2003 320Ci - what to check for
Discussion
My wife needs to swap to an automatic, and we've found a very tidy looking 2003 320Ci 2.2 locally with about 60k miles. We had a look at it today and it seems immaculate inside and out, everything appears to function, engine is smooth and quiet at idle (not had a test drive yet due to time contraints, doing that on Monday) , but I don't know the marque so I'd like to know are there any specific problems / items to check for when we go back for a test drive?
2 minor things that that I noticed but not sure if they are actually problems:
1. the tyre pressure warning light was on , showing yellow - do I need to reset it or check that its functioning properly somehow?
2. as I retracted or closed the hard top, 4 of the buttons in that section of the dash flashed green lights until it was done, is that normal?
I've heard about VANOS issues, but not really sure what or how to check apart from poor idle or stalling.
Also, is it a chain drive engine rather than a belt?
thanks
James
2 minor things that that I noticed but not sure if they are actually problems:
1. the tyre pressure warning light was on , showing yellow - do I need to reset it or check that its functioning properly somehow?
2. as I retracted or closed the hard top, 4 of the buttons in that section of the dash flashed green lights until it was done, is that normal?
I've heard about VANOS issues, but not really sure what or how to check apart from poor idle or stalling.
Also, is it a chain drive engine rather than a belt?
thanks
James
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 6th February 18:13
TPMS can be a bit sensitive. Check tyre pressures all round to see if one is out. Reset it and usually it will stay off unless there really is an issue.
Many E46s had runflats although not all. So they may not look flat.
Not sure about lights on the dash - never had a 'vert.
VANOS google it, but mainly I think see if the car runs and drives like you expect. I gather like many things nobody had a car without the issue and wrote about it on the internet. You only tend to hear from people with problems.
Many E46s had runflats although not all. So they may not look flat.
Not sure about lights on the dash - never had a 'vert.
VANOS google it, but mainly I think see if the car runs and drives like you expect. I gather like many things nobody had a car without the issue and wrote about it on the internet. You only tend to hear from people with problems.
Tyre pressure warning system was an option on 2003 E46s - but it does mean you can use run-flats which may be good if your OH will be the main user! No messing on the hard shoulder fitting a space-saver in the rain/snow, etc.!
Rust can be a problem on E46s of that age so have a good look at the sills, wheel-arches and around the jacking points.
They also tend to need a refresh of the cooling system at 60-80K miles (my 325ti needed this last year - cost about £400 at a local BMW specialist).
FWIW a 320Ci won't be significantly cheaper to run than a 325i or 330i, but if the price is good and that is all you need/want it isn't an issue!
There is loads more advice on these on PH, but good luck!
Rust can be a problem on E46s of that age so have a good look at the sills, wheel-arches and around the jacking points.
They also tend to need a refresh of the cooling system at 60-80K miles (my 325ti needed this last year - cost about £400 at a local BMW specialist).
FWIW a 320Ci won't be significantly cheaper to run than a 325i or 330i, but if the price is good and that is all you need/want it isn't an issue!
There is loads more advice on these on PH, but good luck!
320ci is a great little car. Very reliable engine very revy. Not great on fuel and worse then 325i or 330i as you have to Rev a lot more to make the same progress, but sweeter and smoother.
Tyre pressure system is on hubs and generally reliable so the car either has a slow or flat or a wheel has been removed and replaced and not reset. Check pressures as has been said and reset. To reset hold button for around 5 seconds whilst key is in first ignition position and light comes on dash. Then start engine whilst continuing to hold button and then release.
As for what to look for.
Rust on rear arches, sills around jacking points.
Look for age of radiator. If new good if not then it's likely it's original and may need changing soon. Budget for £400 including labour.
On test drive steering should be precise. If not and it train tracks in ruts then front ball joints have failed. This is common and was very expensive to change but has come down a lot now. It's a triangular aluminium piece with three bushes on each corner. Again budget for £400.
I owned one of these for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. You have to work the engine quite hard, but saying that's it's a very rewarding steer.
Tyre pressure system is on hubs and generally reliable so the car either has a slow or flat or a wheel has been removed and replaced and not reset. Check pressures as has been said and reset. To reset hold button for around 5 seconds whilst key is in first ignition position and light comes on dash. Then start engine whilst continuing to hold button and then release.
As for what to look for.
