Federation12

Morning!
I still float around on these forums, didn't ever get a notification that this thread was still going until I saw Cody's PM.
The car has been sold now sadly, but I did get to the bottom of these issues before it was sold. I still keep my eye out for a 135i at the right price, and I'm hoping that the E39 ute project gets resurrected at some stage

The main things that fixed it were a PCV system overhaul (i accidentally bought the cold weather one but it fit up fine), and new ignition coils. I did both of these at the same time so I couldn't say which one sorted the issue. 
At the age of these cars now, if both of these haven't been done then they're a worthwhile task. 

What key did you make? With or without remote control? Can you please post a photo? Also what was the exact cost? Cheers

Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk

I was told mine was the most expensive because the whole key needed to be replaced, not just the transponder(?). Early E46 keys will still start the car regardless of the door controls still working. Sorry haven't done a whole lot of research on keys, more something I like to leave to the professionals.

The place is around the back of 930, there's a garage and a big 26 above the door. If you go there, you'll find it easy.

It's not worth ringing, but after seeing some of the stuff he was working on (VW's that even VW NZ couldn't get to start), I have no doubt he'll be able to do whatever you need.

Don't want to disclose the price as I assume every job is slightly different but as I said earlier, I didn't have to pay the $350 I expected to pay. Cheers.

Digging up a slightly old thread to vouch for Express Keys. Finally got mine sorted after having my stereo taken last week.

E46 Key sorted out today in 40 minutes for less than $350.

Awesome guys there, I can see why Glenn said to just show up - the place is packed with cars.

Hi team,

Any other options for purchasing a drivers side rear window regulator locally? Other than trademe?

I did order one from Ebay but since taking the old one out I've realised they've sent me a regulator for the front.

With the time it's gonna take to refund/replace that one (from the UK) I thought I may as well look at local options too.

Cheers

I saw a pretty young bloke in this at washworld just a week or two back. Must've hit something pretty hard!

330i Msport, now if only I weren't a poor student..

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-886610980.htm

Seems like they should fit no worries, do you have standard, motorsport or aftermarket suspension? That could be the deciding factor.

Do hyper do test fits? Might be worth taking it down there for a test fit before you buy them!

Your rack is probably not leaking, I bet it's a connecting hose but that's a different discussion. To answer your questions:

1. 100% okay - contact one of our forum sponsors - you should pay between $200 and $350 depending on the type of rack you need.

2. Any of our sponsors, the two you've mentioned will almost certainly be able to help out.

3. Don't do this. For a start you'll pay $750 for that rack in NZ (used). If you don't already have one an E46 "sports" rack will be an upgrade ($350, Hell BM has a few I believe). But this might not be what you want/need for a 320 - if you don't have a problem with your existing steering feel then swap like for like, you may save some $. Z3 = $750, E46 Sport = $350, E46 standard should be ~$200 or less, probably $150.

4. Well I'd do that before you replace the rack. It will probably solve your problem. I've just had all of this done and there are some special steps you need to take, I'll describe those later.

5. It's not difficult if you're handy under a car and can get the car elevated. Without a separate oil cooler (or is yours an auto?) there's lots of access space. But of course it's messy because ATF goes everywhere and you need to protect all of your belts (wrap them in cling wrap before you start).

BUT - I'd set all of that aside and first determine exactly where the leak is coming from. You may be able to solve that with a new hose clamp and buy yourself as much time as you need to research this properly and get the result you want. These racks rarely leak.

Start from the reservoir the top (may need to remove airbox) and clean all of the area and the top of the hoses (under the reservoir) and as far down as you can reach.

Lift the car and place on jack stands, get under and remove any covers you need to and clean all p/s pipes, soft and hard, clean the boots etc, etc. Dry everything.

Drive round for a few days and then take another look and determine where the leak is.

Post back here and let us know, then we can discuss practical options.

Thanks for the detailed response! Seems like the best course of action by a long shot. Will do some investegating and post back, although Ray's deal is looking pretty promising!

Cheers!

Edit: I did think the rack leaking was a bit of a long shot from what I've seen of the rack. If I get the day to myself tomorrow I'll have some more info

Hey team,

Had two new front tyres put on this morning by the local tyre place, got a call about an hour later telling me the steering rack is leaking pretty heavily and one of the ball joints has a lot of play.

