Just bought your non-M E46? Bare essentials maintenance checklist (part #s included)

Great job Mango, I like the way you organize your threads, provide part numbers, and vendors. You really identify our cars most vunarable areas, common causes of leaks, and good general routine maintenance. BTW, I found your cooling thread very helpful for my overhaul. It will never be perfect, but it provides a good roadmap.
Keep up the good work.

Great job!

@ Blocked, thanks. Controversial huh? feel free to chime in, mate! We'll keep it friendly

Originally Posted by e46hellrot

Great job!

Thank you

Originally Posted by BeMyWhip

Great job Mango, I like the way you organize your threads, provide part numbers, and vendors. You really identify our cars most vunarable areas, common causes of leaks, and good general routine maintenance. BTW, I found your cooling thread very helpful for my overhaul. It will never be perfect, but it provides a good roadmap.
Keep up the good work.

thank you

Great post, thank you. However, brake fluid flushes should occur every two years regardless of mileage. Not sure where the 60,000 mile interval came from in your post.

Originally Posted by m5ccie

Great post, thank you. However, brake fluid flushes should occur every two years regardless of mileage. Not sure where the 60,000 mile interval came from in your post.

It's just a general guide. I understand brake fluid absorbs moisture. You want to change/bleed it after boiling it and that could occur within 10 miles. Or if the pedal feels mushy. I get you though. I need to do all my fluids again. its time.

Edited brake fluid recommendation per above

Great writeup Mango. Covers most of all normal maintenance in one thread.

Subbed.

Thanks!! Glad it's useful

Originally Posted by LydMekk

Great writeup Mango. Covers most of all normal maintenance in one thread.

Subbed.

Great thread, and great contribution to the community. Threads like this are why I joined E46F in the first place.

Thanks, man. Glad it could help.

Good write up,

thanks

Subscribed.

So how often on the power steering? What are the symptoms of an unclean throttle body (other than dirt).

Power steering personally I'd do at 25-30k. Throttle body... of course you want the bore to be as clean and smooth as possible. Less restrictions, smoother flow means better response. Even if there were no benefits, I like everything clean. Benefit enough for me

Originally Posted by E46Mango

Power steering personally I'd do at 25-30k.

I'm overdue then.

Originally Posted by Danoff

I'm overdue then.

Basically look at it. If it's gray or milky. It's overdue. Should be relatively clear and red. Gray indicates internal wear. My friend's M3 reservoir when remove had a metallic gray paste at the filter!! GOBS of it. No wonder his power steering was whining. I replaced the pump anyway.

Oh, that reminds me...forgot to mention this.

You can clean a PS reservoir screen, and honestly, I think you'd have to have had espresso ps fluid and seriously decaying hoses to really clog it...but it can be cleaned despite the legend I've read here and passed along. Someone says something believable sounding, written in proper English, and it gets passed along.

Anyway, remove PS reservoir from it's hoses, remove phillips head screw at the bottom of the reservoir, take screw out, take reservoir to a utility sink and rinse out to your heart's content with soap and warm water. Let dry, attach screen back. You can't take the screen out, but you can clean it while it's inside. It will just roll inside sort of. It's a 2" high 'puck.'

Replace gasket on cap, replace hose clamps after maybe trimming 1/2" off each hose. Done

Well, the info is very strange. In some cases you just copy and paste BMW recommendations and in some points were of your own recommendation . Shouldnt it be one or the other and not a mix of both?

For example, an overfill for a total of 8 quarts, thats simply your own recommendation. I for one will never recommend that to anyone , especially to a new BMW owner, even if they track the car etc. I dont know much info on that but I've never heard of anyone doing that and I dont plan trying it myself . Our engines run well on 7 quarts and I see no reason to add more then that, as long as you keep it at 7 quarts (doesnt apply to Xi as Xi takes 8 quarts anyway). Overfilling by that much oil can cause more damage then you'd think ...

I dont like the info about engine oils,change intervals or oil types but I dont want to say a word because I dont want a freaking oil war

Spark plug change interval is WAY to short, BMWs recommended 100k miles is actually considered short for our modern spark plugs. Some people dont understand that modern plug dont lose their "performance" over time, they dont wear out like old school plugs. They either work or they dont, simple . BMW recommended spark plugs can easily last 100k miles and then some, I've seen original plugs last for over 180k miles ...

Again you use your own recommendations for manual trans oil . If you use Redline , doesnt mean that you shouldnt forget other oils. I personally say that Redline belongs in your diff and trans should see nothing but Royal Purple Synchromax , but thats just me. I really think you should add more choices to that as well

congrats and thanks just a FYI there is a throttle body cleaning DIY on youtube

This is a great checklist for me. I've already tackled a few of them on the list and my cooling system was done at 85k miles so I have another 10k-15k before that will need to be done again. My biggest area of need right now is the suspension; 140k miles on what looks like a completely original suspension.

Thanks for the excellent write-up Mango!

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

Well, the info is very strange. In some cases you just copy and paste BMW recommendations and in some points were of your own recommendation . Shouldnt it be one or the other and not a mix of both?

Everything is hand-written. At no point did I copy-paste anything. I took the time to research every single part of this and reflected it as best I could--the transmission specs took me an hour alone to dig up and verify.

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

For example, an overfill for a total of 8 quarts, thats simply your own recommendation. I for one will never recommend that to anyone , especially to a new BMW owner, even if they track the car etc. I dont know much info on that but I've never heard of anyone doing that and I dont plan trying it myself . Our engines run well on 7 quarts and I see no reason to add more then that, as long as you keep it at 7 quarts (doesnt apply to Xi as Xi takes 8 quarts anyway). Overfilling by that much oil can cause more damage then you'd think ...

Where did I recommend that? With all due respect, please stop putting words in my mouth. It's not a recommendation, just information to those it would apply to. If you've never heard of adding an extra quart, you really haven't been around BMW circles. Go read M3F or Bf.c, adding an extra quart is EXTREMELY common knowledge. Surprised you've never heard of this. I think anybody with a brain will read the tidbit where I explain it's useful if you track your car or experience lifter tick during spirited situations. And no, adding an extra quart will not cause damage. Vorshlag runs an extra 1.5 quart in their track/race vehicle.

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

I dont like the info about engine oils,change intervals or oil types but I dont want to say a word because I dont want a freaking oil war

Spark plug change interval is WAY to short, BMWs recommended 100k miles is actually considered short for our modern spark plugs. Some people dont understand that modern plug dont lose their "performance" over time, they dont wear out like old school plugs. They either work or they dont, simple . BMW recommended spark plugs can easily last 100k miles and then some, I've seen original plugs last for over 180k miles ...

BMW also recommends lifetime fluid on major drivetrain components. And your point is? I think I listed 80,000 miles. Definitely not "too short."

Originally Posted by Blocked Out

Again you use your own recommendations for manual trans oil . If you use Redline , doesnt mean that you shouldnt forget other oils. I personally say that Redline belongs in your diff and trans should see nothing but Royal Purple Synchromax , but thats just me. I really think you should add more choices to that as well

Again, where did I recommend Redline? I listed the specified OE/OEM fluids in supreme detail then I simply listed what I use. Is that so wrong? Further, Royal Purple is trash. If you want, I can link the recent documents proving its trash along with horror threads from M3F. Look at the recent Royal Purple thread and see the info I linked.

I've never steered anybody wrong and never experienced a check engine light. I think my information is solid.