Looking to buy a 06 330i, anything to look out for?!
Discussion
Evening everyone, as title says really. I've a 120d at the minute but due to only doing 7k a year now I fancy a petrol again. Been looking at some older 330i's with 70-80k on. I only need it for 2 years really. Is there any issues or things to look out for before buying at this age?
Cheers
Chris.
Cheers
Chris.
Depends if you're looking at an E46 or an E90, as the model changed around this time. Having owned both I'd go E90 all the way, although the E46 is arguably nicer to look at. MSport spec is more desirable than SE, 325's slightly down on power but better value. You may have to consider buying a jack & spacesaver if the car originally came on runflats. Some 3.0 petrol sixes are prone to injector problems.
The 258bhp engine is the N52. Absolutely glorious power plant and generally bulletproof, but can get noisy tappets (not a serious problem - it tends to come and go) and the electric water pump can fail which is quite expensive.
Bodywork seems much more rust resistant on E90 generation bmws than the E46.
Bodywork seems much more rust resistant on E90 generation bmws than the E46.
One of the first things I would check is the coolant temp, accessed by a "secret" menu. Plenty of guides online on how to access.
The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
Also, have an alignment done to the car when you buy it, E90's seem to be very sensitive to this and you'll save the cost of this in tyre wear alone, plus the car will drive nicer.
Check for wheel cracking, especially if the car is running 18 or 19 wheels. very, very common on these cars.
interior trim, especially the brushed aluminium version, usually gets trashed, and replacing it lifts the whole cabin, so factor in a replacement. There is a guy who advertises on EBay who can recover all the trim for not much cost in various designs. I've used him before and am happy with the service.
Oh, and this a daft one really, check the windscreen washer filter, they often get blocked and getting to them is a pain.
The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
Also, have an alignment done to the car when you buy it, E90's seem to be very sensitive to this and you'll save the cost of this in tyre wear alone, plus the car will drive nicer.
Check for wheel cracking, especially if the car is running 18 or 19 wheels. very, very common on these cars.
interior trim, especially the brushed aluminium version, usually gets trashed, and replacing it lifts the whole cabin, so factor in a replacement. There is a guy who advertises on EBay who can recover all the trim for not much cost in various designs. I've used him before and am happy with the service.
Oh, and this a daft one really, check the windscreen washer filter, they often get blocked and getting to them is a pain.
Good advice above, and also be aware there's a fuel tank breather pipe that can wear through - official fix is a major job with tank out - a grand at main dealer. Mine dripped petrol on a full tank - brimming it is the only way to check afaik. Or live with it and never fully fill the tank.Stonking engine on these 
f1nn said:
One of the first things I would check is the coolant temp, accessed by a "secret" menu. Plenty of guides online on how to access.
The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
Is this something that should/ be done when inspecting the car or just a small thing that can be fixed after ownership?The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
f1nn said:
Check for wheel cracking, especially if the car is running 18 or 19 wheels. very, very common on these cars.
Was googling a bit about this - I guess this is down to a visual inspection? Is checking the outward facing parts enough?I bought one about 3 months back - 2005 330i manual se 64k miles full bmwsh - £3.7k...
The guy who owned it didnt love it so the bodywork was a little uncared for! Ended up having a full inspection 2, brand new MOT - put on the full msport kit front and back and added 18" wheels with brand new potenzas - all in for £5.5k!
I own an e36 m3 as a project car and had an e46 330ci sport about 6 years back.
All i can say is that for a daily runner i love it - the noise is great if you want to hoof it and performance wise its really something special even against the M3 - its actually a hard choice somedays as to whcih car to use even at the weekends!
Averaging about 28mpg all round with sensible driving which is a little steep compared to what i thought but other than that they are cracking cars.
I do think the 330ci was a better drivers car in that it seemed to drive a little smoother, but for the money i love mine and so few people know what it is in that its like any old BMW E90 company car until you put your foot down - which is great fun when some fool in his 318d from arval tries it on!
Good luck with the hunt!
The guy who owned it didnt love it so the bodywork was a little uncared for! Ended up having a full inspection 2, brand new MOT - put on the full msport kit front and back and added 18" wheels with brand new potenzas - all in for £5.5k!
I own an e36 m3 as a project car and had an e46 330ci sport about 6 years back.
All i can say is that for a daily runner i love it - the noise is great if you want to hoof it and performance wise its really something special even against the M3 - its actually a hard choice somedays as to whcih car to use even at the weekends!
