My Car History And My BMW E46 Problem
Discussion
Hi all,
Love reading the Readers' Cars thread so thought I'd make a contribution.
I seem to have a bit of an obsession with the E46 3 series and have had 3 to date out of 7 cars I've owned since 2001. They haven't been the most 'PH' of models but I've loved them.
My car history started with my mum's old 1996 Citroen Xantia 1.9Td LX, which was great at 17, being easily able to ferry me and my mates around wherever we needed to go. After the initial period of just being glad I had a car, I started looking for something a bit less mumsy and got a 2001 Renault clio 1.2 8v, which I loved but traded in in 2004 for a 2002 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec.
I've always been a bit of a BMW fanboy, the family had owned several E30s when I was young and, since the E46 was launched I'd always wanted one so, after I left uni and got some gainful employment (all previous vehicles had been part funded by bank of mum and dad), I started hunting around for what I could afford.
I was initially looking at 1999 318i SE saloons, as that's all my budget would stretch to. I almost bought one in early 2006 but held off as I couldn't find one I liked. This was lucky as it turned out as soon after, I moved jobs, got a pay rise and a car allowance, so my budget increased considerably.
So, in October 2006 I eventually tracked down the e46 for me. It was a 2003 Sapphire Black 320ci M Sport with, tan leather, 62k on the clock and a full service history. I bought it from an independent garage in Sheffield and I remember literally sh*tting myself as I handed over the banker's draft, but heart ruled head and it was mine! I had a great drive back through the Peak District to Stoke, where I was living at the time and, although it wasn't what you'd call quick, the straight six sounded fantastic and the handling was in a different league to anything I'd owned before.
The problems started about 2 months after I picked the car up. The EML came on, the car would run roughly in slow traffic and would occasionally cut out. The problem was diagnosed, repaired and re-diagnosed on numerous occasions but never fully went away, despite decreasing in frequency.
during this time I changed jobs again and got a Mondeo company car, but just couldn't bring myself to sell the E46. I'd worked hard to buy it and despite only driving it at the weekends and the obvious engine issues, I still loved it.
I had to eventually get rid in March 2008 as I went to play rugby in Durban for 6 months, and I was abolutely gutted to see the car go. I just couldn't justify keeping it whilst I was away, however.
When I returned to the UK I moved back up home to Newcastle, found a job and had to sort out transport pretty quickly. My sister had owned a Seat Ibiza for a couple of years and i'd always liked it so I bought a 2005 1.8 20V T. It was fairly quick when you got it going, and was a decent steer.
Almost 2 years later I moved down to North Yorkshire with the Mrs but was still in the same job so a 140 mile round trip, 4 times a week was required. with the Ibiza averaging low 30s MPG and not being the most comfortable, I needed a change and there was only one car on the list; An e46 with a d****l engine.
The 320d seemed to be the best option but I wanted another coupe and stumbled across one near York with almost the exact same spec as my previous 320ci. This one was a 2005 '55 with 49k on the clock. I picked it up in September 2010 and put 26,000 miles on it before selling it to a mate last month. It was the perfect car for the job, comfortable and quiet when crusing at (always) 70mph on the A19, but still able to raise a smile on a B road, despite the tractor engine.
Pictures below are from soon after I picked it up.
Fast forward to July 2011 an I've, unfortunately been made redundant. I'm trying to set up my own business and needed some capital, so the 320Cd had to go. A mate needed something to stick some miles on so he took it off my hands at the end of last month. It was absolutely faultless during my ownership and only needed an oil service and new pads and discs all round (thanks to Andy at Atlas Auto services near York). My mate has recently had the swirl flaps done and they were in perfect condition. Better to be safe than sorry though as it's now done 75k.
Here it is just before it went:
In anticipation of my new venture, I needed something with some load-lugging ability, but still wanted something fairly premium. I started looking at E39s and was set on a 1998 528i SE Touring with every possible extra, but couldn't negotiate a price with the seller. I then test drove a 2001 525i SE which was in great condition but, worryingly, the trip computer suggested it was averaging 18mpg. I'm sure this was around town but, having been spending £450+ per month on diesel it didn't seem like the best decision!
