What To Look For When Buying A Bwm E46

[FredC]

Hi,

1. Can someone tell me what to look for from an E46 (common problems etc)

2. 1999 / 2000 comes with common rail motor?

3. how is service at Mroys?.

[Twin Turbo]

.It's all ways advisable to do a bumper to bumper inspection by a person who knows Beemer's.I suppose you're asking of the 320d.

This engine cooling fan - , even though longitudinally mounted, has an electric cooling fan (single pull-type).when that dies, both A/c and engine will suffer.

Crankshaft harmonic balancer (vibration damper) - known for failure.

Turbocharger - known to fail with use. check for proper-operation as the thing is spinning at speed even at idle engine..

Clutch - check for operation and biting point.

Rear suspension sub-frame - rare failure repaired under warranty.

The suspension would have worn/noisy bits due to age/mileage - specially front lower arms/bushes.

Alloy wheels deform from falling into pot holes

A dealer maintained car is worth looking for.

Good luck!

TT.

P.s, Everything which can go wrong , does. it's just like any other car,

Edited March 11, 2016 by Twin Turbo

[Hoonigan]

.It's all ways advisable to do a bumper to bumper inspection by a person who knows Beemer's.I suppose you're asking of the 320d.

This is the route I went with. A forum member here operates a BMW workshop who recommended the E46 I ended up buying.

[c1nder]

Swirl flaps tend to get loose with time and fall in the intake. Better to check/blank them once buying.

This is the route I went with. A forum member here operates a BMW workshop who recommended the E46 I ended up buying.

Is it a diesel or petrol, auto/manual?

[Hoonigan]

Is it a diesel or petrol, auto/manual?

Petrol (N42) manual

[FredC]

Hello good people,

Thanks for the insights! Really appreciated! Some are crazily priced! I saw a 318i is around 3.7Mn!

[FredC]

This is the route I went with. A forum member here operates a BMW workshop who recommended the E46 I ended up buying.

any way of contact? I can save time and certainly don't wanna end up buying a messed up one

[Hoonigan]

Look up Bugatti on the forum

[FredC]

Look up Bugatti on the forum

Thanks man! appreciated!

[Supra_Natural]

Thanks man! appreciated!

Sent you a message with the contact details.

[FredC]

Sent you a message with the contact details.

Thanks man! Really really Appreciated!

[asier]

if you are going for a petrol i can provide you wt some insight...btw are there any facelift six cylinder e46s here in sl..have neva seen one..

[Supra_Natural]

if you are going for a petrol i can provide you wt some insight...btw are there any facelift six cylinder e46s here in sl..have neva seen one..

I don't think there are any, even pre facelift six pot cars are extremely rare.

[FredC]

if you are going for a petrol i can provide you wt some insight...btw are there any facelift six cylinder e46s here in sl..have neva seen one..

I don't think there are any, even pre facelift six pot cars are extremely rare.

I've hardly seen any petrol engines. I came a cross two 318is. One was in 2014 and I was not interested in buying at that time and it was in absolute mint (now regretting the fact that I didn't buy it - my bad!!) the other was over priced!! Going to see a 320d tomorrow. Many have not maintained properly!

[Hoonigan]

I've hardly seen any petrol engines. I came a cross two 318is. One was in 2014 and I was not interested in buying at that time and it was in absolute mint (now regretting the fact that I didn't buy it - my bad!!) the other was over priced!! Going to see a 320d tomorrow. Many have not maintained properly!

only 2? really? While they are comparatively less in numbers than the diesels, I came across quite few for sale when I was looking for one. Ended up buying the one Bugatti recommended. It was not in tip top shape and I had to do some catch up work after buying it (including a full respray).

Considering the age and the cost of maintenance, expect to attend to some preventative maintenance.

[c1nder]

I don't think there are any, even pre facelift six pot cars are extremely rare.

Pretty lucky to have come across a relatively well maintained pre-facelift 6 pot e46 when I was looking

[Rukster]

There are about 6-8 pre-facelift 6 pot e46 cars in SL. Two are in fact 328i's. Two 325 convertibles. 3 are 320i's of which I have one. There are some good 318i out there too, but its a long wait to find a good one come into the market... Most owners are not willing to part with them.

Edited March 23, 2016 by Rukster

[asier]

There are about 6-8 pre-facelift 6 pot e46 cars in SL. Two are in fact 328i's. Two 325 convertibles. 3 are 320i's of which I have one. There are some good 318i out there too, but its a long wait to find a good one come into the market... Most owners are not willing to part with them.

yes i saw one in a photo album of a bmw meetup,a blue pre facelift convertible...havent seen a single one up for sale, can imagine why owners keep them.. sorry feels like i have hijacked the thread..

[throttle]

Hi,

1. Can someone tell me what to look for from an E46 (common problems etc)

2. 1999 / 2000 comes with common rail motor?

3. how is service at Mroys?.

1.Milage! Ive been going around looking for E46s around and most of them show a relatively low milage with no history of service records. So watch out for this. There are quite a few minor turbo problems on the diesel engines and also suspension issues. Relatively the petrol cars are low on maintenance but higher on the pocket in terms of petrol consumption ( Diesel does an avg of around 12/14km pl while the petrol does around 8.5 to 9 ) Well either way its quite difficult to get a well maintained e46 these days coz no one sells these

2. 1999/2000 does not have a common rail engine. ( As far as I know)

3. I haven't done a service at millys! I'd suggest you to go to Prestige for servicing (not parts! )

I hope this helps Give me a shout if you need any more info

[asier]

1.Milage! Ive been going around looking for E46s around and most of them show a relatively low milage with no history of service records. So watch out for this. There are quite a few minor turbo problems on the diesel engines and also suspension issues. Relatively the petrol cars are low on maintenance but higher on the pocket in terms of petrol consumption ( Diesel does an avg of around 12/14km pl while the petrol does around 8.5 to 9 ) Well either way its quite difficult to get a well maintained e46 these days coz no one sells these

2. 1999/2000 does not have a common rail engine. ( As far as I know)

3. I haven't done a service at millys! I'd suggest you to go to Prestige for servicing (not parts! )

I hope this helps Give me a shout if you need any more info

the petrol fuel figures are bit misleading they do average of 11-12.5kmpl....8.5-9 is city figures...this is for n42 motor

Edited March 25, 2016 by asier

[throttle]

the petrol fuel figures are bit misleading they do average of 11-12.5kmpl....8.5-9 is city figures...this is for n42 motor

Is that for a 1.8 or a 2.0 engine ?

[asier]

Is that for a 1.8 or a 2.0 engine ?

its a 2L engine

[throttle]

its a 2L engine

Thats nice! I never get 11-12

[asier]

Thats nice! I never get 11-12

whats ur car??the engine?? may be you are only doing city driving...last wk only did long runs highway and low traffic roads gave me good 14 average...if not go see a mechanic check ur plugs etc

[throttle]

whats ur car??the engine?? may be you are only doing city driving...last wk only did long runs highway and low traffic roads gave me good 14 average...if not go see a mechanic check ur plugs etc

318i 2L engine.. Yeah I guess i have to get those checked cheers for the info buddy

[Hoonigan]

I get between 7 and 8 commuting in traffic. Have seen 10-11 with long hauls not babying the throttle.

If you're going for the petrol with the N42, the engine burns a bit of oil. There's no conclusive amount considered 'normal' for the engine. But this is something worth checking.