Purchase query - E46 330i

[Dan320is]

Hi guys,

I'm looking at buying an E46 330i sport saloon or touring, manual, 2003 onwards for under £6k without intergalactic miles.

When viewing one of these, what do I need to look for?

Barry?

Cheers, Dan

[B7]

Hi guys,

I'm looking at buying an E46 330i sport saloon or touring, manual, 2003 onwards for under £6k without intergalactic miles.

When viewing one of these, what do I need to look for?

Barry?

Cheers, Dan

Drop Barry a PM. He'll guide you through any common mech faults to watch for. My 530 sport has the M54B30. An awesome engine!

[mabz]

my boss had one and it was in the garage every other week,i dont rate them to be honest a nice e36 with low miles and keepers would be my choice.just my 2p

[Razorsharp]

Dan

I had a 2001 330i Sport Saloon for my business car. I kept it for just over 2 years doing an average of 25,000 miles p.a. I serviced the car regularly and can honestly say that it did everything I asked of it and never missed a beat.

The one and only issue I ever had with it was the rear PDC sensors mal-functioning. A quick trip to a non-franchised specialist down the road and £110.00 later it was all sorted.

It was a very competent and predicatable car that I would probably have again one day (if I get rid of the 3 cars currently sat on my drive )

[srmalek]

My 330i 2001 model is superb, powerful and bulletproof gearbox, things that need to look into is , control arm bush, window regulator, crank shaft sensor, PDC sensor, power steering pump,

[mrLEE30]

Had same engine in my z3 coupe, bullet proof.

E46 are generally very well made, but like all later bmw's. Check everything electric, twice. Ensure all dash lights come on with key and off when engine starts. Engine should be smooth and temp bang on middle guage within few miles and stay there. Options such as telly are useless and prone to break, so avoid.

Test ABS and DSC turn off DSC and check ABS again, the system works from the abs pump and they are very expensive.

After a year of 540 my next chariot will be a 330.

[Kos]

my boss had one and it was in the garage every other week,i dont rate them to be honest a nice e36 with low miles and keepers would be my choice.just my 2p

whats your experience of them ?

dan, while it may not be an e46, my e39 has the same donk.

they do like to use a bit of oil, bar that they seem to be pretty much bomb proof engines as long as they serviced. the bmw recommended oil change every 12k is stupid. i plan on doing mine every 8k at least. the other thing to note is the cam position sensors do pack up
rads are a service item, they get well out of shape !

as mentioned before PDC sensors do play up, as does the central locking.

after that its the usual stuff like bushes/links etc. for some reason the diffs always seem to leak.

the biggest worry is the rear sub frame detaching it self and fucking up the floor.

[mrLEE30]

They are designed to burn oil due to bore lining- it's how modern engines run powerful and economical. And no bm can eat window and lock regulators more than an e39!

[mabz]

my boss had one and it was in the garage every other week,i dont rate them to be honest a nice e36 with low miles and keepers would be my choice.just my 2p

whats your experience of them ?

dan, while it may not be an e46, my e39 has the same donk.

they do like to use a bit of oil, bar that they seem to be pretty much bomb proof engines as long as they serviced. the bmw recommended oil change every 12k is stupid. i plan on doing mine every 8k at least. the other thing to note is the cam position sensors do pack up
rads are a service item, they get well out of shape !

as mentioned before PDC sensors do play up, as does the central locking.

after that its the usual stuff like bushes/links etc. for some reason the diffs always seem to leak.

the biggest worry is the rear sub frame detaching it self and ******* up the floor.

no experience at all dude i just watched my boss plough around 7k into his as it was a piece of shite but he may of just had a bad one but it has certainly put me off plus im a lover of old skool not really into these new chariots.

[bss325i]

Here is a list of common E46 faults and wear and tear items

Front control arm bushes wear out, more so with big wheels
Rear coil springs break
Radiators bulge at the bottom
Coolant tanks split
Heat fan resistors (final stage/hedge hog) can mess with the fan speed or cause battery drains
Touring tailgate wiring problems/rear washer problems
Air bag lights on due to seat connectors or occupancy sensors usually
DSC pressure sensors
ABS/DSC wheel speed sensors
Seized brake calipers
Warped front brake discs
Alarm/central locking/electric mirror faults cause by general modules going tits up
Alternators
PDC sensors

Common M54 problems

Cam shaft sensors
Crank shaft sensor
O2/lambda sensors
Intake are leaks from split intake boots
Cyclone valve(oil breather) and associated pipe work gumming up, splitting
Oil leaks from either oil filter housing to block seal, cam cover gasket, sump gasket
Thermostat
water pump
Oil level sensor

Now, this looks like a long list of drama but its highly unlikely one single car will suffer from all of these faults but they are all known and common.

