How to buy a used e46 BMW Pt1
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TechTranscript
00:00So, today I'm going to do a quick video on what to look for when buying your first BMW
00:06E46 series.
00:08When I was looking for mine, I almost made a few mistakes and I almost jumped the gun
00:11a couple of times, so I'm going to amass a bunch of information in this video for you
00:15really quickly so you can digest it and then do your own research and shop smartly.
00:21First off, I want to say I'm no expert on BMW E46s, but what I can give you is all the
00:27information that I've learned over time and when I was shopping for mine.
00:30I want to give a big shout out to all the contributors over at E46 Fanatics, the forum.
00:35If you're not on there already, you should be if you're looking for one of these.
00:38And specifically, Cactus Jake, who has amassed a massive amount of information in a thread,
00:44which I'm going to put right here so you can click on it.
00:47This is where I suggest you go to do your reading if you want details about the different
00:50models of E46s, as well as specifically what to look for mechanically.
00:54There's also a series of videos on there which go through in great detail all the different
00:59things that you should look for in the engine, in the body, in the drivetrain, and in the
01:02suspension.
01:05I recommend that you get a pre-purchase inspection before you actually finally pull the trigger
01:09on buying the vehicle.
01:12You can do a lot of checking out yourself first, but when you finally are thinking this
01:16might be the car for you, then get a proper inspection from a mechanic because he's probably
01:20going to find stuff that you'll miss.
01:23The first big issue that I want to talk about that you really need to watch out for is the
01:26potential subframe cracking issue.
01:29Okay, so on any BMWs up to 2002, and even some E46s past that, there has been a lot
01:35of reported issues of the subframe separating and cracking in the body.
01:39So the actual unibody chassis of the car is cracking and separating, which is a massive
01:44issue and costs thousands to fix to do it properly.
01:47So do not be afraid when you walk up to the first car, ask the owner right away, has it
01:52had a subframe issue?
01:53Just look at him straight in the face and say it.
01:56See what he says.
01:57You can check it out yourself a little bit, but it's difficult to see.
02:00It's where the suspension mount actually meets the unibody.
02:03The unibody itself will crack because of torque on the suspension mount.
02:06Some people say it's due to vibration, some people say it's due to excessive torque.
02:10It's not exactly 100% understood what causes it, in my reading anyway.
02:15You can look in the trunk, you can rip up all the carpeting and look and see where the
02:18actual well of the suspension mount is and see if it's cracked there.
02:22You might be able to see it from that side, you might not.
02:24It might be a hairline fracture that you can't even see.
02:26So that's something to be very wary about in any of the up to 2002 E46 models.
02:34After that, what you definitely should be doing is opening up the engine bay and taking
02:37a look.
02:38You want to see what type of condition has the owner left the engine in.
02:42So one of the big things that happens on this car is this seal right here, this is the valve
02:46cover gasket seal, this cracks and it leaks.
02:49You want to make sure that the rubber is okay, you want to make sure that it's not
02:52pouring oil down the side, you're probably going to see the oil over here, just below
02:57where the gasket is.
02:58The second main source of oil leaks on this car is the oil filter housing gasket.
03:03Right down at the bottom there, where it actually mounts to the engine block, there's a gasket
03:07there that fails.
03:09See if you can get a flashlight, definitely bring a flashlight with you.
03:12Look down, take a look, see what's going on.
03:16Crack this open and take a look on the underside.
03:18If you see any yellow sludge, you've got a few things to worry about.
03:21Do some reading on what that might be.
03:24When you're looking at someone else's car, get your hands in there.
03:27Feel free to actually pull things and grab things and squeeze things.
03:31Feeling these hoses, are they okay, are they brittle, are they cracked, that's what you're
03:34looking for.
03:36Pull the oil dipstick out.
03:37It should hopefully come out easier than that.
03:41Take a look at the oil, put it on a cloth, what color is it?
03:44Is it jet black?
03:45Does it look burnt?
