My E46 in the USA

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

The strut tower is a common weakness - reinforcement is a good idea.

The RTAB has some degree of deflection as well ..... I remembered getting that reinforced as well.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

The strut tower is a common weakness - reinforcement is a good idea.

The RTAB has some degree of deflection as well ..... I remembered getting that reinforced as well.

Did you get a set of limiters like that? ECS News ECS RTAB Limiters for your BMW E46 3 Series 99-06 - 003301ECS01AKT - Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Limiter Set - ES#2721244


Anyway, I got the strut tower flattened by a shop, and went for a wheel alignment yesterday. The fronts have more negative camber than factory specs and they could only get this close to the limit unless I get camber plates installed, but I think I can live with some inner tire tread wear...

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Today I found a twin of my car after brunch and I had to stop to take a picture beside it...

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

The BMW Un4gettable Test Drive came to town and I went for it. First car was the 435i convertible. Coming from an E46 with hydraulic p/s, the adaptive p/s on the F32 feels too light at low speeds but gets heavier at higher speeds - not that bad, just a different experience but not as communicative as my E46. Also with the stock M-sport suspension, the bumps on the road are pretty shielded and not as firm as my H&R/Koni setup. HUD on the windshield was pretty cool too. Suddenly my E46 feels so old.

After the first drive I got to choose another competitor vehicle either the S5, E350 or IS C(?). Took the S5 and was pretty impressed with it. Although the steering was not as good as the 435i, it still handled well, was quicker, and had a much nicer sounding exhaust. Not unexpected, since the reps said the S5 is US$ 8000 more expensive than that 435i vert.

Also saw the new X4 in the dealership, but didn't get to sit in it:

Fun weekend!

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Got my differential oil changed! No oil flowed out when we opened the fill plug so it could have been a little low on oil.

Also looked under my car to get the right oil for my next DIY:

 

[wegona]

Re: My E46 in the USA

This thread is fun to read. U r amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

This thread is fun to read. U r amazing! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks. This thread also acts as my pictorial log book...

 

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Can't see your pics no more ...

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Can't see your pics no more ...

Ok I just checked my settings and also found out that Imgur displays the 225 recent images in my account only. I might have to try photobucket for future images.

 

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Before changing the atf and filter - its mandatory to reset both short and long term adaptations according to the zf manual ...... But bentley did not say much ...... You plan to re-use the bolts after the pan is dropped ?

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Before changing the atf and filter - its mandatory to reset both short and long term adaptations according to the zf manual ...... But bentley did not say much ...... You plan to re-use the bolts after the pan is dropped ?

I've never heard of the adaptations. Do they apply to the GM transmissions as well? I'll be following BavAuto's DIY and they didn't mention that in the video:
[video=youtube;5ZbA-OqoPJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZbA-OqoPJQ[/video]

Yeah I plan to replace the drain and fill plugs together with the 20 freakin' pan bolts.

 

[Red_Bean_Bun]

Re: My E46 in the USA

I've never heard of the adaptations. Do they apply to the GM transmissions as well? I'll be following BavAuto's DIY and they didn't mention that in the video:
[video=youtube;5ZbA-OqoPJQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZbA-OqoPJQ[/video]

Yeah I plan to replace the drain and fill plugs together with the 20 freakin' pan bolts.

Replacing the bolts is a good practice ........ And of course the gasket is a given.

Thing is that for the ZF - most guys hard reset the TCU followed by a clearing of the high level adaptation after the Atf change. And miss out on the long term learning adaptation as well as the data collection resets .......
But based on what is prescribed - its suppose to be sequenced the other way round. Seems to make sense since you would want the transmission to be calibrate ready when the refill procedure is being done ......

For the GM - TCU reset is there along with the high level adaptation only (GMs don't have a lot of features relative to the ZF) ...... Manual doesn't say much for the GM in terms of the reset sequence so I guess it might be similar to the ZF.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Today I went to help my buddy work on his car. He's already done the bushings in the rear subframe and rear control arms last week, and today we did the front suspension (including control arms, tie rods etc.) and oil pan gasket. The front subframe had to be removed to drop the oil pan, so that was a real pain. Not looking forward to replacing mine in the future....Here are some pics:

















I didn't manage to take pics of the new springs and struts because it was getting late and I had to leave for dinner.

p.s.: trying out photobucket; let me know if there are issues with the pictures.

 

[niteblu]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Thanks for sharing.
It's great insight into the parallel culture of DIY in the States.
We do have a couple of local guys who roll up sleeves & do the same - but few & far btw.

Miss my ol' E46. Great car to behold even these days.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Thanks for sharing.
It's great insight into the parallel culture of DIY in the States.
We do have a couple of local guys who roll up sleeves & do the same - but few & far btw.

Miss my ol' E46. Great car to behold even these days.

No problem; sharing is caring

Anyway here's a pic of what my friend replaced in his car. Doesn't look like much but there was a hell lot of labor involved in reaching those parts:


He said it's barely driveable right now, so he's gonna get an alignment this week instead of letting the suspension settle for 2 weeks. We're probably going for a mountain drive this weekend, so he wants to get it ready asap.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

^The mountain drive didnt happen because of a drizzle, but anyway, I just got a strut bar for my car:



Got it off someone on the E46fanatics forums for 370 USD shipped. Not exactly cheap but still cheaper than brand new. I have to clean off some tape residue (from the seller) on the bar before mounting it on. Can't wait to try it on.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Today I changed my transmission fluid and filter (including gasket and bolts):

Drained the oil:


Dropped and cleaned the pan:




The transmission took about 6.5 quarts of Dexron VI and the overfill already got dirty when I was putting the fill plug back. Looks like I should change the fluid again soon in about 10K miles...

Also installed the strut bar:


Car feels more planted now with less body roll and more stable over bumps and potholes.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

Attended a car meet (Angiefest) which was for BMW and German cars but of course there were a few other makes.

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA

 

[inferno nexus]

Re: My E46 in the USA