E46 320D, Any Use?

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Hi all, my 306 hdi is due to die of terminal neglect next week (if I'm lucky). Which leaves me either a 205 rally car or an incredibly thirsty audi A6 2.8 Quattro to drive as a daily. My plan is to rid the audi and get a smartish derv.

Anyhow, I'm fancying a BMW E46 320d touring I've searched the net and the only real issues seem to be swirl/piss flaps or something which sound an easy fix.

So my question is, has anyone got/had one and are they any good? My budget will be 2k so I'll be looking at around 02 plate with a few miles on it. Before anyone says how good their petrol 3 series is on juice, I'm not interested, it must be a diesel

 

Cheers, Al

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I've got an 320d e91 with the m42 engine, originally looked at the e46.

Swirl flaps are an issue but there is also scare mongering on the Internet.

You can remove them easily, lots of info how I've also read about rear suspension bushes. Remember though, people who moan about these cars tend to be folk who can't wield a spanner.

 

Fuel economy is good although around town you'll be getting 30mpg, should see 50 on long trips.

Come in es, se and msport trim - es being the least equipped.

Otherwise quiet, good looking, refined and rwd....

 

Allegedly the 330d doesn't use much more diesel.

 

Lots of good forums around, bimmer post etc.

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Cheers simes. I thought I'd ask on here as there's a lot more, shall we say practical people than on the bimmer forums

I had looked at the 330 but they seem rarer and command a premium.

Bushes and the like dont really bother me as it's much the same with any car. Electrical gremlins, fuel system probs etc worry me aswell as rot although I can obviously check for this.

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Cheers simes. I thought I'd ask on here as there's a lot more, shall we say practical people than on the bimmer forums

 

 

I know - have you found any american sites yet? The ones where they buy their windscreen washer fluid from the dealer because it tells them to? At 60$ for 3L!

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

 

I know - have you found any american sites yet? The ones where they buy their windscreen washer fluid from the dealer because it tells them to? At 60$ for 3L!

I avoid the yank sites, uk ones are bad enough!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I avoid the yank sites, uk ones are bad enough!

 

Agreed!

 

Good luck with the hunt - they carry a premium because they are wanted and are actually a fantastic bit of kit - something to console yourself with!

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Swirl flaps, blown turbos and buggered/seized injectors. E46s tend to eat balljoints/bushes too. A workmate has an E46 320D MSport Touring from new, covered over 150k with none of the above problems though. Just get a good one! I'd love a 330d but they're hard to find.

 

What happened to the E30 tds project?

[jonb_5 6]

I bought a 330D msport last Christmas time and it is brilliant.

 

Its on 128k now and needs a little work, bushes etc but nothing major.

 

I know I shouldn't say this but the auto box is lovely, nice and easy but still very quick when you put your foot down.

 

I would drive a 320 and 330, I did and for me there was a noticeable difference, especially noticeable when towing my 205.

 

Good luck with the search.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

The swirl flaps are an easy thing to sort, I have done them for someone on a 2004 320d touring. Main one I'd look at is rusty wheelarches, seems to be very very common unfortunately.

I have to say when I drove the 320 it was nice enough but nothing magical, I'm sure you know what's coming next, what about another A4 and have it mapped?

[309jazzpanda 41]

My advice on a 320 would be to make sure the crank breather filter has the modified bmw one fitted not the original or landrover item. The originals are paper and block up which is the cause of turbo failure on these engines, get a Beemer filter and no issues

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Cheers gents! I'm go an avoid driving a 330d I rekon, I know I'll want one and I've set myself a strict budget on this car!

 

Right so piss flaps, crank breather, bushes/ball joints and rusty arches. I can handle that lot I rekon. I might halve my budget to make things a bit more interesting

 

Tom, if I had another audi it'd have to be at least as nice as my last one and I just haven't got the budget unfortunately, plus I'm still feeling the BMW/rear wheeled drive love

 

Alan, e30 tds is still in the gathering parts stage. I've unfortunately got very little spare time at the minute so it's on hold. It'll be done this year though

[John_B 11]

I've got a 325ci, I know you're after info on the diesels but I just wanted to say I think the e46 is a fantastic car. They're definitely more cruiser than sports car but really nice to drive.

 

I've done/ helped with a lot of jobs and they've all been relatively straightforward. The whole car seems well designed and built. Everything has come off easily which is impressive on a 12 year old car. Parts prices aren't too bad and there are so many of them 2nd hand parts prices are good- I had a rear suspension arm for £4 from a BMW breaker!

 

Not sure if it applies to the diesels but the radiators on the petrols seem to have a max life of 10 years and the front wings on the coupes are a weak spot for rust.

