opinions on a E46 M3

[blingsta]

just toying with the idea in my head at the moment, but ive always liked the look and idea of owning a E46 M3 Cabby !!

i think they are cheap enough for me to afford now.. ive never driven one.. i did own a E46 325i cabby, but i assume they are nowhere near the same ?

anyone own or driven one that can give some feedback on them?

i.e.. do i go for a manual or smg gearbox? whats better power wise?

cheers chaps

[Kos]

manual, substantially less to go wrong

bss325i pacerpete and few others will be able to provide lots of helpful info on them

iirc pony was looking to get one and did lots of research as well

[blingsta]

cheers Kos.. i'll wait for their input

[TouringTash]

Stay clear of the slush box, Full History a must with the correct OE parts used.
An amazing engine that requires £££ to keep in fine shape, alas loads are not.
Just get a 330 and a little tune.

Happy hunting.

[blingsta]

so must be a manual hey?

wont consider a 330, i just love the looks of the M3, so i'll make sure i buy the right 1 1st time.. ive seen a few advertised and most seem to have FSH so thats good..

im loving the Estoril blue with black leather look !!!

[TouringTash]

full history doesn't mean the correct oils have been used.
Check the receipts and invoices as its not hard to have a fully stamped book with it also showing on bmw's system. Though hopefully this has changed over the last two years.

iirc back in 08 a service 2 was between 700 and 1200 dependant on what else needed replacing.
At least you won't have the cam belt to deal with.

[blingsta]

ever driven one? how do they go/handle? any reliability issues or common probs?

[TouringTash]

Only played with a slush box version in the US. Went like stink, plod never get close but never liked the auto. thankfully it wasn't mine so the cost of upkeep, tyres etc was never an issue. The costs involved in running one of these will hurt.
Cheap to buy for what they are but a hard pothole will hurt your overdraft let alone you wallet.
Are the M3 as hard on bushes as the other E46's?

[TouringTash]

have a read on other forums via a google search.
Heres one for starters, just remember to look at the dates of the posts

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthr ... 2055489951

[Gouki]

I'd avoid the SMG box as they can be costly to put right. The pump is a common failure and your looking at 1.5k+ to fix. Check its had the recall completed as all M3's were recalled for connecting rod bearing failure. Check its had the running in service and check the rear subframe as they can tear. Usual wear and tear ie bushes tend to go on these, broken rear springs are common as well as oil level sensors. There are plenty out there and is a buyers market right now. Insp 2 is the big one so if one your looking at is due one, then you could use it as a bargaining tool.

[TouringTash]

did the M3 E46 suffer from the rear floorpan coming apart, or was that just the normal 3 box ones?

[tomski]

Hi, Just got one of these and love it. I got a 2004 cab.
I came from a 2005 Evo 8 so was a bit worried that it was going to seem a bit dull compared but for everyday use for me its a much better car.
The inspection 2 service is the big one and I have just had to have it done @£850 but I did get quoted £1150 from Bmw Cardiff.
As far as I know they do suffer from the floorpan but are covered by Bmw for ten years.
Mine has 3 very small rust spots on the rear arches but from 2004 Bmw extended the bodywork warranty to 12 years so its going in on mon to be sorted, they do want to see full bmw history for this though.
M3cutters is the place mate for all the info you need.
Andrew

[Andyboy]

An amazing engine that requires £££ to keep in fine shape

??

Not really. As long as it has the correct oil and the valve clearances done on time, they're fine. They are a more robust car than the regular E46. Servicing at a specialist won't cost much more than a 330i.
Avoid SMG (which is not an auto). Oil leak from the front of the head is the top chain rain bolt working loose, easily fixed. Cracks in the boot floor where the diff bolts in on hard driven cars. 19 inch wheels and nav adds a grand or so to the value, Laguna Seca blue and Phoenix yellow are not popular. Don't buy a cheap 7 owner car with an iffy history from a bloke who runs a Kabab shop. Budget for refurbing four alloys because they are always kerbed/corroded to some extent, carbon black is a bastard to keep nice. A diff that groans on tight turns can be cured by a special oil additive from BMW. Make sure the running in service is stamped in the book. Many will be due a new rad so check to make sure it's not bowing out at the base. Don't be scared of a high mileage car either.

[ross_jsy]

Stay clear of the slush box

SMG is hardly a slush box is it?

I would avoid one for a daily used car, especially a cab as they are quite harsh on shifts and feel a little unrefined. When driven in anger I thought it was great (which surprised me, didn't think I would get along) and are apparently great for track use, but as mentioned, costly when they go wrong.

[blingsta]

thanks for all the input guys.. i think its safe to say that i would be going for a manual box and going through the service history with a fine comb..

i pressume all M3's would have been driven hard at some point in their life, so what happens in regards the floor pan problem ? is this a common problem with all hard driven cars? likewise with the cracks in the boot where the diff is ? are they to be avoided at all costs or is it not a problem?

[Low_E30]

Make sure the running in service is stamped in the book.

Why is that 1200 mile running in service so important with this particular model?.... My mate was on the lookout for one of these and was so particular about the running in service, he was dismissing mint low mileage cars at good prices, and this was one of the first questions he was asking on the phone....

