Discussion
Afternoon!
After 15months of not having a car (which has actually been quite nice) and with my eldest starting school, we decided that it's probably a good idea to have a second car again to help with school holidays and drop off/pick up of my youngest from nursery.
Because we've been a one car family for over a year, the need for a sensible family car wasn't there. So I had a decent choice of what to get, with my requirements being petrol, fun, not to expensive to run and sub £5k inc VED and insurance.
Having looked at Golf GTi, Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Type R and a few others I decided I wanted a Cooper S (R56 LCI) so started keeping an eye out.
One lunchtime I stumbled across this E46. Having owned an E36 328i and an E90 335i, I was keen to fill the model gap between them, even more so that this was very local and well within my price range.
Went to look at it a couple of days later, I knew straight away I wanted it. Sitting in it felt exactly like my E36 did, it felt the same, drove the same and even smelt the same. So i bought it.
It's my 4th 6cyl BMW and I'm very happy to back in one.
So here it is
2003 (53) E46 330i LCI Sport Saloon
Titan Silver
MV2 Alloy wheels
Manual 6spd
Alcantara + Cloth interior
127k miles
Plans are to sort out all the niggly bits and modify/improve where needed.
I already have an induction kit listed on my insurance and it will get an exhaust at some point.
After 15months of not having a car (which has actually been quite nice) and with my eldest starting school, we decided that it's probably a good idea to have a second car again to help with school holidays and drop off/pick up of my youngest from nursery.
Because we've been a one car family for over a year, the need for a sensible family car wasn't there. So I had a decent choice of what to get, with my requirements being petrol, fun, not to expensive to run and sub £5k inc VED and insurance.
Having looked at Golf GTi, Mini Cooper S, Honda Civic Type R and a few others I decided I wanted a Cooper S (R56 LCI) so started keeping an eye out.
One lunchtime I stumbled across this E46. Having owned an E36 328i and an E90 335i, I was keen to fill the model gap between them, even more so that this was very local and well within my price range.
Went to look at it a couple of days later, I knew straight away I wanted it. Sitting in it felt exactly like my E36 did, it felt the same, drove the same and even smelt the same. So i bought it.
It's my 4th 6cyl BMW and I'm very happy to back in one.
So here it is
2003 (53) E46 330i LCI Sport Saloon
Titan Silver
MV2 Alloy wheels
Manual 6spd
Alcantara + Cloth interior
127k miles
Plans are to sort out all the niggly bits and modify/improve where needed.
I already have an induction kit listed on my insurance and it will get an exhaust at some point.
Jhonno said:
Nice! Great cars.. Love my 330i Touring M-Sport 6spd. Does 30mpg on the commute, will do high 30's on a run. One of my favourite cars I've owned.
Yeah luckily my commute is 90% motorway/A-Road so even with hooning up sliproads it's been doing 30mpg.I was expecting low/mid 20s so I'm more than happy currently.
Court_S said:
Looks grand; arches look clean in the pics too.
Fronts are bubbly but not too bad. The rears are clean enough, the lip inside is a bit crusty but that's getting sorted next week (remove rust, rust converter, roll the lips and then seal it all up properly)As for behind the sideskirts, we'll see next week.
d_a_n1979 said:
Great car & engine, the M54s a superb motor; alcantara interior too 
Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
I love the interior. One of my pet hates is leather, so this was perfect.Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
The cooling seems okay, I've already got a fault code for the secondary (electric) water pump, so that'll get done in nov when its service is due.
I'll enquire about the actual pump, stat and hoses and look at getting them done.
Bodywork is okay, not the best but no where near the worst.
I've not had a massive look under any skirts or bumpers etc
Dannbodge said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Great car & engine, the M54s a superb motor; alcantara interior too
Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
I love the interior. One of my pet hates is leather, so this was perfect.Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
The cooling seems okay, I've already got a fault code for the secondary (electric) water pump, so that'll get done in nov when its service is due.
I'll enquire about the actual pump, stat and hoses and look at getting them done.
Bodywork is okay, not the best but no where near the worst.
I've not had a massive look under any skirts or bumpers etc
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-GC026-00-Fabric-S...
Re the cooling system, they're the achilles heel on petro E46s, E38s and E39s etc; so deffo worth swapping it all out. Not expensive either!
Walher stat, Meyle water pump, Febi hoses & Comma G48 coolant etc... If you need to replace the rad, then Hella Behr or Nissens are the ones to go for via Autodoc or eBay UK (C3BMW & BMWmotormec will have what you need)
You'll soon have it ship shape
Lovely car OP!
Invest in a set of Z4M control arm bushes and it will tighten up the handling brilliantly!
