USED (e46?) 2001 325i questions/problems

[outlawd94cobra]

Hello everyone. We just purchased:

USED non-CPO 2001 BMW 325i
Exterior:Alpine White
Interior:Beige/Tan Leather Interior w/ wood grain
85k miles
DSC
Factory Single CD player
17" BMW wheels
Sold on consignment from a dealership
Formerly owned by an older gentleman who commuted 80 miles a day.
Purchased Saturday February 4, 2006

The car did not have an owners manual so I DL'd off of BMWUSA's website. From what i've researched so far, it looks like I did not acquire a 325i with a PREMIUM PACKAGE or a SPORTS PACKAGE.

No power seats (all manual)
No heated seats
No center arm rest front or rear
No heated side mirrors
No parking sensors
etc.

Aside from all of that, the car runs very strong and seems to have been very well kept (no dings, no scratches, engine bay was clean as a whistle, and the interior was pretty much cherry except for a small crack/chipped plastic piece located on the centerpiece right by the cup holders.)

I got an oil change on Sunday morning (5-30 Mobil 1 Synthetic) and they topped off all the fluids. As soon as i rolled off, my steering wheel started to stiffen up and eventually turned into a car that felt like had no power steering at all. I returned the car to the oil change place and for free, they flushed out the PS Canister (x2 thinking that maybe the new ATF fluid didn't mix well with the old fluid that was in the canister), and refilled it to no avail. So i returned the car to the dealership where luckily I had the Due Bill stating the PS steering be examined and belts changed because the car squeeled a bit when stationary and turning the wheels, and i saw the cracks in the belts. After they checked the car, they stated they would keep my vehicle until sometime today or tomorrow because they were going to replace the PS PUMP, FLUID, and all the DRIVEBELTS. If this does not work, what else do you think the problem could be? I read somewhere online that a possibility could be a ELECTRONIC STEERING AXLE SENSOR but is rare?

Im not mechanically inept, but have never owned a BMW before nor know anything about one. Im still a bit confused also about e36, e46 etc.? What parts are compatible and what isn't?

Only mods i plan on doing as soon as i get the car back is adding tint, a drop-in K&N, and finding somewhere i may be able to purchase some clear corners and clear side markers. Anyone have any recommendations?

Lastly,

Can someone let me know what kind of maintenance should be done to my vehicle with its mileage or i should be expecting and at what mileage? THANKS in advance.

outlawd94cobra

 

[MReedBMWM3]

Congrats... And welcome to the board... I purchased mine from a local lot on consignment too.

good luck with the power steering....

Try to get in touch with the original owner if possible, he should be able to tell you when the last inspection service was performed. I would find out as much as possible on the maintenance performed prior to your ownership.
When you start the car you should see a group of green lights on the dash. I don't know how many will be showing. If several are showing you have some time before an Inspection. If one is showing you are getting close to inspection time. When they all disapear and you see red or orange lights only when you start the car, it's time for an inspection.
I would try to find a local reputable shop, with a certified BMW mechanic. I don't take mine to the dealership....
That's it, enjoy...

 

[Section_8]

Only thing from a E36 that works on a E46 are the wheels.

Totally different engine, and everything under the hood is differently sized.

PS pump hoses are notorious on E46's - I had a leaky one myself that was draining my PS pump within a week. pump was fine, just leaky/cracked hoses.

drivebelts are around a 60k, Inspection II timed thing as well. My belts were replaced at my I2 a few months ago as well.

Sounds like fairly typical items, you should be ok.

 

[outlawd94cobra]

Thanks Everyone.

Another question, what exactly are all the "test" numbers related to on the gauge? The oil change shop was trying to reset the oil counter by following the directions they had on their cpu and i remember it stated somewhat:

a)hold the left button on the odometer while the key in the ignition is set to 0.
b)turn the key to the 1 position and continue holdin button.
c) press the left button again until "oil service" is reset.

???I'm stumped with all this, all I seen were "test" 1,2,3,4, and so on & so forth until i think it was 10 or 20. I was also assuming that maybe them tampering with this function could of screwed up my steering ability? [driving2]

Does anyone know of the exact & proper way, step by step to reset my oil counter (oil service light thing) . Im thinking of just doing the darn thing myself next time.

I apologize for the dumb stupid noob questions.

outlawd94cobra