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As an ex 4x4 guy I wanna see the the after picture with those 21 inch wheels and tires and road suspension Which 4x4 club was asked to assit in the recovery?

15/2/10 - SMG Info update 3/3/09 - Engine oil information update 24/04/09 - Updated rear subframe (first reported case of a CSL - extensive rear modificatoin and solid rear subframe mount - this case is more of an exception than the rule by the looks of things - the tear in the subframe was also quite minor compared to others I have seen) Well a friend of mine from the UK wanted to buy an used one of these and asked me about it. I decided to do a small write up for him on what to look out for when buying one. I've written it based on the 6 speed model (non SMG) and based on the UK specs (in terms of the CS model) - I will update this as I have time and include the SMG models and the CSL models. Most are based on my experience of these cars for the past 8 or more years and various research and reading from the net and some first hand experiences. It is by no means comprehensive and I will need to edit it from time to time. I thought it might be helpful to post this information up seeing that E46 M3s are starting to be very attractively priced. Errors and Omissions excepted: Models: E46 M3 (2000 ~ 2006) E46 M3 CSL (Jun - Dec 2003 only) The ultimate variant of this model E46 M3 CS (a watered down version of the CSL 2005 ~2006) Years to avoid: (in my opinion) 2000 ~ Aug 2003 production - Engine issues (big end bearing tolerance issue resulting in blown engines - worst affected year would be anything made in 2002. A full recall was done by BMW around the world on this, so should you be looking for a car in this age bracket, check with a main dealer that the big end bearing recall has been done) Desirability and model year changes: Whilst the CSL is the ultimate incarnation of the E46 M3, it isn't for everyone. It is a harsh car more suited to the track than the roads of Kensington. The alternative and perhaps a good compromise is the E46 M3 CS. This model has, in addition, to what you will find on an E46 M3: - CSL brakes (345mm on the fronts vs 325mm - larger rear pistons) - CSL suede steering wheel (very nice, but wears badly) - M-Track mode as found on the CSL (awesome on the track) - CSL steering rack 14.5:1 ratio (faster rack - absolutely brilliant) - CSL styled wheels - CSL exhaust system (except for the catalytic converter) The 'facelift' model came in early 2003: The main differences were: - LED tail lights (better looking and two stages depending on brake force applied); - longer boot handle (some say uglier) - Larger 16:9 navigation TV screen (if equipped) - Slightly different suspension, but hardly noticeable to be honest - more interior trim options (most came with the titanium trim) - some minor accessories became standard equipment (nothing to celebrate about) Issues: Focusing on the 3 main areas - mechanical, electrical and chassis I won't focus too much on usual wear and tear that you see on the inside of the car, as these should be obvious upon inspection. MECHANICAL: A. Engine big end bearing: - Original issue came from a third party bearing supplier tooling the tolerances too low, causing oil starvation and premature wear. - recall centered around new bearing sets and new oil pump. - recalled cars have been fine provided it was done properly in the first place. B. Rear differential:- Groaning noise when turning (when car is cold or first thing in the morning) - Actually normal given the high ratio multi plate locking diff that these cars carry. - There is a dealer SIB (service information bulletin) to correct this noise issue - involves a diff oil additive - majority of the cars will have had this done (but still prudent to check) - can get quite annoying after a while. C. Gearbox (6 speed manual): - As with all gearboxes, if treated well, they will last the miles. - Unit is made by Getreg (perhaps the best gearbox company out there), so it is a reasonably reliable gearbox, but higher mileage ones have known to wear synchromesh causing a grinding noise (usually 2nd and 3rd gear). New gearboxes are expensive. - Life time fluid isn't really life time - best to have it changed every 2 years. - Gearbox bracket bushes can wear if driven hard or car tracked often - When purchasing have these inspected as they are reasonably tricky to get to to replace. D. Clutch and flywheel: - Clutch wear depends on the driver. Being a self adjustable clutch kit you can't actually physically feel a difference through clutch engagement point (the self adjusting pressure plate supposedly keeps the engagement point the same throughout the clutch life - the clutch delay valve also hinders this feel in the pedal) - Best way to test this is to throw the car in 3rd gear, push down on the clutch, rev the engine to about 6500 - 7000rpm and drop the clutch and see if it slips (climbing revs without the incidental speed increase) or if you spin up the rear end and feel a thump in the drive train (clutch is good). - There's a usual clonking sound when the clutch pedal is pushed down (especially when coming to a stop abruptly) - this is normal (although you really have to know what you are listening to as there are other abnormal rear end clunks on this car) - this noise is simply the drive train slack and does not affect the overall operation or longevity of the vehicle. - There are some reported cases of flywheel issues, but not common (resultant humming sound) Personally I wouldn't really worry about this one - it's more an acoustic issue than mechanical (it's related to the dual mass flywheel) E. Vanos System: - the S54 engine vanos system is what's known as a high oil pressure system. Being dual vanos it operates on both the intake and exhaust side. - The system is a lot more reliable than those found in the E36 M3 - If you hear rattling noise like marbles in a can coming from the vanos system on start up ... walk away - Or if you hear similar sound as above with rising revs ... walk away. - very expensive to repair if broken ELECTRICAL: A. Ignition Coil: - these are known to fail - no particular cause really - just a wear and tear item. - Check that all cylinders are firing correctly - if not, usually it's due to a bad coil. - easy to DIY, but expensive part to purchase. B. Window regulators: - Expensive part - Have been known to fail on occasions - check that the windows go up and down smoothly and without odd noises from the motor. C. Passenger side airbag sensor mat: - Common part on the BMW to fail for some reason - expensive part (some NZ$380) - Airbag warning light comes on - easy to DIY, but very annoying fix, because you have to take the car to the dealership to have it recoded. D. Alternator and Battery - These are known to go between 60 - 80k km ... especially the alternator. - expensive part brand new from BMW ($1200 for the alternator) - Batteries are about $250 E. Everything else electrical on this car: - Being a modern BMW, nearly ever aspect of the car is electronically controlled, this will mean a trip to the dealer for them to hook it up onto a dealership service computer to clear error codes or to simply programming in new replacement parts before it will start to work. - Luckily not a common occurrence CHASSIS: A. Springs and shocks: - the rear springs are known to snap (attributable to weather condition and other factors - ie. salt on the roads) - It is a warranty repair item, but do check for broken rear springs. - You should hear a noticeable clunk noise when going over bumps and judder bars - Shocks do wear out after about 70,000km (lack of damping or rebound characteristics - i.e. lack of control - M3s should drive like its on rails) - Original shocks can be quite expensive - aftermarket alternatives makes much more sense when they wear out (popular upgrade also) B. Rear Shock Mount: - This is the rubber mount on the rear shock - a very weak design in the car and is known to crack and break - Take off the rear wheel to inspect (look up at the shock mount and look for cracks in the rubber) - Usually require changing after 30,000km and shorter if car is tracked. - If not attended to can lead to torn rear subframe mount and floor (see below) C. Rear Trailing Arm bush (RTAB): - common failure part - circa 50,000km - can only be seen with car up on a hoist - usual cracks in the rubber - this is a very important bush as it controls lateral movement in the suspension and twisting action from the rear chassis torque transfer - if left unattended can lead to subframe mount and floor cracks (see below) - Cheap part, although labour intensive to replace (I have a special tool for this, so not to worry) - Common upgrade is polyurethane bushes (if the car came with these, all the better) - you will hear some creaking noise however with poly bushes - to test if the RTAB is worn, you will notice the following: - Wallowing rear end under acceleration and braking (i.e. the car moves from side to side under heavy acceleration in a rolling start) - the car pulls to one side excessively when braking hard - Knocking sound when turning (although this can be something else also) - Generally speaking the rear end won't feel 'planted' - test this on a flat straight surface D. Front Control Arm bush: - the front equivalent of the rear trailing arm (the bush is located on the aluminum front lower control arm (triangular shape)) - Inspection from under the car - wears out like the RTAB - Front end instability under heavy braking (pulls to one side or wallowing) - Cheap part, but a pain in the ... to change E. Rear Subframe Mounting Floor: - Unfortunately the E46 chassis suffers from a similar catastrophic chassis failure like the E36s - The rear subframe mounting floor can crack and be completely torn off if: - the car has been abused excessively (wheel spins, drifting ect) - Heavily tracked without constant monitoring of the rear bushes - hard impact damage from pot holes - worn RTAB, rear shock mount, and rear subframe bushes - Lift up the boot floor carpet and look for stress cracks in the metal floor (look at the metal joints and sealed joints) - Look under the car floor by the rear subframe mount points (there are 4) - the rear subframe is the big black metal bracket that the rear differential is bolted to (check the rear diff bushes also). - The common points that tend to get torn first is (looking from the rear of the vehicle) left front and right rear - but check all 4 mounting points. - You really need to have the car up on a hoist to check this - Cars made after late 2003/early 2004 had a different rear subframe carrier floor mounted and are supposedly less likely to develop this failure. - the only way to fix this is to disassemble the whole rear end, including taking out the fuel tank and lots of welding. There are re-enforcement kits out there - if you are buying a car with this re-enforcement kit already installed then all the better (provided it was done properly) - Some cars don't actually have a noticeable knocking noise from the rear until the floor is completely torn off (so seeing is better than hearing for diagnostic) - There is a BMW TIS information on this and allows for initial stress fracture repair using and injected structural form. Only works if the stress lines are less than 20mm either side of the mounting hole - anything larger and it's a full floor repair. - [Edit 24/4/09] - THERE'S now been one CSL reported with the subframe tear (Steve Gill's car - he frequents the Nurburgring A LOT (lots of his videos on youtube) - it's a fully resprayed Alpine White CSL) - Few things that make this case unique however - this car runs SOLID rear subframe mounts rather than rubber bushes and it also runs Intrax full coilovers including the rear with really heavy spring rates (stock set up has separate springs and damper set up) - Given the extensive tracking of Steve's car and the solid rear modifications (no roll cage or bar) one can assume that this might be an exception - there fore the comment below would still stand in my opinion ------ No CSLs have been known to have this issue (as strange as it may sound, it is a fact - one would think that a torque induced stress failure would be more prevalent on a higher powered car with almost slick tyres, yet there have been no reported failures on CSLs - some have suggested that this may be a weight thing, given the CSLs are over a 100kg lighter; others propose that CSL owners are fanatics and maintain their cars to a lot higher standard, hence the lack of the failures) So that's about all the MAJOR issues you need to know when looking for an E46 M3. Don't be phased about buying one because one of the above could potentially go wrong - the reality is, it is a rare occurrence and good examples are aplenty if you take the time and effort to look for it. There are a couple of things that I have not gone into, such as worn brakes, brake discs (warping - juddering under braking) - or accident damage repairs (which should be obvious). ENGINE OIL .... THERE IS ONLY 1: - There are mixed information out there about the engine oil for the S54B32, some say there's two approved oil out there, whilst others stand by the fact that there's only 1 approved BMW engine oil for this motor. - THERE IS ONLY ONE APPROVED BMW ENGINE OIL FOR THIS MOTOR PERIOD!! So where's the confusion coming from? - well put simply, different branding between different continents. And the initial information from BMW that Castrol RS 10W-60 was also an approved oil in the Training manual for the S54B32 - it no longer is and have not been since end of 2002 when engines started blowing up. The ONLY Approved oil is: Castrol TWS 10W-60 (or the UK equivalent Castrol Edge 10W-60) - These two are the SAME OIL, just different branding between different continents. Castrol Edge "Sport" 10w-60 IS NOT AN APPROVED OIL and not the same as the UK version of Castrol Edge 10w-60 Here's the spec for the TWS TWS Motorsport 10-60 Relative density @ 20.0 deg C = 0.865 Viscosity at 40 deg C = 163.1 Viscosity at 100 deg C = 24.3 Viscosity Index = 181 Flash Point (closed) deg C = 198 Pour point deg C = -42 TBN = 8.1 Information on: Castrol Edge in the UK http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdeta...ntentId=7027067 Castrol TWS data sheet http://www.tds.castrol.com.au/pdf/4247_TWS...397_2006_09.pdf In comparison to Castrol Edge "sport" data sheet (you'll notice quite a difference between the two) http://www.tds.castrol.com.au/pdf/4398_EDG...0W60_200601.pdf So remember to put the correct oil into your motor. Oil spec SMG Info: I would do a write up on SMG, but to be honest I'd just be repeating this thread http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=231113 The above is the best source for all things SMG (bar the workshop manual and service tech information booklet). There's a couple of things that can go wrong with the SMG, mainly eletrical (relays, sensors - there's multiple of them) and some hydraulic (the pump itself or the pressure accumulator) and the least mechanical (compression spring or synchronmesh). All in all it is actually a fairly reliable system - the trouble is your generic OBD2 tools can't diagnose what is wrong with it. If any of you with a SMGII or SMGIII car wants a diagnostic on the Autoenginuity tool, hit me up - more than happy to hook it up and see what is wrong with it.

So after owning my car for 9 months now its time for an update! When i first got it i just drove it and enjoyed it alot Then the opportunity came up to buy a manual pre facelift 323i coupe in a very sad state that Luke (Boost Junky) sourced, i jumped at the opportunity as this would kick start the manual conversion stage so after about 3 weeks and hours of work we had completed the manual conversion, before the manual conversion i started looking around for some nice rims and found a few sets i liked on Trade Me so after a long time of decision making i purchased the 17x7.5 Wolf rims, but i still needed something more to make the car "mine" so i purchased an mtech2 fibreglass kit off www.tyremate.co.nz and sent my car off to Matt who i contacted through Travis (naughty bmw) here in New Plymouth. It wasn't looking good, the kit needed ALOT of work to even get it fitting on the car (even though it was brand new) so some HUGE hours went into this, while this was happening i got rubber on the rims and purchased a set of 60mm Jamex springs. Then after getting my car back just over a week ago the new springs went in along with the new rims and the German plate i purchased in the recent groupbuy! A big thanks must go to Luke for the many hours he spent helping me and also to Matt for the work on the kit If anyone ever needs fibreglass work or painting done in the Taranaki area i would highly recommend Matt (ROGUE DESIGN) Heres the finished product ENJOY Blair

Back Box. $250 Good Condition, some surface rust. Nothing too serious. Get your grinder out and stick it on your 318. Rest of the system is also available.

As above from Steve - get a LSD for your 335i if you want to sort out the traction issues Also the RFT's on mine were terrible, one of the best changes (esp for getting traction) was switching to the Michelin PSS

Get a Limited slip diff, not sure if they are available for 2011 yet. Will stop the one wheel slipping and engaging the traction control. I have one for my 07 335i Touring.

Le Corkscrew

Buy it, strip the paint off it so it rusts and lower on BBS RS.

Hopefully!

That's not good! Mate an I did the centre swap from open to lsd centre with no such issues like this and we are idiots hahaha

laguna Seca is a very hard track to get right, doesn't matter what game i have played with it in there. that sweeper after the longish straight gets me all crossed up, and then that really tight S bend with the weird camber... haha

I saw this today, graphically very impressive

Would be very interested to hear the outcome of this. The oil you drained looked slightly worse than the fluid that was in my 3.73 after I completed the manual conversion. 170000km on what I assume was the factory oil, certainly no indication it had ever been changed

I bet there is some clause that it voids the factory warranty though. my definition of a capable offroader must be very different to yours i think Jon. not some nancy boy stuff they probably do at the BMW sponsored days. Nothing like taking a 4x4 to its very limits, THAT tests its capabilities. I bet my GQ Patrol will go more places than that X5, and all it has is a rear LSD. No wizardry of any kind, and its the same size truck. edit: that said, wouldn't mind taking this one for a squirt

LOLOL you sir, best post today. Surprisingly it does have those things. and a jack too. None of this stupid gooey tube crap the new BMWs have. it also had a sticker saying "pardon my swag" on the back window, but i wasn't sure what swag was, maybe some sort of infectious disease it caught while in hamilton??? so i took that off.

Just an update. Took advice of those above and in Jan 2013 tipped in 6.5 litres of Castrol Edge 5w30 when car had done 99,000 kms. Did 9,000 kms and changed it in Feb this year (2014). Came out looking and smelling hardly used. Underside of oil filler cap looks cleaner than when I bought the car (see above, Allanw's post of 24 Dec, 1st para). 95% of trips are 4km commutes in moderate Auckland traffic (Manukau Road, Epsom) and several cross country runs (Napier, Wanagnui etc). Uses around 250ml per 1,000 km around town and almost nothing on country runs. Have been able to buy the oil for my and my daughter's car from Supercheap Autos for $55 per 5 litres just by waiting for specials and buying then rather than waiting until the day I need it.

*thumbs up* Proving it's more than an expensive shopping trolley for toffs

Looks very nice, I love the colour combo. Just need a some 15" baskets!

i already know michael will buy this for his E36

Those 4 stud reps look rad

Nice!! Very tidy!

Welcome to Bimmersport.

Does it do phat skids?

cheers

Hey Guys, Myself and a few friends have booked for this event - looking to see if anyone else was keen to make it worth renting a garage for the day at the same time , let me know thanks

I was going to buy this. I love it. By any chance do you want to sell it

Hi David, I wouldn't recommend an oil flush - if the engine is dirty, it may release crud that blocks the pickup. If it even works! The ones that did work used to cause havoc on some cars when the crud blocked off the oil pickup or things like oil spray bars. Better to use a good oil that may help clean things VERY slowly. The M54 motors seem to collect sludge under the filler cap. I thought ours was a bit grubby (firm brown very small lumpy bits) and that it may have had a lack of oil changes in the past. When I did the Vanos seals, I took the rocker cover off and was actually stunned at how clean it was inside - seriously shiney with just a very light clear golden coating on the non-moving parts etc. The plastic cover itself was a bit grubby, but I assume that's a "cold" bit too. Same when I did the oil filter housing gasket too. I brought a new oil cap and fitted it just after the oil change, and it's done about 6500 kms and already has some tiny brown lumps - I guess because it's a "cold" part of the engine, the oil vapours condense there. And for Qube: I think the 5W-30 is A3/B4 anyway (or can be purchsed as such anyway). It may not meet the BMW LL-01 spec, but it's obviously not a bad oil. I don't like the 23,000 or so kms our car would run according to the standard SI interval!