Seeking Advice - 330i

[kratosnz 0]

Hi Guys

I have been looking at a 330i in Estoril blue (was listed on trademe but has now expired).

It is manual/SMG with about 150kms.

I have just had a pre-purchase check done at page european in Wellington. The results are as follow:

CARRIED OUT CHECK FOR PURCHASE.

NOTED***POLLEN FILTER DIRTY

OIL LEVEL SENSOR FAULT

AIR BELLOW CRACKED

LEFT FOG LAMP BRACKET BROKEN

KEY REMOTE N/W

SLIGHT CLUTCH SHUDDER

TRANS FLUID LEAK FROM RESIVIOR.( SMALL LEAK )

TYRE TREAD FRONT 7 mm REAR 6mm

ROAD TESTED VEHICLE. ENGINE QUITE AND NO ABNORMAL NOISES HERD.

SLIGHT CLUTCH SHUDDER ON TAKE OFF. CLUTCH HARSH IN SPORTS MODE BU

NO SLIPPEAGE. CHECKED FOR FAULT CODES. NO CODES LOGGED IN ENGINE,

TRANS, ABS,SRS,ZKE CONTROL UNITS. MINOR ENGINE OIL LEAK FROM ROCK

COVER GASKET. SUSPENSION JOINTS ALL IN GOOD CONDITION.

Is there anything there that is a major, or could be an indicator of a bigger problem? Would you buy the car based on this.

Currently we were talking $15,500 prior to the inspection. Is there anything in there that you would say I should get him to fix first, or ask for something off the original agreed price?

Any help/opinions at all would be great

[BM WORLD 1283]

figure it will need a new clutch and flywheel .

go for a new after market flywheel and clutch $1500-2000 plus a days work.

[kratosnz 0]

Oh really, is that based on the shudder, and harsh in sports mode.

Do you think that would be needed short term?

[Michael. 2313]

I personally think you should either go for a manual or auto and not the SMG

The idea of a manual is you control it all directly, and have clutch control - you loose that with the SMG.

An auto version gives you smooth automatic changes and the freedom of tiptronic mode if you want some control over the autos shifting (obviously not the same as true manual' but still)

I've noticed the SMGs can quite slow on changes so you end up with a period were you loose a bit of acceleration, as apposed to an auto that will change to the next gear without loosing as much acceleration, and of course with a true manual you can compensate by being quicker with the clutch/shift work.

[kratosnz 0]

Hi Michael

Cheers for your comment. This will be my first BMW .. so excuse my ignorance.

The description on the auction said "it can be driven in either Automatic or Manual mode" and i note there is a gear stick haha. I assumed you could drive it as a normal manual, or switch to the paddle/automatic mode .... Is this wrong?

[Michael. 2313]

The description on the auction said "it can be driven in either Automatic or Manual mode" and i note there is a gear stick haha. I assumed you could drive it as a normal manual, or switch to the paddle/automatic mode .... Is this wrong?

They can, which is the idea of them. Although I've heard/read (not from my own experience mind you) that they aren't exactly great in automatic mode, especially around town, a bit rough and awkward... and this is not just limited to the SMG models, other car makers with similar electronic/Hydraulic Manuals suffer from less than ideal function at low speeds in the city.

Ultimately you should test drive some different models to get the best comparison, and of course remember not one car is the same as another so test drive a couple of SMG, autos or manuals to get the best insight. I test drive 6 E36s before buying mine and the difference between them all was vast.

[kratosnz 0]

They can, which is the idea of them. Although I've heard/read (not from my own experience mind you) that they aren't exactly great in automatic mode, especially around town, a bit rough and awkward... and this is not just limited to the SMG models, other car makers with similar electronic/Hydraulic Manuals suffer from less than ideal function at low speeds in the city.

Ultimately you should test drive some different models to get the best comparison, and of course remember not one car is the same as another so test drive a couple of SMG, autos or manuals to get the best insight. I test drive 6 E36s before buying mine and the difference between them all was vast.

Ideally I would like a manual, to be honest I misunderstood what SMG was and thought this was pretty much a manual. I really like the look of the car and it is estoril blue which is like my ideal color.

Apart from the fact that it is that type of gearbox... Based on the report above do u think its an ok buy

[kiwi535 538]

Ideally I would like a manual, to be honest I misunderstood what SMG was and thought this was pretty much a manual. I really like the look of the car and it is estoril blue which is like my ideal color.

Apart from the fact that it is that type of gearbox... Based on the report above do u think its an ok buy

there are a couple of things that suggest to me it hasnt been looked after that well.Any regular servicing would have replaced that pollen filter and the key remote not working?.....its is prolly cheaper than equivalents because the smg is not popular...wether that is deserved or not i dont know.

drive a few more if you can,then you can get to see the trends with them,and recognise a goodun when you see it.

[matt45 1]

I have nothing against Good flappy paddle box's i actually quite like them ... but the early BMW ones (i.e. the ones in the E46's) are horrible sooo much lag and jerky as hell (at least the couple i've tried have been like this). Not to mention the cost if something goes wrong with it.

I would stay away solely based on the fact it's an SMG.

[rethu 0]

nice

[kratosnz 0]

If the transmission shat itself, is it possible to just change it to a manual. I guess this would be 2 or 3 thousand?

