Face lift for E46

[ryan]

Sedan - 2002
Coupe - 2003
Cab - 2003

 

[NickyPower]

Bro ryan. I seen on the newspaper selling new face lift 318 12/01 is it true?

 

[ryan]

Yes i think so.

Could be the first few batches.

I only recall seeing the facelifts during 2002.

But you never know, since quite a few people "facelift" their cars manually. i.e Pre FL to FL.

 

[DreamDriver]

For 318, it's still best to check the log card for engine size: 1.9L means pre-FL model, 2.0L means FL model, no matter how it looks on the outside.

But how to check for 320 & above sedan ah? Anyone knows?

 

[ryan]

Check CC lor.

Thought the facelifts 320is were all 2.2l as opposed from the prefacelifted 320 (2.0 l) ?

 

[DreamDriver]

No leh, my car pre-FL 320 but 2.2L leh. I think the engine change for 320 came before the exterior FL you know..

 

[NickyPower]

DreamDriver,
Bro so when is the time when the engine upgraded?

 

[ryan]

No leh, my car pre-FL 320 but 2.2L leh. I think the engine change for 320 came before the exterior FL you know..

Woops, my bad then.

Hmm how to check ah..like that...

someone have to come up with the precise date for the release of the FL versions then.

 

[DreamDriver]

DreamDriver,
Bro so when is the time when the engine upgraded?

Sorry can't help you, cos I'm also not sure.. if not I won't ask the question I asked right? Hehe..

 

[jaskin]

Make sure you ask if the cars were FL on their own. I know of some older coupes that did that when I was searching for a car.

 

[Racebred]

to tell the difference between prefacelift 320 2.0 and 320 2.2, look at the shape of the exhaust tip. former is more oval and latter is rounder. this is the only visual clue other than road tax disc.

 

[wilman2772]

DreamDriver,
Bro so when is the time when the engine upgraded?

Sorry can't help you, cos I'm also not sure.. if not I won't ask the question I asked right? Hehe..

Facelift 320i M54 2.2L starts from 09/01, I know cos I ordered my car in Sep '01 when SA just started to assemble the FL 320s!!

hehehe :roll:

'The Great White'

 

[NickyPower]

wilman so the pre n FL there isn't any diff in the engine rite?

 

[Puny]

wilman so the pre n FL there isn't any diff in the engine rite?

Hi NickyPower,

There was a previous thread with details on something similiar to what you're intending to find out.

AFAIK, there are pre-facelifted 320i with the same engines as Facelifted 320. I think the engine model differences are M52 vs M54? (correct me if I'm wrong here). The difference in power is about 150hp versus 170, the higher powered one being the latter.

Is this correct?

Alvin.

 

[T6]

wilman so the pre n FL there isn't any diff in the engine rite?

Hi NickyPower,

There was a previous thread with details on something similiar to what you're intending to find out.

AFAIK, there are pre-facelifted 320i with the same engines as Facelifted 320. I think the engine model differences are M52 vs M54? (correct me if I'm wrong here). The difference in power is about 150hp versus 170, the higher powered one being the latter.

Is this correct?

Alvin.

The pre-facelift 320 (2.2l) came out in Mar 01 or thereabt. I was told that when they facelifted it in Sep 01, they did slight tweaking to the suspension (this part I can't confirm). But definitely no change to the M54 2.2l engine, bhp etc.

 

[wilman2772]

The pre-facelift 320 (2.2l) came out in Mar 01 or thereabt. I was told that when they facelifted it in Sep 01, they did slight tweaking to the suspension (this part I can't confirm). But definitely no change to the M54 2.2l engine, bhp etc.

Here's a acticle I found from www.bmwnation.com

"BMW's 3 Series sedan and wagon, redesigned for 2002, has been revealed. Since its debut in late 1998, the E46 models have gone on to become the best selling lineup in the BMW stable. Why tamper with perfection, some may ask? A facelift is a standard occurrence in the automotive world, even where bestsellers are concerned, and 3 years is just about right. This fact combined with the perceived threat from the all new Mercedes C-Class, a redesigned Audi A4, along with an all-new Jaguar X class, contributed to the freshening, or so we guess.

BMW themselves state that: "With the far-reaching model facelift BMW continues its strategy, which was initiated with the 3 Series compact, of giving each body variant a more distinct appearance. Thus the sedan models now have a new front end, which gives them an even more muscular and powerful appearance, differentiating them easily from the coupe and the convertible."

For 2002 the 3 Series Sedan/Saloon and Touring/Wagon will feature an altered appearance, a more sport tuned suspension and a new-generation engine in some of the models.

Technologically, the revised BMW 3 Series will feature a new more sporting retuning of the suspension and the steering mechanism which has been highly lauded by the experts for setting new standards in handling and stability when introduced with the new 3 Series compact in Europe earlier this year. All 3 Series models will benefit from revised suspension settings and a more responsive steering rack. These changes offer better driving 'feel' and a more sporting and agile response in line with customer demand. The changes were launched on the new Compact range and applied to the 330i/Ci models in April. Now all four cylinder and smaller six cylinder models will share this benefit.

Also, the Steptronic automatic gearbox action has been reversed: in manual mode pushing the gearlever forward will now result in changing down a gear rather than up. All six cylinder models will have Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) as standard. Finally, new 16 inch alloy wheels will be standard on four cylinder SE models of the Saloon, Touring and Compact."

Cheers!! :laughlik:

'The Great White'

 

[rodders]

You're De-man!!

 

[NickyPower]

Hi Puny... so that means the pre facelift is 150 HP and the facelift is 170 HP?

 

[T6]

Hi Puny... so that means the pre facelift is 150 HP and the facelift is 170 HP?

They plant in the 2.2l in early 2001 and then facelifted it in late 2001. So there will be some 320 2 litres looking like 2.2litres as some of these 2.2 litres were sold before facelifting.

 

[Puny]

Hi Puny... so that means the pre facelift is 150 HP and the facelift is 170 HP?

They plant in the 2.2l in early 2001 and then facelifted it in late 2001. So there will be some 320 2 litres looking like 2.2litres as some of these 2.2 litres were sold before facelifting.

I think this summarises the pool of 320s we have in SG? There are some pre-facelifted 320s that have a different engine (& capacity)? The exterior look however, not a good indicator because of this..

On the other hand, from the article quoted by Wilson, it seems that only the suspension and steering was tweaked since 98. Does this mean that the engine remained the same?

Cheers.