E46 318 yr yr 2000 vs E46 318 2002

[ric1504]

hi guys...its been awhile after i sold my E34...so now looking for E46....maybe some bros here can help me with this question. whats the difference with the engine? i read mostly 2002 is motronic engine....any reliability issues?thanks guys

 

[jarance]

E46 318i
- From year 199 till 2001, the engine supply is M43. (Which is also supplied for E36 last batch.)
- From year 2001 till 2003, the engine supply is N42.
- From year 2004 last batch, the engine supply is N46.

Check out wiki for list of BMW Engine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_BMW_engines

 

[JASONBMW]

hi guys...its been awhile after i sold my E34...so now looking for E46....maybe some bros here can help me with this question. whats the difference with the engine? i read mostly 2002 is motronic engine....any reliability issues?
thanks guys

i prefer u buy the 318 year 2000, becos the maintance is low, the engine also less got problem, the 318 year 2002 is powerful, but engine n maintance is higher!

 

[elwine30]

The N42/46 318i E46 facelift do not have VANOS but it comes with Valvetronic.

 

[Crymson]

N42/46 not Vanos?

Two of my mech recommend if I want to consider to change, to get the M43 (ie 1.9) too.

 

[ric1504]

i prefer u buy the 318 year 2000, becos the maintance is low, the engine also less got problem, the 318 year 2002 is powerful, also got double vanus, but engine n maintance is higher!

thanks for the advice jason....i assume u have the same model? saw one models E46 318 year 2001 1.9...asking price is about 83k with 2 week warranty & 79k w/o warranty....is that the same as year 2000 model? mileage bout 97k so anything i need to be prepared for? engine top overhaul, g/b overhaul etc...
also the g/b is shiftronic...would it be costlier to maintain in the long term as opposed to normal auto gearbox? i mean wat are the chances of the shiftronic going kaput?
any advice from all the bros here will be greatly appreciated

 

[JASONBMW]

ya! now i m e46 1.9 japan spec. i think the car low millage no need 2 do top overhaul, becos the 1.9 engine is no problem, it problem is the oil filter housing, it ll leak oil, u just change the o ring n the gasket then ok, the next must care is the rear water pipe, it is near the the gear box there, another 1 is the spare tank , it must take k also, it is the 1.9 normal problem. gear box u must change the gear oil n the filter, becos in malaysia wheater is hot, so every 45000km u must change the gear oil.is u buy 2.0 e46 the problem is engine ll (makan minyak hitam), then also leak oil, but gear box got 5 speed gear, 1.9 just got 4 speed gear. but 2.0e46 chage gear oil is expensive then 1.9 e46.

 

[ric1504]

ya! now i m e46 1.9 japan spec. i think the car low millage no need 2 do top overhaul, becos the 1.9 engine is no problem, it problem is the oil filter housing, it ll leak oil, u just change the o ring n the gasket then ok, the next must care is the rear water pipe, it is near the the gear box there, another 1 is the spare tank , it must take k also, it is the 1.9 normal problem. gear box u must change the gear oil n the filter, becos in malaysia wheater is hot, so every 45000km u must change the gear oil.is u buy 2.0 e46 the problem is engine ll (makan minyak hitam), then also leak oil, but gear box got 5 speed gear, 1.9 just got 4 speed gear. but 2.0e46 chage gear oil is expensive then 1.9 e46.

ok ok thanks for the advice jason...will go look at a few more E46 b4 i decide

 

[silverE46]

Hi ric1504,

Welcome to BM world sooner or later.

My experience about E46 1.9 2001 (M43TUB19) and E46 2.0 2002 (N42B20 Valvetronic) are :

i. Single Overhead Camshaft vs Double Overhead Camshaft engine
ii. 4 speed tiptronic vs 5 speed tiptronic gearbox
iii. 118 bhp/120ps vs 141bhp/143ps
iv. 10.4s vs 9.3s 0-100km/h
v. no multifunction steering vs multifunction steering
vi. old facelift vs new facelift
etc.

Conclusion: I never regret for owning E46 318 2.0 N42B20,powerful but economy and nowadays mostly Japanese cars have a similar for engine design as our UDM and more expensive rather than BM parts.

 

[ric1504]

Hi ric1504,

Welcome to BM world sooner or later.

My experience about E46 1.9 2001 (M43TUB19) and E46 2.0 2002 (N42B20 Valvetronic) are :

i. Single Overhead Camshaft vs Double Overhead Camshaft engine
ii. 4 speed tiptronic vs 5 speed tiptronic gearbox
iii. 118 bhp/120ps vs 141bhp/143ps
iv. 10.4s vs 9.3s 0-100km/h
v. no multifunction steering vs multifunction steering
vi. old facelift vs new facelift
etc.

Conclusion: I never regret for owning E46 318 2.0 N42B20,powerful but economy and nowadays mostly Japanese cars have a similar for engine design as our UDM and more expensive rather than BM parts.

thanks for the advice....well i am not buying the car for power and its more like a weekend car for me...so normal cruising will be fine...just wanted to make sure that i know what i am getting into if i buy the 2000/1 1.9 model....i never had much problems with my E34, but thats another platform.
btw...there is a E36 328 that looks really yummy in the classifieds...vincent hor's UDM....might want to have a look at his car as well.
oh well...decisions decisions decisions...sighhhh

 

[Fress]

I recon u go for 2004 batch, bro. coz it definitely equipped DSC not ASC. i've tried both functions to the limits, it is worth having DSC, on either any attitude you drive.
but i've bought a 2002, M43TU car with an ASC on it... Muahhaa.... don't know that they gonna equipped those on 2004 before... ;(