My BMW E46 330i Sport

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Clivey said:

The wear on mine was already there when I bought the car, so there's little I can do now. It's not "bad" - just normal alcantara wear...but I'm a perfectionist so I notice it.

On an interesting note: The 330Cis I've been looking at are all between £6k and £8k in the UK. In the USA, the same car is c£15k. - It just shows that as fuel prices drop, desirability increases.

Really? That's a lot more. I had this mad idea to go out there buy one to drive about for 3 months and sell at the end, maybe not a good idea afterall. That is amazing though, slowly trying to get mine looking like ZHP spec. The American E46 forums are a massive help and big inspiration.

On another note, Jack get that horrendous thing off my thread!

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Stedman said:

Keep it on the thread.

It's BECKY HAHAHAHA

My poor housemate, the abuse she has suffered as a result of you!

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Xenons installed this morning, was a bit of a struggle, will stick some pics up tomorrow and story to follow too...

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Clivey said:

petrolveins said:

Xenons installed this morning, was a bit of a struggle, will stick some pics up tomorrow and story to follow too...

Ahem...

Oh sorry, been so busy with Uni, forgot to update, not to mention the E46 has decided it only wants the handbrake to work on one wheel.

Anyway onto the Xenons... the physical install was straight forward, we then plugged em in and switched em on, and with the ignition on they worked right away with no warning lights, and the levelling thing worked too. Trouble started when we turned the engine on, was like a mobile disco from the front lights. I had bought a second hand LCM from a M3, but most Indy's don't have the software to alter the mileage and chassis number. So we decided not to bother with that. Re-programmed the current LCM for Xenon retrofit, again fine on the ignition, and turned the engine on, and we were getting a flicker from the passenger side light, though it might be the ballast, but tried a different bulb and it sorted that out. Then we had an issue with the lights not coming on at all, plugged it back into the computer and did a reflash, and although we lost the manual levelling the lights worked fine, sorted the levelling out myself later, and since then they have been perfect. Going to go back and sort out the bi-xenon mode soon, gonna take a bit more fiddling, currently the main beam is on the halogen lights rather than the xenon shutter working to allow xenon dipped and main. But overall chuffed with it, best mod I've done so far to the car.

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woots787 said:

Mine started to do that, turned out one of the shoes had disintergrated and scored the inside of the discs that act as a drum. If I'd got to it quicker it would have just cost me for pads and springs, as it was I had to replace pads and discs as well. Worth having a look, friend at work had the same thing happen, seems common as it's such a pain to check the shoe thickness.

John

Cheers for that, fear it's too late, jacked the car up earlier today and my mate was able to rotate one of the wheels with the handbrake firmly on, other side was solid as rock.

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Clivey said:

S'alright, I was joking!

I'm genuinely interested in the details of retrofitting Xenons - finding the right car is like finding a needle in a haystack, so when the time comes when I can afford a 330Ci, this is good to know. What does the retrofit stand you at so far?

Regarding the rear brakes: Spookily my car did exactly the same once again (about 3 months ago).

I got the lights for a steal, £350 for the set, bulbs, ballasts and everything. Also some horrible halos and eyebrows which took fair amount of elbow grease to remove. Most sets go for £500 or so. Then the fitting came to £180, for a few hours of faffing, coding, replacing sidelight bulbs and also a new xenon bulb. So that's what... £530. Pretty chuffed with them, they make the car much smarter looking too.

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Clivey said:

Sounds fantastic. Any chance of some piccies?

I'll try get some at the weekend.

torqueofthedevil said:

I bought an e46 330d at a similar age to you, loved it but kept telling myself I'd change it in a year or 2 because I like other cars too but 5 years later I still have it! they are such good cars! Might have to sell soon tho, cant make my mind up between e46 m3, e39 m5, range rover sport, or scooby!

Leaning toward m5 but in reality I'll prob just keep the 330d.

I also felt like selling when it got damaged but you'll get over it. Mine got keyed on nearly every panel a few months after getting it. Resprayed it and a month later somebody bumped front and then someone bumped back! Then scraped side. Then sports spoiler stolen! Then a lump of steel hit it and tore the wing open! Still, couldn't get rid!

Well I've decided that while other cars may join it if I have the money, it will remain as my main car until I can afford a really mint E39 M5, put preferably I'd like both. Just a shame I'm a student.

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Been a while since I last updated, been manic with Uni but it's all done now. Christmas is here so went to buy the tree today. Got a lot of funny looks for some reason...



I should point out it was tied down before I drove home.

I will also be at Goodwood on Sunday, but don't expect me to have washed the car by then.

