Opinons on part brands for my 2002 E46 318i

[zippy320]

Hi Guys ,

My 2002 E46 318i Auto is nearing 200 000kms its on 195 000 as of this evening.

It needs a little bit of maintenance work done.

I was told that the front shocks have 40% life and the rear has 70%

As of last night , it sounds as if a wheel bearing is failing, I get a growling sort of metal touching metal noise, it gets louder while coasting , less when taking a bend to the right , more to the left and sort of ticks faster while driving in a straight line.

I was also told ( months back) that my propshaft coupling may need to be replaced. I couldn't understand why though as when I had the car up on the ramp the coupling looked fine , I do have a slight vibration while taking off or coasting (sometimes)

Also while under, I noticed 1 transmission mount looked chipped.

I also need new Disks and pads for the rear.


For the shocks I have already purchased a set of Bilstine B4 shocks for the back and waiting for stock from Goldwagen for the Bilstine B4 for the front. I will be buying new mounts and other bits from BMW)
( Iv heard many good things about bilstine shocks, I dont wish for a harsh ride, all I want is to maintain its original ride) My car has the standard suspension , not lowered. Have I made the right choice in this? The Original Saches from BMW are quite pricy.

Wheel bearings, I have purchased Bilstine fibi bearings for the back , I haven't purchased the front bearings yet . Are Bilstine fibi bearings ok? pricing on this wasn't bad either.

For the Propshaft, I will purchase the Meyle propshaft rubber (R568 Meyle , R1800 BMW) and decided to just purchase the center support bearing , sleeve and other bits from BMW.

For the transmission mounts , I purchased 2 Meyle rubber mounts. (R100 each )

The Disks , I purchased the FIbi Bilstine Disks for the back, but haven't purchased the Pads as yet.


Are the Meyle rubber parts good? They are significantly cheaper then the BMW parts.

And will I have issues with the Fibi Bilstine parts? Iv read that some here dont like the brand, I have used this brand on my control arm rubbers and they havnt given me a problem (been on for a year now). Will I have issues with the bearings and disks?

I can return any of these parts if I wish.

I appreciate all your reply's.

 

[KPM3_30]

Those are some good brands that you have mentioned. You can do a quick quote with Moranor as I know he stocks a few of those parts and can give you valuable advice.

I have a feeling I will also need to do wheel bearings soon, I get the exact same noise except it is only when I turn to the right (noise comes from the rear left) and at highway speeds there is a bit of a vibe from the rear. What was the cost of your bearings if I can ask?

 

[GPGrobler]

Have you tried Bearing Man for the bearings, I paid almost 70% less for SKF wheel bearings from them a while back, instead of the dealer's price for SKF wheel bearings in a BMW box, fuel injector O-rings R5 per O-ring from them instead of R33 per O-ring from BMW, R30 for the set of 6 instead of R198 for it :rollsmile:

 

[KPM3_30]

Have you tried Bearing Man for the bearings, I paid almost 70% less for SKF wheel bearings from them a while back, instead of the dealer's price for SKF wheel bearings in a BMW box, fuel injector O-rings R5 per O-ring from them instead of R33 per O-ring from BMW, R30 for the set of 6 instead of R198 for it :rollsmile:

Those are some great savings! :ty:

 

[zippy320]

Hi KPM 330

I paid R 295 each for the bearings from Gold wagen, I think before I fit them , I will have a look at the SKF bearings from Bearing man as suggested by GPGrobler . Those are OEM i think, and those prices he mentioned arnt bad at all!

@GPGrobler do they also sell the front wheel bearings/hub? I wish to change all bearings at the same time. If I can get the SKF , I will return the Bilstine Fibi parts.

My 1st step is to have all bearings replaced, including disks and pads , I purchased TEXTAR brand pads (heard its OE for my E46) Replace the prop-shaft coupling and center support bearing as well as any small bits I will buy from BMW.

Second step ( once the front shocks come in) replace all shocks with the Bilstine shocks and replace all the rubber mounts and pieces with the BMW parts.

 

[zippy320]

As suggested by GPGrobler , I went to bearing man here in Springfield park and they did not have the SKF brand in stock (Guy at the counter gave me some story about there being many fakes on the market , they dont stock this brand that much anymore etc etc ) but they had the FAG brand wheel bearings , the last two for R300 each!

I took those and returned the Fibi Bilstine ones to Goldwagen. It was only R5 more.

I dont think there's anything wrong with the FIbi Bilstine , but I felt more comfortable using the FAG brand.

