New to me E46 with a question.

[Jazzman Q]

Bought my daughter a 2001 330Ci as her first car. I plan on doing a lot of the wrench turning myself, as I am not afraid of most things.

When changing gears the engine revs, but the car doesn't accelerate for a few seconds, then it kicks in. I posted on the E46 specific sub-forum, and it seems like the clutch may be the problem.

I then got a quote for 1200, for the clutch replacement alone, with an additional 800 for the flywheel replacement as well. Which leads to my question: Is is necessary to replace the flywheel?

I have had several manual shift vehicles, but I can't ever remember replacing the flywheel.

Additionally, I keep reading about making sure I use OEM fluids (Oil, and Anti-freeze) as there are some proprietary hocus-pocus that BMW has done with it's fluids to make them run well in their vehicles, vs say any top shelf over the counter fluid, so what gives with the OEM oil vs any other full synthetic ?, or so the anti-freeze?

Thanks for your guidance.

[shadowpuck]

2001 330 - great car. congrats!

if you are planning on replacing the clutch - at this point, yes, a flywheel is needed. it's a dual mass flywheel and likely worn out at this point.
valeo makes a very nice conversion kit that converts to single mass and also eliminates the SAC (self adjusting clutch). we just put this kit in a neighbor's 5 series and he's really happy.

unless you have records specifying the following, i'd also consider these items:
full cooling system overhaul (radiator, hoses, expansion tank, water pump, thermostat)
brake fluid flush

these cars love maintenance - most e46s at this point will need a few grand in "catch up" maintenance.
look into the BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) - membership is not expensive and parts discounts are available..

as for parts - i use OE/Genuine BMW parts almost exclusively. There are some good aftermarket choices out there at places like FCP Euro.

getbmwparts, and bmwdirectparts are bmw dealers selling bmw parts at competitive prices.

also, become familiar with realoem.com - it's an online parts catalog you can search by VIN (ignore the pricing).

if you plan on doing the work on this vehicle, a bentley service manual is a great purchase. if you want to be able to talk to the computers on this car, you'll need a laptop and a $20 cable. OBD-II is generally not much help on BMWs - although OBD-II scanners can be great affordable quick readers.

as to fluids - for coolant I always use and specify OE/Genuine BMW only, mixed with distilled water. BMW brake fluid is affordable so I use it for my street BMWs. With club discounts, BMW oil is usually competitively priced so I use it as well; there are plenty of quality alternatives as long as it meets specs, etc.

[MarcoZandrini]

Let me add that the BMW coolant needs to be mixed with DISTILLED water.

[shadowpuck]

oh geez - can't believe i forgot to note that! thank you! i've updated my post to include distilled water.