2005 BMW E46 325Ci Sport

[Peter C]

The good news. I picked up the BMW from the garage this afternoon, the new flywheel and clutch were fitted, the mechanic did a test drive and all is well.

The bad news. The interior, which I cleaned, hoovered and shined up last weekend, was left absolutely filthy.



And this little adventure cost me £995.58. Ouch.

[Peter C]

I spent a bit of time cleaning the exhaust system today.

I jacked up the nearside of the BMW as high as I could with the standard jack and put axle stands in place. Working conditions were not ideal.



It took me two hours to get the exhaust system clean.



I got the back box as clean as possible. Good result.



The exhaust clamps are not pretty but they are solid and they're not getting replaced.



The middle box.



The front box.



The catalytic converter and lambda sensor form part of the downpipe. Both look original and intact.



Research on the internet revealed that similar stainless steel exhaust systems retail at approx £500. Good to know.

[ChasR]

As always, it's a great read .

Jun 19, 2022 7:12:58 GMT Brigsy said:

Looks class and in great condition. Nice to see one thats not been turned into wannabe drift spec.

I think this is one reason why the value of E46s have gone up, despite the E46 just being a great all rounder. Influencers like Alex Kersten haven't helped this either mind you.

Jun 19, 2022 9:35:05 GMT carat 3.6 said:

That's a clean looking coupe, the E46 is one of the best all round cars BMW ever made.

When you get a chance have a look around the rear subframe mounting points underneath the car, these are known for cracking on the coupes. There are various reinforcement plate kits available if needed.

What he said. The best thing to do is to drop the undershielding down around the fuel tank, so that the mounts can be properly inspected. Despite what folks say, all of them are liable for cracking. As long as it's caught in time, it's fixable for reasonable (ish) money.

Jun 28, 2022 15:10:03 GMT Peter C said:

Earlier this afternoon I took the E46 to a BMW specialist in High Wycombe, an outfit called TCS. Judging by the collection of M cars parked in their yard, these are the right people to work on my car.



I don't trust anyone these days, hence a quick photo of the mileage reading, taken as I parked up in TCS's yard.



All being well, I'm picking up the E46 tomorrow at 3pm.

An ad for a competition keeps popping up on Facebook. The lucky winner gets an E46 M3. Pretty car.





I'm not comparing my 325Ci to an M3 but I can't help noticing that the interior of my standard model is not too dissimilar to the racing inspired M car.

It looks like it's gone to the right place .

The interior look similar yes, but there are enough subtle bits inside to mark the M car out as different. Seats are quite difference when they are both put side by side. This is causing some contention between a friend and I, as I plan to remove my seats and replace them with Recaro Sportster CS items, which I have.

It's something I noticed when I went to go and buy mine. It's odd, as the Focus RS didn't really convey the difference the same from a stock Mk1 ; this was going to be the preferred car choice at the time over the M3. Then there's the engine, which sounds quite different in the M car. But, I'd be lying if I said they were a cheap car to own!

It looks like it's scrubbed up well!

As said, bin the CDV valve from the clutch. It will transform how the clutch operates.

Another tip is for the centre console. Instead of recoating the plastics, get a cupholder and coin holder in place. It will make the car far more practical, and pleasant as seen here.

I went to grey ones shortly after to match my interior. They have been used quite a bit .

[Peter C]

Jul 3, 2022 6:27:51 GMT ChasR said:

As always, it's a great read .

Jun 19, 2022 7:12:58 GMT Brigsy said:

Thank you for your contribution. I've made myself a cup of tea and I'm about to read through your entire thread. 

I've Googled Alex Kersten. Did he really buy an E46 330i (Touring) for £140 and it wasn't a complete POS? Hard to believe.

I haven't been keeping a close eye on E46 values but from memory a tidy Coupe was never worth less than £5k.

I will have to do some research into the subframe mounting cracking and inspect the underside of my car next time I have it up on ramps. From what I've seen whilst cleaning the exhaust last Saturday, there are no horrors underneath.

Now that I have a new clutch and flywheel, the clutch biting point feels more positive and the clutch has a pleasant light action. The clutch in my Cooper S is very stiff (they all do that, sir), which makes it a pain to drive in traffic. However, the CDV delete sounds like something I should be doing. I watched a YouTube video about it today, it seems like an easy enough job.

I like the layout of the centre console and I will probably just spray it with whatever paint I have in my workshop.

