E46 Touring - facelift petrol models 28/5 Got one

[capri_rob]

I'm considering giving one of these another chance as a daily - not really what sure what model yet as im only looking to spend a couple of grand tops and dont want to travel to the other end of the country for a cheap car so depends what comes up within a 50 mile or so radius

Ideally id like a 6 cylinder car but they seem pretty thin on the ground - not really bothered which one but probably a 320 or 325 as the 330's in this price range have all been to the moon.
Id have an auto or manual with a 6 cylinder car but a 4 pot would need to be manual.

Are the 318i of this age the ones with the garbage engine ? There are loads of 2002-2004 models with sensible miles around the £2k mark - they cant all be rubbish can they ?

I never really bonded with the 330i Sport touring i had a couple of years ago mainly because i paid too much for it and of its prodigious thirst but with fuel prices a bit cheaper now and me not looking to have big money tied up in it im getting the itch to own another BMW daily again.

[bss325i]

Avoid the N42 powered 318i.

Stick for 6 cylinder petrols and try and find one that's had money spent on it.

[DanThe]

3.0 is where its at Rob, the things are too heavy for anything less IMO, beware boot floor dramas, brake pipes and worn out suspension, they are at the age now where it has to have been done, original stuff is well passed its date unless its a low milage car

[maxfield]

Definitely go for a 6cyl petrol. I wouldn't entertain a 4 pot petrol.

I did look for a nice E46 touring last year but nothing nice came up, so I ended up buying an E39 530i instead and they're much more of a car.

[anothere21323i]

I've got a 2001 330i Touring auto as a daily and it's fantastic. It had 46k miles on it when I bought it and it's on 65k now. All I've had to do is replace one coil pack which failed (the other 5 are still the original ones from 2001!). It's been a great car!

[Blitz]

Have a look at the c class.

[pacerpete]

I have been looking on and off for 18 months for a 6 pot petrol auto E46 touring for a customer. Most were / are rotten and need the purchase price spending on them to get them up to scratch . Out of nowhere she asked me what C classes were like, I replied OK, but usually rusty, just like E46s then As if by magic , a week later, a two owner 53 plate C180 Kompressor wagon appeared for 600 Sovs, It is unbelievably tidy with zero rust and has only needed £100 spent on it to get it up to scratch including a MOT. Both she and I would have rathered a 6 pot petrol but as most are diesel and or f000ked, beggars can't be chosers

[capri_rob]

Ive just had a look at the C class wagons and they do nothing for me at all - ive never been a Merc fan and those C class just look cack. I went in an Auto Kompressor saloon a few years ago and i was amazed at how slow it was and how thrashy the engine was. Not for me.

If i cant find a reasonable 6 pot E46 it will be a Volvo V50 i think.

[anothere21323i]

Your other option is an Audi A4 - they are really good cars, especially in V6 form.

[capri_rob]

Your other option is an Audi A4 - they are really good cars, especially in V6 form.

I like Audi's but they are very common and tend to be overpriced and lacking in spec behind the others. 3rd on my list behind BMW and Volvo.

Arent the 2.0 VAG engines junk as well ?

[maxfield]

Yes the diesels or the petrol 2.0l engines have their fair share of issues.

[anothere21323i]

Mine is a 3.2 V6 and is properly quick. I've put about 10k miles on it now and not a peep out of it.

[darkchild]

My old 318ci had the N42. It went reasonably well and was very economical, even with an autobox (42-44mpg on a run). Plenty of oil leaks (the recommended oil is very thin) and every job was one that, for the sake of your own sanity, was better to pay someone else to do. Just a horrible thing to work on.

Thankfully I never had any timing chain/tensioner drama on mine but it did have the traditional N42 rusty dipstick!

They're kind of pointless though - the M42/M44 does pretty much everything the N42 does but with considerably less drama.

[capri_rob]

My old 318ci had the N42. It went reasonably well and was very economical, even with an autobox (42-44mpg on a run). Plenty of oil leaks (the recommended oil is very thin) and every job was one that, for the sake of your own sanity, was better to pay someone else to do. Just a horrible thing to work on.

Thankfully I never had any timing chain/tensioner drama on mine but it did have the traditional N42 rusty dipstick!

They're kind of pointless though - the M42/M44 does pretty much everything the N42 does but with considerably less drama.

