E46 320d

[Daf318is]

I'm thinking of buying one of these in the near future. Does anyone live with one on a daily basis? Are they any good? They appear to have excellent reviews

They all tend to be high milers that I'm looking at - are there any pitfalls that I should be aware of with this? Any ideas how long they last?

Discuss!!

[_bmw_316_lad_]

iv been doing alot of research on these lately and there only huge downfall is the swirl flaps breaking and getting sucked into engine causin untold damage, these can be romoved without too much hassle and dont have any effect on performance.. this only happens the 150bhp ones. the engines are ment to last well if they are serviced on time and the turbo let cool down.. i had a m sport bought with 93k on the clock a 2004 model but the deal fell through . still looking for one. but any mate that has one loves them full genuine service history a must in my opnion.

[Daf318is]

Yeah I've heard the swirl flap horror stories. I think I'll have a mooch on E46 zone to see what the score is with them

[badassyas]

every year spend 50 quid and change the breather. a very common issue. causes turbo oil problem symptoms.
seatbelt pretensioners. £50 each from dealers.
wishbone bushes. lemforder units are oe and are a good replacement.
rear coil springs. we use dealer items as we find cars looked a little too "jacked up" with replacement units.

[DanThe]

Are these the donks that snap cranks and shit the dual mass flywheels?

[Daf318is]

Are these the donks that snap cranks and shit the dual mass flywheels?

what?

[kieran325]

I've got a E46 320d Sport -



I bought it new back in Sept 2004, in that time all I've had gone wrong is a broken spring - cheap and easy fix.

It's got 35k on the clock, I change the oil every 12mths regardless of mileage and what the service indicator indicates. I'm fully aware of the swirl flap saga but never thought of having it rectified

I can highly praise them and I'm very reluctant to chop it in against a E60 535d, hence the new purchase of an M3 instead of a hefty depreciation on the 535.

[Daf318is]

That's nice ^ want to swap it for an M52 engined E30

I'm thinking touring at the moment

[DanThe]

I'm thinking touring at the moment

Has she got a bun in the oven?

[Daf318is]

I'm thinking touring at the moment

Has she got a bun in the oven?

No, I'm firing blanks Dan

A touring should make the Ikea trips a bit less challenging though!

[Templ8e30]

The mrs has the 136bhp model without the swirl flaps.

It's got 140k on the clock and is in fantastic nick, no issues on the engine front so far. Change the breather valve/filter assembly with every other oil change, use a good quality oil and let the turbo cool down for 20 seconds after every run and they'll reportedly do 300k.

The in-tank pump which is just a lift pump to get the engine started can fail, this puts strain on the injection pump. I check ours by taking the feed to the filter off every couple of months and making sure it flows some diesel into a jar.

Economy is good too, we get around 600 miles per tank with motorway cruising and about 450/500 with town work.

Good motor, although slightly disappointed with the amount of engine noise/vibration in the cabin at idle. Quick enough too.

Cheers,

Iain T

[Bob_S]

buy my exec chariot you bloody peasant you know you want it just for the tele!

[Royalratch]

Flawless car. Only thing I would say is if you do short trips then you will see no economy return.

Swirl Flaps is real but not as bad as forums make out - £200 delete at PMW with proper blanking plugs or do it yourself and use M8(?) bolts. Replace / clean the EGR valve immediately or fit a bypass as these let Exhaust Gas Recirculation units push crap into your inlet, gunging up swirl flaps and adding extra stress.

Also replace the Crank Breather / Turbo air Filter ASAP too. These two thing if kept an I eye on are the only thing to stop them doing billions for miles.

I think it's is possibly the finest 3er ever made. Modern tech but not too much computer controlled plastic crap.
Don't get anything less than an SE, Sports are too harsh for town driving.

You can retrofit tons of spec very easily and there is every extra, part and piece readily available used and new.

I've had 3 or 4 E46's now and they're all awesome.