9 Months with a 2003 BMW 320d Sport
Discussion
Don't get to come on here often since PH is now blocked at work 
so I've compiled all the updates I've done to my car in one thread!
Apologies for the UK speak, if theres anything that doesn't make sense just ask, I wont be offended.
This is an accumulation of various forum threads, and pictures for the past 9 months of my cars life. This is a much slimmed down version of what I could post, tried to keep it pretty short for the sake of bandwidth!
Here we go!
Hi all, I've put this together from a couple of forums to share my 320d with you all.
I bought it with 113000 miles on the clock on the 30th July 2011. I had just turned 19, and have been saving for a few years to buy a decent car. The purchase price was just shy of £5k. I skinted myself buying it but do not regret it one bit.
The car is now on 125700 miles and I have spent around £1000 on it so far, not a massive spend but it does seem to constantly want my money. I have a varied history with cars, starting with a Corsa 1.2 like most I became a bit fascinated by speed. From 17-18 I had 7 cars. 2 Saxo VTS', 2 Corsa SRi's, a Nissan Primera GT 2.0 LE, a Renault Sport Clio 172 and a Astra 1.8 SXi. It was time for a mans car I thought.
I began searching for a new car in June 2011, I orignally wanted an MG ZT CDTi, or a Volkswagen Bora. I didn't initially think I could afford a BMW, but I managed to lend some money from a relative and decided to just get the best 320d Sport I could find.
So on the 30th July 2011 I travelled down to London on the train, and drove back in a 2003 Estoril Blue 320d.
Initial pictures:
DSC_0127 by danny2107, on Flickr
DSC_0136 by danny2107, on Flickr
BMW Sport by danny2107, on Flickr
BMW Sport by danny2107, on Flickr
I knew the car needed 2 new tyres when I bought it, so the first purchase was 2 Vredestein 255/35/18s. £240 :| Managed to get them fitted free by a friend though
Took a trip to Silverstone in September, posed for a picture outside:
Car performed excellently, even saw over 60mpg on the way home through a 50mph zone.
Decided it would be good to give the EGR a clean one weekend, was surprised at how dirty it was.
before:
after:
then I disabled it for a bit, but due to this coming on I decided to fit it again.
Would be interested to know if anyone has disabled the EGR without getting this light on an EuroIV engine.
I also sprayed the kidney grilles matte black
And got silvervisions all round
before:
after:
Toyed with the idea of having yellow fogs/all red rears for a while. A moment of madness, but this is my blog so I need to share!
I used FlyEyeKit and to be honest its terrible stuff. Lamin-X all the way if you're thinking of doing it.
I had another dilemma around October time. The front brakes needed replacing, and I considered a brake upgrade. I ended up finding a set of calipers, carriers, discs and nearly new pads for £100 at a breakers. Unfortunately the discs were beyond repair.
These were the discs I got:
The calipers could have done with a refurb before I put them on, but money was a bit tight so I just hammerited them silver for now.
Since the discs were bollacksd I got some new ones from M-Tec, £90 - bit of a bargain?!
320d vs 330d
Then I went to a Pistonheads meet and took some pics on the way home in the designer outlet York.
BMW Estoril Blue Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW Estoril Blue Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
Yorkshire Big Breakfast 586 by DanielJames., on Flickr
The fog tints were removed when I got home.
Since I bought the car it was making a funny noise when coming off boost, kind of like a turkey blow off valve. I wasn't sure what was the issue so did a bit of reading, when I could get under the car I noticed the exhaust had split just after the first cat.
I couldn't decide whether to get a replacement cat, a front decat, or a full system. In the times of my "umming and arring" the exhaust got worse, much worse. I could now smell fumes while being stuck in traffic. Action needed to be taken, so I ordered a front decat from EcoTune.
Delivery took, ages. I think I was waiting for around a month for the parcel due to the company having a few problems with the courier. It finally arrived some time in November and it was definitly the biggest DIY I've ever done. I bought a new Jack from costco, some new axle stands etc all ready for the job.
I also ordered an EGR thermostat since my car was taking a long time (40 minutes sometimes) to warm up. This was a really easy DIY to do.
New part from Cotswold BMW:
After that it was time to crack on with the exhaust replacement.
Up high on the Costco Jack:
Cleaned it up afterwards
Time for a good clean.
330d brakes by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 3 series Alcatara Sport Seats by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 dashboard by DanielJames., on Flickr
So yeah, the ****ty garage that put a Full run tyre on the car, and resprayed the wheels while they were still fitted putting overspray all over the shocker etc. They didn't even remove the old paint! Anyway, idiots, I'm not sponsoring them.
They stuck it on well but I was victorious
Avoid that garage.
December 2011 - 119000miles
I decided to treat the car to an oil service, and fitted some Eibach Sportlines I got off eBay for a bargain price.
I went for this oil, partly due to reviews, but mainly that it was cheap from costco lol
Eibach Sportlines are on
before:
after:
[IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/D_SILVESTA/3e8f4901.jpg[/IMG
Not the best pics so I will go out and get some better ones.
22nd December 2011
Rear pads fitted today
Rover 75 pads???? lol
Started cleaning up the inner whee arch but going to get some proper stuff bought and do it properly. Any recommendations?
I went from
to
As you can see I painted the caliper too to match the front.
Also got a bit of paint on the exhaust to freshen that up a bit, even autosol couldn't restore it's shine!
Gave it a good clean after too for xmas.
So where is good to get some cleaning stuff? I want some wheel cleaner, tar remover etc
I've currently got AG Wheel Cleaner and "wonder wheels" and they do the job but I couldn't get the bloody wheels any cleaner than this.
That said they do need a refurb anyway, since the garage that refurbed them for Dave didn't even remove the wheels so the insides were never done.
