Advice on the E46 320d and 330d

[pwnerer]

Hey all,

I think I have one post as an introduction but apart from that I am not very active on the forum. I'm looking for some advice though, and really hope someone is willing to help.

My situation is that I want to sell my car, and get a 3 series diesel for under 100k. Must have leather, a/t, and be decently looked after. I would prefer the 330d.

I currently drive an Astra OPC, and we just had a baby 2 weeks ago, so I need to get something with 4 doors, that can be a good, fuel efficient run around just for the year - because we are emigrating in 12 months anyway.

So the questions are such:

Does anyone have a car like this for me, that they are looking to sell?
What should I look out for when looking at the cars on the market. What are the common signs of misuse, or things going wrong?

An E90 would be great, but I doubt I can find one for that price.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pwnerer]

All these views and no replies?

 

[Kish2604]

Hi,

It's pretty simple what to do here, firstly stay away from the 320d in e46, however its the total opposite for the 330d, on e46 shape you shoud get a nice one for around 90k from a dealership, consumption is good and they not troublesome either, a simple test drive around the block will tell you if the car has been taken care of or not... Happy hunting...

 

[pwnerer]

Thanks for the feedback Kish.

I'm testing one on Saturday.

 

[wikk3d88]

Thanks for the feedback Kish.

I'm testing one on Saturday.

Higher mileage Auto box E46 330ds may require a rebuild (+- 25k)

 

[pwnerer]

Thanks for the feedback Kish.

I'm testing one on Saturday.

Higher mileage Auto box E46 330ds may require a rebuild (+- 25k)

How high is higher mileage? over 200k?

 

[wikk3d88]

Thanks for the feedback Kish.

I'm testing one on Saturday.

Higher mileage Auto box E46 330ds may require a rebuild (+- 25k)

How high is higher mileage? over 200k?

160kish

this thread refers.

....i sent the link via PM

 

[XMAX]

Hi There...


Sorry if I missed your welcome post, but Welcome to the forum.


Definitely stay away from the E46 320D... But all good for the 330D.


I have owned an e46 330D Auto. Car had over 225k km and did not have any issues with the Gearbox.


FYI... There were two E46 330D variants. The 2001 to mid 2003 had a 135KW / 390nm Torque engine, and the later models up to 2005 (which is when the E46 was stopped from production as the E90 came in) came with a 150KW / 410nm Torque engine.

It would be better for you to get the 150KW version obviously...


I would advise you to find a car with an auto box as they do seem better suited to the Diesel engine. With that being said, the Manual 330D can be an insane amount of fun.


you will have 4 specifications (generalised) to choose from:

1. Exclusive - Stock bumpers and usually with 17inch wheels, though some have come with 16's.
2. Sport Pack - Mtech 1 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, Should come with 17 Inch "Bars" rims.
3. Individual - Mtech 2 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, should come with 17 Inch "Cauliflower" Rims. The door step panel will read "BMW Individual" .
4. M Sport - Mtech 2 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, Should come with 17 Inch "Bars" Rims or sometimes with "Cauliflowers". The door step panel will read " ///M "

I apologise for mentioning weird names for the rims, but I do not know the Rim Style numbers and are using the names that I have come to commonly know the rims as. The most desirable of the above models is usually the Individual, but the ride is harder than that of an Exclusive model. Not bone shattering hard, but definitely harder.

Side Note: Ive got a 1 year old girl. If it were me buying this car after having a baby, I would still choose an Individual or Sport Pack or M Sport... but thats just me...



With regards to the cars... Do a history check on any prospective cars. Get the VIN Number, Call BMW or go to a dealership and give them the VIN Number. They will give you the history of the car up to the end of the Motorplan. you should also check the service books.

Drive the cars. be attentive for any weird noises. monitor the gearbox (if auto) for jerky changes. The changes should be smooth, and the car should not feel like it has a slipping clutch (revving but not moving as well)...


When buying the car (if from a dealership) perhaps ask them to change the Lower Control Arm Bushes and Expansion Tank. If they dont, you should as soon as you get the car as these are relatively inexpensive maintenance things to do on the car. If you are going auto, also remove the swirl flaps. you can read on this forum about swirl flaps and the menace they are.


