1999 e46 323 se any advice?
Discussion
Standard 6-cyl E46 things.. Google any of them to find out more
Wishbones / wishbone bushes are usually failing at that mileage, bad handling or knocking from the front = £250 parts, few hours labour.. if it drives at all strangely then investigate further as the cost of replacing suspension bits soon adds up (springs, dampers, trailing arm bushes etc)
You should think about replacing thermostat, water pump and expansion tank and perhaps radiator as these are all prone to failing and leaving the car stranded. They are all reasonably easy DIYs if you are spanner-minded and all require draining the coolant so usually makes sense to do them together.
Did the 323 have a Nikasil block originally? Check the block was changed if so (all BMWs were recalled but some may have slipped through the net)
Check very carefully around the rear subframe / boot floor / diff mounts for cracks as some early E46s were prone to this
Auto gearboxes can fail, any hesitation in selecting gear or clunky changes = walk away
Check all the history adds up - if you're not sure, you can get the mileages at each service + original spec from BMW for a fee
IMO you should budget to spend 500-1000 replacing the suspension / cooling bits and then you'll have a great car
Wishbones / wishbone bushes are usually failing at that mileage, bad handling or knocking from the front = £250 parts, few hours labour.. if it drives at all strangely then investigate further as the cost of replacing suspension bits soon adds up (springs, dampers, trailing arm bushes etc)
You should think about replacing thermostat, water pump and expansion tank and perhaps radiator as these are all prone to failing and leaving the car stranded. They are all reasonably easy DIYs if you are spanner-minded and all require draining the coolant so usually makes sense to do them together.
Did the 323 have a Nikasil block originally? Check the block was changed if so (all BMWs were recalled but some may have slipped through the net)
Check very carefully around the rear subframe / boot floor / diff mounts for cracks as some early E46s were prone to this
Auto gearboxes can fail, any hesitation in selecting gear or clunky changes = walk away
Check all the history adds up - if you're not sure, you can get the mileages at each service + original spec from BMW for a fee
IMO you should budget to spend 500-1000 replacing the suspension / cooling bits and then you'll have a great car
Edited by john_p on Friday 24th September 00:29
Questions about buying E46s are becoming a regular weekly occurrence it seems.
Here's a previous thread.
Here's a previous thread.
TonyRPH said:
Read this thread
Below was my contribution to that thread.
All I can say is, buy with care. This particularly applies to pre 2003 cars now IMHO.
Below was my contribution to that thread.
All I can say is, buy with care. This particularly applies to pre 2003 cars now IMHO.
TonyRPH said:
Common E46 problems:
1. Control Arms (ball joints)
2. Final stage resistor (heater / blower)
3. Rear shock mounts
4. Coupe door seals falling down
5. Water pump and Thermostat
6. Vanos replacement at 90-120k (seems to affect some models only)
7. Rear floor subframe mounting tear (mostly pre '99 models and doesn't seem to affect 330's though)
Also heard of discs needing regular replacement.
1. Control Arms (ball joints)
2. Final stage resistor (heater / blower)
3. Rear shock mounts
4. Coupe door seals falling down
5. Water pump and Thermostat
6. Vanos replacement at 90-120k (seems to affect some models only)
7. Rear floor subframe mounting tear (mostly pre '99 models and doesn't seem to affect 330's though)
Also heard of discs needing regular replacement.
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