Shopping list so far:
Iron X
Bilberry Wheel cleaner
Collinite 476 Wax
A couple of plastic squirty bottles
Also looking at getting a rotary polisher in the new year to tackle some swirls. What would you use to get rid of the grime in the wheel arch? Nail brush?? or is that a bad idea?
(edit 30/04/2012 - I never did end up buying any of that stuff lol^^^)
January 21st 2011
I'm now 6 months/8.5k into ownership of my 320d, it's been high and low, and I came very close to selling it and advertised it a few weeks ago... but it's staying put now!
Over the time I've had it, It's always kept clean and mechanically sound. I've had to replace a few parts, and have done every job myself (bar fitting the tyres)
Every weekend I'm either fixing, cleaning, or upgrading it in some way. So far I've fitted Eibach Sportlines, calipers and carriers from a 330d with drilled/grooved discs. Ecotune front Decat as the original was blowing badly when I bought it..
Unfortunately the wheels are due a refurb, due to a bodge refurb they had last year. It's also MOT time this weekend (my first MOT ever!) which I'm kinda looking forward to in a weird,petroldieselhead kind of way.
This car is pretty special, I would probably keep it forever if it wasn't powered by a common rail diesel engine. I probably spend a bit too much time reading misleading info on forums but I'm scared ****less of common rail diesel injector failings etc! I've already had to clean the EGR valve out, I do sometimes wish I'd have gotten a 330i but the added running costs would total a £1000 a year, which is a lot of money for an apprentice!
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
(spot the smiley )
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
To summarise, it's standard Individual Sport spec, bar:
19-03-2012
Did a bit of rust prevention on the rear arches yesterday, hopefully will get the fronts done next weekend.
Car up, on stands. Love the Costco Jack, uber bargain @£70
The crud from just one side
Small spot treated from inside and in
Theres a bit of bubbling on the offside arch, which I did my best to clean up and treat. Hopes it doesnt get worse.
All cleaned up
Car is now on 123700 miles. Consumption is back up to around 50mpg. Just starting to collect items for an Inspection 1 service in around May time.
29/03/2012
Its been a rough couple of days.
Firstly had a puncture on the front, after driving a bit enthusiastically trying to kill the Fullrun tyre on the front, ended up killing the Kuhmo! F*ck you fullrun, your days are numbered.
Then I open my boot to find this:
Righttttttttt. Thanks BMW. Anyway that POS wouldn't go over my front brakes, so I had to put the rear on the front (which is wider than a front as they are staggered) and put the space saver on the rear.
stance!!! :dead:
I must say though, on the other hand, this has made exiting junctions when turning left MUCH FUN. I feel like I'm in an M3 sometimes!
heheh
Yesterday I ordered 2 Vredesteins to match the rear. £210 I didn't want to spend but oh well. At least I'll finally get the full run off!
Then the next day I got home, looked back at my car and saw this:
Bloody numberplate has fell off!!! Dave, this is your fault
Went to Halfords for a plate (£25 for a plain one?! - I took my chances and luckily the plate was at work this morning
03/04/2012
Well, the tyres have transformed the handling of the car! I'm really happy with how well it handles now!
Did another job today, CDV say bye bye!
Boom!!! Feels more like a clutch now!
If you're thinking of doing it I would say do it! It's very easy to remove, and makes shifting gears/double clutching etc feel much smoother.
Unfortunately it's still nothing like you'd get on a cable throttle clutch, but it is much better for an enthusiast
Present day - 30/04/2012
Quick Pic by DanielJames., on Flickr
Just a quick pic for now, DIY'ing a rear wheel bearing this weekend so there will be some pics to come from that
Well I spent around 20-25 hours working on the car this weekend, every day I was laid out in the cold.
The rear wheel bearing is the most awkard DIY I've ever done. THat said I reckon I could do it again in 3 hours, a mixture of not having the right tools/experience made the task very time consuming.
I didn't take as many pics as I hoped as I was pretty vexxed all day but here are a few
Went out for my first trip to my grandparents (3 miles)
Wasn't taking any chances
Got there and had a bit of a rumble on what I thought wasthe bearing I needed to be in York last night however which is around 40 miles away. I began to drive towards York, but the rumble just got worse and worse. I pulled in at a mates house and found, to my delight, I had just forgot to tighten the wheel bolts! Phew. Close call. Got them tightened up and the car is now purrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect
Didn't do bad on the MPG going up there either (Sticking at 60mph due to being a bit scared my wheel would fall off!)
Then this weekend I've just ordered a genuine oil and air filter for a service next weekend. Also cleaned the **** out of the car
Tried the meguires tyre gel on my trims and well, it works!!
and tonight I've done a bit of a dirty trick
Having previously had problems with my number plate falling off, and noticing that it was about to do the same I knew I either had to:
a) screw it in (which I think looks ugly)
or
b) get some number plate holders
It took me a while to find these plate holders, especially at a good price. I was tempted by the awesomegti ones but was put off by the "tacky" white border and smaller writing.
I got these for £11.99 delivered from creation motorsport
Damn the car looks sexy without a front plate!!
fitted
so we're up to date now, and this is from tonight
So I serviced the car last night, had a few dramas along the way so it took way longer than it should've!
Jobs done:
(*)Oil and Filter Change
(*)Air filter changed
(*)EGR Cleaned
Decided to take some pics along the way with my camera, instead of my iphone, since it doesn't get the use it should!
First off, the invetory of parts, and tools
320d Service Supplies by DanielJames., on Flickr
I got genuine filters from eBay, £12 for the Oil Filter and £15 for the air filter, delivered! The oil was from Costco, £30 for 5L :thumbsup
Tools by DanielJames., on Flickr
My Jack is also from costco, circa £75 at the moment. Very good jack for the money. The axle stands are from Amazon (£16 for 2 - great price) and I also have my halfords socket set.
more tools needed by DanielJames., on Flickr
Bought this T bar hex and star set last year, and it comes very handy for getting the engine cover bolts off, and the EGR valve.
