Where to start with my new used 316i

[terrasolaris]

I just bought a 2001 316i; and I figure with it being a cheap car, and our daily on its way here to germany, that I could use this as a project car (or whatever the correct terminology is). Unfortunately, I don't know anything about working on cars, and I don't know where to begin on putting work into the car. I figure I'd just clean everything, and replace everything that looks like it needs replacing, i.e rotor, brake pads, oil, ect.

My end state for this vehicle is to ideally use it as a drift car taking advantage of the tracks available to me in germany. But also keeping it street legal because my wife will have the mazda.

[TonyAngel]

Bud, if you don't know anything about working on cars, odds are that you don't have tools either. If you're looking to drift this car on a track, you're in for a mighty steep learning curve. First you're going to have to learn about the car and what the common maintenance/wear items are to just make sure it's road worthy, but you're also going to have to learn about setting up the suspension for what you want to do with it. Most maintenance can be done with common tools, but when you get to the suspension, you're going to start needing some uncommon tools too. Uncommon in size and/or function.

Honestly, if this car is what I remember it to be, I really don't know that it would be worth the investment to try to put it on a track. I think it only puts out around 100 hp. A friend of mine had a 318i and it was nice enough, but not any where near capable of what I would call "spirited" driving and I'd imagine that the 316 would be even less so. Since you bought it and it's now yours, just do some research to find out where the problem areas are on the car, fix it and enjoy it for what it is.

Of course, you could be obsessive/compulsive like me and do a personal crash course in working on cars and totally transform your car into a beast. Although I've never taken a great interest in BMW 4 bangers, I do believe that there are versions out there that put out over 200 hp, so I'd imagine that there is some sort of upgrade path. Since it is an E46, I suppose you could even put an "M" motor in it; but such projects are for those that are well versed in that sort of work.

[terrasolaris]

I appreciate the honesty. And after doing a little more research, you're definitely right. Luckily for me I'll only have this car for at most 3 years since I can't ship it back stateside, this will probably just be a car that I learn the ropes on for now, probably not invest terribly too much money into. Also, I'm fortunate enough to have a auto skills shop where I can rent bays and tools at an incredibly cheap price, so i have that going for me. Worst case scenario, I grow out of this car and feel the need to get a better one, I'll just have to do an upgrade of sorts. But thank you for the response man.

[TonyAngel]

Hey, I'm not saying that the car can't be fun. We had a kick auto-crossing the little 4 bangers around in school parking lots. It's a great way to learn. You know, baby steps and all. What you might want to get though, is a service manual. The defacto standard that I know of is the Bentley manual, but I'm really not sure if that will cover the 316i. Was the 316i actually marketed in the U.S.? I don't know.

In any case, a good service manual will detail just about anything you'll need to do. I'm new to BMWs myself and without the manual, youtube and this forum, I would have broken more things than I fixed.

Just as a generic thing, for starters, I always do a fluid swap whenever I buy a used car. Everything from the oil, gear box fluid, brake fluid, etc. If it's liquid I change it. A big trouble spot on the 6 cylinder E46s is the cooling system. This may or may not apply to the 4's, but you can check it out anyway. Most of the cooling system is made of plastic. When I bought my E46, I replaced everything including the water pump, thermostat and radiator. Assuming that your E46 has the same suspension as mine, you'll also want to check the front end. Control arm bushings, balls joints, shocks/mounts all the way around. It might even be worth it to you to take it to a shop and have them do an inspection and let them tell you where all of the troubles are, then you can tackle them yourself in order of priority.

Good luck and have fun.

[terrasolaris]

No they didn't market this in the U.S, it was released only in Europe, which made it a little hard for me since my manual is in German haha. So I have to look around for a British version of the manual. But yeah, I planned on just doing a general replacement of anything and everything with probably just stock parts over the next little while so I can gain some familiarity with the car. At the end of the day though, I'm just happy to have a BMW for now and I definitely look forward to the frustrations and rewards of doing my own maintenance and small little upgrades that I could do.

[dworthy]

I tell you what, the Craft Shop in Graf has somebody whom is great with BMW's, just ask for Sam. She is good, and if you are around memorial day weekend, I will be there on Sunday, and ask for Darin.

[Eaglesail]

WOW!.....Is this why after having insured for the first time my new-used 2003 325xi last week that it's insurance rate is so incredibly high????