E46 330Ci auto box ok??

digitalwolf

digitalwolf

digitalwolf

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I'm in the hunt for an E46 330ci but a lot on the market seem to be auto's. I would like a manual but if the auto's are reliable then I would be interested.

A friend has a 330ci auto on 125k and it hasn't skipped skipped a beat.

So the question is are the auto's in these reliable??


Cheers.
 
They are reliable in that they will only go once in the cars lifetime, however that once is about when it's 7-10 years old and between 80 and 140k miles, so probably right where you are looking.

Circa £1500 for a refurb.

I didnt bother with an auto because it's slower, a bigger failure risk and sucks more fuel.
 
German and Jap auto boxes are the best. Merc's and BMW can go to 200k plus without failing. Obviously risk of failure is there with the higher cost of replacement over a manual. If an auto is what you want I would definitely not worry on this car.
 
Third Opinion said:
German and Jap auto boxes are the best. Merc's and BMW can go to 200k plus without failing. Obviously risk of failure is there with the higher cost of replacement over a manual. If an auto is what you want I would definitely not worry on this car.
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The steptronic box in the 330ci (in fact all 6 cylinder models) is notorious for losing reverse and I'd say 200k is very optimistic without a replacement. My 325i touring had a replacement at about 130,000 miles and this is apparently quite a decent innings.

You do realise that that BMW don't make the gearboxes don't you? The e46 alone comes with either a GM or ZF gearbox. In regards to your post ironically the German built ZF box is the weaker one.
 
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Third Opinion said:
German and Jap auto boxes are the best. Merc's and BMW can go to 200k plus without failing.
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Hmmm not really, the gearbox in both Mercedes and BMW's is a weak point. Probably because it's often the same box. I wouldnt want an older E46 automatic because the chances of it failing are reasonably high.
 
Given how notorious the auto is for worse consumption I'm surprised you didn't really notice a difference!
 
I had no idea BMW didn't make the steptronic box in the E46!

Guess I best keep on looking for a manual. Is it only really the sub frames I should be looking out for on these?

Would £5,000 get me a decent M sport?
 
No, M Sport models only came out in late 2004 and £5k isnt enough for one.

You should be looking out for everything on these as most are now wrecked nails driven by cheapskates.
 
When it comes to autoboxes all you can do is get a new strainer/filter and some fresh fluid in there and hope for the best.

As with any other part on a car it'll go when it is ready to go. Granted the process of fixing it isn't as cheap or simple as say slapping in a clutch for a manual version, but I don't really think it is fair to say that it'll go at xx,xxx miles because previous (mis)use can play a massive part in how long a gearbox will last, along with a bit of luck :).

Touch wood I've never had a problem with any of the autos I've had in my High mileage cars, and I'm not exactly easy on them either.
 
Just a question but I used to work for an engineering company that refurbed/rebuilt autoboxes. This was about 12 years ago but a lot of the Problems with Merc's/BMW boxes was they had no service schedule. Sort of sealed for life.

I do remember them servicing high mile boxes and changing the oil etc.

Is this still the case or where these just ancient cars. I only saw the paperwork.
 
digitalwolf said:
What is the difference between a Sport and an M Sport Fox? I have seen a couple of sports on 52/03 plates with the MV's on and body kit.
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M Sport models have an M before the word Sport on the V5. Thats the difference. They renamed the Sport trim level to M Sport in late 2004 for the 3 and 5 Series.

Effectively there is no practical difference.
 
Never had a problem with the one in my 330i saloon. I thought it went well with the car. Can't say I used the manual override very much. Hardly seemed worth the effort when you can stuff it in Sport mode, practice your left foot braking and drive it like a kart with your hands on the wheel at all times.
 
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