Okay, so onto the service.
Bonnet popped:
Bonnet Popped by DanielJames., on Flickr
Now even though my car isn't exactly low on the eibach springs, I still have to use a jack to get my jack under my car to jack while I jack /xzibit.
Going in by DanielJames., on Flickr
This is the front jacking point if anyones interested, note the axle stand location, I thought the drain plug was facing the nearside so wanted the car to tilt to that side, as last time I did the oil I dont think I got every last drop out due to jacking it the wrong way. I did infact do it wrong again this time, but I altered it before I drained the oil :thumbsup
E46 front jacking point by DanielJames., on Flickr
This is infact the lean I was after, my cars got swagger
Slide to the left, by DanielJames., on Flickr
Time to get some engine covers off. The engine looks, odd, without its covers.
Under the 320d Engine Cover by DanielJames., on Flickr
I did this as I wasn't sure whether I could get the oil filter housing off, so wanted to check that first. Luckily with the help of my dad I could slacken it off with a set of pipe grips, but next time I will definitly invest in a 6 point 36mm socket.
Time to get the old oil out!
Dirty Oil draining by DanielJames., on Flickr
The oil pan I got from machine mart was great, it was circa £10 and I wouldn't want to drain any oil again without one.
While the oil was draining, I decided to do the air filter. My god what a horrible system in place BMW have. I remember on other cars lifting two metal clips and the airbox would pop off, not BMW! You have to remove:
[LIST]
[*]The Engine cover (5 5mm hex/allen bolts)
[*]The air intake/duct
[*]Pollen filter/pollen filter housing (4 torx bolts @ T30 IIRC)
[*]5 hex/all bolts holding the air filter housing, one of which is an utter c*nt to get to
[/LIST]
So a job which takes literally 30 seconds on some cars, ends up taking 10-15 minutes, depending on whether you can get good access to the bolts holding the filter housing on. (which you cant)
Once it's off, getting the bugger back on is a whole different story. I spent around 20 minutes trying to align the plastic cover around the air filter, nightmare!
I tried to photograph the nightmare bolt but couldn't quite get it, its this one right at the back though..
Removing 320d Airbox by DanielJames., on Flickr
The nasty screw by DanielJames., on Flickr
The parts you need to remove to get to the air filter, is quite excessive..
Parts removed by DanielJames., on Flickr
Old filter in situ
Dirty filter in situ by DanielJames., on Flickr
New vs old
Dirty vs Old Air Filter by DanielJames., on Flickr
That air filter has been in since 103k, its now on 126k so that's 23k. BMW say it only needs changing every Inspection 2, which could be as long as 80k! No thanks, I know BMW know best etc but for peace of mind, I'd rather not wait that long.
While the filter was out I decided to hoover all the dust and leaves out of the airbox
Time to clean by DanielJames., on Flickr
g'warrn dyson
new filter going in
New Air Filter in situ by DanielJames., on Flickr
I didnt get any pics of me pissing about putting the airbox back on but it was a bloody kuffuffle.
The old oil and filters:
Dirty oil and filters by DanielJames., on Flickr
Looking pretty minging
Time for new oil!
New Oil ready to go in by DanielJames., on Flickr
New oil by DanielJames., on Flickr
Well balanced by DanielJames., on Flickr
The container perfectly balanced for a nice steady flow, for the first time in my life I didn't spill any oil! :eek
After I topped it up with oil (5.5L in the 320d) I decided to whip the EGR off and give it a quick clean, and then disable it. Unfortunately I dropped one of the EGR bolts through the engine bay :mad so instead of disabling the EGR I had to get underneath and take all the under trays off to retreive it. Once I got on with that I kinda forgot to take pics, but this was the EGR before:
Dirty EGR valve by DanielJames., on Flickr
compared to how it looked 6 months ago I was pretty annoyed at how dirty it was, lucky it was easy enough to clean with this stuff:
Decent stuff for cleaning EGR valve by DanielJames., on Flickr
engine going back together
Rebuilding the covers by DanielJames., on Flickr
and one final pic from it finished sitting on the neighbours drive while I shuffle the cars around
Finished, sitting pretty by DanielJames., on Flickr
Happy I got it done, but a bit annoyed at how hard I made it for myself. The joys if DIY'ing.....
Thanks for reading
so I've compiled all the updates I've done to my car in one thread!Apologies for the UK speak, if theres anything that doesn't make sense just ask, I wont be offended.
This is an accumulation of various forum threads, and pictures for the past 9 months of my cars life. This is a much slimmed down version of what I could post, tried to keep it pretty short for the sake of bandwidth!
Here we go!
Hi all, I've put this together from a couple of forums to share my 320d with you all.
I bought it with 113000 miles on the clock on the 30th July 2011. I had just turned 19, and have been saving for a few years to buy a decent car. The purchase price was just shy of £5k. I skinted myself buying it but do not regret it one bit.
The car is now on 125700 miles and I have spent around £1000 on it so far, not a massive spend but it does seem to constantly want my money. I have a varied history with cars, starting with a Corsa 1.2 like most I became a bit fascinated by speed. From 17-18 I had 7 cars. 2 Saxo VTS', 2 Corsa SRi's, a Nissan Primera GT 2.0 LE, a Renault Sport Clio 172 and a Astra 1.8 SXi. It was time for a mans car I thought.
I began searching for a new car in June 2011, I orignally wanted an MG ZT CDTi, or a Volkswagen Bora. I didn't initially think I could afford a BMW, but I managed to lend some money from a relative and decided to just get the best 320d Sport I could find.
So on the 30th July 2011 I travelled down to London on the train, and drove back in a 2003 Estoril Blue 320d.
