The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread
Discussion
The best tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1s. I had the mk. 2s, I hear that the mk. 3s are even better. For cheaper but still good tyres, look at Vredestein Ultra Sessanta, Hankook Ventus k120 (what I have now), and Uniroyal Rainsport 3s. Kumho and Barum tyres also have fans on forums, but I have never tried them.
Btw, the correct size for the front tyre is 225/40/R18, not 235 (rear is 255/35/R18). This should save you some money
Btw, the correct size for the front tyre is 225/40/R18, not 235 (rear is 255/35/R18). This should save you some money
Technical question!
My central locking only works off the key. I have been through all the usual suspects and have new batteries in both the keys and a working GM5 module taken from a car with known working central locking. I have narrowed it down from endless Googling to be potentially the "diversity amplifier" that is supposedly in the "rear C pillar trim" (well, it appears to be on saloon E46s). I have currently got the entire boot stripped out and I cannot find it at all! Can anyone offer any guidance??
Thanks
My central locking only works off the key. I have been through all the usual suspects and have new batteries in both the keys and a working GM5 module taken from a car with known working central locking. I have narrowed it down from endless Googling to be potentially the "diversity amplifier" that is supposedly in the "rear C pillar trim" (well, it appears to be on saloon E46s). I have currently got the entire boot stripped out and I cannot find it at all! Can anyone offer any guidance??
Thanks
venskip said:
Technical question!
My central locking only works off the key. I have been through all the usual suspects and have new batteries in both the keys and a working GM5 module taken from a car with known working central locking. I have narrowed it down from endless Googling to be potentially the "diversity amplifier" that is supposedly in the "rear C pillar trim" (well, it appears to be on saloon E46s). I have currently got the entire boot stripped out and I cannot find it at all! Can anyone offer any guidance??
Thanks
Have you you looked at the trim panel on the actual boot lid?My central locking only works off the key. I have been through all the usual suspects and have new batteries in both the keys and a working GM5 module taken from a car with known working central locking. I have narrowed it down from endless Googling to be potentially the "diversity amplifier" that is supposedly in the "rear C pillar trim" (well, it appears to be on saloon E46s). I have currently got the entire boot stripped out and I cannot find it at all! Can anyone offer any guidance??
Thanks
Mr Tidy said:
ethomas said:
I have the B12 kit on my car, and it is a little stiff. I think it suits the character of the compact more than it would the saloon. I checked and the 330 front arb is either 23 or 24mm (depending if the donor car had sports suspension or not), the 325ti has 26.5mm. If you are planning to track the car, I would expect the stiffer bar to be worthwhile.
Where are you based, if you are not too far away I can show you what the B12 kit feels like. I would also love to see how the compact goes with a 330 engine in it
Very interesting - that might be why the E46 328i SE Coupe I drove before I bought my 325ti felt like a blancmange (plus the Compact got a quicker steering rack IIRC before the other E46s).Where are you based, if you are not too far away I can show you what the B12 kit feels like. I would also love to see how the compact goes with a 330 engine in it
Which puts me right off 316 and 318 conversions with a 330i engine - a 325ti would be a much better starting point surely?
They upped the steering ratio from 15.5:1 to 13:1 ( so from around 3.2 turns lock to lock to down to around 2.9 ) on the Compact and the power assistance reduced to around 0.27deg/Nm ( nearly double the weight of the early 330 ).
Also with the Compact they stiffened up the steering guibo ( to remove some of the initial slop when turning the wheel ).
They also uprated the suspension settings about 20% over the heavier saloon, stiffer bushings, shorter diff ratio and a thicker front anti-roll bar.
As the reviews on the steering and suspension were received favourably in press reviews they rolled out a fair few of the changes to the other E46 models.
Compact rack and guibo filtered onto all the non-M E46s after a few months anyway.
They weren't allowed to do as much as they wanted with the Compact as it was really only an entry level model, so no 3 litre engine etc
I did a post of all the changes between an E46 325 Coupe and 325ti on here once but can't be bothered to find it at the moment.
JakeT said:
Last page I mentioned that I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4s fitted to mine, and they're excellent. We've had some torrential rain recently and temps down to 3.5 degrees and they've been excellent. Costly, but more will be going on when these wear out.
I've got the Conti SC5 on mine at the moment - I find them really good but I haven't had the wear issues ( unless the tread is suddenly about to zip down quickly ) that some people mention. Shame they don't do the Michelin Supersports without going to massive wheelsI've only just taken off some WC830s that I ran over the colder months and they were good enough to keep me mobile even though the snow was limited this year round here
s m said:
Shame they don't do the Michelin Supersports without going to massive wheels
They are available as a 215 45 R17, Camskill have them http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-pilot-sup...