Having my bearings , disks , Pads , prop shaft coupling , and center bearing fitted tomorrow .. I wonder if I should feel a difference in the drive? (apart from the wheel bearing nose and vibration on acceleration)

regards

 

[Yuben]

Febi Bilstein is a good brand in my opinion. I am currently using the Febi bushes in my control arms with no problems.
I would go with ATE pads. Go look at your brake booster and see what logo is on it....

 

[zippy320]

Just an Update from today

Thanks Yuben , I used the Fibi Bilstine disks and wheel hubs , with FAG wheel bearings. I have used the ATE pads before but to me it felt like a really hard pad, I used it many times on my E30 and once on the E46 and its always been very noisy , and seemed to damage the disks a lot more quickly , The TEXTRA brand that I used now , after reading many posts on Overseas forums as well as advice from a parts shop here in DBN , were all of the opinion that that is the same pad that BMW uses, And after taking my pads off the rear and comparing , I couldn't notice any difference between the two, In fact I think there was a number marked on the Textra pad that matched my BMW pad and the BMW pad looked like it had TEXTRA marked on it albeit smudged off now after being on the car for a few years, So far its been lovely, no noise , squeaking or anything of that sort. ATE is a very good brand though ! I use ATE disks all round on my E30 with the pads.

Regarding todays fitment.

Replaced everything above besides the Shocks, and front wheel bearings,disks, pads (these were fine), Additionally I had to replace the Wheel hubs as well as they were damaged. Car now drives Beautifully!
no more shuddering ,braking problems, squeaking , growling from the rear and its now smoooth and silent.
Reminds me of when we purchased it new in 2002

I was told that my shocks at the back are worn out so im going to change them . I need an opinion on what I should do with the shocks so will open another thread for this.

Was told that all the suspension rubbers were fine, in fact the Center support bearing on my car wasn't damaged , it was just the prop shaft coupling that was starting to wear. I had it replaced anyway .

Thanks guys .

 

[Yuben]

I take back my words on the Febi LCABş. They are shit and only lasted 12 months with no abuse. Rather stick to Meyle HD or Powerflex in future...

 

[zippy320]

Hi Yuben

I used Febi Bilstine for the Brake disks and wheel hubs
Fag for the Wheel Bearings
Mayle HD for the Prop shaft coupling , and the Transmission mounts
Bilstine B4 for the rear shocks
BMW parts for the shock mountings and whatever other part was associated with it.
BMW Center support bearing for the prop shaft.
Textra for the Brake pads (They are awesome thus far)

about 8 months ago I replaced the LCAB with the Fibi Bilstine , although they haven't failed as yet , I dont have so much faith in the brand as iv heard of many premature failures (after fitting them). I try and steer clear of the brand but for the disks and hubs I couldn't get any other at short notice.

So far everything seems fine. The car feels better (at the back) and less bumpy, no noises , prop shaft feels smooth .

In the new year I will start with the front end of the car.

 

[Yuben]

Glad to hear all is working out at the moment. :coolShake:

 

[AdiS]

I believe you mean TexTAR brake pads. Yes they are very good.

 

[Yuben]

Out of interest, how much do the Textar pads go for and where can they be purchased?

 

[DieselFan]

Out of interest, how much do the Textar pads go for and where can they be purchased?

Textar is an oem brand. And can be bought from imcomex afaik. Not sure on price.

 

[GPGrobler]

As suggested by GPGrobler , I went to bearing man here in Springfield park and they did not have the SKF brand in stock (Guy at the counter gave me some story about there being many fakes on the market , they dont stock this brand that much anymore etc etc ) but they had the FAG brand wheel bearings , the last two for R300 each!

I took those and returned the Fibi Bilstine ones to Goldwagen. It was only R5 more.

I dont think there's anything wrong with the FIbi Bilstine , but I felt more comfortable using the FAG brand.

Having my bearings , disks , Pads , prop shaft coupling , and center bearing fitted tomorrow .. I wonder if I should feel a difference in the drive? (apart from the wheel bearing nose and vibration on acceleration)

regards

Sorry, I did not mention FAG, German make, I put them on one of my previous E30's, I was very satisfied with them, I speak under correction, but BMW either sells the FAG or SKF in BMW boxes and charges you a fortune for this:

:thinking:

 

[zippy320]

Hi Yuben

I purchased them from Autozone , in Durban City branch (near the ICC)
They cost around R340 I think for the back . Very well priced, infact im thinking of purchasing a few spare just for later on.

The pads are really nice .

Out of interest, how much do the Textar pads go for and where can they be purchased?

 

[Yuben]

That's cheaper than ATE and OEM

 

[zippy320]

yup! they are ! and the seem to work so well!
@adis , your correct ! oops . Textar