E46 Tales

zippy320

Well-known member
Dont forget the Belt tensioner as well as the water pump and Power steering pump lol

you can clearly see the BMW logo and part number scratched off , sometimes , they don't even bother scratching it off properly . Its amazing.

evnmopwr said:
Best thing about the E46, You can get Original bmw parts for aftermarket prices.. LOL

Experienced this when i replaced the Camshaft Exhaust sensor on me 325i. Member on the E46fanatics Forum told me to look for the "MADE IN GERMANY" Febi brand sensor on SA. He said when i remove the sensor from the box, i will notice the BMW LOGO scratched off on the sensor..

AND IT WAS EXCTLY THAT!!!!

Apparently the manufacturer of those sensors could not Resell the parts so they Sell it to FEBI to box it as FEBI's own product..

Paid R300 for that sensor while BMW Wanted R1500+- for it..
 

VinceM

Well-known member
I just realised that I have OVER-Capitalised by R100k on my cars (325ci and 330ci).
Spent R285k on them and at best I will get R185k should I need to sell.

Best I keep them for years to come.

Maintenance can be costly!
 

Tjoppies

Member
i understand the excitement of wanting to re-do as much as possible when getting a "new E46" , but like the post above you end up over spending so much on things that might not even need replacing.

i resisted the urge when i first got my 330i , i've done general maintenance over the last 14 months but she hasnt let me down once, so why spend capital when it's not needed.

granted stuff like the cooling system needs to be done if you dont have confirmation it was done in recent times.

i'm more inclined to take care of the visible things , make sure i spend money on proper shampoo's , steam clean interior every few weeks , get stone chips removed, clean the under carriage , remove the wheels and give it a proper clean....and replace something when it brakes or if you see it's about to retire soon.
 

VinceM

Well-known member
That’s so true, Tjoppies. That’s why I lost a lot of money on the 320i I sold (common shape, and spend tons of money on it that I could not recover)

At least, these two CIs will be with me for the foreseeable future.

I guess DIY vs. Mech all the time makes a difference too.
 
Top