BMW 323ci E46 Convertible
Discussion
Hi All,
Welcome to my new car a 2000 BMW E46 323ci Convertible. With my lease Mini almost ready to go back I have been keeping an eye out for a cheap alternative run around. We use Mrs Challo's company car for long distance trips, and I noticed I was doing less and less miles so handed back the lease and gone for something I can tinker with.
I had been looking at old Saab/Volvo's so I appreciate all the feedback I got from the forum (thank you). This popped up on Car&Classic close to me so took a look at the weekend. It was being sold by a lady who had own the car for the last 60k and to be honest anything its needed mechinically its had. She had a small local garage two doors away who took care of everything and the history is excellent. Serviced on the button, and all the MOT's haven't flagged up anything of concern. No rust on the arches, roof works fine, and mechincally looks in good nick. Need to give it a proper once over but think i have picked up a little gem. She had got offers before but refused, but as I turned up with Mrs Challo she was happy with a lower price as it was going to someone who was going to look after it.
Even though it was serviced and looked after mechincally, she hasn't been so kind on the inside. Its pretty grim and needs a full valet to remove all the grime. Also alot of the plastics are scratched, and the gear selector & steering wheel are very worn, with the steering wheel leather gone smooth in places.
First jobs:
Full valet to remove years of dirt
Roof although works fine seems to squeak in certain places so I think it could do with being lubricated
Roof needs a full clean to remove some green spots
Wheels need a refurb
Front right tyre is worn on the edge so needs to be replaced
Leather interior could do with a treatment to bring it back to life
Also going to check the Inspection 1 service and see if anything needs to be done asap. It was completed 3k miles ago so not sure what inspection 1 includes.
Fit aftermarket cup holders
Rear inner boot lights are cloudy so might look for a replacement set from a scrappy
She is a little slow compared to my Mini but makes a lovely noise. Just need to remember she dones't like to be hustled and prefers the relaxed cruise.
And the finally price = £1700 not bad at all.
Welcome to my new car a 2000 BMW E46 323ci Convertible. With my lease Mini almost ready to go back I have been keeping an eye out for a cheap alternative run around. We use Mrs Challo's company car for long distance trips, and I noticed I was doing less and less miles so handed back the lease and gone for something I can tinker with.
I had been looking at old Saab/Volvo's so I appreciate all the feedback I got from the forum (thank you). This popped up on Car&Classic close to me so took a look at the weekend. It was being sold by a lady who had own the car for the last 60k and to be honest anything its needed mechinically its had. She had a small local garage two doors away who took care of everything and the history is excellent. Serviced on the button, and all the MOT's haven't flagged up anything of concern. No rust on the arches, roof works fine, and mechincally looks in good nick. Need to give it a proper once over but think i have picked up a little gem. She had got offers before but refused, but as I turned up with Mrs Challo she was happy with a lower price as it was going to someone who was going to look after it.
Even though it was serviced and looked after mechincally, she hasn't been so kind on the inside. Its pretty grim and needs a full valet to remove all the grime. Also alot of the plastics are scratched, and the gear selector & steering wheel are very worn, with the steering wheel leather gone smooth in places.
First jobs:
Full valet to remove years of dirt
Roof although works fine seems to squeak in certain places so I think it could do with being lubricated
Roof needs a full clean to remove some green spots
Wheels need a refurb
Front right tyre is worn on the edge so needs to be replaced
Leather interior could do with a treatment to bring it back to life
Also going to check the Inspection 1 service and see if anything needs to be done asap. It was completed 3k miles ago so not sure what inspection 1 includes.
Fit aftermarket cup holders
Rear inner boot lights are cloudy so might look for a replacement set from a scrappy
She is a little slow compared to my Mini but makes a lovely noise. Just need to remember she dones't like to be hustled and prefers the relaxed cruise.
And the finally price = £1700 not bad at all.
W537KCH? I know the owner of that, and live in the same village. They'd had it for ages, and it used to run around on the plate S8PHK. Hopefully it provides good service. It was always well looked after, and clean.
ETA Was the garage two doors down Wigmores? He's a salty old fella, but he and his mechanic chap are pretty good.
ETA Was the garage two doors down Wigmores? He's a salty old fella, but he and his mechanic chap are pretty good.
Edited by JakeT on Monday 13th March 12:06
JakeT said:
W537KCH? I know the owner of that, and live in the same village. They'd had it for ages, and it used to run around on the plate S8PHK. Hopefully it provides good service. It was always well looked after, and clean.
Thats the one. Lovely lady who owned it previously, certainly spent some money looking after it. The garage a few doors down Wigmore seemed to have certainly made sure it was in tip top condition. Just needs a bit of TLC on the inside but thats it really.
