Moved from here

Hopfully should be easier to see the amounts now!

Idea from Allan K

Many have used the email or phone service for finding out spec/dealer visits, etc.

Just to let you know this info has come to my attention:

Please be aware that as from the 1st July 2008 we will no longer offer Vehicle Specification and Dealer Visit details via email. These details may be obtained after this date by calling the dedicated Vehicle Specification line on 0906 2090001.


Hope that is of interest.

Tips and tricks for your E46...

Hope you guys find it helpful


1. When the temperature drops below 37 F degrees, the car beeps to let you know to watch out for icy roads. Also, the rear defroster comes on.
2. You can read the odometer with the car off; all you have to do is press the needle on the left.
3. When car is off, hit the volume knob on the radio the radio turns on (it only works with 02 decks)
4. There is a "secret" compartment underneath my car's armrest and a Coin box in center console.
5. There is a trunk release right above the hood release (not on all cars)
6. There is an exterior trunk release above the license plate and under the ledge.
7. There is flashlight in the glove box.
8. There are amber lights that shine on the center console.
9. You can change radio station on the steering wheel by holding up/down button longer to scan to next station rather than preset ones.
Interior lights can be turn off when you open/close door or shut the engine down.
10. The two knobs on the center control panel are to reset the short trip mileage and the other one is for changing the time on the clock and changing the time from army time (24 hour time) to normal time. And you could also switch the temperature display both on the dash and on the climate control between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
11. You may be able to auto-roll down of windows from the remote control. Another way is to put the key in the door handle and turn to the unlock position and hold it there. This will also open and close the moon roof or put a convertible top down.
12. If you push the unlock button on the remote once it will unlock the driver door, for ‘02s if you push the unlock button on the remote twice it will unlock all the doors…then once all that is done.... push and hold the unlock button on the remote the windows will start to roll down... then the sunroof will open too.
13. If you hit the 'counter reset button' with the ignition in position 2 (or very quickly when you start your car), then it will show you when you are due to change your brake fluid!
14. There is also a first aid kit under the passengers seat.
15. There is a compartment by your leg when you are in the drivers seat. The compartment is on your left if in a LHD, and on your right if in RHD (located next to your knee).
16. The safety strip along each window and sunroof that detects obstructions and retracts them. (Along with a timer that prevents the motors from burning out if in use too long).
17. The OEM side mirrors are designed with slats and ridges to reduce wind noise.
18. The airbag system is 2 stage deployable depending on if the seat belts are latched. If there is no passenger, that front airbag wont even go off to save repair costs. (Along with the explosive seatbelt tensioners).
19. The radio, sunroof, and other "ignition" triggered accessories are available for a period of time after the car is turned off until a door is opened.
20. The fact that the car goes into "sleep" mode after 16 minutes of inactivity to reduce battery drain and eliminate dead batteries from "left on" accessories (lights, etc).
21. The suspension is designed to limit body dive under hard braking, instead the entire chassis dives evenly for stability.
22. The A/C compressor has a variable displacement thrust plate to eliminate the shock load of compressor cycling and use varies depending on need and load.
23. Flashing the high beams after ignition is turned off will leave the headlamps on for a preset amount of time for security while parking the vehicle.
24. The Keyless Entry system utilizes antennae in the rear window, change key codes every time, will deactivate keys if a key is pressed too many times without response from the car, the key recharges while in the ignition switch, and they store all sorts of presets, from seat positions to IHKA control settings.
25. The radio remembers the settings separate for each input. (E.g., CD input can have the bass/treble/balance/fade settings different from the F.M. radio)
26. Left Side Mirror will tilt in reverse (check to make sure your mirror selection switch is in center or left position to use this feature)
Door locks that engage when you go 8 Miles per hour (Dealer need to turn this feature on).

27. As some of you may know, the BMW On-Board Computer (OBC) holds more functions than is documented, including a very nice instrument panel test. I managed to get a lot of this information from the web, but it was far from complete. Subsequently I asked my dealer for the missing info, but they could not provide the complete list either. Following is a list for the items I could find, they work in my car (E46 323i). I gather most of them also work in the E36 models. Who can tell what the missing entries represent (especially functions
9.1, 9.2 and 9.3 which are very mysterious)?

