of time in it.

I wasnt after a BMW but this has kinda fallen into my price range and I like the idea of it more that a similar year mondeo/passat/avensis

Anan1

neacy69 wrote: »

Anan1: not sure how much service history there is with. I will know more later on.

On that car and for your proposed usage I think a FSH is non-negotiable. I'll also put money that that particular car doesn't have one.:) Personally, i'd be looking at the likes of a Peugeot 407/Citroen C5 for that kind of weekly mileage.

bazz26

Blown turbo charger is a major issue on the 150bhp E46 320d, this and the swirl flaps have a tendancy to break and get sucked into the engine making sh1te of it. I'd be looking for the service history along with receipts for the above at this stage otherwise assume they haven't been done and large bills are just around the corner.

PaulKK

bazz26 wrote: »

Blown turbo charger is a major issue on the 150bhp E46 320d, this and the swirl flaps have a tendancy to break and get sucked into the engine making sh1te of it. I'd be looking for the service history along with receipts for the above at this stage otherwise assume they haven't been done and large bills are just around the corner.

Alternatively you could just get it deflapped for about 60 or 70 quid...

How much is it and how much is the VRT ish ?

neacy69

RoverJames wrote: »

How much is it and how much is the VRT ish ?

he said he is looking €3.5k but he's keen to get it sold so I reckon I could get it for €3k or thereabouts....

I don't have to worry about vrt for now but its about €700-800

shogunpower

when did the 150 bhp version come in? wasn't it 03?

neacy69

PaulKK wrote: »

Alternatively you could just get it deflapped for about 60 or 70 quid...

whats this about flaps?
is it any easy job to do? any disadvantages in doing it?

Mr Benevolent

OP avoid this car, it's going to be trouble. Turbo, swirl flaps, cooling system... ugh. As Anan1 says, FSH or no sale. A missed oil change on this car spells turbo failure.

I'm betting you'll buy it despite the known issues. And what's the deal with VRT? You know your insurance company will report you to the Revenue if you don't VRT it within 42 days, right?

SpannerMonkey

shogunpower wrote: »

when did the 150 bhp version come in? wasn't it 03?

September 01 were 136bhp before that

As said most common issues are turbos and swirl flaps require a full engine rebuild 4k + if you do buy get these removed it's a cheap simple job and saves a lot of potential costs only effect it has is slightly higher emissions but will still pass any test this is not a possibly should do job ,its a must do !!!!

neacy69

Confab wrote: »

OP avoid this car, it's going to be trouble. Turbo, swirl flaps, cooling system... ugh. As Anan1 says, FSH or no sale. A missed oil change on this car spells turbo failure.

I'm betting you'll buy it despite the known issues. And what's the deal with VRT? You know your insurance company will report you to the Revenue if you don't VRT it within 42 days, right?

thanks for the info...I'm not gonna go ahead and buy it on an impulse cos I need something reliable for work everyday...I just happened to see this today and it seemed to tick all the boxes but I wanted to double check that's why I put it up here...

as for the vrt i will probably be living in the north soon

Confab

Confab wrote: »

A missed oil change on this car spells turbo failure.

Not to mention the crankcase breather filters which lots of mechanics seem to ignore even when they do a full service.

Leonard Hofstadter

Personally, I wouldn't trust that generation of 320d to get me across the road.

There is so much potential for stuff to go wrong, and it is the expensive kind of stuff that tends to give trouble with these.

Nobody has mentioned the DMF, which at that kind of mileage is very likely to go wrong to, though of course if it has been replaced quite recently then that's one less thing to worry about.

BMW and reliability don't go hand in hand all the time, especially with that car.

The only premium brand car from that era that has a reliable diesel is the Audi A4. You could always try a Volvo S60 D5, they tend to be durable enough, but they need an automatic gearbox(well let's fact it, you don't buy a Volvo to enjoy a slick shifting gearbox, so you might as well accept the fact that they're not even remotely sporty and get the auto and waft along).

ciarsd

Gotta laugh at some of the replies in here..

I've a 2005 150bhp 320cd with near on 105K miles... buy the right car with the right history, be prepared to have the maintainence done (or do it yourself) and you'll have bugger all trouble.
Most of the issues with this engine is lack of maintainence, not poor design or poor quality (with the exception of maybe the swirl flaps).