Surely time for a bump fellow enthusiasts!
Anyway mine had a re-gas yesterday and now the climate is chilling! Plus the airbag light got turned off (apparently the issue was the driver seat pre-tensioner mis-behaving once). (My local indy tells me it seems to be more of a problem with Compacts/Coupes because the seats get tipped and that appears to interfere with the wiring under the front seats)
Then I ordered a new O/S/F lower wheel-arch liner and O/S/F brake duct to deal with the damage caused by the grouse that appeared in my path on the M40 recently - never liked fat birds, they should be shot! Oops they are usually, but it is hardly any wonder as they are that dozy, but you need to shoot them before they jump under a vehicle!
Anyway mine had a re-gas yesterday and now the climate is chilling! Plus the airbag light got turned off (apparently the issue was the driver seat pre-tensioner mis-behaving once). (My local indy tells me it seems to be more of a problem with Compacts/Coupes because the seats get tipped and that appears to interfere with the wiring under the front seats)
Then I ordered a new O/S/F lower wheel-arch liner and O/S/F brake duct to deal with the damage caused by the grouse that appeared in my path on the M40 recently - never liked fat birds, they should be shot! Oops they are usually, but it is hardly any wonder as they are that dozy, but you need to shoot them before they jump under a vehicle!
ethomas said:
They are available as a 215 45 R17, Camskill have them
http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-pilot-sup...
Ah cheers, not too dissimilar to the 205/50 17 size thenhttp://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/michelin-pilot-sup...
Hello, I'm just checking in - I've just bought a 325ti SE, it's very clean and tidy looking, I think I've had a bit of a steal really (£1500), the chap reckoned he'd had loads of calls, ad was only up a few hours and I was the first to see and did buy ;o/ he seemed a bit miffed. It's arriving tomorrow and hopefully it'll be on the road by the end of next week. Can't wait!
I suspect I've got a learning curve, there was some very slight bubbling on the inside of the rear arches and a little spot of rust under the badge on the tailgate, every thing else seemed in order, it had a new steering rack in 2011 (is that a known weakness?) and has had several bits of the suspension replaced over the last few years and newish discs and pads - What should I know immediately?
I suspect I've got a learning curve, there was some very slight bubbling on the inside of the rear arches and a little spot of rust under the badge on the tailgate, every thing else seemed in order, it had a new steering rack in 2011 (is that a known weakness?) and has had several bits of the suspension replaced over the last few years and newish discs and pads - What should I know immediately?
Welcome to the thread! 
Sounds like you have got a good deal.
I've not seen steering racks mentioned, but as these cars are all over 10 years old now I suppose any moving part can wear out over time.
Not a definitive list, but based on my experience with mine:-
Rear wiper motors often fail due to water ingress from piping for the washers. If it works (mine doesn't) I would avoid using the rear washer to save the wiper motor.
Mine throws an EML fault and misfires if started and stopped too frequently without actually going anywhere - the fault is with the hydraulic valve lifters, but so far each time I use it for a sensible distance the problem clears up. But my local Indy says it is a common problem with the M54 engines.
If the front screen washers don't work (as mine didn't) it may be because a previous owner just topped up with tap water. Taking the washer tank out and flushing it out, cleaning the filter on the washer pump and putting it back together with screenwash fluid in the tank solved that.
Driver's side wiper blade should be 21 inch - someone had put a 22 inch one on mine and it kept clipping the other wiper! Soon changed it!
Oh and the 325ti Compact is the only E46 variant where the SE and Sport come with the same suspension set-up and both have the Sport seats, although the standard wheels were 16 inch on the SE and 17 inch on the Sport.
Anyway that's all I can think of for now!
I bought mine from a dealer the day he posted it - he priced it too low as well but then he didn't really know much about it (I found the CD changer in the boot that he wasn't aware of)!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine - such a great car for something so practical!
Sounds like you have got a good deal.
I've not seen steering racks mentioned, but as these cars are all over 10 years old now I suppose any moving part can wear out over time.
Not a definitive list, but based on my experience with mine:-
Rear wiper motors often fail due to water ingress from piping for the washers. If it works (mine doesn't) I would avoid using the rear washer to save the wiper motor.
