E46 330 Tourings - What to look out for

[geeks]

Hi Guys,

If all goes to plan the Abarth will be off this week and replaced by an E46 330 touring I have been offered at a pretty reasonable price. Anyone got any good advice as to what to look out for on them? I am aware of the usual arch crust, vanos issues and ccv leaks but as the old saying goes "you dont know, what you dont know!" so just looking for some general advice from the collective, it's an auto if that makes any difference and yes its a petrol

[PurpleTurtle]

Cooling system is the main one after those.

Expansion tanks can crack, lots of people do a lot of preventative maintenance. Various videos on YouTube or write-ups like this:

https://www.bmw330ci.net/maintenance/completecoola...

Great cars - lucky to find one, they are becoming rare. Gonna do a Readers Cars thread?

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Check the rear subframe for cracking, although if you are looking at a car now chances of it cracking have already passed or it has been sorted.

[helix402]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Check the rear subframe for cracking, although if you are looking at a car now chances of it cracking have already passed or it has been sorted.

Subframes don’t crack. It’s the floor. I have two threads on here for E46 330d Tourings which will cover most E46 common faults (apart from petrol engine issues-they will be in my 328i thread!)

[geeks]

PurpleTurtle said:

Cooling system is the main one after those.

Expansion tanks can crack, lots of people do a lot of preventative maintenance. Various videos on YouTube or write-ups like this:

https://www.bmw330ci.net/maintenance/completecoola...

Great cars - lucky to find one, they are becoming rare. Gonna do a Readers Cars thread?

Ah yes, this one I know about from my E36 328, cheers for the link

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Check the rear subframe for cracking, although if you are looking at a car now chances of it cracking have already passed or it has been sorted.

Boot floor you mean?

helix402 said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Check the rear subframe for cracking, although if you are looking at a car now chances of it cracking have already passed or it has been sorted.

Subframes don’t crack. It’s the floor. I have two threads on here for E46 330d Tourings which will cover most E46 common faults (apart from petrol engine issues-they will be in my 328i thread!)

Cheers for that I will go hunting for them. I wasnt sure if the boot floor cracking issue affected the tourings or not.

[smn159]

I've got one... main issues so far have been crusty front wings (now replaced), rear arches starting to show signs, rear fuel lines needed replacing... tank needs to be dropped to do them properly, although there are alternatives.

Great cars though... bought it blind on eBay on a whim as a stopgap, but it's really grown on me.

[Olivergt]

As well as the expansion tank, check the bottom of the radiator, they start to bow down at the bottom, will look fine through the grill and at the top, it is the bottom edge you need to check.

It's not the end of the world if it's bowing, they are easy to replace and not too expensive (£120? for an OEM replacement).

[d_a_n1979]

Rust (wings, arches, sills, subframe)
Cooling system (if 330i as they run hotter than the dervs)
Suspension
Brakes
Paintwork in general
Interior electrics (make sure they all work as they should)

That's about it; about the same things to look for as you would on the E39 5 series too

[smn159]

Brake parts are cheap enough and I generally don't have an issue with doing the disks and pads on a 'new' car anyway.

Handbrake can be marginal / tricky though

[JakeT]

Check the auto box works properly warm and cold. They can give issues. Suspension bits will need replacing, it’s a case of what rather than when on E46s. The blower motor resistor pack can fail and is a git to replace. Window regulators also give trouble, so check that all four work. If it’s an auto it has a belt driven fan, too. Clutches can fail, overspeed the fan, and make it explode.

I love an E46, but most of them have some sort of issue that they’re hiding. Nowadays they like to rust, as others have mentioned. Sills can give problems now, and rear brake lines corrode, too.

M54s are solid, though! Apart from the ancillaries, and crankcase breather system.

If you can spanner you’re set. If you need to pay someone to work on them for you it can get expensive.

[smn159]

Yeah I meant brake lines on mine, not fuel lines!

D'oh!

