New E46 Owner

[FiberFast]

Hey whats good, just picked up a high milage (190XXX) E46 325i wagon. Its charcoal grey and is in fair shape and runs "ok" with the occasional clunk and flump that lets you know that the front lower control arm bushings and rear upper strut mounts are absolutely shot. Also I am pretty sure the suspension is shot. Also there is a bit of a shake from somewhere in the drive train that presents itself under breaking conditions and at a full stop (feels like it could be motor/trans mounts?) The engine has a slight hesitation that comes and goes. I am assuming this is due to old ass cam/crank position sensors or possibly coils cause the engine runs quite well otherwise. Transmission reacts immediately with no slip, but its an automatic and I am unsure exactly how reliable those are. This will be a lightly modified family car and I would like to get it to 300k miles before retiring it. I have picked list of parts I just want to replace right off the bat as I intend to have the car for some time and have "experience" from working on my e36 and not fucking it up too bad... I will Itemize what I want to replace right away and you can let me know if its unnecessary or if I am missing something.

Uro Front end rebuild kit, lower control arms, bushings, tie rods, stabilizers.
KYB struts (I assume the springs are still good?)
Rear upper strut mounts.
Uro upper and lower rear bushings
Bosch fuel filter
NGK plugs
Beck/Arnley cam and crank position sensors (Never used this brand)
Uro Motor and transmission mounts.

I will check coils, then injectors ect if this does not solve the issues.
And Finally I wanted to make sure all these parts are interchangeable between sedans and wagons, I am sure they are but if someone could verify I can order this stuff.

[MIKYZZ4]

DIY verification possible,
just by entering your VIN# here:https://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do

[jmo69]

Stay away from Uro parts except for their premium window regulators.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[jmo69]

Stay away from Uro parts except for their premium window regulators.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Don't use aftermarket sensors either, the car will tell you if it needs cam or crank sensors. Have you scanned it yet for codes? Might as well do an OE Siemens VDO fuel pump unless it's been replaced already. I learned more from my e46 than from my e36. Lots of good info on e46fanatics.com.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[MIKYZZ4]

Don't throw engine parts/sensors,
at least until you've performed a proper diagnostic scan,
and replacement is indicated by the scan diagnosis.

Perform a preliminary scan, take note of the codes listed.
Clear all codes, then perform a short drive cycle or until symptoms appear.
Return home and perform a new scan, post back with codes displayed.

[Eaglesail]

So you'd like to know what you are in for....YES?

First, I have the 2003 325xi wagon...there are some differences between the sedan. I'd like to open a dialog with you. I may have helpful information for you.

[FiberFast]

So you'd like to know what you are in for....YES?

First, I have the 2003 325xi wagon...there are some differences between the sedan. I'd like to open a dialog with you. I may have helpful information for you.

Yes, I have some experience working on my E36. Basically bought that (Hellrot 325is) car in damn nice condition with 160K on it and ran it into the ground using it as a family car. Interior trashed, exterior trashed, ran over a median like a dipshit, suspension trashed, ran it to 200K and trashed the motor too. I have almost completely rebuilt that car, new motor new bushings only thing I have left to replace is the struts and springs and rear end and a few minor jobs like making my e-brake work cause PO stretched the shit out of the cables.

So as far as the E46 goes, I already have a damn project and all I want to do is keep this thing nice and have it get me and family from A to B comfortably. It has 190K miles so I am under no illusion that the power train may need some replacement in the future (Hope to get at least another 60K on this motor) So I can feel that the struts are shot, clunk in the trunk says rear strut supports are shot. Minor wobble in the steering +60mph I am familiar with is the lower control arm bushings most likely. Rims appear to be bent, I have some bent style 30's I was considering fixing and swapping. The main thing is figuring out what this vibration is, I am guessing Guibo/CSB or engine/transmounts? Car is not throwing codes. The reason I say replace the sensors (I use Bosch sensors) is that the hall effect censors tend to wear out around the 200K mark. I had all kinds of issues with the E36 and finally replaced them, was like a brand new motor. When they are worn they can cause misfires and stutters ect, you will be looking all over for vacuum leaks and coils an fuel... Those censors are cheap and no one ever replace them Also, the fuel filter I replaced on my E36 @200K was the ORIGINAL fuel filter...

[FiberFast]

I should Mention the vibration is at stop or under breaking condition but does not seem to be a problem under acceleration. Guibo/csb?

[FiberFast]

Could this be the water pump/clutch fan?

[mattm9922]

Do you have another recommendation for control arms/ tie rods, etc.? i was about to order their front end kit to fix my shimmy and shake.

