I'm going to look at a 2000 BMW 323i wagon for a friend this Friday. I know the cooling system is a common trouble spot for the E46 but beyond that don't know of any particular weaknesses - are there any known issues to check on the E46, 323i or the wagon?
how many miles? rear subframe can crack and push through the rear of the body. everything in the cooling system. ball joints.
Basically just cooling systems, bushings, and window regulators. Automatic transmissions don't last nearly as long as the manuals.
not sure the 323 has enough power (or is likely to be tracked in wagon form) to develop the subframe cracks
Right, it's got about 125k miles. Not too worried about the subframe since it's a milder car than most of the cracking ones.
On the auto trans, any idea what the life is like on them? Would changing the "lifetime" fluid help?
dculberson wrote: Right, it's got about 125k miles. Not too worried about the subframe since it's a milder car than most of the cracking ones. On the auto trans, any idea what the life is like on them? Would changing the "lifetime" fluid help?
About 125k miles, I think. But it's not guaranteed to fail, like some other companies' ATXs are. If it's shifting OK now, I would probably change the fluid as soon as it's purchased.
Is the auto trans really a ticking time bomb on these or would a fluid change result in a potential 100k miles more out of the original transmission?
Being a 323 it could have either the GM 5L40 or the ZF box. The GM boxes aren't terrible but the ZF ones are known for reverse drum failure at very low mileage and are best avoided at all costs.
Thanks for the tips, found this:
http://noreverse.org/
and some forum posts about it. Good advice, looks like the GM trans - if it fails - is an easy fix but the ZF is not an easy fix. I'll try to see which transmission is in there when we check it out. I think it's the GM as he refers to having put Redline D4 in there which is correct for the GM trans.
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