[m325i 709]

Yes

[kratosnz 0]

Would two - three thousand be a reasonable estimate. I realy love the color of the car. And everything else is what i want, M sport, back lights, front bumper etc.

What would it be do change the transmission you reckon?

Edited March 21, 2013 by -Mat-

[KwS 2421]

with the e46 SMG boxes, are they like the E36 ones where you can convert the actual SMG box to manual and just get rid of the SMG bits? Might be a bit cheaper than replacing the whole box?

[qube 3570]

$15000 is pretty expensive for a car that's done 150kms and has problems.

I'm looking to sell mine possibly for like $13ish it's done 130kms black msport 2002 330i. Not SMG just normal auto/tiptronic gearbox.

With the amount of money you would need to spend on it is say it's not worth it. And te average user thinks SMG is better than auto and or manual. Not for us bimmersporters.

Just saying.

[kratosnz 0]

I would love a manual anyway, so if i had to fork out a few thousand to get it converted I could live with that, but I would want to incorporate it into the price

Arrr ... thought id fund my white whale haha. So hard to come by that estoril blue.

Edited March 21, 2013 by -Mat-

[Escay 0]

I'd suggest you stay away from that car. Even for 12-13k, its not exactly a deal. Seems like it hasn't been well maintained and is likely a pit, one problem will lead to another.

Also the E46 SMG is definitely a case of "avoid where possible"

[kratosnz 0]

Sounds like the general concensus is to give it a miss. Cheers for all the input guys, muchly appreciated.

I shall continue the hunt. I am really fixated on that color, which sux, as it is so hard to come by.

[kiwi535 538]

Sounds like the general concensus is to give it a miss. Cheers for all the input guys, muchly appreciated.

I shall continue the hunt. I am really fixated on that color, which sux, as it is so hard to come by.

make him a stupid offer then

[allan 295]

might be a bit late

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=591095

http://www.chitownm.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4525

[Neal 540]

In terms of e46 smgs you can set the shift speed in both auto and manual mode. Want smoother auto shits , set it in mode 2 auto mode, Want crisp manual changes set in manual mode 4 which is similar to a reasonably quick manual gearbox change.

Most people who first try the smg drive them a manual and lift off the gas as you would on a manual car. The gives a jerky gear change and the impression that the gearbox is too harsh. Give the system a month of so to get used to and you won't regret it. Also plenty of people read stuff but haven't driven them but yet offer the option they are crap. Not sure what that is about , some kind of Internet armchair critic thing.

Basically you either don't lift the gas or if you do only slightly do it in manual mode. In mode 4 plus you get a nice fast change similar to a manual. In mode 6 mash the gas pedal and you'll get a gear change in 1/10 th of a second which does feel a bit brutal but will bring a smile. Only a few top racing drivers can change gears faster in a manual.

The smg system will also blip the throttle on down changes so no need to heel and toe if you drive like that.

[kratosnz 0]

That could explain the harsh gear change, VJ (from page european) said he hadn't driven too many SMGs, and found the same thing in the M3s that he had tested. But that doesn't explain the clutch shudder.

I have also attached the service history. I don't know if this is good or bad. Seems to be major services only.

Apoogies that it is upside down for some of the pages, u can right click and rotate .. but it wont let me save it the correct way up.

Service_History.pdf

[allan 295]

With the service schedule 117,000 to 131,000. Thought a inspection 2 was due at 120,000 am I wrong if so what are the service intervals, km's on these.

[my_e36 43]

First of all, in e46, there are 2 types of SMG. One for the M3 and the other for the non-M3 (aka SSG in the US if you look on forums over there). For the non-M3 version, there are a 5-speed version and a 6-speed version (which shared with Z4)

I agree on what Neal says above on driving SMG not lifting the accelerator and the down-shift blip, it's the best part and the major difference for SMG vs Manual/traditional Auto. These behaviour applies to both M3 and non-M3 version. But in a non-M3, there's only 2 shift speed to choose from, Sport and non-Sport.

I had a 6-speed version in my 330, which I found it pretty good. If you are NOT in a hurry, leisurely drive in Auto (C mode for Cruise) is relaxing and suits the car well being a non-M. Sport mode do have a quicker shift and clutch take-up and give you that sense of "Sport", it's no M3 territories but then again suits the car well. During the 3 years 55k ownership I had no trouble in that area of my car. Certainly will not shy away from buying another one.

Clutch shudder is common on SMG when cold, mainly to do with the hydraulics being a bit sticky when cold. once warmed up it should be normal. If still doing it once warmed up, it could really be the clutch nearly finished. SMG computer will need a reset to re-learn the take-up point after a clutch replacement.

Harsh change/jerkiness can be due to the engine/gearbox mount. Fairly cheap part, when a car done 100k on the clock, that's just normal wear and tear.

Last words: Launch Control is a lot of fun (you get that with the SMG, M3 or not). It really shows you what the car is capable of in a straight line.

Edited March 22, 2013 by SpikeyLemon

[KwS 2421]

Its not this one is it? http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-575681400.htm

No the SMG has not been overhauled that I know of, there are no issues with it at all, in fact there are no issues with the car in anyway. Full service history has been done and records are available. 9:46 am, Mon 25 Mar