Buying an E46 325i any suggestions?

conzy

Looking at buying a car in January and the 325 has finally made it to the top of the wish list.. So im just looking for some general help in this thread and if anyone sees a nice example on adverts or donedeal they could post it here

I've done quite a bit of research on the different spec and engines and would consider a 323 or a 6 cylinder 320 either but when im going to be paying ~1000 euro tax and getting into the 30mpg zone it would be nice to get the full 192 HP of the 325..

Budget is around 4000 euro and im not finding a huge amount of them that fit the bill. Theres a lot more choice in the 4800-5000 euro range so maybe it would be worth saving for another few weeks or getting very good at bargaining!

Leaning towards the coupe at the minute becuase there are a lot more of them to choose from than the saloon and I think the saloons from that era have aged worse than the coupe.

My short list at the minute: (click images for links)

Nice 325 saloon on adverts for 3999


325 coupe in cork, its a UK import but its on irish plates, dealer says it failed NCT on "minor issues" so it could be dodgey or a bargain, only 2650 euro



Really nice 325 coupe but just a bit too much beyond my budget



An absolutely immaculate 325 saloon, its a bit "executive" looking for my taste but it is exceptionally clean and very well priced..



Would I be better off looking at a 320 or a 323? The 323 seems to be much better value seen as they are that little bit older and I have heard that they are closer in performance in the real world than the figures would suggest, is this true?

Thanks for the help all opinions good or bad welcome

conzymaher

conzymaher wrote: »

................ or getting very good at bargaining!

Leaning towards the coupe at the minute becuase there are a lot more of them to choose from than the saloon and I think the saloons from that era have aged worse than the coupe.

My short list at the minute: (click images for links)

Nice 325 saloon on adverts for 3999
.............

The saloons are cheaper as a rule as they are less desirable, they are obviously a tad more practical though. Not easy cars to sell due to the motor tax but great value over here compared to UK prices at times.

I'd go for the saloon version but I wouldn't be slow to throw some very low offers in

166man

I quite like the look of the first one you have linked, the wheels really suit it and it has a lenghty NCT. The coupes seem to fetch a hefty premium over the saloon so on a budget of €4000 a saloon might be the best way to go.

If you got that blue saloon one for around €3.5k I'd say that's a nice car for the money! Really would love a 325i myself...

conzy

Thanks for the quick reply! Yeah they must be hard to get rid of but it doesn't seem to be reflected in the prices!

Would it be worth visiting some garages seen as they surely find it very hard to shift these when the biggest selling point for average joe is cheap tax and high mpg... but from having a quick look on carzone they seem to be quite expensive..

Also I know the engines are quite reliable, what would you count as "reasonable mileage" in my price range? Ive been trying to get sub 100k miles but is 125k miles acceptable? Thanks

conzymaher

conzymaher wrote: »

Yeah they must be hard to get rid of but it doesn't seem to be reflected in the prices!.............

I really would pay not much attention to asking prices, especially with private sellers asking €4000 for 03 models, that's 9 years old in a couple of weeks.

Mileage wise, the 520i I had for a while in 2010 had 160,000 miles on it and engine and gearbox seemed perfect to me so 125k miles wouldn't deter me on an E46, the suspension and particularly the coolant system at 8 years old may well be in need of a refresh regardless of mileage, I wouldn't pay a premium (€200+) for a 90k mile car over a 120k mile car when they're 8 to 10 years old.

Traders selling them may well be quite happy to sit on one for a while until someone pays the guts of the asking price, so too a private seller but private sellers often get nervous after a week or so

eringobragh

conzymaher wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply! Yeah they must be hard to get rid of but it doesn't seem to be reflected in the prices!

Would it be worth visiting some garages seen as they surely find it very hard to shift these when the biggest selling point for average joe is cheap tax and high mpg... but from having a quick look on carzone they seem to be quite expensive..