After viewing some abolute dogs, including a Volvo C70 and another E39 touring half way up a mountain near rochdale (which had been clocked)I was getting desperate the day before my car was due to go and dropped into a garage I was passing in a last ditch attempt to find something. They had nothing on the forecourt but had (fate?) a 2001 E46 touring 318i SE parked over the road which they had just got on a trade in. It was filthy inside and out but had full service history, good spec (climate control, cruise, 6cd etc), had only done 67k and looked to be in good condition under all the muck. The bloke said I could have it at trade price if I cleaned it up myself and said he'd throw in a set of MV2 alloys (two with brand new Pirelli Pzero Rossos) for a bit more money. After a quick test drive I shook his hand, paid a £100 deposit and picked it up the next day:
As it's a pre-facelift car it's got the 118bhp 1.9 engine, so it's as slow as old boots but it's cleaned up pretty well and i love it! The extra practicality is great and it still handles pretty well. The tracking needs sorting, it needs a new oil sensor and the wheels need refurbishing (I prefer the MV3s to the MV2s) but I can see it being the type of car I'd never sell.
I still think the e46 is one of the best looking mass market cars I've seen (probably a controversial view). I'd love an M3 but until money allows, this one'll do me fine.
Thanks for reading.
Love reading the Readers' Cars thread so thought I'd make a contribution.
I seem to have a bit of an obsession with the E46 3 series and have had 3 to date out of 7 cars I've owned since 2001. They haven't been the most 'PH' of models but I've loved them.
My car history started with my mum's old 1996 Citroen Xantia 1.9Td LX, which was great at 17, being easily able to ferry me and my mates around wherever we needed to go. After the initial period of just being glad I had a car, I started looking for something a bit less mumsy and got a 2001 Renault clio 1.2 8v, which I loved but traded in in 2004 for a 2002 Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec.
I've always been a bit of a BMW fanboy, the family had owned several E30s when I was young and, since the E46 was launched I'd always wanted one so, after I left uni and got some gainful employment (all previous vehicles had been part funded by bank of mum and dad), I started hunting around for what I could afford.
I was initially looking at 1999 318i SE saloons, as that's all my budget would stretch to. I almost bought one in early 2006 but held off as I couldn't find one I liked. This was lucky as it turned out as soon after, I moved jobs, got a pay rise and a car allowance, so my budget increased considerably.
So, in October 2006 I eventually tracked down the e46 for me. It was a 2003 Sapphire Black 320ci M Sport with, tan leather, 62k on the clock and a full service history. I bought it from an independent garage in Sheffield and I remember literally sh*tting myself as I handed over the banker's draft, but heart ruled head and it was mine! I had a great drive back through the Peak District to Stoke, where I was living at the time and, although it wasn't what you'd call quick, the straight six sounded fantastic and the handling was in a different league to anything I'd owned before.
The problems started about 2 months after I picked the car up. The EML came on, the car would run roughly in slow traffic and would occasionally cut out. The problem was diagnosed, repaired and re-diagnosed on numerous occasions but never fully went away, despite decreasing in frequency.
during this time I changed jobs again and got a Mondeo company car, but just couldn't bring myself to sell the E46. I'd worked hard to buy it and despite only driving it at the weekends and the obvious engine issues, I still loved it.
I had to eventually get rid in March 2008 as I went to play rugby in Durban for 6 months, and I was abolutely gutted to see the car go. I just couldn't justify keeping it whilst I was away, however.
When I returned to the UK I moved back up home to Newcastle, found a job and had to sort out transport pretty quickly. My sister had owned a Seat Ibiza for a couple of years and i'd always liked it so I bought a 2005 1.8 20V T. It was fairly quick when you got it going, and was a decent steer.
Almost 2 years later I moved down to North Yorkshire with the Mrs but was still in the same job so a 140 mile round trip, 4 times a week was required. with the Ibiza averaging low 30s MPG and not being the most comfortable, I needed a change and there was only one car on the list; An e46 with a d****l engine.
The 320d seemed to be the best option but I wanted another coupe and stumbled across one near York with almost the exact same spec as my previous 320ci. This one was a 2005 '55 with 49k on the clock. I picked it up in September 2010 and put 26,000 miles on it before selling it to a mate last month. It was the perfect car for the job, comfortable and quiet when crusing at (always) 70mph on the A19, but still able to raise a smile on a B road, despite the tractor engine.