Problem is that anything M42 or M44 powered now is what 17+ years old ?
Whilst i like old cars really i want something a bit more modern as a daily - i dont really want to go any older than 2002.
For my £2k budget really id like at least an 04 plate.
I figure for all of the plentiful horror stories about the N42 theres probably hundreds which have been absolutely fine.
When i sell my current car and have the cash in my hand i will still try and get a 6 pot if at all possible - but if a really straight 318i touring with the M sport kit came up not far away id take a look

[Andyboy]

I figure for all of the plentiful horror stories about the N42 theres probably hundreds which have been absolutely fine.

More like thousands. I wouldn't discount an N42 or N46 but you must buy one that idles smoothly, and pretty much immediately get bit booked in for a new chain/rails, crank sensor and cam cover gasket. When they're running well, they're a good engine, but they are such an absolute bastard to work on. Removing the exhaust manifold is a case in point.

I wondered if you could buy a nice late 318i Touring with a troubled engine and replace it with an M44 using an M43 E46 engine loom and ECU?

[darkchild]

N42s are old too!

When they work, they're fine. Fairly brisk and return decent MPG. The problems are when something inevitably needs fixing. Whoever designed them clearly had a sense of humour!

[capri_rob]

Whats the typical cost of the chain/rails assuming most of the ones out there havent already had this done at some point ?

If i spend £2k on something that runs perfectly with a smooth idle and no strange noises at all bearing in mind i tend to keep daily drivers for 6-12 months on average i dont really want to be throwing hundreds at it in preventative maintenance that i wont get back when i sell.

The likelihood is this is academic - ive had 8 BMW's to date - all 6 pot

I do quite like the look of this though

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... &logcode=p

Although this one is top of the list in spite of the coolant level light and it being an auto

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... &logcode=p

Theres nothing much just over £2k within a sensible distance that interests me and the cheaper stuff just looks tired or basic spec.

[Andyboy]

Chain/rails is £500 really. Sump off, cam cover off etc, a fair job and it will need doing at 116k. You may as well change a few seals (vanos solenoids etc) and the crank sensor at the same time.

The first one is a better bet, lovely spec and colour. The 2.2 is nice but '02 is knocking on a bit.

[capri_rob]

Cheers for all the input guys i will update this if an when i get one

[darkchild]

Rob - I had mine for about 2.5 years. It had 59K and FBMWSH when I got it. I think I took it up to about 88K. Nothing too severe ever went wrong. It always seemed to have an oil leak. I remember replacing the rocker cover gasket and crankshaft seal but there were probably others. The oil on these is very thin - Castrol Edge 0w/30 iirc. The worst oil leak resulted in one of the auxillary drive belts snapping! No PAS, water pump etc. I had the car recovered before it baked its engine.

Other than that, I think mine had a coil pack. The OE Bremi coils don't have the best reputation.

The car had numerous other unscheduled maintenance, some which was unique to the coupe, but mostly the usual E46 stuff. I quite liked it but after coming from a M43 powered E36, that I added the best part of 100,000 faultless miles with little than servicing, tyres and brakes being required, I lost patience with the 318ci. I think I worked out that in the last 12 months it cost me £200 per month on average in unscheduled maintenance and repairs. I sold it and daresay it's been fine ever since! It's still on the road.

[Simon13]

Our Alpina has just had an MOT fail, snapped rear spring, front ball joint - it had new arms 30,000 miles ago!

Anti roll bar drop link so costing £450 to get it through but the Alpina springs took most of that price. Bar the rust and fuel our e46 is holding up very well otherwise still

[SAP1]

Early shagged turd!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/152100751568

[Andyboy]

Bollocks. Just missed that

[hennared323i]

Bollocks. Just missed that

Shame

[capri_rob]

Well the cash is in the bank as i said goodbye to my Civic yesterday - tomorrow should be interesting

[capri_rob]

Got one.
2004 320i Sport Auto. 120k, 3 owners, full history. Its lovely. even the A/C works.






Its not fast by any means but on kickdown its fast enough. 100 miles back from Bedford to home and drove perfect.

A couple of tiny rust bubbles on the front wing arch lip, and a tiny rust patch on the back corner of the rear arch - in exactly the same place as the one on my 330i

Very happy that i didnt go for a 318i

[darkchild]

Good choice Rob, nice and smooth and infinitely preferable to the N42.