Also I know the engines are quite reliable, what would you count as "reasonable mileage" in my price range? Ive been trying to get sub 100k miles but is 125k miles acceptable? Thanks

125k is about 2000 miles a year extra per year of ownership..it shoudln't be a deal breaker...I'd be more worried about low mileage specials considering how easy it is to clock a modern car...its worth checking if what your buying is a UK import and doing a HPI check.

conzy

Thanks for the input lads, is it worth getting a mechanic to give the car the once over? I can only check the usual basic things, you do get a good impression from the seller and the overall condition of the car of how well it was minded but i got stung once before and it might be worth it as this is a considerable purchase for me!

Do you try and find a good mechanic in the area to have a look or ask your usual mechanic to travel or just find a mechanically orientated boardsie and pay them to have a look?

Thanks again for the help, I seem to be spending every free minute I have on donedeal and carzone!

bazz26

While 6 cylinder E46 saloons are generally cheaper than coupes there is a better variety of coupes around over saloons.

This one is a nice colour combo imo:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2792494

Below average mileage too for the year. Given larger petrol engined cars are not in great demand don't be afraid to haggle on the asking prices. Anyone selling will always price it a bit above what they want to allow for haggling.

conzy

bazz26 wrote: »

While 6 cylinder E46 saloons are generally cheaper than coupes there is a better variety of coupes around over saloons.

This one is a nice colour combo imo:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2792494

Below average mileage too for the year. Given larger petrol engined cars are not in great demand don't be afraid to haggle on the asking prices. Anyone selling will always price it a bit above what they want to allow for haggling.

I actually rang him earlier, I didn't like the look of the aftermarket air intake but he says he still has the original airbox. he seems legit and is eager to sell as hes buying a house. Cant decide if the red interior is nice or cringe

eringobragh

conzymaher wrote: »

I actually rang him earlier, I didn't like the look of the aftermarket air intake but he says he still has the original airbox. he seems legit and is eager to sell as hes buying a house. Cant decide if the red interior is nice or cringe

not my cup of tea!

Ardennes1944

I love it! Its different

conzy

Two nice cheap 320s...

challengemaster

Second one looks nice enough, lose the chrome window surrounds, black grille and it'd look 10x better

They are only SE's though

Northern Monkey

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2831051

If you don't mind an auto and can get the price knocked down a bit, this one looks in good shape.

Neilw

What about this? Not a 325i, but a lot of car for 5k.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201136204372407

Bearcat

A great bargaining point with the 325 engines is leaky hydraulic tappets.......start the car from cold and if they are shot they should rattle for a second or two before oil gets into them. The engine is totally drive able but you'll drive the price down. I'd insist I hear the engine from cold.

conzymaher

conzymaher wrote: »

Thanks for the input lads, is it worth getting a mechanic to give the car the once over? I can only check the usual basic things, you do get a good impression from the seller and the overall condition of the car of how well it was minded but i got stung once before and it might be worth it as this is a considerable purchase for me!..............

Tough one really, if it's a considerable purchase and you got stung before it might be a good idea to bring someone along with you if you aren't confident yourself. A decent mechanic can tell a lot from a glance and a quick spin, so too someone experiences, it's well worth a few euro. €3000 to €5000 is not small money by any stretch of the imagination.

With the best intentions in the world someone might miss something though

td2008

I have a 325ci , great car

This one is in great nick, an auto though

http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32120

(this is a good forum to ask questions on aswell)

The asking price is nothing short of looney, nice car no doubt though.

mkdon05

I have an 03 e46 320i, they are a great car and the engine will never let you down but in real world driving you will never see anything near 30 mpg unless you are stuck on a motorway for 95% of your time.

Wolverine_1999

Bearcat wrote: »

A great bargaining point with the 325 engines is leaky hydraulic tappets.......start the car from cold and if they are shot they should rattle for a second or two before oil gets into them. The engine is totally drive able but you'll drive the price down. I'd insist I hear the engine from cold.

Exact problem with my 318ci.. only happens rarely and mostly in the cold weather! What's the fix? Replacement tappets?

Would love to have the 325.. the perfect blend for power, sound and extortionate Irish tax prices!

jayok

If buying a 325 be prepared for the running costs on servicing alone. I sold my 325Ci this November after 4.5 years of expensive ownership. I bought it with 63k miles and sold it with 106k miles.

