E46 318 2.0

[astroboy]

Poison e46...

Arrhhhhggh....

U people keep poisoning me...... for months....!!

I went checked out a 2005 Lifestyle with 40k km on the odo. Still ada 1 more year of warranty from AB. What should be the right price?

I begin my hunt with M-Sport in my mind and realise the are 6-potter 2.2 and 4-potter 2.0 M-Sport.

Mostly 2002 models because newer models are too expensive for them to import.

The 2002 6-potter M-sport are still asking for RM17Xk.. while the 4-potters are RM14X. Hey! 2002 means it will turn 6-year old in 2 months time ler!! Can't convince myself to part with my $$$ for such an old age car despite the "LOW" 2Xk km mileage.

Just open the paper and u will notice owners advertise 2002 318i CKD at around RM11Xk. Why should I pay additional RM30k for Jap sepc M-Sport which basically has the same 4-potter engine? Alright! the 17" rims, body kit, suspension, suede seat, non-multi functional steering, non-electric seat. new number plates, low 2.x% interest, relatively new tyres, and only 2-month warranty.

And u know what? These dealers are asking for RM1,500 for handling, transfer, inspection. bla..bla.. minus road tax and insurace...all in for a RM14Xk 2002 2.0 e46 M-Sport, the bill comes up to RM150k for a 6 year old car.. sigh....!!.. RIP OFF!!

More question about this 2005 Lifestyle...

1. What engine is it? was told same engine with E90.. So is that the non-valvetronic 173HP N45B20 or 143hp N42B20? Max speed should be around 220kph right?

2. Was told the car tukar ECU 2 times with AB (under warranty) because power window no behaving as it should be. Why ECU? Worth worrying? I worry the car may spend more time in AB in the future than on the road.. eventhough under warranty. I hardly open window also la... except going to Jusco.. Toll wise I got Smart Tag mah.. ;D

3. I think the car got ESP too... some thing like "Electronic Stability Program".. ;D

Oh yes, have not introduce myself.. Despite joining this forum since 12/2006..

I'm a mid age family man staying in Damansara Utama. Owned an e36 before and sold for a Perdana for more space to carry baby stuff when traveling. Now babies all grown up and the urge for compact performance UDM is back..

Hope I can get valuable info from this forum and thanks all in advance..

 

[guru]

Arrhhhhggh....

U people keep poisoning me...... for months....!!

I went checked out a 2005 Lifestyle with 40k km on the odo. Still ada 1 more year of warranty from AB. What should be the right price?

I begin my hunt with M-Sport in my mind and realise the are 6-potter 2.2 and 4-potter 2.0 M-Sport.

Mostly 2002 models because newer models are too expensive for them to import.

The 2002 6-potter M-sport are still asking for RM17Xk.. while the 4-potters are RM14X. Hey! 2002 means it will turn 6-year old in 2 months time ler!! Can't convince myself to part with my $$$ for such an old age car despite the "LOW" 2Xk km mileage.

Just open the paper and u will notice owners advertise 2002 318i CKD at around RM11Xk. Why should I pay additional RM30k for Jap sepc M-Sport which basically has the same 4-potter engine? Alright! the 17" rims, body kit, suspension, suede seat, non-multi functional steering, non-electric seat. new number plates, low 2.x% interest, relatively new tyres, and only 2-month warranty.

And u know what? These dealers are asking for RM1,500 for handling, transfer, inspection. bla..bla.. minus road tax and insurace...all in for a RM14Xk 2002 2.0 e46 M-Sport, the bill comes up to RM150k for a 6 year old car.. sigh....!!.. RIP OFF!!

More question about this 2005 Lifestyle...

1. What engine is it? was told same engine with E90.. So is that the non-valvetronic 173HP N45B20 or 143hp N42B20? Max speed should be around 220kph right?

2. Was told the car tukar ECU 2 times with AB (under warranty) because power window no behaving as it should be. Why ECU? Worth worrying? I worry the car may spend more time in AB in the future than on the road.. eventhough under warranty. I hardly open window also la... except going to Jusco.. Toll wise I got Smart Tag mah.. ;D

3. I think the car got ESP too... some thing like "Electronic Stability Program".. ;D

there are other m-sports with lower prices that you might find interesting.. i think go for one that's already registered also good. 130k is a fair price
might be worthwhile to look for NAZA ones.. I got that and it's really been good to me. I'm considering selling mine to make way for the new 3,but it's really nice and sayang lah.

 

[QD250]

racun

Heyya,

Just bought my E46 318 facelift about a month ago.

Here's my experience:

1. CBU japan - the mileage on these cars are suspiciously low. I was offered one at SG motors damansara at RM137K for a 2002 model with just 25k mileage with free leather seats upgrade. But the interior looks worn and I dont think its logical.

2. CBU UK - Saw a few at City Car Plaza - mileage was more logical 57k for a 2002 model. But there were some bad rusting on the non galvanised parts. If you have stayed in UK you will know the amount of grit (salt) poured on the roads during winter. I personally dont recommend it as i remember the condition on my Punto car during winter. The lower body part was white with salt marks!