When the car is bought... Add a Downpipe and Software. Not only will the car perform like a monster, but the consumption will actually improve significantly. there are 3 tuners who are advertisers on this Forum. These are Xcede, Promotec and Project Shift. All three have proven to do excellent work.

Sorry for the long post. I just hope this helps you.

 

[DouglasGP]

Hi, the most common issues with the E46 is control arm bushes and the whole control arm as well, when driving the car, feel for brake shudder when braking and pulling of the steering wheel to one side....also look out for a leaking water bottle by the radiator...and it must not be smoking excessively while driving it gently...

---

Also do what XMAS has suggested, then you will enjoy the 330d, a friend of mine picked up one for 89k from a dealership, a 2002 with 120000km on the clock,a sportspack with mesh grille and sports rear bumper auto, his been driving it for the past 4 months and no issues at all...also do a airfilter and oil service when you get the car.. they use 5w30 oil.

 

[pwnerer]

Great feedback, thanks guys! raise:

I doubt there are any BMW dealers that stock these old models any more though. So I'd have to go to a 3rd party dealer - is this correct?

Can you recommend any dealers in JHB north?

I think any car will have a soft ride after my OPC.

 

[Mike1]

Hi There...


Sorry if I missed your welcome post, but Welcome to the forum.


Definitely stay away from the E46 320D... But all good for the 330D.


I have owned an e46 330D Auto. Car had over 225k km and did not have any issues with the Gearbox.


FYI... There were two E46 330D variants. The 2001 to mid 2003 had a 135KW / 390nm Torque engine, and the later models up to 2005 (which is when the E46 was stopped from production as the E90 came in) came with a 150KW / 410nm Torque engine.

It would be better for you to get the 150KW version obviously...


I would advise you to find a car with an auto box as they do seem better suited to the Diesel engine. With that being said, the Manual 330D can be an insane amount of fun.


you will have 4 specifications (generalised) to choose from:

1. Exclusive - Stock bumpers and usually with 17inch wheels, though some have come with 16's.
2. Sport Pack - Mtech 1 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, Should come with 17 Inch "Bars" rims.
3. Individual - Mtech 2 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, should come with 17 Inch "Cauliflower" Rims. The door step panel will read "BMW Individual" .
4. M Sport - Mtech 2 Front and Rear bumpers and Sport Side Skirts, Should come with 17 Inch "Bars" Rims or sometimes with "Cauliflowers". The door step panel will read " ///M "

I apologise for mentioning weird names for the rims, but I do not know the Rim Style numbers and are using the names that I have come to commonly know the rims as. The most desirable of the above models is usually the Individual, but the ride is harder than that of an Exclusive model. Not bone shattering hard, but definitely harder.

Side Note: Ive got a 1 year old girl. If it were me buying this car after having a baby, I would still choose an Individual or Sport Pack or M Sport... but thats just me...



With regards to the cars... Do a history check on any prospective cars. Get the VIN Number, Call BMW or go to a dealership and give them the VIN Number. They will give you the history of the car up to the end of the Motorplan. you should also check the service books.

Drive the cars. be attentive for any weird noises. monitor the gearbox (if auto) for jerky changes. The changes should be smooth, and the car should not feel like it has a slipping clutch (revving but not moving as well)...


When buying the car (if from a dealership) perhaps ask them to change the Lower Control Arm Bushes and Expansion Tank. If they dont, you should as soon as you get the car as these are relatively inexpensive maintenance things to do on the car. If you are going auto, also remove the swirl flaps. you can read on this forum about swirl flaps and the menace they are.


When the car is bought... Add a Downpipe and Software. Not only will the car perform like a monster, but the consumption will actually improve significantly. there are 3 tuners who are advertisers on this Forum. These are Xcede, Promotec and Project Shift. All three have proven to do excellent work.

Sorry for the long post. I just hope this helps you.

I just want to say that this is excellent advice, this forum needs more of this, great post.:thumbs:

 

[XMAX]

Thanks Mike... I appreciate it.

@Pnwerer... You are correct... It would be very rare to find an E46 for sale at a BMW Dealership and would have to go to a third party dealer. I dunno the dealerships very well, so unfortunately cannot help you out there buddy.