There's a number of "common" faults that can quickly add up. These are detailed on other forums, specifically in my ownership, beyond the normal service items:

1. Power Steering Pump - common fault - cost €700 to fix
2. Steering Rack - cost €1300 to fix
3. Steering rubber coupling and upper column - cost €300
3. A/C Hoses - €150
4. Door handle clips - don't ask
5. Rear parking sensor - cost €50 (ebay special)

Other standard serviceable items that add up when for BMW include

1. Rear shocks - circa €400
2. Pads + Rotors - circa €800
3. Valve cover gasket - cira €200
4. Gearbox oil - circa €550

In the 4.5 years of ownership it cost just under €10K to keep on the road between tyres, servicing and "extra" bits. That's a little over 2k per annum!

What is Joy? Joy is leaving the BMW marque!

jayok

jayok wrote: »

............
2. Pads + Rotors - circa €800
.................

Looney money even if that was for all 4 corners

jayok

RoverJames wrote: »

Looney money even if that was for all 4 corners

I was all 4 corners this was by and Indy too. The parts were OEM quality alright and the parts made up most of the cost!

Wolverine_1999

jayok wrote: »

If buying a 325 be prepared for the running costs on servicing alone. I sold my 325Ci this November after 4.5 years of expensive ownership. I bought it with 63k miles and sold it with 106k miles.

There's a number of "common" faults that can quickly add up. These are detailed on other forums, specifically in my ownership, beyond the normal service items:

1. Power Steering Pump - common fault - cost €700 to fix
2. Steering Rack - cost €1300 to fix
3. Steering rubber coupling and upper column - cost €300
3. A/C Hoses - €150
4. Door handle clips - don't ask
5. Rear parking sensor - cost €50 (ebay special)

Other standard serviceable items that add up when for BMW include

1. Rear shocks - circa €400
2. Pads + Rotors - circa €800
3. Valve cover gasket - cira €200
4. Gearbox oil - circa €550

In the 4.5 years of ownership it cost just under €10K to keep on the road between tyres, servicing and "extra" bits. That's a little over 2k per annum!

What is Joy? Joy is leaving the BMW marque!

It sounds like you got ripped off for every job there jayok

Also, did you get one out of a "bad batch". That's just a crazy amount of repairs, unless the arse was driven out of it...

PaulKK

jayok wrote: »

Other standard serviceable items that add up when for BMW include

1. Rear shocks - circa €400
2. Pads + Rotors - circa €800
3. Valve cover gasket - cira €200
4. Gearbox oil - circa €550

What is Joy? Joy is leaving the BMW marque!

WTF? I got my E46 gearbox oil changed about 6 weeks ago, cost about 60 quid.

Pads and disks should be approx 300 max as well including labour.

And 400 quid for rear shocks..... lol.

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_3+Series_2.5_2004/p/car-parts/suspension-and-steering/suspension/shock-absorber/?635110010&1&4deee4fa15f62611b09935f4203675159115fbff&000925

jayok

Well this was done by various recommended Indy BMW service places in Dublin. Not going to list names, but there's no that many around the city.

Regarding the lemon element, I used to thing so but research led me to the list of common failures or weaknesses with the model from e46fanatics.com which are literally fanboys. However to be fair, they do call out all the common problems. And fup it, I experienced a significant amount

Don't get me wrong, the car handled beautifully, looked well, and shifted quicky. But TBH I felt that it just wasn't worth the constant repair bill.

Now, you probably assume I trashed the thing, but no, I kept up the services as required by the book, including coolant, brake fluid, etc. I am pretty anal about car maintainence and it was used in the city and on long runs. Never had a rough life.

jayok

PaulKK wrote: »

WTF? I got my E46 gearbox oil changed about 6 weeks ago, cost about 60 quid.

Pads and disks should be approx 300 max as well including labour.

And 400 quid for rear shocks..... lol.

Automatic gearbox involves removing the cover, replacing the seals and fitting a new filter. Also, the specific of fluid is quite specific - do some research.

OEM parts are not that cheap. I tried an alternative brand and they were fupping useless.

M-Sport shocks are not that cheap fitted.

jayok

jayok wrote: »

I was all 4 corners this was by and Indy too. The parts were OEM quality alright and the parts made up most of the cost!