[andye30m3]

I think that BMW used a different oil for the first 1200 miles, if not changed before circa 2000 miles BMW would invalidate the warranty and would also refuse to sell it on their forecourts.

I personally loved the SMG in the CSL when pushing on a bit, It wouldn't put me off a good car but by choice I'd go for a regular manual. The box is the same but the high pressure side of the SMG such as the pump is just a potential bill that's not all that necessary.

I believe the reliability of both the SMG and vanos is substantially better than those reported on the E36 M3 Evo and even those issues were some what blown out of proportion.

Early cars should have a recall for the bottom end bearings as these initial proved a comon failure which BMW acknowledged.

Rear subframes can crack and up to 10 years old should be covered by BMW.

Consumables are expensive 19 inch tyres are the best part of £300 each for the pilot super sports, discs and pads aren't cheap and things like wishbones wear and again whilst their not going to brake the bank all add up.

I owned my CSL for 10 months and did 12,000 miles and I think it cost in the region of £1700 in that time which isn't bad for the performance but I had no major failures and only 1 minor service.

[tomski]

I think the running service was important to keep the original warranty, but know most cars are out of warranty I dont think its that big an issue.
Andrew

[blingsta]

upto what age where the reported problems with the bottom end bearings? im probably gonna be looking at a 03-04... and also regarding the cracking on the rear subframes, would the car need to have FBMWSH for it to be covered by BM's ?

[Blitz]

I prefer the 18's on the M3.

[tomski]

Not sure about the history for the subframe repair but I would look at a 2004 on car that has the bodywork warranty. It could come in handy as it seems a few of these are going a bit rusty round the edges.

[Gouki]

upto what age where the reported problems with the bottom end bearings? im probably gonna be looking at a 03-04... and also regarding the cracking on the rear subframes, would the car need to have FBMWSH for it to be covered by BM's ?

It was for 01-02 cars. The problem was rectified on 03 M3's onwards. Subframes your covered for 10 years regardless as it was a common problem not just on the M3 but the E46 in general. From what I hear it was a little more common with SMG boxes than the normal 6 speed manual.

[Speedtouch]

It wasn't just the subframe, but the actual floorpan:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 8066992482#

[Gouki]

There's loads of youtube videos of these up and that clunk/crunch is nasty!

[TouringTash]

and not many have managed to get it fixed by bmw without parting with the best park of 8K.
I read of one person who managed to get this sorted by a dealer. Only because he bought the car from them and had had it serviced by them for the last 7 odd years.
The dealer said it was only done under good faith as he had a FBMWSH.

[tomski]

From reading on the m3cutters site it seems a fair few have had this done foc under warranty.

[bss325i]

and not many have managed to get it fixed by bmw without parting with the best park of 8K.
I read of one person who managed to get this sorted by a dealer. Only because he bought the car from them and had had it serviced by them for the last 7 odd years.
The dealer said it was only done under good faith as he had a FBMWSH.

For a start the repair would not cost 8k and many many e46's (not just M3's) have had the repair done through good will with zero contribution from the customer.

The is also an after market reinforcement kit available to prevent this problem from occurring.

The worst example of this problem I have seen was a v reg 318i saloon where both rear sub frame mounts had ripped out the floor pan.

It start from a small stress fracture which the turns into a fair sized crack then I left just rips out.

If caught in time it can be repaired without the need to cut the whole boot floor out like some worst case examples have.

Ideally an inspection on a ramp prior to purchase is wise.

[blingsta]

Hmmm.. interesting.. i suppose anyone that is a genuine seller, shouldnt mind their car being inspected on a ramp before selling it !!! i might have to look at local ones first then so i can arrange to get it on my mates ramp

[bss325i]

Hmmm.. interesting.. i suppose anyone that is a genuine seller, shouldnt mind their car being inspected on a ramp before selling it !!!

Try telling that to Pony!

[Ajsingh]

Be careful of high mileage cars, u do not want the VANOS packing up on you as its very dear to fix and most average joe's probably wont be able to fix it . Again SMG is a big NO! There sh*t!

Overall a lovely motor! I really really want one

[mabz]

i think they suck!!bmw havent made a decent m3 since the e36.just my 2p of course but i really never got the e46 it just looks like a bloated turd just like all modern cars these days!!

[bss325i]

i think they suck!!bmw havent made a decent m3 since the e36.just my 2p of course but i really never got the e46 it just looks like a bloated turd just like all modern cars these days!!

Thats quite a strong opinion.

I think the E46 M3 is better in almost every way to the E36 M3.

[Andyboy]

i think they suck!!bmw havent made a decent m3 since the e36.just my 2p of course but i really never got the e46 it just looks like a bloated turd just like all modern cars these days!!

Maybe you should drive one.

[mabz]

i think they suck!!bmw havent made a decent m3 since the e36.just my 2p of course but i really never got the e46 it just looks like a bloated turd just like all modern cars these days!!

Maybe you should drive one.

had a wee ride in my mates at work and dont get me wrong the power and handling was as expected(great) but i just dont like the look of them,thats all.i just dont like modern cars at all

[Rodderz]

If you have seen my posts you will realise I'm not much of a BMW fan in general, but i think the E46 M3 is a great looking car, I did consider a CSL when I bought my 911... at least it would have handled ok!:)