Quoted $1000 to fix both, but I thought I'd have a crack myself. It's mainly the steering rack I need to pick your brains about.

1. Is it okay to buy a second hand rack? The new ones are way too expensive, also reconditioning, is that worth it?

2. If buying second hand is the go - where's the best place? Bmworld? Hellbm?
3. A little bit of research brings up people wanting to swap in z3 racks or even motorsport racks. Is it worth it? It's a 320 sedan but if it benefits it enough I could be keen.

4. I'm planning on replacing all the hoses and reservoir, is there anything else worth doing while its off? In regards to a second hand rack is there anything I should be doing to that?

5. Finally how easy are these to install? I haven't been under the car to have a look yet but considering the lack of guides I'm assuming it's either near impossible or incredibly easy.

Thanks in advance for any answers I get, definitely something I only want to do the once and I definitely want to get it right.

Edit: Sorry mods Just noticed this is probably better in the steering forum, move if needed

Awesome thanks for the feedback guys!

Is there anywhere you recommend to get it scanned? I've got tomorrow off and willing to travel, are the scans relatively costly? Auckland area.

Just as a quick update I couldnt start it and drive immediately today, however I did start it and let it idle, no noises whatsoever so it definitely is tempremental!

First thanks so much for the detailed response!

It does sound mechanical, although now that you mention it, it could definitely be a muffled pop too!

I'll have a look over the intake boot today.

Yeah that's probably the next step, is get it plugged in. Is there a good place in Auckland that people recommend? North of the bridge is even better.

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Does it do that as soon as you start it cold, or does it take maybe 10 to 30 seconds before it starts running wierd?

10 seconds is probably more accurate, it holds the revs higher when it first starts and as the idle drops the noise starts.

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Also, if you start it cold, and drive off instantly, does it do it? (like start, put it in drive and go - no waiting)

Not so much, there is a bit of stutter through first gear, although it truely is minor and there's no noises coming from the engine as soon as you give it revs. I'll actually go out and test this in just a second.

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Does it ONLY do it at idle? it you hold the revs at say 1000 or 1500 with no load (park), does it still do it?

That's actually what I've been doing recently to avoid it happen, if I hold it anywhere above 1000 in park, the noise doesn't happen.

Yeah this seems to be the problem I've ran into so far, is that the noise isn't easily identifiable and the problems can be so broad that it's hard to come up with a definitive answer. Interesting to know about the exhaust timing though! I think I would be more likely to hear an exhaust leak, right?

I swear it's one thing after another with this car, I love fixing it, but this ones got me stumped!
I put it up on the bmw facebook discussion page but I got varied responses, so just looking for a second opinion here.

E46 320i M54b22, done just over 160,000 k's, auto gearbox.

On cold starts, a knocking noise can be heard from the engine, towards the back. It's irregular and the revs drop as you can see in the videos, however to this date it hasn't stalled, and after driving it (or even turning it off and back on) the problem essentially disappears.

Happens in park, affects the speed of reverse when not using the gas pedal, and seems to stutter slightly moving off after first start (only minor though)

I'm just stumped as to where to start, I've searched google, only finding results relating to the 4cyl engines. Nobody seems to have quite the same irregular knock that I have. I worry it could be from replacing the Oil Filter housing gasket, as I could have easily bumped something while cleaning up down there. No warning lights like other people have, and no knocks or noises at any speed once she gets going!

I'm really hoping it'll be easily identifiable through the videos, as you can imagine I want to get this fixed sooner rather than later! I'm quite happy to go through the list and start replacing tensioners and hoses but if I can get straight to the problem that would be much better!

Thanks in advance for any response.

Hi, I'm a new owner of E46 320i

I really like the sound of the straight 6, and i want it to be a little louder and make it sound more alive.

so far from research, i have seen a few people talk about muffler delete and straight piping.

Is this legal ? and if so do you need cert for it ?

if its not legal, where would i be able to get a muffler to make it sound better ?

Thanks guys

Hey Kyle, owner of the same car here!