You'd get Mintex pads and discs front and back for €200 ish and a lash of brake fluid for a small few euro more, fitting shouldn't cost too much either. €800 is robbery.

jayok

One more thing on the prices.

Bear in mind, we don't all service our own cars or have "mates" that'll fix it all for €20. Sure I can buy cheap parts from fleabay and try to stick them on the car - but this is not what I do.

Sure I could save labour costs, but I have neither the equipment or skill to do things like change shocks. Try to keep it in perspective.

I pay a mechanically qualified person to keep my car maintained with proper quality parts. Components fail, I accept that, it's just with my old BMW so many fupping things failed and things that really shouldn't fail.

jayok

RoverJames wrote: »

You'd get Mintex pads and discs front and back for €200 ish and a lash of brake fluid for a small few euro more, fitting shouldn't cost too much either. €800 is robbery.

FWIW it was Mintex that I tried as the alternative brand.

What a load of crap they where. They rusted easily, leave rust stains on the wheels and drive, the pads never seemed to grip properly and after 2,000 miles I suffered shuddering with them.

jayok

jayok wrote: »

....................

What is Joy? Joy is leaving the BMW marque!

jayok wrote: »

..................Try to keep it in perspective.

...............

Indeed

Gumbo

jayok wrote: »

If buying a 325 be prepared for the running costs on servicing alone. I sold my 325Ci this November after 4.5 years of expensive ownership. I bought it with 63k miles and sold it with 106k miles.

There's a number of "common" faults that can quickly add up. These are detailed on other forums, specifically in my ownership, beyond the normal service items:

1. Power Steering Pump - common fault - cost €700 to fix
2. Steering Rack - cost €1300 to fix
3. Steering rubber coupling and upper column - cost €300
3. A/C Hoses - €150
4. Door handle clips - don't ask
5. Rear parking sensor - cost €50 (ebay special)

Other standard serviceable items that add up when for BMW include

1. Rear shocks - circa €400
2. Pads + Rotors - circa €800
3. Valve cover gasket - cira €200
4. Gearbox oil - circa €550

In the 4.5 years of ownership it cost just under €10K to keep on the road between tyres, servicing and "extra" bits. That's a little over 2k per annum!

What is Joy? Joy is leaving the BMW marque!

RoverJames wrote: »

Looney money even if that was for all 4 corners

jayok wrote: »

I was all 4 corners this was by and Indy too. The parts were OEM quality alright and the parts made up most of the cost!

you should of went to a BMW dealer and availed of the valueline servicing for the E46.

Woulf of got all for discs and pads done for €660

http://www.joeduffybmw.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&externalID=17319

jayok

kceire wrote: »

you should of went to a BMW dealer and availed of the valueline servicing for the E46.

Woulf of got all for discs and pads done for €660

The package wasn't available at the time they needed to be done. If it was, I would have used it.

TBH JD put me off BMW dealers, as when I first looked at a service for my newly acquired car they were looking at astronomical figures just todo an oil service. Sent me the Indy route. But this was in the halycon days of the motor industry and value wasn't to be found.

Gumbo

jayok wrote: »

The package wasn't available at the time they needed to be done. If it was, I would have used it.

TBH JD put me off BMW dealers, as when I first looked at a service for my newly acquired car they were looking at astronomical figures just todo an oil service. Sent me the Indy route. But this was in the halycon days of the motor industry and value wasn't to be found.

when did you get this work done?
Suppose if it was the boom years, then this was normal1

PaulKK

jayok wrote: »

Automatic gearbox involves removing the cover, replacing the seals and fitting a new filter. Also, the specific of fluid is quite specific - do some research.

Lol, sorry there Jayok, but theres no need to be so condescending, I am well aware of the fluid required thanks.

I used Fuchs MTF in mine, BMW fill for life approved.

jayok wrote: »

OEM parts are not that cheap. I tried an alternative brand and they were fupping useless.

M-Sport shocks are not that cheap fitted.

Sorry again Jayok, but they are cheap. ATE or Pagid are OEM for BMW and they are widely available from motor factors. I always use OEM products like Mahle which are identical to the ones in the BMW boxes in the dealers.

