The E46 325ti Appreciation Thread

[s m]

Max M4X WW said:

All, I'm thinking about getting an E46 again and am looking at 330i Saloons and 325ti's.

Obviously the 330i is 'quicker' but I like the idea of a ti. Next question is 5/6 speed - is a 6 speed really worth it? Which box would be more 'fun'?

Thanks in advance!

Here are the ratios for the 5-sp and 6-sp boxes

Virtually the same as said already



I've got a 6-sp but really it only comes into its own cruising on m/ways or dual carriageways

Avoid the autobox though - that's what Chris Harris said about it on the 325ti !!!

[Mr Tidy]

I spend much of my time on the 50 average M3 and manipulated (aka F*cked up) M25 so a 6-speed might have been a good choice, but couldn't resist a 325ti Sport in Imola Red!

Still I have a Z4 Coupe for when I am in a hurry.

[venskip]

Nothing to add but I was walking towards my car in the work car park yesterday evening and thought how cool it looked so thought I would grab a picture and share

[Kawasicki]

Mr Tidy said:

I spend much of my time on the 50 average M3 and manipulated (aka F*cked up) M25 so a 6-speed might have been a good choice, but couldn't resist a 325ti Sport in Imola Red!

Still I have a Z4 Coupe for when I am in a hurry.

My car is a 5 speeder, and I drive it at 6000+ rpm in 5th every day. It hits the limiter regularly in 5th too.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest, I'm driving it exactly as it was designed to be driven.

[dirtychinchilla]

venskip said:

Does look sweet!

[Mr Tidy]

dirtychinchilla said:

Does look sweet!

My nephew drove my 325ti, so then I had to find one or him! He got a Sapphire Black facelift with light beige leather and sunroof, but then in April he became a Dad! Car seat was a battle and buggy wouldn't fit, so the next search was on for an E46 Touring!

Found a 325i Sport in Imola Red with black leather - lovely car! (Tempting for me)!

Gratuitous photo with my 325ti follows!




The weirdest thing is I live in Berkshire, my nephew lives in Surrey but both our Imola cars were originally supplied by the same dealer in Aberdeen!

[JakeT]

Nice looking thing that, shame about the loss of a gear! John Clark, supply a load of cars. My friend has a 320td that was originally supplied by them.

[PaulGT3]

Hi chaps, I've done a relatively trouble free 20k miles so far in my 325ti (replaced RTAB's, OFH Gasket and Rocker cover gasket along with tyres & brakes), however the oil usage has got worse and worse despite fixing where it was leaking from. It's gone from a mildly annoying litre per 1000 miles to a slightly worrying litre per 300 ish miles, I also noticed a slight puff of blue smoke on a cold startup today so it's time to try and fix it.

I understand the CCV is probably the culprit but some people have spent 5 hours or so replacing it for it to not make much difference. I've noticed a couple on this post have replaced the whole ccv setup with a pcv & catch tank setup. How are you guys getting on with oil usage? I'm well up for doing this if it sorts my oil usage and if its easier than replacing the standard ccv setup then even better. Are there any downsides to this at all? And do you have any pointers to the exact parts to use?

[Andrew Kettle]

Have you checked the oil filter housing gasket? I did my valve cover gasket and found that oil consumption was still high. I checked and found that the lower block on the intake side is covered.

I'm going to change the gasket this weekend and am thinking that this is the culprit for me.

[PaulGT3]

Yes done that, I abbreviated it to OFH gasket. There are now no leaks at all.

[Andrew Kettle]

Ah, sorry my bad!

[Rsdop]

CCV has made a massive difference on my 330. It's gone from a litre every 600 miles to half a litre in 1500 miles. That's just standard replacement rather than a catch tank. £80 for the parts, it's a fiddly job but definitely a diy.

[JakeT]

My dad's X5 with an M54 had really high oil consumption, and after a Valve cover gasket and CCV system change it burns a surprising low amounf of oil for a 200k engine. I would go with that.

[Andrew Kettle]

On a side note, along with a high oil consumption, I still get a noticeable burning oil smell coming from the engine bay after a 20 - 30 minute run. Could this be from the oil filter gasket leak, or is it something else?

[Rsdop]

Andrew Kettle said:

On a side note, along with a high oil consumption, I still get a noticeable burning oil smell coming from the engine bay after a 20 - 30 minute run. Could this be from the oil filter gasket leak, or is it something else?

Could it just be the remaining leaked oil burning off? Think it's usually rocker cover gasket that creates the oil smell.

[320touring]

Hi one and all, going to see one of theae as a potential replacement for a friend's car. I know a wee bit about e30/36s but am not so hot on the e46 and compact. I'm comfortable enough re suspension/brakes.

are there any showstoppers to look out for bar the usual m54 checks (oil/ccv/coolant)

any specific parts or common faults to be aware of?

thanks

[JakeT]

BigTom85 said:

Receipts for recent radiator and water pump is a bonus, if none then budget for replacement in the near future.
Knocking suspension bushes.
Check the electric windows go up and down.
Check for rattling from the dual mass flywheel - will present itself as a knocking under hard acceleration particularly in the mid range, also check for a rattle at idle with the clutch pedal up, down and at the biting point.
Rear wipers both the wiper and the washer can fail.
Tail gate struts get weak and proper ones aren't cheap.
Check the remote boot release work as the wiring looms can fail.

Buy on condition, good service history is a must.

Think thats about it on top of the usual car buying stuff.

This has floated around a bit, and I would say is a good guide. They don't really rust like a regular E46 though, so that is good. Tough one to check for but these cars love to snap rear springs, too. Not expensive to replace, but a pain all the same.

[Andrew Kettle]

Rsdop said:

Could it just be the remaining leaked oil burning off? Think it's usually rocker cover gasket that creates the oil smell.

I've done 1000 + miles since changing it so I don't think so. I cant see any evidence of further leaking from the gasket, but will give it a through inspection on the weekend when doing the oil filter housing gasket.

[320touring]

JakeT said:

BigTom85 said:

Receipts for recent radiator and water pump is a bonus, if none then budget for replacement in the near future.
Knocking suspension bushes.
Check the electric windows go up and down.
Check for rattling from the dual mass flywheel - will present itself as a knocking under hard acceleration particularly in the mid range, also check for a rattle at idle with the clutch pedal up, down and at the biting point.
Rear wipers both the wiper and the washer can fail.
Tail gate struts get weak and proper ones aren't cheap.
Check the remote boot release work as the wiring looms can fail.

Buy on condition, good service history is a must.

Think thats about it on top of the usual car buying stuff.

This has floated around a bit, and I would say is a good guide. They don't really rust like a regular E46 though, so that is good. Tough one to check for but these cars love to snap rear springs, too. Not expensive to replace, but a pain all the same.

brilliant- ta muchly!

[Ag51bye]

Mr Tidy said:

My nephew drove my 325ti, so then I had to find one or him! He got a Sapphire Black facelift with light beige leather and sunroof, but then in April he became a Dad! Car seat was a battle and buggy wouldn't fit, so the next search was on for an E46 Touring!

Found a 325i Sport in Imola Red with black leather - lovely car! (Tempting for me)!

Gratuitous photo with my 325ti follows!




The weirdest thing is I live in Berkshire, my nephew lives in Surrey but both our Imola cars were originally supplied by the same dealer in Aberdeen!

Just relised you live in a house that my parents house backs onto.
In fact that my parents house in the picture.
Small world!