2004 e46 BMW 330i Sport Touring 6 speed
Discussion
Hi,
E46 looks nice. I run a 2003 330d 6spd manual saloon, so apart from the touring only questions I can give insight into general E46 issues.
Xenon's - Bi-xenon OEM for E46's are expensive, if you are willing to live without bi lenses, it is quite straightforward to obtain OEM single xenons from a pre-facelift car (saloon or touring) for considerably less (sub 100 as far as I can remember for mine). Once you have these, they can be stripped apart as the interior lense, black plastic housing, ignitor & ballast come free - you can then retrofit these to your facelift headlights with relatively small modifications (20mm hole saw for wiring and gromit alongside some velcro to mount the ignitor. Will then need to be coded as previously mentioned.
Worthwhile things I have done that resulted in a very noticeable change on a 100k car that I thought felt tight;
Polybush the front lollipops and rear trailing arms - stock bushes are awful and fail, often resulting in uneven tyre wear and braking vibration
Fully adjustable rear camber arms - standard ones are eccentric washers and often seize up
New rear ball joints - upper & lower - these were shot on my car
New droplinks front & rear - again, shot.
Full alignment - albeit this was done after the above work, it made the most difference to how the car felt i.e completely stable and comfortable at speed.
Clutch delay valve removal and braided clutch line - clutch feel is restrained and slow as standard, feels more accurate with this.
As for audio, I use a single DIN mechless Pioneer unit with a bluetooth mic. Also allows for audio streaming, aux and usb. There are trim kits available to match the interior, although I lost function of the steering controls.
Regarding rust, both front wings had to be replaced on mine last year, thankfully the rears are okay..E46 are so hit and miss with rust, it depends on colour and therefore, I believe the type of primer used that makes some most susceptible from the outset.
Handbrakes are awfully designed - they the use steel backplates as pin retainers, so they inevitably rot through and cause the handbrake mechanism to come apart inside the disc, locking the wheel. You can remedy this with washers, but to replace a backplate is a wheel bearing off job.
It has been mostly reliable than the odd wheel bearing failure, both front calipers have been replaced and both rears rebuilt.
E46 looks nice. I run a 2003 330d 6spd manual saloon, so apart from the touring only questions I can give insight into general E46 issues.
Xenon's - Bi-xenon OEM for E46's are expensive, if you are willing to live without bi lenses, it is quite straightforward to obtain OEM single xenons from a pre-facelift car (saloon or touring) for considerably less (sub 100 as far as I can remember for mine). Once you have these, they can be stripped apart as the interior lense, black plastic housing, ignitor & ballast come free - you can then retrofit these to your facelift headlights with relatively small modifications (20mm hole saw for wiring and gromit alongside some velcro to mount the ignitor. Will then need to be coded as previously mentioned.
Worthwhile things I have done that resulted in a very noticeable change on a 100k car that I thought felt tight;
Polybush the front lollipops and rear trailing arms - stock bushes are awful and fail, often resulting in uneven tyre wear and braking vibration
Fully adjustable rear camber arms - standard ones are eccentric washers and often seize up
New rear ball joints - upper & lower - these were shot on my car
New droplinks front & rear - again, shot.
Full alignment - albeit this was done after the above work, it made the most difference to how the car felt i.e completely stable and comfortable at speed.
Clutch delay valve removal and braided clutch line - clutch feel is restrained and slow as standard, feels more accurate with this.
As for audio, I use a single DIN mechless Pioneer unit with a bluetooth mic. Also allows for audio streaming, aux and usb. There are trim kits available to match the interior, although I lost function of the steering controls.
Regarding rust, both front wings had to be replaced on mine last year, thankfully the rears are okay..E46 are so hit and miss with rust, it depends on colour and therefore, I believe the type of primer used that makes some most susceptible from the outset.
Handbrakes are awfully designed - they the use steel backplates as pin retainers, so they inevitably rot through and cause the handbrake mechanism to come apart inside the disc, locking the wheel. You can remedy this with washers, but to replace a backplate is a wheel bearing off job.
It has been mostly reliable than the odd wheel bearing failure, both front calipers have been replaced and both rears rebuilt.
