E46 320d Touring - life with a high mileage car

[gjm 3258]

what size tank do you know?

According to the owners handbook, "approx 63" litres.

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

Is that for your 120d? If so, then my calculated figures (as opposed to the OBC figures) may be pretty accurate.

[Allanw 1071]

Make yourself an account at Fuelly.com - then you can average over 10 or 20 fuelups really easily, and make changes to the OBC based on real figures. Plus it's pretty cool to see all the stats anyway.

Our 525i is always very close to the Fuelly average - usually within .2 L/100kms.

A lot of people seem to report optimistic OBC's on forums.

[gjm 3258]

Yesterday I cleaned it. You know how older cars get - the interior in particular seems to get neglected, and there are marks on the carpets, the seats and pretty much everywhere that just don't go away with a quick wipe over. So it was a wet vac job - long-winded, but definitely worth it.

Paintwork was shiny when I finished, too. But now I have found a dent in the tailgate that I didn't know was there! Obviously hidden under a layer of dirt. The paint isn't broken so I'll get a paintless dent removal guy to have a look.

Today - engine oil change and diff oil change. Penrite Enviro+ 5W40 for the engine, Castrol Syntrax 75W90 for the diff. I'll get an engine "oil levelling sensor" sorted for later as I anticipate changing the engine oil again over Christmas, and I'll drop and clean the sump when I do it, and replace the sender at the same time.

Then I need to find someone who will do a good job of flushing the transmission - I'll have a filter and trans sump gasket later today. I've changed the fluids on Mercedes several times, but never on a BMW, and it looks to be a bit more involved not least because of the lack of gearbox dipstick. Sealed for life, y'see. I'm kinda dreading seeing what comes out of there...

[gjm 3258]

OK... I'm drawing a bit of a blank on the trans flush front. Any Hamiltronians able to recommend a good, reputable and competent place to get it done, as opposed to a bozo in a dirty backstreet workshop with a secondhand flushing machine?

Found 3 potential operations...

Marshall Transmissions - 10 Grasslands Place

Mainstreet Transmissions - 13 Manchester Place

Hamilton Automotive Repairs - 82 Killarney Road

I have no knowledge of any of them. Does anyone? Perhaps by PM if it's not good news.

Edited November 15, 2013 by gjm

[gjm 3258]

An E46 320d Touring in Matamata, earlier today.

[kiwi535 538]

According to the owners handbook, "approx 63" litres.

Is that for your 120d? If so, then my calculated figures (as opposed to the OBC figures) may be pretty accurate.

yes thats the lil diesel.i got it chipped(80% i think) very soon after i got it,i dont know if thats made it more or less economical,it revs a lot faster and a bit higher than it did previuosly.consumption is very consistent,i think that is a trait of common rail diesels.it s doesnt really make much diffrerence how you use it.

[gjm 3258]

Engine oil and diff oil changed, and a new fuel filter fitted just for good measure.

Engine oil was black. Well, it's a diesel. Judging by the reset of the OBC, it's been in there for about 4000 miles (6400km) which means it's getting toward needing doing, in my opinion - 5000 miles seems a reasonable interval. BMW's OBC reckoned it was good for another 9000 miles.

The diff oil. Sealed for life, huh? Can I sue BMW for publicly disseminating hopelessly misleading information which will lead to the failure of a major component? Well, hopefully failure won't be a problem any more, but what came out of the diff barely resembled anything I'd call oil. Certainly, lubricating qualities were pretty minimal. OK - I know that BMW's interpretation of 'life', and ours, probably differ considerably.

The fuel I changed because I had one, and because I don't know when it was last done.

Whatever... It felt like it was driving much better. There's still noises from the engine bay under acceleration that I don't like, but this could be due in part to the possibility that the swirl flaps may have been removed, but no blanks fitted and there's unlikely to have been a remap to compensate. So I have what sounds like diesel knocking - a similar thing to 'pinking' or pre-ignition in a petrol engine.