Rust on rear arches, sills around jacking points.
Look for age of radiator. If new good if not then it's likely it's original and may need changing soon. Budget for £400 including labour.
On test drive steering should be precise. If not and it train tracks in ruts then front ball joints have failed. This is common and was very expensive to change but has come down a lot now. It's a triangular aluminium piece with three bushes on each corner. Again budget for £400.
I owned one of these for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. You have to work the engine quite hard, but saying that's it's a very rewarding steer.
To report back, we went for a test drive today, and unfortunately we were so disappointed with the way the car drove we didn't even bother with any of the other checks, a 20 minute test drive was more than enough.
The problem was not the engine or the feel of the car, the interior was really nice, very comfortable seats, the steering had a nice weight to it, the problem was the autobox, which totally ruined the drive.
Trying to pull away as you would in a manual car (by this I mean at what I regard as a sensible, normal rate of acceleration), once past about 10mph there was a lot of revving but almost no forward motion. The engine would be at 2000 to 3000rpm, but the road speed was not increasing. You had to force it to kickdown 1 or 2 gears to start moving, at which point it lurched forward but with the fairly loud exhaust it all felt a bit hooliganny (if thats a word).
It seemed to be impossible to just normally accelerate to 30 or 40mph - it was either snail-slow or kickdown-bootful, there seemed to be nothing in between. My wife drove and then I drove, we both found the same and even from the passenger seat it felt wrong. Foot to the floor and it was immensely noisy (something I normally don't mind) but didn't really accelerate as I would expect. After about 15 minutes we were so fed up with it we drove back the dealer having had enough. I mentioned about it being very sluggish and he's going to drive it a bit and see if there's something up with it.
It could well be that this car had a dodgy box, low fluid or something else (although I did check the fluid colour (clear red) and reservoir level previously and it seemed fine), but the actual operation of the autobox felt very similar to the 1992 auto Hilux Surf I owned for years.
Such a shame as apart from the gearbox it really was a very nice car indeed.
The problem was not the engine or the feel of the car, the interior was really nice, very comfortable seats, the steering had a nice weight to it, the problem was the autobox, which totally ruined the drive.
Trying to pull away as you would in a manual car (by this I mean at what I regard as a sensible, normal rate of acceleration), once past about 10mph there was a lot of revving but almost no forward motion. The engine would be at 2000 to 3000rpm, but the road speed was not increasing. You had to force it to kickdown 1 or 2 gears to start moving, at which point it lurched forward but with the fairly loud exhaust it all felt a bit hooliganny (if thats a word).
It seemed to be impossible to just normally accelerate to 30 or 40mph - it was either snail-slow or kickdown-bootful, there seemed to be nothing in between. My wife drove and then I drove, we both found the same and even from the passenger seat it felt wrong. Foot to the floor and it was immensely noisy (something I normally don't mind) but didn't really accelerate as I would expect. After about 15 minutes we were so fed up with it we drove back the dealer having had enough. I mentioned about it being very sluggish and he's going to drive it a bit and see if there's something up with it.
It could well be that this car had a dodgy box, low fluid or something else (although I did check the fluid colour (clear red) and reservoir level previously and it seemed fine), but the actual operation of the autobox felt very similar to the 1992 auto Hilux Surf I owned for years.
Such a shame as apart from the gearbox it really was a very nice car indeed.
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 8th February 20:45
A 320i convertible auto is not going to be a lively car although it should drive quite nicely. Your description could tally with a vanos problem. One of the effects is a sluggishness below 3000 RPM.
An auto probably exaggerates the problem as you described (kicking down).
Keep looking, E46 convertibles are great cars.
An auto probably exaggerates the problem as you described (kicking down).
Keep looking, E46 convertibles are great cars.
Yeah maybe it was - the reservoir was at the front passenger side IIRC.
We looked at a hardtop car the day after, a look in through the window was enough to put us off that one, looked like it had led a very hard life. Also the front bumper was smashed at the bottom and the tyres had loads of pieces of black rubber hanging off the sidewalls, not really sure what is the point of even advertising a car in that condition.
We looked at a hardtop car the day after, a look in through the window was enough to put us off that one, looked like it had led a very hard life. Also the front bumper was smashed at the bottom and the tyres had loads of pieces of black rubber hanging off the sidewalls, not really sure what is the point of even advertising a car in that condition.
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