It's one of the worst design flaws I've ever learned about affecting a BMW. The original chassis design leaves a lot to be desired. I guess I didn't know the car as well as I thought. There are other kits out there, but Turner's is probably the most often used.Īnyway, the E46 subframe issue came as a surprise to me. Check ou Road Race Technologies, Dulles, VA, web site. You can access archives of the BMW repair methods on-line and compare to the alternate approach using kits like Turner's. While I'll be out-of-pocket almost $4,000, I think I'll be ahead because the alternate repair method is a better engineered approach. The kit is intended for reinforcing the rear end of track and street cars before cracking occurs, but is also used for ager the fact repair. So, I elected to take the alternate route and have a qualified race prep shop repair the rear end using Turner Motorsport's kit, and replace coil springs and carrier mounts while they're at it. I talked to a BMW exec about this dubious situation, and she said there is nothing BMW can do about dealer pricing.
#E46 subframe issues full#
That means basically I would be paying the full repair cost and the dealer would pocket an additional $1,350 from BMWNA. The full BMW approved repair should cost about $3000, BUT the dealer charges $4,700. The body shop is the best around, I know from personal experience with work they did on the Porsche. The local NoVA dealer actually doesn't do any of the work themselves. The catch is the work has to be done through a dealer. There was a time they would have payed 100% for the repair under settlement terms of a class action law suit back in the early 2000's, but they are no longer bound by the suit settlement to make full reparation.
#E46 subframe issues cracked#
I requested courtesy assistance from BMW North America for repair of the cracked subframe and they agreed to pay for 25% of the repair cost. It turns out this is a problem that plagues E46 models, especially M3 track cars.
#E46 subframe issues driver#
The rear subframe was severely cracked around the rear driver side differential carrier mount and the carrier was hopping all around the place when the car was put in gear. He called me over to the shop to show me a big problem he'd found. My favorite local mechanic who specializes in BMW, Mercedes and Porsche installed new Bilstein Sport rear shocks for me a couple of weeks ago. They are all great cars to drive, and everything works (except the nav system in the 328). Anyway, I'm retired now, so I just rotate between the Porsche, BMW and a restored 140 Hp Triumph TR6 to drive to the golf courses nearby. My 2000 328Ci is a low mileage car I bought in early 2013 as a commuter car, so I wouldn't have to drive my Porsche Boxter to work 25 miles one-way. I'm new to BMWCCA (as of today), but have owned BMWs since 1980-something. I thought I'd introduce myself via a post regarding a tragic, but not unheard-of, failure on my 2000 328Ci.