NiceCupOfTea said:
The paintwork came up pretty well - a few scratches and dings, but nothing major. Bottom front of N/S rear arch has a rust blister, as does the tail end of the O/S rear arch. Some lacquer peel on O/S front wing, and stone chips on the bonnet and the front bumper. I will probably get the rust seen to, and perhaps get the wing sprayed at some stage. Wheels are a mess, corrosion and flaking paint. OK from a few feet away though. Tempted to see if I can find some decent looking 17" wheels with fewer spokes that will be easier to look after.
Just a note with the wheels, finding 17's that fit over the front brakes will be tricky, given the fronts are 325 x 25mm discs, there's not a lot of room to squeeze 17's on.Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Saturday 18th February 23:40
I did swap wheels on mine (As seen on my thread) but stayed with 18 inch wheels.
Main reason was to avoid brake clashes, though also got some brake brackets to bolt in some Porsche Boxter Caliper (brembo 4 pots)
given the front calipers do have a tendency to lock up. I've already replaced both front calipers on mine and the sliders do need greasing regularly too, to keep them working reasonably well. 
Had a few Vartas which lasted well, last one was a Bosch S4 from ECP which came in well on price.
Took a vid of the rear hatch hinges as raise/lower it. Can somebody compare with theirs and tell me if it looks right? They seem to operate as intended, but I can't see how any tension can be built/released in the springs as they move with the hatch...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T35SLQm4mi0
Took a vid of the rear hatch hinges as raise/lower it. Can somebody compare with theirs and tell me if it looks right? They seem to operate as intended, but I can't see how any tension can be built/released in the springs as they move with the hatch...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T35SLQm4mi0
helix402 said:
Have a look at my 330d thread if you want any inspiration. Just passed 234567 miles.
Thanks, I had been following and have just reread!Had a look at the exhaust today, all looks standard. vacuum line attached so no extra noise from the golf tee mod.
Noticed that the headlamps look a state - anybody tried one of those polishing kits?
350 miles over the last 24 hours, didn't miss a beat, droning didn't seem so bad. Computer was saying mid-30s mpg until I hit a diversion off the A1 last night! Very comfy place to soak up the miles too.
Headlamps seem pretty reasonable for halogens but will try Philips Xtreme at some stage. Had them fitted to my other cars and while they are well respected, I've never noticed a huge difference. Had a slight panic moment with the cruise when I went to brake and it didn't disengage and I could feel the car fighting the brakes
I'm not a stranger to cruise (my old Saab 900 has it as does Mrs.NCoTs Qashqai) but I wonder if as I returned my right foot to the pedals I ended up on the wrong pedal. Not sure - but it should definitely disengage at the slightest touch on the brake so I might check the switch position... Never happened to me before though!
Although the A/C makes a gurgling noise and is definitely alive, it's clearly not working very efficiently so I am assuming a leak and low on refrigerant.
The car had the original grey BMW carpet mats that look nice but I like rubber mats to stop the carpets getting grimy. Ordered a set off ebay but not that happy. They do the job but are very shiny and don't look good in black. Turns out BMW did official ones in grey but they are N/A from dealers so not sure if I will be able to track any down.
Bought a load liner as well which is much more satisfactory, but irritatingly doesn't fit properly on the LH side - the removeable side panel for toolkit/etc. gets in the way. I think my car originally had a CD changer so I suspect this is the issue...
Headlamps seem pretty reasonable for halogens but will try Philips Xtreme at some stage. Had them fitted to my other cars and while they are well respected, I've never noticed a huge difference. Had a slight panic moment with the cruise when I went to brake and it didn't disengage and I could feel the car fighting the brakes
I'm not a stranger to cruise (my old Saab 900 has it as does Mrs.NCoTs Qashqai) but I wonder if as I returned my right foot to the pedals I ended up on the wrong pedal. Not sure - but it should definitely disengage at the slightest touch on the brake so I might check the switch position... Never happened to me before though!Although the A/C makes a gurgling noise and is definitely alive, it's clearly not working very efficiently so I am assuming a leak and low on refrigerant.
The car had the original grey BMW carpet mats that look nice but I like rubber mats to stop the carpets getting grimy. Ordered a set off ebay but not that happy. They do the job but are very shiny and don't look good in black. Turns out BMW did official ones in grey but they are N/A from dealers so not sure if I will be able to track any down.