Instructions to access the hidden OBC functions:
1. Hold Trip Reset while turning ignition key to on position
2. OBC should show "Test"
3. Use Trip Reset to select function 19.0 that unlocks all the features
3. Wait for display to show "Off"
4. Depress Trip Reset for 1/4 second and release it
5. With no delay press Trip Reset several times to select one of the following function s

BMW E46 On-Board Computer (OBC) Hidden Codes
nr example description
1 Car Engine and cluster data
1.0 46nnn Chassis nr/VIN serial number (last 5 digits)
1.1 4nnn K-number
1.2 690236 Cluster Part #
1.3 045210 Coding (04)/diagnosis (52)/bus index (10)
1.4 1200 Week (12)/year of manufacture (2000)
1.5 09_160 Hardware (09) and software # (16.0) of cluster
1.6 Not used
1.7 04__44 CAN-version (04) KI-revision index (44)
2 (test) Cluster System Test - Activates the gauge drivers,
indicators and LEDs to confirm function
3 SI Data
3.0 1098 Used fuel in liters since last SI (Service Inspection)
3.1 0231 Periodic inspection days; elapsed days (since last SI)
4 Momentary Consumption
4.0 0145+ Instant fuel consumption - 0145=14.5 liters/100km
4.1 0018 Instant fuel consumption - 0018=1.8 l/Hour
5 Distance Gone Consumption
5.0 082 Average mileage; 082=8.2 liters/100km
5.1 0536 Calc. km to refuel (momentary distance to go)
6 Fuel Level sensor inputs in liters
6.0 109330+ Fuel level averaged; Left half sensor input=10.9 liters; Right sensor input=33.0 liters
6.1 0439+ Total tank level averaged; vlgs 6.0: 10.9+33.0=43.9 liters
6.2 0442+ Indicated value (44.2) and tank phase
7 Temperature and Speed
7.0 021+ Coolant/Engine temperature (2.1C)
7.1 130 Ambient/Outside temperature - chg met 5 pts. 125/130/135
7.2 + Engine speed / Current RPMs 1/min
7.3 + Vehicle speed / Current Speed in km/hour
8 Input value in HEX form
8.0 1d0+ System voltage ADC-Value Hex code
8.1 26C33C+ ADC Values HG left/HG right
8.2 0000 ADC Value brake degradation sensor (000=o.k.)
8.3 18C ADC Value outside temperature
9 Battery
9.0 140 Battery Voltage - 140 = UB 14.0v
9.1 242013+?
9.2 074_78+?
9.3 0011+?
10 Not used
11 Not used
12 Not used
13 GonG Gong Test
14 Not used
15 Status cluster I/O-ports (bit codes) 0=low; 1=high
1st-belt contact, seat belt fastened=0; 2) ignition lock contact, key inserted=0; 3) door contact, door open=0; 4) clock button pressed=0; 5) SI reset=0, for reset=0; 6) EGS transmission failure=0
Status Digital Outputs (bits) 0=inactive, 1=active
1) Gong output; 2) Brake warning lamp; 3) Low fuel warning lamp; 4) EGA lamp; 5) seat belt lamp; 6) manipulation dot
16 Not used
17 Not used
18 Not used
19 Lock Status; unlocks functions in range 3-18
19.0 L-On/L-Off Unlock: press button when "L-Off"
20 Not used
21 Software Reset; reset OBC settings
00 End of test

