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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
My E46 330i
- Thread starter K0dAx
- Start date
K0dAx
Active member
So it's been a while since I've updated here. The car has been great, I really enjoy how raw it is. I've spent most of the time learning the car, doing some maintenance and trying to basically get more familiar with the car. The goal is to be more hands on in terms of DIYs and I started off well but that got to be a bit short lived. Okay, on to the updates:
1. Replaced the thermostat after I noticed that it was taking too long to reach the mid point and dipping to the lower side on the highway. I researched the DIY extensively and did it with the help of a friend. It was replaced with a Behr unit from Goldwagen and we tested the car for about 3 hours. That would be known as my first and only DIY to date
(really need to change that)
2. I was having issues with the alarm going off randomly so I replaced the battery with an OEM unit from ABM.
Whilst at ABM, I also got a weighted gear knob and I love the thing! The old shifter had some green tape which had to be removed to install the new shifter.
Sometime in the course of the year I relocated to Pretoria, which I'm glad for because of the access to more knowledgeable people and because of the fanatics community active here. So with that in mind I paid Warren (Gizmo) a visit as there were a few things that needed to be sorted out on the car.
3. Warren took care of the following :
-replaced slip ring, had issues with the horn and some buttons on the wheel.
-worn gearbox mount
-replaced ccvv drain tube
-replaced the guibo and reinstalled the diff mount (was on backwards) and that solved a vibration I would experience in 1st and 2nd.
-replaced a leaking hydraulic hose.
He is very thorough and efficient in his craft
.
Next item on the maintenance is brakes and hunting for whatever vacuum leaks are left.
That's all on the maintenance, now for the fun stuff
I went to the BMWFanatics birthday braai and as my first social car event, I was excited for it. Very lovely cars there and good company as well. It was a hoot!
Got the stickers (thanks Firi) and took that time to clean up the look at the back.
Lastly, the Breakfast Run. That was my first run as well and a great experience.
That's about it from me, for now. Thanks for reading!
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
1. Replaced the thermostat after I noticed that it was taking too long to reach the mid point and dipping to the lower side on the highway. I researched the DIY extensively and did it with the help of a friend. It was replaced with a Behr unit from Goldwagen and we tested the car for about 3 hours. That would be known as my first and only DIY to date
(really need to change that)
2. I was having issues with the alarm going off randomly so I replaced the battery with an OEM unit from ABM.
Whilst at ABM, I also got a weighted gear knob and I love the thing! The old shifter had some green tape which had to be removed to install the new shifter.
Sometime in the course of the year I relocated to Pretoria, which I'm glad for because of the access to more knowledgeable people and because of the fanatics community active here. So with that in mind I paid Warren (Gizmo) a visit as there were a few things that needed to be sorted out on the car.
3. Warren took care of the following :
-replaced slip ring, had issues with the horn and some buttons on the wheel.
-worn gearbox mount
-replaced ccvv drain tube
-replaced the guibo and reinstalled the diff mount (was on backwards) and that solved a vibration I would experience in 1st and 2nd.
-replaced a leaking hydraulic hose.
He is very thorough and efficient in his craft
.
Next item on the maintenance is brakes and hunting for whatever vacuum leaks are left.
That's all on the maintenance, now for the fun stuff
I went to the BMWFanatics birthday braai and as my first social car event, I was excited for it. Very lovely cars there and good company as well. It was a hoot!
Got the stickers (thanks Firi) and took that time to clean up the look at the back.
Lastly, the Breakfast Run. That was my first run as well and a great experience.
That's about it from me, for now. Thanks for reading!
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
K0dAx
Active member
Update time:
I had a vibration for a while and brake shudder and to top it off, my Valeo Alternator packed up. After doing some reading and consulting some people more knowledgeable than me, I had an idea of what needed to be done. I consulted @Danny@DSCmotorsport who not only helped me with finding the best prices for the parts I needed but also carried out the work and made sure everything was perfect. All praises to the man for his knowledge and willingness to help.
Work done was:
Engine mounts, mine were destroyed, hence the vibration.
They were definitely overdue.
The Valeo alternator was replaced with a Bosch unit
Front pads, front discs and rear pads were also changed. This eliminated the brake shudder completely.