When looking at these turds, make sure they drive straight with no knock, bangs or judder from the suspension and brakes.

As said, check all electrical items several times, make sure everything works and there are no warning lights on the dash.

E46's are as good as E36's but are electrically more advanced so slightly less DIY friendly.

The M54 oil consumption thing can vary from car to car as how the engine was run in can have an effect on this.

BMW state that up to 1ltr of oil per 1000km is acceptable on all non M power engines.

I have seen some M54's M52tu's struggle to make this but on the flip side, plenty go completely the opposite way. Case in point my 223000 mile 328Ci with the M52b28tu which has always used 0w30 Castrol SLX. I did an oil service 4000 miles ago and its just touched half way between min and max on the dipstick, approx half a litre!!

You will only discover how much oil you car munches when you start to use it. Changing from 0w30 in between an up to a 10w40 is fine for the engine.

Look for a car with plenty of stamps in the book, especially BMW ones as it shows that the previous owners could afford to pay main dealer rates and there for the chances of it being a good one are higher although don't let this rule out a car thats been maintained by a reputable specialist.

Finaly, touring tend to be owned by family types or older people so the chances of finding a nice one are higher than say a coupe or cab.

[Dan320is]

Perfect, thank you Barry.

I'm going to look at an '04 saloon individual tomorrow. I'll be sure to use your check list thoroughly.

[bss325i]

Dan, pm sent.

Ooo, i love a bit of Individual!

Link?

[Dan320is]

Dan, pm sent.

Ooo, i love a bit of Individual!

Link?

Cheers fella.

No link I'm afraid as it's a trade-in at the local dealer. It's estoril blue which might look a bit on an E46.

[Blitz]

They eat control arm bushes.

[bss325i]

Dan, pm sent.

Ooo, i love a bit of Individual!

Link?

Cheers fella.

No link I'm afraid as it's a trade-in at the local dealer. It's estoril blue which might look a bit on an E46.

No no! My mrs best mate had an estoril facelift '04 plate 330i saloon M sport and it looked great!

She chopped it in for a gold 4.4 X5!

[Dan320is]

Dan, pm sent.

Ooo, i love a bit of Individual!

Link?

Cheers fella.

No link I'm afraid as it's a trade-in at the local dealer. It's estoril blue which might look a bit on an E46.

No no! My mrs best mate had an estoril facelift '04 plate 330i saloon M sport and it looked great!

She chopped it in for a gold 4.4 X5!

Mmmmm a gold tractor, nice. This one was new from this dealer, all the correct stamps, leather & alcantara, supersprint exhaust and only 67k.

This one's being chopped in for a Mini Traveler.

[bss325i]

Traveler?

Clubman or countryman.

[Dan320is]

Traveler?

Clubman or countryman.

Sorry, having a traveler as a first car means I still know them as that. A countryman I think.

[bss325i]

Countryman is the 4x4 freak show.

Clubman is the estate,

[Stan_24v]

Hi, new on here but saw this and felt I should post.

I have had (and still do) an E46 330Ci for over two years now. the only issues Ive had are:

1 x rear pdc
Airbag light on
Rear OC bearing
Thermostat

Thats it. However, it had 78k when I bought it and now 95k, so I have refreshed it by doing the following myself:

Discs/pads all round
Shocks, springs, drop links all round
New top mounts
ARB bushes Front & Rear
Front wishbone rear bushes
Inspectioin II service at BMW £219
Air con re-gas

Not too bad really for a 2001 car with that mileage. There are issues, but find a car that doesnt have any. Also, they are easy to work on, even though they are more modern, as anything related to the ECU etc can be sorted with the right software.

The main issue you need to be sure of checking is the problem with the rear subframe, as it can tear.

Check out www.e46zone.net for more info, and go and drive one and see what you think. ;)

Cheers
Stan

[bss325i]

Sooooo did you look at the car then Dan?

[Dan320is]

Sooooo did you look at the car then Dan?

I did fella. The test drive felt spot on bar a knocking from the front (it felt like a top mount). I left my offer with the salesman and I'm hearing back tomorrow.

[Stan_24v]

The ARB bushes go on them mate, the knock could well be travelling up the shock. Easy fix either way though, and cheap.

[bss325i]

Sooooo did you look at the car then Dan?

I did fella. The test drive felt spot on bar a knocking from the front (it felt like a top mount). I left my offer with the salesman and I'm hearing back tomorrow.

Most likely a drop link, control arm bush or ball joint. Front top mounts last a long time on them.

[bss325i]

Yes, also front anti roll bar bushes as Stan said.

Just replaced mine funnily enough.