No cert necessary, however it could fail the wof for a noisey exhaust (the limits are a bit down the page), which I'm sure a straight pipe might cause you a bit of trouble with!

There are some kits out there, check E46fanatics for people who have bought decent setups but they do run you quite a bit of cash, especially trying to get them over here etc etc

Personally I've kept mine standard, between the automatic gearbox and its gutless moments I think the rasp can on the end of it does just fine for those moments when I want to be heard, but if you do go ahead and do it, I'm keen to see how it works out!

On a bench at work. On Christmas day.

...And it's already driving me insane. The buttons don't work now and I'm unlocking the doors from the inside.

It's an early model E46 so it has the round bottom key, not the diamond shape - Is there options as to where to find and replace this or is it a dealer specific kind of issue?

Cheers

Oil filter remote housing is leaking. Top hose is f**ked. And who's been undoing and tightening the oil filter cap ?

Sweet that's definitely manageable! Thank you!

And it came like that! Strangely enough. Good thing it's being replaced I guess

Hey team, posting here for any seasoned E46 experts to chime in with a bit of advice before I get my hands dirty on my next day off.

Been noticing the leaking slowly since around the past oil change (its due for another now!), all over the plastic cover on the bottom, and today when I replaced the air filter I decided to do a bit of investigating.

The leak is on the passenger side, right hand side if you're looking in on the engine and seems to start somewhere behind the oil filter housing and leaks its way down. I've attached some pictures to help show where I mean, although they are average pictures as jamming an iPhone down there isnt the easiest thing! (album's linked below)

It's a 2000 320i, m54b22 I'm pretty sure!

When I do the oil change I'll of course clean it all up and check it most days to see if I can see where it is coming from. But somebody might have had the same problem and could chime in

Cheers

http://imgur.com/a/G1RbQ

Finally got around to picking mine up today!

It's built well, very sturdy, the lightning cable fits snug as intended and the black plastic blends in pretty well with the other parts of the trim.

I ghetto wired mine up to the stereo for the time being as I'm not always using bluetooth.

Excellent piece of kit for the price! Excuse my dirty interior, with exams I just havent had time to clean it up

In other news, I re engineered the dock for the iPhone 6!

(Then I had it printed and it wasn't quite the right dimensions. so I redid it again!)

I have had 3 printed (one for Lewi9, one for my mate and one for me)

I think they turned out great

Looks top notch! Going to pick mine up this weekend

Motorsport springs in a few weeks ago, love the back height but I could kill for slightly lower in the front.
Ever since there's been a loud knocking noise from the front wheel area and the slight vibration on braking turned into a full on shudder that could be felt in the passenger seat.

Swapped the old control arm bushes out for these meyle ones? Never used the brand before but they're great on the road, nice to not have the shudder anymore, and the steering feels much tighter again! The old ones were corroded on the inside and the drivers side casing could almost be pulled off by hand! Definitely recommended. Side by side comparison above, the old ones are OEM bmw ones so it makes me wonder if they've been changed in their 14 years of life.

Got a gear puller suitable for this kind of stuff if anyone is thinking about the same job and needs to lend it? Two jack stands and a couple of hours is all you need, hardest bit is lining the new bushings up with the guides on the body!

Noticed oil all over the hoses under the belts while I was under there, so that's next on the list. No doubt I'll be taking that to somebody with a hoist though.

I'll bite! $60 right?

Have you got one for an iPhone 6?

Finished product looks amazing in black by the way!

Looks and sounds great, I'd be keen for one.

What kind of price point? How similar finish can you get to the current finish on the 46's?

Got an Audi A3 in the family now. But its still stuck with the less than average stock stereo (and 6 stack CD player!) so I'm looking to upgrade that to something aftermarket. Or any solutions to play music through aux

Is there any harness kits locally that I've somehow overlooked? Should I attempt to strip/crimp, or just leave it to a professional.

Car's only worth $4k so I don't really wanna go spending much if I can do it at home in the garage. Any advice?

Cheers

Saw this in traffic a good week or two ago heading down the motorway. Definitely a head turner! Love it.

I hope the owner of the grey e46 that had a 'spirited' drive with me following up the whangaparaoa peninsula towards army bay tonight is on here!
Such an awesome drive home!