The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread

The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread

Author
Discussion

JakeT

5,406 posts

119 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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When he booked in his car to have the airbag recall done, the dealer washed his car. The valet monkey, while washing his car bumped the button on the key and the boot was opened. The boot was soaked through and they somehow washed the grease out of the struts. We spent some time with the WD40, 3 in one and some silicone spray for good effect. Pretty much as they were now. As one would expect he wasn't pleased. Different dealer, but when mine went in they were complimenting the condition of the car and gave it a clean bill of health!

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Monday 25th July 2016
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JakeT said:
When he booked in his car to have the airbag recall done, the dealer washed his car. The valet monkey, while washing his car bumped the button on the key and the boot was opened. The boot was soaked through and they somehow washed the grease out of the struts. We spent some time with the WD40, 3 in one and some silicone spray for good effect. Pretty much as they were now. As one would expect he wasn't pleased. Different dealer, but when mine went in they were complimenting the condition of the car and gave it a clean bill of health!
Blimey, I now feel vindicated at asking them not to wash my car smile

They've got a sort of drive thru wash at my local dealer and they never seem to dry cars off properly so you end up with it being all water spotted

Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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s m said:
Blimey, I now feel vindicated at asking them not to wash my car smile

They've got a sort of drive thru wash at my local dealer and they never seem to dry cars off properly so you end up with it being all water spotted
Wow, close call! When I had my airbag recall done I booked it as a while-you-wait job so told them not to bother washing it - phew!

And I believe they also use a car-wash!

Hil_lo

53 posts

95 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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So if I ring my local dealership and check to see if my car has any pending recalls..They will oblige? As per above..

Kawasicki

13,041 posts

234 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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Just had my local dealer here in Germany carry out an oil service and also change the gearbox oil. They also did the airbag recall while it was there, they didn't wash the car, there was no offer of that either.

I supplied the oil, but not the filter....65 Pounds was the charge...how does that compare to the uk?

The gearshift is still baulky...slicker than it was but still crap....


Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Tuesday 26th July 2016
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Hil_lo said:
So if I ring my local dealership and check to see if my car has any pending recalls..They will oblige? As per above..
They should do, but you could have a look at this first:-

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/e...

Dealer should be able to tell whether it has been done! thumbup

JakeT

5,406 posts

119 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I would say call the dealer. I did that, gave them the Reg and they notified me that it would need doing. Booked it in, had it a while you wait job so I had a poke around all of the stuff they had in the showroom, and then went home! Painless and none of my trim or other interior components were damaged in any way. Can't complain!

Andrew Kettle

40 posts

142 months

Wednesday 27th July 2016
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I have just called my local BMW and got this booked in to be done, would probably not have found out about it other than this thread, so thank you whomever brought this up originally. Made sure to specify no washing lol.

In other news, a couple of weekends back I had the valve cover off and replaced the gasket, no more burning oil smell when at the lights smile Also replaced my Vanos seals at the same time, and there is a definite improvement in the smoothness of the engine and a bit more torque at lower RPM, the most noticeable difference is in the MPG, previously I was getting 26 - 28 MPG and now am sitting at around 32 MPG with no change in my driving style or usual routes.

I would recommend that anyone who hasn't done this gives it some consideration!



Mr Tidy

22,065 posts

126 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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Have to say my experience was very civilised - free WiFi, daily newspapers and current magazines to read, plus free coffee!

Wouldn't have minded if the job had taken a bit longer! laugh


ethomas

315 posts

229 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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Andrew Kettle said:
I have just called my local BMW and got this booked in to be done, would probably not have found out about it other than this thread, so thank you whomever brought this up originally. Made sure to specify no washing lol.

In other news, a couple of weekends back I had the valve cover off and replaced the gasket, no more burning oil smell when at the lights smile Also replaced my Vanos seals at the same time, and there is a definite improvement in the smoothness of the engine and a bit more torque at lower RPM, the most noticeable difference is in the MPG, previously I was getting 26 - 28 MPG and now am sitting at around 32 MPG with no change in my driving style or usual routes.

I would recommend that anyone who hasn't done this gives it some consideration!
Vanos seals are a no brainer if not yet done, definitely a must for anyone still running on the original seals. Cheap and not difficult.

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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Kawasicki said:
Just had my local dealer here in Germany carry out an oil service and also change the gearbox oil. They also did the airbag recall while it was there, they didn't wash the car, there was no offer of that either.

I supplied the oil, but not the filter....65 Pounds was the charge...how does that compare to the uk?

The gearshift is still baulky...slicker than it was but still crap....
5- or 6-speeder?

blindmaninchains

388 posts

174 months

Sunday 31st July 2016
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Had mine for a few weeks now and loving it, but it has a couple of annoying niggles. Got back from a family holiday near to Montpellier last weekend, we took the car and it performed brilliantly. Never missed a beat averaged around 34mpg with me driving at 90mph (in France), 40mpg at 70mph in the hands of Mrs Blindmaninchains. Put very nearly 2000 miles on the clock. However, it's now making a knocking noise when it passes over rippled road surfaces. Speed humps don't cause the noise, just small ripples.
I booked it in with my local mechanic and he said all the suspension parts were A1, no movement at all. The only thing he could find was a osf wheel bearing on its way out, wasn't groaning though.
So, wheel bearing replaced and of course, the noise is still there furious
I'm thinking I'll book it in to a BMW specialist, can anyone recommend one on Teesside?
The only other niggle is the display on the stereo, some of the pixels fade when the temperature in the cabin is over 15 degrees or so. Can this be fixed, or am I looking at a new stereo?