Sorry to break it to you but Sachs are OEM maker of BMW shocks too, like the one I linked.

For the Auto box, yes its a bit more than a manual, however, the filter is about 30 quid
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_3+Series_2.5_2004/p/car-parts/car-service-parts/regular-service/other-filters1/?504110070&1&4abb7b9ca3e639afe8234aa013c3075ac45d716c&000586

and the gasket is about tenner.

So allow 80 for oil (6.5 litres), 40 for parts, and an hours labour.. about 180 max.

You paid 550...

I'm sorry but you got ripped off plain and simple.

jayok

kceire wrote: »

when did you get this work done?
Suppose if it was the boom years, then this was normal1

2008.

PaulKK wrote: »

Lol, sorry there Jayok, but theres no need to be so condescending, I am well aware of the fluid required thanks.

First of all, I apologize if I can across condescending, it certainly wasn't my intention as there is no benefit from it for anyone. I was simply trying to refute the suggestion that the gearbox oil, filters and labour could be changed for €60. I failed to see how.

PaulKK wrote: »

Sorry again Jayok, but they are cheap. ATE or Pagid are OEM for BMW and they are widely available from motor factors. I always use OEM products like Mahle which are identical to the ones in the BMW boxes in the dealers.

Sorry to break it to you but Sachs are OEM maker of BMW shocks too, like the one I linked.

For the Auto box, yes its a bit more than a manual, however, the filter is about 30 quid
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/BMW_3+Series_2.5_2004/p/car-parts/car-service-parts/regular-service/other-filters1/?504110070&1&4abb7b9ca3e639afe8234aa013c3075ac45d716c&000586

and the gasket is about tenner.

So allow 80 for oil (6.5 litres), 40 for parts, and an hours labour.. about 180 max.

You paid 550...

I'm sorry but you got ripped off plain and simple.

My mechanic charges €80 + VAT. Not sure if I could get the labor for 40 incl VAT - it seems way too cheap to me. I also understand that garages need to make profit on the parts being fitted. Charging the price off the internet + minimal labour will have a garage broke in no time - so I expect a level of additional charge.

In terms of being ripped-off I probably did, and I'm not arguing for/against this, TBH I don't care the money is long spent. I was trying to give the OP some indication on the running costs of the car. Even if I overstated the cost by 50%, the failure points by a BMW are still ridiculous and if they fail need to be replaced.

challengemaster

If your mechanic is charging 80+vat per hour, I'd be finding a new mechanic fairly sharpish if you like your money. That's what main dealers charge, indys would be from 40+

You also never stated what year it was. You had it 4.5 years, sold it on in 08/09, and I reckon it's at least another 3-4 years older than that. So it was ~7 years old when you had most of this work done? If you bought a car that had the arse ragged off of it, it's hardly the cars fault for having excessive wear and tear.

jayok

challengemaster wrote: »

If your mechanic is charging 80+vat per hour, I'd be finding a new mechanic fairly sharpish if you like your money. That's what main dealers charge, indys would be from 40+

BMW main dealers charge more. I don't need a new Indy as I no longer have the BMW.

challengemaster wrote: »

You also never stated what year it was. You had it 4.5 years, sold it on in 08/09, and I reckon it's at least another 3-4 years older than that. So it was ~7 years old when you had most of this work done? If you bought a car that had the arse ragged off of it, it's hardly the cars fault for having excessive wear and tear.

It was a 03 bought in 07 sold in 2011. Work done across this period. You don't know my old car, the "arse" was not "ragged" off of it as incorrectly assumed. If it was excessive wear and tear why are these "common faults" so elaborate?

You will know that the BMW E46 "suffers" the following:

1. Weak bushings
2. Power Steering Pump failure (design fault)
3. Parking sensor failure over the exhaust due to dirt from the tyres
4. MV2 alloys with excessive corrision due to manufacturing fault
5. Weak door handle clasps - plastic clip too weak to hold cable
6. Guibo failure (also in E36)


The list goes on...

conzy

Again thanks for all the input, will hopefully get to view a few over the Christmas holidays and make my mind up in the new year!

JerCotter7

jayok wrote: »

BMW main dealers charge more. I don't need a new Indy as I no longer have the BMW.




