E46 330d touring.

[Enz7600]

Hi all,

I am in the market for one of the above cars. Anything to look out for when looking for a 2000 plate 100k vintage?
I do euro trips often, will this car traverse the autobarns in comfort at speed. the flip side being, it will be the daily driver where fuel economey will be important. maybe the 320d is a better option?

your thoughts please guys.

Thanks

Enzo

[bolide]

330D has a smooth, torquey engine just as you'd expect. The 320D, in my experience, vibrates a bit at idle when stationary but it's not bad on the move. It'll never be as smooth as a 330

Autos have swirl flaps which seem to be becoming more of a problem at this age. Other than that I think they have the same strengths & weaknesses as every other E46

Nick Froome

[Enz7600]

Thanks for your response. I have just been reading up on this swirl flap shenanigens, It would appear that blanking them off will be the first thing I check/do if I end up with such a motor. How does the auto box fair up at this sort of mileage?

[bolide]

My local independent has had two customers in recently with broken engines due to swirl flaps. Till this year he's had none. Total cost on each - about £2500 for head skim, new valves, etc. He replaces the inlet manifold with a new one as they swirl flap pivot is thicker & stronger on the new ones

Manifold is about £300 plus an hour to fit. De-flapping will be cheaper but the inlet manifolds can split so maybe a new manifold would be best

I've seen reports of broken gearboxes but don't have enough experience of these cars yet to be able to comment on whether the percentage that break is in line with other cars. There's a debate over whether it's a good idea to change the gearbox oil but I am in no doubt that it should be changed

Nick Froome

[Enz7600]

Ok thanks for info. I am looking at a few today. The first thing I will be casting an eye over will be these manifolds. If they have been replaced, im guessing it will be a selling point!

In genreal, what sort of mileages can the 330d's achieve? if properly maintained of course.

[Enz7600]

also, does any one happen to have the part number for this upgraded inlet manifold?