Mine throws an EML fault and misfires if started and stopped too frequently without actually going anywhere - the fault is with the hydraulic valve lifters, but so far each time I use it for a sensible distance the problem clears up. But my local Indy says it is a common problem with the M54 engines.
If the front screen washers don't work (as mine didn't) it may be because a previous owner just topped up with tap water. Taking the washer tank out and flushing it out, cleaning the filter on the washer pump and putting it back together with screenwash fluid in the tank solved that.
Driver's side wiper blade should be 21 inch - someone had put a 22 inch one on mine and it kept clipping the other wiper! Soon changed it!
Oh and the 325ti Compact is the only E46 variant where the SE and Sport come with the same suspension set-up and both have the Sport seats, although the standard wheels were 16 inch on the SE and 17 inch on the Sport.
Anyway that's all I can think of for now!
I bought mine from a dealer the day he posted it - he priced it too low as well but then he didn't really know much about it (I found the CD changer in the boot that he wasn't aware of)!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine - such a great car for something so practical!
Been checking into this thread for quite some time. I can safely say it wetted my appetite so I picked this up end of April.
89k on the clock, full history. Full sport package, with staggered 17's, bodywork not so great imho but good enough for me.
First week of bmw ownership was a breeze
until the steering pump failed on me pulling out of the local BP garage. So I thought while I changed the pump I'd sort the long list of things that I thought needed doing.
Aux belt
Ac belt
New thermostat
Upper & lower rad hoses
New expansion tank & cap
Coolant flush
Steering fluid flush
I did intend to change the water pump and the rad but they looked relatively new so I thought against it, I can use the money elsewhere on major service items next month.
So to do list ;
Major service (oil, oil filter, air filter) spark plugs, diff oil, gearbox oil, fuel filter, cabin filter.
Clutch delay Valve delete
Vanos repair kit
Few other bits and pieces like iPhone compatability for HU and a suss a few minor oil leaks.
Cheers mikey.
89k on the clock, full history. Full sport package, with staggered 17's, bodywork not so great imho but good enough for me.
First week of bmw ownership was a breeze
until the steering pump failed on me pulling out of the local BP garage. So I thought while I changed the pump I'd sort the long list of things that I thought needed doing. Aux belt
Ac belt
New thermostat
Upper & lower rad hoses
New expansion tank & cap
Coolant flush
Steering fluid flush
I did intend to change the water pump and the rad but they looked relatively new so I thought against it, I can use the money elsewhere on major service items next month.
So to do list ;
Major service (oil, oil filter, air filter) spark plugs, diff oil, gearbox oil, fuel filter, cabin filter.
Clutch delay Valve delete
Vanos repair kit
Few other bits and pieces like iPhone compatability for HU and a suss a few minor oil leaks.
Cheers mikey.
Hil_lo said:
Been checking into this thread for quite some time. I can safely say it wetted my appetite so I picked this up end of April.
89k on the clock, full history. Full sport package, with staggered 17's, bodywork not so great imho but good enough for me.
Cheers mikey.
89k on the clock, full history. Full sport package, with staggered 17's, bodywork not so great imho but good enough for me.
Cheers mikey.
Nice colour Mike
Bad luck on the steering pump
Mine has been very reliable
Great little hot hatches for a couple of grand - more practical than my old 328 and has most of the bits on as standard I had to add on to the E36 - Bimmertune LSD worthwhile fun if you like that type of thing
s m said:
Nice colour Mike
Bad luck on the steering pump
Mine has been very reliable
Great little hot hatches for a couple of grand - more practical than my old 328 and has most of the bits on as standard I had to add on to the E36 - Bimmertune LSD worthwhile fun if you like that type of thing
More people yay! With regards to steering racks they can get icky I believe. Mine has a truly minuscule amount of play in it that my indy detected recently. Not an issue really, but a new rack would be required should I want it 100% vs 98%. I also ordered one of these today to store oil. The last bottle I kept under the boot floor sprung a leak...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BMW-Genuine-Top-Up-Storag...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BMW-Genuine-Top-Up-Storag...
Good colour FredClogs! Looks like you also have the optional sunroof!
I am guessing it is an SE based on the wheels, but if you want to confirm the Sport has small circular front fog lights and different bumpers to the SE (SE fog lights are rectangular).
Hope you get the insurance sorted soon, then you can get out and drive it as intended!
I am guessing it is an SE based on the wheels, but if you want to confirm the Sport has small circular front fog lights and different bumpers to the SE (SE fog lights are rectangular).
Hope you get the insurance sorted soon, then you can get out and drive it as intended!
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