My Wife's '03 E46 320i - work in progress (DIY wherever possible)

Bayn46

Active member
Mastercraft tools are top quality, can never go wrong with them...so shinny :inlove:

Glad to see the DIY is going well :thumbs: After my first DIY I really changed the way I pre-planned, like plastic things that can snap, etc. Good to have spares lying around.
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Thanks guys! Yep, very impressed with the Mastercraft tools!

If I remember correctly I paid either R120 or R140 for the air filter at Midas - oil filter then for the other higher or lower amount. Oil filter includes the rubber O-ring and a replacement copper sump-plug washer.
 

Legacy

///Member
Philip Foglar said:
Thanks guys! Yep, very impressed with the Mastercraft tools!

If I remember correctly I paid either R120 or R140 for the air filter at Midas - oil filter then for the other higher or lower amount. Oil filter includes the rubber O-ring and a replacement copper sump-plug washer.

Why did you opt not to buy the OEM ones, if I'm not mistaken they are actually cheaper... :fencelook:
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Legacy said:
Philip Foglar said:
Thanks guys! Yep, very impressed with the Mastercraft tools!

If I remember correctly I paid either R120 or R140 for the air filter at Midas - oil filter then for the other higher or lower amount. Oil filter includes the rubber O-ring and a replacement copper sump-plug washer.

Why did you opt not to buy the OEM ones, if I'm not mistaken they are actually cheaper... :fencelook:

To be honest, didn't even cross my mind to get these from the agents - took for granted that they would most likely come with the vaseline. What do the agents charge for these items out of interest?
 

zaleonardz

Well-known member
Well, not true at all

Service gear from the agents are cheaper then the spares shop, proved this the other day again..
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
zaleonardz@DentDoctor said:
Well, not true at all

Service gear from the agents are cheaper then the spares shop, proved this the other day again..

Hmm, okay thanks, will bear that in mind next time. At any rate, I reckon I saved quite a bit on the oil which I bought from the Castrol depo rather than the agents or spares shop. :thumbs:
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Updated on my Wife's car:

1.) After the car went in for a regular service with the agents (so that I could get the FSH stamp) they recommended replacing the rear disks and pads. Was quoted R2390 for parts and R550 for labour. But since this is a relatively easy DIY told them to leave as is. They reported the blocked PCV on collecting the car and it then developed a massive missfire - bought the required parts and had a flat-bed collect the car and take to a specialist in my area to fit the new parts. All was fine although the power was down and for almost two weeks could not understand what was going on - turned out that they had not reconnected the Vanos, so while I was removing engine covers I noticed the loose connector, plugged in and problem solved!

2.) Okay, back to the brakes. Wanted to stick with ATE disks and pads and eventually got a very good price from Midas. Paid R2670 for front and rear disks, pads and brake wear sensors! Agents wanted almost R3000 just to do the rear brakes! And they also use ATE as far as I know...

All done, now just a bit of a clean up. Had to used loads of "gentle persuasion" with the hammer and penetrating lubricant to get the first disk off - the rest were the same process.

So, all four disks replaced and new pads all around, new brake wear sensors, copper slip on the backs of the pads and wherever some lubricating is needed, bolts etc.

Took the car for a drive to get the disks and pads to gently agree with each other, then went to my personal testing stretch and gave it a few up to 100 km/h and then hard braking until I smelt hot brakes, then gave them a cool off without allowing the car to be stationary, so no chances of heat soak.

Can already see that the cross-hash on the disks are practically gone, although there is still the rougher sounding noise when braking, so I reckon a few days and it will settle.

Will take some pic, more specifically of the old disks and pads - the rear disks were very worn, but the front pads were particularly worn and the disks too, so made sense to do all four in one go!
 

Philip Foglar

///Member
Hi guys,

So as promised, took some photos of the old disks and pads to show the amount of wear - the rear disks were very thin, but the front pads were also very thin, so made sense to replace the whole lot. Note the ridge on the disks and how little "meat" is on the front pads. Apart the wear, the brakes were still fine and did not shudder at all, but in the last week or so I did notice a "worn" type squeal, most likely from the front brake pads that were getting thin.

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And now, nice new shiny disks and new pads. Copper slip used in the required areas to prevent brake squeal and for general lubrication. This was the day after fitting so brakes already well on their way in to being bedded in - still some traces of the cross-hash evident though.

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This is my first DIY brake job and was very very satisfying to do, not to mention very cost effective! Dirty job, but next time I WILL use the gloves that I bought but ended up not using. :rollsmile:
 
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