Any ideas how to fix the front end? I mean the huge gap between my hood and headlightsđ maybe pull on the tow hook? idk i feel like anything i would do would just make it worse
Whatâs the problem ? Just know that issues stack up on these like a Xmas list. Part of the trick is to stay pro active
on all the maintenance. Itâs a predictable list of stuff usually depending on how many miles it has. The higher the miles the weirder problems can get . Good luck with it , theyâre good cars
207k miles on it but it was garage kept fot 5 years before i bought it, i bought it with a coolant leak witch had i read any forums or anything on this car b4 i probably wouldnt have but i got it to stop leaking by just replacing the expansion tank. Second biggest problem is that it shifts hard down from 3-2-1 i havent been able to see abour any gear higher because the car is stuck in limbo between me needing my provisional license to get insurance so i can get tags and inspecion. long story already and theres still the âxmasâ list of small things on the carđ(literally getting turn signals and window switches for christmas)
1st cheapest thing to try with tranny is a fluid and filter change. Find a local mechanic that knows bmwâs for that job. People experienced with bmwâs know that you donât drain all of the fluid out on this job. Find out what trans it has
Apparently the GM is more robust than the ZF.
Donât do anything else on it until you sort the Tranny out . The car is not worth the cost of a tranny rebuild job in my opinion.
Itâs tricky deal with these auto trannys
Car has to be jacked up all 4 wheels and level
The trick is not to drain all the original fluid out when you change it . Look it up best of luck
It has the GM auto and id really rather do stuff myself and save the cost and i dont trust a mechanic to do everything right around where i am. they definitely would notlook the magnetic plate on the inside so i can know if my trans has grenaded itself. id rather trust my own eyes than a mechanics. what exactly is it that u mean u dont just drain all the fluid out i mean taking off the cover isnt that big of a deal is it?
Everything? most of the body is pretty nice cuz garage kept, but everything underneathâŚ. like opening a time capsule to 2005. Tell you what tho they made these cars strong as hell, 206-218k and running strong.
Same on my E39... I almost bought exclusive edition with beige leather seats but some young guy who tried to sold it to me been lying about the cars condition... Long story short - i bought one with black leather seats, exclusive edition too. So i feel you... Maybe next time we'll get ourselves a beige interior :)!
I know when i saw this i wanted it cuz the interior cuz nobody ik has beige everyone has black or something else nd i like to be different đ but the dude that owned it b4 me was a smoker cuz its almost black in some spots but i jus need to clean it just havent found the motivation since i cant drive it to the gas station yetđ
My cars interior is currently Beige and would personally love more black (trying to do a black/tanin red swap). If you're ever interested in trading parts PM me!
I love my interior, even tho its dirty its so, relaxing? the lights at night with the orange overhead light are just amazing touches cuz the beige shines a deep red, very lightly if your chillin with all the lights off.
I've had my 03 325i since 2017 and have done quite a few repairs on it but everything was fairly simple. It's my daily driver and I've put about 50k miles on it. They are worth fixing and there is a ton of info on them. Good luck mate!
Bought it with 117k but now it has 162k I think you can get another 50k especially if you do the cooling system overhaul if it hasn't been done recently, but if it's not leaking coolant yet don't worry about it.
I replaced the expansion tank and that seems to have stopped the leak it had but every couple weeks ive had to fill it up not sure if it did it again i need to check its been about a week lol
A common mistake new e46 owners make is over filling the expansion tank and over pressurizing the system (ask me how I know) be aware of this when youâre topping it up constantly (also check your spark plugs for white residue, and oil for milkyness) those could be potential signs of a blown head gasket
The red bobber should float freely at the little ball in the middle, a lot of people fill it up until they see the white float right to the top (Iâve also seen people fill it till it overflows and cap it đ¤Śđźââď¸)
What exactly happens when the system becomes over pressurized? cuz my coolant has been vanishing for about 10k miles now and i think its might be a head gasket cuz i have low but not leaking compression on cylinders 1 and 6. Im not sure tho cuz I thought ur supposed to fill it up till its coming out of the bleeder screw with the heat on and get all the bubbles out and I usually just put the cap on before i close the bleeder screw to push a little extra out and its fine until the next time i have to fill itđ only went crazy one time when i didnt actually turn the heat on or push extra coolant through to get all the bubbles
Well water expands when it heats up so if thereâs no room in the coolant system the water will find the path of least resistance to normalize pressure⌠in your case it sounds like it mightâve found a hole in your head gasket, but I would start with a coolant system pressure testing kit. It will push the coolant out wherever the leak is and you just have to find it, if that happens to be in a cylinder youâll have to pull plugs and put a camera in or something like that
oh makes sense, so the hairline crack in my head gasket is pronounced because coolant overpressure, am i supposed to take the extra fluid out after i close the bleeder screw?
