E46 330ci 'vert, european wallet muncher
Discussion
Not another e46 thread. This one isn't even an M3!
A lot of this has been in other threads, however I figured I'd rewrite it all into an actual RR thread, mostly to help me keep track! I'll brush over what has already happened and keep it updated periodically. I'm driving to the alps this winter so should make for an interesting read over Christmas..
I bought this car in spring 2016 to cruise around Europe in and drive enthusiastically at the weekend. I've always had BMWs, previously owning a 318, an e34 525i and an e39. This however was my first decent one. The first thing I had to do was replace the wheels. It came on the usual MV1s, which were leaking air and kerbed to hell. I replaced with a set of refurbished MV1s and treated her to a matching set of coopers all round. Never heard of the brand before (more on that later)
I then proceeded to drive around Europe with a mate. I went through Germany, France, the alps (which were fantastic) on to Lake Como, Rome and finally southern Italy for the beaches. I came back via Cannes and Paris. The car developed a number of faults, including a broken alloy, a broken fuel gauge, stuck open thermostat...
She limped home and I left her in the Garage whilst I got sent to the Falklands for the winter...
Upon my return I had 5 weeks off and spent it all skiing, so the car was neglected. I did however buy some new wheels and got round to doing a basic service.
The broken alloy being my main concern, I bought a set of deep dish cades alloys and got a matching set of uniroyal rainsport 3s on them. Absolute convert to these tyres, would not entertain anything else within that price range now.
With the car driving correctly, the next issue was the brakes. I'd absolutely fried them in the alps and they were fit for the scrappers.
New brake pads and discs in hand, I set to them. It turned out the original calipers had corroded to the point where they were binding and not releasing. 140 pounds later, I had a set of new calipers and hoses to go with. I used brembo for all, however I've found that the pads are horrendously dusty and that they leave deposits all over the discs. This in turn makes them grabby and unpleasant.
Recommendations for new pads?
A lot of this has been in other threads, however I figured I'd rewrite it all into an actual RR thread, mostly to help me keep track! I'll brush over what has already happened and keep it updated periodically. I'm driving to the alps this winter so should make for an interesting read over Christmas..
I bought this car in spring 2016 to cruise around Europe in and drive enthusiastically at the weekend. I've always had BMWs, previously owning a 318, an e34 525i and an e39. This however was my first decent one. The first thing I had to do was replace the wheels. It came on the usual MV1s, which were leaking air and kerbed to hell. I replaced with a set of refurbished MV1s and treated her to a matching set of coopers all round. Never heard of the brand before (more on that later)
I then proceeded to drive around Europe with a mate. I went through Germany, France, the alps (which were fantastic) on to Lake Como, Rome and finally southern Italy for the beaches. I came back via Cannes and Paris. The car developed a number of faults, including a broken alloy, a broken fuel gauge, stuck open thermostat...
She limped home and I left her in the Garage whilst I got sent to the Falklands for the winter...
Upon my return I had 5 weeks off and spent it all skiing, so the car was neglected. I did however buy some new wheels and got round to doing a basic service.
The broken alloy being my main concern, I bought a set of deep dish cades alloys and got a matching set of uniroyal rainsport 3s on them. Absolute convert to these tyres, would not entertain anything else within that price range now.
With the car driving correctly, the next issue was the brakes. I'd absolutely fried them in the alps and they were fit for the scrappers.
New brake pads and discs in hand, I set to them. It turned out the original calipers had corroded to the point where they were binding and not releasing. 140 pounds later, I had a set of new calipers and hoses to go with. I used brembo for all, however I've found that the pads are horrendously dusty and that they leave deposits all over the discs. This in turn makes them grabby and unpleasant.
Recommendations for new pads?
The ride is very low all round. It's also getting somewhat crashy. I'm investigating the best way to refresh the suspension, I suspect a coilover kit is the most cost effective. Maybe we can both look into this after your MOT?
The only rust is the front offside wing. Being an individual colour it's impossible to get it colour matched, but for the winter I decided to spray a new wing in something that looked about right with the intent of getting the front end sorted in a year or so.
I've thought about it long and hard and decided I'll keep the car regardless of issues. Nothing on the market short of 10k can replace the e46 for what I need it for. (A good e93 sport that isn't due maintenance is around that much)
My current budget is around 1500 to sort all issues. I had a good look at her this evening and decided if I want it Perfect, there's a lot to do.
The entire cooling system is due a refresh. No point spending money and then breaking down abroad. This includes belts. If anyone can point me towards a kit, that would be ideal. I'll do this myself if I have all the parts.
