What about leaks? Checking a used car for leaks should be the no.1 priority. Get underneath the car and give it a good inspection. If you can't, then park the car on a dry piece of ground, leave the engine running for 10-15mins giving it a few revs. Reverse the car back a bit and check the spot where you were for any signs of leakage.
This isn't a video about buying a BMW, this is something you're gonna do for EVERY used car..... Everything you check here is what I check on every car....
"If you are not mechanical do not buy a BMW", I love it. Very true, but for those who love to tinker and drive...Thank you for your videos so I can tinker. You do a great job.
Davis Macylerie yeah. The brakes is another fine example of that. They want about 1-1200k for a brake job and it's so easy peasy to do. I did my fronts in less than 2 hours in my driveway.
@92FairladyZ yeah try computer diagnostic, vanos issues. You'll have to take it to a mechanic for that. You need to be trained to work on these cars properly but for simple maintenance it's fine to do yourself
In my experience women are the ones who go through with all the work a shop recommends. So I would probably trust a car owned by a woman. And that all the maintenance is up to date
@@Sci-Mon1 I saw a car parked at a car shop with a fixing price of 4000$. The reason? Woman stopped a gas station and poured diesel into a gasoline car
Much respect for warning non mechanically inclined folk to stay away from E46. I have two E46s and I agree. People know I'm a used car enthusiast and have several brands. But I always say get a Toyota if you want economical, reliable, low maintenance, A to B commuter/transportation. I'm down to recommending Camrys and Corollas; or Avalons and Siennas depending on passenger needs. The SUVs have a significantly higher cost of operation including gas consumption; the RAV4 is almost an exception if you just gotta have AWD and don't want an AWD Sienna. I joked the other day that the modern BMW's are like the Jaguars of the seventies: own two, drop one off at the shop when you pick up the other!
I have an BMW e46 sedan, and im no mechanic. However if you have the money, you can get it fixed by BMW and the smaller things you can easily fix yourself. I brought a product for like under 5$, that made all my hard plastic turn into new black plastic and the car looked brand new. Things like lights you can easily do yourself, one screw the the indicators are off. One of the mest cars ever made! it's awesome and cheap. Just promise me one thing, never pimp it, stay original.
now as an e46 323i owner let me explain the issues. This is for the motor: 1. check for leaks. It is old BMW of course it will leak but try to figure where is it leaking from. 2. keep the engine in neutral around 3500rpm and if you hear a little rattle it is from the VANOS (not a big deal), or the DISA valve 3. as he says look for smoke 4. after a bit of driving squeeze the radiator hoses, if they are like stone it is not good, but if they are a bit hard but you still can touch your fingers through the hose, its good This is for the suspension: 5. the front suspension is weak so it will "want to leave the car". Most common thing is the arm because they are aluminium but also can be a bushing(leaking liquids f*ck up the rubber) or bearing 6. check halfshafts becaouse these cars are well known hooligans and they can easyli break them 7. check steering rack for leaks 8. if the rear axle "wants to leave the car", check if the chasis is broken or rusty, or differential bushings This is for the transmission: 9. check the gearbox and differential for leaks 10. check the clutch if it slipps too high 11. try shifting all gears 12. listen the differential for humming noise These are the technical problems you should look for. I have 3 advices: 1. ALWAYS use original parts 2. The first thing to do after you buy this shitbox is changing engine oil, thermostat and water pump 3. if you cant repair you car by yourself, dont buy e46
I just bought a 264,000 mile 2003 325i black for only $600 runs and drives quite well, cold a/c, working cruise control, interior is a little beat up but overall good shape, all windows work, only light on dash is brake pad wear, driven 1500 miles already
Great video! Appreciate you educating those of us interested in driving these machines. Love how you always say, "if you're not planning to work on one of these yourself don't buy one". I know multiple people who have had one and complain about getting them repaired. I consider myself an average DIY'er and haven't had any issues working on mine yet. You're channel is a HUGE help! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!
you didn't mention my favorite check the rear wheel bearings. I do it by taking the car in a tight circle slowly turn one circle or more to the right and one to the left this will amplify a noisy wheel bearing. They are a pain to replace.
these things are all very cheap and easy to repair. You cand do them yourself with a bit of knowledge. The real things you should check are the frame at the rear because it cracks sometimes. The cooling system because if it wasnt maintained properly it can cook the engine real quick. I bought my 00 coupe from a guy who ran it with a blown head gasket and I had to get a new engine. Suspension bits brakes etc are things that are gonna go on any car.