Initial pictures:
DSC_0127 by danny2107, on Flickr
DSC_0136 by danny2107, on Flickr
BMW Sport by danny2107, on Flickr
BMW Sport by danny2107, on Flickr
I knew the car needed 2 new tyres when I bought it, so the first purchase was 2 Vredestein 255/35/18s. £240 :| Managed to get them fitted free by a friend though
Took a trip to Silverstone in September, posed for a picture outside:
Car performed excellently, even saw over 60mpg on the way home through a 50mph zone.
Decided it would be good to give the EGR a clean one weekend, was surprised at how dirty it was.
before:
after:
then I disabled it for a bit, but due to this coming on I decided to fit it again.
Would be interested to know if anyone has disabled the EGR without getting this light on an EuroIV engine.
I also sprayed the kidney grilles matte black
And got silvervisions all round
before:
after:
Toyed with the idea of having yellow fogs/all red rears for a while. A moment of madness, but this is my blog so I need to share!
I used FlyEyeKit and to be honest its terrible stuff. Lamin-X all the way if you're thinking of doing it.
I had another dilemma around October time. The front brakes needed replacing, and I considered a brake upgrade. I ended up finding a set of calipers, carriers, discs and nearly new pads for £100 at a breakers. Unfortunately the discs were beyond repair.
These were the discs I got:
The calipers could have done with a refurb before I put them on, but money was a bit tight so I just hammerited them silver for now.
Since the discs were bollacksd I got some new ones from M-Tec, £90 - bit of a bargain?!
320d vs 330d
Then I went to a Pistonheads meet and took some pics on the way home in the designer outlet York.
BMW Estoril Blue Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW Estoril Blue Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
Yorkshire Big Breakfast 586 by DanielJames., on Flickr
The fog tints were removed when I got home.
Since I bought the car it was making a funny noise when coming off boost, kind of like a turkey blow off valve. I wasn't sure what was the issue so did a bit of reading, when I could get under the car I noticed the exhaust had split just after the first cat.
I couldn't decide whether to get a replacement cat, a front decat, or a full system. In the times of my "umming and arring" the exhaust got worse, much worse. I could now smell fumes while being stuck in traffic. Action needed to be taken, so I ordered a front decat from EcoTune.
Delivery took, ages. I think I was waiting for around a month for the parcel due to the company having a few problems with the courier. It finally arrived some time in November and it was definitly the biggest DIY I've ever done. I bought a new Jack from costco, some new axle stands etc all ready for the job.
I also ordered an EGR thermostat since my car was taking a long time (40 minutes sometimes) to warm up. This was a really easy DIY to do.
New part from Cotswold BMW:
After that it was time to crack on with the exhaust replacement.
Up high on the Costco Jack:
Cleaned it up afterwards
Time for a good clean.
330d brakes by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 Estoril Blue Sport by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 3 series Alcatara Sport Seats by DanielJames., on Flickr
E46 dashboard by DanielJames., on Flickr
So yeah, the ****ty garage that put a Full run tyre on the car, and resprayed the wheels while they were still fitted putting overspray all over the shocker etc. They didn't even remove the old paint! Anyway, idiots, I'm not sponsoring them.
They stuck it on well but I was victorious
Avoid that garage.
December 2011 - 119000miles
I decided to treat the car to an oil service, and fitted some Eibach Sportlines I got off eBay for a bargain price.
I went for this oil, partly due to reviews, but mainly that it was cheap from costco lol
Eibach Sportlines are on
before:
after:
[IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc320/D_SILVESTA/3e8f4901.jpg[/IMG
Not the best pics so I will go out and get some better ones.
22nd December 2011
Rear pads fitted today
Rover 75 pads???? lol
Started cleaning up the inner whee arch but going to get some proper stuff bought and do it properly. Any recommendations?
I went from
to
As you can see I painted the caliper too to match the front.
Also got a bit of paint on the exhaust to freshen that up a bit, even autosol couldn't restore it's shine!
Gave it a good clean after too for xmas.
So where is good to get some cleaning stuff? I want some wheel cleaner, tar remover etc
I've currently got AG Wheel Cleaner and "wonder wheels" and they do the job but I couldn't get the bloody wheels any cleaner than this.
That said they do need a refurb anyway, since the garage that refurbed them for Dave didn't even remove the wheels so the insides were never done.
Shopping list so far:
Iron X
Bilberry Wheel cleaner
Collinite 476 Wax
A couple of plastic squirty bottles
Also looking at getting a rotary polisher in the new year to tackle some swirls. What would you use to get rid of the grime in the wheel arch? Nail brush?? or is that a bad idea?
(edit 30/04/2012 - I never did end up buying any of that stuff lol^^^)
January 21st 2011
I'm now 6 months/8.5k into ownership of my 320d, it's been high and low, and I came very close to selling it and advertised it a few weeks ago... but it's staying put now!
Over the time I've had it, It's always kept clean and mechanically sound. I've had to replace a few parts, and have done every job myself (bar fitting the tyres)
Every weekend I'm either fixing, cleaning, or upgrading it in some way. So far I've fitted Eibach Sportlines, calipers and carriers from a 330d with drilled/grooved discs. Ecotune front Decat as the original was blowing badly when I bought it..
Unfortunately the wheels are due a refurb, due to a bodge refurb they had last year. It's also MOT time this weekend (my first MOT ever!) which I'm kinda looking forward to in a weird,
This car is pretty special, I would probably keep it forever if it wasn't powered by a common rail diesel engine. I probably spend a bit too much time reading misleading info on forums but I'm scared ****less of common rail diesel injector failings etc! I've already had to clean the EGR valve out, I do sometimes wish I'd have gotten a 330i but the added running costs would total a £1000 a year, which is a lot of money for an apprentice!