I drove the E46 a fair bit today, probably approx 100 miles. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, apart from the tramlining. On uneven sections of motorway the front end feels nervous and follows the road imperfections. I've researched these symptoms and apparently a lot of people consider it to be quite normal, all part of the car communicating with the driver. Some people have tried fitting different tyres but most still suffer from the problem to a certain extent.

[Peter C]

Ok, it’s probably a mint 330Ci and it’s only done 47k miles but look at the price. Yours for only £16k!

[Peter C]

I got hold of a suitable switch for the boot release bodge.



My auto electrician friend is a bit busy right now and I had some free time this afternoon, so I decided to fit the switch without his assistance. WCPGW?

Firstly, I should explain that my knowledge of car electrics is limited. Very limited, actually. 

My research revealed that there are three wires that extend to the boot panel. The boot panel contains the boot release switch and number plate lights. Using my tester, I ascertained that one wire does nothing obvious, one provides a +12V supply to the number plate lights when the headlight switch is turned on and one cable operates the boot switch by way of completing an earthing circuit.

I cut the cable that completes the earthing circuit and hooked up a longer cable to the back of the plug. I shut the boot and as soon as I touched the exhaust with the tip of the cable, the boot release mechanism operated. Bingo! 

I decided to fit the switch. The plan was to connect one of the switch terminals to the plug and the other to an earthing point on the inside of the boot lid. By pressing the switch button, the earth circuit would be complete and the release mechanism would operate. Quite simple really.

I started by drilling and filing a hole in the boot panel to accommodate the new switch.



The switch fitted just fine and didn't look like a complete bodge.



I drilled a few holes in the boot lid to enable the switch cables to pass through inside. More on that later. Then I fitted the boot panel.



I connected the wiring as proposed and bingo, the new switch operated the opening mechanism. Then I checked if the number plate lights worked. They didn't. No bingo. I tried re-connecting the cable that extends to the original switch to the new circuit but the number plate lights then only worked for a second when I activated the release mechanism with the new switch, otherwise they were dead.

I then cut into the other cable, which apparently doesn't do very much. No joy. Earthing this cable, via the switch, did not operate the release mechanism.

Evidently, my cunning plan was not that cunning after all. I removed the new switch and replaced it with a grommet. I removed my additional wiring and reinstated all the original connections. I'm now no better off but at least my number plate lights work!

Unfortunately, this story doesn't end here. The boot lid is double skinned and to get the two new cables into position, I had to drill a hole in the inner panel. I was aware of the consequences of the drill bit going through the inner panel and making contact with inner side of the outer skin, so I wrapped the drill bit with tape, to prevent the drill bit from going in too deep. I formed the hole, at which point the tape slipped off the drill bit and still spinning, the tip of the drill bit touched the inner side of the outer panel. 



I was livid. The panel had a small bulge and the paint cracked. I tapped the lump down with a hammer (and piece of wood) and got it almost smooth. I touched up the repair but it still looks pants. I will have to get a mobile body repair man to come out and fix it properly. Unfortunately, I'm off on holiday on Saturday so the repair will have to wait a couple of weeks.



The moral of the story is, leave certain jobs to people who know what they are doing. I am sure that my auto electrician friend would have tested the circuits and told me that what I was proposing to achieve is not possible. Had I waited, I would have saved myself a lot of bother. We live and learn.

[skodacious]

That is annoying 😟

I wish I could offer advice on the electrical side of things but I find it all too complex these days.

Enjoy your holiday and forget it until you get back. May reverse into the garage so you don't see the ding 🤔

[Peter C]

Jul 7, 2022 17:11:25 GMT skodacious said:

That is annoying 😟

I wish I could offer advice on the electrical side of things but I find it all too complex these days.

Enjoy your holiday and forget it until you get back. May reverse into the garage so you don't see the ding 🤔

Your words of support are much appreciated.

The damage looks like a giant wart on the bum of a pretty girl. It needs fixing!!!!

[Peter C]

So, what's the cost of repairing the damaged boot lid?

I submitted details of the damage to two mobile repair firms and based on the photographs, I've been quoted £216 and £237. Ouch.









I visited a local bodywork repair garage this morning. We agreed that if I strip the lights, number plate, etc, they will fix and spray the boot lid for £200. Then it will be down to me to reassemble all the bits. The car is booked in for the 27th July. 

A costly mistake but at least I can enjoy my holiday now, knowing that my baby will be fixed asap once I'm back.

[Peter C]

I'm back from holiday and sorting out the damaged boot lid.

As agreed with the bodyshop, I have stripped everything from the boot lid. Stripping the bits took me 15 minutes and I saved myself £50. Win.