dont these come with sensor that will tell you if your engine is overheating? obviously the first time you notice any overheating you should not drive the car anymore after that because its clear indication somethings wrong with the cooling system. second the blown head gasket alone will not instantly kill your car and also depending on how its blown you can use car for long long time before any major catastrophic failure happens in engine
I just got my hands on one for $1k from a family friend (mechanical engineer). Brand New tires, super clean garage kept, no one ever sat in the back seat and only 100k miles. Apparently he bought a dual motor Tesla lol
Step one: Don't buy a beaten up BMW like the one in the vid, it will be cheap to buy but it WILL be expensive to maintain and no, you won't look all bad-ass and classy in a 15 years old car with a $300 set of headlights from eBay. I personally own an e46 with 186.000 miles, not a single leak, in 3 years of ownership never left me stranded. Maybe my car is special or maybe I just do my homework and I maintain it properly. If you want a car that you have to think only about putting gas and once in a while a $19.99 engine oil change go for a Civic, a Corolla, or an Accent. Maybe I sound rude, but it's the plain true.
I'm a 19 year old who loves cars as a hobby. I'm not a mechanic or anything but I would to learn to work on my own car. My first car is a 99 manual civic that I still own. I know the basics of how a car works but other than oil changes and changing brakes I have no experience as a mechanic or with tools for that matter. I love the e46 and while I love all cars BMW's are my favourite. I love the way they look and after driving one myself I fell in love. I'd definitely try to work on it myself but I'm not a mechanic and would be relying on the internet for help but I'd for sure try to learn. If I sell my civic I would have enough for a fairly clean one in my area, should I go for it?
PS Sangha Better to stay with the civic. Buying special tools is a pain, and it'll be easier to learn how how fix a civic. Don't buy a bmw it's guaranteed to be more of a money pit eventually.
Thanks Nathan I did get a car an E46 from my nephew who had some woodhead's working on it and I ended up buying a motor from Bavarian Motors in California and they delivered it up to Duluth Minn. for $2,000 for 63,000 mile motor and they did guarantee it for 2 years unlimited miles. I did wonder if they were lying about the mileage but once I took off the intake and seen that the plastic lines which I replaced we're in good condition I realize that they didn't lie to me. I'm used to working on GM's and changing the motor on this car was quite the learning experience and a chore. It was nice to be able to look at different videos that helped me with some things, but you're right if you ain't mechanically inclined don't buy an E46 or any BMW. I've done almost everything to mine and I really like it. Thanks for the heads up.
You forgot to mention this: 1. Have your VIN, call your BMW dealer and give them your VIN so they can see if front driver and passenger airbags are changed or not because E46-E39 cars are affected by this. The airbag company TAKATA had factory fault/design with shoot metal pieces to the driver’s and passenger’s face when activated. Instant 200km/h straight to your face. 2. For manual transmissions only, put any gear in, try move the gear knob sideways if it moves a lot it means your gear knob rubber bushings are tired and needs a permanent vacation. Control the clutch if it slips or not. 3. Oil consumption. If you drive like my grandma, ignore this. If you wanna drive like a maniac which we all do, if the cabin start stink burnt oil you know the piston rings needs replacement. PUT M52 rings on your M54 engines, much stronger than M54 piston rings. 4. For AT only, torque converter could slip. 5. Vacuum leak. 6. Check VANOS, watch closely how the car acts under 3.5k rpm. If it’s lazy and the owner says he didn’t touch it, you need to replace your VANOS. 7. It’s always good to do a PC diagnostic control if you have hidden fault codes. Keep doing videos
Lol I now feel like I'm a mechanic and I'm off to change the breaks on my car. True story... RU-vid has given me that much confidence. Now I just need someone to post a DIY facelift or boon job and life will be perfect.
Another TIP, if u buy cheap, it is not a good buy. Careful owners would not part with their pride and joy for mobile phone money. If it is well maintained, expect to pay more (but save in the long run). Whatever you spend (whether to pay for the car or fix it up) u will be paying for a premium car. So do yourselves a favour and get a good one from the get go. You do not want to be the sucker that spent the value of a good condition car only to end up with a fixed crappy one. (Speaking from experience) .
I owned a 2006 325Ci M-Sport Special Edn coupe in Monaco Bluefor many years and during my time of ownership I had to repair the cooling system, window regulators. satnav reader, refit the aircon vents and rear view mirror as these were coming loose, suspension, bushing, VANOS and the heat shield under the hood. Not sure if the sedan requires similar maintanence. All in all, the E46 coupe is an amazing car as long as you keep up with servicing and maintanence.
@@Blackbeard1911 he’s right my f10 has needed coded and reprogrammed about 10 times now for random electrical issues for that reason another e46 will be in my garage soon never had mechanical issues with my bmws cause I actually do the maintenance but man the electronics on them are awful
Everything about this is so true. When you said maybe one window may not work, I laughed so hard. One of my windows isn't working right. Darn plastic pieces.