Pictures below are from soon after I picked it up.
Fast forward to July 2011 an I've, unfortunately been made redundant. I'm trying to set up my own business and needed some capital, so the 320Cd had to go. A mate needed something to stick some miles on so he took it off my hands at the end of last month. It was absolutely faultless during my ownership and only needed an oil service and new pads and discs all round (thanks to Andy at Atlas Auto services near York). My mate has recently had the swirl flaps done and they were in perfect condition. Better to be safe than sorry though as it's now done 75k.
Here it is just before it went:
In anticipation of my new venture, I needed something with some load-lugging ability, but still wanted something fairly premium. I started looking at E39s and was set on a 1998 528i SE Touring with every possible extra, but couldn't negotiate a price with the seller. I then test drove a 2001 525i SE which was in great condition but, worryingly, the trip computer suggested it was averaging 18mpg. I'm sure this was around town but, having been spending £450+ per month on diesel it didn't seem like the best decision!
After viewing some abolute dogs, including a Volvo C70 and another E39 touring half way up a mountain near rochdale (which had been clocked)I was getting desperate the day before my car was due to go and dropped into a garage I was passing in a last ditch attempt to find something. They had nothing on the forecourt but had (fate?) a 2001 E46 touring 318i SE parked over the road which they had just got on a trade in. It was filthy inside and out but had full service history, good spec (climate control, cruise, 6cd etc), had only done 67k and looked to be in good condition under all the muck. The bloke said I could have it at trade price if I cleaned it up myself and said he'd throw in a set of MV2 alloys (two with brand new Pirelli Pzero Rossos) for a bit more money. After a quick test drive I shook his hand, paid a £100 deposit and picked it up the next day:
As it's a pre-facelift car it's got the 118bhp 1.9 engine, so it's as slow as old boots but it's cleaned up pretty well and i love it! The extra practicality is great and it still handles pretty well. The tracking needs sorting, it needs a new oil sensor and the wheels need refurbishing (I prefer the MV3s to the MV2s) but I can see it being the type of car I'd never sell.
I still think the e46 is one of the best looking mass market cars I've seen (probably a controversial view). I'd love an M3 but until money allows, this one'll do me fine.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by MG7 on Tuesday 12th July 14:53
SVX said:
The E46 is a fantastic chariot - out of interest, you weren't playing Rugby at King's Park were you? (my wife is from Durban, and we go there at least twice a year).
I played quite a bit at Kings Park, on the pitches around the stadium. never got to play inside it unfortunately! Watched plenty of Sharks games though.Love Durban, jealous of you going twice a year!
MG7 said:
SVX said:
The E46 is a fantastic chariot - out of interest, you weren't playing Rugby at King's Park were you? (my wife is from Durban, and we go there at least twice a year).
I played quite a bit at Kings Park, on the pitches around the stadium. never got to play inside it unfortunately! Watched plenty of Sharks games though.Love Durban, jealous of you going twice a year!
MondeoMan1981 said:
Lovely thread, some brilliant E46's there. Between that and the E39 my favourite BMW models ever.
Dont dismiss the 1.9 though, if driven decently it can be amazingly frugal for such a size of engine and car
I sold my facelift 1.9 (ex-demo rarity!) in 2007, still miss it bad !
Now you mention it I've been getting much better MPG from what is quite a big, old engine.Dont dismiss the 1.9 though, if driven decently it can be amazingly frugal for such a size of engine and car
I sold my facelift 1.9 (ex-demo rarity!) in 2007, still miss it bad !
Like the look of yours too, where do you stand on pre vs post facelift?
I'm on my second e46, a facelift 318i touring. It's got the 2litre 147bhp engine so is a vast improvement on the pre facelift 118bhp 318i that had a 1.9 litre engine.
The revised 318i is actually quite a nippy car and is torquey enough for the motorway while returning pretty good fuel economy. Not a very PH car but does it's job well and is my sensible car that allows me to also have a fun weekend toy.
First e46 was a 323i with the 2.5 engine, was pretty quick but I always wished I had the 328i as I loved the e36 328i I once had. (the 330i was far too expensive at the time to consider). But the vanos got very grumbley and the repair cost was £2k plus so I quickly sold it and luckily on the test drive it behaved itself so was soon gone.
