E46 320d Touring - life with a high mileage car

[gjm 3258]

Hang on.... you've done 640km already & the OBC tells you there's at least 300km before the next fill? And you're disappointed??

#firstworldproblems

Actually, I've done ~400 miles and... etc, etc.

But that's possibly the main reason why I bought it! I was getting a bit fed up buying lots of petrol 2 or 3 times a week; buying diesel once seems much more reasonable.

Of course, enjoying driving is also important.

[Ahmedsinc 414]

I'm only pointing it out 'cos I'm jealous

Will be interested to see if stepping up to 225/45/17 from the 205/x/16 you currently have will have a negative impact on fuel economy given the slightly higher rolling resistance.

#closetcarnerd

[gjm 3258]

I'm only pointing it out 'cos I'm jealous

Will be interested to see if stepping up to 225/45/17 from the 205/x/16 you currently have will have a negative impact on fuel economy given the slightly higher rolling resistance.

#closetcarnerd

I'm up for that test! Given the condition of the tyres, we may (need to) find out sooner rather than later.

As for your last tag... I think the closet door is open.

[Phil-540i 166]

Actually, I've done ~400 miles and... etc, etc.

But that's possibly the main reason why I bought it! I was getting a bit fed up buying lots of petrol 2 or 3 times a week; buying diesel once seems much more reasonable.

Of course, enjoying driving is also important.

Its alright, I'm well doing my bit to cancel out your economy, between my 540 & a diesel ute that does 15-16 litres / 100km in general running (of which probably 85% is open road running.......)

[lord_jagganath 421]

I would love to get 650kms out of 50 litres. that said, well done!

[jeffbebe 1559]

I'd be stoked to get 400kms out of 50L... That said, if I did probably wasn't having enough fun!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gjm 3258]

I did look at an E39 540i a while back, before I bought the Merc - a white (allegedly) M-sport one. The seller was claiming all sorts of hostory for it and to be fair it really did look the part, and gave every impression of being pampered and looked after. However, when pressed for any sort fo evidence that various things had been done, he went very, very quiet, ending with 'it is what it is' and 'come on - it is over 10 years old' type comments. I may have missed out. Or I may have dodged a bullet. Dunno.

Regardless, it's good to know that a balance is being maintained. Driving economically and hearing how many kms per litre someone gets is hardly page-turning, edge-of-the-seat stuff, but for me (at the moment) it is a fact of life. With fuel prices going the way they are, I may not be in such a minority for long!

[jeffbebe 1559]

I did look at an E39 540i a while back, before I bought the Merc - a white (allegedly) M-sport one. The seller was claiming all sorts of hostory for it and to be fair it really did look the part, and gave every impression of being pampered and looked after. However, when pressed for any sort fo evidence that various things had been done, he went very, very quiet, ending with 'it is what it is' and 'come on - it is over 10 years old' type comments. I may have missed out. Or I may have dodged a bullet. Dunno.

Regardless, it's good to know that a balance is being maintained. Driving economically and hearing how many kms per litre someone gets is hardly page-turning, edge-of-the-seat stuff, but for me (at the moment) it is a fact of life. With fuel prices going the way they are, I may not be in such a minority for long!

There are good ones and bad ones but they all chew through petrol like it's 1995. Lots of fun though!

[gjm 3258]

Been doing some research into the 'sealed for life' (yeah, right... Short life, then?) automatic gearbox fitted to my car.

It is the BMW A5S390R, aka the GM 5L40E. It's used in the E46 328i, 328Ci, 330d and 330Cd (coupe, convertible, saloon and touring), E39 525d and 530d, E83 X3 3.0D with four wheel drive, and E53 X5 3.0D with four wheel drive. Maybe others, too.

BMW also built/supplied the A5S360R, but as far as I can tell the only significant difference is the torque handling capacity - A (automatic) 5 (five) S (speeds) XXX (maximum torque rating) R (Manufacturer: R=Hydramatic/GM Z=ZF). Curiously, the GM designation appears to remain unchanged regardless.

The attached doc is specifically for the E39, but contains a lot of useful information specific to the 360 & 390 series transmissions too. It shows the location of the plugs and gives some info regarding what is expected during the change procedure.

If you're looking for details of the change procedure itself, start here.

Fluids... Lots of misdirection around this. The current consensus seems to be to stick with Dexron VI, and you'll be fine. This has been used in several countries, and over tens of thousands of kms without any reported issues (that I have found). At least, no issues directly related to the choice of fluid. Lots of discussion around oil manufacturer, but that's another matter.

BMW did supply a fluid, which was superceded by a different BMW part number, and then (it seems) discontinued. Latest advice is to use Dexron VI, although some older Dexron specs including III would probably suit.

When changing the fluid, change the filter (and transmission sump gasket). Expensive from BMW, cheaper elsewhere (of course) but check carefully the part number as there are two or three different types. Again, these may correlate to the 360 or 390-series gearboxes, but I have no confirmation of this (yet).

Not sure on the procedure for draining all fluid from the transmission system; the gearbox itself holds about half of the fluid, witht he rest in the cooler, pipework and torque converter. Many torque converters also have a drain plug, so I'll see if this is true of the GM 'boxes.

BMW_E39_Transmission_Fluid_Information.pdf

[Ahmedsinc 414]

Sounds way too much like hard work! Rip the horrible bloody thing out & stick a proper gearbox back in there, one that needs three pedals

Fuel economy will improve too. That should be all the justification you need to convince wifey

[gjm 3258]

Sounds way too much like hard work! Rip the horrible bloody thing out & stick a proper gearbox back in there, one that needs three pedals

Fuel economy will improve too. That should be all the justification you need to convince wifey

It's a convincing argument... Except for one teensy thing. Mrs M can't drive stick. Well, she can, but a back injury means I'd have to lift her out of the car afterwards.

