'99 & newer BMW 323 vs 325 vs 328 vs 330 reliability?

[Tim Hancock]

Just started looking at '99 and newer E46 BMW's. I will be dumping the wife's POS Audi soon and want to replace it with about a 100k mileage E-46 (stick shift). My old E36 325 with 288k on the clock has been very reliable. I am not concerned with any suspension issues as I am prepared to replace that stuff if needed, but I am wondering if engine long term reliability and gas mileage differs much between the different models/years.

I am only considering manual transmissions and performance is not a concern as our old 325 was plenty fast enough to serve as the wife's DD.

[TerryBPP]

2000 B M W 3 SERIES 323I 4D SEDAN 6G/A 115,523 SILVER WBAAM3343YFP72166 X SR

This one is going through the auction today. I'll let you know what it goes for.

[Rick Lee]

I just had the second window regulator on replaced on mine last week under CPO warranty. Other than that, I've had no problems at all and have 76k miles on the clock. I am worried about the steptronic tranny. It's fine now, but BMW says the fluid is "lifetime", which is crazy. Trouble is that changing the fluid on a steptronic is not a trivial matter and can lead to problems that void the warranty. And waiting until the warranty expires is probably too late to save the tranny from whatever issues are already lurking. Manual would be the way to go. But my wife doesn't drive manual, so I needed a step.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Window regulators seem common on E46s. Also the typical stuff like the water pump, radiator, and suspension bushings needing some love around 100k. I think all of the 6 cylinders are pretty bulletproof. Pretty sure 323 and 325 are the same car with different names. I think gas mileage is very similar across the board. Even the 330 can get 30 MPG.

Rick, get that crap out of there. There's no such thing as lifetime fluid. Every car I've ever encountered with "lifetime" fluid has transmission issues. BMW, Mercedes, and Saab immediately come to mind. Funny, there's a great correlation between fluid changes and transmission life for those that disregard the "lifetime" claim.

[Craig 930 RS]

E46 are much more reliable the E36 - I am looking at a 2003-2005 E46 330i as we speak.....
Those window regs go TU regularly ;-)

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Just started looking at '99 and newer E46 BMW's. I will be dumping the wife's POS Audi soon and want to replace it with about a 100k mileage E-46 (stick shift). My old E36 325 with 288k on the clock has been very reliable. I am not concerned with any suspension issues as I am prepared to replace that stuff if needed, but I am wondering if engine long term reliability and gas mileage differs much between the different models/years.

I am only considering manual transmissions and performance is not a concern as our old 325 was plenty fast enough to serve as the wife's DD.

The early E46 had issues with subframes tearing out. The anchors would rip from the structure in front the trunk. Expensive repair and BMW wasn't much help. We have a 99 328i with no issues, so I can't speak first hand, nor guess what exactly causes the problem. If I were buying again, I would try to get an '02 or newer.

On a 6,500 road trip that included some mountains, we averaged over 30mpg cruising at 80 with ac. Wife absolutely loves her car. Frankly, I like the older styling better than the newer edgier lines.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1027444&highlight=subframe

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Rick, get that crap out of there. There's no such thing as lifetime fluid. Every car I've ever encountered with "lifetime" fluid has transmission issues. BMW, Mercedes, and Saab immediately come to mind. Funny, there's a great correlation between fluid changes and transmission life for those that disregard the "lifetime" claim.

I'm in a real bind. I can either pray that my tranny dies before the warranty expires in one year or I can risk voiding the warranty with a fluid change beforehand. I can't get 100k miles on her by next August, when the warranty expires. Lots of theories and stories on the BMW boards that changing the fluid after 60k miles does more damage than good and at that point, it's better to just ride it out. BTW, even with the very involved process changing the fluid, you're only getting about 60% of it out.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I'm in a real bind. I can either pray that my tranny dies before the warranty expires in one year or I can risk voiding the warranty with a fluid change beforehand. I can't get 100k miles on her by next August, when the warranty expires. Lots of theories and stories on the BMW boards that changing the fluid after 60k miles does more damage than good and at that point, it's better to just ride it out. BTW, even with the very involved process changing the fluid, you're only getting about 60% of it out.

Pretty sure Audi's are supposed to be lifetime also, but my POS A6 had a leaking trans oil cooler, so I ended up changing the fluid and filter (PITA overcomplicated procedure on the Audi) but DID NOT flush as I heard that flushing can cause problems.