Points to note:
Swirl flap (dependent on manufacture date). Can buy blanking plates in place of them.
EGR - clean it or replace it! Readily available DIYs on cleaning.
Turbo breather filter - make sure to fit the newer 'vortex' type. €18 for the filter itself.
Turbo - pop the intercooler hose and have a feel of the turbo shaft. Anything more than around 2mm of lateral play...or better still, if you can see in, any signs of fowling and its a re-con job or replacement in future miles. €500 recondition or €900 for a brand new OEM unit from the UK.

Black smoke (continuous under load) = unburnt fuel, usually pointing to an air leak in the intake system. Usual places are the manifold pressure sensor gasket or the turbo pipe from the intercooler to the EGR (rubber flexi-joints crack and perish over time under boost)

Blue smoke (anytime) = burning oil. Turbo wear/bearing seal leakage.

Flat spots - air intake leak or a MAF fault (€180-210ish for Bosch OEM replacement from Germany - DDE sometimes needs to be re-coded on fitment)

Wheelnut

neacy69 wrote: »

northern reg

If you're located in Johannesburg then Northern reg must refer to somewhere around the Sahara Desert. I would suggest you get the cooling system checked immediately because it is unlikely to contain anti-freeze.


:rolleyes:

ciarsd

ciarsd wrote: »

Gotta laugh at some of the replies in here..

Yeah, was thinking earlier that it was giving the impression they are total trouble once they hit certain mileage, loads of folk have no trouble with them and you'd be very very unlucky to have DMF, turbo, swirl flaps and lots of suspension bits go on the one car even if you neglected it I would think.

neacy69

Wheelnut wrote: »

If you're located in Johannesburg then Northern reg must refer to somewhere around the Sahara Desert. I would suggest you get the cooling system checked immediately because it is unlikely to contain anti-freeze.


:rolleyes:

yeah cheers
back to the real world now...living back with the folks until some permanent accomodation is sorted out....

neacy69

ciarsd wrote: »

Gotta laugh at some of the replies in here..

I've a 2005 150bhp 320cd with near on 105K miles... buy the right car with the right history, be prepared to have the maintainence done (or do it yourself) and you'll have bugger all trouble.
Most of the issues with this engine is lack of maintainence, not poor design or poor quality (with the exception of maybe the swirl flaps).

Points to note:
Swirl flap (dependent on manufacture date). Can buy blanking plates in place of them.
EGR - clean it or replace it! Readily available DIYs on cleaning.
Turbo breather filter - make sure to fit the newer 'vortex' type. €18 for the filter itself.
Turbo - pop the intercooler hose and have a feel of the turbo shaft. Anything more than around 2mm of lateral play...or better still, if you can see in, any signs of fowling and its a re-con job or replacement in future miles. €500 recondition or €900 for a brand new OEM unit from the UK.

Black smoke (continuous under load) = unburnt fuel, usually pointing to an air leak in the intake system. Usual places are the manifold pressure sensor gasket or the turbo pipe from the intercooler to the EGR (rubber flexi-joints crack and perish over time under boost)

Blue smoke (anytime) = burning oil. Turbo wear/bearing seal leakage.

Flat spots - air intake leak or a MAF fault (€180-210ish for Bosch OEM replacement from Germany - DDE sometimes needs to be re-coded on fitment)

this is info that i was looking for...cheers ciarsd...


I went along for a look last night and I was pleased with the car. The only problems the owner mentioned was a broken thermostat and a missing spare wheel...

Everything seemed straight, all the shutlines matched up perfectly, no sign of paint work anywhere and no signs of accident damage in any of the corners, front or back....
The car itself was very clean and tidy. A few stones chips on the front but no marks on it.
No signs of black or blue smoke when driving or standing still. The turbo came in when expected and seemed to be working ok. It pulled away from standstill nicely and stopped as expected.
The clutch seemed a little heavier than I was used to but i have been driving 1.2 fiesta/i20/yaris for the last 2 years

Told the owner I would give him a call over the weekend to discuss but im not sure...The lack of service history is putting me off but its seems to be in pretty good nick....with no glaring mechanical issues that I can see (obviously I would be getting it checked more thoroughly if I was to go any further)

As I thought there was no service history or records with the car and the only thing the current owner can vouch for is a recent service when the filters where changed and a new wishbone in the left side.

Gophur

neacy69 wrote: »

............
...............The lack of service history is putting me off ..............
.............

Walk away from it.

No service history, you're asking for trouble.

For your budget, go for the best Mondeo TdCi you can get.

Damie

As above, stand back and think about it...No Service history should have the alarm bells ringing. You could be lucky with it and have no trouble...but then again....

voxpop

neacy69 wrote: »

The only problems the owner mentioned was a broken thermostat

Id be wary of that tbh - what symptoms - is the car overheating ?