Like others have said check the rad for bowing at the bottom and check the water pump and thermostat and expansion tank for any history of being replaced and if not replace them.
Great purchase.
Invest in a set of Z4M control arm bushes and it will tighten up the handling brilliantly!
Like others have said check the rad for bowing at the bottom and check the water pump and thermostat and expansion tank for any history of being replaced and if not replace them.
Great purchase.
Jhonno said:
You can get new front arches off eBay for around £110 painted in the right colour.
That's the plan!Andrew-b90y3 said:
Lovely car OP!
Invest in a set of Z4M control arm bushes and it will tighten up the handling brilliantly!
Like others have said check the rad for bowing at the bottom and check the water pump and thermostat and expansion tank for any history of being replaced and if not replace them.
Great purchase.
I'll check them out when I'm underneath it on monday.Invest in a set of Z4M control arm bushes and it will tighten up the handling brilliantly!
Like others have said check the rad for bowing at the bottom and check the water pump and thermostat and expansion tank for any history of being replaced and if not replace them.
Great purchase.
It's had a decent amount spent on it over the last few years (all the brake lines have been done)
One other thing is that I'm only the 3rd owner as well. Most E46 are on about 5-10 owners by now too
Dannbodge said:
Jhonno said:
Nice! Great cars.. Love my 330i Touring M-Sport 6spd. Does 30mpg on the commute, will do high 30's on a run. One of my favourite cars I've owned.
Yeah luckily my commute is 90% motorway/A-Road so even with hooning up sliproads it's been doing 30mpg.I was expecting low/mid 20s so I'm more than happy currently.
Court_S said:
Looks grand; arches look clean in the pics too.
Fronts are bubbly but not too bad. The rears are clean enough, the lip inside is a bit crusty but that's getting sorted next week (remove rust, rust converter, roll the lips and then seal it all up properly)As for behind the sideskirts, we'll see next week.
d_a_n1979 said:
Great car & engine, the M54s a superb motor; alcantara interior too
Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
I love the interior. One of my pet hates is leather, so this was perfect.Get the cooling system serviced/replaced ASAP for peace of mind (stat, water pump, hoses etc) and it'll be spot on
What's the bodywork like for corrosion; looks very clean in the pics?
The cooling seems okay, I've already got a fault code for the secondary (electric) water pump, so that'll get done in nov when its service is due.
I'll enquire about the actual pump, stat and hoses and look at getting them done.
Bodywork is okay, not the best but no where near the worst.
I've not had a massive look under any skirts or bumpers etc
The cooling system in my E46 325ti caused me a few headaches along the way.
Welcome to E46 ownership, from another 330i owner.
Already mentioned is to sort out the cooling system but here's a few other tips for making it more reliable.
DISA Valve - swap to this https://x8r.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-u...
Changing to this means it doesn't drop the pin down the intake.
Oil filter housing will leak, if it isn't by now, it will do soon. https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-578874-high-per...
This will mean it's done and dusted , never to leak again.
Vanos - spend the money and get the Vitron seals for those, and you'll not get any vanos issues again as the standard seals are NBR rubber and go rockhard causing the rattle, vitron seals don't persish as they have a higher temp threshold.
Rocker cover gasket, Sump gasket and rear main seals will perish, and will be the source of oil loss but also heavy breathing and a blocked CCV system, Rocker cover is a easy job , but the other 2 need a lift to get access.
Swapping the CCV at the same time as doing the oil filter housing means a far easier job on the CCV or you'll be ripping your hair out.
Swapping to a good quality (not castrol) 5w40 oil helps reduce oil use and doing the 'o2pilot' mod to the CCV helps reduce the oil consumption further.
Vaccum leaks can be a problem as well, the caps on the back of the intake fall off, but pennies to fix
Intake billows will split, again £12 from the dealers to replace them and reasonably easy to sort.
Had my 330i touring now for nearly 10 years, and still ticking along happily
Already mentioned is to sort out the cooling system but here's a few other tips for making it more reliable.
DISA Valve - swap to this https://x8r.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-u...
Changing to this means it doesn't drop the pin down the intake.
Oil filter housing will leak, if it isn't by now, it will do soon. https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-578874-high-per...
This will mean it's done and dusted , never to leak again.
Vanos - spend the money and get the Vitron seals for those, and you'll not get any vanos issues again as the standard seals are NBR rubber and go rockhard causing the rattle, vitron seals don't persish as they have a higher temp threshold.
Rocker cover gasket, Sump gasket and rear main seals will perish, and will be the source of oil loss but also heavy breathing and a blocked CCV system, Rocker cover is a easy job , but the other 2 need a lift to get access.
Swapping the CCV at the same time as doing the oil filter housing means a far easier job on the CCV or you'll be ripping your hair out.
