Wizzbang

After looking at Ford Mondeos as a replacement for my Passat, I feel uneasy with regard to numbers of failures of key components within the cars. So, I turn my interest (and increase my budget) to the BMW E46 320d.

It is my understanding that most Beemers are pretty bulletproof and go on forever, but are they really ??

What are they like day to day, what goes wrong, whats to expect on a 100,000 miler ?


Cheers



Oh..BTW anyone want to buy a Passat TDi ?

robby

The most common problem on early 320ds is the intake flaps and turbos
If you get a warranty then you should be ok

I've had 3 E46s - 325Ti compact, 325se coupe and 320sport - only problem i had was a flat battery

john banks

No idea what a reliable car is these days, VAG seem horrific from my experience, Ford and BMW diesels have all sorts of problems and Mercs still aren't built properly. Lexus IS? Honda Accord? Toyota Avensis? Nissan is run by Renault.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Agreed - it's generally reckoned to be quite reliable, apart from the weak swirl flaps in the inlet manifold, which can break and get sucked into the engine. IIRC the later manifolds are stronger, though it's not a cheap fix. Taking the flaps out completely, however, is.

Head over to www.bmwland.co.uk - there's plenty of good knowledge and advice over there.

dantastic

Apart from the swirl flaps on the diesel, another common fault on the e46 range is an earthing problem on the rear light clusters, its an easy fix that you can do yourself, (without buying the fix kit from BMW which they charge £74.00+vat for) the only other thing i can think of is the auto's go through brake pads and discs fairly quickly compared to other makes of car, apart from that they are a good solid motor.

Matteeboy

Errmmm - where did my post go?! Mentioned swirl flap failure.

Hell even Toyotas fall to bits these days!

scooby-tc

iTrader: (2)

I removed the swirl flaps on my beemer on saturday and is was much easier than i expected