Then I might have a back injury, too.

[Ahmedsinc 414]

It's a convincing argument... Except for one teensy thing. Mrs M can't drive stick. Well, she can, but a back injury means I'd have to lift her out of the car afterwards.

Then I might have a back injury, too.

Aww stink!

[gjm 3258]

LOL.

Aren't I brave when she's not around?

[elmarco 56]

There you go..... Not BBS but will still look sharp.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=661473368

[gjm 3258]

Need two new tyres pretty quickly, if not immediately... Not my favourite style but would certainly work and in many people's opinion, suit the car well.

I've been look at a set of Alpinas (17x8 et46) but while they have four yres with lots tread, two of the tyres are of uncertain manufacturing quality, and the rims have had some significant kerbing.

And these ^ are a lot closer to home (for me).

[lord_jagganath 421]

^ you'd have to pony up for a M-sport kit then, Graham. Just so the car suits the wheels.

[gjm 3258]

Filled up with diesel this morning. $80, at $1.42.9 per litre, so 55.99 litres. Odometer says 542.6 miles, so that's 873km (near enough).

The computer told me I was getting 61.4mpg, or well over 20km per litre. Hmm... That doesn't match with what the fill up tells me - 15.6 km per litre (around 45mpg, which is exactly what a UK car guide says the car will do, as an average).

However, using a 10c per litre discount voucher, fill up cost was $74.40. Add $47 for RUC, and that's under $125 per week, as opposed to petrol at $110 twice a week that I was using.

(Computer says 4.6 litres per 100km; actual fill up says 6.4 litres per 100km. I think that covers all the economy bases. )

So, much more economical in all respects, but something, somewhere isn't quite adding up. Curious.

Little yellow oil light keeps appearing on the dash when I start up. Time for a new 'oil levelling sensor'; glad I've not changed the oil. I'll get a sump gasket, drop the oil, drop the sump, clean everything up and refit. And put some nice, clean, new oil in. I suspect it is way overdue - the service indicator says over 9000 miles to go, but I completely disagree with that.

[gjm 3258]

^ you'd have to pony up for a M-sport kit then, Graham. Just so the car suits the wheels.

Naah.... Maybe a set of Konis, but not a bodykit. Too much work!

[gjm 3258]

There you go..... Not BBS but will still look sharp.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=661473368

Hmm. Certainly got potential, although I suspect the car in this pic has been dropped a reasonable amount.

[lord_jagganath 421]

try changing the ratio on the obc, http://www.sal-e.net/node/147

[jeffbebe 1559]

I've got a set of style 65 reps that were on an E36. Not sure if the fitment is right for your car but they look good on an E46.

235/40/17
Offset 41
5x120 pcd

Going very cheap - PM me if interested - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=660996578

[gjm 3258]

Hmm... 17s.

A little more research (it never ends) suggests that my car is a 'Business' version. You may be able to substitute 'economy' or 'base spec' for business - it didn't get much by way of options.

Cloth seats (not a problem - anyone sat on a very hot leather seat lately?), standard suspension (almost all 330ds, for example, seem to have sports suspension), and so on. Stock 16" rims... At least they aren't steel!

However, it does raise the question of whether a larger rim is going to look OK without suspension work. Julian's 65s are pictured on a lowered saloon, and the blue Touring I pictured earlier has sports kit.

That aside, I think that if a rim will fit a saloon without rubbing issues, it'll fit a Touring. Coupe rims may be a different matter - stock M3 rear rims won't (as far as I can tell) fit on the back of a Touring so I need to be careful with offsets and/or tyre width.

[kiwi535 538]

And we've just passed 640km on this tank of fuel, with an easy 300km, possibly 400km, to go before fill up (depending on how I drive). Less economical than planned, but it was warm and we've been using the aircon pretty much full-time. The aim is to get 1000km between fill-ups.

what size tank do you know?

Edited November 12, 2013 by kiwi535

[gjm 3258]

what size tank do you know?

I meant to have a look in the owners manual to see if it says.

(Yup - even got a full wallet of books with the car!)

try changing the ratio on the obc, http://www.sal-e.net/node/147

Thanks for that! I'll be printing it out and spending time 'playing' in the car.

[kiwi535 538]

Filled up with diesel this morning. $80, at $1.42.9 per litre, so 55.99 litres. Odometer says 542.6 miles, so that's 873km (near enough).

The computer told me I was getting 61.4mpg, or well over 20km per litre. Hmm... That doesn't match with what the fill up tells me - 15.6 km per litre (around 45mpg, which is exactly what a UK car guide says the car will do, as an average).

However, using a 10c per litre discount voucher, fill up cost was $74.40. Add $47 for RUC, and that's under $125 per week, as opposed to petrol at $110 twice a week that I was using.

(Computer says 4.6 litres per 100km; actual fill up says 6.4 litres per 100km. I think that covers all the economy bases. )

So, much more economical in all respects, but something, somewhere isn't quite adding up. Curious.

Little yellow oil light keeps appearing on the dash when I start up. Time for a new 'oil levelling sensor'; glad I've not changed the oil. I'll get a sump gasket, drop the oil, drop the sump, clean everything up and refit. And put some nice, clean, new oil in. I suspect it is way overdue - the service indicator says over 9000 miles to go, but I completely disagree with that.

fwiw my obc says 6.5 average and seems to match pretty well what i am actually getting