[JakeT]

Also, to add brake callipers like to seize. Stop after a run and check the temperature of the wheels. I think ive replaced callipers on every E46 I or a mate has owned. It’s an easy job fortunately.

[PurpleTurtle]

JakeT said:

Also, to add brake callipers like to seize. Stop after a run and check the temperature of the wheels. I think ive replaced callipers on every E46 I or a mate has owned. It’s an easy job fortunately.

Don't do what I did and touch them thinking they would be just a bit warm! Really hot, gave me a nasty burn. Do it from a distance, or chuck a bottle of water on them for that satisfying instant vaporisation sign to get the spanners out!

As you say, a relatively easy job, but one I find weirdly therapeutic! seals can be a bit fiddly but again, handy how-to's are on YouTube.

[davettf2]

Check the autobox when cold as faults with the gear position switch will show up at this point. When warm not so obvious. Fell for this one when I bought my coupe. That said I would not change it as they are a great car from the era when they got the styling right (personal view)

Hope you enjoy it., cheers,
Dave

[d_a_n1979]

davettf2 said:

Check the autobox when cold as faults with the gear position switch will show up at this point. When warm not so obvious. Fell for this one when I bought my coupe. That said I would not change it as they are a great car from the era when they got the styling right (personal view)

Hope you enjoy it., cheers,
Dave

Agree; check the autobox in reverse from cold too!

[g3org3y]

I think all the main points have been covered.

d_a_n1979 said:

davettf2 said:

Check the autobox when cold as faults with the gear position switch will show up at this point. When warm not so obvious. Fell for this one when I bought my coupe. That said I would not change it as they are a great car from the era when they got the styling right (personal view)

Hope you enjoy it., cheers,
Dave

Agree; check the autobox in reverse from cold too!

Yep, wasn't there that chap on the Smoker Barge thread who got stung with an E39 Auto where the issue was only evident on reversing?

[d_a_n1979]

g3org3y said:

I think all the main points have been covered.

d_a_n1979 said:

davettf2 said:

Check the autobox when cold as faults with the gear position switch will show up at this point. When warm not so obvious. Fell for this one when I bought my coupe. That said I would not change it as they are a great car from the era when they got the styling right (personal view)

Hope you enjoy it., cheers,
Dave

Agree; check the autobox in reverse from cold too!

Yep, wasn't there that chap on the Smoker Barge thread who got stung with an E39 Auto where the issue was only evident on reversing?

Yup.. 'LetsTryAgain'

[naturalaspiration]

Rust. And rust again. Everything else is easy compared to eradicating rust. It is kind of a never-ending game in UK humid climate.

[JakeT]

PurpleTurtle said:

JakeT said:

Also, to add brake callipers like to seize. Stop after a run and check the temperature of the wheels. I think ive replaced callipers on every E46 I or a mate has owned. It’s an easy job fortunately.

Don't do what I did and touch them thinking they would be just a bit warm! Really hot, gave me a nasty burn. Do it from a distance, or chuck a bottle of water on them for that satisfying instant vaporisation sign to get the spanners out!

As you say, a relatively easy job, but one I find weirdly therapeutic! seals can be a bit fiddly but again, handy how-to's are on YouTube.

Ouch! I hold my hand near to see if I can feel the heat. The the gentle taps to see if I’ll leave fingerprints.

[Touring442]

naturalaspiration said:

Rust. And rust again. Everything else is easy compared to eradicating rust. It is kind of a never-ending game in UK humid climate.

Indeed. Along with everything else that goes wrong with a 15-20 year old E46 - cooling system, brake pipes, wishbones, window regulators, heater resistors, trailing arm bushes, handbrake shoes etc etc etc, too many of these things are now never ending rolling restorations.
Good examples that have been properly maintained are excellent cars, and good luck finding one of those. Ditto E39's - most of those seem to be rolling stretcher cases now. Even late model 2003 ones rot like a bd.