Archive for the 'BMW E46 330d' category

330d brake upgrade – floating and drilled!

Unless this is the first sentence of mine you’ve ever read you’ll know that despite being a BMW fan-boy, I am eternally disappointed by their brakes. It’s not that they don’t stop well enough, or that they overheat, it’s that the discs warp, and that happens well before the pads are so much as half […]  Read more »

BMW e46 – winter wheels for winter tyres

We’ve been mulling over whether to change a car before winter. I’ve got quite a hankering for a four wheel drive, but for a variety of reasons (not least that we really like both of the current cars!) we’ve decided to stick with what we’ve got. The real issue we faced last winter was the […]  Read more »

e46 330d rear brakes overhaul

It became apparent yesterday that the 330d had a sticking rear right caliper – apparent because after a journey of only a few miles, the brakes were really juddery and the rear right wheel was what could only be described as ‘bastard hot’. This morning I leapt into action – grabbing new rear discs, pads […]  Read more »

e46 330d oil separator replacement

Today I replaced the 330d’s oil separator – here’s a quick ‘how to’. Parts: B11.12.7.793.164 – about £11 + VAT. Comes with a couple of seals you’ll need too. Begin, perhaps bizarrely, by removing the cabin filter and assembly tray from the back of the engine below the windscreen. You’ll need to pull all the […]  Read more »

E46 touring boot glass switch replacement

I’ve mentioned on and off that the 330d’s boot glass has been misbehaving. The first symptom was that the button under the rear wiper stopped working. I could live with that. However, then the lid starting popping open at random times of its own accord. Rather irritating when you’re driving along; extremely worrying when it […]  Read more »

A decade of driving

As this decade draws to a close I thought I’d reflect back on the motoring changes I’ve experienced. As we celebrated the new millennium I was the almost proud owner of a 1992 Ford Escort estate. With a lusty 1.4 litre engine it could barely pull the skin from a rice pudding, but it was […]  Read more »

Lake district December 2009

A couple of days of Lake District action to catch up on. I have been amazed by the constant severity of the weather here. During previous visits I have wished for a decent attempt at winter weather, and this time we’ve got it. I’m used to snow covering the hills during winter, but here we’ve […]  Read more »

Frosty start

I need to take some photos of the cars for my BMW Car Magazine “longtermer” report which is due in today. I haven’t run the M5 for about 20 days now, and I’ve got a lot of decorating to be cracking on with, so I took the photos on the rather unglamourous surroundings of my […]  Read more »

330d propshaft: full recovery

I’ve just finished putting the car back together, and I’m pleased to report a full recovery. Gear changes are once again quiet; the faint ‘clonk’ has now departed. I’m disappointed I didn’t take more photos. When things start going wrong it’s easy to forget to document stuff. The removed part looked like this: The new […]  Read more »

330d – propshaft issues

I had the 330d serviced by Vines of Guildford BMW earlier this month. I was pleased with the £99 cost of the oil service, but less pleased with the advisory notices: Front N/S tyre worn on outer edge Front N/S brake caliper seized Prop shaft coupling worn This weekend I got down to business to […]  Read more »

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