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
(spot the smiley
)BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
BMW E46 Sport Saloon by DanielJames., on Flickr
To summarise, it's standard Individual Sport spec, bar:
- Swirl Flaps blanked
- Ecotune front section (decat)
- 330d front brakes
- Black Kidney grilles
- Eibach Sport line springs
19-03-2012
Did a bit of rust prevention on the rear arches yesterday, hopefully will get the fronts done next weekend.
Car up, on stands. Love the Costco Jack, uber bargain @£70
The crud from just one side
Small spot treated from inside and in
Theres a bit of bubbling on the offside arch, which I did my best to clean up and treat. Hopes it doesnt get worse.
All cleaned up
Car is now on 123700 miles. Consumption is back up to around 50mpg. Just starting to collect items for an Inspection 1 service in around May time.
29/03/2012
Its been a rough couple of days.
Firstly had a puncture on the front, after driving a bit enthusiastically trying to kill the Fullrun tyre on the front, ended up killing the Kuhmo! F*ck you fullrun, your days are numbered.
Then I open my boot to find this:
Righttttttttt. Thanks BMW. Anyway that POS wouldn't go over my front brakes, so I had to put the rear on the front (which is wider than a front as they are staggered) and put the space saver on the rear.
stance!!! :dead:
I must say though, on the other hand, this has made exiting junctions when turning left MUCH FUN. I feel like I'm in an M3 sometimes!
heheh
Yesterday I ordered 2 Vredesteins to match the rear. £210 I didn't want to spend but oh well. At least I'll finally get the full run off!
Then the next day I got home, looked back at my car and saw this:
Bloody numberplate has fell off!!! Dave, this is your fault
Went to Halfords for a plate (£25 for a plain one?! - I took my chances and luckily the plate was at work this morning
03/04/2012
Well, the tyres have transformed the handling of the car! I'm really happy with how well it handles now!
Did another job today, CDV say bye bye!
Boom!!! Feels more like a clutch now!
If you're thinking of doing it I would say do it! It's very easy to remove, and makes shifting gears/double clutching etc feel much smoother.
Unfortunately it's still nothing like you'd get on a cable throttle clutch, but it is much better for an enthusiast
Present day - 30/04/2012
Quick Pic by DanielJames., on Flickr
Just a quick pic for now, DIY'ing a rear wheel bearing this weekend so there will be some pics to come from that
Well I spent around 20-25 hours working on the car this weekend, every day I was laid out in the cold.
The rear wheel bearing is the most awkard DIY I've ever done. THat said I reckon I could do it again in 3 hours, a mixture of not having the right tools/experience made the task very time consuming.
I didn't take as many pics as I hoped as I was pretty vexxed all day but here are a few
Went out for my first trip to my grandparents (3 miles)
Wasn't taking any chances
Got there and had a bit of a rumble on what I thought wasthe bearing
I needed to be in York last night however which is around 40 miles away. I began to drive towards York, but the rumble just got worse and worse. I pulled in at a mates house and found, to my delight, I had just forgot to tighten the wheel bolts! Phew. Close call. Got them tightened up and the car is now purrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect Didn't do bad on the MPG going up there either
(Sticking at 60mph due to being a bit scared my wheel would fall off!)Then this weekend I've just ordered a genuine oil and air filter for a service next weekend. Also cleaned the **** out of the car
Tried the meguires tyre gel on my trims and well, it works!!
and tonight I've done a bit of a dirty trick
Having previously had problems with my number plate falling off, and noticing that it was about to do the same I knew I either had to:
a) screw it in (which I think looks ugly)
or
b) get some number plate holders
It took me a while to find these plate holders, especially at a good price. I was tempted by the awesomegti ones but was put off by the "tacky" white border and smaller writing.
I got these for £11.99 delivered from creation motorsport
Damn the car looks sexy without a front plate!!
fitted
so we're up to date now, and this is from tonight
So I serviced the car last night, had a few dramas along the way so it took way longer than it should've!
Jobs done:
(*)Oil and Filter Change
(*)Air filter changed
(*)EGR Cleaned
Decided to take some pics along the way with my camera, instead of my iphone, since it doesn't get the use it should!
First off, the invetory of parts, and tools
320d Service Supplies by DanielJames., on Flickr
I got genuine filters from eBay, £12 for the Oil Filter and £15 for the air filter, delivered! The oil was from Costco, £30 for 5L :thumbsup
Tools by DanielJames., on Flickr
My Jack is also from costco, circa £75 at the moment. Very good jack for the money. The axle stands are from Amazon (£16 for 2 - great price) and I also have my halfords socket set.
more tools needed by DanielJames., on Flickr
Bought this T bar hex and star set last year, and it comes very handy for getting the engine cover bolts off, and the EGR valve.
Okay, so onto the service.
Bonnet popped:
Bonnet Popped by DanielJames., on Flickr
Now even though my car isn't exactly low on the eibach springs, I still have to use a jack to get my jack under my car to jack while I jack /xzibit.
Going in by DanielJames., on Flickr
This is the front jacking point if anyones interested, note the axle stand location, I thought the drain plug was facing the nearside so wanted the car to tilt to that side, as last time I did the oil I dont think I got every last drop out due to jacking it the wrong way. I did infact do it wrong again this time, but I altered it before I drained the oil :thumbsup
E46 front jacking point by DanielJames., on Flickr
This is infact the lean I was after, my cars got swagger
Slide to the left, by DanielJames., on Flickr
Time to get some engine covers off. The engine looks, odd, without its covers.
Under the 320d Engine Cover by DanielJames., on Flickr
I did this as I wasn't sure whether I could get the oil filter housing off, so wanted to check that first. Luckily with the help of my dad I could slacken it off with a set of pipe grips, but next time I will definitly invest in a 6 point 36mm socket.
Time to get the old oil out!