Carlos Mejia can’t just check for leaks under the car because of the undertray. Either take off the undertray, or check through the top of the engine bay
Gee I hope you got that wreck for free , it's a parts car that one. I am picking up a sweet 2000 e46 149,000 klms , straight burgundy colour this Monday but to your credit sir I did everything you recommended and I found a coolant link under the car after taking it for a test drive and it was a hose that runs from the radiator to the engine , it's fixed now plus I asked them put in a new radiator as well . I checked all electrics and a left side electric window motor was toast so that's fixed also . Parts are super cheap over here in Australia s they were a big seller so there is now a abundance of parts . So thanks for the detailed tips
Nathan's DIY Garage yeah, the circumference of my mirrors has a rusty ring, and i noticed it on other models. living in canada where we salt the roads.
my e46 328 died with 227,357mi and never left me stranded until the day it died. LONG LIVE THE BIMMER!!! By the way, youre not checking the subframe of a sport e46 when you go look at a car from a private owner. They sit way too low, just drive it hard around a corner and listen for creaks and pops from the rear once the body rolls back.
This one you are looking at looks not well maintained and a little ruff (dents left quarter panel). I am no mechanic and I have owned 2 3-series BMWs. Nathan's right, these cars are higher maintenance then your normal car. They are a lot of fun to drive and quite sporty for the women. I would recommend if you aren't a mechanic, you should have a maintenance fund of $1500-$2000 a year depending how much you drive and finding a good mechanic. BMW dealerships are a total ripoff and I avoid them as much as possible. Most of them care only about how much they can up sale on service. One flaw that Nathan mentioned is about buying a new car. That's probably the worst advise that you can give someone unless of course you can pay cash for it. New automobiles drop value like a rock and people every day have more loan then what the cars worth. Slightly used (3-4 years old) automobiles with a warranty might be a better option.
I learned about your channel by watching the 50sKid. saw one video and instantly subscribed. Your vids are awesome. I have a 2009 328i and watching vids like this has given me the confidence to perform maintenance on the cars we love
I just bought a 2003 530i that is actually in really good shape. Its solid underneath and no knocks or pings. You are right on 2 things (Thanks) - the ABS light is on and scanner says its a bad sensor. It does leak a little oil but nothing major. Going to put it on a rack and see what is ailing it. Thanks for the tips :-)
Everything you named that's " 99% not working/ broken " on my 02 E46 is perfect shape and is creeping on 200K Btw they make a 325i coupe the Ci comes in sedan and is the AWD model not just the coupe guys.
Hey Nathan just picked up a 99 e46 5sd sedan. Seller said it tends to overheat.....pop the hood no fan wtf??? So I got it cheap 4new tires and a 5spd to put in my e36. Drove it 41 miles on back country roads , drives great. Only got hot at the 1 stoplight. Good progress on your shop buddy. Happy Easter.
I've had a few E46 - watch for bad wheel bearings (growling sound at driving), and a cheap-check for trac-control; check your alignment: ASC needs good alignment, and may throw false wheel-speed-sensor error...start there!
It's Jan 2020 and cars like this one are back down to under $2k. With a little patience you can find them $800 - $1,200. I see them in better condition than this one for $1,500 - $2,500. So little money, so many deals! Garage queens can bring book value and up $3K -$6k. Dealers and collectors asking $8k plus.
BEST RU-vid post EVER. Thanks for information (and examples using a PoS car). I'm sick of sales ads that are blatant lies, a contradiction to the car on sale. It seems the most common probs are the airbag light and the e46 GM5 module. A tip: apart from what the oil looks like, smell it too. Burnt oil is bad oil. Please consider subtitles. 10:41 "no pool in the oil"? Great vid, love your practical risk-based approach.
500-2000$ for a bmw e46? No wonder you get a bmw with lots of problems. My friends bought a e46 04 for 5,600€ and everything works fine and the car has been maintained well.
Bullshit. I have an 04 330ci w/ZHP and it's the best car I've ever owned. Absolutely perfect...nothing has ever gone wrong. 45,000 miles and just a wonderful car to drive. The dude was showing you some junker that had obviously not been maintained, taken care of and sitting outside. Of course it has problems...duh. And yes, the price is going up!
Nathan, I own both an E39 and an E46. Common problem on the E46 (mine has it too with only 70,000 miles) is the faded rear package tray. These go from being colored black to appearing purple in little time from the sun. These can easily be dyed black again. Other big one inside is the pillars... the fabric has a tendency to come off the pillars. If lucky you can re-glue the fabric with some spray adhesive. Lastly is the common missing rain gutter as they have a habit of falling off. Great video... I'm subscribed.
8:10 you have to leave a remark, i have an e46 and the thing with the radiator isn't a leak, it's intentionally let out, because when you service it you'll always have that white bubbly stuff that you need to let out, but it's lighter than antifreeze water mix, so you turn your radiator cap a half turn to a full turn (2 is max) just to let it out... And a leakage would be if you spot antifreeze drop silhouettes anywhere else on the radiator.