Any recommendations for someone who can do a remap?

And I must get the trans sorted. It's reaching the point where the engine revs rise, then I wait for the car to gain speed. A little like a slipping clutch - this ain't a good thing!

[kiwi535 538]

Engine oil and diff oil changed, and a new fuel filter fitted just for good measure.

Engine oil was black. Well, it's a diesel. Judging by the reset of the OBC, it's been in there for about 4000 miles (6400km) which means it's getting toward needing doing, in my opinion - 5000 miles seems a reasonable interval. BMW's OBC reckoned it was good for another 9000 miles.

The diff oil. Sealed for life, huh? Can I sue BMW for publicly disseminating hopelessly misleading information which will lead to the failure of a major component? Well, hopefully failure won't be a problem any more, but what came out of the diff barely resembled anything I'd call oil. Certainly, lubricating qualities were pretty minimal. OK - I know that BMW's interpretation of 'life', and ours, probably differ considerably.

The fuel I changed because I had one, and because I don't know when it was last done.

Whatever... It felt like it was driving much better. There's still noises from the engine bay under acceleration that I don't like, but this could be due in part to the possibility that the swirl flaps may have been removed, but no blanks fitted and there's unlikely to have been a remap to compensate. So I have what sounds like diesel knocking - a similar thing to 'pinking' or pre-ignition in a petrol engine.

Any recommendations for someone who can do a remap?

And I must get the trans sorted. It's reaching the point where the engine revs rise, then I wait for the car to gain speed. A little like a slipping clutch - this ain't a good thing!

diesels clatter..mine seems to be a fairly quiet one but it is def more clatter when you get the turbo spooling!

[gjm 3258]

diesels clatter..mine seems to be a fairly quiet one but it is def more clatter when you get the turbo spooling!

They do... But this is an 'additional' noise. Not your normal clatter or even diesel knock. It is typically more prevalent when under load (high gear up hill) or when accelerating hard.

I'll get to the bottom of it.

In the meantime, driving out to Maraetai today gave me the chance to explore how the suspension is getting on. Too much roll for my liking (ARB/swaybar upgrade time) and I've no doubt a set of Koni shocks and Eibach springs would bring improvement.

[Ahmedsinc 414]

In the meantime, driving out to Maraetai today gave me the chance to explore how the suspension is getting on. Too much roll for my liking (ARB/swaybar upgrade time) and I've no doubt a set of Koni shocks and Eibach springs would bring improvement.

Do a bit of research on swaybar sizes through the E46 range. You'll probably find there are thicker diameter items from higher specced models that you'll be able to pick up for far cheaper than aftermarket items

[gjm 3258]

Do a bit of research on swaybar sizes through the E46 range. You'll probably find there are thicker diameter items from higher specced models that you'll be able to pick up for far cheaper than aftermarket items

Yup - more than likely. Might a 5-series bar fit? My W201 Mercedes runs a W124 400E bar up front now - make a huge difference. I had to trim 2-3" from each end, and obviously use bigger bushes, but other than that it fits beautifully.

[Ahmedsinc 414]

Given the wider track of the 5ers I'd say probably not.

A quick browse thru RealOEM tells me your front sway bar is currently 22.5mm, 330i M-sport has 24mm.320d rear bar 15mm, 330i M-sport rear bar 19mm.

Speak to Brent or Ray, I'm sure they'd have some rattling around in their cavernous parts stores

[gjm 3258]

Given the wider track of the 5ers I'd say probably not.

A quick browse thru RealOEM tells me your front sway bar is currently 22.5mm, 330i M-sport has 24mm.320d rear bar 15mm, 330i M-sport rear bar 19mm.

Speak to Brent or Ray, I'm sure they'd have some rattling around in their cavernous parts stores

Thanks for the info.

