Sunday, July 18, 2010

BMW E36 3 Series Buying guide 325I to M3 Evolution

From the may BMW's I've owned over the years I thought Id right a brief guide to try and help perspective E36 BMW Owners. I've owned 13 E36 Models including 10 M3's. This guide has been revised March 2010 after bing viewed over 19,000 times ;0) Hope its of some use. Its aimed at M3's Primarliy, but can be applied to most E36 Models.
What to look out for:

Engine
An obvious this to look out for is the dreaded often talked about Vanos Unit. The 3.0 Has a Single Vanos, and the Evos have a twin vanos, problems usually show round 45,000 Miles. The Solenoids can leak, they can seize, or the gears can where, or fail. Note cars advertised as having a new one are not always a good thing.
The usual issue is leaking solenoid seals, a good independent dealer can replace these for circa 250 depending on the garage, Bob Lewis in Tattenhall did mine, and it went on for a good few miles with no ill effects.
The Lambda Sensors can cause running problems like lumpy tick over, and over fuelling (low mpgs), and they burn out round 60K and there are usually 2 of them, ranging between 55 and 85 quid last time I checked.
The engines are usually bullet proof, but check for overly noisy injectors, oil leaks, evidence of miss use, ensure all lids, and wires are as they should be, and check the oil and water levels, before and after the test drive.
The engine has a little oil pressure value that can start to leak over time, Ive had 3 done out of the cars Ive owned so far, not the end of the world, but worth checking, and fixing if you spot it.
Transmission:
Manual:
Watch the 2nd gear syncro on the manual box as they can get worn when previous owners have been snatching 2nd gear in the 0-60 dash, replacing a syncro on a box is usually going to be a replacement box, now Mike Brewer got one for 500 quid on wheeler Dealers, I have never been so lucky, paying well over 700 for a 325 5 speed, so check that you are happy on the test drive.
A clutch will cost you a good 500 to fit, if the car has between 75K and 100K most are ready for a clutch, unless you are lucky, or if its already had one.
There is a common fault with most M3s that everyone knows, but here it is, As the cars get older the hydraulic clutch pipe can expand, meaning the clutch can drag, a new pipe, or a braded updated pipe from Ebay or other websites is often a cheap fix. Though doesnt always solve the issue, unless you old one was really swelling. If you change the pipe yourself, get advise from a BMW Garage on bleeding the clutch, as my friend did his last week, and it was nightmare!!
SMG:
The Evolution M3

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