 

I've just bought new std shocks and they've transformed it although it drove pretty well on the knackered ones!

Edited February 23, 2013 by John_B

[yeti-dj 7]

Hello, I used to have an e46 330 m sport and it was a great car but started to need a lot of work at 90,000. If I got one again I would probably go for a higher mileage model that's had all the major work done that they start to need.

 

Problems they suffer from,

 

Uneven tire wear all round from failing bushes

Rusty front arches

Sticky thermostat

Faulty egr valve

Turbo problems

Injector problems

Auto box poor shifting

Swirl flaps failing

Oil breather blocking up

Leaking oil pipes to turbo

 

All fairly easy home mechanic jobs.

 

From the 330 remapped I got average 33mgp

 

If u get an auto pay for an oil change asap and get a few more miles out the box, made my car drive 100% better for a few hundred quid.

 

Sold mine not too long ago and bought a 335d turbo.

 

Happy car hunting

[feb 47]

RWD BMWs are rubbish on snow even on winter tyres.

 

I couldn't get it to budge on a small incline.

[welshpug 1,657]

How often does it actually snow enough here for that to be a consideration?

 

winter daps, bag of sand in the boot, drop the pressures, job done.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

How often does it actually snow enough here for that to be a consideration?

 

winter daps, bag of sand in the boot, drop the pressures, job done.

 

Too true. I only got stuck once in my old 120d, and that was because I had to stop at a Give Way at the top my hill. Only problem with dropping tyre pressures, if you have the option, is you get a constant warning alarm on the dash/speakers. It works with good effect, but the bong gets annoying!

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Yep, ours can't make it up our road after a light flurry.

However around a bend, a light dab of the throttle and you're the drift king!!

[feb 47]

How often does it actually snow enough here for that to be a consideration?

 

winter daps, bag of sand in the boot, drop the pressures, job done.

 

I think it needs an elephant in the boot.

 

Not that often but I was pissed off today with my experience, hence the post

 

A friend of mine lent me his car (320d on winter tyres) to pick him up from the clinic as he had a small operation today.

 

Without thinking much I parked at the indicated parking spaces in front of the clinic.

 

The mistake was that there was a very tiny incline.

 

Get back in the car and we wouldn't budge! Nothing!

 

Had to dig in the snow and put the snow chains in front of the wheel to get a surface the tyre could grip to before the car was able to move for half a meter.

 

Then we reversed back to a level surface before I was able to start again.

 

It wasn't as as deep as this but it was packed snow which I think is worse than deep fresh snow.

 

Is there a way to turn the DTC off completely? There is a mode that is supposed to lock the rear diff but my @$$, I hate electronic "aids".

 

It reminds me why I love Subarus, stay on the gas and after a few fishtails you are on your way again

Edited February 25, 2013 by feb

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Hold the dtc button down for 3 seconds.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Even when you've done that, the German killjoys won't let you go sideways though

[feb 47]

Do you mean the gestapo?

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Thought I'd update this! The more I looked at them the more I realised I wanted a fancy one so I blew the budget and got the one I really wanted

 

330d sport

 

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Nice - the Msport version.

Basically the E46 version of ours but with 2 more cylinders!

The seats are fantastic!

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Meant to be great cars them! Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it? 40mpg? I'm still deliberating over saving a few quid and getting something like yours, or spunking £15k or so on a E92 330d.

 

Your list of cars seems to be only Pugs and BMWs, apart from the single ringpiece (Audi). Does this purchase spell the end of the E30 325tds project?

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Meant to be great cars them! Do you mind if I ask how much you paid for it? 40mpg? I'm still deliberating over saving a few quid and getting something like yours, or spunking £15k or so on a E92 330d.

 

Your list of cars seems to be only Pugs and BMWs, apart from the single ringpiece (Audi). Does this purchase spell the end of the E30 325tds project?

I do really like it although the autos taking a bit of getting used to! I paid 3k for it but it's just about exactly the spec I was after 137k FSH, just had a recon box and the rear springs done, xenons etc etc, 12months test. Personally I think it was a bargain, it's very clean although there are a few jobs need doing.

I've not been using it everyday and when I do use it I 'enjoy' it so the mpg meter thing is reading dead on 30mpg. It does need the thermostat and glow plugs changing so this will improve mpg. I don't think I'll see 40mpg because of where I live and how I drive it, I imagine on a decent run you'd do way more then 40 though.

 

Audi and 306 have gone now and the e30 will still get done just too busy with other projects at the moment.

Edited April 12, 2013 by allanallen