Looks in decent nick. Planning to get the rust sorted? Usual E46 spots!

[capri_rob]

Probably wont spend money on paint - the bubbles are very very minor and on a black car you can only see them if you really look. I will have all the arch liners out and waxoyl it to stop it getting any worse but no more than that.
It has a short MOT but im not really worried as i got it for a good price - i would expect it to pass without any issues but if not and i need to spend a little bit on it its not a problem - ive got until early August on it anyway.

[darkchild]

It's exactly the same two places where my coupe had rust. I had mine done but it was more visible on a silver car. E46 fronts wings are a joke for a prestige car, seldom see one now that doesn't have a bit of rust.

It looks really sweet, inside and out. A run of the mill E46 always looked a bit heavy IMO when compared to the E36 that somehow seemed sleeker. But a sport kit and the wheels on your's make all the difference - a really nice, purposeful looking car. They were always a pleasant place to sit inside but the chunky sport steering wheel and sport seats improves them further.

The 2.2 is nice in these. Not fast but quick enough to get out of it's own way. Even my old 318ci always felt eager. Low down it pulled quite well but ran out of puff after 60mph.

[capri_rob]

I had MV1's on my 330 and always thought that the MV2's looked loads better.
The sport kit really sets these off especially with the smaller steering wheel and sports seats - id have been happy with Alcantara but leather is fine.
I always thought the non-sport E46 seats in leather look like something wipe-clean that you'd find in an old peoples home

Ive already put it to use with a tip and B&Q run this morning, windows down it sounds fantastic.

I liked my last car a lot ( 57 plate Honda Civic type S GT ) - it was well made and well specced and everything worked, but this is in a different league despite being a grand cheaper than I sold the Civic for a˜Ž

[capri_rob]

Just seen that 2004 on cars have a 12 year anti corrosion warranty ?
And that if the car hasnt had any previous bodywork done BMW should honour warranty claims for things like rusty wings and arches ?
I need to check the build date as the first registration date was 25th June 2004 so im guessing i have missed the deadline to get a claim in already but if not does anyone have any experience of how BMW would deal with a claim like this ?
The paint appears to be original and is unbroken so the rust is from the inside out. All the panel gaps are good and i have no reason to think it has had any previous bumps or paint. Its a shame as there are only 2 tiny spots on the whole car. I wouldnt bother paying to have them done but if i can get them done under warranty i would.

[darkchild]

I can't imagine BMW would pay out. They'd be on a hiding to nothing with late E39s ands E46s! I'd imagine they'd say rust has occurred due to neglect. Does the corrosion warranty cover cosmetic rust or just rot? I can't remember the exact terms of mine but that was on the old 6 year warranty.

[Brianmoooore]

I think you'll find that an annual inspection by your dealer is a condition of the full warranty.

[bss325i]

Nice looking tram there Rob. Not a fan of the grey trim mind.

RE the anti corrosion warranty. Yes it would cover cosmetic rust, i had some sorted on my old E46 M3.
You go to a BMW dealer and report it and as long as it has an up to date stamped service history by vat registered garages then that is enough for them to honour the warranty as there are no annual body inspection sections in the service book to fill out on later BMW's.

They will want to inspect the car and check paint thickness to see if its had paint or repairs and if has not been done by a BMW approved garage then they will reject it.

There is another snag though. BMW's pay out for warranty labour rates lower than retail labour rates so quite often dealer will go out of their way to reject a claim and it is down to dealers who submit the info to BMW as to wether it will be approved or rejected.

Most BMW's dealers don't even have a bodyshop and just sub it out anyway.

Its worth a try (if your car is within the correct period) as you have nothing to loose but don't get your hopes up.

Has yours got a single slot CD or tape deck and changer by the way?

[capri_rob]

Appears academic now - build date January 04 im guessing any claim would have to be sumbitted within 12 years of build rather than 12 years of first registration.

It has fully stamped history first few years with BMW the rest by independents.

I will ring Knights in Stafford and run it by them but i expect the answer to be no.

BMW business cassette head unit with 6 CD changer baz - im reading that the cassette head unit cant be easily adapted for ipod you need the CD head unit ?