Search Auto Trader, Car Find, Surf 4 cars and some of the auction sites as well. This is going to take a concerted effort on your part. Finding the right car is not the easiest thing as there are many lemons out there.


Good luck with the hunting.

 

[pwnerer]

I drove the one I was looking at. Goes nicely, good power, gear changes, and no slippage.

Only problem is that there is a dent in the boot lid and hail damage. The guy said he was quoted R2500 to repair all, but that seems a little cheap! Also, I have never known a bmw to have same size (width) front and rear wheels. Is it possible?

 

[Coisman]

I drove the one I was looking at. Goes nicely, good power, gear changes, and no slippage.

Only problem is that there is a dent in the boot lid and hail damage. The guy said he was quoted R2500 to repair all, but that seems a little cheap! Also, I have never known a bmw to have same size (width) front and rear wheels. Is it possible?

if its 225 then yip, possible... my 320d 2000 model had 225/45/16s all round if I remember correctly... :thinking:

At the moment my 325i 2003 model is running 245/40/17s all round, my choise though. :thumb:

 

[eend]

I had a 320d 2003 model at one stage and it also had the 225/25/16's on all round. That was an awesome car and I never had a days problem with it.

The insight in these posts have been very valuable for anyone looking for a 320/330d E46 - nice one chaps!

Now I miss my ol diesel!

 

[XMAX]

Hi again,

Glad you enjoyed the drive. Hope that you get it.


with regards to the tyre size. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the car having all 225's. The car will still handle perfectly. The reason that the guy fitted 225's all round is most likely cost. 245's are a fair bit more expensive that 225's.

All my previous e46's had the same size tyres at the rear and the front. Still perfectly acceptable.

 

[osiris]

330d = Great car, sporty drive and the car looks great! I have the 2004 150kw version with software and down pipe and its a monster! its a very fun car to drive.

Mine also has 225/40/17 all round but that will change when I do a tire change!

My advice is do regular oil services on the car, the air filter gets dirty fairly quickly and the oil needs to be changed regularly if you want the car to last. and most importantly for the turbo to last!

Let the car idle for a bit, Don't just switch it off straight away and let the car warm up properly before you start boosting the turbo, if you follow these simple maintenance procedures the car should give you no hassles.

Water bottle and control arm bushes are definitely a must.

Check the inter-cooler they have a known common flaw of leaking at one of the corners, I was warned about this! And when I took it out to check, It had a leak, this steels a shit load of power from the car, I gained 120nm from replacing my inter-cooler, as it had a terrible boost leak. (You will be able to visually see if the inter-cooler has a leak most of the time as it will have a huge build up of grime on one of the sides.)

If you want a good idea of all the little things that should be done and checked then have a look at Andy1gp's thread on his 330d, he has changed leaking vacuum pipes, swirl flaps, cleaned inter-cooler etc etc, his thread is very informative!

That's all I can think of for now :thumbs:

 

[Rommies]

Here is the link to Andy's thread:

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=30583

:=):

 

[zaleonardz]

Excellent advice given here.

+1 for not taking the 320d, actually my advice to stay away from BMW 4 cylinders in general.

I somewhat disagree with the manual/auto thing, the auto diesels are perhaps more drivable, as it revs pretty quickly, so the auto may know better, and driving a manual takes some getting used to.

That said, I drive a manual 530d which is the same motor, and I drive 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th with 6th having more power then what is good for me.

The one undeniable fact though about the auto's, torque kills auto boxes, diesels have high torque, therefore by association, if you get an auto, budget for a rebuild regardless of kms. I have heard guys cook boxes at 60k and know boxes at 300k that are still good.

Therefore, my advice is to get a manual 330d,

The tuna's are going to disagree with me, but if you do fiddle a bit with it, I believe the manual box is better, based on the high torque thing, and ZF builds amazing manual boxes.

You CANNOT make a mistake with the M57N motor. even the new generation diesels found in the current cars essentially the motor is the same, so they have kept the base design from the e46 era.

The fuel of Satan FTMFW !!!!

 

[Kish2604]

+100000 on what was told above....