02 sensors (post cat) i won't have a ramp and u don't want to f
k it up so garage job.
Diff fluid. There's also play in the prop shaft doughnut. Will probably need to do that plus diff seals.
VANOS has started rattling. I think a rebuild from an indy is the best bet.
Suspension bushings are suspect.
Shocks seem tired.
Exhaust isn't loud enough. That's my inner 16 year old getting through though...
Overall a lot of work to do. The question is, do I go ahead and do it all or just cure issues as they arise. I think we all know the answer..
The only rust is the front offside wing. Being an individual colour it's impossible to get it colour matched, but for the winter I decided to spray a new wing in something that looked about right with the intent of getting the front end sorted in a year or so.
I've thought about it long and hard and decided I'll keep the car regardless of issues. Nothing on the market short of 10k can replace the e46 for what I need it for. (A good e93 sport that isn't due maintenance is around that much)
My current budget is around 1500 to sort all issues. I had a good look at her this evening and decided if I want it Perfect, there's a lot to do.
The entire cooling system is due a refresh. No point spending money and then breaking down abroad. This includes belts. If anyone can point me towards a kit, that would be ideal. I'll do this myself if I have all the parts.
02 sensors (post cat) i won't have a ramp and u don't want to f
k it up so garage job.Diff fluid. There's also play in the prop shaft doughnut. Will probably need to do that plus diff seals.
VANOS has started rattling. I think a rebuild from an indy is the best bet.
Suspension bushings are suspect.
Shocks seem tired.
Exhaust isn't loud enough. That's my inner 16 year old getting through though...
Overall a lot of work to do. The question is, do I go ahead and do it all or just cure issues as they arise. I think we all know the answer..
Getting the car back tomorrow. The chap has said that the usual suspects in the cooling department were being suspect 
Now that is all changed, the one thing left to do is sort out the rear diff's slow leak. I've done around 3000 miles since I noticed it as an issue, and it's likely been an issue for a while longer. It required a quarter of a litre to fill it back up, which means it's likely done no damage and confirms that it is indeed a very slow leak. Therefore not a pressing issue and I can do it when I get more time, although I'd like to do it reasonably soon.
Now, the question of winter tyres spring to mind. As it stands, the car sits on some highly polished deep dish alloys. I bought these new and keep them in excellent condition. I'm not going to use these on an alpine road covered in salt and snow.
So I'm either going to buy some steelies, some used BMW wheels with winter tyres already on or some new BBS.
Steelies lose out massively on looks, a set of good OE alloys already shod on winter tyres sounds like a reasonable idea, however I've been bitten in the past by old BMW alloys. I'm leaning towards getting a new set of BBS alloys and tyres however I can be persuaded by a solid argument. Whatever I get is going to be in 17'.
These are £600. I'll see how much the repair bill for the cooling system comes to.
Wheels aside, my next consideration is what tyres I'm going to run. Prices for winter tyres varies massively, as do reviews, so it's not as simple as throwing money at the problem.
Now that is all changed, the one thing left to do is sort out the rear diff's slow leak. I've done around 3000 miles since I noticed it as an issue, and it's likely been an issue for a while longer. It required a quarter of a litre to fill it back up, which means it's likely done no damage and confirms that it is indeed a very slow leak. Therefore not a pressing issue and I can do it when I get more time, although I'd like to do it reasonably soon.
Now, the question of winter tyres spring to mind. As it stands, the car sits on some highly polished deep dish alloys. I bought these new and keep them in excellent condition. I'm not going to use these on an alpine road covered in salt and snow.
So I'm either going to buy some steelies, some used BMW wheels with winter tyres already on or some new BBS.
Steelies lose out massively on looks, a set of good OE alloys already shod on winter tyres sounds like a reasonable idea, however I've been bitten in the past by old BMW alloys. I'm leaning towards getting a new set of BBS alloys and tyres however I can be persuaded by a solid argument. Whatever I get is going to be in 17'.
These are £600. I'll see how much the repair bill for the cooling system comes to.
Wheels aside, my next consideration is what tyres I'm going to run. Prices for winter tyres varies massively, as do reviews, so it's not as simple as throwing money at the problem.
Today has not been ideal.
A colleague took me to the garage and I picked it up. A cool £1031 pounds later I drove my car away.
5 minutes later it conned out with a broken fuel pump. The mechanic came back and towed the car away to find out the problem. I'm not saying the issues are related, but in my experience with these cars when you try to fix an issue you usually uncover a few more.