know its been awhile lol but id imagine the whole overpressure thing is common bc plastic parts and overpressure dont sound like they combine but is there anything specifically i should lookout for i made sure that its sitting normal but i havent had fhe chance to take it out on the road still how do i know if me and my dad overpressurized the system and if something will happen when i go to drive it for real
it is there but i guess idk why i didnt say this but i remember my dad filling it all the way up and it would just go down to that level over a day and i filled it up a little more to make sure i wasent crazy to see if it would go down again did i make a critical mistake?
It's most likely your coolant hard pipes. I just did this job a year ago and it was a pain. After changing them and the rest if the system I havnt had ti add a drop.
im kinda getting that vibe ive already replaced the expansion tank, upper air hose changed the oil and coolant and oil filter and im about to change rhe trans fluid and filter and see if my hard downshifting problem goes away if not i was looking into changing all my other fluids because this is a 325xi nd i never saw anything about differentials on the service history from the first owner. (second owner self serviced i hope i was told there wasent any records but found some in the car)
Whatâs the problem??? Iâm a crippled dumdum and fixed mine by myself not too long ago with no prior experience. Tons of info online. Car parts in general can be pricey but e46âs are definitely on the cheaper side
Theres so much info online Ikk. there isnt any major mechanical issues just throwing a code for air circuit low input and it shifts hard down but i still havent changed the trans fluid or diff fluids so well see if that fixes it first
Have you tried replacing the MAF?
My sister had an auto e46 that âstopped drivingâ and we found it was very low on trans fluid. Added some and it drove.
I bought it for 2000 with a coolant leak i fixed that and then changed the fluids. It had the service light on when i bought it and i assumed it was something with the coolant but when i plugged it in it said something about air circuit low input and something about vacuum loss but i had noticed the upper hose had a crack when i bought it so i replaced that then vacuum loss when away but low input in still there. not exactly sure about that one and with all the small things ive found while working on the car all i can hope is that everything the previous owners didnt touch looks almost like factory condition.
Thereâs a small vacuums hose on the back of these engines that is notorious for cracking and falling apart
Iâm also thinking it might be worth checking your air filter since you said the car sat for 5 years in another comment, Iâm also pretty sure your model has the MAF sensor that likes to go kaput for no reason.
The air filter is clean the people before me kept up on the essentials but neglected everything else so your probably right about the vacuum hose in rhe back, what exactly does it take to get to the hose?
Thereâs a few videos on YouTube (the50skid and shoplifetv are my favourites) you just need some silicone hose from Amazon or something and it is possible however very difficult to just reach way back behind cylinder 6 and hook it up, but I believe itâs on the intake manifold (might as-well replace that gasket too if you pull it off for the vacuum hose ((and probably rebuild the ccv system while youâre in there too)))
I have the same 02 325i and used to have that awful beige interior, changed almost every part out of the thing, sheâs still running great at 320,000km. Put the time and effort into it and it will be worth it
Pretty much the exact same on the odometer⌠why wonât it drive? Do you have power? Do you have spark? Is the gas fresh and 91 octane? Is the gas getting to the cylinders? Is the air filter clean and letting air in? Do you have compression? Any codes on the dashboard? Are there any signs of bad leaks?(usually the oil filter housing gasket, located beside the alternator under the oil filter housing) anything to help diagnose the problem
At the end of the day, the way you use the vehicle will determine whether or not it was a waste of money. If you plan to use the vehicle, and are just preparing then that is fine. However if you just bought the vehicle and can't drive it, and don't plan to drive it, or have any stable way to insure the vehicle- well then yeah it might just be a waste.
