Tom's BMW E46 325ti
Discussion
wjb said:
Nice compact Tom, my compact is in the same colour and looks similar, apart from mine is a diesel, on 16's and has a less pristine bodywork 
Might have to pick up a set of 18's after seeing yours, the old e46 compact is going through a little revival on PH isn't it?
Thanks mate. Might have to pick up a set of 18's after seeing yours, the old e46 compact is going through a little revival on PH isn't it?
A revival? That assumes it was ever popular in the first place. It's a bit of a hidden treasure I reckon.
I'm looking for some nice 17s as I think less tyre would improve the fun factor
stepmeek said:
BigTom85 said:
I'd love a 130i, but I'm happy with my 325ti for the time being. Prices for the 130i are still pretty strong.
Look what arrived in the post
Hand delivered all the way from Germany. He accepted an offer of £70 so they cost me £95 to my door. I can wholeheartedly recommend the bloke.
LINK
Can't wait to get them fitted!
I just collected a set for mine from a scrapyard, need a good polish but in OK condition. Off to work before I get a chance to fit them unfortunately, keep us updated on how you get on with them.Look what arrived in the post
Hand delivered all the way from Germany. He accepted an offer of £70 so they cost me £95 to my door. I can wholeheartedly recommend the bloke.
LINK
Can't wait to get them fitted!
However the nearside one has a tiny bit of damage. Please PM me if you would like to get a few quid back for your old ones. Thanks!
As my car is Imola Red I can live with the
I've done a few bits and bobs today.
Cold climate CCV kit fitted including all the hoses.
The old one was less than a year old going by the 2014 date stamp, but not all parts were the same age, and at least one of the pipes was the original. Regardless, I'm glad to have the cold climate stuff fitted which should really cut down on condensation and sludge etc.
Old:
New:
Random picture with all the CCV stuff out of the way - quite a daunting job, but I'd be happy to help any fellow PHers do this on their car, or even do it for them for beer tokens
Also did the valve cover gasket and all sealing washers. The engine seems pleasingly clean too.
Not forgetting the bead of RTV silicone for the half moon bits.
White t-shirt, what was I thinking!?
I fitted the new oil level sensor which was supplied with the car and it seems to work fine. Quick oil and filter service done too - I like the warm fuzzy feeling of genuine BMW parts!
Unplugged and replugged in the DSC connector a few times and touch wood my DSC fault code hasn't reappeared. Currently NO fault codes whatsoever
Oh and I did a compression test for the fun of it. All cylinders 225-230PSI which I'm delighted about.
Not sure what next really, probably a good detailing and maybe a new gear knob. I'm also toying with painting the wood piano black...
Edit - fixing links...
Cold climate CCV kit fitted including all the hoses.
The old one was less than a year old going by the 2014 date stamp, but not all parts were the same age, and at least one of the pipes was the original. Regardless, I'm glad to have the cold climate stuff fitted which should really cut down on condensation and sludge etc.
Old:
New:
Random picture with all the CCV stuff out of the way - quite a daunting job, but I'd be happy to help any fellow PHers do this on their car, or even do it for them for beer tokens
Also did the valve cover gasket and all sealing washers. The engine seems pleasingly clean too.
Not forgetting the bead of RTV silicone for the half moon bits.
White t-shirt, what was I thinking!?
I fitted the new oil level sensor which was supplied with the car and it seems to work fine. Quick oil and filter service done too - I like the warm fuzzy feeling of genuine BMW parts!
Unplugged and replugged in the DSC connector a few times and touch wood my DSC fault code hasn't reappeared. Currently NO fault codes whatsoever
Oh and I did a compression test for the fun of it. All cylinders 225-230PSI which I'm delighted about.
Not sure what next really, probably a good detailing and maybe a new gear knob. I'm also toying with painting the wood piano black...
Edit - fixing links...
Edited by BigTom85 on Monday 7th September 23:53
BigTom85 said:
I've done a few bits and bobs today.
Cold climate CCV kit fitted including all the hoses.
Good stuff, hopefully this clears up the oil thirst. Where did you get hold of the kit? There are a bunch on eBay but I am not sure of the quality, not sure how much the genuine article costs.Cold climate CCV kit fitted including all the hoses.
[quote]
Random picture with all the CCV stuff out of the way - quite a daunting job, but I'd be happy to help any fellow PHers do this on their car, or even do it for them for beer tokens
ethomas said:
I may well take you up on this offer if the gasket doesn't stop mine from having a drink
I look forward to it.The gasket won't be causing significant oil loss, you might loose a teaspoon a day or something, but not in the order of litres!
All the parts came from BMW, £140 ish I believe. The cold climate bits are a bit more expensive than the standard stuff, but worth it I think.
Thanks for the kind words guys
Just a little mod for this evening - new clutch stop (standard on the right, upgrade on the left). I had to order this from eBay and it arrived from the states in under a week.
As standard there is quite a dead zone at the bottom of the pedal which makes it feel like there is way too much pedal travel, which I also think accentuates the pedals feeling offset.
