E46 325 Misfire and following problems

[riley111]

Hi, i currently own a e46 2005 325ci and have only put 3000 km (171987 KM) on the clock from the previous owner. in this time i have replaced

- Brake pads and Rotors $930
- Expansion tank on twice, top hose, thermostat, rocket cover gasket cover and pipe - $1350
- Check engine light = Cylinder 1 misfire, replaced spark plugs and 1 coil pack as well as both front struts and a front passenger head light $1138

so as you can see i have spent quite the amount of money on the car since purchase, now having just sorting out the cyl 1 misfire not two days a go i already have another check engine light, i have not had this coded yet but i was wondering if anyone knows anything that could help? could be mechanic didn't fit something properly, or it could be something reaaly simple or these are preemptive signs of something more serious? Cheers.

[dworthy]

Wow 930 bucks for rotors and pads? Did they also rebuild the front calipers as well? Replace all the hoses while they were there too? Even in AUS parts cannot be that expensive, because that is a 1.5 hrs job for the front axle.

In order to find/follow the #1 misfire, they will have to watch live data, as it can be something else, but recorded as a misfire.

[riley111]

Thanks mate, i think ill end up either taking the car to bmw or a specialist, the front otter headlights have gone and the wiring looms were replaced by the previous owner in 2015

[dworthy]

Well I know that the prices there tend to be a bit high, but if you can turn a wrench, you can replace the front rotors and pads yourself actually. I would guess that the parts alone wouldn't run more than 250, but at the age of the car there are a couple of other items that should be replaced as well like the rattle clip and the rubber guide boots. At the top of this forum is a sticky with instructions on how to do this.

[bmwdirtracer]

Well, I just checked at Alldata for prices on parts and labor, just for the brakes, and in the US. Rotors run about $100 each, and pads run about $100 per axle, plus another ~$30 per sensor ---- all prices retail, as you'd pay at a shop.

So $660 for parts, plus 3 hours of labor, would make for a $960 job for both axles. I agree fully that doing the brakes and stuff yourself is absolutely the best way to go!


As for the check engine light, you'll need to read the codes again. On an '05 E46, I would have replaced all 6 spark plugs, and quite possibly all 6 plugs.

The vast majority of E46s I see come into my shop need thousands of dollars worth of overdue maintenance. Always very high probability:
Control Arm Bushings
Oil Filter Housing gasket
Crankcase vent valve and 4 associated hoses/pipes
Valve cover gasket set
Spark plugs and coils
The intake boot attached to the throttle body

[riley111]

thanks a lot guys, really helpful definitely will be taking a look at some of those parts as i know some of them have not been replaced @bmwdirtracer.