Your fleet running reports

[Sundayjumper]

Got the Porsche out for its MOT today, and found the brake pad warning light was on. It had originally come on during the Bedford track day last year but then gone off again and I’d forgotten about it.

There’s a sensor in each pad in each caliper, making a total of eight, and they’re all wired in series so there’s no way of knowing which one has triggered the warning. You need to go round checking them all. Fronts all looked OK externally and checked out fine for continuity. The sensors on the back, however, looked somewhat... melted. But checked out OK with the multitester.

Googling for advice told me TADTS if you track your car and the best thing is to cut the sensors off and solder the wires to makes a permanent “good” connection. I did that and it was all OK again. Weird that the sensors all checked out OK individually. Oh well.

Fronts on the right, rears on the left.

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[Sundayjumper]

Minor update that will please SundayJumper...

Bear in mind that Sundayjumper is very easily pleased.

Which thingumajig did you go for ?

[dinny_g]

Woah hang on there - I can buy crap I don't need if I mentally self-sell it as being safety-related?

This changes everything!

Remember an RS6 is a bigger shell in which to carry young JL Jnr. in...

Just sayin is all...

[scotta]

Golf came back from the body shop looking pretty decent. Colour match is a lot better than they did previously.

It has however now developed a knock through the steering which I’ve narrowed down to a track rod.

£38 for the track rod, boot and new clips from TPS with special handshake discount. Booked in to the local garage to get fitted on Thursday.

[JLv3.0]

Nah RS6s don't appeal as much to me for some reason. I might need to set my sights higher in life but I really do have the things I want / want the things I have, which I guess is borne out by the ridiculous amount of time I hang onto stuff. Land Cruiser was bought in 2006 and the quad in 2010! No intention of ever changing either, or indeed anything I have right now.

[Mike1215]

325ti Update

Coming up for 7 years ownership now and still going well. Run the winter wheels in the colder months seeing as I have them ( first got this set when I had the 328i years back ) but noticed there was quite a lack of ‘bite’ into faster corners.
They were Conti Winter Contacts but had just hardened and were getting low on tread - the rears I replaced last year so they were OK

Mytyres seemed worth a try and the nearest tyre depot to me is one of their agents for fitting so all went well for a couple of CWC 860s



Front end seems better already as they settle in.

Other than that, it’s just been normal maintenance stuff and another trip to Italy to look forward to in the summer. Still seems a newish car to me but a few people have mentioned it must surely qualify for classic status soon!



Seems more interest in the Compacts lately - they were very cheap for age/mileage when I got mine as everyone wanted the sexier coupes and tourings.....but as they have got scarcer and more expensive people have started hoovering up the sawn-offs

[Beany]

Minor update that will please SundayJumper...

Bear in mind that Sundayjumper is very easily pleased.

Which thingumajig did you go for ?

Same one you linked to basically, but the seller was on vacation (apparently that's a thing you can do on eBay now?) so I got it from another supplier. Still £20 though.

Should have it by Friday. Or at least it'll attempt to be delivered on Friday, won't fit through the letterbox and I'll have to collect it from the post office/depot/whatever.

Then I'll fry my body control module

[Jobbo]

Mike, the Compacts don’t seem to rust as much as the other E46s, do they? Bodes well for their continuing desirability. The 130i is pricier then you’d expect too so hot hatches with 6-cyl engines and rwd are definitely retaining interest.

[JLv3.0]

The 325 ti is one of those "what's not to like" cars for me. It's a compact RWD BMW with a straight-six that looks nice and goes well. Win.

[Jobbo]

I loved the 325Ti I test drove - still drives like an E46 but it is nimbler and lighter than the other body styles, and the 2.5 engine is sweeter than the 3.0. I've often pondered swapping my MX5 for one.

[DeskJockey]

I loved the 325Ti I test drove - still drives like an E46 but it is nimbler and lighter than the other body styles, and the 2.5 engine is sweeter than the 3.0. I've often pondered swapping my MX5 for one.

You following AMCAdam's build thread on Boatshoes? He's turning his 325Ti into a sawn off M3.

[Beany]

Mike, the Compacts don’t seem to rust as much as the other E46s, do they? Bodes well for their continuing desirability. The 130i is pricier then you’d expect too so hot hatches with 6-cyl engines and rwd are definitely retaining interest.

I thought they had issues with the rear subframe mounts, or am I thinking about the E36 compact?

