E46 330Ci bargain

[alistair1234]

My step-dad owned this from new and only covered 77k. He was only offered £2k part-ex against a Range Rover so I took it off him for £2.4k a few weeks ago.



Jobs done so far:

new front discs and pads
all 4 wheels refurbed and resprayed in gunmetal grey
boot sill repaired to get rid of 4 rust spots
replaced all interior and boot bulbs with SMD's
K&N panel filter.

Before shots of wheels and boot sill:





Jobs to do:

Get gear change looked at, when in neutral and cold, stick is over at far right below 5 instead of in the middle below 3, only when it warms up does it move over a bit, which makes going from 2nd to 3rd fast, not the easiest and also going in to 5th is not perfect.

Replace interior carboon look door handles as both are quite scratched.

Braided brake hoses and performance fluid.

Powerflex front axle.

Possible: K&N full intake, eisenmann cat-back exhaust and remap

[alistair1234]

rumple said:

How much did it cost to get rid of the rust?

£150 for rust & £50 per wheel. They have the contract for both BMW and Range Rover Chester and have worked on a local businessman's Zonda, Gollardo, DB5 and R8 so it's a decent job.

[alistair1234]

JayT1990 said:

Do love the look of these BMW's

whats the engine spec on these?

is it just the picture or is the bumper a different shade of silvver?

Jay

3.0 straight six. 231 BHP, 221 1b/ft of torque.

Just shadows from the trees behnind me making it look a different shade as the sun was low in the sky at the time.

Front bumper will be replaced soon as there are a couple of stone chips, one of the fog light mounts/brackets has broken, and the black grill is a bit grey, so figured it would be easier to replace the lot.

[alistair1234]

BorkFactor said:

That gear issue is probably a spring that is cheap to replace, trouble is is that you need to take the gearbox out to get to it.

Very common E46 problem, and nothing to worry about really. Mine has done this since I have owned it! Will get it sorted when the time comes to do the clutch I think.

Nice looking car, a pre facelift on MV1s is a great combination

Thanks, a garage did say they are all like that when they were doing my brakes. On the way in to work this morning it moved in to the centre after about 3 miles, so just takes a little to warm up I guess.

[alistair1234]

http://www.mstyle.co.uk/acatalog/info_H10SI019.htm...



This has been ordered today. Going to Vegas on Sunday so will fit it when I come back.

Also when I get back I will be getting a Longlife Cat-back system fitted for the bargain price of £380!

[alistair1234]

Simota carbon induction kit fitted today, sounds awesome.

Longlife cat-back will be done beginning of May.

Edited by alistair1234 on Monday 1st April 21:07

[alistair1234]

VinceFox said:

Is the lower bumper mesh silver?

No, it's just quite faded and looks a bit grey. Will be buying a whole new bumper as one of the fog brackets is broken and its been caught on some kerbs or grass verges underneath and not in the best condition.

If anyone knows where I can buy one either new or in pretty good condition, please let me know.

[alistair1234]

paulmon said:

Check the flap in the exhaust isn't seized closed. If so remove it with a crowbar and a large hammer (don't be afraid to hit it hard). It will sound even better then.

Already done that one, it had seized shut, made a big difference straight away.

I pulled the vacuum hose off first before realising it was the flap seized, is it important to block the vacuum hose with something like a golf tee or a screw, or does it not matter?

[alistair1234]

Just ordered some Goodridge Hoses, anyone know what fluid is best and how much of the stuff I'll actually need?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271140831622?ssPageName=...

Longlife Cat-back exhaust is being fitted tomorrow, having the mid-box removed and straighter pipes, will look fairly OEM at the back still.

Thinking of getting a second set of whells and using them as track wheels. Can get some MV1's fairly cheap, but that means paying for 18" track tyres. Should I stick with these or go smaller, maybe 16/17" so replacement tyres are cheaper too?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251278225185?ssPageName=...

[alistair1234]

Link below. It's also where I got mine from.

http://www.mstyle.co.uk/acatalog/info_H10SI018.htm...

[alistair1234]

Ruskie said:

Is it a noticeable improvement in sound?

Massive difference. I'll see if I can take a vid tomorrow.