Alpina B3S your thoughts and advice please
Discussion
I thought I would seek advice from the experts on here.
A good few years back we owned a B3 3.3 switchtronic Coupe.
Which as good a car as it was it drank oil. Apparently an issue with the year 2000 engines. So fast forward a few years and I'm looking at buying a 2004 B3S switchtronic Coupe.
Are there any issues that you guys know of with this particular model. Is there anything specific I should look out for when I go to view the car. I presume the build quality will be much the same as the B3 3.3. The B3 3.3 was one of the best handling cars out of the box I have driven. I presume the B3S will be the same. I guess they still run the alpina suspension system.
Your thoughts and advice would be very much appreciated, thanks Graeme
A good few years back we owned a B3 3.3 switchtronic Coupe.
Which as good a car as it was it drank oil. Apparently an issue with the year 2000 engines. So fast forward a few years and I'm looking at buying a 2004 B3S switchtronic Coupe.
Are there any issues that you guys know of with this particular model. Is there anything specific I should look out for when I go to view the car. I presume the build quality will be much the same as the B3 3.3. The B3 3.3 was one of the best handling cars out of the box I have driven. I presume the B3S will be the same. I guess they still run the alpina suspension system.
Your thoughts and advice would be very much appreciated, thanks Graeme
Hi,
For about a year(ish) my brother had a 2003 B3S convertible and they are indeed very nice cars. I only drove the car a few times and overall, I was relatively disappointed. It is quick for what it is, but you do need to extract the performance aspects from it by using the upper levels of the revs range. Normal pottering about speeds and it's of course fine, just like a normal E46 330i. Fuel consumption is a little heavier due to the Alpina levels of modifications to the engine.
Sorry I can't help with specific areas of potential concern, but as above, there are a few Alpina specific parts which, with more research can be evaluated in terms of if they're a genuine area of long term ownership concern or not. The Alpinaregister website would probably be a better place to find out from other owners about these things.
A lovely car on the whole though and does indeed feel more special than any non M E46!
Cheers, Dennis!
For about a year(ish) my brother had a 2003 B3S convertible and they are indeed very nice cars. I only drove the car a few times and overall, I was relatively disappointed. It is quick for what it is, but you do need to extract the performance aspects from it by using the upper levels of the revs range. Normal pottering about speeds and it's of course fine, just like a normal E46 330i. Fuel consumption is a little heavier due to the Alpina levels of modifications to the engine.
Sorry I can't help with specific areas of potential concern, but as above, there are a few Alpina specific parts which, with more research can be evaluated in terms of if they're a genuine area of long term ownership concern or not. The Alpinaregister website would probably be a better place to find out from other owners about these things.
A lovely car on the whole though and does indeed feel more special than any non M E46!
Cheers, Dennis!
I think the oil consumption can be a little variable: mine has only used 3ish litres in 15000 miles.
Suspension is a perfect compromise for me: brilliant ride quality, sharp steering, great body control.
I don't know if the exhaust is the same on the 3.3 and 3.4, but its brilliant. Quiet for wafting, bellows at half throttle, screams at full throttle. The engine is a masterpiece. Head gasket is apparently a problem because of the wafer thin cylinder walls because of the extra bore.
When you try one, watch for a tiny transmission jolt at low revs as the box locks up - the torque converter could be on the way out, and its Alpina specific (i.e. expensive...)
Suspension is a perfect compromise for me: brilliant ride quality, sharp steering, great body control.
I don't know if the exhaust is the same on the 3.3 and 3.4, but its brilliant. Quiet for wafting, bellows at half throttle, screams at full throttle. The engine is a masterpiece. Head gasket is apparently a problem because of the wafer thin cylinder walls because of the extra bore.
When you try one, watch for a tiny transmission jolt at low revs as the box locks up - the torque converter could be on the way out, and its Alpina specific (i.e. expensive...)
Many thanks guys. Hopefully being a 2004 model it might sip a little less oil. Our old 3.3 used to drink a litre of oil every 250 to 300 miles which was rediculous. Good pointer on the smooth gearbox changes at low rpm. I'll take a mate of mine who spanners all our cars to have a thorough look at it when I go and see it. I'm sure there is a method of checking the water in the radiator to see if the head gasket is suspect. It's a three owner car with 82K on the clock. Need to take a good look at the service history and make sure it all stacks up I guess. Thanks once again, Graeme
graemel said:
Our old 3.3 used to drink a litre of oil every 250 to 300 miles which was rediculous.
If you did a lot of short journeys, this isn't surprising. There could also have been an issue with the crankcase breather pipe - similar to that of the M62 based engines. The previous owner of my B3 bemoaned the fact he was topping up a litre every 800 miles or so. He used the car to pootle into town and the local golf club so the engine was used for less than 10 minutes each time.
As soon as I started using it, consumption shifted to a litre every 4k or so.
rumple said:
Regarding oil consumption it seems to be common with M54 engines, BMW say a litre per 1000 miles is within tolerences, i dont know if this applies to the alpina lump it would have been comprehensively upgraded.
No, it's not an M54 engine. These use the iron block unit and is derived from the USA market M52 engine (single Vanos) which its;ef is really the M50 emngiune from the old E34. It's a lovely motor. Head gaskets can go but it's not a big deal to replace.iSore said:
rumple said:
Regarding oil consumption it seems to be common with M54 engines, BMW say a litre per 1000 miles is within tolerences, i dont know if this applies to the alpina lump it would have been comprehensively upgraded.
No, it's not an M54 engine. These use the iron block unit and is derived from the USA market M52 engine (single Vanos) which its;ef is really the M50 emngiune from the old E34. It's a lovely motor. Head gaskets can go but it's not a big deal to replace.Frances The Mute said:
graemel said:
Our old 3.3 used to drink a litre of oil every 250 to 300 miles which was rediculous.
If you did a lot of short journeys, this isn't surprising. There could also have been an issue with the crankcase breather pipe - similar to that of the M62 based engines. The previous owner of my B3 bemoaned the fact he was topping up a litre every 800 miles or so. He used the car to pootle into town and the local golf club so the engine was used for less than 10 minutes each time.
As soon as I started using it, consumption shifted to a litre every 4k or so.
I would search on the Alpina register. The 3.4S engine succumbs to head gasket failure about this mileage or soon after. The autobox is at the limit of torque that can be put through it and partly as a result can give problems - fluid/filter changes, TC recon/replacement, flywheel replacement and in extreme cases a GBP2k gearbox rebuild is called for.
Those are the main mechanical problems. On a lighter note bushes fail like any other E46, but given the power being put through the drivetrain the diff bushes may need looking at. The suspension is bespoke and costly to replace, some change for aftermarket dampers/springs
Those are the main mechanical problems. On a lighter note bushes fail like any other E46, but given the power being put through the drivetrain the diff bushes may need looking at. The suspension is bespoke and costly to replace, some change for aftermarket dampers/springs
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