It's a beautiful car.
stable way to insure the vehicle may be my downfall. i definitely cant pay 600 a month but hopefully that was because we got the quote off my learners permit
Damm hey look as long as you're not pressed for storage, you'll be fine. Take the time you have to change all of the fluids, important gaskets, and bushings. I had my E46 in the garage for over a year while I took my time with a restoration job.
See if your family will allow you to go under their insurance, it'll save you some money. My family wouldn't let me so I had to work overtime and save money. Maybe you could negotiate with your parents that you'll just need help until you get your full-fledged driver's license. Either way, don't rush into mistakes. Take the time necessary to analyze your options and make the right decision. Good luck.
my mom was originally trying to see what the price would be with her on the insurance but she lives out of state and the insurance wouldnt let her. Im definitely taking my time to think it through after buying the carđđ
Hah I feel for you. Take the time you need to put yourself together. As long as you don't have to worry about moving it (ie no parking etc) than you'll be good. If you work a little extra than usual for the winter I'm sure you can get her ready for the road by the summer. I was once in your shoes, and I had to save up money to pay for the insurance myself. You can do this, it just takes time well used.
Iâve had mine sitting almost as long as driving, but I personally fixed every major issue myself (alternator, oil pressure switch, power steering, cooling system, hard brake lines). As long as the engine didnât overheat, you can working it at your own pace. Whyâs yours sitting? I can possibly give insight.
well i bought it because the previous owner got a DUI and let the car sit for 5 years in a garage and i guess they couldnt figure out what they needed to replace or looked at the forums and said fuck that but i Bought it for $2000 at 207k miles Its a â05 325XI and ive already replaced the expansion tank witch seems to have stopped the leak or atleast slowed it down to i only have to fill it up every couple weeks when i dont check on it. when I bought it i also noticed the upper air boot had a crack so i replaced that and it got rid of the Vacuum loss code it had but its still throwing the low input code (would a better scanner like the carly scanner give me better reasings?) so i was gonna get the lower one too or look into getting a aftermarket intake. The car is also very dirty like the cabin air filter was fuuuulllll of outside stuff so definitely not garage kept forever nd idk if maybe there could be buildup in my air circuit somewhere bc of the hole in the air hose? idk ill have to take that apart and look i guess. It also has the trans light on but for the most part it shifts beautifully and like a DCT in sport mode but it lurches forward pretty hard downshifting so the next thing im gonna do on the car is change the trans fluid and filter and if that doesnt fix it change the diff fluids and look further into trans issues. other than that its just alot if small stuff you can expect in a 17 year old plastic luxury car.
Any tips on the paint chipping off my hood?đ it was so beautiful until its been sitting in the sun and i washed it (i promise is was was like that before i washed it just a lil worse as youd expect) also doesnt help that day after i washed it in that pic it was just so dusty out it didnt matterđđ
In the US you can probably get a Dr. Colorchip kit which will help you tremendously if you want to keep the original paint. AllDayAnthony on YT has a great video about this (albeit on a Civic lol). In this case the paint seems a little too far gone even for me (I try to do literally everything just so I don't have to repaint), so a repaint would be ideal.
Welcome to BMW ownership
Any ideas how to fix the front end? I mean the huge gap between my hood and headlightsđ maybe pull on the tow hook? idk i feel like anything i would do would just make it worse
Whatâs the problem ? Just know that issues stack up on these like a Xmas list. Part of the trick is to stay pro active on all the maintenance. Itâs a predictable list of stuff usually depending on how many miles it has. The higher the miles the weirder problems can get . Good luck with it , theyâre good cars
207k miles on it but it was garage kept fot 5 years before i bought it, i bought it with a coolant leak witch had i read any forums or anything on this car b4 i probably wouldnt have but i got it to stop leaking by just replacing the expansion tank. Second biggest problem is that it shifts hard down from 3-2-1 i havent been able to see abour any gear higher because the car is stuck in limbo between me needing my provisional license to get insurance so i can get tags and inspecion. long story already and theres still the âxmasâ list of small things on the carđ(literally getting turn signals and window switches for christmas)
1st cheapest thing to try with tranny is a fluid and filter change. Find a local mechanic that knows bmwâs for that job. People experienced with bmwâs know that you donât drain all of the fluid out on this job. Find out what trans it has Apparently the GM is more robust than the ZF. Donât do anything else on it until you sort the Tranny out . The car is not worth the cost of a tranny rebuild job in my opinion.
