My Bmw E46 Problem Advice

[Jcdm89]

So after much thought I decided to get a e46 330ci and ended up geting one that I really wanted colour and interior
Combination wise so I made the purchase was over the moon with the car and wanted to get it looked at just out of piece of mind

So off I went to Munich legends a brilliant bmw specialist in East Sussex the kind of place which is a dream to a bmw petrol
Head anyways I sat there admiring the immaculate bmws they had and hoping there wasn't going to be nothing major wrong and then the technician arrived to give me the news. The list was endless to a degree and it was my luck to have
Some of the problems my car has. To be fair I'm not me mechanically smart when it comes to cars what so ever
So I suppose I'm part to blame but it still dose not change how gutting it was to have a list like this but s**t happens I suppose.

I got a quote of all the parts and labor from them to what has come to a arm and leg for me for a car I never even paid that price for part of me wants to get rid and part of me wants to keep hold of it as it is a great looking car and to drive but more scared I'm going to save the money and more will go wrong. Just wondered people's thoughts of what I should do advice would be much appreciated.

I absolutely adore the car regardless of it faults but just getting caught in a rut with what to do so I thoughts people's views may give me more of a point of direction to a decision.


I've tried to attach part of the quote I'm hoping it will work and apologies for the way I've written this it's a night mare doing this on a iPhone and many thanks for any views if I get any lol

[Jcdm89]

[Jcdm89]

[Gizmoish]

Looks like you bought a shed I'm afraid - should have had it checked over by a mechanic / friend who knows about stuff.

ML may be an expensive place to have it worked on, other garages may charge less (at a guess), but most of those things are normal wear and tear and won't need doing again for a long time.

[Fox-]

Over 200 quid each for rear tyres on an E46 330Ci? Yea, sure - shop around and you can get Contisport Contact 5's or Eagle F1 Assymetric 2's for comfortably under £200 inc vat.

Most of the work there is general wear and tear stuff that you'd expect on any older car, the notable exception being the boot floor issue. This is a fairly common E46 problem unfortunately and is the only 'serious' issue in the list.

Other than that it just needs some suspension bits and bobs, service, new tyres etc - as you'd expect really. Just because you can now buy a 330Ci for the price of a 10 year old Fiesta doesn't mean it costs 10 year old Fiesta money to run.

[zcacogp]

So ... you bought a car which you thought was fine. So fine, you handed over around £1200 of your own hard-earned to buy it.

You took it to a poncy aftermarket place which has an interest in drumming up business. And - shock! horror! - it looks like they have found something for you to spend some more money on.

You, despite thinking that it was fine, are now concerned about a piece of paper from someone with a vested interest in getting money out of you gave you.

This sounds harsh but I can't think of a polite way to put it; what do you expect us to say?


Oli.

[Greengecko]

Got to be honest, not entirely up there on prices but to me they seem a little excessive. Sure others in a better position will come along soon enough.

Looking at over £1,000 (incl VAT) to fix a badly cracked boot floor. You may want to find out exactly how bad that is.

[Gizmoish]

£1200 for an E46 330ci... No wonder it's eight ways shagged.

[valais]

Greengecko said:

Got to be honest, not entirely up there on prices but to me they seem a little excessive. Sure others in a better position will come along soon enough

£69 an hour plus VAT is on the high side for an indy in my experience. I pay £40+VAT for an ex-Audi guy who is very, very good.

The kind of guy that would tell you that there was no fault with the switch, it was just dust in the unit and only took 15 mins to clean out (instead of the full switch assembly change for £100+)

Just to add, Munich Legends have a pretty good reputation, but they are unlikely to be the best value for a £1200 car.

[Liquid Tuna]

The boot floor is a known issue with the E46. The tyres you should have checked before buying so will be no surprise. Corroded brake pipes and wear/play in suspension is what happens to older cars. So really, in that list, you missed a known fault (be it expensive!!) and the rest is what happens with older cars. Shame really, it looks lovely.

4 wheel alignment - £120? Really? Does it really need it?

[philmh]

If that list is too much in one go, (looks like it to me), have the most important bits done first, and work through the list until its all sorted. Although saying that, there will always be some job or other to do lol. Your car looks really smart though, and if you really love it'll ve worth putting the money into. Sell it and someone may pick up on all the bad points and you may struggle. Hth :-)

[Gizmoish]

If I had a new tie rod and four new tyres (especially if the old ones wore unevenly) I'd say alignment was a good idea.

But then I wouldn't buy a 330ci with no oil in it.

[PD9]

Take it to a proper side street BMW Indy to have it checked over..

[ADEuk]

Unless the tyres are bald do the brakes first.
Can't comment on the tyre prices but expect to pay about £400 all in for the brake work at a normal garage - not some hyped up £70 per hour jobby

Tie rods are about £30 for a pair on ECP. An hour to fit. Do these before having the alignment done

Edited by ADEuk on Thursday 22 August 23:06

[anonymous-user]

Main dealer/specialist will always be massive. 2nd hand cars are a learning curve for sorting out it your self.

There is a previous thred on here about cracked boots on e46 . A link from the thread is below lists work to sort it out


They list about a 1k to fix.

http://www.redish-motorsport.com/E46M3FloorSubfram...


The other stuff you can do yourself.I love how they charge 9 quid for 1.5 litres of screenwash

[Jcdm89]

For the money I gave I did expect it to have issues even more the age of it but just wanted people's views
And many thanks for the ones so far. My brother has already slagged me for my mistake of buying it but what's done is done now I suppose. Thanks tho guys (thumbs up)

[Mave]

If you do go ahead with this quote, might be worth checking the brake line quote- some of those quoted hours may be double accounted in the floor repair eg fuel tank removal

[Manicminer]

I think i'd be tempted to do the fuel filler cap myself, get the brake bits and tie rod done at your local garage (not difficult) and look for a good deal on 4 tyres with an alignment thrown in.

Then drive it for a while and see if the engine craps out on you, no point getting the boot floor fixed if the engine isn't going to last.

Never ever get tyres and alignment done at a specialist or main dealer.

Have a look at mytyres, blackcircles etc for deals on tyres.

[sparks_E39]

I would get rid of it.

[Jcdm89]

Ill be honest you guys have opend my eyes to get it all done else where we'll other the boot floor crack unless I can find someone else in the London/Surrey area who can do it. I just don't know what order I should do evreything if I'm to go down the route of using someone else