U can also use heat gun and heat those faded trim pieces on bumpers, doors , and the windshield cowl plastics to restore them to like new. Tried it on my friends e36 we were amazed. Maybe try it yourself and make a quick video on that?
Thanks Nathan. Yes, I like your video. Really helpful. I've just bought a 318i from 2000 . Now I will check the car a bit more in detail. Next time I might do it the other way around : )
+RockmannMusic The euro e46 318's have some timing chain guide issues and still have ccv issues, but overall are pretty good cars, lot of people that watch my videos have these cars but here in the U.S we do not
My baby is a love hate..i love her til she need tlc..she well maintained but it fell on me.. Thanks for video my next car buying experience will be better. I need a new rack and pinion and just did the fuel pump
Dude that's crazy . I bought mine and my whole ball join is or arm is out on the passenger side makes a smacking noise when I make turns going over 50 lol
If you cannot work on your own car then you will have to take it somewhere and pay shop labor, at the stealership the costs are alarming , that sends most of these cars to craigslist with a bad trans or engine for cheap, usually for under $1000, a new 5hp19 is $5000 to $7000, i dont know what a new engine is but i would say every bit of that also, of course if you are watching this video on my diy channel then you should be able to fix it yourself so this subject should not apply to you, hopefully this clears things up
Nathan's DIY Garage Why would you take it to the dealership though? The mechanic down the road that charges $75 an hour will happily work on it and put in wrecker parts. Or you could buy two E46's and wreck one to fix the other lol. You're obviously terrible at being a poor person.
I would not take anything to the dealership obviously but most people have no choice, maybe you got lucky and live next to a capable shop but there are not many of those around, even at $70 per hour would spend 15- 30 hours swapping a engine, plus the price of the engine which would be 1-2k for labor plus the cost of the engine, so 2-3k total, the parts to do inserts and new head gasket with other parts is about $200, i have done close to 100 of them, but a shop will not do that job so i am not sure what we are arguing about here , how many m54 or m52tu heads have you done? And if you have send me a link to the videos so i can evaluate them.
Nathan's DIY Garage I haven't had a BMW before, looking at buying one for $700 that has no bumper and radiator (I think somebody forgot to put on the break and it rolled into a tree or something like that), replacement would probably be $300ish. I have an ebay error code reader so I'll take that with me to check the car before I buy it. But the mechanic down here seems to be okay, he fixes all the local GP's cars (country town doctors) so I'm guessing he's quite familiar with BMW's lol. We don't have snow here, and it's inland so shouldn't have rust issues. Australia's version of cregs list has many of these cars so parts aren't an issue. You think not worth it?
Nathan is 100% correct. If you don't know about Cars, and you don't have a good friend in the business, or a family member with a BMW Shop, you don't want to buy a used BMW. Better off to buy a Toyota, Kia, Honda, Hyundai with a Long Warranty, and drive the car til the warranty runs out, (actually just before) then go get another with a new warranty. DW.
You said not to buy it if I don't know about cars, But what if I want to learn about them and learn about this car specifically? Is it still a good buy for some one who is just getting started?
I got a short list buy one with maintenance record and expect electrical component failures they happen but most issues are easy to repair and parts are cheap
don't forget to check the blinker fluid it's a must insta common issue with this E39 not so much with the E36😂 and don't forget to check the crumbs on the carpet make sure they're round
I got a e46 with transmission issues and it is indeed missing the door seals and the sunroof isn't closing too well. Could it actually just be the fuses or CPU?
Nice video, lots of good tips! I'm in the process now of finding an E46 for my son. I have an E53 as my daily driver, so most of what you mention for the E46 is work I've already done.
Using oil on the m54 is usually a ccv failure getting ready to happen, i did a ccv delete video you should take a look at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fx9NFHQjcTk.html
Checking the Engine. Let us say I found a Nice looking E36, E46 for under $5000 and under 150k miles. How much should I pay a mechanic to inspect it for me and what in particular should he/she be checking on the car? Engine cylinder pressure? Trans, Clutch, Yes?
+JOHN PUBLIC There are not many mechanics that know these cars well enough to give you a good idea of the condition of the car, check everything out in the video and thats pretty much the list, no matter what though there will be stuff wrong with it.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE AT THE END...DON'T BUY A BMW UNLESS YOU ARE A MECHANIC. THEY ARE SCREWING THEIR CUSTOMERS FOR 2 DECADES NOW WITH KNOW DRAINAGE DEFECTS THAT THEY FORCE EVEN WARRANTEED OWNERS TO PAY FOR. sEE THE PROPOSED CLASS ACTION SUIT IN ny district court closing comments 6/28/17...they are leaving out all but series 5 2004-2010 owners, but same and other water leak problems on all models for 20 years. they deny any wrongdoing in their offer of repairs and refunds up to 1500.