James Martin Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi All Apologies if this has been raised elsewhere, the search function doesn't like my phone! Anyway, due to a careless pensioner my other half is looking for a new car, she wanted a 1 series but her budget means we are looking for an e46 compact instead. Now I've seen a few nice examples with six figure mileage, my car has done that and is flawless but its the six pot so i wanted to know if the smaller engines ( the 318ti in particular) has any known troubles and if the compact has unique problems the regular 46 doesn't? Cheers all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc l Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 What engine does the 318ti have is it a 1.9 or 2.0? What year are you looking at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Martin Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Looking at an 02 model which is a 16v 140hp 1995cc i believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wash Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'm sure the compact doesn't have any specific faults (other than being a bit ugly ) but that engine, whether it's the 318ti or the 316ti isn't the greatest to be completely honest. You need to make sure it's properly maintained and the oil is changed on an annual basis. Also you would need to fit an uprated timing chain tensioner as the original one that comes with this engine has an issue where it can cause the timing chain to skip a tooth. The uprated tensioner is £32 posted off ebay (genuine part) and takes 5 minutes to fit, it's just a bolt on the side of the block. mit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I'd avoid the n42 at all costs a hateful engine with no end of problems. So that either leaves the 320d or the 325ti as they both seem pretty reliable & nippy! mit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Tbh mate i'd consider another marque altogether! I'd go for either a Golf/Leon/A3 if you want a good hatchback.. But with the 1.9Tdi engine as they're WAY more reliable than the 2.0ltr diesels.. And cheaper too! mit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I agree wit momo As much as I'm a die hard BMW nut id go for a nice mk4 golf tdi pd130 over a 316i compact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc l Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I'm not into compacts but some of them look ok! I'd avoid the 2.0 engine and get the 1.9. They don't have many faults and if you do most are DIYable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Martin Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Thanks lads, I'll have a good look over it. TBH my main criteria for a lot of these cars is the service history, I find it unbelievable when people are selling cars and go "oh, the previous owner lost the service book, but I'm sure it's been serviced" - I mean, WTF, do they have no concept of how much the service stamps are worth? Always makes me doubtful of how well it has been kept. I've seen a few compacts now and it does seem quite easy to tell which have and which haven't been looked after though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Martin Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Oh, I assume I know the answer already, but are e46 compact interior bits (eg. trim, seats etc...) interchangeable with regular '46 bits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wash Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 If you find one that's been well looked after, you won't have a problem tbh. I believe the front seats are interchangeable with that of a E46 coupe/saloon/touring but the back seats won't be, I think the dashboard is slightly smaller too? The door cards are also different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffThomson Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 Some are, some aren't. If i was going to buy a compact i'd get the 325i...That engine is absolutely bulletproof. Usual E46 issues of course, cooling system, and suspension. None of which is specifially that hard to do or hugely expensive if you use good parts. Trim, some items will interchange, but not all. The rear seating area i believe is quite unique to the compact, so you'd need to be careful in that area. If they didn't carry a premium i'd be looking at one for the mrs....Cute little cars imho. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Martin Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 (edited) It IS a car for my Missus! I'm quite content with the Clubsport Unfortunately her clio was written off last week so she's looking for an entry into BMW ownership as she loves mine. Sadly due to claims on her insurance (despite only one that was her fault) I think a 325 is out of her price range, also fuel economy somewhat more important for her than it is for me. Also, being of the feminine persuasion looks are important to her - and the VWs, audis etc... of the time period are pretty dishwater dull in our opinions. We're also keen to avoid anything french! Her hire car at the moment is a three-pot 1.2 Polo, drove that all day yesterday and got back in the Clubby, biggest grin on my face you could imagine! Edited March 22, 2012 by James Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlr88r Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 Hi All, My first post and - I'll be honest - I signed up to say "Agh! Avoid anything that sits on that Golf/A3/Leon/TT/Octavia/Beetle platform, they all seem to be completely terrible!" I've had a few BMW's now, never spending a fortune buying them or needing to spend a fortune to keep them running but when I strayed off course once I was bitten badly... quick history... '98 R 328 Coupe. Bought at 130,000 miles for £1700. A service, one headlight bulb and rear tyres - was on dinky 15"s so cheap! Over the 18 months/about 15k I had change from £300 = win. '00 Y 323 Ci Shadowline. Bought at 60,000 miles for £7k as an approved used. 2 x services, 4 x tyres, front discs and pads over 35,000 miles. About £1250 for 3 years motoring = win. '53 Leon Curpa R. I went mad. I must have taken a blow to the head, that's the only explanation. In mid-2011 I thought that it was time for a change - I'd always liked the Leon and I thought before I get too old to get away with a (slightly chav) hot hatch I'll take the plunge, and pretty much swapped the 323. Error. Within 3 months with the Leon... new front balljoints... seized rear caliper, resultant warped disc and knackered pad... airbag housing