Joining the E46 brigade

Elbow

I'm going looking at a 04 320 CD coupe this evening and i'm wondering is there anything beyond the usual that I should watch out for?

It has a full service history & the cartell check didn't show anything out of the ordinary.


Thanks

Ardennes1944

Use the search bar dude!

ba_barabus

Low mileage backed up with a non existent service history

listermint

320Cd (being pedantic)

Elbow

ba_barabus wrote: »

Low mileage backed up with a non existent service history

Mileage is about right for the year & I've already put in a call to the garage that stamped the last few services

listermint wrote: »

320Cd (being pedantic)

Fixed that for ya

Alanstrainor

Another step towards renaming the forum to simply "e46"! Hahaha

tossy

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Another step towards renaming the forum to simply "e46"! Hahaha

Driving all us real motoring enthusiasts VAg heads out of here.

Crank case breather filter is a big one on these make sure there is evidence of it being done.

Idbatterim

what kind of mileage are you doing and whats your budget? I shouldnt even have to say this, but DO NOT buy a car without having it checked first, preferably by a bmw specialist, with their own ramp, diagnostic equipment etc.

Elbow

400 or so miles a week & looking to spend around 7K

Idbatterim

right, so yeah your well into diesel territory, youll be looking at good 04 or 05 for that money, make sure you go for m sport, the spec on the 320Cd's tends to be quite good. do you want to link or even pm me the car your looking at? Im on my 2nd E46 coupe now and the bro has had two also, so I know a thing or two about them...

Elbow

Right a deal has been struck, getting a good price on my trade in and very happy with the car.

history checks out, all filters have been sorted inc crank case, 4 new tyres, fresh NCT and it has most of the toys. Only downside is the lack of leather but the cloth is in great nick.

Marcusm

Is it a sign of the recessionary times that the default forum car has shifted from an Octavia to a 3 series?

maidhc

Marcusm wrote: »

Is it a sign of the recessionary times that the default forum car has shifted from an Octavia to a 3 series?

Or more precisely to a car that went out of production 7 years ago!

Idbatterim

Right a deal has been struck, getting a good price on my trade in and very happy with the car.

history checks out, all filters have been sorted inc crank case, 4 new tyres, fresh NCT and it has most of the toys. Only downside is the lack of leather but the cloth is in great nick.

is it an m sport?

Elbow

SE spec

Ardennes1944

Another e46 for me to look out for in Cork

Elbow

Quick update: Between one thing and another I had to postpone my purchase for a few weeks but I'm collecting this evening! Very excited

Supergurrier

Jays us another one

Moanin

Any link to the car?

challengemaster

Finally, another E46 daysul thread that I can chime in on

Good news - you've got a facelift. This means that if the crankcase breather filter has been replaced, it's already a vortex style plastic oil separator which will never need replacing again. It's recommended that they get cleaned every now and again, but if you keep on top of oil changes, there shouldn't be any reason to. Speaking of which, the service intervals are silly. I'd say every 8-10k miles do an oil change.

Now, first thing you should be budgeting for is a set of swirl flap blanks. They can be ordered from here and fitted yourself if you're fairly confident about tearing apart your engine If not, I'd recommend getting Barrys motorsport (Cork based, work a lot with bmws ) to fit them. Once that's done, the engine is pretty much bullet proof. I'd recommend getting the EGR cleaned too, it'll improve MPGs

In terms of things that will most likely go wrong while you own it, I'd say it'll all be suspension wear/tear issues. Particularly depending on milage. They tend to eat through front control arm bushes. Factory fitted rear springs are a weak point. If you do end up needing to replace suspension parts, I'd recommend getting Meyle HD or Lemforder parts only. allgermanparts.co.uk is great for these, can't fault their service.

In all honesty, I've had mine nearly 2 years and it's caused me little to no trouble. The entire front suspension on mine has been replaced since I got it, but as it sits @155,000 miles it was all wear/tear, or for modification purpose (lowering springs, etc)

Elbow

Crankcase filter has been done & the labor involved in fitting of swirl blanks negotiated into the deal, shocks and brakes were replaced in the past 12 months .

Just need to contact a few breakers to get black leather and i'll be sorted!

bazz26

challengemaster

Elbow wrote: »

Crankcase filter has been done & the labor involved in fitting of swirl blanks negotiated into the deal, shocks and brakes were replaced in the past 12 months .

Just need to contact a few breakers to get black leather and i'll be sorted!

You might already know but Saloon/Coupe/Convertible interiors aren't interchangeable.

Frank Wyse, BMW breaker in Clogheen. Plenty of E46 coupes in there

Elbow

Calm down

I'll throw up a few pics as soon as I get it home

Elbow

challengemaster wrote: »

You might already know but Saloon/Coupe/Convertible interiors aren't interchangeable.

Yup

There's no major panic anyway, tax etc must be paid first!

Eric Cartman

challengemaster wrote: »

You might already know but Saloon/Coupe/Convertible interiors aren't interchangeable.

Frank Wyse, BMW breaker in Clogheen. Plenty of E46 coupes in there

it may also be worth seeing what price nolan auto care will retrim the seats in leather for, bound to be more expensive than buying seats but new leather

challengemaster

Eric Cartman wrote: »

it may also be worth seeing what price nolan auto care will retrim the seats in leather for, bound to be more expensive than buying seats but new leather

They'll still be SE seats just leather ones, much better getting Msport tbh. Particularly for that milage.

Elbow

Thanks for all the help and advice folks, I'm absolutely delighted with my new motor!

It needs another wash tomorrow and I'll fire up a few pics after

Elbow

Well after a bit of an ebaying session this morning i've got a full black leather m-sport interior inc carbon fiber trims and all the necessary bits to retrofit electric seats on route!

Gonna be a busy boy next saturday