Just pulled the trigger on a 2004 E46 Convertible

[turbojesse]

Only 54800 miles and in excellent shape but I have some concerns that I hope the hive mind can help me with. This is my 3rd Beemer. 2001 330 CIC that I had factory built and a 98 740i. So I’ve been member here for a long time after I had to get rid of those ones.

So my concerns are:

1) with an 18 year old car despite low miles I’m concerned with aging hoses and gaskets. Any advice?

2) I don’t have a garage and I live in the mountains of western NC. So a good car cover is mandatory. Any suggestions for the best cover good for high winds and snow in winter. (I may have an option to rent a garage space so this could be moot.)

3) the finish is pristine and I want to keep it that way as long as possible. Best clear coat covering?

4) same for leather interior.

5) the stock sound system has no screen or Nav. I’d like to put an in dash unit with car play. Alpine seems to be the way to go but which one? Any experience or suggestions here?

Thanks for any input.

[E39 Newbie]

As far as gaskets go, do you have any maintenance records? For an E46 to be in that condition after almost 20 years, the PO had to be taking care of it pretty well. But if not, I always assume that something has NOT been done unless I can verify it by date codes on the part, or something. So, barring any records to the contrary, plan on replacing the entire cooling system, especially the pipes under the intake. Clean the engine if necessary and check for leaks. Plan to replace the valve cover gasket, oil filter housing gasket, oil pan gasket. Maybe you won't have to, but budget for it. Budget for a VANOS rebuild, just in case.

[turbojesse]

E39 Newbie

Looks like the vehicle has been regularly serviced at various BMW dealers down thru the years. The Carfax lists the dates and any repairs. There were some minor repairs/updates and the lower control arm bushings were replaced in 2014.

Btw, what is a VANOS rebuild? Got any links for me to study?

Here’s the car with the link to the Carfax report

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/2...20211104426137

[turbojesse]

Ok, just looked up VANOS BMW. Hmmm, I’m going to have to find a shop to do this as I can’t. Live near Boone, NC if anyone has a suggestion

[MarcoZandrini]

You’re east of Charlotte, so I’d check in Fayetteville. Check www.bimrs.org for a reputable indie shop that specializes in bimmers.

[turbojesse]

Marco, no unfortunately I’m northwest of Charlotte up in the mountains. The nearest BIMRS certified shop is in Raleigh which is 4 hours away.

I’ve got a shop down in Boone which often works on BMWs - the owner drives a 330 hardtop. So I’m hoping he can fix me up. They appear competent if the fullness of their parking lot is any indication. I’ve talked to them and they do everything except transmissions.

[E39 Newbie]

Ok, just looked up VANOS BMW. Hmmm, I’m going to have to find a shop to do this as I can’t. Live near Boone, NC if anyone has a suggestion

The VANOS on the M54 is really simple. You have to remove the valve cover, disconnect the solenoids, etc. Then the assembly just unbolts from the front of the engine. Removing the fan and shroud does make the job a lot easier, so you'll need the tools to remove the fan. You should have those anyway as it seems every freaking job on these cars requires fan removal.

The hardest part is unscrewing the "housings" at the back. A vise and a good impact with large socket will do the trick. In the video his come apart easier than the ones I've done. It's just a matter of replacing the o-rings, the Torrington bearings and the spacer. Often replacing the spacer is optional because the existing one is OK.

The only trick is the stupid little Torx screws that hold it onto the camshafts are soft, easy to strip, and have reverse threads. Most rebuild kits come with new ones. Amazon sells a nice kit that I've used a couple of times.

https://youtu.be/0eUVF6OLFFg

https://www.amazon.com/VANOS-Rattle-...s%2C144&sr=8-3

[ConvGeorge]

Welcome fellow NCer.

The Android Auto/CarPlay unit I used was an Alpine iLX-W650 (which has greatly shot up in price since I bought it!) I used the Metra cut kit (designed to fit a full size double DIN unit flush with the rest of the dash by cutting the HVAC vents that are in the way behind the dash, but since this particular unit is shallow depth you don't actually have to do the cutting. They also make no-cut kits where the head unit sticks way far out of the dash and looks ridiculous.) Enfig also makes a kit (I actually think it's the same kit I used but they have found a couple of other head units that fit - it's actually cheaper from Enfig than what I paid from Amazon) and sells Sony head units that fit with it (they are basically single DIN head units with a large double DIN screen), but I don't know about their Carplay status. I did just purchase a microphone and XM cable extender from them for my X3, they shipped fast and the parts fit great.

I'll also throw in that I found the stock HK speakers I had to be garbage and the factory amp very low powered (although I will say I had decent car stereos my whole driving life, some 35 years now.) I was able to tap into the stock wiring to the front door speakers at the amp location behind the driver's side rear panel. I put some component speakers up front, used a 4 channel amp to run the fronts and 2 subs (I took out the factory sub and replaced with a custom box I've originally build for my former e36 convertibles) and left the factory amp in to drive the rear speakers (they're just fill, and apparently hard to find replacements for since they are a weird size with a very limited depth.)