28. Put your turn signal either on the left or right position, with no key in the ignition, close the door and walk away. What you will see is the front blinker, and rear turn signal stay lit. From what I read, it's supposed to be a feature to for people to see your car when it's parked at night in those really tight streets in Europe. This way no one accidentally drives into your car.
29. If you look on your roof, there will be two flaps on each side that are plastic and body colors. You can remove them and there is a little hole in each one that accepts the BMW Roof Rack.
30. Hold down the PTY button (this works, to my knowledge, on cars w/nav) and you will turn on AUTOPTY--it'll display the type of music station if the data is present. I think this works for RDS too.... that way, you don't have to keep pressing it when you switch to radio or change stations etc.
31. Change the Speed Sensitive Volume Ratio - E46 Business CD Head Unit:
Turn the radio off then on again. Don’t touch any button except the 'm' button - the button you use to tune the radio frequency manually. Press and hold the 'm' button for TEN seconds or until the display changes. It will then show the serial number of the unit. Normally when you press 'm', the display will reflect that by replacing 'ST' (stereo tuning) with 'm'. When holding the 'm' button for this procedure, the display should not do this - you will continue to see 'ST' for the ten seconds. Now if the display has changed, you are in a configure mode on the radio. If you press the '>' or '<' button you change modes. The mode you want will display as "GAL (1-6)". This mode allows you to adjust the speed-sensitive volume control. Use the radio preset buttons 1-6 to set the amount of volume change you want at speed. Setting 1 is the smallest change, 6 is the highest. I use 1 with the windows closed, and 5 when it's a nice enough day to drive with the windows open, which makes for a lot of ambient noise at speed. The car is so quiet with the windows closed that setting 1 is fine. Then turn the radio OFF to save the settings. Turn it back on; go for a drive to test it. The other semi-useful test mode will tell you the signal strength of any given station from 0 to 15 (highest). Use the preset buttons to change stations in the mode. This capability is probably used in the automatic tuning function in the radio.
32. The multiple 'auto heater/AC combinations at start-up' memory options are nifty.
33. If you want to leave your windows down but have the alarm set, but not have to worry about the motion detector go off, you can arm you alarm by hitting the lock button, and then wait a second and hit the button again. You'll see the clown nose light up for a second, which means the motion detector is deactivated
34. If you flicker your high beams when the car is off, your xenons go on for 30 seconds to give u a lighted path to walk
35. If you have auto wipers, the headlights go on when the wipers activate, if on auto.
36. Where the spare tire is, next to the portable jack there is a wheel chock!!
37. In Euro delivery cars, there is a warning triangle in a blue plastic case that bolts to the left rear of the trunk and a first aid kit under the passenger seat.
38. Apparently "there's a cheat code in the software running the BMW M3's sequential manual gearbox (SMG). Press the right buttons in the right order and the car will launch you from a stop after revving the engine to 5,000 rpm". "But there is a catch. In Europe, where the feature isn't so hush-hush, doing more than 15 launches voids the car's warranty. Federal laws prohibit such stipulations here, so BMW has turned down the which. US-spec cars are programmed to wind to only 2,500 rpm. That's why you have to ask your dealer to install the European software. Most will happily oblige"

"For lucky drivers of this hot car, here's how: Switch of the stability system and select shift program six. Switch the engine to sport mode. With the hand shifter in drive, hold it in the downshift position and press the has pedal. The engine will rev to the preprogrammed rpm and hold. Now release the shifter. The car will launch forward violently and the engine's revs will climb quickly, so be prepared to up shift"
39. When you have your wipers on fast and medium (don’t know what you call it) Anyways if you come to a stop it'll go to intermittent
40. Want to know your odometer reading but no key... no problem. Just press the computer toggle button at the end of the turn signal lever. The computer read-out lights up with the odometer reading.
41. Everyone knows that the screwdriver in the tool kit is reversible.
42. When windshield wipers are going, and the a/c is on, regardless of the temp, warm air is coming out of the windshield defrost vent.
43. Holding down the DSC button to completely turn it off.

Buyers' guide: BMW E46 3-series (1998 to present)
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 28/04/2004

What's good
More comfortable and refined than E36 predecessor. Coupé arrived spring 1999, Touring autumn 1999 and Cabrio spring 2000. Improved suspension and steering from April 2001. Facelift Sept 2001, air-con standard across range, plus sharper steering and suspension for coupés. Facelifted 320d boosted to 150bhp. Improved warranty from Nov 2001. 316i saloon and Touring relaunched April 2002 with UK-built 1,796cc 115bhp Valvetronic. Coupé gets facelift early 2003. From Feb 2003, six-speed manual gearbox and dynamic stability control as standard. Sequential five-speed SMG box on 330CI from Feb 2003. M3 CSL from August 2003, with 360bhp and less weight. BMWs generally had below average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability Index. 1998-2000 petrol cars lowest for breakdowns and faults, average for problems; 2000-2003 average for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which? survey.