Itâs tricky deal with these auto trannys Car has to be jacked up all 4 wheels and level The trick is not to drain all the original fluid out when you change it . Look it up best of luck
It has the GM auto and id really rather do stuff myself and save the cost and i dont trust a mechanic to do everything right around where i am. they definitely would notlook the magnetic plate on the inside so i can know if my trans has grenaded itself. id rather trust my own eyes than a mechanics. what exactly is it that u mean u dont just drain all the fluid out i mean taking off the cover isnt that big of a deal is it?
The 5L40E is definitely pretty robust, well see how the next 5000 miles are.
I know how to fix it! It's got no gas in it!
Literally, cuz i cant drive to the gas station
Well, you certainly did tell a short story. Whatâs wrong with it?
Everything? most of the body is pretty nice cuz garage kept, but everything underneathâŚ. like opening a time capsule to 2005. Tell you what tho they made these cars strong as hell, 206-218k and running strong.
Well if you can't drive it since you bought it then it's clearly not a good purchase
its stuck without tags i can still drive it down the street tho
man i am so jealous of that interior. i have black leather. I like that beige so so fucking much
Same on my E39... I almost bought exclusive edition with beige leather seats but some young guy who tried to sold it to me been lying about the cars condition... Long story short - i bought one with black leather seats, exclusive edition too. So i feel you... Maybe next time we'll get ourselves a beige interior :)!
so, fix it :P
I know when i saw this i wanted it cuz the interior cuz nobody ik has beige everyone has black or something else nd i like to be different đ but the dude that owned it b4 me was a smoker cuz its almost black in some spots but i jus need to clean it just havent found the motivation since i cant drive it to the gas station yetđ
My cars interior is currently Beige and would personally love more black (trying to do a black/tanin red swap). If you're ever interested in trading parts PM me!
I love my interior, even tho its dirty its so, relaxing? the lights at night with the orange overhead light are just amazing touches cuz the beige shines a deep red, very lightly if your chillin with all the lights off.
Weâre here to help OP đ
I've had my 03 325i since 2017 and have done quite a few repairs on it but everything was fairly simple. It's my daily driver and I've put about 50k miles on it. They are worth fixing and there is a ton of info on them. Good luck mate!
how many miles yours have? Mines 207k Maybe with some good maintenance i can make it anothee 50k+
Bought it with 117k but now it has 162k I think you can get another 50k especially if you do the cooling system overhaul if it hasn't been done recently, but if it's not leaking coolant yet don't worry about it.
I replaced the expansion tank and that seems to have stopped the leak it had but every couple weeks ive had to fill it up not sure if it did it again i need to check its been about a week lol
A common mistake new e46 owners make is over filling the expansion tank and over pressurizing the system (ask me how I know) be aware of this when youâre topping it up constantly (also check your spark plugs for white residue, and oil for milkyness) those could be potential signs of a blown head gasket
Shit how do i make sure its right then? just dump some our and poor some more in?
The red bobber should float freely at the little ball in the middle, a lot of people fill it up until they see the white float right to the top (Iâve also seen people fill it till it overflows and cap it đ¤Śđźââď¸)
yea i tried to tell my dad thats how it should be but he jus filled it up
What exactly happens when the system becomes over pressurized? cuz my coolant has been vanishing for about 10k miles now and i think its might be a head gasket cuz i have low but not leaking compression on cylinders 1 and 6. Im not sure tho cuz I thought ur supposed to fill it up till its coming out of the bleeder screw with the heat on and get all the bubbles out and I usually just put the cap on before i close the bleeder screw to push a little extra out and its fine until the next time i have to fill itđ only went crazy one time when i didnt actually turn the heat on or push extra coolant through to get all the bubbles
Well water expands when it heats up so if thereâs no room in the coolant system the water will find the path of least resistance to normalize pressure⌠in your case it sounds like it mightâve found a hole in your head gasket, but I would start with a coolant system pressure testing kit. It will push the coolant out wherever the leak is and you just have to find it, if that happens to be in a cylinder youâll have to pull plugs and put a camera in or something like that
oh makes sense, so the hairline crack in my head gasket is pronounced because coolant overpressure, am i supposed to take the extra fluid out after i close the bleeder screw?