I did some research and read some horror stories about people who disconnected the boot lid and number plate lights and drove the car and then had light bulb failure warnings come on, which wouldn't go out. To prevent this from happening, I removed and re-connected all the lights and secured them to the underside of the boot lid. I wrapped the silver painted number plate light panel in two old pairs of my (clean) boxers - a nice touch.

I also removed the (pristine) boot carpet, just in case.



I drove the BMW less than a mile to the bodyshop, with reduced rear lighting and the number plate perched on the rear shelf. Luckily, the rozzers didn't see me.



All being well, I'll get the BMW back tomorrow afternoon. Woo hoo!

[Peter C]

I got the BMW back from the bodyshop yesterday.

The repair and re-spray are flawless.  The garage owner commented on how tidy my car is, which is nice as he sees a lot of cars, most of which are a lot more valuable than mine.

I reassembled the boot lid parts this morning and the BMW is ready to go.



Whenever I buy a car, I always take it for a drive from home to Silverstone via the A413 and back again. It's my way of bonding with it. It's a round trip of almost 90 miles.



Whilst I bought the BMW a good few weeks ago now, I've had issues with the clutch, then I went on holiday for a fortnight,  this week the boot lid was being fixed, which all means I haven't had time to see what the BMW has to offer out on the highway. All being well, I will have time in the next few weeks to find out. I can't wait.

[Peter C]

I'm off to the Ace Cafe this evening for the classic car night soiree. I will be taking the BMW but parking it to the side, in the modern classics section. It wouldn't fit in very well amongst the British Leyland tat.

Earlier today I gave the alloy wheels a quick wipe over. Our recently acquired puppy, Daisy, an 11 week old Miniature Schnauzer, was helping me out. Teamwork makes the dream work.

[skodacious]

Looking really sharp now and maximum points for the furry friend addition. Looks like he will be trained up in no time 👍

[Peter C]

Everything went according to plan, I popped over to Ace Cafe and parked up next to a lovely Lotus Elise. The BMW was well received, one chap even commented that it’s the best coupe that BMW have ever made. Not sure I agree.

[Peter C]

As with all my cars, I was planning on cleaning and rust proofing the concealed areas and the underside of the BMW.

Today was that day, part one at least.

As the BMW is so low slung, my hydraulic jack doesn't fit under the sills. To get the car up in the air, with all four wheels off the ground, I had to use the factory jack as well as my hydraulic jack. Not fun but I got there in the end.





I removed the nearside sill cover first and found the front of the sill caked in mud.



Fortunately, once the muck was cleared, the metal underneath was pristine. Ditto on the other side.



A few minor plebs aside, there was no significant corrosion on the nearside sill. Just as well, as I've read plenty of horror stories about E46s that needed extensive welding to sills and floors.





Then I removed the offside sill cover and found a bit more surface corrosion.



The corrosion looks bad but, fortunately, it's only surface rust. Once scraped off, the metal underneath was 100% solid.





I scraped off all the loose paint and rust and treated all areas with corrosion inhibitor.





I cleaned out the recess in the front wing arch and checked for corrosion.  Who's that good looking fella?



There was no evidence of any significant rust, however I masked off the arch and applied plenty of paint to seal the recess. I did the same on the other side.



Somebody had sprayed part of the rear wheel wells with a black coating. It didn't look pretty, so I overpainted it with silver Hammerite.





I then painted all the rust affected areas with the same paint. Silver Hammerite is a good match for the paintwork, however none of my repairs will be on display once the sill covers are back on.





The sill covers were both damaged along the underside.



The scrapes are out of sight when the car is on terra firma but I figured that a quick touch up with more silver Hammerite would make them look better. And it did.



The rear exhaust box hanged low in relation to the rear bumper. I noticed that the two mountings were incorrectly assembled.



I re-assembled the mountings correctly, however now the exhaust hangs too high.



I've run out of time today but tomorrow I will fit some washers between the two mountings and the floorpan, which will bring the exhaust down by approx 3-4mm, which should do the trick.

This is how I left the BMW at 5pm this afternoon.



I will do the wheels tomorrow.



Finally, I asked my wife to rinse out the sill cover fixings. She ended up cleaning each one with a brush. Gotta love her.



More tomorrow.

[Peter C]

Day two of two.

I started by re-fixing the exhaust mounts. As proposed, I put spacers (large nuts) between the floorpan and the top of each mount, which reduced the height at which the back box hangs by approx 5-6mm. There is now a nice even gap between the exhaust and rear bumper and the back box is more securely fixed than it was before. 