I think I read somewhere that M3 'bars, or at least one of them, won't fit a non-M car. Not the same as M-Sport (as I'm learning! )

Edit: An M3 rear bar could fit... With a lot of work. Clearance to the spare wheel well and diff mount is slightly different. Fitting would need custom brackets to be made, extra bushes, and some 'modification' to the spare wheel well. I'm not that concerned, and there are other options, including the Sport kit.

1999/2000 Standard.....Frt 21.5mm....Rr 15mm

1999/2000 Sport...........Frt 24mm.......Rr 19mm

2001+ Sport..................Frt 23.5mm....Rr 18mm

2001+ Standard............Frt 23mm.......Rr 18mm

Convertible...................Frt 23.5mm....Rr 20mm

M3................................Frt 26mm.......Rr 21.5mm

M3 CSL .......................Frt 30.8mm....Rr 22.5mm

/edit

I plan to have a chat with Brent (in particular) as he's just down the road. Ray... Euroray on TradeMe?

Getting the ATF sorted is still the no. 1 priority.

Edited November 17, 2013 by gjm

[Ahmedsinc 414]

I plan to have a chat with Brent (in particular) as he's just down the road. Ray... Euroray on TradeMe?

Getting the ATF sorted is still the no. 1 priority.

Sorry, Ray of HellBM, one of the forum sponsors.

FWIW, I'm not sure the effort and expense involved in modifying M3 items would justify the results on your wee touring. Or at least not without transplanting the full M3 rear subframe. And suspension. By the looks of that list, an early M-sport front bar matched to a rear bar from a 'vert seems to be the best option. Though I'd be wondering if the thicker rear bar would start altering the susp geometry? Brent will most likely shed light on that one better than I ever could

I have noticed a set of Bilstein shocks & springs on Tardme http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/bmw/suspension/auction-662035703.htm although the front struts & springs appear to be height adjustable, which will require certification ($700 IIRC), Could be worth investigating to see if the shocks can legally be locked in a non-adjustable fashion.

+1 on getting your trans sorted. The best suspension setup in the world is useless if the car can't be driven

[gjm 3258]

Sorry, Ray of HellBM, one of the forum sponsors.

FWIW, I'm not sure the effort and expense involved in modifying M3 items would justify the results on your wee touring. Or at least not without transplanting the full M3 rear subframe. And suspension. By the looks of that list, an early M-sport front bar matched to a rear bar from a 'vert seems to be the best option. Though I'd be wondering if the thicker rear bar would start altering the susp geometry? Brent will most likely shed light on that one better than I ever could

I have noticed a set of Bilstein shocks & springs on Tardme http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/bmw/suspension/auction-662035703.htm although the front struts & springs appear to be height adjustable, which will require certification ($700 IIRC), Could be worth investigating to see if the shocks can legally be locked in a non-adjustable fashion.

+1 on getting your trans sorted. The best suspension setup in the world is useless if the car can't be driven

You can tell I'm kinda new to BMWs in NZ, can't you?

No plans for any M3 mods. I'll see what is available, both in terms or 'bars and suspension when I have other, more important things sorted. Most of the time I'm cruising at 100km/h (honest, officer) on SH1, so there is little real need for any changes.

Need... Hmm. Sounds a lot like 'want', to me.

[gjm 3258]

Booked into Marshalls in Hamilton on Wednesday morning for a trans drain (not flush) and refresh. There is a bit of 'club' in Hamilton - Coombes Johnston (BMW main dealer) will recommend Greg Hantz for work on older cars; Greg recommends speaking to Fabian in the parts department at CJ. Both Greg and Fabian recommend Marshalls (Fabian whispers it, as you'd expect a main dealer to do), but I'm told that Marshalls do a lot of trans work for CJ anyway.

Apparently Marshalls don't flush transmissions as it can cause more trouble than it cures, and with the Hydramatic 5L40E and similar belt-less disc-based transmission designs, especially those with some life behind them, I can see how that could be true. Some tiny little particles may be providing frictional 'help' while embedded in the plates, and cleaning them out while filling with lovely new, slippery fluid may cause problems.

