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

[rumple]

Looks nice op, with your cube trim get some gloss black aerosol and spray it onto your finger, ( wear latex gloves ) then rub the paint into the scratches, on the powerflex thing I'd put meyle HD lollipops or OEM on, powerflex ruins them, although I'm sure plentylike them they ain't for me.

[rumple]

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

[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.

[HughesR1]

Love the pre-facelift 330ci

Also I powerflex'd my front axle too and it felt lovely and tight, and they last forever

[JayT1990]

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

[BorkFactor]

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

[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.

[STW2010]

Very nice. One suggestion- if you haven't already done this then I would advise you to get underneath the front wheel arches, clean the dirt out and waxoyl them thoroughly. My pre-facelift e46 had rusty front wings, and this could have been avoided (it is a slight design fault where the wheel arch rubs on the edge of the wing).

[rumple]

This, I'd rub em down and paint them with Hammerite though

[kayzee]

Wheels are too dark for me, but you got a great deal! Considering one of these for a next car myself...

[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!

[r1ch]

I've been looking at these myself, any idea what the running costs are like? Not keen on the wheel colour but to each his own.

[marky911]

Lovely car op! Looks clean as a whistle now.

I must say though you are too generous. If your step-dad got offered £2000 you should have at least haggled the old duffer down to £2100.

Just kidding, enjoy the car.

[Escort3500]

STW2010 said:

Very nice. One suggestion- if you haven't already done this then I would advise you to get underneath the front wheel arches, clean the dirt out and waxoyl them thoroughly. My pre-facelift e46 had rusty front wings, and this could have been avoided (it is a slight design fault where the wheel arch rubs on the edge of the wing).

More than just a slight design fault I'd say. I had to replace both front wings early last year on my E46 Touring due to serious rust in the arch lips. The plastic liner fits tightly into the inside of the arch lip, rubs off the galvanised finish and it rusts through. I've see quite a few like this. I wrote to BMW but they weren't interested even though I was a "valued customer", nor was the supplying dealer, who quoted £1500 to replace them! (Mate with bodyshop did it for £800). It's just not acceptable on a supposed 'prestige' car that has been really good otherwise.

So as above, I'd recommend removing the liner and painting (Hammerite or similar) then applying Dinitrol (better than Waxoyl in my experience) and check it every year or so. Good luck with the car, sure you'll love it

[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

[M159V8]

Looks lovely, although to my eyes Style 32 deep dish wheels are needed on pre-facelift E46's

[VinceFox]

Is the lower bumper mesh silver?

[paulmon]

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.