BMW E46 3-series (1998 to present)

What's bad
Replacement due 2005. Heavier than E36, so uses more fuel. Thermostat problem with 318i and some six-cylinder models. Premature front suspension balljoint failure. Spate of snapping rear coil springs. Air-con fault can flatten battery if car left parked for two weeks. Turbo failure on 320d 150bhp.

What to watch out for
Make sure electric radiator fan works – even if it does, a previous failure could mean head gasket trouble. Front suspension clonks mean balljoint or wishbone bush problems. Clonks from the rear mean a coil spring has snapped.

Recalls
1999 (from April 1998): brake pedal can become disconnected; over-sensitive side airbag trigger. 15/12/1999 (Sept/Oct 1999 build): brake light switch may overheat. 1/8/2001 (1,659 cars built 1/2-18/5/2001): radiator fan motor fault could lead electrics to overload and motor to fail. 3/11/2000 (887 cars built 4/9-7/10/2000): inside rims of alloys damaged. 9/11/2001 (built 28/9-24/10/2001): cuts in Continental tyres.








What should people look at before they buy an E46. List the common problems, and just the normal should dos. When we get a nice list, I'll get it consolidated and ask a mod to park it.



If you are buying a high mileage E46 ask if:
-the water pump, tentioner, belts, and control arm bushings have been replaced. First three should be done by 80,000, second every 45-50,000.
-Is the suspension still original?
-Make sure all the windows go up and down as they should as does the sunroof. Window regulators tend to go out.
-If you are buying an 01 330 be aware of the over boosted steering (it is soft)
-Check all of the vin numbers on the panels to make sure they line up
-Run your fingers along the sides of the panels (inside the door where the sticker is, the ledge where the fenders meet the trunk & hood.) If it feels like fine grain sandpaper, you have found overspray-- the car has been repainted. If you find overspray, tap your fingers on the panel that has been repainted. If it suddenly sounds different, you have found bondo
-Check for rear subframe damage. It will be under the car, between the wheels and around the differential. a torn subframe looks like this:


01 325s have the boosted steering also. dont just have the specific 01 330

Inspect (plastic) fan blades on high mileage cars (>100K???). They've been known to come flying off (although I seem to recall hearing that this was more common on E36s). Example:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...an+blades+hood


Inspect radiator expansion tank. It sometimes cracks and starts leaking.


Edit: Rough idling. I seem to recall that there's a TSB on replacing Bremi coils with Bosch, or something like that. Other causes may include bad sensors (camshaft, etc.), bad VANOS (bad news if it is), bad motor mounts, etc.
Also, although you've touched upon these, you might want to emphasize:
Sunroof clips. The sunroof shade should slide smoothly, without moving from side-to-side. Maybe you should also have a pointer to one of the sunroof shade DIYs (the same goes for the window regulators)?


You should also mention that the windows should not make any click/clack sounds when going up or down, as that is another sign of impending regulator death.


Coupe headliner trim (next to both doors). They're glued on and will often detach (you forgot to mention this -- people new to BMWs may not realize what you meant). Some info on how to use the 3M Super Weatherstrip Adhesive as a DIY would also be good.

Also:

Supposedly, E46 vehicles produced between March 1, 2003 and July 21. 2003 may have a problem where the battery can be quickly discharged when the car is not used for a couple of days. Basically, changing two or more air conditioning or heater settings in a single ignition cycle can result in 800mA being drawn when the car is off, which can drain a battery in a couple days or so. The service information bulletin on this is "SI B 61 11 03 October 2003" (I don't know if a newer one exists). Reference: post #2 of:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...=battery+drain


Supposedly, some steptronic transmissions produced by GM between 2002(?)-2004(?) have a problem where, if the car has been sitting unused for 24 hours or more, the transmission can slip (car won't move) when the car is started, put into reverse, driven in reverse for a short distance, and then placed into drive. The slip time can be anywhere from a few seconds to up to around 40 seconds. Reference:

http://forum.bmwboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8461


Not really related to buying an E46, but what about the CDV? Should that be mentioned?