I'm on the way back to the garage now to throw more money at the car. James the mechanic said he's sorted the issue so hopefully that's it for a while.
At this rate she will not be getting treated to a new set of alloys this winter and will be forced into a set of rusted steelies!!
A colleague took me to the garage and I picked it up. A cool £1031 pounds later I drove my car away.
5 minutes later it conned out with a broken fuel pump. The mechanic came back and towed the car away to find out the problem. I'm not saying the issues are related, but in my experience with these cars when you try to fix an issue you usually uncover a few more.
I'm on the way back to the garage now to throw more money at the car. James the mechanic said he's sorted the issue so hopefully that's it for a while.
At this rate she will not be getting treated to a new set of alloys this winter and will be forced into a set of rusted steelies!!
My theory is thus:
The fuel pump was knackered and not functioning properly. It was visibly broken and had been bouncing around inside the fuel tank which can't have helped.
When the engine is cold it runs rich. This means that a permanently rich running engine (due to a knackered thermostat) was actually overcoming the dying fuel pump. However, as soon as it got up to temperature, the engine stopped running rich. This meant it starved itself of fuel and died.
In conclusion, much like Monty burns from the Simpsons who was diagnosed with every terminal illness on the planet, the car was in effect invincible! That is, until I started fixing things.
To answer the above question:
Both 02 sensors
Thermostat
Water pump
Radiator
Top hose
Bottom hose
Belts and tensioners
Fuel pump and filter
Rear diff fluid
Random housings etc
Came to 1250. Ouch.
On the plus side, performance has improved drastically.
The fuel pump was knackered and not functioning properly. It was visibly broken and had been bouncing around inside the fuel tank which can't have helped.
When the engine is cold it runs rich. This means that a permanently rich running engine (due to a knackered thermostat) was actually overcoming the dying fuel pump. However, as soon as it got up to temperature, the engine stopped running rich. This meant it starved itself of fuel and died.
In conclusion, much like Monty burns from the Simpsons who was diagnosed with every terminal illness on the planet, the car was in effect invincible! That is, until I started fixing things.
To answer the above question:
Both 02 sensors
Thermostat
Water pump
Radiator
Top hose
Bottom hose
Belts and tensioners
Fuel pump and filter
Rear diff fluid
Random housings etc
Came to 1250. Ouch.
On the plus side, performance has improved drastically.
I drove the old girl 200 miles yesterday to my new place in Catterick.
The change in performance is quite outstanding. Where before I'd get 30-32mpg if I wasn't being silly on the motorway, I was seeing 37 on this trip. Overall, because of the silly amount of 60mph zones on the M1 North, I actually averaged 39mpg and that's including actually getting on the motorway. With the cruise control set to 61mph it was doing 42 mpg including hills.
You don't buy a car like this to save money, however I did 15 000 miles last year. I think even 5mpg difference at that sort of mileage means around 300 quid.
Man maths therefore dictate over 3 years, the work done will have paid for itself.
Oh and it goes a lot faster again.
The change in performance is quite outstanding. Where before I'd get 30-32mpg if I wasn't being silly on the motorway, I was seeing 37 on this trip. Overall, because of the silly amount of 60mph zones on the M1 North, I actually averaged 39mpg and that's including actually getting on the motorway. With the cruise control set to 61mph it was doing 42 mpg including hills.
You don't buy a car like this to save money, however I did 15 000 miles last year. I think even 5mpg difference at that sort of mileage means around 300 quid.
Man maths therefore dictate over 3 years, the work done will have paid for itself.
Oh and it goes a lot faster again.
I've been meaning to get the tracking checked lately. Tried taking it to a garage a few weeks ago but they refused because it's a bit low.
Wish I'd trusted my instincts!
That'll be two new rears in the spring then.
More pressingly I need to get the wheel alignment sorted. I wonder if I've bent something.
Now, the good bit!
Winter tyres and genuine BBS 17' 7.5j wheels to compliment. I've only driven it to its natural habitat (the fuel pump) and checked pressures etc, but in that short drive I noticed how much nicer it is to drive.
I may keep it on 17s in the summer too.
Wish I'd trusted my instincts!
That'll be two new rears in the spring then.
More pressingly I need to get the wheel alignment sorted. I wonder if I've bent something.
Now, the good bit!
Winter tyres and genuine BBS 17' 7.5j wheels to compliment. I've only driven it to its natural habitat (the fuel pump) and checked pressures etc, but in that short drive I noticed how much nicer it is to drive.
I may keep it on 17s in the summer too.
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