[Ned, NYNA11]

Tim,

We have 110k on the 98 528i, A wiper switch failed and the freon? coughed on overpressure last year. New rotors all round and thats about it.

I changed out the lifetime tranny and diff. fluid this spring. The old stuff looked fine.

[Rick Lee]

Well, I'm sitting tight, since I probably want to sell the car soon anyway. I'll let the next owner deal with it.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by TerryH

The early E46 had issues with subframes tearing out. The anchors would rip from the structure in front the trunk. Expensive repair and BMW wasn't much help. We have a 99 328i with no issues, so I can't speak first hand, nor guess what exactly causes the problem. If I were buying again, I would try to get an '02 or newer.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1027444&highlight=subframe

Sounds like a definite concern, but I am pretty confident that it would be a relatively easy DIY fix for me and might even be a good way to get one cheap.

[Seahawk]

Tim,

I think I know why you won't, but there are some great deals on 2006 3 series coming off lease with great CPO warranties.

[Moses]

try www.e46fanatics.com A WEALTH of information.

I have a 2003 325 coupe. Wonderful car.

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Sounds like a definite concern, but I am pretty confident that it would be a relatively easy DIY fix for me and might even be a good way to get one cheap.

A company even makes a sub frame reinforcement kit that you can install yourself. Need some welding skills, but I have seen your work and know you are up to the task. The weak subframe is just a 1999 through 2001 problem.

The manual trannys, along with all the 6 cylinder engines are fairly bulletproof.

As pointed out window regulators regularly fail, but are cheap and easy to replace.

Some people have had problems with the VANOS o-ring seals getting brittle. Used to be a very expensive fix (had to replace the entire VANOS) until a guy on one of the BMW boards made up and is selling his own kit with a combination teflon/viton set of o-rings. I think he sells the kit for less than $10.00.

Like Matt pointed out, at 100K you really should replace out the water pump, thermostat, and expansion tank. An easy Saturday project.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Rick, if you think you'll sell, don't sweat it. If you think you'll keep it, change the fluid. I'm with Tim, I wouldn't flush the system. There's a lot of reports of that causing trouble in older cars. Personally, I'd just drain and refill the fluid. If that only gets part of it, do it again in a few thousand miles. I got lucky on my Mercedes, it has a drain on the torque converter and a drain on the pan. I had to pull the pan to change the filter anyway, so I got all of the fluid changed.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Tim,

I think I know why you won't, but there are some great deals on 2006 3 series coming off lease with great CPO warranties.

Because I am a cheap SOB ..... I only pay cash for cars and like how much and nice of a car I can buy for 10 grand with some miles vs a relatively new one. I am accustomed to having to catch our "new" cars up on maintenance when we first buy them, so brakes, tires, shocks and some paint touch ups are not a big deal to me provided the car has a solid engine/drivetrain that has a good probability of lasting several years.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

Like Matt pointed out, at 100K you really should replace out the water pump, thermostat, and expansion tank. An easy Saturday project.

Saturday project for BMW..... Couple week long project so far on my %$#^# Audi

Can't wait to see the A6 pull out of my shop for the last time!

[David]

I'm starting to think our '99 e46 was better built than our e90

The most expensive repair was the A/C compressor that caused an ignition misfire. Someone explain that one to me.

Next worst, rear wheel bearing.

Easy stuff: window regulators, front suspension bushings, brake pads and disks.

If you're a DIY'r, join BMWCCA and get dealer parts at a big discount (probably cheaper than Honda parts)


I sold our e46 to a friend at work, so I felt pretty confident it was a good car at 90K miles and it has been.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Because I am a cheap SOB ..... I only pay cash for cars and like how much and nice of a car I can buy for 10 grand with some miles vs a relatively new one. I am accustomed to having to catch our "new" cars up on maintenance when we first buy them, so brakes, tires, shocks and some paint touch ups are not a big deal to me provided the car has a solid engine/drivetrain that has a good probability of lasting several years.

If I had your skills, I'd be a cheap SOB, too.

You da' man, no bravo sierra. BTW, you still have any of those 80cc motorcycles you wanted to sell?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Down boy! Our boy Tim is looking for an E46. Your E90 is still a good bit above $10k.

Tim, I think our car shopping habits are similar. Though mine are more frequent. So long as the important stuff is sound, I don't mind a car with a few minor projects. After having one car payment, I'll never have another.