Discussion
I really like the 5GT (not the 3GT so much though) - as a car for carrying passengers plus luggage that isn't a Touring or an SUV, it's perfect. And like most BMWs some slightly nicer wheels and a tweak to the suspension and they look a lot less awkward. I'm hoping that the fact they're not super-popular will mean I'll be able to snag one for cheap fairly soon.
CSL update this time.
I've persisted with having regular servicing done at the dealer, as I've still got the BMW extended warranty and reckon that it just makes it more likely for warranty work to be accepted.
A "free health check" earlier in the year had flagged up a small oil leak, but not enough to even cause a drip on the garage floor so I left it to be looked at during the upcoming Insp II service. After this service in the summer, where no leak was mentioned, earlier this month I noticed a small pool of oil on the floor.
My thoughts were roughly: "That's annoying, but at least I still have the warranty so it won't cost me anything"
These thoughts were corrected by Cooper Reading, who diagnosed a failing sump plug thread, which had apparently previously been helicoiled, so now would require a replacement sump to fix it. And "The extended warranty doesn't cover this failure, Sir". Well, it can't be too expensive I thought. Wrong again - about 550 quid for all the parts and same again for labour for a total of around £1100.
I didn't set out to write this thread as an advert for the Grosvenor Motor Co., but once again they came up with a better solution: TIG weld, re-drill and tap the existing sump, saving most of the parts cost. As their labour rates are also lower, the whole bill came in at just over £500.
Hopefully the weather will stay nice for a bit longer so I can continue to use if before rain/salt arrives and it has to hibernate for another few months.
I've persisted with having regular servicing done at the dealer, as I've still got the BMW extended warranty and reckon that it just makes it more likely for warranty work to be accepted.
A "free health check" earlier in the year had flagged up a small oil leak, but not enough to even cause a drip on the garage floor so I left it to be looked at during the upcoming Insp II service. After this service in the summer, where no leak was mentioned, earlier this month I noticed a small pool of oil on the floor.
My thoughts were roughly: "That's annoying, but at least I still have the warranty so it won't cost me anything"
These thoughts were corrected by Cooper Reading, who diagnosed a failing sump plug thread, which had apparently previously been helicoiled, so now would require a replacement sump to fix it. And "The extended warranty doesn't cover this failure, Sir". Well, it can't be too expensive I thought. Wrong again - about 550 quid for all the parts and same again for labour for a total of around £1100.
I didn't set out to write this thread as an advert for the Grosvenor Motor Co., but once again they came up with a better solution: TIG weld, re-drill and tap the existing sump, saving most of the parts cost. As their labour rates are also lower, the whole bill came in at just over £500.
Hopefully the weather will stay nice for a bit longer so I can continue to use if before rain/salt arrives and it has to hibernate for another few months.
outnumbered said:
CSL update this time.
I've persisted with having regular servicing done at the dealer, as I've still got the BMW extended warranty and reckon that it just makes it more likely for warranty work to be accepted.
A "free health check" earlier in the year had flagged up a small oil leak, but not enough to even cause a drip on the garage floor so I left it to be looked at during the upcoming Insp II service. After this service in the summer, where no leak was mentioned, earlier this month I noticed a small pool of oil on the floor.
My thoughts were roughly: "That's annoying, but at least I still have the warranty so it won't cost me anything"
These thoughts were corrected by Cooper Reading, who diagnosed a failing sump plug thread, which had apparently previously been helicoiled, so now would require a replacement sump to fix it. And "The extended warranty doesn't cover this failure, Sir". Well, it can't be too expensive I thought. Wrong again - about 550 quid for all the parts and same again for labour for a total of around £1100.
I didn't set out to write this thread as an advert for the Grosvenor Motor Co., but once again they came up with a better solution: TIG weld, re-drill and tap the existing sump, saving most of the parts cost. As their labour rates are also lower, the whole bill came in at just over £500.
Hopefully the weather will stay nice for a bit longer so I can continue to use if before rain/salt arrives and it has to hibernate for another few months.
For the peace of mind I think I'd have taken the new sump. On such a car seems like a questionable way to save £500? I've persisted with having regular servicing done at the dealer, as I've still got the BMW extended warranty and reckon that it just makes it more likely for warranty work to be accepted.