Bought a load liner as well which is much more satisfactory, but irritatingly doesn't fit properly on the LH side - the removeable side panel for toolkit/etc. gets in the way. I think my car originally had a CD changer so I suspect this is the issue...
Well, I am just over a month and 2000 miles in and I'm getting to know the car a bit better. Turns out it likes a drink of oil in true M54 fashion - Early days as yet but I suspect a litre every 800-1000 miles. Wondering whether it's worth doing the CCV...
There are a few things still be sorted and quite a long list of things I'm going to ask the garage to have a look at!
Inspection 2 + Brake fluid (have receipts for oil/filters over the last few years but nothing more)
Investigate juddering brakes (pads/discs?)
Investigate/fix MOT advisories (diff seal leak, front ARB bushes, steering rack inner joints)
Do CCV if necessary
Possible new water pump/stat (had a radiator a couple of years ago) due to chocolate BMW cooling system.
Give it a good check over and see if there's anything else that needs doing (DISA, etc.)
I think it is going to be expensive, but if I'm going to be piling on the miles with my family in it I want to make sure it's safe and running right. Hopefully there will be enough preventative stuff there to keep it in good health for a while.
Some little annoyances - can't track down a decent load cover for sensible money. Bought a boot mat but it's for cars without CD changer. The changer is no longer there so I need a bit of boot trim that I can't track down! Had to sling the mats I bought as they stank of rubber so badly that they made my wife feel sick!
Bizarrely I keep finding ants on the centre console
so I guess somebody has spilled something sticky at some stage...
One other thing - is there a particular mileage when cam chains need looking at or is just waiting until they get noisy?
There are a few things still be sorted and quite a long list of things I'm going to ask the garage to have a look at!
Inspection 2 + Brake fluid (have receipts for oil/filters over the last few years but nothing more)
Investigate juddering brakes (pads/discs?)
Investigate/fix MOT advisories (diff seal leak, front ARB bushes, steering rack inner joints)
Do CCV if necessary
Possible new water pump/stat (had a radiator a couple of years ago) due to chocolate BMW cooling system.
Give it a good check over and see if there's anything else that needs doing (DISA, etc.)
I think it is going to be expensive, but if I'm going to be piling on the miles with my family in it I want to make sure it's safe and running right. Hopefully there will be enough preventative stuff there to keep it in good health for a while.
Some little annoyances - can't track down a decent load cover for sensible money. Bought a boot mat but it's for cars without CD changer. The changer is no longer there so I need a bit of boot trim that I can't track down! Had to sling the mats I bought as they stank of rubber so badly that they made my wife feel sick!
Bizarrely I keep finding ants on the centre console
so I guess somebody has spilled something sticky at some stage...One other thing - is there a particular mileage when cam chains need looking at or is just waiting until they get noisy?
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Wednesday 15th March 00:34
I found mine drank oil like a champ, so full breather and CCV replacement. Definitely get a garage to do it cause it is a sod of a job to change (fiddly and have to do it blind).
I also swapped from 0w30 Oil to 5w40 Castrol Edge oil, being this is the thickest you can put into the M54b30, and this genuinely reduces it as well.
The final part of reducing oil consumption, is once it's up to temp, don't be afraid to take it up to 6k rpm on occasion and a few times to get the temps right up with the oil. I spoke to a BMW engineer about it, and the problem occurs if the first owner 'babyed' the car, aka barely opening the taps above 3-4k rpm and as a result the oil rings don't bed in correctly, thus higher oil consumption.
Giving the car some proper enthusiastic driving tends to help reduce it, it certainly reduced mine in combination with fresh breather lines, CCV and the change in oil grade.
Brake judder could be either front lolipop bushes needing replacing, or the calipers need the sliders greasing, worst case they're seizing up (common issue) as is the diff seal (mine's weeping too, plan to rebuild with a Gripper LSD)
Also check the condition of your intake billows if you start getting engine bank lean codes. I was chasing them around for a few months.. all cause of this.
