Tell me about the E46 M3....

Gaijin

Gaijin

Gaijin

Soldato
Joined
18 Feb 2003
Posts
8,616
Location
Brighton/West Wicklow
With the possibility of a new career on the horizon, I'm having some seriously dirty sell out thoughts about the E46 M3.

Plenty of HP, N/A, high revving, some comfort and RWD is ticking some boxes with me.

So tell me about them, I've done some big fishing about over on the m3forum.net, and heard about dodgy con rod bearings due to a problem with the oil pump - does that affect us over here?

Unfortunately the link to the buyers guide doesnt appear to work over there :(

What about the rear subframe issues i've heard about on 3 series?

Differences between the pre and post facelift would be appreciated as well as standard and optional equipment.

I know I can pretty much forget getting power out of the engine for nothing, but thats nothing im not already used to :p

Any info/issues/weaknesses would be gratefully appreciated. Couldn't search on here as M3 is too short a string :(

Thanks in advance chaps.
 
dont turn the TC off in the rain. :(

IMG_4640_Edit.JPG
 
The best advice I can give you is head over to www.mtorque.co.uk and have a good nose around using the search function. Everything you could possbly wish to know about the E46 M3 is in there and I think it's the best M site there is, though as a long term member I am biased, but please, use the search function.

Now to answer your question about the various changes: http://www.mtorque.co.uk/techdoc/e46m3changes.pdf

In terms of the engine issues there were a batch in the US that went bang in late 2001 due to a component issue and there were also 3 or 4 recalls done after than by BMW which need to be done on cars before, I think, March 2004.

Other than that head to www.mtorque.co.uk (formally BM3W) and you'll get all the answers you need.
 
as said the con rod bearing thing is no problem if the recalls were done

not many real problems tbh, broken rear coil springs and avoid damaged or refurbed 19 inch wheels

Estoril blue prob fetches highest price folloowed by Black, Steel grey and silver , least wanted are white, phoenix yellow , and laguna seca ( smurf ) blue

cars without satnav fetch about £1000 less, Harmonn Kardon is a popular option

facelift differences are very minor on the M3 ( LED rear lights being main thing )


gratuitous excuse to post a pic of mine :p

DSC01091.jpg
 
housemaster said:
In terms of the engine issues there were a batch in the US that went bang in late 2001 due to a component issue and there were also 3 or 4 recalls done after than by BMW which need to be done on cars before, I think, March 2004.
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Evenin, it was all cars built pre-mid May 2003 (I think 22nd May but it was so long ago I forget the exact hour ;) ).

Most cars should have had the recall(s), and it can easily be checked on the BMW dealer computer (or BMW customer services).

Other than that - generally great reliable cars ... springs as Rotty says - Almost considered 'consumables'. Entire transmission system can be noisey (clunks / bangs etc). Normal and nothing to worry about but can be 'alarming' at first if you're new to E46 M3. Manual very reliable. SMG-II very reliable (regular manual box but with hydraulic add-ons for gearshifting & clutch control).

Main dealer servicing can be a rip-off if you're not careful (eg, bills starting at £1200 instead of £650 for the biggest service).

As Housey says check out Mtorque (as always, when something's recommended it goes down for routine maintenance :rolleyes: :D )
 
Loowi_ashley said:
Thats hardcore, upsidedown in a soft-top, I bet he's still got a headache from it:eek:
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landed on other side of a dual carraige way too...

...and to think when he was looking for M3's i kept saying "dont get a soft top, they aint as safe or good as hardtop" lol
 
Overlag said:
...and to think when he was looking for M3's i kept saying "dont get a soft top, they aint as safe or good as hardtop" lol
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Looks pretty safe to me... Hasn't exactly bent much. Infact that's quite impressive considering it's been rolled :eek:
 
DreXeL said:
Corrected.
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Yep, makes me giggle when I see people say if you turn TCS/DSC off the car will instantly spin round or explode when you try and go round a corner.

Makes you wonder how millions of people have managed to drive cars for all these years without these control gizmos.
 
GSXRMovistar said:
Yep, makes me giggle when I see people say if you turn TCS/DSC off the car will instantly spin round or explode when you try and go round a corner.

Makes you wonder how millions of people have managed to drive cars for all these years without these control gizmos.
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Indeed. Yesterday on the way to the R/R day it was the first time I have driven the Skyline in the wet, and the crap Wanli tyres that are on it at the moment have literally no grip whatsoever in the wet. When I overtook a car I was wheelspinning in every gear, so I simply modifed my driving style, and you know what?..........shock horror.........I didn't end up dead.

Right foot = all the TC you will ever need
 
I don't know on the "modify your driving style" front. I've been without DSC for over a week now and.. I'd prefer to have it. Not having it definitely requires more thought - I have to actually care a lot more about entry speed, bumps on the road, where I'm braking and accelerating etc... but I'd prefer not to have to, when I'm just driving home at 2am in the pouring rain.

Not having the gizmos just reduces the boundaries of what you can get away with. When my parents were younger and driving their RWD cars with no driver aids, they would have been taking it a lot more carefully than I have to today with them.

I just see it as technological advancement. Again, back when you had unassisted brakes and no power steering, if you weren't physically strong you had to be more careful. Today it's just "assisted control" if you aren't capable of perfect driving. As a result, I will happily hand my keys to anyone of any level of driving skill or experience. I'm confident that unless they go absolutely crazy, they aren't going to get in to a situation where they lose all form of control. Without the aids, I'd be far less confident in doing so. Having the driving aids as a backup makes the car safer and easier to deal with.
 
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DreXeL said:
Indeed. Yesterday on the way to the R/R day it was the first time I have driven the Skyline in the wet, and the crap Wanli tyres that are on it at the moment have literally no grip whatsoever in the wet. When I overtook a car I was wheelspinning in every gear, so I simply modifed my driving style, and you know what?..........shock horror.........I didn't end up dead.

Right foot = all the TC you will ever need
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oooooooh dear....

he hit standing water @ 50mph and to be honest i think even the TC might have had issues with it as they aint that smart.

i didnt say he was a "pro driver" ANYWHERE in my post did i?
 
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