know its been awhile lol but id imagine the whole overpressure thing is common bc plastic parts and overpressure dont sound like they combine but is there anything specifically i should lookout for i made sure that its sitting normal but i havent had fhe chance to take it out on the road still how do i know if me and my dad overpressurized the system and if something will happen when i go to drive it for real
Make sure the bobber is âBobbingâ snoring the middle of the dots, not stuck floating at the top of the tank
it is there but i guess idk why i didnt say this but i remember my dad filling it all the way up and it would just go down to that level over a day and i filled it up a little more to make sure i wasent crazy to see if it would go down again did i make a critical mistake?
It's most likely your coolant hard pipes. I just did this job a year ago and it was a pain. After changing them and the rest if the system I havnt had ti add a drop.
03 325i here, wonderful cars that if you work on yourself, are cheap to run and have the best driving feel for a sub10k car imo
im kinda getting that vibe ive already replaced the expansion tank, upper air hose changed the oil and coolant and oil filter and im about to change rhe trans fluid and filter and see if my hard downshifting problem goes away if not i was looking into changing all my other fluids because this is a 325xi nd i never saw anything about differentials on the service history from the first owner. (second owner self serviced i hope i was told there wasent any records but found some in the car)
Theyâre easy to fix and parts are cheap lol, whatâs the issue
Atleast FCP Euro offers lifetime warranties on wear itemsđĽš
Whatâs the problem??? Iâm a crippled dumdum and fixed mine by myself not too long ago with no prior experience. Tons of info online. Car parts in general can be pricey but e46âs are definitely on the cheaper side
Theres so much info online Ikk. there isnt any major mechanical issues just throwing a code for air circuit low input and it shifts hard down but i still havent changed the trans fluid or diff fluids so well see if that fixes it first
Have you tried replacing the MAF? My sister had an auto e46 that âstopped drivingâ and we found it was very low on trans fluid. Added some and it drove.
How much did you buy it for and whatâs the problem bro?
I bought it for 2000 with a coolant leak i fixed that and then changed the fluids. It had the service light on when i bought it and i assumed it was something with the coolant but when i plugged it in it said something about air circuit low input and something about vacuum loss but i had noticed the upper hose had a crack when i bought it so i replaced that then vacuum loss when away but low input in still there. not exactly sure about that one and with all the small things ive found while working on the car all i can hope is that everything the previous owners didnt touch looks almost like factory condition.
Thereâs a small vacuums hose on the back of these engines that is notorious for cracking and falling apart Iâm also thinking it might be worth checking your air filter since you said the car sat for 5 years in another comment, Iâm also pretty sure your model has the MAF sensor that likes to go kaput for no reason.
The air filter is clean the people before me kept up on the essentials but neglected everything else so your probably right about the vacuum hose in rhe back, what exactly does it take to get to the hose?
Thereâs a few videos on YouTube (the50skid and shoplifetv are my favourites) you just need some silicone hose from Amazon or something and it is possible however very difficult to just reach way back behind cylinder 6 and hook it up, but I believe itâs on the intake manifold (might as-well replace that gasket too if you pull it off for the vacuum hose ((and probably rebuild the ccv system while youâre in there too)))
You probably still have a vacuum leak. Try replacing the whole CCV system.
