going to buy questions

[advtracing]

Looking to buy a 2004 325i m sport wagon due to baby arrival . I am a porsche man with no idea about bmw's.
Are there any known faults that hound this year of car that i should look for ?

[Manolito]

I bought an '04 325iT 5-sp six months ago and I love it.

The few problems experienced with the earlier e46s (bad coils, bad rear suspension mounts) were identified and corrected by '04.

Mine had exactly 100k miles when I bought it. I have put 10k miles on it in six months. I had to change all my fluids because I had no service history. I had to replace the spark plugs and the serpentine belts and a couple of pulleys. I still need to clean out the PVC system because it is consuming some oil and building up pressure in the crankcase. Hope to get to that tomorrow.

The black leather 'sport' seats are the perfect shape and the perfect blend of comfort and firm support. WAY better than the seats on my two e36s.

The black interior may be a bit warm, but the dash is black all the way to the windshield, which avoids the annoying reflection that a lot of e46s have because there is a tan section in the top of the dash if you have a tan interior (except M3).

As far as known problems, nothing scary. Nothing that cannot be repaired at home for minimal cost. Most of what I know about problems with this model I learned over the years my wife has driven an '04 330i.

The window regulators in e46s suck, but you can repair them with zip ties and they will last longer than new regulators.

The fuel pumps sometimes fail (OK that one is a little pricey). My wife's '04 330i lost a fuel pump at 80k miles.

The ground connection in the tail lights of the sedan tend to corrode so you have to add a second ground. I don't know yet if the wagon has the same problem.

The sun shines though the moonroof and cooks the plastic moon roof slider guides.

The O-ring on the water temperature sensor in the lower radiator hose tends to shrink and drip.

The oil level sensor tends to get hypersensitive after a few years. It can be replaced during an oil change.

As was the case with the e36, valve cover gaskets tend to get hard and leak after a few years, particularly if you experiment with different oils. Easy to replace.

The plastic radiator and expansion tank will get brittle and crumble after a decade or so, but you have that problem with any European car

That is about it.

The 325 e46 stick shift wagon and convertible have low speed rear ends. I do not know why. I would like to swap rear ends with someone who has a stick shift sedan and wants a low speed rear end. I am 60 years old and am a lot more interested in highway mileage than I am in stop light racing.

When you change the spark plugs, be sure to remove the cabin air filter tray. Do not try to reach beneath it to get the last plug or you stand a chance of cross-threading the plug.

I don't care for the idea of drive-by-wire throttle, but I have had no problems with the one on the 330.

Too bad they never made a 330 wagon. A 330 5 speed wagon would have been amazing.

[Manolito]

I just learned about another common problem that affects the e39 5 series, the 6 cyl X5, and the e46 3 series.

If you drive a lot of short trips, the PCV plumbing tends to fill up with milky foam. If that foam ever freezes, you are screwed. This is because the PCV oil separator drains to the dipstick tube, which extends below the oil level in the oil pan. if the vent tube to the valve cover blocks with ice, it pulls a vacuum on the drain and sucks liquid oil directly up to the intake manifold. There are several accounts on the web of liquid locked (i.e. destroyed) engines.

I took off all my PCV plumbing on Saturday to check it. It had just traces of oil foam in it, which I expected since I have a 25 mile trip to work.

Removing and replacing the PCV valve with the intake manifold in place is a real PITA. It is possible, but I cannot advise it.

Also, I see that they now make a 328 wagon. I saw a white one at the dealer yesterday and aside from the tail lights and the interior, it looks exactly like mine. I like my interior much better.