My first BMW - replacing a 1.3cdti vauxhall corsa

My first BMW - replacing a 1.3cdti vauxhall corsa

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scotty02uk

Original Poster:

54 posts

182 months

Friday 9th July 2010
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A little update

Result - Managed to get an official M3 lip spoiler fitted and painted for 200, and some OEM m sport matts, and they looks good!
Fail - on my way back from frensham ponds recently i noticed the temp was almost in the danger area and it was making a screeching sound. Pulled over and let her cool down and noticed steam coming out the bleed valve. After finally getting home, i found the previous owner had not done the correct maintenance. The serpantine belt was shredded on one side, and the car overheats after 7-10 mins at idle. After lots of looking on the web i believe the issue to be either the belts,pulleys(more likely - due to the noise), or water pump as a result of the previous failing. Luckily a friend is a mechanic and is going to replace all these parts, and hoses and belt tensioners for a fair price. Should have some news later in the week. Anyone who owns an e46 should definately get this done after 60k miles (cooling system overhaul), if not and you dont notice the car overheating quickly, expect warped cylinder heads/duff head gasket = £££££'s

scotty02uk

Original Poster:

54 posts

182 months

Wednesday 27th April 2011
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More updates after 1 years ownership. The gearbox went into limp mode, and after lots of investigation found the EGS/TCM ECU chip to be faulty, and had it replaced, had no further problems since.Camshaft position sensor needed replacing. Had the front control arms replaced, and bushes replaced with powerflex variants. New falken 452 tyres all round - handling/steering is much improved. I swapped out the basic cd changer for one with MP3 compatibility. Recently installed CCFL angel eyes - only 30 quid off ebay and look good. I also managed to find a BMW performance intake from the states and had it shipped over here for a total of £220. Makes a nice improvement to engine note, and apparently returns 6whp.
Next - need to get the MV1 wheels refurbed and brake pads replaced, then get the ECU tuned
Can anyone recommend a good tuner?