[E39 Newbie]

Welcome fellow NCer.

The Android Auto/CarPlay unit I used was an Alpine iLX-W650 (which has greatly shot up in price since I bought it!) I used the Metra cut kit (designed to fit a full size double DIN unit flush with the rest of the dash by cutting the HVAC vents that are in the way behind the dash, but since this particular unit is shallow depth you don't actually have to do the cutting. They also make no-cut kits where the head unit sticks way far out of the dash and looks ridiculous.) Enfig also makes a kit (I actually think it's the same kit I used but they have found a couple of other head units that fit - it's actually cheaper from Enfig than what I paid from Amazon) and sells Sony head units that fit with it (they are basically single DIN head units with a large double DIN screen), but I don't know about their Carplay status. I did just purchase a microphone and XM cable extender from them for my X3, they shipped fast and the parts fit great.

I'll also throw in that I found the stock HK speakers I had to be garbage and the factory amp very low powered (although I will say I had decent car stereos my whole driving life, some 35 years now.) I was able to tap into the stock wiring to the front door speakers at the amp location behind the driver's side rear panel. I put some component speakers up front, used a 4 channel amp to run the fronts and 2 subs (I took out the factory sub and replaced with a custom box I've originally build for my former e36 convertibles) and left the factory amp in to drive the rear speakers (they're just fill, and apparently hard to find replacements for since they are a weird size with a very limited depth.)

If you dig through the history you'll find my post about changing out the rear speakers. They are a weird size, but not so weird that there's no work-around. I really like the sound from the rear now.

How did you hook up your new amp? Did you run new power wire to the trunk? Or were you able to tap into the existing harness? After the seat upholstery, my next project is getting rid of that crappy amp. The PO put some aftermarket head unit in, but I think they connected the line level outputs to the amp. So I get major clipping if I turn up the volume.

[ConvGeorge]

How did you hook up your new amp? Did you run new power wire to the trunk? Or were you able to tap into the existing harness? After the seat upholstery, my next project is getting rid of that crappy amp. The PO put some aftermarket head unit in, but I think they connected the line level outputs to the amp. So I get major clipping if I turn up the volume.

Amp install in BMWs is easy because the battery is in the trunk - much less cable required for power and ground. So, I got the main power from the battery. I ran RCA cables from the head unit to the trunk. I was able to tap into the 12V turn on signal at the factory amp. I put the passive crossovers for the front component speakers near the factory amp location, that way I was able to use the factory wires that run to the door for woofers and tweeters (I found a wiring diagram for the factory amp online somewhere, I just cut the wires leaving enough that I could reattach them when I sell the car, ran wires from the amp to the crossovers and then to the factory wires.) Amp is mounted to the sub box (I actually got the amp when I bought my former e36 vert, in the e36 there was enough room behind the rear seat to fit the amp back there, but there isn't enough room in the e46.) I got a line level converter to adapt my first attempt at a decent stereo (Alpine single DIN,) and the factory amp just doesn't have much uumph. Plus the converter takes up a bunch of room behind the dash. But I use it to run signal to the factory amp.

[E39 Newbie]

Amp install in BMWs is easy because the battery is in the trunk - much less cable required for power and ground. So, I got the main power from the battery. I ran RCA cables from the head unit to the trunk. I was able to tap into the 12V turn on signal at the factory amp. I put the passive crossovers for the front component speakers near the factory amp location, that way I was able to use the factory wires that run to the door for woofers and tweeters (I found a wiring diagram for the factory amp online somewhere, I just cut the wires leaving enough that I could reattach them when I sell the car, ran wires from the amp to the crossovers and then to the factory wires.) Amp is mounted to the sub box (I actually got the amp when I bought my former e36 vert, in the e36 there was enough room behind the rear seat to fit the amp back there, but there isn't enough room in the e46.) I got a line level converter to adapt my first attempt at a decent stereo (Alpine single DIN,) and the factory amp just doesn't have much uumph. Plus the converter takes up a bunch of room behind the dash. But I use it to run signal to the factory amp.

Thanks much!

[Alfatango1]

Vanos solenoids are super easy to do. On my 2005 745i I do all 4 in 35 minutes. You don't need to buy OE in my opinion but don't go full on cheap. Pierberg or URO are good.

[bigMphan]

The Favored VANOS rebuild kit is from Beisan Systems [https://www.beisansystems.com]
I've had 3 high milage M54 engines and I'm not sure a well maintained low milage car probably doesn't need a VANOS rebuild just yet. Others may argue - and they may be correct, but there are other things I'd check first if my car wasn't idling / running / high revving correctly.

just my .02
Ask Mr. ///M Car what miles a VANOS starts to hiccup

[turbojesse]

Thanks for your comment. I’ll probably do it anyway just to be on the safe side since it is 18 years old and stuff starts to deteriorate just from age. Hate to have it go on me while on a road trip. My old 98 740i did that to me on a trip to Florida many years ago . I was coming home on thanksgiving day via I-95 and the water pump failed just as I pulled into a rest stop near Daytona. I had my 2 Goldens with me. No fun finding help on thanksgiving day.