The Blue Phoenix - E46 325i

[*insertusernamehere*]

If that list of "to-do" and "should-do" a page ago was your version of "just fixing the necessities" then your priorities are all the fuck out of whack.

This is how I recommend handling it, taking into consideration an almost non-existent budget.

- CDV delete (Man, I hate that thing)
- Attempt an oil change (I've never seen a filter like this, and I spent way too much money on oil the other day)
- Take a look at the rear subframe (Or maybe just ignore it. Low chance of it being broken, but I feel a weird clunk sometimes when I clutch in to shift when driven hard. What could that be?)
- Use Sam's super hardcore cleaner to clean the leather some more
- Look into fixing the rattle in the rear speakers with high bass
- Re-glue ceiling fabric
- Look into this oil leak. I smell stuff burning very faintly after driving it hard, so I'm fairly positive there is a leak
- investigate rattle/vibe at 2100 RPM

Things I should do, but don't really care to:
- Rear bushings
- Replace pulleys and belts on the front (Have only made noise on one very very cold morning)
- Get it aligned (Pulls to the right)
- Investigate weird noise when AC is on
- Replace wood trim and shifter knob with ones that aren't cracked all to hell.
- Short throw shifter
- Cooling system maintenance (Just drive her till she 'splodes)

1.) Do your CDV delete and oil change, and go nuts with the glue to stick your headliner back up and your speaker cover back down.

2.) Roll under that bitch and look at the motor mounts/trans mounts/guibo/diff bushings, if possible recreate the clunk when the car is in the air (does it do it if you just rev the engine in neutral or does it only do it coming out of gear? Even if you don't have the cash to fix this immediately its smart to take the time to diagnose it now, because you can assess how important/expensive it is and plan for it.

3.) Find a cooling pressure tester to rent or borrow. This might be tricky because the ones the auto parts stores have don't always have the right adapter, but it's worth the legwork to get your hands on one. You can hook it up and pressurize the system and discover any weak points it has now, for free. Then if you just need a $10 hose or $40 expansion tank or even just a $5 cap or bleed screw you can take care of it and stretch out your total overhaul timeframe, just seriously keep an eye on the coolant level of this thing and don't let it get away from you. I used to think the whole bad cooling system problem was overblown until i actually blew my HG.

4.) The oil leak is likely a cheap fix, you just need to set aside the time to find it. Simple as getting it up to temp and then rolling under it with a flashlight while it idles. Also report back with what it is before ordering parts, some oil leaks can turn into major problems, like the weird little O-rings on the back of the E36 oil filter housing that'll turn from a trickle to a flood without warning. Others, like the oil pan gasket, won't suddenly start dumping oil, you just have to deal with occasionally topping it up and not parking it on top of wedding dresses.

5.) Get the alignment done as soon as you can afford it because its costing you money in tire wear the longer you put it off.

6.) Belts are probably fine if they still have a decent amount of tension and aren't badly cracked on the inside. You can also sort of let these go until they pop, you just need to cut the car off and coast to a stop IMMEDIATELY if/when they do because the water pump will stop turning. You can evaluate the condition of the pulleys by rolling them with the belt off, if they don't sound like they have sand in them they can probably be ignored.

7.) Fuck the shifter, trim, AC noise, and rear bushings (unless they are literally disintegrating).

You don't have to throw money at it hand over fist, but you do need to budget the time and effort to really understand what is going on with the car or you WILL be sorry. Trust me.

THAT'S how ya deal with a bimmer right there, gah damn.