E46s built between 2/2001 and 4/2001 could have a defective engine aux/cooling fan, which could result in overheating, smoldering of fan circuitry, and a possible fire. BMW should have notified affected owners of this.

Reference (note: original website appears to be dead -- the following is from the wayback machine):

http://web.archive.org/web/200304130.....;/tech_tsb.html

Ah, here's the NHTSA bulletin:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES


Here are some more interesting items. Fortunately, the number of affected cars seems to be fairly low. Note that this is NOT a complete list (sorry for the caps, but these are just cut-and-pasted from the NHTSA website):

2001 325i/330i. Potential Number Of Units Affected : 1914

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE MACHINE USED TO MOUNT AND INFLATE THE TIRES ON THE WHEELS AT THE ASSEMBLY PLANT MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE INNER RIM FLANGE OF THE WHEELS.

Consequence: THIS COULD LEAD TO A SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR FROM THE TIRE AFFECTING HANDLING AND VEHICLE CONTROL.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 00V383000

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES


2002 325i/330i. Potential number of cars affected: 4672.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, DURING THE STRUT MOUNT MANUFACTURING PROCESS, THE THRUST BEARING WAS NOT PROPERLY POSITIONS AND SECURED. IF THE SUSPENSION IS FULLY UNLOADED, THE FRONT STRUT COULD SEPARATE FROM THE UPPER MOUNT.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 02V057000

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES


2002 325xi. Potential number of cars affected: 799

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A PROBLEM IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS MAY HAVE RESULTED IN THE CREATION OF A CRACK WHERE THE BRAKE DISC AND THE PARKING BRAKE DRUM MEET. FURTHER CRACKING OF THE ROTOR COULD OCCUR DUE TO BRAKING TORQUE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AND THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THE BRAKE DRUM, CONNECTED TO THE WHEEL HUB, WOULD COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE DISC.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 02V088000

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES


2003 325i/325ci/330i. Potential Number Of Units Affected : 13100

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE WINDOW LIFTING ANTI-PINCHING DEVICE MIGHT NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY.

Consequence: OCCUPANTS COULD BE PINCHED BY A WINDOW THAT IS BEING CLOSED.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 03V160000

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/pr...intVersion=YES


2003 325i/325ci. Potential Number Of Units Affected : 1056

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT WAGON VEHICLES WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, AND THE VEHICLE AT REST, AN INCREASE OF ENGINE IDLE SPEED (UP TO 1,300 RPM) MAY OCCUR.

Consequence: IF A GEAR IS SELECTED, THE DRIVER MAY FEEL AS IF THE VEHICLE IS BEING PUSHED.

Door handles...lol...check the door handles and see if they've been repaired, and by who. From what ive been searching for online (since mine had an issue late last week that has since been fixed) the door handles tend to have issues on some E46's.

Also, on the 01 330's and 3 series, the door opening gaskets tend to come loose.

This causes the gasket to hang from the top of the door opening and the rear of the door opening. This is a common problem and is more noticeable in southern climates. The door gasket is the piece of fuzzy trim material that goes around the inside of the entire door opening, except for the floor area.

It is replaceable through the dealer for about $200 dollars and easy to install, however, it's a very annoying problem and no good way to fix it, besides replacment.

1. Rear lower control arms! Why is it that every redneck tow truck driver has to hook J-hooks on these flimsy things?!, but seriously it happens a-LOT so look at em, it affects alignment

2. Modifications: let's face it BMW isn't perfect, but whoever decided before you that they knew more than the countless droves of anal-retentive engeneers that designed the car, is most likely an idiot. so make sure that all parts are original or "tastefully" modified and not Autozone Crap

3. Cam position sensors. They go bad... nuf said
4. Ignition coils. okay these get tricky cause you can't really bust open the engine covers to check, but the original BREMI pencil coils are trash if they have the plastic bodies, the updated ones will have a metal shielding. YOU WILL GET MISSES EVENTUALLY WITH THE OLD BREMI'S

5. Service checklist. I'm a tech, so sue me, but there is nothing like having a car that a bunch of money ungr techs look over at every service. if the car has a long service list, the prior owner probably bought all the stuff too, which means less to worry about.