Averaging about 28mpg all round with sensible driving which is a little steep compared to what i thought but other than that they are cracking cars.
I do think the 330ci was a better drivers car in that it seemed to drive a little smoother, but for the money i love mine and so few people know what it is in that its like any old BMW E90 company car until you put your foot down - which is great fun when some fool in his 318d from arval tries it on!
Good luck with the hunt!
kenam said:
f1nn said:
One of the first things I would check is the coolant temp, accessed by a "secret" menu. Plenty of guides online on how to access.
The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
Is this something that should/ be done when inspecting the car or just a small thing that can be fixed after ownership?The thermostats can become lazy causing the temp to run lower than normal which can lead to increased fuel consumption.
f1nn said:
Check for wheel cracking, especially if the car is running 18 or 19 wheels. very, very common on these cars.
Was googling a bit about this - I guess this is down to a visual inspection? Is checking the outward facing parts enough?Wheels - 99% of cracks will be on the inner rim so unless the wheels are off or the cars on a 2 post lift damage isn't easy to spot.
Thermostats are not silly money, and it's a fairly straightforward job to do yourself if you know one end of a socket from another.
I wouldn't say it's something you need to check before purchase, just budget on doing it sooner rather than later.
As far the wheels, as someone else it's almost always going to be the insides that crack, so it's not going to be easy to see.
I wouldn't say it's something you need to check before purchase, just budget on doing it sooner rather than later.
As far the wheels, as someone else it's almost always going to be the insides that crack, so it's not going to be easy to see.
Thermostats are not silly money, and it's a fairly straightforward job to do yourself if you know one end of a socket from another.
I wouldn't say it's something you need to check before purchase, just budget on doing it sooner rather than later.
As far the wheels, as someone else it's almost always going to be the insides that crack, so it's not going to be easy to see.
I wouldn't say it's something you need to check before purchase, just budget on doing it sooner rather than later.
As far the wheels, as someone else it's almost always going to be the insides that crack, so it's not going to be easy to see.
Regarding the thermostats... I've wondered in the past about the stat on our N52 325i... its not as economical as it was when we first got it (used to manage 40 MPG according to the OBC on a sedate motorway run, now the maximum seems to be about 35 MPG with the same sort of driving).
The main dealer checked it a while back and said nothing was wrong with it (presumably because the computer said so, with no fault codes logged) - out of interest, what temperature should it be sat at once warmed up?
The main dealer checked it a while back and said nothing was wrong with it (presumably because the computer said so, with no fault codes logged) - out of interest, what temperature should it be sat at once warmed up?
There are two very expensive potential problems with these. The N52 is a good engine but it has a habit of wearing a groove in the cam carrier, resulting in a reduction of oil pressure to the Vanos unit - engine light on, and it doesn't run right. That requires a new cylinder head because the cam involved runs in the head, not in a separate carrier. Good used heads are plenty of $$$, if you can find one.
The other thing is the ABS unit. Unlike the old E46 that had external screw in DSC sensors, the DSC valves are built into the block. If they go (or the ECU fails), it's a 2 grand repair unless you can find a good used one - the breakers know how rare they are and charge accordingly. A new ABS unit is about £1800 plus VAT, fitting and coding. Having dealt with BBA Reman before about these, they've said a lot of them cannot be fixed.
So make sure it runs like a watch and the ABS light does what it should.
Apart from that it's there usual E90 dramas like door latches, water in the ECU box under the bonnet (drill some extra drain holes) and the iDrive controller going haywire. But a good one is a tremendous thing, especially a manual 330i.
Talk of the devil - here's a knackered one for only £3000....................
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-325i-SE-2005-i-SILVE...
The other thing is the ABS unit. Unlike the old E46 that had external screw in DSC sensors, the DSC valves are built into the block. If they go (or the ECU fails), it's a 2 grand repair unless you can find a good used one - the breakers know how rare they are and charge accordingly. A new ABS unit is about £1800 plus VAT, fitting and coding. Having dealt with BBA Reman before about these, they've said a lot of them cannot be fixed.
So make sure it runs like a watch and the ABS light does what it should.
Apart from that it's there usual E90 dramas like door latches, water in the ECU box under the bonnet (drill some extra drain holes) and the iDrive controller going haywire. But a good one is a tremendous thing, especially a manual 330i.
Talk of the devil - here's a knackered one for only £3000....................
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-325i-SE-2005-i-SILVE...
Edited by iSore on Monday 6th July 19:11
Edited by iSore on Monday 6th July 19:11
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