Dirty Oil draining by DanielJames., on Flickr
The oil pan I got from machine mart was great, it was circa £10 and I wouldn't want to drain any oil again without one.
While the oil was draining, I decided to do the air filter. My god what a horrible system in place BMW have. I remember on other cars lifting two metal clips and the airbox would pop off, not BMW! You have to remove:
[LIST]
[*]The Engine cover (5 5mm hex/allen bolts)
[*]The air intake/duct
[*]Pollen filter/pollen filter housing (4 torx bolts @ T30 IIRC)
[*]5 hex/all bolts holding the air filter housing, one of which is an utter c*nt to get to
[/LIST]
So a job which takes literally 30 seconds on some cars, ends up taking 10-15 minutes, depending on whether you can get good access to the bolts holding the filter housing on. (which you cant)
Once it's off, getting the bugger back on is a whole different story. I spent around 20 minutes trying to align the plastic cover around the air filter, nightmare!
I tried to photograph the nightmare bolt but couldn't quite get it, its this one right at the back though..
Removing 320d Airbox by DanielJames., on Flickr
The nasty screw by DanielJames., on Flickr
The parts you need to remove to get to the air filter, is quite excessive..
Parts removed by DanielJames., on Flickr
Old filter in situ
Dirty filter in situ by DanielJames., on Flickr
New vs old
Dirty vs Old Air Filter by DanielJames., on Flickr
That air filter has been in since 103k, its now on 126k so that's 23k. BMW say it only needs changing every Inspection 2, which could be as long as 80k! No thanks, I know BMW know best etc but for peace of mind, I'd rather not wait that long.
While the filter was out I decided to hoover all the dust and leaves out of the airbox
Time to clean by DanielJames., on Flickr
g'warrn dyson
new filter going in
New Air Filter in situ by DanielJames., on Flickr
I didnt get any pics of me pissing about putting the airbox back on but it was a bloody kuffuffle.
The old oil and filters:
Dirty oil and filters by DanielJames., on Flickr
Looking pretty minging
Time for new oil!
New Oil ready to go in by DanielJames., on Flickr
New oil by DanielJames., on Flickr
Well balanced by DanielJames., on Flickr
The container perfectly balanced for a nice steady flow, for the first time in my life I didn't spill any oil! :eek
After I topped it up with oil (5.5L in the 320d) I decided to whip the EGR off and give it a quick clean, and then disable it. Unfortunately I dropped one of the EGR bolts through the engine bay :mad so instead of disabling the EGR I had to get underneath and take all the under trays off to retreive it. Once I got on with that I kinda forgot to take pics, but this was the EGR before:
Dirty EGR valve by DanielJames., on Flickr
compared to how it looked 6 months ago I was pretty annoyed at how dirty it was, lucky it was easy enough to clean with this stuff:
Decent stuff for cleaning EGR valve by DanielJames., on Flickr
engine going back together
Rebuilding the covers by DanielJames., on Flickr
and one final pic from it finished sitting on the neighbours drive while I shuffle the cars around
Finished, sitting pretty by DanielJames., on Flickr
Happy I got it done, but a bit annoyed at how hard I made it for myself. The joys if DIY'ing.....
Thanks for reading
Edited by DanielJames on Thursday 17th May 21:24
Lovely car, awesome spec, but boy have you put some hours in!
Ran a E39 to 186k and was getting many of the issues you have touched upon, I just ignored them however. Funnily enough my previous E34 is still going, nothing went wrong for me, still on majority of it's original parts, and sitting pretty on 240k.
I love BMs!
Ran a E39 to 186k and was getting many of the issues you have touched upon, I just ignored them however. Funnily enough my previous E34 is still going, nothing went wrong for me, still on majority of it's original parts, and sitting pretty on 240k.
I love BMs!
Love the car so far - it's exactly the sort of 3-series I'd be after.
Just to point out...
The Rover 75 (all except the V8) use the same brakes (calipers, pads etc) as the E46 320d which is why your pads are listed for both. I have an MG ZT and have bought a set of ZT 190 brakes (same as you'd find on a 330i / 330d) to upgrade mine.
The 75 / ZT also uses the same BMW M47 engine. You've done some of the common mods already, but if your EGR was a state, I'd strongly recommend cleaning it out too. It's messier than cleaning the EGR unfortunately, but the MAP sensor is mounted on the inlet manifold (on the 75 / ZT at least) so the layer of crud builds up and blocks it off. Cleaning it out made my car run noticeably better / faster.
I made a quick how-to here - http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.p... - it's for the 75 / ZT so it won't be exactly the same (for a start, you'll have swirlflaps and actuators for them!) but it gives you an idea.
EDIT - Ooops, forgot to mention i'm talking about the inlet manifold
Just to point out...
The Rover 75 (all except the V8) use the same brakes (calipers, pads etc) as the E46 320d which is why your pads are listed for both. I have an MG ZT and have bought a set of ZT 190 brakes (same as you'd find on a 330i / 330d) to upgrade mine.
The 75 / ZT also uses the same BMW M47 engine. You've done some of the common mods already, but if your EGR was a state, I'd strongly recommend cleaning it out too. It's messier than cleaning the EGR unfortunately, but the MAP sensor is mounted on the inlet manifold (on the 75 / ZT at least) so the layer of crud builds up and blocks it off. Cleaning it out made my car run noticeably better / faster.
I made a quick how-to here - http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.p... - it's for the 75 / ZT so it won't be exactly the same (for a start, you'll have swirlflaps and actuators for them!) but it gives you an idea.
EDIT - Ooops, forgot to mention i'm talking about the inlet manifold
Edited by Jakg on Friday 18th May 10:40
matt21 said:
Lovely car, awesome spec, but boy have you put some hours in!
Ran a E39 to 186k and was getting many of the issues you have touched upon, I just ignored them however. Funnily enough my previous E34 is still going, nothing went wrong for me, still on majority of it's original parts, and sitting pretty on 240k.