They drain the trans from the sump, remove and clean the sump, will fit the new filter (I'm supplying) and replace the drain and fill plugs. They also pull the hoses from the cooler and drain as much fluid from there as possible, too. Definitely a job that's easier on a ramp than in a driveway. They'll drop me a t work and pick me up once they are finished.

Whatever, it'll be good to get it done. The diff oil was, frankly, astonishingly bad. Still with 360000km behind it, I guess it's allowed to look past its prime.

Exchanged messages with Brent re sway bars (I keep calling them anti-roll bars) and will see him as and when the time is right.

[gjm 3258]

Paid some RUC today. Hmm. Intriguing...

No mention anywhere of miles or kilometres, other than to say that '1 unit' is 1000km, or 621 miles. There's no mention on the card that goes in the screen, either.

So I bought 6 units, and the numbers all match - I didn't get 6000 of anything, 'only' 3726. Which by my calculations means I'm out of pocket by the equivalent of nearly 3.6km! (Cue: Shock, horror, government makes money from innocent tax-paying resident! )

I suspect that somewhere in the registration process there is a section for indicating if the odometer is in miles or kms, and that the RUC are calculated accordingly.

[Phil-540i 166]

Good re the RUC's - I'm glad theres no past there that's gonna come back at you from its previous life............certainly in the past there was form for miles / kms box to be ticked.....

[gjm 3258]

Looks as though the powers that be have the kms/miles thing covered now. I did breathe a sigh of relief.

Car is back from Marshalls. Pre fluid change it drove OK, with just a little occasional rev flaring - sometimes when accelerating the revs would rise, and then the car would 'catch up' - not significant, and not particularly bad, but something that suggested the fluid needed changing. (Really? After 360000km who woulda thunk it?) There was no noticeable notchiness in changes up or down... Generally pretty good.

But the fluid looked like dishwater after you've cleaned your barbie in the sink. (You do clean your barbie, don't you?) OK... That's a slight exaggeration, as while it had the consistency of water and was black, there were no particles or foreign matter in it. At all.

Post-change and perhaps changes are that little bit slicker than they were. Accelerating from standstill is a little quicker. But that's about the limit of the difference. Of course it was worth doing, and an excellent idea... Good for another 10 years!

(OK, maybe not 10 years, but y'know what I mean. )

So, next... Rear brakes discs and pads. The discs are well-worn, and I'm pretty sure the pads are the same. I'll give Brent a call.

[lord_jagganath 421]

wow... sounds like you have spent more than a couple of bob already! haha! smashing!

[Phil-540i 166]

after you've cleaned your barbie in the sink. (You do clean your barbie, don't you?)

Kiwi blokes south of Hamilton tend to have 'Action Man' rather than 'barbie' - Action Man tends to be fairly dirty from fixing stuff all the time, so he tends to run through a shower rather than use the kitchen sink.........

And if he had a bbq - on the odd occasions that it might genuinely maybe need a clean (usually after some-one with funny bumps on her chest has maybe suggested it'd be a good idea........), he'd probably use the water-blaster to clean it. Please note - water-blaster must be petrol powered, as those silly little 240V things don't count......

Welcome to NZ........... Southern land style...........

[gjm 3258]

wow... sounds like you have spent more than a couple of bob already! haha! smashing!

It would have been an expensive car when new... The running costs don't change so much. I'd anticipated there'd be a lot of things to sort, possibly more than I have needed to do, but I didn't pay much for it and so long as it keeps running, I'm happy that all-in it is a very good deal.

The money has been spent on servicing stuff, as while the original BMW ethos has been followed, I don't agree with it. Servicing a diesel needs to be done more often than every 13000 miles, and diffs and gearboxes aren't sealed for life!