6. front lower control arm bushings. That annoying "clunk" you hear every time the brakes are applied is the sound of the Lower control arm bushings deteriorating, Trust me REPLACE THEM IF THEIR BAD, the consequences of letting them go too far are expensive.

7. right and left frontal underbody covers: every dits that has run over a parking lot bumper in a parking space risks tearing off these parts. they will house the exterior temp sensor and the heated washer nozzle temp sensor (the long skinny one is exterior temp) and if the Ext temp sensor is missing, guess what, you have no A/C.

8. Main Belt tensioner: this one get's tricky to explain. the regular mechanical tensioner is spring loaded to hold tension on the belt, the UPDATED tensioner is hydraulic and act's like a shock. the mechanical type will over time make a horrific howling noise.

9. Strut mount Pins: Okay this one is iffy. there are pins in the strut tower from the factory that require "punching out" before an alignment is performed, so if they are missing, the car MAY have been in a wreck, it is not sure fire, but it should raise your eyebrows if they are missing

10. Harsh 2-1 downshift: this is a software issue in the EGS(transmission) module, with a reprogramming from your local Bimmer dealer it can be easily fixed. note there MAY be other problems, this is just the quickest fix, and is not uncommon

11. Blown Cig lighter fuse. not huge, just to note BMW's official stance is that the Cigarette lighter is ONLY for the lighting of Cigarettes, and other devices like Cell phone charges may blow the fuse, and don't be an idiot, put the same damn size fuse back in the holdster, otherwise you fry the wiring

12. Seat belt tensioners: just a common problem that develops with age, it will cause the SRS light to come on

13. Sun roof shade. Okay, the shade comes apart due to the slide in the roof, so If you see the shade is a little loose BACK AWAY FROM THE CAR, this is an expensive customer pay job. if it is still warranty, your in the green, but you are looking in the thousands to do this job if it is coming from your own pocket

14. Various burnt bulbs and sockets. in the front turn signals the socket and bulb burns, it's 20-30 bucks to fix per side. nothing huge

15. Door seals on Coupe's. These seals are known for pealing off at the edges, they are farily expensive @ $200 for one seal not including labor, but it happens. so if your buying a coupe, get ready for this repair

16. Window Regualtors. One of the most predominant problems with bimmers. These regulators are a light weight design and break often. if you hear a tell-tale clicking in the window when moving up or down, it's gonna need a regualtor soon

This covers the most predominant concerns on an E46 that I have done so far. These cars are great when taken care of and a burden if left uncared for. hopefully this will aid you in purchasing that E46 of your dreams.


bulging strut towers. they're a weakpoint in the e46 engineering and could drastically effect the handling of the car, should they be compromised.


http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...87&postcount=4


turner motorsports produces a reinforcement kit that i would strongly advise anyone to purchase... also, if your car did not come with a strut tower brace... i would make that your FIRST purchase/mod for the car.

All panels connecting to each other should be absolutely flush. If not the car may have been in a wreck. Also check for any small bubbles or loose paint on bumpers it may have been painted over after being hit.

Some of these problems are covered with a dealer-certified car and others are not. While the obvious is true (e.g., you must do oil changes or the warranty expires, the drive train is essentially covered but tires, brakes, belts, batteries, clutch are not) have them go over the fine PRINT with you. I emphasize PRINT because if they just tell you what's covered and what isn't, you won't get the whole story and if you did you probably couldn't retain all details. If instead, they SHOW you a written policy, you can go over it line by line, ask your questions, and generally get the right answers.



So for god sakes the ZONE would like to say..................avoid one that looks like this:




If the car looks good in person, don't forget to have a mechanic give you a pre-purchase inspection, also run a carfax. A clean looking car can still have a dirty past.