3. CKD - finally settled for a Black Nov 2003 model with a mileage of 58K at RM133K.

This is what you need to do - get a mechanic to put it on a jacklift and remove the lower engine bay cover. Then look for signs of leakages and hose wear and tear. Specifically at the oil sump gasket, gear oil gaskets, o rings and all hoses.
In this car it was not driven regularly so there were a lot of leakages.

My mistake was not to do this earlier.

Good news is that there was no mechanical wear and tear of parts but a lot of leakages on the gaskets and o rings. Also look for warped brake rotors ( It will squeak and there some judder if you brake hard)

Unfortunately in my excitement I did not really take a close look at the bodywork.

When I sent it for polishing i realised that there was a few touch ups on the paintwork (circles about 2 inches) on the boot and side door. But its no big deal as you really need to stare hard at the side to notice it.

I sent it for a full service and replaced all the leaky gaskets, o rings, fuel filter, oil filter, engine flush, mobil 1 oil, air filter, rear brakes rotors and pads etc. All in all it cost RM4.5k plus labour.

So it depends on your luck. But be prepared to set aside at least 3.5k for preventive maintainance for a 60k mileage car.

But when I was cruising at 180km on early saturday morning at the NSE highway......trust me, all the money spent is priceless compared to this experience

How right you are when you say that touch ups is no big deal. If you can afford the car, you also be able to sent it for detailing, though not immediately. I sent my Jap recon for full service upon taking delivery. A must do! And again must have that extra money la....

AGREE big time that whatever you buy; it is pure luck. Even if you buy brand new from AB Malaysia.... it depends on luck to those who get the one defect from the same assembly line.... LUCK!

AGAIN AGREE that when my 4 potter cruises at 190kmh, to and fro KL - JB; all the money is well spent for the UDM experience. 4 potter also can do 190 what......

Racun, racun, racun.....:love:

 

[astroboy]

Haloo... 4-potter N42B20 can do 220kph la!

A friend told me if I were to spend RM150k on a 2005 E46 now, might as well wait for few months until 2008, by then maybe just top up another 10k and extend loan one more year, can get E90 lio!! Now the 2005 E90 is going at RM180k..

Then I told him then I might as well wait for E60..

 

[polluxcapella]

I guess I am lucky. Got my jap spec 318i (2001) in 2005, have been 2 yrs +, so far have done 2 services, each costing about RM350. Serviced as per spec - 25000Km interval, the oil looked quite ok.
Total maint. cost about RM700 for 2 yrs - not bad.

Btw, my Japanese friend said in is common for a Jap car to do 5k to 10k km a year in Japan. They don't drive to work like us or the british, they take public transport. Cars are for weekends and holidays only.

 

[astroboy]

Hi, polluxcapella,

Mind sharing with us if u speed a lot.. or have never breach our speed limit before?

It should make a lot of difference in lasting of the UDM components.

Meaning you bought the 2001 car in 2004?

Is yours running the 1.9L or N42 143hp 2.0L?

My trusty AB mechanic confirms that the 1.9L engine has far much less problems than the N42 and he asked me to avoid N42 for cost reason. There's a lot more sensors everywhere which increases the chance of illumination of engine check light. Naturally, nothing is free la. There's a price to be paid for the extra 40 HP.

Other than that, N42 is a much nicer car to drive.

 

[funfer_fahrer]

Try to avoid 318i 46 la. I heard so many stories, especially the ignition coil problem.

 

[astroboy]

Huh..

and get a Porsche?

And I have heard owner's of E46 getting rid of it after being slapped with thousands of $$$ on the repair bill. Quite a few of them.

 

[polluxcapella]

Mine is M43TUB19, only 117hp, unlike the N42 with 143hp.
And I don't speed often, only occasional long distance travel at 140 to 190kph, (usually early in the morning like 6am when the sky is not too bright and the cops are still sleeping ). Most of the time is below 120kph, have been paying too much for speeding tickets in the first one year. Now controlling the urge and go easy on the pedal.

 

[Sushi69]

E 46

Huh..

and get a Porsche?

And I have heard owner's of E46 getting rid of it after being slapped with thousands of $$$ on the repair bill. Quite a few of them.

There is nothing wrong with e 46.. Its just a matter of finding the right car in the best of conditions.

The salesman in cheras, let me test drive the car twice, even with my wife and son without paying a single cent..

By the way BMW shah alam also sells 2nd hand cars which were maintained by them. They will even give u a waranty period on the car..

 

[astroboy]

In fact BMW are mostly owned by company and as long as the service bill is < RM3k, they will happily pay. Its company pretax money anyway, meaning 25% is funded by govt.. :smokin:

And I don't blame the workshop for a hefty bill in service because they spend tenth of thousand of Ringgit on BMW diagnostic equipments and who's gonna pay for it? The customers la. If these equipment breaks down, they will also cry..