I have heard that the cooling system can give trouble if not looked after, but what else can go wrong with them. I'm planning on selling my e46 once it has a fresh nct and I was planning on getting a 520i. So any help and info would be great.
Thanks
Johny.
If they've boiled, then the M52 and M54 is likely to be no better than a large paperweight. If not, then a little extra care to ensure that the rad, water pump and thermostat is a good precaution. What year is the car? Is it 2.0 or 2.2?
Any ones that iv seen and liked are 2.2
Piston ring wear with excessive oil consumption is common on the 2.2 is well for the tiny tax increase I'd go 2.5 !
They have weak points for rust; rear arches, boot lid around the lock and a few other places.
Vapour seals is another slightly weak point - they prevent water getting into the car....so check the carpets in all the foot wells, if they are wet, the door card has to come off and the plastic seal, needs to be re-fixed; DIY job with Tech7 or similar.
Suspension will be well on at this stage too.
If possible, try buy off an enthusiast; these cars are at the age and price that they've passed through a fair few hands, or the wrong hands, so its best to buy one with a service history / known to be well looked after.
Buy one off a well established member from here. Or buy one cheap as chips and spend two grand plus replacing the whole cooling system. Pipes themo rad pump (upgrade to a STEEL turbine water pump, not bmw original plastic turbine) ,all the sensor, ( bmw or oem) and the maf ( semeins vdo ) and seals !!! Every fcuking seal ( BMW seals, except the vanos seals. Stay away from BMW vanos seals)... And that's just the engine. All suspension oem equipment. ( lemforder, ) dont waste your time on "first line,Febi" crap. ... Once the car is over 80 thousands miles ALL THESE PARTS WILL START TO FAIL. ... guarantee IT. .... rant over
Absolutely nothing wrong with Febi. Stuff is quite good. Owned by BilsteinOriginally Posted by Mr.burns
Oil leaks are common too in the m54. Rocker cover gasket and oil filter housing are to be checked
+1 on the above e39 can chew through the cash but don't let it put you off they can also be incredibly reliable nothing to add Dave has it pretty much covered don't worry about rusty lids it's a design flaw and effects them all sooner or later
I think a group buy on bare bootlids is in order somewhere down the line
Myself wouldnt get anything less than a 2.5 but I know nothing about your budget.
Service History is most important .
Cooling system contains many parts made of plastic which after 10 + years of service go brittle and are prone to failure. Expensive
Auto gearboxes can give trouble as oil is never changed. Expensive
Suspension components front and rear again at this stage 10 + years will be showing there age. Parts are expensive.
Interior dash buttons are delicate and often damaged.
Rust is a big one too now. Around sills. Watch out for rust under mudflaps. Around rear wheel arches and the back boot loves to rust around keyhole and along its bottom edge.
A service history/ receipts for work carried out can help allay your worries as regards a lot of this might have been looked after along the way.
Would try to find one with as high a spec as possible.
Im sure people will add more.
..... Oh ya..... Vacuum pipes... God dam vacuum pipes.... Sweet Jesus...
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