03:46Does it smell burnt?
03:48Here's a trick that I do.
03:49I walk over and I take a look at the next oil service, or whatever the last person that
03:57was that put the sticker up there, and then check the odometer on the car and see if they
04:01match up.
04:02See if the odometer is a lot higher than when it says the person was supposed to get their
04:05next oil service.
04:08Now, onto the cooling system.
04:11You want to ask a few very important questions.
04:14Has the cooling expansion tank ever been replaced?
04:18Has the water pump ever been replaced?
04:20Has a thermostat ever been replaced?
04:22These are very important questions depending on the mileage of your car, because all of
04:26these things eventually go on, from what I've heard, every single E46.
04:31This is the expansion tank right here.
04:32This is the cap, and the bottle goes down in there.
04:35Take a look.
04:36How new does it look?
04:37What condition is it in?
04:38Cracks form on the side of it, and these things can actually pop and explode.
04:41Your engine will overheat, and then it's done.
04:44You might not be able to see the crack, but take a look.
04:46See what condition it's in.
04:48Your power steering reservoir.
04:50See if this is leaking around here.
04:52Look down into the power steering system and see what's leaking.
04:54When I got mine, it looked fine.
04:56Not two months later, I had a massive leak in a power steering hose right at the rack.
05:01I just replaced it.
05:02It was a pretty easy repair, but there you go.
05:04I didn't see it.
05:05I didn't catch it, and it happened real quickly.
05:07Dumped power steering fluid all over the driveway.
05:12The next thing you're going to want to do is start the car.
05:15You'll be listening for a few things.
05:28Listen for any clicking that shouldn't be there, any whooshing of sounds, any serious
05:32pulling or hesitating in the belts.
05:35Anything that seems off, get it checked out.
05:38The intake system here.
05:40You want to see if you can feel around, feel any vacuum leaks, feel anything that might
05:44be causing a rough idle.
05:45I recommend driving the car around a lot and coming back and listening again to see if
05:50you can hear a rough idle.
05:51That could be this Vano system, which is BMW's variable valve timing system.
05:55The seals on that go eventually.
05:58You could look at the throttle body's dirty.
06:01The idle control valve could be dirty.
06:02The diesel valve could have a problem with it.
06:04These are all things you need to think about and get checked out.
06:07Some of these things you can't check out without actually taking them apart.
06:10That's fine.
06:11There'll be symptoms.
06:12A lot of those are encompassed with that potential rough idle issue.
06:15But ask all these questions of the owner.
06:17Ask if any of this stuff has been done.
06:19If it has been done, great.
06:20If it hasn't, it probably will need to be eventually, so just keep that in mind when
06:24you're shopping.
06:30Take a look at the outside of the car.
06:31Walk all around it.
06:32You're looking for little bits of rust.
06:34On cars of this age, you're going to get a little bit.
06:36I had a little bit down here.
06:37It didn't concern me that much.
06:39Make sure you look underneath the wells as much as you can to see what you can find.
06:43Check the suspension out from the outside.
06:45Look at the actual shock.
06:46See if there's any oil on it.
06:48That shows that you might have a shot piece of suspension there.
06:51Give this a bounce right here.
06:53If that bounces too many times up and down, that means it's just going up and down in
06:57the springs and the shocks aren't even doing anything.
07:00If you're buying this car from a dealership, say I want to see it up on a lift.
07:04Have them take it into the garage, put it up on a lift, and look underneath yourself.
07:08Even if you don't know what you're looking for, look for really obvious things, spots
07:12of rust, leaking oil, fluids underneath.
07:16While you're up there, take a look at the rear differential.
07:18You want to make sure that it's not leaking oil.
07:20You want to make sure the underside of the engine body is not covered in oil or any other
07:24type of fluid.
07:26Even if you don't really know what you're looking for, you can still go underneath and
07:30see if everything makes sense to you.
07:32Does it look clean?
07:34That's very important.