Just bought a '99 328i E46. Advice needed.

[curiousbug]

Greetings All,Car details: Model: 328i E46Year: 1999Mileage: 87,000 kms (I kid you not.)Situation:Just bought the car. I would like to do a full body scan. Questions:

• Should I go to the BMW maintenance center in Glenmarie? Would they overcharge me? Would they do a good job in checking the car?
• If I shouldn't go to the BMW maintenance centre, can anyone tell me where I should go to find a BMW expert mechanic who can do a full scan of the car?
• If you were me, what would you do first when you get the car before you drive it regularly?

The story, if you have the time to read: After almost 8 years of dreaming about BMW, I finally managed to earn enough money to afford payments for a second hand BMW. I was initially searching for a 318i E46 (which is what I was dreaming of for all those 8 years). But after reading many websites and reviews, 328i E46 appealed me more. And after looking at almost 20 cars (both 318i and 328i), I finally found my baby. A '99 328i E46. When I test drove the car, I didn't notice any problems. The previous owner did a tremendous job in taking care of the car. Engine is smooth, gears seem to work fine. I'm no BMW expert, at least not yet. But all seem okay. I'll be collecting the car end of this week. Before I put the baby for regular exercise, I would like to take it to an expert and do a full scan to make sure the engine and other organs are indeed in good condition.Thank you in advance for your answers. They are very much appreciated. Cheers.

 

[jarance]

try this:-

1. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246

or this.

2. http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6314

 

[mizhan]

curiousbug,

congratulations on your acquisition. at the very least, have a mechanic run diagnostics and check for signs of collision repair.

 

[alxy]

Tke it to a trusted BMW mechanic (in my case, I use MSpeed) and have him diagnose the car thoroughly. You might have to spend a few K just to bring it up to speed. It could be well maintained, but a 10 yr old car is still a 10 yr old car. So expect the usual wear and tear stuff to be changed. Unless you got a nice ex-owner who already did massive servicing before selling to you

If you're the kind who will love to enjoy all the 192 horses and 280Nm of torque (i.e. rev hard!), then have the gearbox oil changed and corresponding gearbox stuff checked as well. It really is a powerful car, so you need to take care of it.

Enjoy your car bro!

 

[bxnut]

Welcome to the 328 family.

I myself got mine in March of this year. A year 2000 328 E46. So I'm still leaning stuff about this wonderful car. I take mine to Selvam at PJ Old Town. He seems okay, though I have to admit I've not gone to anyone else. It is a powerful car. Its also quite trustworthy. I'm using mine at high speeds, 200+ kmh every day, and do about 150-200 km perday, long distance. No breakdowns so far. Perhaps, these cars are built for high speed travel. When you stop at lights, push the gear to neutral. Otherwise there is a propensity to slip. This seems to be family problem peculiar to E46's.
There is a lot of useful information here. This forum is excellent. Like a textbook. Kudos to the Si Fu's.:love::top:

How much did you get yours for?

 

[curiousbug]

Jarance: Thank you for the links. They are very helpful.
Mizhan: Thank you for your advice. Much appreciated.
Alxy: Thank you for your suggestions. You are right, a 10yr old car is still a 10yr old car. I'll get proper checks done.
Bxnut: Blimey! You drive 200km everyday? You must live really far from your work. Good to know that the car is serving you very well. Thanks for your tips mate. Much appreciated.

Had some problems with my documentations, so it took a while for the loan to get approved. All is good, and I'll be collecting my car on Saturday morning.

Questions:
1. Approximately how much does it cost to run diagnostics?
2. I plan to do an exterior and interior polishing after doing diagnostics. Any suggestions on a trustworthy place where it is reasonably priced?

 

[BmwFreaks]

Hye there mate,
i understand that u just bought urself a bmw e46. congrats on that. so my question here is. how much did u get it for? and do u know where could i find a brand new e46 and the price that they set? the new bmw e92 would cost so much more. not to mention to tune and upgrade the car.i would appreciate if u have the time to reply to my msg.thanks mate

 

[ICEMAN 68]

bro curiousbug ... welcome to BMWCM

1) it would be better to do the diagnostic check before signing on the doted line ...it would show you the fault codes / actual millage and so on ...but since you've already sign on the doted line then i would suggest you to take to a foreman and get all the quotation of works to be carried out ...and then let them run the diagnostic check ..therfore would may only need to fork out a little less than actual ... if for actual cost ..some charges mere 50 and at times would go as higher as rm 300 ....

2) it would be better to get the car inspected and change the wear and tear 1st and then send it to a pamper parlour for the other works ....

all the best bro

 

[bxnut]

Jarance: Thank you for the links. They are very helpful.
Mizhan: Thank you for your advice. Much appreciated.
Alxy: Thank you for your suggestions. You are right, a 10yr old car is still a 10yr old car. I'll get proper checks done.
Bxnut: Blimey! You drive 200km everyday? You must live really far from your work. Good to know that the car is serving you very well. Thanks for your tips mate. Much appreciated.

Had some problems with my documentations, so it took a while for the loan to get approved. All is good, and I'll be collecting my car on Saturday morning.

Questions:
1. Approximately how much does it cost to run diagnostics?
2. I plan to do an exterior and interior polishing after doing diagnostics. Any suggestions on a trustworthy place where it is reasonably priced?

Hi Curiousbug,

THe diagnostics should cost about fifty bucks. The BMW centres cost a bomb, even if they serve free coffee and buns. The price difference is sometimes exceeding two hundred percent

Run a serch through the forum for lists of mechanics, there are good ones and there are cut throat ones. You can learn from the experience of others. Spend about two to five days going through the posts. By the time you finish, you'll feel much more familiar with the machine.

I work in Seremban and around KL, so travel a lot. That accounts for the high mileage. Cheers

 

[curiousbug]

Hye there mate,
i understand that u just bought urself a bmw e46. congrats on that. so my question here is. how much did u get it for? and do u know where could i find a brand new e46 and the price that they set? the new bmw e92 would cost so much more. not to mention to tune and upgrade the car.i would appreciate if u have the time to reply to my msg.thanks mate

Hiya,

Sorry, but I have no clue where you can find a brand new e46. However, do a search through this forum, it has tons of information, and I suspect you might just stumble upon a thread that discusses this topic.

Cheers.

 

[curiousbug]

ICEMAN: Your name makes me miss the winter in London. LoL! Thanks for your suggestions. I appreciate them. Yes, I've already signed on the dotted lines. So, the first thing I'm going to do is to run diagnostics and get a quote on all that I need to change.

bxnut: Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, I'm not going to AB. I'm sure the trusted mechanics out there can do the same type of quality job and put a smaller hole in my pocket. I presume you have family commitments back home and that's why you are not opting to stay in KL. Well, you couldn't have chosen a better car for all the long distance trips you are making. Question to you: How much does it cost to fill up your tank? How many litres does it hold? And most importantly how far do you reach with a full tank? Thank you.

 

[curiousbug]

Some photos.

Thought of sharing some photos of my baby...! I'll be back to explain my intimate experience with her, and the RMs that I've spent on her so far....! Enjoy the photos...! :wink:

Cheers!

 

[king82]

congratulations to you, bro...hope you enjoy your drives for a long...long time... cheers

 

[curiousbug]

congratulations to you, bro...hope you enjoy your drives for a long...long time... cheers

Thank you king82. Looking forward to it...!! :smile:

 

[enkil]

Good looking car u got there. Congrats!

 

[curiousbug]

Good looking car u got there. Congrats!

Thank you enkil. Cheers!