Cheers!

s m

23,164 posts

202 months

Sunday 31st July 2016
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blindmaninchains said:
Had mine for a few weeks now and loving it, but it has a couple of annoying niggles. Got back from a family holiday near to Montpellier last weekend, we took the car and it performed brilliantly. Never missed a beat averaged around 34mpg with me driving at 90mph (in France), 40mpg at 70mph in the hands of Mrs Blindmaninchains. Put very nearly 2000 miles on the clock. However, it's now making a knocking noise when it passes over rippled road surfaces. Speed humps don't cause the noise, just small ripples.
I booked it in with my local mechanic and he said all the suspension parts were A1, no movement at all. The only thing he could find was a osf wheel bearing on its way out, wasn't groaning though.
So, wheel bearing replaced and of course, the noise is still there furious
I'm thinking I'll book it in to a BMW specialist, can anyone recommend one on Teesside?
The only other niggle is the display on the stereo, some of the pixels fade when the temperature in the cabin is over 15 degrees or so. Can this be fixed, or am I looking at a new stereo?

Cheers!
Noise nothing to do with ARB/drop links if it isn't the wishbones/bushes? Tried braking slightly over a series of ripples that cause the knock? Sometimes it can be brake caliper noise/pads.

Not sure if the E46 pixels on the display can be fixed cheaply - as you say, usually heat causes it.

Just come back from holidays in mine too - didn't match the mpg your wife got though! Think 38 at just under average 70mph



Edited by s m on Sunday 31st July 22:02

blindmaninchains

388 posts

174 months

Sunday 31st July 2016
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s m said:
Noise nothing to do with ARB/drop links if it isn't the wishbones/bushes? Tried braking slightly over a series of ripples that cause the knock? Sometimes it can be brake caliper noise/pads.

Not sure if the E46 pixels on the display can be fixed cheaply - as you say, usually heat causes it.

Just come back from holidays in mine too - didn't match the mpg your wife got though! Think 38 at just under average 70mph
To be fair, I'm quoting the trip computer, so probably nearer what you got in terms of mpg. Edit: Ha, I see you are too. She must be naturally light-footed then!

I was hoping it would be the pads in the calipers, but I've gone up and down the same stretch of road with brakes on and off, makes no difference, sadly. I suppose I'll have to wait and see what the BMW specialist finds.




Edited by blindmaninchains on Sunday 31st July 22:08

Hil_lo

53 posts

95 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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Regards VANOS repairs, to those that have changed it themselves. Did you just pick up the seals kit or bearing kit also? Not sure whether to get both? Plus did you get it from beisan systems or is there an alternative? Many thanks.

Andrew Kettle

40 posts

142 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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I personally chose just to do the seals as my vanos were not rattling at all. From reading up beforehand I don't think it's one of those items that is worth doing as a preventative thing.

You can get the seals from i6 automotive or x8r - I went with the latter as they do a full kit with the valve cover gasket included - use the code "valued" for 10% off.

dirtychinchilla

48 posts

102 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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Do you have any idea how much a garage would charge for the pleasure? I've looked up the DIY and it scared the st out of me...

Andrew Kettle

40 posts

142 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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I would imagine a garage would charge something in the region of 4 - 5 hours labour, its not a difficult job but its fairly time intensive - it took me about 8 hours going slow and steady making sure I did it right.

I was nervous reading the write up too, as the most involved bit of engine work I had done before this was the DISA o-ring and lower intake boot replacement. So long as you follow the instructions step by step its really not too bad of a job. This video below is worth a watch to give you an idea of what is involved -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUVF6OLFFg

Hil_lo

53 posts

95 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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Sorry for the topic deviation, I'm throwing this thread all over the shop. Just thought I'd share a little mod I did today. Purchased a eBay aux in cable for my HU. Tried it last week and it turns out it doesn't work with the business tape model. So after digging around various forums I found a tutorial for splicing into the main circuit board on the HU.
Not the prettiest soldering I've ever done, very fiddly going straight onto the chip but doable, used some silicone just to steady the connections. Then grabbed a cassette tape from the local charity shop, rip all the insides out and stick it in the deck.
Saves me 70 plus quid for later aux compatible Headunit, and sound quality is very good, just a slight noise from the HU if playing on low volume as the tape gear is still working away.

Just thought I'd share, as I'm sure I'm not the only one rocking a Tape HU.


JakeT

5,406 posts

119 months

Monday 1st August 2016
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Still got a tape head unit. Still meaning to get a CD or MD playing unit at some point. I went the other route, since swapping CDs in a changer frequently was just a pain, I got a Grom iPD4 thing. This connects to where the CD changer would in the boot and gives you a USB. What does this mean? Full iPod control, including using the numbered buttons to select tracks. It also shows song and artist names on the display of the head unit, too. Sound quality is as good as the files on my phone, and charges it when plugged in. Fitted it within a month of owning my car, and it's been excellent. Better than swapping to a poor fitting newer head unit.