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philmots said:

I was expecting a pic with your xenons blazing!

That will come soon, my iPhone just can't capture them properly, will get the proper camera out soon and get some.

As for the handbrake that's not fixed yet, I rarely park on steep hills and just leave it in gear now. Besides I've just had to renew my RAC cover and tax so haven't the spare cash at the moment. Crikey this means I've almost had the car a year now! That has flown by!

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Thanks for all the tips guys, but knowing me I'll just end up breaking it more. There's a few other things I want doing too, so might as well get that done at the same time. Keeping thinking it's only till the summer before I'm 21 and should I keep spending money on the E46 or save up so I can get something really nice for my birthday. Part of me just wants to make the E46 as epic as I can reasonably and get another car to go alongside it.

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Swoxy said:

See you on Sunday, mate.

Look forward to it, wanna have a good look around your E46, and Jack's. Heck ignore the other cars I wan't to look at all the E46s.

Most likely I'll be the goon in the Christmas jumper the same colour as your car so do come say hello.

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Rather frustrating update, was about to go to the pub to meet a mate this evening, and low and behold headlights failure pops up on the passenger side, and sure enough, no xenon on the passenger side. Thought it might be the bulb so grabbed the spare one I have, and tried to swap, and then the real trouble began, I couldn't get the bloody cap off the back of the headlight to swap the bulb, no matter what I tried it was caught at the bottom, so instead I tried to remove the whole headlight, having none of the right tools I managed to get all but one of the screws off, sidelight was off, and I could not get to the last screw, no matter somehow managed to squeeze the cap off, swapped the bulb and still nothing, which means it can only be the ballast, or ignitor, both of which are expensive, I'm broke from buying presents and have a car with one headlight out in winter meaning I travel to work in the dark. Fan-fking-tastic. Anyone want to buy a filthy 330i Saloon with one headlight?

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Big News said:

Checked the fuse? I'm not sure if L and R have separate fuses, but I discovered last week that my 850 does. After lots of dicking around with bulbs and a multimeter. At night. In the freezing cold.

Well dipped and main work on that side still, so doubt it, I'll check tomorrow though.

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Well guess what? Car fixed itself, both headlights worked yesterday, which only worries me more as to the problem.

In other news I have had the exactly a year now, that time has flown by, just fitted my lovely new roof bike carrier onto the car too. Looks great. I promise to get some pics soon.

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Clivey said:

I think the E92 was a step backwards from the E46 in all honesty. - I'd rather have an immaculate LCI E46 Coupé.

I'm with you on that, would never consider a E92/3 a E90/1 I would, but never the others.

Waugh man you are driving me mad, everywhere I read on here what you want changes, 3MPS one minute, RS6 then next, 130i and then an M3. There is no polite way to say this, but you will look a total birk in a convertible, just get the 3MPS.

The E46 I have become very attached to, I will only replace it with another better BMW, probably an M5. As I have said before, hopefully in 2013 it will get a stable-mate.

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E46 Winter by tlynchie, on Flickr

Not so much an update as an excuse for a photo from my phone, bike rack now fitted, suitably muddy bike on muddy car, and those are the xenons you've all been waiting to see.

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philmots said:

You need some Philips blue vision sidelight bulbs...

They're a conventional bulb with a light blue coating which I assume cancels out the yellowy light from the clear bulbs. They do not look blue in the slightest, still slightly yellow infact! Perfect for yours as they're not super noticeable, not chavvy etc.:

Can dig out a picture of one of my old cars with them fitted if you're interested?

Yeah be interesting to see, though I do quite like the OEM look at the moment, and I'm sure that xenon never normally looks that blue.

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Well i've finally plucked up the courage and booked a trackday for next month at Donnington, got my mate coming along too as an extra driver. May or may not have also just purchased a set of Style 68 wheels with tyres for the track day. Oops. Oh I also bought new windscreen wipers because the old ones stopped wiping water off the screen, got those fancy Bosch aero ones, very impressed with them.

Shall be picking up new wheels soon hopefully and getting them on the car for some photos

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New wheels on! Will get some photos when I'm not working.

New tyres are a little more interesting. I'm sure Avon are a good brand but the fairly new looking ZZ3s on the rear are very slippery, lots more oversteer than before, great fun on the road, not so sure how track will be!
Front is very planted though, the ContiSports seem very good.

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Oversteer is addictive off roundabouts, might be right about srubbing them in a little, they really screech if you spin the wheels, though getting quieter. I'll get out take some photos later, they are in no way meant to replace my MV2s but plenty of people prefer these 68s to them.