Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Well to say I'm Pi**ed off is an under statement Car went in for its MOT today, now I knew it had some issues, the severity however i didn't. And after the previous owner had it fly through an MOT with only a couple of advisories which i sorted... i was expecting one maybe two things needed doing. No, oh how wrong i was. Never have i heard of two yes TWO sheets worth of failures being printed. I knew the subframe needed to be looked at soon but... well yeah its bad. The tester wouldn't even test the brakes because he didn't feel comfortable putting the subframe under that much stress. traction control light on = fail sticky door handle = fail exhaust blowing = fail So as i know these subframe are not economical to repair - the car has to go. But this is where i don't know what to do. plus the MOT is up on 14/5/14 so i don't have long to get something sorted. I would like to buy another E46 (320 or a vert maybe) and move across the good bits from my car (wheels, interior etc) so i wouldn't have to buy one with great spec... but don't have the money to do this right now. So i would need to borrow some. I know of a Peugeot 206 that i could have use of, but the embarrassment of driving this would break me. Question is what would you guys do, -use a crappy car for a while? -get the subframe sorted? -scrap it all together and cut your losses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) Yikes. Sorry to hear I feel your pain too. I'd go for option 1 I think in your case. If it's another silver one you can take the body kit, doors etc off yours as long as the mechanicals and the non-removable panels are sound, you're OK on that front. Then you can break what's left of yours too offset some of the payout. The subframe repair is about £2k if I recall (assuming no DIY). Edited May 9, 2014 by TriggerFish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Part of me is thinking to change and go for an E30 (which i would love) but to get a decent one I'm looking spending £££ I could use the 206 as a daily for a while, gives me time to get some £££ together to get another car and time to move bits across. Just can't bring myself to be seen in it... may have to bite my tongue and live with it for a while. I have driveway and garage space to store and break my current car so thats not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Either fix the one you have or get rid completely. What's to say that anything you buy will not have just as many issues? You can get repair kits from Reddish for £195, then its just a case of finding someone cheap to fit it. That said they would need to know what they are doing as part of it has to be done from above by cutting out the boot floor. Oh and if your not able to afford the E46 then i hate to say it but buying an E30 is going to bankrupt you. Finding one that isn't rotten is near impossible, even if it looks good you don't know what lurking underneath 20-30 yrs of filler and bodge jobs. Not to mention everything else that will have perished. Use the run around for a while and see how you get on. sag2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L333JSA Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 If you or anyone else is handy with a welder you can do the work yourself. Unfortunately the bad news now is that since you've put the car in for that MOT and it failed you now don't have any MOT at all I'm afraid since the latest one has just voided out the older one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 I see your point, and after reading Trigger's e30 thread...i'm going to put that idea to one side The place i got the MOT done is owned by a family friend... he called up a repair shop and they have had e46s with the same issue in before. Over the phone he quoted between £500 and £1000 per side! Day to Day running of the E46 i can afford no problem, its just big things like this... Didn't realise the MOT was void from now... TriggerFish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Yeah. Don't do the E30 route now if you've not got the money (or time/skillz) to get it fixed to hand. Ashley1995 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Really sorry to hear that mate, it really dulls the pleasure of ownership. How did the MOT tester diagnose the subframe issue? Is it obvious? I ask as often subframe cracks are not visible without removing various bits, unless of course the crack os obvious and thers is some serious noise and flex in the subframe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Really sorry to hear that mate, it really dulls the pleasure of ownership. How did the MOT tester diagnose the subframe issue? Is it obvious? I ask as often subframe cracks are not visible without removing various bits, unless of course the crack os obvious and thers is some serious noise and flex in the subframe. Yeah, I went down the inspection pit and took a look. Its visible alright.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mb15 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Harsh. If it were me i'd bez about in the 206 for a while until you decide what to do with it. It will be a crap car but cheap as chips to run for a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Thinking about this more, if the crack is that obvious that the tester refused to do the brake test, i would expect a complete new floor pan as repair panels won't suffice, and that ain't going to be cheap. Part the car out or sell as spare/repair and move on to something else. If you don't have the money right now use the pug and save until you have the right cash. Rebel, momo and mb15 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L333JSA Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Just because the crack is that obvious doesn't mean repair panels have to be used. I repaired one where the whole area around the mount had disintegrated - I just had to make the piece of metal I used slightly bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Getting it repaired is out of the question. Doesn't seem right throwing loads more money at the car. I have sorted the pug as a run around as it's cost me nothing. It has a year mot and tax. And insurance will be less so I should get a refund from them for some ££ I'm going to keep it and break it slowly. Have to keep look out for a new one now. Sent using Tapatalk Naj 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) ...... Edited May 9, 2014 by Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Theres an M3 shell for sale on cutters Just saying.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Theres an M3 shell for sale on cutters Just saying.... As tempting as that is I think it will be too much work :/ Possibly thinking going down the vert route... Are they more expensive on insurance..? Sent using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naj Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 (edited) I had a similar issue to you with my last car which blew its head gasket. I ended up driving around a 1.0 Yaris for a few weeks before I got the funds together to buy my E46. Downgrade for a while, and buy another E46! Edit: Just saw post #13. Nice one lad Edited May 9, 2014 by Naj Ashley1995 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich260 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Sorry to here this mate! Absolutely gutted for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpanneR Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 Depending on how bad the subframe is ie if you can use the repair plates or not as im in the same situation currently, if you can use repair plates and the car mechanically seems like it will last another 4-10 years then repair it, as you could most likely get another e46 and the same thing happen again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 If this happened to mine I'm pretty sure it would put me off buying another BMW. Certainly another E46 defo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 Theres an M3 shell for sale on cutters Just saying.... As tempting as that is I think it will be too much work :/ Possibly thinking going down the vert route... Are they more expensive on insurance..? Sent using Tapatalk If it's an e46 vert with the same engine they tend to be 1 insurance group higher. Ashley1995 and RickyZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-coupe Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 (edited) I was stuck without my own car while I was waiting for my current one (I'd been sold an Audi with an unsecured gearbox among other issues) but I got around in a Focus C-Max for a few weeks until I bought my 330 it'll be worth it Edited May 10, 2014 by steve-coupe Rebel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammo Posted May 10, 2014 Report Share Posted May 10, 2014 Mate so sorry to hear that. Seems like you kept your chin up though and hopefully a good one will come your way next! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted May 11, 2014 Report Share Posted May 11, 2014 I'very sorry to hear mate, I've had the multitronic gearbox go on my old Audi A4, threw 2k on it 18 months later had more problems with it, decided that was it for me. My advice get rid strip her down for parts, you get more cash that way. "We buy any car" is an option as well although they will sting you for more cash now that it's failed the mot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley1995 Posted May 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2014 Here she is now, If anyone needs anything let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
