E46 M3 - Self Servicing/Repairs ?
Discussion
I fancy an E46 M3, I do my own servicing and repairs, brakes suspension and whatever other niggles crop up, just wondering if there are any pitfalls or non diy type jobs on an E46 M3 ?
Am not worried about a service history as they are cheap enough now at say 10k not to really have to worry about a full dealer history as long as evidence of maintenance is available and I do keep receipts and make notes.
Am not worried about a service history as they are cheap enough now at say 10k not to really have to worry about a full dealer history as long as evidence of maintenance is available and I do keep receipts and make notes.
I used to do my own maintenance on my E46's. they are a doddle to work on! If you are anywhere near handy with a spanner or socket set, they are very easy!! I reckon they are at a value now that as long as you have a good folder of receipts, a full service history isn't the be all and end all!
rash_decision said:
I used to do my own maintenance on my E46's. they are a doddle to work on! If you are anywhere near handy with a spanner or socket set, they are very easy!! I reckon they are at a value now that as long as you have a good folder of receipts, a full service history isn't the be all and end all!
Cheers Rash, was my thinking, only a car after all, just want to be sure there are no real gotchas, feeling pretty confident these days to tackle pretty much anything, Vanos might be a step too far though !J4CKO said:
Cheers Rash, was my thinking, only a car after all, just want to be sure there are no real gotchas, feeling pretty confident these days to tackle pretty much anything, Vanos might be a step too far though !
I've had 4 E46 M3's, each one of them driven harder than the next (on track)!! I never had any issues with them, including Vanos. There are far more good cars than problematic in my opinion. Routine stuff is an absolute doddle! Vanos, if you are very unlucky, is a specialist job anyway due to the tools required to set it all up. Regular oil changes are a must, and if you keep these up you should have no major issues.rash_decision said:
I used to do my own maintenance on my E46's. they are a doddle to work on! If you are anywhere near handy with a spanner or socket set, they are very easy!! I reckon they are at a value now that as long as you have a good folder of receipts, a full service history isn't the be all and end all!
100% exactly right .... They are "just a car" at the end of the day when it comes to maintenance, and are just the right age to be the last of the types of car that you can maintain at home without having the main stealer IT support staff to "switch it off and then back on again".
Take your time, invest in one of the many eBay technical drawing / service guide discs, and make use of the friendly forum people around you.
I've saved literally thousands by undertaking work myself, and then utilising trusted indys for more involved activities.
J4CKO said:
Was not sure what reaction I may get, glad its a postive one and that it isnt steeped in BMW black arts !
There'll be someone along in due course that will tell you that you will make your car worthless by not maintaining a BMW warranty, and paying £200/hr labour to have your valve caps tightened weekly, don't you worry 
mat205125 said:
There'll be someone along in due course that will tell you that you will make your car worthless by not maintaining a BMW warranty, and paying £200/hr labour to have your valve caps tightened weekly, don't you worry
Oops! Sorry! I forgot to mention the Valve Caps!! Lol. 
Someone will tell you "don't do it!! Your car will be worth £50 if you open the bonnet yourself!", but I wouldn't worry about it.
I reckon they are one of the simplest cars I have ever worked on. Certainly for servicing and suspension/bush replacement. Brakes are a doddle too.
A friend of mine was "frightened" to work on his! All psycological, as he is a competent mechanic, and did all the work on his old Transit Van, which would have been far more involved than routine stuff on his E46!!
i disagree, a fbmwsh car will always command a higher price and sell quicker than one that hasnt, yes some of them are 10k, but there are loads of them for sale, so potential buyers will simply go for the one with full history.
I am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
I am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
thehos said:
i disagree, a fbmwsh car will always command a higher price and sell quicker than one that hasnt, yes some of them are 10k, but there are loads of them for sale, so potential buyers will simply go for the one with full history.
I am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
If you think your car is going to be worth £1000 or so more than an otherwise identical one then I personally think you're going to be disappointed. They might pick yours out of the two because of the FBMWSH if they were the same price, but that's not the same thing.I am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
A car with full BMW service history will not be worth noticeably more than one with an independent dealers history. Especially not now, not at their age.
As long as the car has been serviced by a professional, it will sell on condition and mileage.
My 2005 M3 already had two independent services when I bought it back in 2009 at 4 years old. So we're talking about a £19,000 car back then, not the £10,000 you can get them for now.
Was it any cheaper than equivalent FBMWSH cars? No.
Could I have bought one with a FBMWSH instead? Of course.
But it was the right car in great condition and had clearly been well looked after, so that was the one I bought. The fact it had some independent service history literally had NO bearing on my decision.
However.....doing ALL the servicing yourself at home and having NO stamps in the book is obviously a slightly different matter.
If I was the OP, I be tempted to do all the repair work myself (brakes, bushes etc) and get a local reputable garage to do the official services to keep the book stamped. (Even if you supply the parts yourself and just pay for their labour.)
thehos said:
i disagree, a fbmwsh car will always command a higher price and sell quicker than one that hasnt, yes some of them are 10k, but there are loads of them for sale, so potential buyers will simply go for the one with full history.