Need to order a new set of number plates and bored of standard ones... I noticed Gaz has carbon ones which i thought looked good and someone else at the meet on Saturday (can't remember who) had 3D ones which also looked good. Just can't make up my mind so thought I'd ask opinions on here lol

Hi Guys,

Earlier today I took an M3 for a test drive, which wasn't for long .... i'd probably say 10 mins. I wasn't pushing it particularly hard and certainly didn't have any reason to be braking hard. But after we parked it up I noticed that the lefthand side was generating alot more heat than the other brakes and did start to smoke slightly ...

What's everyones view on this?!

The test drive was at S2000 for you, I've read that they used to have a dodgy reputation ... does anyone know if this still stands today or are they any better/can they be trusted?!

Thanks!

Morning all,

just a quick question, does anyone know where on real oem/bmmini parts the wire that goes to the glow plug is? I've gone through and can't seem to find it.

The clips have broke on one of mine so looking to replace, whilst the manifolds off I may as well replace it.

TIA
Marc

Whats the difference between a standard spacer and a Hubcentric spacer?

I am going to pick up the Mrs 320d that she brought yesterday and was wondering if the rear seats fold down, i could wait till Sat but i am sure someone on here will be good enough to tell me, the reason i ask is cos i need to do a round trip to pick up some bits.

Hi guys/Gals,

Iv not been on here long but there doesn't seem to be much activity in the South Wales area, how many members do we have?

Post your name, location and picture of your car and say Hi!

I wasn't looking to buy an E46 yesterday but I saw one on ebay, very genuine sounding advert - the car looked superb in the pictures.

I drove 3.5 hours to see it with a 50 point checklist of things to go through taken from this site and others to make sure it was in top shape. It really was in great condition, I took my inspection mat and lamp to get underneath and check the diff mount tear issue etc - nothing showed and there were only a couple of blemishes which I can put right on the whole car. It seemed exceptionally well cared for.

I paid a £200 deposit to the private seller and am collecting it on Friday.

When I was looking around it I noticed that there was no colour sticker on the N/S suspension turret. I was a tiny bit concerned but I checked the crumple arm structure behind the bumper, and under trim panels etc etc . Nothing stood out as being damaged or as having been re-painted. The turret itself doesn't appear to have been obviously repainted either - the non-lacquered finish looks exactly the same as the other side and looks completely original. So I thought nothing more of it.

Am I being overly paranoid that the turret has been replaced and that it may have been hit on that side just because the sticker is missing?

The panel gaps are perfect and consistent, it drives perfectly too.....

Do any of you other 320d/Cd owners (or indeed if this applies to the 330d) notice that the turbo only really kicks in at about 2000 rpm? Should it kick in lower?

I've googled this a bit and there seems to be a few threads over on BMWLand suggesting EGR issues and breather pipes etc. Mine's a 2005 so not sure how much will have been done or need doing?

If it's just the way the car is then I wont bother even mentioning it to the dealer. It's in for it's map tomorrow so will see what it's like after that.

Hi Guys,

quick question,,, what engine coolant can i put in my car, been reading the manual but don't say which one, was told by the WOMAN at euro parts if it was blue in there i can put either blue or red, but if red i can only put red.....

Al i need to know is what can i use?

Thanks
Scott

What do you use for coolant water or sumthing else?

Hi there, just want to know what the cause is and what i need to fix it:

Driving at any speed over say 20mph..Then brake and it feels like the front wheels move back...At higer speeds the steering wobbles ever so slightly, enough to notice.

My guess is some bush has gone or is it a bigger nightmare?

A week to the day since I picked up a Topaz Blue 330ci.
The reg is LV52OGW.. I'm wondering is it a members ex runner?

[attachment=7804:1989523_2.jpg]

I was thinking of removing the projector fog lights on my car and going back to the original ones, the only problem is the glass looks a bit tatty, is there any way of getting the glass looking better or can i get it replaced?

If i can get them looking good again the projector will be for sale.