The revised 318i is actually quite a nippy car and is torquey enough for the motorway while returning pretty good fuel economy. Not a very PH car but does it's job well and is my sensible car that allows me to also have a fun weekend toy.
First e46 was a 323i with the 2.5 engine, was pretty quick but I always wished I had the 328i as I loved the e36 328i I once had. (the 330i was far too expensive at the time to consider). But the vanos got very grumbley and the repair cost was £2k plus so I quickly sold it and luckily on the test drive it behaved itself so was soon gone.
MG7 said:
Now you mention it I've been getting much better MPG from what is quite a big, old engine.
Like the look of yours too, where do you stand on pre vs post facelift?
Prefer the facelifted ones for the lights and neater round spottys. Although the standard wheels on some of the pre facelift ones look better.Like the look of yours too, where do you stand on pre vs post facelift?
Think some of the facelift ones also have rear light moisture ingression issues - I had both clusters replaced under warranty. Also done under warranty was rear screen (poor radio reception and one line of HRW not working) and heater blower (randomly would fail). As it was under warranty it never bothered me. In the year I had the following as courtesy cars: 320d m Sport, 320d M Sport Touring, X3 2.0d M Sport, Mini Cooper S Turbo
The shape of the E46 evolved so well - compare a 99 318Ci with small wheels and ambers to the 320Cd sport pictured above, and you'd struggle to believe they were the same model type. I kinda miss mine, although I've got an E36 now which is lovely for different reasons.
Can't understand this stuff about the 1.9 being economical though - mine averaged 32mpg on the motorway, probably attributable to the fact that at L0.85 it was doing over 4000rpm. Not a nice engine to listen to either.
I'll forever remember mine for the snow we had in December 2010 - whilst being nominally the worst car for those circumstances (low torque, fat tyres, RWD), it was like The Little Engine That Could, and managed to get me 10 miles across un-salted, hilly Gloucestershire roads in a blizzard, in order to buy my OH a Christmas present. Sometimes we were doing 10mph in fourth with the speedo reading 40mph, but we bloody made it.
Can't understand this stuff about the 1.9 being economical though - mine averaged 32mpg on the motorway, probably attributable to the fact that at L0.85 it was doing over 4000rpm. Not a nice engine to listen to either.
I'll forever remember mine for the snow we had in December 2010 - whilst being nominally the worst car for those circumstances (low torque, fat tyres, RWD), it was like The Little Engine That Could, and managed to get me 10 miles across un-salted, hilly Gloucestershire roads in a blizzard, in order to buy my OH a Christmas present. Sometimes we were doing 10mph in fourth with the speedo reading 40mph, but we bloody made it.
- sigh*
mig25_foxbat2003 said:
The shape of the E46 evolved so well - compare a 99 318Ci with small wheels and ambers to the 320Cd sport pictured above, and you'd struggle to believe they were the same model type. I kinda miss mine, although I've got an E36 now which is lovely for different reasons.
I know what you mean, but looking back at the pictures of my pre-facelift 320ci above, I can't help but feel that it's the better looking car of the two. I think it's probably something to do with the fact that that's how the e46 was designed to look and the facelift is a change to part of an existing design. I just think the pre-facelift hangs together better. I much prefer the MV1 alloys to the MV2s as well, trying to find a set for the touring.As I speak, the touring is at the garage round the corner having the tracking sorted and the wheels/tyres swapped round, as well as a diagnostic check to find out why the EML has come on.
I owned an E46 323Ci which I fitted the M Sport kit to, it also had the same bootlid spoiler as your 320Ci, looking at your pictures made me realise how much I miss my BM.
I spent loads on it getting it looking as I wanted it, MV1's, LED rear lights, Angel eyes, silver speedo rings, all sorts, it was all OEM stuff as well which cost a bit but the results were worth it. The prefaclift E46 is still a lovely looking car and would have another one in heartbeat.
Good luck with your business venture and hope the new ride proves reliable.
I spent loads on it getting it looking as I wanted it, MV1's, LED rear lights, Angel eyes, silver speedo rings, all sorts, it was all OEM stuff as well which cost a bit but the results were worth it. The prefaclift E46 is still a lovely looking car and would have another one in heartbeat.
Good luck with your business venture and hope the new ride proves reliable.
ks. 
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