I'll add up the costs in due course. Just spent some more, today, with a very nice man in Papakura - I have some better discs and pads for the back of the car now. I think Brent was a little surprised at just how low the pads were!

Kiwi blokes south of Hamilton tend to have 'Action Man' rather than 'barbie' - Action Man tends to be fairly dirty from fixing stuff all the time, so he tends to run through a shower rather than use the kitchen sink.........

And if he had a bbq - on the odd occasions that it might genuinely maybe need a clean (usually after some-one with funny bumps on her chest has maybe suggested it'd be a good idea........), he'd probably use the water-blaster to clean it. Please note - water-blaster must be petrol powered, as those silly little 240V things don't count......

Welcome to NZ........... Southern land style...........

LOL.

[Phil-540i 166]

Glad ya laughed at that. I agree with ya re servicing intervals - my ute is supposed to be done every 15,000kms, but I tend to go 10,000kms, even from new. I'm a big believer in 'sooner or later you pay', so stretching them out doesn't really 'cost less' long term IMO. (Unless you're only keeping it for 5 yrs / 150ks sorta thing). I'm intrigued with the weekly kms you're doing with this little beast - lets run it till it dies I reckon, see what it'll do when properly looked after...

[Ahmedsinc 414]

Glad ya laughed at that. I agree with ya re servicing intervals - my ute is supposed to be done every 15,000kms, but I tend to go 10,000kms, even from new. I'm a big believer in 'sooner or later you pay', so stretching them out doesn't really 'cost less' long term IMO. (Unless you're only keeping it for 5 yrs / 150ks sorta thing). I'm intrigued with the weekly kms you're doing with this little beast - lets run it till it dies I reckon, see what it'll do when properly looked after...

5k max between oil & filter changes. To hell with the manufacturers recommendation!

If it's done 360k already, with a little preventative maintenance (as Graham seems to be doing) I reckon this little guy will soon be threatening Brents 520k on his E28

Plus at nearly 55000 ks per year we won't have to wait too long to find out!

[gjm 3258]

To be honest, I was thinking of between 5 and 6000km between engine oil changes. Mahle, or Mann-Hummel oil filter?

Diesels can run for a long, long time. The swirl flaps on the engine in my car was an Achilles heel, but I don't think mine has them (any more). I also suspect that the flaps were removed but the tracts not blocked... We'll get to that eventually.

Maintenance stuff, like the lower rear bushes on the front wishbones, will be done with a view to longevity, so I'll use polybushes or similar. Stuff like this really is made so much easier by having people like Brent around - I can pick up 'old' arms from him, replace the bushes, and swap the arms on to my car. The rear diff bush is starting to crack, so I'l look at that in due course. Also need to consider the diff itself - it's had a hard life and is making some smooth noise.

There will be changes and updates done as time goes by. The suspension sits a little lower on the drivers side - perhaps as a result of a heavier driver having done a lot of the miles. I've long had a 'thing' for Konis and Eibach springs but as this isn't a serious issue, I'll just keep my eyes and ears open for something suitable.

Wheels are the same. I've sorted a temporary solution in the form of a second set of Style 45s but with much better tyres. They'll do for now. You'll have gathered that maintaining comfort is a key consideration, but handling can be improved by uprating the sway bars. Brent and I talked briefly about this today.

Basically though, just a rolling program of keeping things 'good'. If nothing too serious has happened under the 'standard' maintenance regime, this one could run and run. The accumulation of mileage will drop off sometime next year as we plan to move a bit further south. Find a nice piece of land, a nice house, and a big garage barn.

The only real problem at the moment is legroom. For me, in the front. I'm not especially tall at 6'1", but I cannot get the seat back far enough to be properly comfortable. Anyone else found this?

Incidentally, Mrs M took rather a shine to a white E24 down at Brent's today. I used to have a gumetal M635CSi highline - cracking car. I now know a bit more about looking after them than I did then, so maybe...