BMW and M Power Owners

Looking for a bit of advice regarding oil. I got home from work and switching off the ignition I was left with an amber oil light for about 10 seconds. Done a bit of googling which suggests it's a hint to say oil is approaching low.

I've done just over 1000 miles since buying the car a few weeks ago. Car has done 121k so wondering if I should top it up?

Dipping the stick the oil looks like it's at the right level, between the two notches.

Other question is should I put the same oil in as the previous owner. It has had

Liqui Moly Top Tec 4200 5W-30 Engine Oil 5LTR 8973​


How much oil should an E46 330ci take for a top and how much for a full change?

Cheers
 
dlockers said:
It is so difficult to tell. "Reassuringly expensive" doesn't seem to apply! This one has low single digit owners, a lot of them are into 10s/15s of owners :o
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That example just screams not well kept to me.
Wheels not refurbed properly with rep centres caps, front light all foggy, rear badge in a state, paint work a swirly mess, cheap and nasty carpet mats, chavvy plates, no real effort to take good pics etc.


You say your budget is 25k? Then this where I'd start...

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The condition of this one below is the minimum I'd look for. But even then the rear tyres are mismatch and one is a proper budget tyre. Not a good sign...

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You just need to be patient and wait for the right one. Spec, condition, history and even the current owners vibe are all things to take into consideration.

Just remember with an old car it's a potential money pit. And with an e46 M3, you can say that again x5. Be prepared to drop another £5k easily in the first year to fix a load of problems that were intentionally or non intentionally left by the previous owner. And with no warranty you'd need to have deep pockets. These are absolute money pits.

Do you still have an appetite for one?
 
kona786 said:

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Just remember with an old car it's a potential money pit. And with an e46 M3, you can say that again x5. Be prepared to drop another £5k easily in the first year to fix a load of problems that were intentionally or non intentionally left by the previous owner. And with no warranty you'd need to have deep pockets. These are absolute money pits.

Do you still have an appetite for one?
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I did check that one out. Obviously ticks more boxes but I'm not sure if its worth what they're asking. I am a bit blind on this - lacking lots of research!

RE: money pit. I understood them to be quite reliable as long as you don't get a rotter. It is much simpler mechanics and something I'd wrench on myself for the most part. Where would the £5k be going?

My boss has a CSL that is around similar mileage and he hasn't really had a single bill (beyond repairing the carbon fibre front end when he left the handbrake off and it rolled into a gate, lol).
 
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dlockers said:
I did check that one out. Obviously ticks more boxes but I'm not sure if its worth what they're asking. I am a bit blind on this - lacking lots of research!

RE: money pit. I understood them to be quite reliable as long as you don't get a rotter. It is much simpler mechanics and something I'd wrench on myself for the most part. Where would the £5k be going?

My boss has a CSL that is around similar mileage and he hasn't really had a single bill (beyond repairing the carbon fibre front end when he left the handbrake off and it rolled into a gate, lol).
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Reliable if the money has been spent on proper up keep and maintenence over the years.

If not... wear and tear items quickly add up and M parts are not cheap. Especially brakes, tyres, refreshing suspension and cooling system etc. Rust, rear subframe/floor pan cracks... Then you have what happened to mrk's clean example which meant an engine overhaul out of the blue. And you're looking at a vert, so potential problems there with the hood system. Go in eyes wide open and have a reserve of cash ready to throw at it.


I watched this a while back so can't remember it all but have a watch...buyer's guide

 
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dlockers said:
I did check that one out. Obviously ticks more boxes but I'm not sure if its worth what they're asking. I am a bit blind on this - lacking lots of research!

RE: money pit. I understood them to be quite reliable as long as you don't get a rotter. It is much simpler mechanics and something I'd wrench on myself for the most part. Where would the £5k be going?

My boss has a CSL that is around similar mileage and he hasn't really had a single bill (beyond repairing the carbon fibre front end when he left the handbrake off and it rolled into a gate, lol).
Click to expand...
A few K to iron out known issues to start with. Vanos / Rod bearings if there's no evidence to show they've been done previously. Reddish do a comprehensive inspection which gives a good indication of where to start. I had the health check vanos test completed when I did the rod bearings on mine.
 
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