I love BMs!
I love the car, perhaps too much! I can't ignore the issues, soon as they arrive they have to be sorted Ran a E39 to 186k and was getting many of the issues you have touched upon, I just ignored them however. Funnily enough my previous E34 is still going, nothing went wrong for me, still on majority of it's original parts, and sitting pretty on 240k.
I love BMs!
Remagel2507 said:
Still looking really good OP, with regards to the EGR, did you find a way of disabling it? I have some software that can remove the EGR function from the ECU so I can check to see whether or not your car is covered.
You can disable the function by removing the vaccuum, plugging it with a golf tee on the female end and taping up the male end/filling it with chemical metal if you want it to be permanent. With regard to the software do you mind sharing that? Is it part of any of those INPA software suites, I really need to get an ODB2 cable for the car.
Drop me a private message if you can
PlayersNo6 said:
Enjoyed your detailed write up OP. Car looks superb.
Paintwork looks great for the mileage and age - not much stonechip to the front end I take it?
Noted your comments on the dealership (local-ish to me) - what was the whole buying experience like?
To be honest the front end, bonnet wings and bumper, are pretty chipped. Not too bad for 126k but it does both me. The rest of the car is pretty mint though, bar a small hint of rust coming through on the off side read arch Paintwork looks great for the mileage and age - not much stonechip to the front end I take it?
Noted your comments on the dealership (local-ish to me) - what was the whole buying experience like?
With regard to the dealership, they are cowboys in my opinion. I didn't buy the car from them, but the previous owner did. (he's on here, "Sir_Dave" (Eyup Dave))
They "refurbed" the alloy wheels for him, whilst they were still on the car. There was overspray all over the shockers and brake calipers. They also fitted a budget "Fullrun" tyre to the front right which always pissed me off (now replaced with a Vredestein)
The alloy wheel refurb is what really pissed me off though, as they didn't even prep the wheels properly (how could they, they were still on the car!) Infact I don't think they prepped them at all, most of the paint is flaking off now nd the alloys don't look too good for it
I need to get them refurbed at some point Jakg said:
Love the car so far - it's exactly the sort of 3-series I'd be after.
Just to point out...
The Rover 75 (all except the V8) use the same brakes (calipers, pads etc) as the E46 320d which is why your pads are listed for both. I have an MG ZT and have bought a set of ZT 190 brakes (same as you'd find on a 330i / 330d) to upgrade mine.
The 75 / ZT also uses the same BMW M47 engine. You've done some of the common mods already, but if your EGR was a state, I'd strongly recommend cleaning it out too. It's messier than cleaning the EGR unfortunately, but the MAP sensor is mounted on the inlet manifold (on the 75 / ZT at least) so the layer of crud builds up and blocks it off. Cleaning it out made my car run noticeably better / faster.
I made a quick how-to here - http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.p... - it's for the 75 / ZT so it won't be exactly the same (for a start, you'll have swirlflaps and actuators for them!) but it gives you an idea.
Hi mate, thanks for the post. Just to point out...
The Rover 75 (all except the V8) use the same brakes (calipers, pads etc) as the E46 320d which is why your pads are listed for both. I have an MG ZT and have bought a set of ZT 190 brakes (same as you'd find on a 330i / 330d) to upgrade mine.
The 75 / ZT also uses the same BMW M47 engine. You've done some of the common mods already, but if your EGR was a state, I'd strongly recommend cleaning it out too. It's messier than cleaning the EGR unfortunately, but the MAP sensor is mounted on the inlet manifold (on the 75 / ZT at least) so the layer of crud builds up and blocks it off. Cleaning it out made my car run noticeably better / faster.
I made a quick how-to here - http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.p... - it's for the 75 / ZT so it won't be exactly the same (for a start, you'll have swirlflaps and actuators for them!) but it gives you an idea.
I did know about all the similarities, the "wrong pads" quote in my post was a bit of a joke
I am a bit of a Rover geek too. I did clean out the EGR but I think that's the last time I will do it, I think I'm
Just going to blank it and hopefully get some software to remove the function from the ecu
Lovely car you have there - I have recently joined the E46 club and I love my one to bits.
Do you think you will be doing any suspension work any time soon? My rear bushes will be needing done in the next year or so, would be interesting to hear from anyone on here that has attempted them.
Do you think you will be doing any suspension work any time soon? My rear bushes will be needing done in the next year or so, would be interesting to hear from anyone on here that has attempted them.
a1burns said:
Great thread! Loved reading all you have done and the pictures look awesome. Keep up the good work and the relatively cheap motoring, I would love to read a detailed write-up of your CDV removal as considering doing it myself.
I didn't take too many pictures of the CDV removal unfortunately, but I can give you a write up. The removal is quite simple really, you simply remove an undertray and the CDV is easy to see. I did mine on my drive at home like every other DIY and it was a nice easy job.
The only think I was concerned about was bleeding the clutch afterwards, but I bought a Gunsin Eezi bleed kit ad it did the job fine. Some members don't even bleed the clutch but I wanted to do it properly
I do however think it is a much over rated mod. I was hoping for a much greater clutch feel through the gears, and while it is better, it is still no where near the cable clutch I had on my Saxo VTS, which is what I was hoping for.
I guess it was a bit naive for me to expect that since the clutch is still hydraulic and has the DMF. I might look into changing the gearbox and diff oil to see if that gives me the smooth shifts that I so desire!! Will also be trying that "clutch stop mod" that all the yanks rave on about on E46fanatics
So yeah it is a simple job, but whether it's worth your time I cannot say.
Any questions pal?
BorkFactor said:
Lovely car you have there - I have recently joined the E46 club and I love my one to bits.
Do you think you will be doing any suspension work any time soon? My rear bushes will be needing done in the next year or so, would be interesting to hear from anyone on here that has attempted them.
