E46 330Ci auto box ok??

[TW]Fox · 20 Jan 2011 at 12:17

Sanchez said:
Isn't there a tendancy for these boxes to fail after the oil has been changed?

Half the people on the internet thinks the box will fail after you change the oil, the other half think the box will fall if you dont change the oil.

DM · 20 Jan 2011 at 12:18

There is changing the oil, which in my opinion can only be a good thing.

Then there is flushing the gearbox which i can see has the potential to dislodge crud and do more harm than good.

Wicksta · 20 Jan 2011 at 12:32

[TW]Fox;18272419 said:
Half the people on the internet thinks the box will fail after you change the oil, the other half think the box will fall if you dont change the oil.

I think half of the problem is the two different gearboxes and the fact they both suffer from a no reverse issue, but completely different problems causing it. On the GM box it's caused by a mesh part in a solenoid becoming gunked up, whereas the ZF box has a much more terminal problem of the reverse drum disintegrating. I bet a lot of the people who have had their box fail after an oil change/flush have the GM unit.

Blackhawk47 · 20 Jan 2011 at 21:10

[TW]Fox;18270113 said:
No, BMW just renamed the trim level, if you buy a 54 plate it'll be an M Sport, if you buy a 53 plate it'll be a Sport...

It was just a genuine question as I see this in the car park everyday...so one would assume that it's stick on tat or something? :confused:

And yes the photos are very twoblacklines.

[TW]Fox · 20 Jan 2011 at 21:12

That is a 330Ci Sport, with an M badge stuck on where it used to say 330Ci. The 330Ci M Sport doesnt have a badge like that either.

Wicksta · 20 Jan 2011 at 21:14

The badge on the rear isn't standard, nothing else is stick on tat though.

Justintime · 20 Jan 2011 at 21:26

Mates 330Ci auto is on about 140k with original box, still smooth shifting too.. i think he got it around the 10k mark a few years back.

Blackhawk47 · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:11

[TW]Fox;18276651 said:
That is a 330Ci Sport, with an M badge stuck on where it used to say 330Ci. The 330Ci M Sport doesnt have a badge like that either.

Fair enough I guess.

Though the paintwork has definitely seen better days...it's not very nice. :eek:

[TW]Fox · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:13

Blackhawk47 said:
Fair enough I guess.

Though the paintwork has definitely seen better days...it's not very nice.

This is what is happening to them now, they are all owned by people who cannot afford or cannot be bothered to look after them properly

Blackhawk47 · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:46

[TW]Fox;18277777 said:
This is what is happening to them now, they are all owned by people who cannot afford or cannot be bothered to look after them properly

Such a shame as I really like everything about the E46 - interior is nice IMO and exterior is great...apart from the fact most of them look like nails on Pistonheads.

[TW]Fox · 20 Jan 2011 at 23:48

The E46 was a great car but its time is now definately over

Justintime · 21 Jan 2011 at 02:28

Nah i see lots of nice looking well taken care of ones around London, though chavs are starting to do things to them now

Blackhawk47 · 21 Jan 2011 at 09:53

[TW]Fox;18278029 said:
The E46 was a great car but its time is now definately over

Saw the owner getting out of the car this morning...looked a bit like a mid life crisis. He shut the door by kicking it and then closed the boot with his elbow...