New E46 from Hell's waiting room!

surge_325i · 09-11-2011, 11:20 AM

Hey guys my name is sergio. Im out here in the great state of Arizona. Just bought my first bmw a couple months ago. FREAKIN AWESOME! Love my 2004 325i! Sold my sport bike cause i need a car for the kiddos. My dad has an E39 and he suggested lookin at a bmw for a car. Completely new to bmw so any heads up on the car would be greatly appreciated! Hope to see you guys out on the road!

PRDesignsTony · 09-11-2011, 11:50 AM

hope you know how to DIY

LA Prince · 09-11-2011, 06:02 PM

Pics!

surge_325i · 09-11-2011, 10:58 PM

PRDesignsTony · 09-11-2011, 11:24 PM

wow what a nice fake m emblem on the grill and the chrome headlights, ultimate fail.

tesko.pk · 09-11-2011, 11:28 PM

Nice E46 man, welcome! You have better taste than your dad, I mean, those headlights and adding the m-badge on the kidney grills is a definite FUBAR as far as E46fanatics is concerned! lol.

As far as heads up's goes, these cars have some common issues depending on mileage. The big one is the cooling system, the plastic material of the expansion tank does not last forever, neither do the water pumps. Budget a cooling system refresh in the future (T-Stat, Expansion Tank, Water Pump, Hoses & Sensors), some sponsors offer full replacement cooling system kits for a decent price. Really not too difficult of a DIY endeavor. Window regulators frequently go bust on these cars as well, buy OEM replacements and the DIY is very easy, though your hands may get a bit roughed up by sharp edges inside the doors.

As always, depending on mileage, looking at refreshing your suspension; the stock rubber bushings are a bit soft (as BMW wanted ride quality to be quite good) so they tend to wear out faster than other components. Personally I've used Meyle "HD" brand parts as upgrades on my old E46 and it was a night and day difference, even @ 65k miles or so.

A "Peake Research" brand code-reader may not be high on your list of maintenance/modifications, but sure offers piece of mind when you can scan a CEL (Check Engine Light) code as soon as it pops up.

surge_325i · 09-12-2011, 10:06 AM

Hey thanks for the heads up! The car has about 130k on her. Only the dealer in north scottsdale has serviced the car as far as i can see. They even sold the car new. I'll look into that cooling system as thats a major issue here in AZ.

09-11-2011, 11:20 AM	#1
surge_325i Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Phoenix,Arizona Posts: 3 My Ride: 2004 325i View My Garage	New E46 from Hell's waiting room! Hey guys my name is sergio. Im out here in the great state of Arizona. Just bought my first bmw a couple months ago. FREAKIN AWESOME! Love my 2004 325i! Sold my sport bike cause i need a car for the kiddos. My dad has an E39 and he suggested lookin at a bmw for a car. Completely new to bmw so any heads up on the car would be greatly appreciated! Hope to see you guys out on the road! Last edited by surge_325i; 09-11-2011 at 11:35 AM. Reason: My fat fingers pressed the wrong button.

09-11-2011, 11:50 AM	#2
PRDesignsTony Registered User Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 1,180 My Ride: 02 330ci View My Garage	hope you know how to DIY __________________ Stretch + poke = All show, no go!!!

09-11-2011, 11:24 PM	#5
PRDesignsTony Registered User Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Venice, FL Posts: 1,180 My Ride: 02 330ci View My Garage	wow what a nice fake m emblem on the grill and the chrome headlights, ultimate fail. __________________ Stretch + poke = All show, no go!!!

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09-11-2011, 06:02 PM	#3
LA Prince Banned User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Not Your Business Posts: 971 My Ride: Not Your Business View My Garage	Pics!

09-11-2011, 10:58 PM	#4
surge_325i Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Phoenix,Arizona Posts: 3 My Ride: 2004 325i View My Garage

09-11-2011, 11:28 PM	#6
tesko.pk Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Calgary Posts: 331 My Ride: 2003 530i View My Garage	Nice E46 man, welcome! You have better taste than your dad, I mean, those headlights and adding the m-badge on the kidney grills is a definite FUBAR as far as E46fanatics is concerned! lol. As far as heads up's goes, these cars have some common issues depending on mileage. The big one is the cooling system, the plastic material of the expansion tank does not last forever, neither do the water pumps. Budget a cooling system refresh in the future (T-Stat, Expansion Tank, Water Pump, Hoses & Sensors), some sponsors offer full replacement cooling system kits for a decent price. Really not too difficult of a DIY endeavor. Window regulators frequently go bust on these cars as well, buy OEM replacements and the DIY is very easy, though your hands may get a bit roughed up by sharp edges inside the doors. As always, depending on mileage, looking at refreshing your suspension; the stock rubber bushings are a bit soft (as BMW wanted ride quality to be quite good) so they tend to wear out faster than other components. Personally I've used Meyle "HD" brand parts as upgrades on my old E46 and it was a night and day difference, even @ 65k miles or so. A "Peake Research" brand code-reader may not be high on your list of maintenance/modifications, but sure offers piece of mind when you can scan a CEL (Check Engine Light) code as soon as it pops up.

09-12-2011, 10:06 AM	#7
surge_325i Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Phoenix,Arizona Posts: 3 My Ride: 2004 325i View My Garage	Hey thanks for the heads up! The car has about 130k on her. Only the dealer in north scottsdale has serviced the car as far as i can see. They even sold the car new. I'll look into that cooling system as thats a major issue here in AZ.