It was a 03 bought in 07 sold in 2011. Work done across this period. You don't know my old car, the "arse" was not "ragged" off of it as incorrectly assumed. If it was excessive wear and tear why are these "common faults" so elaborate?

You will know that the BMW E46 "suffers" the following:

1. Weak bushings
2. Power Steering Pump failure (design fault)
3. Parking sensor failure over the exhaust due to dirt from the tyres
4. MV2 alloys with excessive corrision due to manufacturing fault
5. Weak door handle clasps - plastic clip too weak to hold cable
6. Guibo failure (also in E36)


The list goes on...

Think it's time you start trying to work on your own cars. You got ripped off pretty much every time. It's not gonna matter what car you own now if you still use the same mechanic. They will know you like to spend money.

Wolverine_1999

JerCotter7 wrote: »

Think it's time you start trying to work on your own cars. You got ripped off pretty much every time. It's not gonna matter what car you own now if you still use the same mechanic. They will know you like to spend money.

Owning a BMW.. you will have to be able to do a bit of handywork yourself as it comes with the label in any case. Most of the problems I've had are niggly things that I have fixed myself.

PaulKK

jayok wrote: »

First of all, I apologize if I can across condescending, it certainly wasn't my intention as there is no benefit from it for anyone. I was simply trying to refute the suggestion that the gearbox oil, filters and labour could be changed for €60. I failed to see how.

My apologies also, I didn't realise that it was an auto, however, 200 euro would be more than enough to pay for this job, not 550.

jayok wrote: »

My mechanic charges €80 + VAT. Not sure if I could get the labor for 40 incl VAT - it seems way too cheap to me. I also understand that garages need to make profit on the parts being fitted. Charging the price off the internet + minimal labour will have a garage broke in no time - so I expect a level of additional charge.

My mechanic charges 40e an hour and he has all the diagnostic equipment for all makes and uses genuine parts for most makes. I often supply my own parts and he has no issue with it.

jayok

jayok wrote: »

............. I also understand that garages need to make profit on the parts being fitted. Charging the price off the internet + minimal labour will have a garage broke in no time - so I expect a level of additional charge................

How the parts situation work is that the garages charge the RRP for the parts, they buy them as trade discount, that's their profit (or handling charge) on parts , any mechanic charging you over RRP on parts is ripping you off.

conzy

Here is a clean looking 323i going quiet cheap.



It only has cloth seats but it has a new NCT and could probably be gotten for 2500 euro. Would leave a lot of money for tax and crazy amount of petrol I will use in the first few weeks! :P

But then again if im going to be keeping it for a few years I should probably be looking at a slightly newer one with better spec

If you got it for no more than €2200 the cloth seats wouldn't be an issue, otherwise I reckon you're right to spend a bit more and get one perfect for you. I wouldn't part with €2500 for that

Fishtits

If the engine is running perfect... you got a dream.

If the engine is acting up, flat spots etc, you've got a nighmare.

rebel.ranter

Two other things to watch out for:
- a smell of oil in the cabin when parked with car idling (particularly if the car is parked up overnight & only just started) usually points to a rocker cover gasket failure. It gets hard & cracks, then oil leaks on to the exhaust manifold. It is only really noticeable when stationary. €67 for an OEM gasket, easy enough job to do DIY

- Excessive oil consumption can be down to a fault (crack) in the CCV (crank case ventilation) system. The CCV valve can fail or a plastic pipe can become brittle & crack. The engine needs a vacuum for oil separation to work, if it's not there then it will burn oil. It can also cause a poor idle. The parts are close to €200 OEM, if you're tackling the job they say you're best off chnanging the valve & pipes at once. How to check the vacuum is to let the engines eat up & at idle remove the oil cap, place a freezer bag flat over the cover, if the bag gets sucked in slightly (hold onto the bag of course!) then The vacuum is working properly

- NCT centres love failing 3 Series on rusty brake pipes that go up & over the petrol tank. It's a design flaw with e36 & e46. The tank has to come down to change them so labour can be expensive because of all the ripping. Have a good look at these so you know what you're getting into

