new owner of E46 318i

[dizzy]

Hi, I am a new owner of an E46 318i ( bout a week ). Need alot of advice on servicing and maintenance. The car is 7yrs old and has done 90K km. Looking at changing the rims. Currently it's on 17" AC type II, using goodyear F1 215/45. As a new beemer onwer, the fever is on for me! To all sifus out there, looking forward to your advice please, please, please........TQVM

 

[Hellraiser]

congrats on your new ride. better to join us for tt sessions then can share more. on the other hand, checkout the threads in this forum to get a better idea of how to maintain the car...parts...cost...reliable mechanic in your area..etc.

 

[eterna22]

congrats on ur purchase.... i drive a E46 also.

my advice is dont change any thing first...set aside 10K for maintenance. watch out for these things

Aircond
Oil leak
Gearbox cant change gear
Worn bushing
ABS and AIR BAG sensor

 

[dizzy]

Thanks for all the advice.....will check out the threads. Hopefully nothing happens in a week or 2. How often are the tt sessions? Oh 1 question....since my car has done 90k km..what should I look out for next? How would I know when is the next change for engine & gear oil?

Thanks again.

 

[Hellraiser]

official tt session is every friday of the second week at borneo rain forest opp sunway lagoon hotel from 9.30pm onwards. unofficial tt is at rasta cafe in taman tun every other friday, same time.

there are other tt's available - klang/ampang/ipoh/penang/etc

suggest to take you car to a BMW specialist (if you have not) to check wear and tear. i've just changed by water pump and my termostate plus tensioner bearings. Will be looking into changing engine mounting and other minor stuff.

BMW says to change engine oil every 25K, but some of us are changing it at every 10K as we want to ensure the engine gets the best possible support it need to perform its best. suggest to change engine oil right away and take it from there.

Not sure about the gear oil part but i'm sure there was something written on it somewhere here.

are there any service records from the previous owner?

 

[eterna22]

For me, i will always check on my temperature gauge.

The reserve tank in our E46 is made of plastics and is designed to crack when they reach around 90-100k mark.
this is a minor problem and only cost around 500 ++ to fix.

other than that i suggest u dont always rev the car to the max and keep an eye on the gearbox. any sign of trembling, changing gear problem , straighaway service the GB. let it die completely and u are looking at a new box.

otherthan that, nothing much...hehehe

 

[affan66]

for preventive measures, always change the coolant tank (reserve tank/expansion tank) and belts at minimum. Check for the hoses too as these get brittle over time and leak. You'll get idle and loss of power issues if you don't fix this.

Other normal wear and tear stuff would be the suspension arm bushings and power steering hose. If more than 5 years, the fuel pump has to be replaced if it has never been done.

 

[dizzy]

Thanks forthe info Hellraiser......there is still alot for me to learn......unfortunely there is no service record from the previous onwer. No I have not cent my car for any check-up. So far after 10 days everything is still fine. But not sure what will happen down the road.....Should I send my car to AB or to an outside BMW specilist? I am living in Equine Park...an recommendations? Thx

 

[jarance]

The reserve tank in our E46 is made of plastics and is designed to crack when they reach around 90-100k mark.

Sure or not.. :listen:

 

[dizzy]

wow! eterna22 u r really a e46 fan.....the Gb is always my biggest fear too.....I am not sure if my Gb is still a 'virgin". Assuming it is, it is advisable to let the mecs to service the GB? Just afraid the mecs will not do a good job....btw can i adjust the clock myself? or the mecs can only do it? Thx.

 

[dizzy]

thx affan66...i will be sending my car for an inspection once I get the info should I sent it to AB ( for my 1st time ) or to an outside specialist...what do u reckon? how much does the fuel pump cost? I do not have any records from the previous onwer...I thought i just might go ahed and change the pump since the car is 7yrs old. tq tq tq.......

 

[Hellraiser]

bro, equine park is not too far away from my house. i stay in amanputra, near puchong utama. let's meet up sometime. call me if you're free and we can talk more. 012-3734647

 

[dizzy]

thx bro for your mobile no.......have saved your no....will call or sms u when i am free to meet up. thx again.

 

[Hellraiser]

Hi Diz, great meeting earlier. Ref to your curiosity about "ASC", i found this writeup. Hope it clarifies. Cheers!

The road surface is dry and visibility is good. Even tight cornering poses no problems. But suddenly things turn nasty when, without any warning, you've hit loose chippings. And that spells trouble.
The car starts to go out of control and rear threatens to break away. You apply brakes carefully and sensitively countersteer, keeping your eyes glued

to the oncoming traffic.
It is a situation that demands a whole series of perfectly coordinated reactions which only an experienced rally driver could be expected to execute flawlessly at any time.
The same situation could be mastered without the least bit of effort or stress if you happened to be driving a BMW equipped with ASC+T. This stands for Automatic Stability Control plus Traction, and is a system which prevents the drive wheels from spinning, thereby ensuring that the car stays on course in all conditions.

The developers brief made two primary stipulations:

1. Driving stability must be guaranteed at all times, both when driving straight ahead and when cornering, and this must be independent of the accelerator position.
2. Traction in the drive wheels must be optimally utilized, specially when moving off on road surfaces with marked differences in the fractional coefficients on the left and right.

In other words, even in ice, snow and rain, and on other slippery surfaces, the power delivered to the wheels must not exceed a level that would cause any of them to spin, even if the driver has his foot down on the accelerator.
It almost sounds as if ASC+T were able to defy the basic laws of physics. What actually happens is that the vehicle is kept on track at all times through a series of coordinated and electronically controlled interventions in the engine, ignition and brake systems.
It works like this: in critical situations on the road, the angle of the throttle butterfly in the

ignition system is altered in such away as to allow only the maximum transmissible power to reach the wheels, while Digital Motor Electronics (DME) adjust the ignition time. This results in the drive force being cut back by up to 50 per cent. In addition, ASC+T will also activate the brakes in the rear wheels if necessary, and to varying degrees if frictional coefficients on the road differ.
The ASC+T system knows when stability and traction have to be increased thanks to the ABS sensors, which provide the computer with a steady stream of data on wheel slip for each side of the car, as well as on changing speeds

in the drive wheels. If the predetermined limits are exceeded, the control unit will instantly activate the traction system.
All the driver registers of this complex procedure is a decrease in engine torque despite the fact that pressure on the gas pedal may not have changed. Also, a control lamp in the instrument display will come on to indicate that ASC+T is in action and that the driver should adapt to the altered road surface.
As a certain slip in the drive wheel is necessary for optimum thrust in sand or deep snow, the ASC+T system can be switched off manually.
ASC+T is available as standard equipment in all '97 BMW models with a capacity of 2.8 litres or more and as an option in all BMW four cylinder models.

 

[dizzy]

The pleasure was all mine bro! Wow! Thanks for the info about the ACS.....fully understand it now. Just fyi....went back to dealer today...checked the car....the reserve tank is indeed leaking...saw the leakage......the only sad thing is I will be missing my beauty for the next 3 to 4 days....

Thannks again bro.

 

[Hellraiser]

3 days to change the reserve tank...uh? it should be a quickie

 

[dizzy]

told them to sevice as well and they said changing is 1 day and testing is another and extra 1 day just as buffer wor.

 

[Hellraiser]

one day for changing and testing is good enough in my opinion. i have changed this before. replace new tank and test all in one day. send car morning, evening pick up after work. whats with the buffer part?