JakeT said:
Wigmore is also an excellent panel beater/sprayer/anything you like. There's only two chaps there, but they do their stuff well. Are you local, or is the old thing going further afield?
I live over in Bracknell so not too far, and most of my mileage is local around the Berkshire area. Looking forward to getting the roof down. I'm gently working on my 330 cab (albeit 2005) that I keep in the UK.
Much like yours, all 4 wheels refurbished.
New OEM gearknob
New badges for the wheels
New tyres all round
Full valet
New double din Android head unit
Phone holder replaced with oem cup holders
New floor mats
And then a roof clean by myself to get into the deep seams and get any green bits out.
Whilst I'm away this year, brother is fitting the following :
New internal carbon trim (original carbon wrap, not the fancy 4d stuff)
New centre console under the handbrake - plastics all scratched as you've mentioned.
I'm trying to find somewhere to repair the drivers seat bolster, yours looks in great condition.
That leaves me with just a retrim of the steering wheel needed, if I really want to. Current one is fine to be honest.
Full service is done once a year before I get home to drive it.
Maybe a suspension and bush refresh.
Maybe a respray of the front splitter and the scratches worked on (small one on the bonnet, and one on the boot).
Much like yours, all 4 wheels refurbished.
New OEM gearknob
New badges for the wheels
New tyres all round
Full valet
New double din Android head unit
Phone holder replaced with oem cup holders
New floor mats
And then a roof clean by myself to get into the deep seams and get any green bits out.
Whilst I'm away this year, brother is fitting the following :
New internal carbon trim (original carbon wrap, not the fancy 4d stuff)
New centre console under the handbrake - plastics all scratched as you've mentioned.
I'm trying to find somewhere to repair the drivers seat bolster, yours looks in great condition.
That leaves me with just a retrim of the steering wheel needed, if I really want to. Current one is fine to be honest.
Full service is done once a year before I get home to drive it.
Maybe a suspension and bush refresh.
Maybe a respray of the front splitter and the scratches worked on (small one on the bonnet, and one on the boot).
Funk said:
Which double din Android HU are you looking at Jakarta..?
I fitted an XTrons unit from FleaBay.In general, I'm happy with it as you can use whatever nav program you like, and store your music on it, or stream from your phone (if you have an Android).
iPhone to Android streaming doesn't seem to work too well, some people have managed it. I gave up.
It does appear to be a little laggy between button presses and function changes but nothing intolerable.
I've also ordered the harness adaptor to allow the steering wheel controls to be used. Hopefully my brother will fit that before I get home.
Another problem with the convertible is the FM radio amplifier does not receive a power feed from a non-oem head unit.
The signal is awful, and barely useable. Next step is to pull the cover off (nearside inside the boot), identify the power cable for the amplifier and then ensure that cable receives power from the head unit.
Jakarta said:
I'm gently working on my 330 cab (albeit 2005) that I keep in the UK.
Much like yours, all 4 wheels refurbished.
New OEM gearknob
New badges for the wheels
New tyres all round
Full valet
New double din Android head unit
Phone holder replaced with oem cup holders
New floor mats
And then a roof clean by myself to get into the deep seams and get any green bits out.
Whilst I'm away this year, brother is fitting the following :
New internal carbon trim (original carbon wrap, not the fancy 4d stuff)
New centre console under the handbrake - plastics all scratched as you've mentioned.
I'm trying to find somewhere to repair the drivers seat bolster, yours looks in great condition.
That leaves me with just a retrim of the steering wheel needed, if I really want to. Current one is fine to be honest.
Full service is done once a year before I get home to drive it.
Maybe a suspension and bush refresh.
Maybe a respray of the front splitter and the scratches worked on (small one on the bonnet, and one on the boot).
Sounds nice Jakarta. I'm going to give it a deep clean on the weekend and see what I'm working with. There is a local scrappy to me as well so going to try that, and eBay for a few interior pieces and see if I can replace a few. Much like yours, all 4 wheels refurbished.
New OEM gearknob
New badges for the wheels
New tyres all round
Full valet
New double din Android head unit
Phone holder replaced with oem cup holders
New floor mats
And then a roof clean by myself to get into the deep seams and get any green bits out.
Whilst I'm away this year, brother is fitting the following :
New internal carbon trim (original carbon wrap, not the fancy 4d stuff)
New centre console under the handbrake - plastics all scratched as you've mentioned.
I'm trying to find somewhere to repair the drivers seat bolster, yours looks in great condition.
That leaves me with just a retrim of the steering wheel needed, if I really want to. Current one is fine to be honest.
Full service is done once a year before I get home to drive it.
Maybe a suspension and bush refresh.
Maybe a respray of the front splitter and the scratches worked on (small one on the bonnet, and one on the boot).