It's important not to extend the stop too far out as it would prevent the clutch from fully engaging, but its very easy to adjust. Installation couldn't be simpler.
I plan to delete my clutch delay valve in the not too distant future too which should improve things further.
Just a little mod for this evening - new clutch stop (standard on the right, upgrade on the left). I had to order this from eBay and it arrived from the states in under a week.
As standard there is quite a dead zone at the bottom of the pedal which makes it feel like there is way too much pedal travel, which I also think accentuates the pedals feeling offset.
It's important not to extend the stop too far out as it would prevent the clutch from fully engaging, but its very easy to adjust. Installation couldn't be simpler.
I plan to delete my clutch delay valve in the not too distant future too which should improve things further.
Another tedious update, sorry everyone
I thought my side repeaters were looking a bit tired, so have replaced them. Whilst I was at it I swapped the orange indicator bulbs for Osram Diadems. They certainly look fresher than the old ones.
Before
During
After
I also did the front indicators with new Osram Diadem bulbs, slightly less 'fried egg'.
Before
After
Annoyingly some f
kwit has opened their door into the side of my car, so it's no longer mint. I'm furious, it's broken the paint. Something else to add to the list. 
I thought my side repeaters were looking a bit tired, so have replaced them. Whilst I was at it I swapped the orange indicator bulbs for Osram Diadems. They certainly look fresher than the old ones.
Before
During
After
I also did the front indicators with new Osram Diadem bulbs, slightly less 'fried egg'.
Before
After
Annoyingly some f
kwit has opened their door into the side of my car, so it's no longer mint. I'm furious, it's broken the paint. Something else to add to the list. Another quick update.
17" style 44s fitted, with 7mm tyres all round. I've been assured that 'Barum' tyres are half decent, but I'll give them a go and report back. I'm hoping they will dial out a bit of understeer, and improve ride quality somewhat. My MV1s are now for sale on eBay should anyone be interested in them, they are near-mint!
I've finally put my private plate on too (no more horrible LEGEND plate). I was a bit gutted to see some tiny rust bubbles in the rear plate area .
I don't like screw fixings, so I popped a bit of underseal over the old holes and cleaned everything up for some adhesive strips
Finally, I fitted some Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades - 50:50 shot (Aerotwin on the left, obvs)
Next update will hopefully be the Vanos seals kit I bought for the sake of it, and I'm hoping to get the silver trims all painted black too.
Thanks for looking.
17" style 44s fitted, with 7mm tyres all round. I've been assured that 'Barum' tyres are half decent, but I'll give them a go and report back. I'm hoping they will dial out a bit of understeer, and improve ride quality somewhat. My MV1s are now for sale on eBay should anyone be interested in them, they are near-mint!
I've finally put my private plate on too (no more horrible LEGEND plate). I was a bit gutted to see some tiny rust bubbles in the rear plate area
. I don't like screw fixings, so I popped a bit of underseal over the old holes and cleaned everything up for some adhesive strips
Finally, I fitted some Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades - 50:50 shot (Aerotwin on the left, obvs)
Next update will hopefully be the Vanos seals kit I bought for the sake of it, and I'm hoping to get the silver trims all painted black too.
Thanks for looking.
Nice work OP!
Sorry to hear about the numpty damage - As!
I just looked at your profile to see where you were (sadly not near me), but maybe you need to revise the bit about having no interesting cars now you have the 325ti!
I've had mine for nearly a year and I just love it - so much car for the money!
I must be a cheapskate - I put a new aeroblade on the driver's side soon after I got it (previous owner's local garage put a 60cm one on it and it got caught up with the passenger wiper arm the first time I used the wipers!) - £4 in Tesco's and Clubcard points too!
Sorry to hear about the numpty damage - A
s!I just looked at your profile to see where you were (sadly not near me), but maybe you need to revise the bit about having no interesting cars now you have the 325ti!
I've had mine for nearly a year and I just love it - so much car for the money!
I must be a cheapskate - I put a new aeroblade on the driver's side soon after I got it (previous owner's local garage put a 60cm one on it and it got caught up with the passenger wiper arm the first time I used the wipers!) - £4 in Tesco's and Clubcard points too!
gregs656 said:
Our cars are a very similar spec, though you have different colour leather and auto lights/wipers. The Xenons are good, aren't they?
Let us know how you get on with the reduction in wheel size.
I thought all xenon equipped cars had auto lights? Yep, they are fab! A bit miffed the other day when I thought one had gone, but touch wood it was only a sidelight. PHEW!Let us know how you get on with the reduction in wheel size.
So far the wheels feel much better, more neutral handling for certain. The EPIC wobble at 55-65mph is pretty disconcerting though, I'll be getting them balanced as a matter of urgency.
helix402 said:
Looking good. Having tried the Bosch flat blades and the BMW flat ones, they both work well at first, but the BMW ones last better.
Nice one. I was swearing at mine in the rain this morning as the drivers side one was missing the bottom 1/3 of the screen. Turned out I hadn't clipped it into the spindle properly. Oops! Do you know how much the BMW ones are out of interest?Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff