been thinking of a e46 325

[BATTS91]

ive been thinking about getting one next year but am i right in thinking the inlet manifolds are still restrictive in these , would one be benificial using an m50 inlet maybe ? i dont know whether these have the m52 engine same as e36 or not thats why is ask really ??

[pnd]

these have 192 bhp not the 170 bhp of the old 323 so they have a good manifold but these cars are heavy, go for a 330 much better and not very much difference on fuel.

[jimbom30cab]

agree with that, my mrs has a 328 and its a lot more "sluggish" than a 330 which is a much better drive.

[BATTS91]

ahh rightyo ill have a look at some is the price a big diffrence between the 2 at all , whats the suspension like on 325/330? any good or can it do with better bushes and shocks ?

[BATTS91]

oh and does anyone have any info on the tiptronic / auto boxes might be feeling lazy for a while lool

[ross_jsy]

I have an e39 528i with tiptronic as a daily. Personally, for daily use I love it. Even quite nice when pushing on. The only time I find it restrictive is in slowish corners and it refuses to shift down to 1st as second gear is really long and it's pretty flat till 3.5k ish.

But saying that, 3 series might be geared shorter than the 5, and we have a ton of slow corners over here

[pnd]

e46 auto boxes are prone to probs and they will use more fuel. As to suspension i think they want sharpening up even the sports try uprated arb's and shocks.

[BATTS91]

some fair comments guys , you say the autos are prone to failing , in what way and does this include the tipronic autos too ?

[pnd]

in fairness it does seem to be the diesel autos that are particularly problematic but manuals seem to be more reliable in general these days.

[BATTS91]

keeping options open on what to do there , how about power do the 330's kick out sum bhp compared to a 325 then ?

[Blitz]

keeping options open on what to do there , how about power do the 330's kick out sum bhp compared to a 325 then ?

Nearly 50bhp more

[bss325i]

keeping options open on what to do there , how about power do the 330's kick out sum bhp compared to a 325 then ?

Nearly 50bhp more

40.

The M54B25 produces 192bhp and the M54B30 231bhp.

The auto boxes are actually quite reliable and an oil and filter change is wise circa 80-100k despite being "sealed for life".

Suspension

Front wishbone bushes wear out at approx 40-60k depending on wheel size and how the car is driven.

Rear trailing arm bushes wear as to rear shock top mounts.

Rear coil springs are very common for breaking normally at the bottom coil.

Shock absorbers are normally weak by about 100k and a set of Bilstein B4's coupled with some Eibach 35mm springs give a better ride and better handling than the M sport suspension.

Brakes

Calipers a prone to seizing, normally the fronts

Rear brake lines can go rusty and cause the car to fail an MOT. To repair correctly is a pain of a job on a drive way as it involves lowering the fuel tank. Wire brush and wax oil before the get rusty!

Front discs are prone to warping, especially on the 330 which are bigger than all other non M3 brakes.

DSC pressure sensors can fail leading to the ABS and or DSC light being lit. If one is faulty replace the pair as the other one wont be far behind.

Body work

Front wings on coupes and cabrios are prone to going rusty from the inside out, the arch liner rubs the protection away on the inside and crud rusts the wing out. Remove arch liners and wax oil.

Rear arches can get scabby if not cleaned out regular

The rear subframe mounts on the boot floor can crack and rip out, inspect carefully. Earlier cars are more prone.

Engines

We'll stick with the M54 six pot as thats what you asked about.

Oil leaks from the cam cover gasket, oil filter housing seal are the most common although sump gaskets are not unheard of.

Water pump has a plastic impeller which can fail, coolant rads are normally done by 100-120k and bulge out at the bottom.

Running problems and EML warning lights can be caused by a failing cam sensor, failing lambda sensors, blocked cyclone valves, split vacumm pipes and split intake pipes.

Electrical

The heater blower motor resistor (final stage or "Hegehog") can fail causing irratic fan speeds or only working on full speed and/or a battery drain.

Central locking motors can fail and window regulators can get noisey before failing all together.

There more but that should help you out enough.

[Blitz]

Oops yeah 40. I cant count.

[BATTS91]

ah brill thanks for that info fella thats put alot into my head when i come to view one of these beasts the Bilstein B4's sound like a good soulution

id probably be looking at one around 2001 so an early one you say the subframe mounts :/ rip out from the boot floor , i havent looked under one of these in a long tim so dont remember what they look like but im pretty sure i know what concept you mean and that wouldnt be a good thing to buy ill look into that alot try and find bad pics ect

[pnd]

330's and 325's are less likely to have the subframe problem than 328's they are a real risk in that area

[Andyboy]

No such thing as Tiptronic either - that's a Porsche system. BMW's have steptronic which is a standard auto but with manual control when the lever is nudged across.
Don't ignore the 325i as it's a nice car that goes well - if you see a nice one in the colour you want, you won't feel let down.

[BATTS91]

thanks guys alot of help here ive been browsing though them both the 325 and 330 but for the power wise a 330 is a wise choice at the mo but i have the e30 m50 for that lol been looking towards a black auto/steptronic as you say andyboy , what is the diffrence with the facelift ones i just came across one on ebay 2003 model is it just the headlights or anything mechanical too ?

[Andyboy]

It's the front end, rear lights, bits of trim and from early 2003, a 6 speed box.