- Rear springs in e46 are notorious for cracking, they are cheap to replace though €20 each 2nd hand or €50 for a spurious one new. Labour is very straight forward & very DIY

- Lots of 2001-2005 e46 were imported from UK 2nd hand. Not a problem in itself but it means a few checks should be done. First establish if it has been imported (motorcheck.ie or similar), check for rust under the arches & also check the service history from the UK side, don't just rely on a service book. A stamped up service book can be bought on EBay for less than €20. Reason for verifying service history is to verify mileage indicated tallies up

- Heating system controls can act up & this can be due to a fulty FSR (final stage resisitor), sometimes called final stage unit or hedgehog. €50 for a spurious part but I would recommend forking out once for an OEM part for this one (€109). Spurious ones fail much quicker. Overnight battery drain can result from a faulty FSR too, the car doesn't go to "sleep" if FSR is faulty causing the heater fan to run very low permanently when car is switched off

I might have repeated one or two points but these are the main things to watch out for besides the usual 2nd hand car checks

conzy

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Two other things to watch out for:
- a smell of oil in the cabin when parked with car idling (particularly if the car is parked up overnight & only just started) usually points to a rocker cover gasket failure. It gets hard & cracks, then oil leaks on to the exhaust manifold. It is only really noticeable when stationary. €67 for an OEM gasket, easy enough job to do DIY

- Excessive oil consumption can be down to a fault (crack) in the CCV (crank case ventilation) system. The CCV valve can fail or a plastic pipe can become brittle & crack. The engine needs a vacuum for oil separation to work, if it's not there then it will burn oil. It can also cause a poor idle. The parts are close to €200 OEM, if you're tackling the job they say you're best off chnanging the valve & pipes at once. How to check the vacuum is to let the engines eat up & at idle remove the oil cap, place a freezer bag flat over the cover, if the bag gets sucked in slightly (hold onto the bag of course!) then The vacuum is working properly

- NCT centres love failing 3 Series on rusty brake pipes that go up & over the petrol tank. It's a design flaw with e36 & e46. The tank has to come down to change them so labour can be expensive because of all the ripping. Have a good look at these so you know what you're getting into

- Rear springs in e46 are notorious for cracking, they are cheap to replace though €20 each 2nd hand or €50 for a spurious one new. Labour is very straight forward & very DIY

- Lots of 2001-2005 e46 were imported from UK 2nd hand. Not a problem in itself but it means a few checks should be done. First establish if it has been imported (motorcheck.ie or similar), check for rust under the arches & also check the service history from the UK side, don't just rely on a service book. A stamped up service book can be bought on EBay for less than €20. Reason for verifying service history is to verify mileage indicated tallies up

- Heating system controls can act up & this can be due to a fulty FSR (final stage resisitor), sometimes called final stage unit or hedgehog. €50 for a spurious part but I would recommend forking out once for an OEM part for this one (€109). Spurious ones fail much quicker. Overnight battery drain can result from a faulty FSR too, the car doesn't go to "sleep" if FSR is faulty causing the heater fan to run very low permanently when car is switched off

I might have repeated one or two points but these are the main things to watch out for besides the usual 2nd hand car checks

Lots of good info there thanks!

Fishtits wrote: »

If the engine is running perfect... you got a dream.

If the engine is acting up, flat spots etc, you've got a nighmare.

Is that trouble with the double VANOS? Im sure a VANOS overhaul is a 1000 euro fix? Anything to listen out for? Already have to listen out for tappets!

challengemaster

Actually, about the springs cracking - very common problem. I'd recommend NOT replacing them with original springs, but get some Eibachs - replace them with the originals (2nd hand or whatever) and you're just waiting for it to crack again in the future. Added benefit of lowering too

macker64

Unfortunately, with the Double Vanos (Intake and Exhaust) on this era BMW engine, unless you have driven the car from new, you would not notice any difference in performance.
Its not widely known that the vanos seals(rubber) were not up to the job and were mostly useless after 20k miles.
There is a kit of rubber seals available from the states which I am glad to say are more than up to the job and will totally transform this engine. (Increased low and mid range torque)

If I were you I would go for the E46's bigger brother the E39 in MTEC 2.5L form.

A far superior car in my humble opinion!! ;