A "free health check" earlier in the year had flagged up a small oil leak, but not enough to even cause a drip on the garage floor so I left it to be looked at during the upcoming Insp II service. After this service in the summer, where no leak was mentioned, earlier this month I noticed a small pool of oil on the floor.
My thoughts were roughly: "That's annoying, but at least I still have the warranty so it won't cost me anything"
These thoughts were corrected by Cooper Reading, who diagnosed a failing sump plug thread, which had apparently previously been helicoiled, so now would require a replacement sump to fix it. And "The extended warranty doesn't cover this failure, Sir". Well, it can't be too expensive I thought. Wrong again - about 550 quid for all the parts and same again for labour for a total of around £1100.
I didn't set out to write this thread as an advert for the Grosvenor Motor Co., but once again they came up with a better solution: TIG weld, re-drill and tap the existing sump, saving most of the parts cost. As their labour rates are also lower, the whole bill came in at just over £500.
Hopefully the weather will stay nice for a bit longer so I can continue to use if before rain/salt arrives and it has to hibernate for another few months.
Croutons said:
Surely with a bmw service history the only people who could have f
ked that up are... Bmw?
Correct! But still not covered ked that up are... Bmw?
I've got no concerns about the viability of the repair, so saving £600 seems pretty sensible to me!
Edited by outnumbered on Wednesday 10th October 22:00
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OSRAM-Ultra-Life-H7-Lon...
Seems like these could be of use to you. Especially if they're such a pain to replace.
Seems like these could be of use to you. Especially if they're such a pain to replace.
When I came to fit the new grille, I realised that the edge of the bonnet below the grille was a couple of mm out, and I couldn't get it to fit properly. It wasn't amenable to being bent back by hand either.
So I took it to the guys at Specialised Paintwork in Calcot to have a look at it. They're a small independent bodyshop and mostly seem to do work on cherished/classic cars, they also did a great job on the cracked bumper of my old M3 several years ago.
A few minutes with the proper tools and they had the aperture back into shape and the grille then fitted nicely. No charge either. Definitely recommended !
So I took it to the guys at Specialised Paintwork in Calcot to have a look at it. They're a small independent bodyshop and mostly seem to do work on cherished/classic cars, they also did a great job on the cracked bumper of my old M3 several years ago.
A few minutes with the proper tools and they had the aperture back into shape and the grille then fitted nicely. No charge either. Definitely recommended !
Edited by outnumbered on Thursday 15th November 18:22
And it's finally back ! One week at the dealer waiting to be looked at, then waiting for parts for another week. The very good news is that it was something expensive. The SMG actuator had failed, so I just had £100 to pay on a bill of somewhere north of 3 grand. I think this puts me on top again with the extended warranty, it's paid out more than I've paid in.
The latest minor issue was the inside door seal trim on the B pillar coming loose.
This is a very common problem on the E46 coupe, with a replacement door seal being £250 or so.
Googling for the fix gives recommendations on various forums for using nearly every sort of glue imaginable, mostly with the followup advice that none of them work long term. So I spun the roulette wheel, picked one and we'll see what happens !
The CSL has a DICE IPod adapter fitted, which has been handy for the rare occasions on longer journeys when I don't want to listen to the airbox. But it's the old Apple connector format, the iPod I was using accidentally got washed, and I use an Android phone these days, so I was looking for a way to connect my phone into the headunit.
Only later headunits on the E46 have an AUX input capability, and I'm not sure whether mine does or not, but on reading the DICE manual, I found that it already has an AUX input in addition to the IPod input.
So all I needed to do was take the glovebox out to get at the DICE unit, and then route a headphone cable through into the centre console. It turned out to be pretty straightforward, although I needed to consult YouTube at one point to work out how to remove the sunglasses cubby (turn out it just levers out
) so I could drill another hole in the back of it.
Only later headunits on the E46 have an AUX input capability, and I'm not sure whether mine does or not, but on reading the DICE manual, I found that it already has an AUX input in addition to the IPod input.
So all I needed to do was take the glovebox out to get at the DICE unit, and then route a headphone cable through into the centre console. It turned out to be pretty straightforward, although I needed to consult YouTube at one point to work out how to remove the sunglasses cubby (turn out it just levers out
) so I could drill another hole in the back of it.Edited by outnumbered on Tuesday 10th September 22:52
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