BMW E46 330dA Touring

[helix402]

New passenger airbag yesterday courtesy of the recall. All done without hassle and with compulsory free coffee. It was very odd being a service customer when several years ago I was the one fixing BMWs at the main dealer.





Note the rare sunroof on the other 330d, it's quite high spec, Xenons, powerfold mirrors, sports seats.

[Sim89]

Is a sunroof considered a rare option on an E46 in general or just a 330d touring?

I have a 330d sport saloon with sunroof, xenons and powerfold mirrors but never thought of it as 'high spec' due to the fact I don't have the OEM nav and the seats although sport and leather, are not heated or electric.

Would be interested to know the pricings for options 2001-2005 for E46.

[helix402]

Sunroofs are rare on the E46, most buyers were happy with just air con.

[JakeT]

My 325ti has a sunroof, xenons and powerfold mirrors and I love it. The 328ci has just powerfolds in comparison. How's the manual conversion been treating you? Holding up well so far?

[helix402]

Manual is going well thanks. Averaging 47mpg (indicated) with mixed driving.

[NiceCupOfTea]

I'd have loved a sunroof and xenons, and heated/electric seats too. I always found BMW manual seats crap for adjustment - no way to easily remember where it was (2 clicks forwards or whatever) when somebody else drives it, and it only latches in certain places rather than very adjustable seat backs with a wheel etc.

I can live without powerfold mirrors, extra expense when they get smacked...

[helix402]

That's why I fitted electric seats, it was a pain getting the seat back in the right place. Agree regarding powerfold mirrors, my 328 had them. Twice I had a mirror snapped off by vandals.

[helix402]

Good day out at the Sherborne car show today:

[helix402]

O/s/r window regulator broke after the Sherborne show. The joy of owning an old BMW isn't the regular repairs, it's the cost and availability of good used spares, £20 for a regulator and motor. 20 mins to fit.

Here's the dead one:



Terrible really, it only lasted 17 years and 241k miles.

I put some Gummiplege on the window seals to make life easier for the new reg:



I put some new butyl tape on the door membrane as the old stuff gets a little weak with age:

[markirl]

helix402 said:

O/s/r window regulator broke after the Sherborne show. The joy of owning an old BMW isn't the regular repairs, it's the cost and availability of good used spares, £20 for a regulator and motor. 20 mins to fit.

Have to agree with this and will add the fact that there is a wealth of knowledge online now from 1000's of owners tackling various DIY jobs that would have cost a fortune back in the day. I noticed this when I moved to Lexus. I had a small problem but couldn't find anything online and took me a while to work it out myself. When I finally did, used parts were scarce and £££. Swiftly moved back to BMW!

IIRC there is a trick with the e46 regs which mean that its a cable tie repair but that's only for the front windows I think. Cool thread, the M57 is a great engine - my manual 530d used to do over 50mpg if I was nice to it, worst tank was 38mpg.

[helix402]

The M57 is indeed a rather good engine. It was a pioneering engine when launched, the first diesel engine that both economy and performance.
There are many engines these days with much more power. Since my manual conversion my indicated mpg hasn't gone below 47.

[JakeT]

47 is bloody good. I agree about the E46. If I have an issue, someone else has had the same issue, fixed it and made a tutorial about it.

Which do you prefer with this car, by the way? Auto or manual? I know an autobox tends to suit a diesel engine more than a manual to me.

[helix402]

I preferred driving it as an auto most of the time. However on the plus side it's faster and more economical as a manual.

[helix402]

New o/s/r tyre today. The Conti was down to 2mm in the centre. It seems to have worn quite fast, due to my cluster change I lost track of how many miles the tyre had lasted.
I have gone for a Pirelli P Zero Nero GT, as it was a lot cheaper than another Conti.







Mileage now 241k. Has anyone used ceramic pads on an E46? I'm a little bored of so much brake dust from normal pads. Textar and ATE sell ceramic pads.

[JakeT]

I thought about it, but they're much more money than regular ones. Next pad change I might. I find that a good wheel sealant helps. The Autoglym one means I can usually just rinse the pad dust off. Makes my MV1's much less painful to clean (although pretty painful still).

[NiceCupOfTea]

Indeed, I have been thinking about getting my MV2s refurbished but they are such hard work to clean with the tiny spaces inbetween spokes. Do your 17" wheels fit over standard 330 brakes OK? To be honest I really fancy some 17" CSL knockoffs but they will be pricey. I have been spoiled by the 3 spokes on my Saab and the 5 spoke OZs on my TVR

[helix402]

The Style 68s fit 330s, the 330s only need 17s. They are a great wheel. Strong and light, I've not weighed them compared to an MV1 but have a feeling they are lighter. They are certainty lighter with a tyre on.

[helix402]

New n/s/f lower arm rear bush. These are so much easier on a lift, remove u/trays, unbolt bush, pull old bush off, push old one on. Refit stuff. Easy.
I use barrier cream to make it easy to slide on. Torque is 60Nm for the brace and bush bolts.

[helix402]

[anonymous-user]

helix402 said:

Sunroofs are rare on the E46, most buyers were happy with just air con.

Sunroofs are pretty rare full stop these days. My V70 T5 had one, I was astounded that someone paid £1500 for the option. I avoid them on old cars as they are a swine for blocked drains and leaking.