I also swapped from 0w30 Oil to 5w40 Castrol Edge oil, being this is the thickest you can put into the M54b30, and this genuinely reduces it as well.
The final part of reducing oil consumption, is once it's up to temp, don't be afraid to take it up to 6k rpm on occasion and a few times to get the temps right up with the oil. I spoke to a BMW engineer about it, and the problem occurs if the first owner 'babyed' the car, aka barely opening the taps above 3-4k rpm and as a result the oil rings don't bed in correctly, thus higher oil consumption.
Giving the car some proper enthusiastic driving tends to help reduce it, it certainly reduced mine in combination with fresh breather lines, CCV and the change in oil grade.
Brake judder could be either front lolipop bushes needing replacing, or the calipers need the sliders greasing, worst case they're seizing up (common issue) as is the diff seal (mine's weeping too, plan to rebuild with a Gripper LSD)
Also check the condition of your intake billows if you start getting engine bank lean codes. I was chasing them around for a few months.. all cause of this.
Edited by Sf_Manta on Wednesday 15th March 07:50
Helix is correct there. In around 400,000 miles we've put on M54s as a family there's never been any sort of timing chain issue. They are easy engines to flood mind, so if you need to shuffle cars around on the driveway leave it running for a bit. It's always a good idea to fit new lollipop/control arm/brake reaction bushes with powerflex. Notable improvement and they last so much longer than the standard items.
Thanks chaps. Rest assured that all of the revs are being explored. It's a slightly odd engine in that it doesn't feel torquey to me and if you are in the wrong gear it feels a little bit gutless (I suspect this is just that it feels insulated and I am used to turbos, as the numbers on the dials increase in a satisfactory manner)
NiceCupOfTea said:
Thanks chaps. Rest assured that all of the revs are being explored. It's a slightly odd engine in that it doesn't feel torquey to me and if you are in the wrong gear it feels a little bit gutless (I suspect this is just that it feels insulated and I am used to turbos, as the numbers on the dials increase in a satisfactory manner)
I had one the same time as a 3.2 TT with, iirc, about the same quoted output. The TT always felt it had a lot more torque. NiceCupOfTea said:
It's a slightly odd engine in that it doesn't feel torquey to me and if you are in the wrong gear it feels a little bit gutless (I suspect this is just that it feels insulated and I am used to turbos, as the numbers on the dials increase in a satisfactory manner)
I always feel similar with my 330i and I just put it down to being used to turbo engines, and the fact the engine only really feels like it's pulling above 5k rpm. They do feel really weak at low revs but lovely and smooth, it's a shame you can't have it both ways and with a N/A engine you always notice the cars kerb weight more than with a turbo engine I reckon.
Wasn't getting anywhere with the glass tailgate hinge issue I was having so decided to have a closer look. I can see now that the funny cam thing seems to be flipped about face on the RH hinge so it's not working properly. Took it off the car wondering if I could flip it but it doesn't seem so. Really bizarre as I can't see how it got like that, I wonder if it has had some sort of impact at some stage. Of course now I can't find any on ebay to replace it with so have refitted it for the time being.
In other news, exhaust started blowing massively yesterday, could feel the hot air coming out at the bottom of the downpipe. Had a closer look and it seems that at least a couple of the studs don't have nuts on them. All very rusty so clearly been like that a while. Also a very bent looking bracket of some sort down there. No obvious cracks or broken welds so I am hoping it's just a case of drilling out the bolts and putting in new ones. Weirdly it was quiet later, but after a 150 mile journey last night, blowing a lot. Then quiet again this am. I guess it's a heat think opening up a gap. Hoping it might explain it being a bit boomy on the motorway.
Taking it down to my local exhaust place later; fingers crossed they can do something without having to replace the manifolds or anything!
ETA: air con checked and regassed last week - no obvious leaks and icy cold now!
In other news, exhaust started blowing massively yesterday, could feel the hot air coming out at the bottom of the downpipe. Had a closer look and it seems that at least a couple of the studs don't have nuts on them. All very rusty so clearly been like that a while. Also a very bent looking bracket of some sort down there. No obvious cracks or broken welds so I am hoping it's just a case of drilling out the bolts and putting in new ones. Weirdly it was quiet later, but after a 150 mile journey last night, blowing a lot. Then quiet again this am. I guess it's a heat think opening up a gap. Hoping it might explain it being a bit boomy on the motorway.
