Glow plugs replacement

high horse

I'm looking for a rough estimate price for the replacement of the glow plugs in an E46 320d (150bhp version)

It's very slow to start and when it was in the garage last week, the diagnostic reader gave an error code for the glow plugs. However, it's a 2003 car with 210,000 miles on the clock so I'm trying to gauge if this would be uneconomical to repair.

Any ideas?

magentis

Was the battery tested?

high horse

magentis wrote: »

Was the battery tested?

Yes, it's turning over as strong as ever too.

magentis

Glowplugs are not too expensive ,if they have been in there a long time they can be difficult to remove and can very easily snap,very often needing the cylinder head removed to rectify.

magentis

I've never done them on that engine,hopefully someone will have knowledge of the specific job.A good Indy familiar with them would be the way to go.The glowplug relay/controller could also be issue.

high horse

magentis wrote: »

Glowplugs are not too expensive ,if they have been in there a long time they can be difficult to remove and can very easily snap,very often needing the cylinder head removed to rectify.

Yeah, I had read about removing them with a torque wrench to help reduce the risk of shearing them off
15 years and 210,000 miles is plenty long enough to get stuck!

How many hours would a decent indy charge to replace the glow plugs, assuming nothing goes wrong?

Rows Grower

Easiest way to remove them is have the engine really hot (not just warmed up) beforehand.

It's not really a big job for an experienced mechanic.