Exhibit A

[attachment=7839:P1010375a.jpg]

Hi guys/girls,

I'm currently looking at upgrading to an M3. The one i'm looking at currently is on an 03 plate, laguna seca blue, SMG gearbox with 52,000 miles on the clock. Priced at about £15k .... what is everyones opinion on this? It would be great for me to find out what you all think.

Thanks alot, I look forward to hearing everyones opinion.

Mark

I decided to let my Mrs drive my car on the first part of our trip to see friends in Cornwall, big mistake, she got impatient and decided to overtake a tanker lorry, when she was have way past she see a set of headlights paniced and jumped on the brakes, she then tried to pull it back in behind the lorry but missed judged it and got a bit caught, she has damaged my headlight, indicator, bumper, wing, plastic splash gaurd and my door mirror, yes she is still alive and we are still together, just lol, anyway, i have managed to source most bits but need a Sport front bumper, does anyone know the best place/person to try and get one from?
My bodyshop mate reckons it should only take a day or so to fix so as soon as i can get the bumper it will go in.

Any help much appriciated.

Hi Guys,

Been searching the site for a radiator DIY but can't find one, Can anyone help? also what are the other parts needed for a replacement, i know the hoses and clips but anything else? New header tank fitted last year..

So iv just got the old type 4's back on after the refurb, the temp wheels were fun as they all needed balancing and wobbled like my belly.
But since returning to my type 4's iv noticed a strange knocking coming from the rear passenger side it seems to only happen when going over small bumps with a bit of lock either way..
i drove over speed bumps of decent size no noise then a tiny bump in the road makes it clang WTF.

Im pretty sure the springs are all ok, the struts themselves although worn a little are not too bouncey so what does that leave me with,, ?
Im guesssing its something like arms bushes etc but i have no idea when it comes to little bits and technical stuff...

I need to know how to remove the black strip off the bumper housing the parking sensors.
I cant access it from undeneath as the bumper goaes all the way under the car completely cutting off any access to the back of the sensors.
Many thanks

I will start this morning i drained all diffential oil & renewed with fresh castrol oil , what opie oil recommends

bits deep in the engine, that cannot be removed like....... plan to give the engine a serious cleaning out...........

Anyone got a clue as to whether this is too big to be repaired? It's about an inch accross.

Sorry about the quality, theres a few cracks round the edge of the main chip




A pebble hit my windscreen at about 100, plus whatever speed it was travelling at the time. Felt like an asteriod hit me

Hi all, I'm likely to be doing some track days next year, so I'm considering getting some coilovers on my car - provided I can get a decent set-up for a reasonable price.

I know a whole bunch of you have bought JOMS, but I'm thinking more around the HSD/D2 level where they are a bit more capable with dampening, height and camber adjustment out the box - and essentially, behave well for daily driving! Now, of course there is a step up in price, so I'm not sure how many would be interested, which at the end of the day will depict what price the supplier is willing to do them for.

So.. if you're interested can you copy and paste with your name and the maximum price you would be willing to pay?

Rich

Been reading a bit about the EGR valve.
Couple of questions.
What's the best way to clean it...petrol bath or what?
I've also read about the EGR bypass. What's the advantage and how's it done.
I've got a 330cd by the way.
Thanks in advance.

Hi All,

When I got my car, I only ever got one fob with it. The key fob is strange though, to open the car I have to touch the rear windscreen with the blade (or no more than 3inches away) or it will not unlock/lock..

I have just been paid so I am going to bite the bullet and go the BMW Stratestone on my dinner but does anyone know if it is my reciever I need to order or a new fob?

I have had plugged it in on diagnostics but no codes so would this mean its the fob?

Any help would be appreciated, I would rather not go down there blind as they will rape me for everything otherwise

Chris

NEED TO BUY: BMW E46 M3 Center Console Switch W/ Rear Sun Blind Button


I need this part asap for my car.

If anyone has one or know of a seller or someone parting out an M3 that had the rear electric sun blind option I would like to buy it for my sun blind retrofit DIY project.

email me at olaf2046@tmo.blackberry.net or PM me.
Thanks


BMW part number 61 31 6 925 512



I will pay you and give you my current mint condition console switch bar (worth over $100):