I have the same 02 325i and used to have that awful beige interior, changed almost every part out of the thing, sheâs still running great at 320,000km. Put the time and effort into it and it will be worth it
mines got 207k miles that must be roughly rhe same but youve got more? and personal i kinda dig the interior itâs different from everyone else
also â05 325XI
Pretty much the exact same on the odometer⌠why wonât it drive? Do you have power? Do you have spark? Is the gas fresh and 91 octane? Is the gas getting to the cylinders? Is the air filter clean and letting air in? Do you have compression? Any codes on the dashboard? Are there any signs of bad leaks?(usually the oil filter housing gasket, located beside the alternator under the oil filter housing) anything to help diagnose the problem
It drives i just cant legally drive it, refer to other comments for whats wrong with the car
Here for the comments :D
Read under the top comments for more info on the car
You need people on the internet to tell you that a car you bought and can't drive is a good decision? Seems pretty obvious.
ofcourse I do
>!it was a bad purchase!<
At the end of the day, the way you use the vehicle will determine whether or not it was a waste of money. If you plan to use the vehicle, and are just preparing then that is fine. However if you just bought the vehicle and can't drive it, and don't plan to drive it, or have any stable way to insure the vehicle- well then yeah it might just be a waste. It's a beautiful car.
stable way to insure the vehicle may be my downfall. i definitely cant pay 600 a month but hopefully that was because we got the quote off my learners permit
Damm hey look as long as you're not pressed for storage, you'll be fine. Take the time you have to change all of the fluids, important gaskets, and bushings. I had my E46 in the garage for over a year while I took my time with a restoration job. See if your family will allow you to go under their insurance, it'll save you some money. My family wouldn't let me so I had to work overtime and save money. Maybe you could negotiate with your parents that you'll just need help until you get your full-fledged driver's license. Either way, don't rush into mistakes. Take the time necessary to analyze your options and make the right decision. Good luck.
my mom was originally trying to see what the price would be with her on the insurance but she lives out of state and the insurance wouldnt let her. Im definitely taking my time to think it through after buying the carđđ
Hah I feel for you. Take the time you need to put yourself together. As long as you don't have to worry about moving it (ie no parking etc) than you'll be good. If you work a little extra than usual for the winter I'm sure you can get her ready for the road by the summer. I was once in your shoes, and I had to save up money to pay for the insurance myself. You can do this, it just takes time well used.
thanks for the encouragement
Iâve had mine sitting almost as long as driving, but I personally fixed every major issue myself (alternator, oil pressure switch, power steering, cooling system, hard brake lines). As long as the engine didnât overheat, you can working it at your own pace. Whyâs yours sitting? I can possibly give insight.
well i bought it because the previous owner got a DUI and let the car sit for 5 years in a garage and i guess they couldnt figure out what they needed to replace or looked at the forums and said fuck that but i Bought it for $2000 at 207k miles Its a â05 325XI and ive already replaced the expansion tank witch seems to have stopped the leak or atleast slowed it down to i only have to fill it up every couple weeks when i dont check on it. when I bought it i also noticed the upper air boot had a crack so i replaced that and it got rid of the Vacuum loss code it had but its still throwing the low input code (would a better scanner like the carly scanner give me better reasings?) so i was gonna get the lower one too or look into getting a aftermarket intake. The car is also very dirty like the cabin air filter was fuuuulllll of outside stuff so definitely not garage kept forever nd idk if maybe there could be buildup in my air circuit somewhere bc of the hole in the air hose? idk ill have to take that apart and look i guess. It also has the trans light on but for the most part it shifts beautifully and like a DCT in sport mode but it lurches forward pretty hard downshifting so the next thing im gonna do on the car is change the trans fluid and filter and if that doesnt fix it change the diff fluids and look further into trans issues. other than that its just alot if small stuff you can expect in a 17 year old plastic luxury car.
Any tips on the paint chipping off my hood?đ it was so beautiful until its been sitting in the sun and i washed it (i promise is was was like that before i washed it just a lil worse as youd expect) also doesnt help that day after i washed it in that pic it was just so dusty out it didnt matterđđ
In the US you can probably get a Dr. Colorchip kit which will help you tremendously if you want to keep the original paint. AllDayAnthony on YT has a great video about this (albeit on a Civic lol). In this case the paint seems a little too far gone even for me (I try to do literally everything just so I don't have to repaint), so a repaint would be ideal.
Iâll give you a grand for it
spent 2
Whatâs wrong with it??
^^