HELLBM 1530 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Worst one we have had to repair. Most have very minor cracking if any. Highly recommended preventative maintenance. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B.M.W Ltd 950 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 I think I know this car... PM the Rego Ray and I'll check on Monday. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HELLBM 1530 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Now repaired and stronger than most. We went for overkill on this one just to make sure. Averaging one a week lately although most are just preventative. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2372 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 ugh, you know its horrific when you can see the cracks on the inside of the boot! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Thats incredible Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MISS BM 712 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Wow... And I thought mine was bad.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Is this a generic E46 problem or one that's generally limited to the M3? If it's broader than just the M3 how on earth did this happen? Are there any overseas threads going in to greater detail on the issue? I'm astounded that a problem like this is appearing on anything other than Soviet bloc and Chinese knockoff shitboxes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 What goes into repairing the usual e46 subframe cracks?Is it much like the e36? e.g Weld up and add reinforcements (or in my case replace both cross members)Do you use the expanding foam as well? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 It's really sad such an integral part of the car fails like this. Seeing it and experiencing it with my E36 was one thing, yet these E46s are even worse.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 Holy cow! Thats horrendous! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MISS BM 712 Report post Posted October 31, 2014 It's quite a big job. Long and lengthy. If it wasn't for the Hell BM team, no idea what I would of done. Here is the photo of the hole on my left side... Had a little cry when I saw it. My car is a 323ci for those wanting to know - so not just the M3s! I would recommend all those with E46 get it checked! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1870 Report post Posted November 4, 2014 Something you would expect from a great wall or cherry car. Someone in the e46 dev team buggered up. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted November 5, 2014 Is this a generic E46 problem or one that's generally limited to the M3? If it's broader than just the M3 how on earth did this happen? Had it on my 328. Had the subframe replaced and the replacement was heavily reinforced with steel plates for good measure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3_Power 636 Report post Posted November 6, 2014 (edited) No amount of welding or plates will fix that as it's an inherent design flaw. Interestingly when I was browsing at diecast cars I came across this photo - now I don't know how accurate these diecasts are, but if it is at all accurate (you'd think so as it was an official BMW dealer version), it seems that BMW knew about the issue and decided to reinforce it in the M3 GTR Road Version (which never actually made it into official production). Now I know a few companies make aftermarket version of these ... some better than others. But in my opinoin, these are the best ones I've seen (diff rear bolts are bolted straight to the bar in boot instead of the floor): http://www.masonengineering.net/Subpages/E46.htm Edited November 6, 2014 by M3_Power Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