. Do you think you will be doing any suspension work any time soon? My rear bushes will be needing done in the next year or so, would be interesting to hear from anyone on here that has attempted them.
Which E46 club did you join mate?
My rear suspension does need new dampers soon. Whilst I was doing the bearing last weekend I noticed the return rate was quite slow, although no signs of leakage and the handling is still spot on.
Bushes are all still good too, surprisingly after 126k. The front wish bone bushes were done by the previous owner, I believe they are common for going
Sorry for all the posts, multi quoting is too much of a ballache on a mobile device!
DanielJames said:
Which E46 club did you join mate?
My rear suspension does need new dampers soon. Whilst I was doing the bearing last weekend I noticed the return rate was quite slow, although no signs of leakage and the handling is still spot on.
Bushes are all still good too, surprisingly after 126k. The front wish bone bushes were done by the previous owner, I believe they are common for going
Sorry for all the posts, multi quoting is too much of a ballache on a mobile device!
I am impressed that your bushes are still good - mine are on 112k (granted it is a 1998 car) and one of them has a bit of play, but not enough to affect than handling or fail an MOT.
Front wishbone bushes are fine, I think like you mine were done by the previous owner.
What sort of fuel economy is the 320d giving you in day to day driving? I thought mine was going to be very juicy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would imagine you are saving a fair chunk of cash with the diesel though.
Great thread and write up OP
I've got 320d sport which I bought new in 2004, it's only done 44k and I love it.
In nearly 8 yrs of ownership all I've done is replaced the rear springs due to one being broken, it gets serviced every 12mths regardless of mileage and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
Keep the progress coming.
I've got 320d sport which I bought new in 2004, it's only done 44k and I love it.
In nearly 8 yrs of ownership all I've done is replaced the rear springs due to one being broken, it gets serviced every 12mths regardless of mileage and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
Keep the progress coming.
BorkFactor said:
Sorry, I meant I bought an E46 recently! Have had a look on E46 fanatics at a few common issues but thankfully none have appeared on mine.
I am impressed that your bushes are still good - mine are on 112k (granted it is a 1998 car) and one of them has a bit of play, but not enough to affect than handling or fail an MOT.
Front wishbone bushes are fine, I think like you mine were done by the previous owner.
What sort of fuel economy is the 320d giving you in day to day driving? I thought mine was going to be very juicy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would imagine you are saving a fair chunk of cash with the diesel though.
Everyday driving you'll see 45mpg, and 50+ if you REALLY want to (ie 45mph on NSL roads, 65mph on motorways) I am impressed that your bushes are still good - mine are on 112k (granted it is a 1998 car) and one of them has a bit of play, but not enough to affect than handling or fail an MOT.
Front wishbone bushes are fine, I think like you mine were done by the previous owner.
What sort of fuel economy is the 320d giving you in day to day driving? I thought mine was going to be very juicy, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would imagine you are saving a fair chunk of cash with the diesel though.
Best I've ever achieved was 60.1mpg coming home from silverstone. 4 up and a bit of luggage, but thanks to a lot of speed cameras and congestion my average speed was around 55mph.
A lot of people will claim the 20d's will do 50mpg all day, and to be honest they will so long as you drive steady and dont go near towns. I think the lowest average consumption I've had was around 42 and that was in the winter!
What engines in yours? I heard the 6 cylinder petrols aren't bad at all on fuel compared to what you'd expect.
Bodie390 said:
Great thread and write up OP
I've got 320d sport which I bought new in 2004, it's only done 44k and I love it.
In nearly 8 yrs of ownership all I've done is replaced the rear springs due to one being broken, it gets serviced every 12mths regardless of mileage and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
Keep the progress coming.
Wow, that is some low mileage! I have to ask, why the diesel?I've got 320d sport which I bought new in 2004, it's only done 44k and I love it.
In nearly 8 yrs of ownership all I've done is replaced the rear springs due to one being broken, it gets serviced every 12mths regardless of mileage and I don't think I'll ever part with it.
Keep the progress coming.
DanielJames said:
Everyday driving you'll see 45mpg, and 50+ if you REALLY want to (ie 45mph on NSL roads, 65mph on motorways)
Best I've ever achieved was 60.1mpg coming home from silverstone. 4 up and a bit of luggage, but thanks to a lot of speed cameras and congestion my average speed was around 55mph.
A lot of people will claim the 20d's will do 50mpg all day, and to be honest they will so long as you drive steady and dont go near towns. I think the lowest average consumption I've had was around 42 and that was in the winter!
What engines in yours? I heard the 6 cylinder petrols aren't bad at all on fuel compared to what you'd expect.
These are very impressive fuel economy figures! What is the performance like? I would imagine it would shift fairly well when required, but is more of a motorway cruiser? Unfortunately I have never even been in a 320d so have no experience of that engine what so ever. Best I've ever achieved was 60.1mpg coming home from silverstone. 4 up and a bit of luggage, but thanks to a lot of speed cameras and congestion my average speed was around 55mph.
A lot of people will claim the 20d's will do 50mpg all day, and to be honest they will so long as you drive steady and dont go near towns. I think the lowest average consumption I've had was around 42 and that was in the winter!
What engines in yours? I heard the 6 cylinder petrols aren't bad at all on fuel compared to what you'd expect.
Mine has the older 2.8 straight 6, very similar to the E36 328i but with twin VANOS. It is a lovely engine, and because I don't do that many miles I can justify it, sort of. That is my excuse anyway!
As for economy, it is surprisingly good. On a trip up and down the A9 (NSL dual carrigeway and single carrigeway) it averaged 42.6 mpg sticking to the speed limits. Of course, take it anywhere near a town or open it up properly and you are looking at 30s, maybe even 20s depending on how hard you are pushing it.
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