fault above the passenger glovebox meant a constant buzzing noise/dash rattle developed... speakers packed in in the drivers door... rear wiper was p!ss!ng useless and I ended up replacing it with Skoda Fabia estate parts - not kidding! - and to top it off a bolt sheared off a brace connecting the rear of the bellhousing on the 'box to the engine. Killed the gearbox dead. £1700 in total, almost, for about 4000 miles driving. Hideous, hideous car. It did fast, and nothing else. Wasn't comfortable, wasn't refined, wasn't quiet, wasn't especially a nice place to sit, was worse on fuel than any of the Beemers (even the relatively underpowered 170bhp 323 with it's million airbags and climate and 'leccy seats to pull around). I hadn't bought a duffer in that Leon, or so I thought - it had just 2 previous owners, was completely stock, full history and HPI clear. Must have just left the factory hopeless. After all that expense I felt loathe to sell the b!oody thing as for some reason I decided to keep it running, and after that spate it did settle a bit. Anyways, stuck with that for a year and... ...swapped that awful, awful mess of a car for an '03 325ti last September and I couldn't be happier. Running costs on the 325? Erm, to date, about 7,000 miles/6 months in... erm... £12 for some oil. Muuuuch better! 5 years motoring in 3 different 3 series has, hand on heart, cost me waaay less than a couple of grand. Where am I going with this? Oh yes, that platform. Have a friend with a 98 R A3 1.8 Sport and that seems to have had every single component you need to make an engine replaced, apart from the block. My same age/miles 328 didn't need touching. A friend had a MK4 Golf some years back and the gearbox died on that at about 50k. Not good. Seems like anything attached to that effing platform is just destined to fail! I've actually signed up to this forum and wrote all that just to say how annoyed I was with a car I once had! Anyway... story over. Happy shopping and stick with something with a blue and white roundel eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlr88r Posted April 7, 2013 Report Share Posted April 7, 2013 ...and I've just noticed this thread's a year old. Clot. I should go to sleep really! Admins, feel free to delete this after you've laughed at my idiocy! M3NXN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syemon Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I had a Seat Leon TDI on that platform and it was a great car. Dash of A3, VW running gear but with a bigger boot than the Golf. It handled great and did great MPG and was reliable. I bought with 130k with two cambelt & water pumps and pulleys fitted. I changed the interior for an electric half leather, pool lights, alarm, tuning box and a few other bits and ended up selling to a neighbour after 13k of trouble free mileage. I screwed the knackers out of it and it was faultless. The Leon IMO is the best looking and the most practical of the lot. Also the 1.9tdi engine is bomb proof if you service it regularly. Mr Muscle for £3 cured the sticky turbo vanes. I'd have another no problem. Mine looked like this... Yeah it's front wheel drive but I could rag it and still get 40mpg. I had an e36 back in the day which was ok but slow even after a chip and exhaust but again was reliable in the time I had it. I changed loads on this as well, skirts, spoilers, lights, brakes, wheels interior etc.. TBH I like the look of the e46 compact but it would have to be a six pot or a diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Tbh mate i'd consider another marque altogether! I'd go for either a Golf/Leon/A3 if you want a good hatchback.. But with the 1.9Tdi engine as they're WAY more reliable than the 2.0ltr diesels.. And cheaper too!p Yeah utterly reliable........ my 1.9tdi engine broke down 24 times in 36000 miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I think you just had a bad example Blair, I've had 4 1.9 pd engined cars & I had abosolutley no issues engine wise. Great all rounder, would have to say the 130 is better than the 150 though. Don't know why but the 130s feel faster :S I'd rather a 1.9 gt 130 golf anyday over a petrol compact e46 momo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syemon Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 130s were the best all rounder in terms of power and reliability. The 150s are known for eccessive camshaft wear requiring a replacement. The early 2.0 tdis were known for oil pump failure which lunched the engine. The 1.9 is a really good engine though. A million taxi drivers can't be wrong:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 Did you mess about with the engine/ECU Blair? My missus has had 2x Leons for the past 5 years - not once broken down and apart from servicing both have required next to nothing. The 1st Leon which was a 2006 1.9Tdi needed a wishbone. Thats it! Nothing needed for the engine and it's still in the family running strong. She's got the 2.0Ltr diesel CR version now - again, nothing! Absolutely bullet-proof! Both of my brothers had A4 1.9Tdi's years ago - again, nothing apart from a MAF was required. MUCH more reliable than my BMW.. But i've come to accept that my BMW engine is tuned a lot more than those cars so will not be quite so reliable (saying that, in the last 2 years of ownership i've hardly had to pay a penny after paying thousands before that to sort stuff out). Jay. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'd rather sit on a three legged donkey with cataracts, than own a car with an n42 engine. Jay. and marc l 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay. Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 I'd rather sit on a three legged donkey with cataracts, than own a car with an n42 engine. thats a bit harsh. i'd rather burn in hell. Ginger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted April 8, 2013 Report Share Posted April 8, 2013 (edited) Agreed on the golf /Leon etc thing! My pd150 golf was THE worst car I've ever owned, and dare I say it, driven. Those engines too, who thought that power delivery was a good idea!? I had a Fabia before it too and that was pretty rubbish as well. My current polo gti is perfect, but I think I got lucky after joining forums and seeing horror stories. My parents had vw's in the past too and I can't really recall them ever being positive about them either. I certainly shant be buying VAG again. Mostly boring cars and not very good (ime). Edited April 8, 2013 by TriggerFish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