I'd be interested to see pics of the double din head unit in the car. Mine has the Business system, and I quite like the OEM look. Was it easy to fit, and can the old unit go back in if needed?
Please ignore my brother in the reflection with a tab hanging out of his mouth. He's been re-educated.
You'll also need a new centre console piece that relocates the AC controls to where the sunglasses tray was. Not that hard to install. Pull the trim off, change out the centre console and rebuild it.
edit to add, I've also added the BMW roundel to the splash screen, so when the stereo is turned on, it does appear to be oem which is the route I'm trying to stick to with this car.
Edited by Jakarta on Tuesday 14th March 08:26
Jakarta said:
Please ignore my brother in the reflection with a tab hanging out of his mouth. He's been re-educated.
You'll also need a new centre console piece that relocates the AC controls to where the sunglasses tray was. Not that hard to install. Pull the trim off, change out the centre console and rebuild it.
edit to add, I've also added the BMW roundel to the splash screen, so when the stereo is turned on, it does appear to be oem which is the route I'm trying to stick to with this car.
Edited by Jakarta on Tuesday 14th March 08:26
I looked at the new Alpine unit specifically for the E46 but they want a grand for it which I can't justify: https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/SingleView/INE...
I was thinking about getting a GROM unit which would replace the CD changer and allow me to run Bluetooth into the existing HU. I'm already running the 2016 BMW maps so other than a clunky non-touch interface the nav is fine...
Sorry to off-topic your post a bit Challo..!
Funk said:
I already have Pro Nav so my HVAC is in that position already. Can the Android HU make use of the CD changer and GPS aerial already on the car?
I looked at the new Alpine unit specifically for the E46 but they want a grand for it which I can't justify: https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/SingleView/INE...
I was thinking about getting a GROM unit which would replace the CD changer and allow me to run Bluetooth into the existing HU. I'm already running the 2016 BMW maps so other than a clunky non-touch interface the nav is fine...
Sorry to off-topic your post a bit Challo..!
Sorry Challo - I looked at the new Alpine unit specifically for the E46 but they want a grand for it which I can't justify: https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/SingleView/INE...
I was thinking about getting a GROM unit which would replace the CD changer and allow me to run Bluetooth into the existing HU. I'm already running the 2016 BMW maps so other than a clunky non-touch interface the nav is fine...
Sorry to off-topic your post a bit Challo..!
I don't know if it will tie into the GPS or CD changer. The Xtrons comes with a GPS receiver that you mount behind the HU under the dash, also has a CD drive.
I haven't found an app that let's you rip direct from the CD to internal storage via an Android HU. So any CD's that you want on the internal storage must first be saved to an SD card. You can then copy from the card to the HD or leave the card in the HU.
Checked the service history the book stated a stamp for Inspection 1 & Oil Service on 18-10-2015 at 85k. The current mileage is now only 88k but thought I would do another one for peace of mind. Glad I did as im suspecting that the garage may have stamped the book but not done any work.
Pollen Filter - No filter found at all.
Air Filter -
Oil & Oil Filter -
Spark Plugs -
They cant all be that bad after just 3k miles?
Managed to do a couple of upgrades on the car as well which have made a big difference.
The old rear inner lights where clouded, and the lens had started to come apart from the housing. Old on the left.
I also read that you could upgrade the section between the front seats and install cup holders. Picked these up from BMW direct and a 5min change and I now have cup holders which is handy.
I tried to give the roof a clean with AG products but although alot of dirt and rubbish came out of it, but still have the green algae. Might good at other options.
Next steps replace the lower control arms, and also the pads all round as they look low.
Pollen Filter - No filter found at all.
Air Filter -
Oil & Oil Filter -
Spark Plugs -
They cant all be that bad after just 3k miles?
Managed to do a couple of upgrades on the car as well which have made a big difference.
The old rear inner lights where clouded, and the lens had started to come apart from the housing. Old on the left.
I also read that you could upgrade the section between the front seats and install cup holders. Picked these up from BMW direct and a 5min change and I now have cup holders which is handy.
I tried to give the roof a clean with AG products but although alot of dirt and rubbish came out of it, but still have the green algae. Might good at other options.
Next steps replace the lower control arms, and also the pads all round as they look low.
Trollied said:
Bit naughty of that garage. Definetly going by the spark plugs, not after 3k. 
This is part of the reason I do the work myself on a number of cars. If the garage does the work then happy days. But it's also doing the work right. At least the oil is clean in the car 
.Not all of the pictures are showing for me but that looks for me to be an ideal spec for an E46 convertible. Props for you doing the work yourself as well
. As someone said on here before the E46 is not a bad car at all for a tinkerer to get stuck into.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff