arcon

hi all - i've got a 2001 320i, yesterday after ignition the car idled really rough and shaky for about 10 secs then died. i waited a bit, started again and it ran rough for a minute then smoothed out and ran normal. this has happened before on occasion, usually when i haven't used the car for a day or so (which was the case yesterday). is this nothing to worry about or is there something specific i should get checked...? its done 127,000Ks. any info much apprec.

sorry for late reply have been away for a while - specifically what does the repair involve..? i had Ace auto electrical look at it, i'm sure i mentioned the earths... they replaced all bulbs and cleaned some connections but i still have the problem. i feel the only way to fix this is to tell someone specifically what they need to replace (which wires, sockets etc) otherwise it seems ppl who have no experience with beamers don't know what to do with it.

i took it to an auto electric who cleaned some connections & replaced all bulbs. its mostly fixed now (right indicator doesn't blink fast after every ignition), its rare but both left & right will still occasionaly blink fast, only in really hot weather... lol. its not a big deal but just curious as to what this could mean...?

thanks for the info. where would be the best place to take it - BMW or auto-electrician...? i'm on the Shore. i have no idea what a relay is lol... roughly what would i expect to pay for it...?

nope, all genuine bulbs.

i have a 2001 320i, the first time the right indicator is used after ignition, it blinks really fast for a few seconds, then goes back to normal. yep... its not exactly a major but its weird and if it was going to be a relatively cheap fix i'll get it done... anyone know what this could be...? all bulbs are working AFAIK...

ok this has finally been fixed! after low speed tests was able to isolate noise to rears, RR with the constant squeal issue.. so took it to a different mech to check it out... basically i got screwed over when the rear brakes were done just over a year ago lol. cheapo pads had been installed... the pads had grooved the rotors pretty hard... skimmed rotors and replacement high quality pads on rears have eliminated the constant squeal, as well as made braking quieter in general.

thanks very much - i'll get the mech to check that when going for a wof this month

i have a reasonably loud squeaky brake noise that happens at a bizare time... basically after driving around for a bit, come to a stop... then start driving at low speed... then the noise hits. it sounds just like squealing brakes but can't be as the brakes are not being applied..? or even after applying the brakes and cruising at low speed, then it happens. at high speed the sound seems to dissappear... or perhaps i just can't hear it lol... its very annoying. my mechanic couldn't find the noise but i hadn't nailed down when it happens last time i took it... anyone have any idea what this could be...? 2001 320i.

thanks for replies, yep it was split in the intake pipe which the service centre replaced for me.

just a few days ago i had a "faulty engine air flow meter" replaced. it was apprently causing poor engine performance & the engine light to remain on. all up spent about 700 +gst. the performance didn't really improve... today it seemed really sliggish & now the engine light is always on again > obviously i will take it back for inspection but what are the odds its a new problem... or possibly a complete misdiagnose the first time round..? 2001 320i, 120Ks.

yep u would think bmw would've scanned it before calling to see what error codes come up...

just took E46 in for WoF at BMW. failed due to airbag light showing, which i'm 100% positive was not on before i took it in for the WoF. about 6 months ago it was lighting up and was fixed by another shop, relatively simple fix to repair the belt tensioner which was causing the airbag light to show. seriously what are the odds that it lights up now on the day of the WoF lol... feels really dodgy... EDIT: i should've mentioned they replaced the sparkplugs. can this cause the airbag light to come on?

Was driving my 2001 320i through Milford when the power steering cut out all of a sudden... managed to pull over & noticed the battery warning light was red, also temperature gauge at full but pretty sure there were no temperature issues. after a switch off & re-ignition 5 mins later temperature normal, battery light stays red, engine & all electrics work ok but still no power steering. i'm guessing a sensor of some sort.. but not sure what...? any hints & estimated costing would be great i've had it towed to a mechanic who will look into it Monday - over the phone he thinks the fanbelt has fallen off which caused it... sounds odd & i can still see the belt on... i'm sure a new fanbelt would cost more than a sensor tho lol...

can anyone provide a link to either a graphical overview of E46 dash warning lights & what they mean, or a link to the pdf E46 manual which should have it. i googled both but came up empty... lots of broken links to the E46 manual... cheers in advance.

north harbour auto electric - they didn't inspect it but just got the description i gave above, and that's what they recommended. i'll need a place on the shore.

I've got a 2001 320i, over the past week or so on start-up the battery light comes on (orange) and stays on for a while, then goes off. I've been told by an auto-electrician this means a problem with the alternator and will cost 500-600 to fix..? There are no mechanical problems that I'm aware of i.e. failed starts etc. Issue number 2 which may or may not be related... the speakers on my sound system occasionally cut out a bit.. its hard to describe but they don't die completely or switch off (there's no static), but it sounds like sometimes the sound out of a particular speaker is weaker, and sometimes the weakness switches from front to back. Although its intermittent, when it happens its very noticeable. This happens with all audio sources, radio, CD & mp3, so its not just a faulty mp3 input cable or similar. This has been happening for quite a while, about 2 or 3 months. Even though the car hasn't been examined I've been told what happened is one of the speakers will have caused a short so it would be best to replace all 4 speakers. ?? My sound system consists of a eAudio 480AB 4 channel amp, 2 x DLS front 5.25" (can't remember model of them or the Panasonic head unit but fairly decent, and factory rears. also a 10" rockford sub. purchased all about 3 yrs ago. any advice or feedback much apprec.

i need to get a new front 225/45/R17 for my E46. currently driving on old nankang NS1s which i've found have good performance but pretty bad noise... so i'd like both performance and reasonably quiet for around 250 if poss. which would be more suitable out of a toyo TR1 or toyo PX4... and what's the real difference between the two..? also the nankang NS2s are $50 cheaper which is attractive.. but again not sure if they'd be quieter than toyos..? any opinions welcome.

just following up on this - i had it checked out and its been traced to tensioners on the belts...? i hope that makes sense and i heard correctly lol. in any case there's a shortage on them in NZ right now i have to wait a week or so. i haven't been quoted yet but if anybody knows what sort of cost this would incur that would be cool.

when i accelerate my 2001 320i whistles lol... its not really loud but definitely noticeable and never used to be like that.... i have recently had new brakes/rotors but i can't recall when it started happening.. i think it was before that..? i have an oil service due in 300Km.

I'm told i'll soon need new front brake pads on my E46 (2001 320i sedan). before i shop around how much should i expect to pay for this..? thanks

not sure sorry... these are the style i'm after:

hey thanks for posting the photo unfortunately i'm looking for the style closer to my year of car.

any photos...?

this is a longshot but i'm after genuine bmw alloys, E46/2001 320i. pref 18".... i've seen several different styles of M3 wheel for the E46...? anyway i need to get some tyres replaced and curbage fixed so now's a good time to consider new wheels lol.