I did have a look for E46 325tis but they are bloody rare these days.

[Jobbo]

A decent one is incredibly rare, it seems.

Not sure they have worse rear subframe mount problems than any other E46, and possibly fewer. Mike will know whether they need strengthening.

[Sundayjumper]

I did nearly 50k miles in my 320td and it was a great little car, but "nimble" and "light" are all relative the E36 Compact is far more MX5-like. Such a shame we never got the 323ti here. Harry was musing on putting his S14 engine into a Compact for LOLZ - that would be pretty awesome.

Good E36 Compacts are getting rare now. A lot have fallen into the hands of the drift crowd and been wrecked. That will pass as newer BMWs fall into the scrap price bracket of course but the lightness & simplicity of the E36 mean it's the obvious choice for a budget RWD rally car these days.

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[Beany]

A decent one is incredibly rare, it seems.

Not sure they have worse rear subframe mount problems than any other E46, and possibly fewer. Mike will know whether they need strengthening.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm thinking of the E36 Compact. Something something E30 rear end?

[Sundayjumper]

Yeah, E36 Compact is E36 front & E30 rear. The E30 rear suspension is a very simple trailing arm layout. Frisky.

[Jobbo]

The E36 Compact wasn't particularly noted for issues with the subframe mounts, was it? It was just famous for having an E30-style semi-trailing arm rear end and not the Z-axle which all other E36s received. All E46s got similar suspension; the issue was tearing of the rear subframe mounts on the more powerful ones as they aged; it's possible the structure of the E46 Compact differs enough due to the bodyshell changes that this is not such a problem.

[Mike1215]

Mike, the Compacts don’t seem to rust as much as the other E46s, do they? Bodes well for their continuing desirability. The 130i is pricier then you’d expect too so hot hatches with 6-cyl engines and rwd are definitely retaining interest.

They certainly seem to last as well as any of the E46s - probably just a quirk of the plant where many were assembled. I think mine has lost about a grand in value since I bought it looking at what people are paying now....but you're right, the 130i is valued a lot higher. Personally I think I fancy the bowler hat coupe next rather than the clown shoe hatch. I did try a 125i though and the steering doesn't feel as nice as mine imo....so it's a good excuse to go for the 135i coupe maybe. The Compact is a bit of a stumpy looking thing but I quite like cars like that ( 309Gti, Alfa SZ, 1M, Alfa 75 )

James from Redish reckoned the 6-pot Compacts were the least likely E46 6-cylinders to crack their boot floor, maybe because of the ownership profile or the different panel construction. Mine feels ok but I've not scrutinised it closely enough.

They're certainly not as light as the E36 Compacts and despite what people often believe, they're exactly the same wheelbase as any other E46 - the overhangs are shorter though so maybe that's what helps giving them more of a hot hatch feel than something like the saloon..... plus mine was about 140kg lighter than my E46 saloon. Still heavy compared to something like the GT86 but although it's the same length as one it is a lot roomier in the back. One of the football dads has a GT86 and the Compact has definitely got the legs on it out of islands etc - shorter rear diff ratio means you need 2 changes to 60 in the 'ti. It feels a lot more 'eager' as well at the same speeds.

There are a few E36 323tis knocking about over here and they come up for sale now and then

Here's one that went a fair few years ago

Click

Plus here is another one that still might be up or grabs.....auto though

Click for £6995

There always seems to be one up for sale every now and then.

Here's a comparison test of 323ti to 325ti from an old mag








Certainly ok cars for £1500 though

[integrale_evo]

The only issue on any of the e30 based rear ends is on the z3m

The single diff mount really wasn't designed for 300bhp over several years of use. All full fat e36s and onwards 3 series' got a double rear diff mount.

The actual subframe mounts are fine, and being right out at the ends by the sills makes them much easier to resist subframe torque twist than the later cars with the four mounts in a 12in square in the centre of the floor pan.

Even for drifting and rallying I've never seen anyone strengthen the mounts, only the trailing arms and around the diff mount holes on the subframe itself. The way it has a closing bracket underneath tieing it to the sills means the stud can't wobble and try and crack it's mounts.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I did try a 125i though and the steering doesn't feel as nice as mine imo....so it's a good excuse to go for the 135i coupe maybe.

Was the 125i pre-facelift Mike? If I was looking at an E8x I''d definitely be seeking out a pre-facelift with the hydraulic PAS. Ours had the ePAS and (diesel engine aside) it was my only gripe with the car.