[MIKYZZ4]

Hey whats good, just picked up a high milage (190XXX) E46 325i wagon. Its charcoal grey and is in fair shape and runs "ok" with the occasional clunk and flump that lets you know that the front lower control arm bushings and rear upper strut mounts are absolutely shot. Also I am pretty sure the suspension is shot. Also there is a bit of a shake from somewhere in the drive train that presents itself under breaking conditions and at a full stop (feels like it could be motor/trans mounts?) The engine has a slight hesitation that comes and goes. I am assuming this is due to old ass cam/crank position sensors or possibly coils cause the engine runs quite well otherwise. Transmission reacts immediately with no slip, but its an automatic and I am unsure exactly how reliable those are. This will be a lightly modified family car and I would like to get it to 300k miles before retiring it. I have picked list of parts I just want to replace right off the bat as I intend to have the car for some time and have "experience" from working on my e36 and not fucking it up too bad... I will Itemize what I want to replace right away and you can let me know if its unnecessary or if I am missing something.

Uro Front end rebuild kit, lower control arms, bushings, tie rods, stabilizers.
KYB struts (I assume the springs are still good?)
Rear upper strut mounts.
Uro upper and lower rear bushings
Bosch fuel filter
NGK plugs
Beck/Arnley cam and crank position sensors (Never used this brand)
Uro Motor and transmission mounts.

I will check coils, then injectors ect if this does not solve the issues.
And Finally I wanted to make sure all these parts are interchangeable between sedans and wagons, I am sure they are but if someone could verify I can order this stuff.

FORGET URO PARTS!!!

I've replace the list with recommended manufacturers.

(Lemforder-Meyle HD)Front end rebuild kit, lower control arms, bushings, tie rods, stabilizers.
(Koni-Bilstein-Sachs)struts (I assume the springs are still good?)
(Lemforder-Meyle HD-Sachs)Rear upper strut mounts.
(Lemforder-Meyle HD)upper and lower rear bushings
(Mahle-Hengst) fuel filter
(NGK) plugs
(BMW)cam and crank position sensors (ONLY this brand) Unless you enjoy chasing electrical gremlins-electronic anomalies, trust me!
(Lemforder-BMW)Motor and transmission mounts.

This is a list of parts manufacturers that come highly recommended from my own experiences,
as well as many years of forum members posts and feedback that I have noted since about 2004.

[FiberFast]

I used the Meyle HD control arms and street urethane bushings on my E36 and loved them. The front lower control arm bushings are generally what is responsible for the steering wheel shake above 55-60mph. If you are experiencing this like I am on my E46 it is almost certainly lcab's or tie rods which is why many manufacturers sell them as a kit with the control arms. I have found from my experience that replacing the cam and crank position sensors on high mileage 150,000 bmw's is the golden ticket to maintaining a smooth running engine. This is because they are hall effect sensors and while they don't generally "Go bad" they do provide weaker signal over time and can lead to rough idles, hicups and misfires that will have you chasing imaginary vacuum leaks and testing all your coils. My ECU on my obd1 car did not catch the problem at all. Ill take your advice into consideration, although as I said I am not trying to make this car perform any better than factory. I have a gutted E36 coupe that's a superior go fast platform to my comfy wagon XD
Smogged the E46 today. No issues, looks like I made a good purchase.

[FiberFast]

I used the Meyle HD control arms and street urethane bushings on my E36 and loved them. The front lower control arm bushings are generally what is responsible for the steering wheel shake above 55-60mph. If you are experiencing this like I am on my E46 it is almost certainly lcab's or tie rods which is why many manufacturers sell them as a kit with the control arms. I have found from my experience that replacing the cam and crank position sensors on high mileage 150,000 bmw's is the golden ticket to maintaining a smooth running engine. This is because they are hall effect sensors and while they don't generally "Go bad" they do provide weaker signal over time and can lead to rough idles, hicups and misfires that will have you chasing imaginary vacuum leaks and testing all your coils. My ECU on my obd1 car did not catch the problem at all. Ill take your advice into consideration, although as I said I am not trying to make this car perform any better than factory. I have a gutted E36 coupe that's a superior go fast platform to my comfy wagon XD
Smogged the E46 today. No issues, looks like I made a good purchase.

Heh, was just looking over my E36 and found a completely nuked hose from the ICV to the throttle boot... Less than a year old. Uro manufacturer...
I think I may go with your recommendations, although for the struts I don't see what your funk with KYB is? Its not really performance struts but they are better than OEMs. Also why not Meyle struts? If I am going to shell out the scratch for konis or bilstiens they are going on the E36 XD You guys are going to learn to hate me properly in here.

[MIKYZZ4]

Not trying to exclude or diss KYB, just not frequently seen mentioned in the E46 forum,
so out of sight-out of mind, also just came across MEYLE as an option at FCP, along with their lifetime warranty.

[FiberFast]

For sure, I have been using Rock auto allot and you can find some great bosch and meyle parts for super cheap if you pick through stuff.