Taking it down to my local exhaust place later; fingers crossed they can do something without having to replace the manifolds or anything!
ETA: air con checked and regassed last week - no obvious leaks and icy cold now!
Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Monday 10th April 12:57
£35 later, knackered bolts replaced and bent bracket replaced. It looks as if it was caught on something; as I am looking at it I remember an incident at a school I visit - automatic gates with a metal "stop" in the middle that sticks up from the ground. I am always very careful to crawl over it and go "off-centre" but I remember grounding out a couple of weeks ago.
Makes me fume - perfectly normal unmodified family estate car. Not the first time it has happened to me either, and the last time when I complained I just got laughed at
Anyway, fixed now, although if that was the cause then my hopes for motorway boominess to be reduced are probably unfounded as it was doing that before the incident!
Makes me fume - perfectly normal unmodified family estate car. Not the first time it has happened to me either, and the last time when I complained I just got laughed at
Anyway, fixed now, although if that was the cause then my hopes for motorway boominess to be reduced are probably unfounded as it was doing that before the incident!
Glad it was a cheap repair. Re my earlier rear top mount suggestion, I have Bimmertune rear top mounts on mine now. I had M3 ones which didn't last long. I noted your suggestion about extra potential stress caused by the Bimmertune ones, my car had a stress crack with M3 mounts so I'm not too much worried about cracks. It has been plated with 0.9mm steel as part of my mammoth welding session.
Sf_Manta said:
Just a note with the wheels, finding 17's that fit over the front brakes will be tricky, given the fronts are 325 x 25mm discs, there's not a lot of room to squeeze 17's on.
I did swap wheels on mine (As seen on my thread) but stayed with 18 inch wheels.
Main reason was to avoid brake clashes, though also got some brake brackets to bolt in some Porsche Boxter Caliper (brembo 4 pots) given the front calipers do have a tendency to lock up. I've already replaced both front calipers on mine and the sliders do need greasing regularly too, to keep them working reasonably well.
17" Style 44 or the staggered 17" 68M wheels will bolt straight on.I did swap wheels on mine (As seen on my thread) but stayed with 18 inch wheels.
Main reason was to avoid brake clashes, though also got some brake brackets to bolt in some Porsche Boxter Caliper (brembo 4 pots)
given the front calipers do have a tendency to lock up. I've already replaced both front calipers on mine and the sliders do need greasing regularly too, to keep them working reasonably well. Well given that I have a rotary-engined thirst for oil, I am wondering where I can buy oil cheaply. So far I have put in a 1 litre of Castrol Magnatec 5w30 (LL04), and a litreof Shell Helix 5w40 (LL01). I thought the 5w40 might slow the thirst for oil.
Anyway, I have seen that Euro Car Parts have got their cheapie brand "Triple QX" fully synth 5w40 (LL01) for £31.29, and with the Bank Holiday discount code it's £21.78 for 5 litres.
Given it's going to get burned off (doing about a litre every 1000-1500 miles) is there anything wrong with it if it meets BMW LL-01?
Also, in other news my vibrating brakes are definitely down to an offside front warped disc as I have had the wheel off. Not sure if the caliper has been binding, seems to be warmer on that wheel after a drive. Wheel was welded to the hub when I tried to have it off for a look, left it as it was only on a trolley jack and I didn't fancy smacking it! It's in for a service in 10 days so will get them to have a look.
Anyway, I have seen that Euro Car Parts have got their cheapie brand "Triple QX" fully synth 5w40 (LL01) for £31.29, and with the Bank Holiday discount code it's £21.78 for 5 litres.
Given it's going to get burned off (doing about a litre every 1000-1500 miles) is there anything wrong with it if it meets BMW LL-01?
Also, in other news my vibrating brakes are definitely down to an offside front warped disc as I have had the wheel off. Not sure if the caliper has been binding, seems to be warmer on that wheel after a drive. Wheel was welded to the hub when I tried to have it off for a look, left it as it was only on a trolley jack and I didn't fancy smacking it! It's in for a service in 10 days so will get them to have a look.
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