Whilst the car was under the knife, it also got a secondary cat delete just for a bit of better sound and after driving it for a bit, I am happy with the results.
All in all, the car is tonnes better now and I couldn't be happier. That's all, thanks for reading.
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
I had a vibration for a while and brake shudder and to top it off, my Valeo Alternator packed up. After doing some reading and consulting some people more knowledgeable than me, I had an idea of what needed to be done. I consulted @Danny@DSCmotorsport who not only helped me with finding the best prices for the parts I needed but also carried out the work and made sure everything was perfect. All praises to the man for his knowledge and willingness to help.
Work done was:
Engine mounts, mine were destroyed, hence the vibration.
They were definitely overdue.
The Valeo alternator was replaced with a Bosch unit
Front pads, front discs and rear pads were also changed. This eliminated the brake shudder completely.
Whilst the car was under the knife, it also got a secondary cat delete just for a bit of better sound and after driving it for a bit, I am happy with the results.
All in all, the car is tonnes better now and I couldn't be happier. That's all, thanks for reading.
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
Finally got to see this car in the flash a late last year, what a colour 
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-N975F using Tapatalk
K0dAx
Active member
Small update.
A few months ago in a moment of spacing out I hit a parking pole and dented the right fender
, after panicking a bit I settled down and cleaned it out. With the help of @Jeremy I managed to get the dent pulled out somewhat.
I never got a chance to go back to him to finish up as I got tied up with work stuff and soon after that, 2020 happened.
I did the headers a few months ago and that definitely livened up the car. The sound is subtle under normal cruising but go over 3000RPM and all hell breaks loose(relatively speaking). It has no drone and it sounds pretty good.
After that I did a service at 10000km by @Danny@DSCmotorsport and changed all the filters which made it a much happier car especially with the fuel filter.
I recently had a vacuum leak so I got a smoke test done at @John@Leo Haese Bosch Hatfield which showed me the source of the leak as the lower intake boot so I bought both intake pipes and replaced them. I also checked the DISA whilst I was there and that was perfect.
That's relatively it. Some random pictures.
I enjoy the car but I have also caught the diesel bug so I'm contemplating putting it up for sale soon.
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
A few months ago in a moment of spacing out I hit a parking pole and dented the right fender
, after panicking a bit I settled down and cleaned it out. With the help of @Jeremy I managed to get the dent pulled out somewhat. 
I never got a chance to go back to him to finish up as I got tied up with work stuff and soon after that, 2020 happened.
I did the headers a few months ago and that definitely livened up the car. The sound is subtle under normal cruising but go over 3000RPM and all hell breaks loose(relatively speaking). It has no drone and it sounds pretty good.
After that I did a service at 10000km by @Danny@DSCmotorsport and changed all the filters which made it a much happier car especially with the fuel filter.
I recently had a vacuum leak so I got a smoke test done at @John@Leo Haese Bosch Hatfield which showed me the source of the leak as the lower intake boot so I bought both intake pipes and replaced them. I also checked the DISA whilst I was there and that was perfect.
That's relatively it. Some random pictures.
I enjoy the car but I have also caught the diesel bug so I'm contemplating putting it up for sale soon.
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
Sorry about the mishap but nice work otherwise..
You will eventually regret selling, the diesel is fun and everything, but there's something about petrol power and an awesome exhaust note.. I sold the 320d because I missed the power delivery from the petrol.. If you looking for fuel economy however, its hard to beat the diesel.
You will eventually regret selling, the diesel is fun and everything, but there's something about petrol power and an awesome exhaust note.. I sold the 320d because I missed the power delivery from the petrol.. If you looking for fuel economy however, its hard to beat the diesel.
K0dAx
Active member
I just had this conversation with a friend of mine after taking a short drive and I agree, what it lacks in power or raw acceleration it makes up for with the super linear powerband and the drama. I love it and I don't think I'm all that ready to let it go after a second thought.KPM3_30 said:
Sent from my STK-L21 using Tapatalk
Yeah it really bummed me out when it happened, but now that I've taken a drive to clear my head I'm going to replace the fender down the line and get the front repainted (especially considering the hens teeth that's a ABM f/l fender).Kyle said:
Currently the mileage is just over 190200km. I didn't check the condition of the filter that was there, when I replaced it I was getting misfire with fuel cutoff so I just had that changed as well to rule it out.