I am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
I wish people would stop with this nonsense. It really doesn't matter now when you consider that some of these cars are approaching 10 years old. It's the same with Sat Nav - I couldn't give a sI am the second owner, mine is always serviced at bmw, full history, all old mot's tax discs, i could go on
t and I'm sure I'm not alone.A decent M3 with reputable Indy stamps would get my money and I'm sure other enthusiasts in the market for an M3 would feel the same.
Mine goes to an Indy (Barkers Motor Works) for all inspections and other bits and bobs and it is healthier for it. Top chap, top work, always enthusiastic, open and very knowledgeable.
torres del paine said:
A decent M3 with reputable Indy stamps would get my money and I'm sure other enthusiasts in the market for an M3 would feel the same.
I think once past 5 years where the majority of the value has fallen away this is a perfectly valid way of maintaining the car and it's value, as a few have said - if it's well maintained and is evidenced to be so, it will be worth about the same as a fBMWsh one, but *may* not be as saleable - all in my opinion of course. I'd actually prefer a car from an enthusiast who can prove he's changed consumables on his car himself and/or used a sympathietic indy above and beyond those who just maintain 'as required'.
I freely admit it wouldn't bet quite so clear-cut on say, a 3-4 year old E92, but this is almost ten-year old E46 we're talking about...
I freely admit it wouldn't bet quite so clear-cut on say, a 3-4 year old E92, but this is almost ten-year old E46 we're talking about...
Hi
Being a car enthusiast forum, some of the responses above are logical and just how it 'should' be. Unfortunately, in the wider market, the old 'stereotypes' still hold true and those 'non enthusiast' potential buyers will think 'bmw fsh' oh so it must be a good car.
The enthusiast forums are full of the logical and correct advice - buy on condition and mileage to an extent, it's the wider market that doesn't comprehend that.
Many enthusiasts will also still point out when buying an example, and once bought will enjoy saying it's full bmw history, and for the most part, they'll also have had independent checks etc done just to make sure etc.
I'd also consider a car more closely if it had a genuine enthusiast owner who'd most likely want to show anything that went wrong and they've replaced and fixed themselves!
Cheers, Dennis!
Being a car enthusiast forum, some of the responses above are logical and just how it 'should' be. Unfortunately, in the wider market, the old 'stereotypes' still hold true and those 'non enthusiast' potential buyers will think 'bmw fsh' oh so it must be a good car.
The enthusiast forums are full of the logical and correct advice - buy on condition and mileage to an extent, it's the wider market that doesn't comprehend that.
Many enthusiasts will also still point out when buying an example, and once bought will enjoy saying it's full bmw history, and for the most part, they'll also have had independent checks etc done just to make sure etc.
I'd also consider a car more closely if it had a genuine enthusiast owner who'd most likely want to show anything that went wrong and they've replaced and fixed themselves!
Cheers, Dennis!
rash_decision said:
mat205125 said:
There'll be someone along in due course that will tell you that you will make your car worthless by not maintaining a BMW warranty, and paying £200/hr labour to have your valve caps tightened weekly, don't you worry
Oops! Sorry! I forgot to mention the Valve Caps!! Lol. Someone will tell you "don't do it!! Your car will be worth £50 if you open the bonnet yourself!", but I wouldn't worry about it.
I reckon they are one of the simplest cars I have ever worked on. Certainly for servicing and suspension/bush replacement. Brakes are a doddle too.
A friend of mine was "frightened" to work on his! All psycological, as he is a competent mechanic, and did all the work on his old Transit Van, which would have been far more involved than routine stuff on his E46!!
Joking apart I do the routine servicing on my e39 M5 myself at a friends workshop, anything I can't handle or i'm not sure of he helps with or shows me how for next time.
OP its the parts that are expensive. Brake discs, pads, sensors, suspension parts although an easy job can cost a few quid. I soursce my own parts and have people I know and trust fit them.
There is money to be saved at your motor factors. My discs were over £100 less than a dealer and made by the same company.
my clutch was an LUK one, exactly the same as the original that came out, cost £140. I wonder how much a dealer would charge?
There is money to be saved at your motor factors. My discs were over £100 less than a dealer and made by the same company.
my clutch was an LUK one, exactly the same as the original that came out, cost £140. I wonder how much a dealer would charge?
Go for it, get the service sheets and work through them. M3cutters and youtube will show you how to do it. I tend to do some of it and get a mate/mechanic to do the rest (with ramp).
Personally I only buy BMW parts with oils from Opie (discounted with M3cutters).
Out of all the routine maintenace items the valve clearance checks/adjust looks the most difficult. I've not done one of these yet, last item on my list to do.
Personally I only buy BMW parts with oils from Opie (discounted with M3cutters).
Out of all the routine maintenace items the valve clearance checks/adjust looks the most difficult. I've not done one of these yet, last item on my list to do.
Horrendous plug, but my m3 vert is up for sale. Just been service 2'd with 10months mot and tax!!!! In the north Northampton area. Just had new michelin ps2's fitted all round. Black with black interior. Just a brilliant car all round. Have had loads of 3 series and the m3 is no different to the rest of the range. I had the same initial fear of touching the speed 6 engine in my TVR Tuscan. At the end of the day its not a hybrid electric car, so the basics are the same.
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