The brake calipers looked a bit manky. I had a tin of gloss black enamel paint left over from when I painted my W124's cam cover, which did the trick.





Evidently, my BMW is fitted with aftermarket springs. No idea if they are any good but they are all in good condition and shall remain for now.



The front struts were very rusty. A quick squirt of Hammerite black gloss and they look much better.





The rear trailing arms and rear shock absorbers were also rusty. I applied the same treatment.





I refitted the front arch liners and side skirts, all fixings were good enough to re-use and everything went back in without any problems.

The wheel arches, sills and floor pan are now clean and protected from onset of corrosion. 







I gave the wheels a good scrub, on the inside too. They are far from perfect but for the time being they will have to do. Ideally, all four wheels need a refurb, one front wheel has been welded, the centre caps need replacing and, whilst all four tyres have plenty of tread, they are budget brands  (Zeta on the rear and something I can't remember on the front) and want replacing. I will look out for a better set and see what comes up.



Job done, I gave the BMW a good wash and put it back in the garage.





MoT on Friday. Wish me luck.

[Peter C]

Seems that a set of H&R springs for an E46 cost almost £180!

www.eurocarparts.com/search/981110831?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZLPivfp-QIVWYXVCh2T0AAgEAQYASABEgKQqPD_BwE

Nice.

[ChasR]

Jul 4, 2022 15:59:45 GMT Peter C said:

Jul 3, 2022 6:27:51 GMT ChasR said:

As always, it's a great read .

Thank you for your contribution. I've made myself a cup of tea and I'm about to read through your entire thread. 

I've Googled Alex Kersten. Did he really buy an E46 330i (Touring) for £140 and it wasn't a complete POS? Hard to believe.

I haven't been keeping a close eye on E46 values but from memory a tidy Coupe was never worth less than £5k.

I will have to do some research into the subframe mounting cracking and inspect the underside of my car next time I have it up on ramps. From what I've seen whilst cleaning the exhaust last Saturday, there are no horrors underneath.

Now that I have a new clutch and flywheel, the clutch biting point feels more positive and the clutch has a pleasant light action. The clutch in my Cooper S is very stiff (they all do that, sir), which makes it a pain to drive in traffic. However, the CDV delete sounds like something I should be doing. I watched a YouTube video about it today, it seems like an easy enough job.

I like the layout of the centre console and I will probably just spray it with whatever paint I have in my workshop.

I drove the E46 a fair bit today, probably approx 100 miles. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, apart from the tramlining. On uneven sections of motorway the front end feels nervous and follows the road imperfections. I've researched these symptoms and apparently a lot of people consider it to be quite normal, all part of the car communicating with the driver. Some people have tried fitting different tyres but most still suffer from the problem to a certain extent.

He did, but I also suspect he used his Instragram to his advantage.

Tidy(ish) examples did once hit around £3k. A friend of mine got a relatively clean 68k 330Ci ClubSport 3 years ago for £4.2k. He sold it for more during Covid, and I think now, that would be a £7k car. The prices of good E46s has firmed up, where I can sort of see why to be fair .

Aug 28, 2022 16:16:20 GMT Peter C said:

Seems that a set of H&R springs for an E46 cost almost £180!

www.eurocarparts.com/search/981110831?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZLPivfp-QIVWYXVCh2T0AAgEAQYASABEgKQqPD_BwE

Nice.

A win indeed! My Eibachs for the M3 were about that from Tunershop when they sold to the UK. They're alot more than that now!

[Peter C]

I can’t see the BMW failing the MoT on anything obvious but I’m not sure how the emissions test will turn out with the aftermarket exhaust. The original catalytic converter is still in place, just behind the exhaust manifold but I’m pretty sure that a standard exhaust has another one further back. Anyone?

I’ve read stories about how a dirty MAF cam affect performance and emissions.

Here’s my MAF.



Removing the MAF takes 30 seconds.



Hard to say whether it’s clean or dirty. I gave it a few squirts of contact cleaner, which is an approved alternative to MAF cleaners.



I refitted the MAF and fired up the engine. It ran on fast idle for about 20-30 seconds.



Then settled down to a nice even idle and ran just fine with no EML nasties.



There’s not much else that I can do now.

Has anyone added a catalytic converter cleaner to the fuel tank and noticed any significant changes to the engine’s performance?

[Peter C]

I saw this photo on Facebook today and it has made me want cooler wheels even more.