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K0dAx
Active member
So between the last update and now I had a few items on my to-do list that needed to be done on the car and the other stuff was more for piece of mind. Starting with the latter, I had a random misfire on fuel cutoff that I had been hunting down so the first step was to change the PCV system as I also had a bit of smoking on takeoff at the time. I took the car to @Danny@DSCmotorsport and he changed the PCV valve and all four pipes that connect to it and that solved the smoking and had the idle back to normal. I still had a misfire so next was to change the fuel pump as I thought that was the primary culprit.
Old:
New:
This showed a marginal improvement but I still had a bit of hesitation under load (eg 20km/h pull in 3rd after taking a corner) and after a while it turned into a full blown misfire on Cyl 2. Tested the coil pack and it was dead so I decided to replace all 5 remaining coil packs at the same time and that was the end of that. Haven't had any misfires or hesitation since and I'm glad.
To rule out vacuum leaks I ended up making a DIY smoke machine with a vape pen, balloon, surgical glove and a vacuum hose and it worked perfectly producing a lot of smoke. There were no leaks at all which is always good.
DIY smoke test:
For the former, I fixed the rear window regulator which was getting stuck every now and then when winding up the window and I replaced the glove compartment the one that was on there had seen better days.
The ride had always been rough on the car so I knew it was due for new shocks so I got front and back Bilstein B4 shocks with front and rear shock mounts as well as the bump stops. I also got transmission mounts as there was a bit of vibration from the lever on take off. With all the parts sourced I went to @Danny@DSCmotorsport to get everything done and to noone's surprise, everything was done to perfection. During the job, Danny discovered that one of the rear tyres had a cut in it so I had that replaced.
RIP tyre:
After everything was done, the ride was significantly improved. The car feels more sturdy and I guess the difference is to be expected given the condition of the old rear shocks and bump stops.
Old rear shock and bump stop :fencelook:
With everything done the car is pretty great now. I still have a few things I want to do but that will be some time down the line.
I'm grateful for @Danny@DSCmotorsport for his assistance in this whole exercise (and many others), the man is consistent in his craft and conduct, a commendable gent of note.
Now, enough talk, pictures!
Complementary air freshener:
An attempt at pictures:
An attempt at capturing some sound:
Thanks for reading!
Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
Old:
New:
This showed a marginal improvement but I still had a bit of hesitation under load (eg 20km/h pull in 3rd after taking a corner) and after a while it turned into a full blown misfire on Cyl 2. Tested the coil pack and it was dead so I decided to replace all 5 remaining coil packs at the same time and that was the end of that. Haven't had any misfires or hesitation since and I'm glad.
To rule out vacuum leaks I ended up making a DIY smoke machine with a vape pen, balloon, surgical glove and a vacuum hose and it worked perfectly producing a lot of smoke. There were no leaks at all which is always good.
DIY smoke test:
For the former, I fixed the rear window regulator which was getting stuck every now and then when winding up the window and I replaced the glove compartment the one that was on there had seen better days.
The ride had always been rough on the car so I knew it was due for new shocks so I got front and back Bilstein B4 shocks with front and rear shock mounts as well as the bump stops. I also got transmission mounts as there was a bit of vibration from the lever on take off. With all the parts sourced I went to @Danny@DSCmotorsport to get everything done and to noone's surprise, everything was done to perfection. During the job, Danny discovered that one of the rear tyres had a cut in it so I had that replaced.
RIP tyre:
After everything was done, the ride was significantly improved. The car feels more sturdy and I guess the difference is to be expected given the condition of the old rear shocks and bump stops.
Old rear shock and bump stop :fencelook:
With everything done the car is pretty great now. I still have a few things I want to do but that will be some time down the line.
I'm grateful for @Danny@DSCmotorsport for his assistance in this whole exercise (and many others), the man is consistent in his craft and conduct, a commendable gent of note.
Now, enough talk, pictures!
Complementary air freshener:
An attempt at pictures:
An attempt at capturing some sound:
Thanks for reading!
Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