Swapping to a good quality (not castrol) 5w40 oil helps reduce oil use and doing the 'o2pilot' mod to the CCV helps reduce the oil consumption further.
Vaccum leaks can be a problem as well, the caps on the back of the intake fall off, but pennies to fix
Intake billows will split, again £12 from the dealers to replace them and reasonably easy to sort.
Had my 330i touring now for nearly 10 years, and still ticking along happily
Sf_Manta said:
Welcome to E46 ownership, from another 330i owner.
Already mentioned is to sort out the cooling system but here's a few other tips for making it more reliable.
DISA Valve - swap to this https://x8r.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-u...
Changing to this means it doesn't drop the pin down the intake.
Oil filter housing will leak, if it isn't by now, it will do soon. https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-578874-high-per...
This will mean it's done and dusted , never to leak again.
Vanos - spend the money and get the Vitron seals for those, and you'll not get any vanos issues again as the standard seals are NBR rubber and go rockhard causing the rattle, vitron seals don't persish as they have a higher temp threshold.
Rocker cover gasket, Sump gasket and rear main seals will perish, and will be the source of oil loss but also heavy breathing and a blocked CCV system, Rocker cover is a easy job , but the other 2 need a lift to get access.
Swapping the CCV at the same time as doing the oil filter housing means a far easier job on the CCV or you'll be ripping your hair out.
Swapping to a good quality (not castrol) 5w40 oil helps reduce oil use and doing the 'o2pilot' mod to the CCV helps reduce the oil consumption further.
Vaccum leaks can be a problem as well, the caps on the back of the intake fall off, but pennies to fix
Intake billows will split, again £12 from the dealers to replace them and reasonably easy to sort.
Had my 330i touring now for nearly 10 years, and still ticking along happily
Thanks for the post.Already mentioned is to sort out the cooling system but here's a few other tips for making it more reliable.
DISA Valve - swap to this https://x8r.co.uk/bmw-disa-valve-intake-adjuster-u...
Changing to this means it doesn't drop the pin down the intake.
Oil filter housing will leak, if it isn't by now, it will do soon. https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-578874-high-per...
This will mean it's done and dusted , never to leak again.
Vanos - spend the money and get the Vitron seals for those, and you'll not get any vanos issues again as the standard seals are NBR rubber and go rockhard causing the rattle, vitron seals don't persish as they have a higher temp threshold.
Rocker cover gasket, Sump gasket and rear main seals will perish, and will be the source of oil loss but also heavy breathing and a blocked CCV system, Rocker cover is a easy job , but the other 2 need a lift to get access.
Swapping the CCV at the same time as doing the oil filter housing means a far easier job on the CCV or you'll be ripping your hair out.
Swapping to a good quality (not castrol) 5w40 oil helps reduce oil use and doing the 'o2pilot' mod to the CCV helps reduce the oil consumption further.
Vaccum leaks can be a problem as well, the caps on the back of the intake fall off, but pennies to fix
Intake billows will split, again £12 from the dealers to replace them and reasonably easy to sort.
Had my 330i touring now for nearly 10 years, and still ticking along happily
I'll add it all the the list. Luckily the valve cover gasket has been done and the oil filter housing one is dry.
I expect it'll need a clutch at some point, so the rear main can be done then.
Most of the other issues I've had with the E36 and E90 so nothing to scary
Had the day off work so decided to get some work done
Started by removing the silly clutch delay valve, a must-do on all manual BMWs.
Then thought I'd have a look at the rear arches.......
Ah s
t
So the inner arches are shot (half expected), but the lip of the outer arch on the passenger side is also gone.
Managed to get most of the loose bits off, gave it all a wirebrush in the drill and painted the what was left in Bilt hamber hydrate 80.
Bit pointless but should stop the outer arches going anymore than they are.
Looks like it's getting booked into a bodyshop then
That annoyed me a bit so did some other jobs:
Painted the rear calipers grey
Polished the exhaust tips:
Then removed the rear of the interior and re-dyed the faded bits:
Started by removing the silly clutch delay valve, a must-do on all manual BMWs.
Then thought I'd have a look at the rear arches.......
Ah s
tSo the inner arches are shot (half expected), but the lip of the outer arch on the passenger side is also gone.
Managed to get most of the loose bits off, gave it all a wirebrush in the drill and painted the what was left in Bilt hamber hydrate 80.
Bit pointless but should stop the outer arches going anymore than they are.
Looks like it's getting booked into a bodyshop then
That annoyed me a bit so did some other jobs:
Painted the rear calipers grey
Polished the exhaust tips:
Then removed the rear of the interior and re-dyed the faded bits:
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