If you are thinking of going for this car - I would get it checked over by a bmw indy before purchase and look for a decent amount off the asking price for the lack of history

Actually just saw its not got an NCT - depending on how the suspension had held up, you could be in for a nasty surprise trying to get it NCT'd

neacy69

voxpop wrote: »

Id be wary of that tbh - what symptoms - is the car overheating ?


If you are thinking of going for this car - I would get it checked over by a bmw indy before purchase and look for a decent amount off the asking price for the lack of history

Actually just saw its not got an NCT - depending on how the suspension had held up, you could be in for a nasty surprise trying to get it NCT'd

Sorry I explained myself wrongly...I meant the outside air temperature meter not the thermostat...as in the computer on the dash thinks its -40.0c outside...

Its not got a NCT cos its on NI plates but i has still got 7 months MOT left on it....

voxpop

neacy69 wrote: »

Its not got a NCT cos its on NI plates but i has still got 7 months MOT left on it....

Yeah saw that - you still need to get an NCT and all it takes is a few suspension issue and its the guts of a grand

Zubeneschamali

voxpop wrote: »

you still need to get an NCT

Reading the thread, the OP does not plan to reregister the car or pay VRT, so presumably he's not going to NCT it either.

I'm not sure how he's planning to get around the fact that the car has no tax. Fake a UK tax disc, maybe?

neacy69

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Reading the thread, the OP does not plan to reregister the car or pay VRT, so presumably he's not going to NCT it either.

I'm not sure how he's planning to get around the fact that the car has no tax. Fake a UK tax disc, maybe?

I will not be liable for VRT seeing as I will be living in the north....therefore it will be registered to my address there and will be taxed....

voxpop

If your living in the north then it changes things - get it checked by an indy (esp suspension) and get a few quid off for the lack of service history - budget a grand for repairs in the next year and you should be ok


Edit: Just read through the thread a bit there - if you can get it for less than 3k its a bargain - maybe too cheap - your talking 01 passat tdi money there.

Wheelnut

neacy69 wrote: »

yeah cheers
back to the real world now...

Just shows that I actually read your posts very carefully.

neacy69 wrote: »

The only problems the owner mentioned was a ... missing spare wheel...

Are you sure it ever had a spare wheel? More recent BMWs come with run-flat tyres and there's no spare, jack or wheelbrace. The run-flats are horrible to drive on (unless you're on a smooth road) so many people change over to ordinary tyres.

neacy69 wrote: »

As I thought there was no service history or records with the car and the only thing the current owner can vouch for is a recent service when the filters where changed and a new wishbone in the left side.

As a quick check you could take a look at the air filter. These are dearer so they get passed over if a slip shod job is being done. A clean air filter will show that some care was taken with the last service. It's not an absolutely infallible guide but it may give a clue.

neacy69

Just got a HPI Check done....and as the old caveat reveals if it seems to good to be true then it probably is:

VRM and VIN recorded by an insurance company as a total loss

Category
D - Vehicle damaged but repairable - the insurer decided not to repair

another point which seems to be the car being registered in Norn Iron instead of UK

The current plate was transferred to this vehicle on 01/01/2005

Y*****T was applied to this vehicle on 20/11/2001

There are no interests recorded against Y*****T

neacy69

BTW: in case any body is interested this is the car I was looking at:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1634615

located in Drogheda.

Seller is a guy from Lithuania and does really seem like an honest guy and seemed to be genuinely surprised that it was crashed as he says it was before he bought it....

if anyone wants a look at the HPI check then send me a PM

Gophur

And, is his name Andrew?

neacy69

Gophur wrote: »

And, is his name Andrew?

yeah kinda...Andrewus (sp?)

he says he puts andrew so people can pronounce it

matt1986

Hi there, a toyota avensis D4D will not let you down. As an automatic gearbox specialist I would say avoid bmw at all cost! It will let you down, engine or gearbox will give trouble. Are you looking for an auto or manual?

Torq

Confab wrote: »

OP avoid this car, it's going to be trouble. Turbo, swirl flaps, cooling system... ugh. As Anan1 says, FSH or no sale. A missed oil change on this car spells turbo failure.

WRONG! I bought a 03 E46 320d touring last year with 167K miles on the clock and no service history. Sold it 13 months later with 191K and had absolutely no problems with it. Handled like a dream, pulled like a train and gave 50mpg. Best car I've ever owned and only sold it because it wasn't big enough.

Torq