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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
e46 M3 engine reliability
- Thread starter Dogland
- Start date
The cars are typically used as weekend cars therefore high Kms are not covered with them
In the main BMW engines are almost bulletproof when it comes to sub assembly's and the bulk of the issues are at the top.Valve guides/vanos/valves/guide rails/timming chain.
At 200Km I would set R30-40k aside for head work and ancilliary components.
The cars we have worked on have all been relatively high milers with solid motors.
fwiw
In the main BMW engines are almost bulletproof when it comes to sub assembly's and the bulk of the issues are at the top.Valve guides/vanos/valves/guide rails/timming chain.
At 200Km I would set R30-40k aside for head work and ancilliary components.
The cars we have worked on have all been relatively high milers with solid motors.
fwiw
BillyBob
Active member
As has been said - E46 M3's don't usually get used as daily drivers.. so you don't see too many high mileage examples.
S54's need to be well taken care of...
Miss an oil change and whack the motor, and you'll wound up with spin bearings and a stuffed crank.
Cooling system stuffs out and you overheat the engine - guaranteed to collapse the rings and most likely crack the head.
Miss a shim adjustment service, and you're in for a head / valve train rebuild not too soon after that.
Bearing recall not done on a Pre-Facelift (remarkably common unfortunately) and it cooks the crank once the new owner flogs the hell out of it.
That being said - replace the oil every 10-12000 km, make sure all maintenance is performed as per schedule, do some preventative maintenance (replace bearings after 150k km, just to be safe, do the VANOS, etc) observe the warmup sequence religiously, etc... And there's no reason the motor shouldn't last for 250k+ km, provided you also don't rev it like a rental day-in and day-out.
A mate of mine sold his E46 M3 with 240k km on the clock... My previous E46 M3 had 220k km on the clock when it got jacked, and it went as well as the day it rolled off the assembly line.
S54's need to be well taken care of...
Miss an oil change and whack the motor, and you'll wound up with spin bearings and a stuffed crank.
Cooling system stuffs out and you overheat the engine - guaranteed to collapse the rings and most likely crack the head.
Miss a shim adjustment service, and you're in for a head / valve train rebuild not too soon after that.
Bearing recall not done on a Pre-Facelift (remarkably common unfortunately) and it cooks the crank once the new owner flogs the hell out of it.
That being said - replace the oil every 10-12000 km, make sure all maintenance is performed as per schedule, do some preventative maintenance (replace bearings after 150k km, just to be safe, do the VANOS, etc) observe the warmup sequence religiously, etc... And there's no reason the motor shouldn't last for 250k+ km, provided you also don't rev it like a rental day-in and day-out.
A mate of mine sold his E46 M3 with 240k km on the clock... My previous E46 M3 had 220k km on the clock when it got jacked, and it went as well as the day it rolled off the assembly line.
zaleonardz
Well-known member
out of context, but my E39 M5 had over 200k on it, and i drove the living crap out of that carm day in, day out, Aervice intervls with LiquiMoly was 7,500
I used my E46 M3 as a daily driver. Bought it with 12 000km's on it and sold it with 215 000 km's on it. Not one days shit. I changed oil every 10 000 km's instead of BMW's recommended 25 000 intervals and just maintained it properly.
There are a shit load of E46 M3's in the US running hard with over 200 000 km's om them.
There are a shit load of E46 M3's in the US running hard with over 200 000 km's om them.
My 2c:
Like any car, proper service intervals will give u the reliability u r looking for. Deal with 1 mechanic that knows these cars.
With any ///M car, the Pundits will always advise the best oils like TWS , LM etc. DON'T skimp on this.
My current e46 ///M SMG is currently on 180 000km & is a beauty to drive. Despite the negative publicity SMG's receive, I've only replaced the "salmon pink" relay.
I treat her like a virgin when she is "cold" but spank her like whore when she's "warmed up".:inlove:
Like any car, proper service intervals will give u the reliability u r looking for. Deal with 1 mechanic that knows these cars.
With any ///M car, the Pundits will always advise the best oils like TWS , LM etc. DON'T skimp on this.
My current e46 ///M SMG is currently on 180 000km & is a beauty to drive. Despite the negative publicity SMG's receive, I've only replaced the "salmon pink" relay.
I treat her like a virgin when she is "cold" but spank her like whore when she's "warmed up".:inlove:
pempimpin
///Member
e23 said:
:roflol::rollsmile:
like any car it depends how you treat it, start up in the mornings make sure the idle drops before driving and always doing regular checks on cructial components :thumbs: - service intervals ever 10k jus to make sure she runs in optimal condition :rollsmile:
K
Kobus328i
Guest
I have been told that BMW guarantee's the motors till 300k kms.
Andy1GP
///Member
I think there are a fair amount of high mileage S54's around but they are prone to get clocked back for resale. Simply because we all figure that a high mileage high performance car is going to cost a lot. The replies above are as good as you're going to get. I absolutely love these engines and would buy another one.
Correct, only here in SA do I see alot of low mileage M's, but abroad people seem to rack up the miles on the e46 m3's with no issues.
Yes, I've also researched and found that the pre-facelift models tend to run bearings and there was a recall from BMW to fix this. Not sure if the recall applied to SA.
I'm looking at buying a e46 M as a daily, but I fear the fact of running a bearing. My friend who works at Zeemax advised this is the first thing we should replace as preventative maintenance after buying the car, as recently they've had a few e46 m's (not sure of mileage) come in that ran bearings.
Yes, I've also researched and found that the pre-facelift models tend to run bearings and there was a recall from BMW to fix this. Not sure if the recall applied to SA.
I'm looking at buying a e46 M as a daily, but I fear the fact of running a bearing. My friend who works at Zeemax advised this is the first thing we should replace as preventative maintenance after buying the car, as recently they've had a few e46 m's (not sure of mileage) come in that ran bearings.
I think that the reason you won't find one with high milage, in the "For Sale" section is that once the car breaks the 200k km barrier, it's moderately not worth it to sell the car, what else will you be able to replace it with, that matches the value and the amount of car and power for the money... then there's also the topic of frequent oil changes and general maintenance, those are the winners in any argument... as the guys have mentioned above... also remember, I use mine as an everyday car, and treat her well, she treats you well...
raise:raise:raise: for the love of ///M
raise:raise:raise: for the love of ///M
as far as the bearing issue goes If you looking at a pre f/l go to bmw with the vin to see if the recall was done... if not i would have the bearings done...
I would not do this as preventive maintenance on all S54 because depending on where you take it the engine could come back in a worse state then when it went in... too many lucky packet mechanics out there willing to take on any job even if they dont know how to do it properly...
I would not do this as preventive maintenance on all S54 because depending on where you take it the engine could come back in a worse state then when it went in... too many lucky packet mechanics out there willing to take on any job even if they dont know how to do it properly...
It's difficult to give a price for a job like this , because one doesn't know what one will find upon opening the motor.
For example, if the bearings are showing signs of oil fatigue, then the cranksaft needs to come out for a polish.
It would be prudent to keep the figure of R20 000 in mind when planning to do bearings.
For example, if the bearings are showing signs of oil fatigue, then the cranksaft needs to come out for a polish.
It would be prudent to keep the figure of R20 000 in mind when planning to do bearings.
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