HOW TO check BMW E46 M3 Floor / Subframe for Cracks (car in the air)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 พ.ค. 2012
- This video shows where to look on the BMW E46 M3 floor to identify any developed cracks.
This video should be followed if your car is 'in the air' on a garage ramp/lift.
NOTE: this will only expose if your floor/subframe cracks are advanced OUTSIDE of the subframe bush area.
If you can't see any cracks, it still doesn't mean your floor is ok.
To fully assess your floor, you need to lower the rear axle by at least 25-50mm to visually check the starting points of the cracks and/or spot welds.
For more info, ask a question below or visit
www.redish-motorsport.com/E46M... - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Excellent video, I'm in the market for an e46 M3 and I'm sure this will prove very useful. Thank you
Thanks for the video! My unmodified, adult-owned, automatic trans 330 convertible is crack-free at 164000 miles!
truly epic
You can't be sure until you drop the subframe
@@danielskrskr comvertable dont crack thats why :)
Great video, very helpful thank you!
Brilliant informative video, thank you for that. Great stuff
great video...thanks!
Good vid!
Great video thanks
Nice vidéo mate
Nicely spotted
Thank you!
I've heard that the 2006 model year has the double floor from the vert so it doesn't get the cracks. Is this true?
It will be repairable, but you will more than likely have to have the rear axle off to repair the cracks properly. Then its a case off chopping out metal and replacing.
Thanks!!
I watched another video that said there was a recall on this issue. Is this true?
I would love to email you a photo as I am worried of cracking my dealer insists its fine .
What year was this M3? I have a 2002 E46 w/ 93k and still need to check...
Thanks
Turner Motorsport carries a rear subframe reinforcement kit for like $150; then labor is another story unless you have tools yourself. Depending on the severity of the cracks/tears, it may be worth it or not. At this point, thats entirely your decision.
Cheers
E46 M3s are beautiful cars, but they seem like so much of a pain! How much does it cost in total to replace a cracked subframe like this?
I'd say $1500-$2000.
Jav The Ripper they say around £6500.
What about a 330ci? How much do they cost to replace?
no way does patching up a crack and reinforcing it cost £6k mate, M3s these days average £10k...
+Stoycho Karaulanov Also non M3s are 2-5 k so it would be ridiculous to get something fixed that costs more than the car.
Once this is replaced, does it need to be ever be replaced again? Let's say I buy one of these with 100k miles and the coolant, subframe and whatever else is wrong with this car (window regulators) have been replaced. Will I need to worry about it again the future?
+MrMattyice93
If it is "replaced" it is likely also reinforced, so it shouldn't crack again.
How did you remove the 8mm self tapping bolt?
lol what? with a 8mm socket and a ratchet
Looks like the stickers on the underbody last longer than the car!
I have a problem with my E46 sedan 2003, sometimes when i drive the steer feels real light and the car will drift on its own, its not al the time but random.
Could the subframe be the problem? Or is there a ASC issue. Will go to a local garage later in the week but maybe someone has a clue.
Thnx
+NissanSilviaS15NL Silvia could be the anti roll bar bushes. they tend to go and would effect your steering
Mark mc cormack hey thnx buddy for the reply
Make sure your forward trailing arm bushings aren't spent. I check for movement by engaging E brake and then shifting to reverse. My e46 had lots of movement visible. Replaced and now no more movement.
I'm purchasing a 2002 M3 with only 62,000 miles. I got the car up on the lift and checked as best as I could for cracks but didn't see any. At what mileage is this prone to happening?
There's no certain number for that, if it isn't cracked now it will crack sometime in the future. It's just badly designed, and it is a 10+ year old car after all
Nevermind, found this! haha
does this happen on all E46 BMWs or just M3s
+Gumri Yes it will happen on all E46s it is a design flaw.
+Himmel Weint Kinda wish I knew this before getting a 328i. Now I don't want to check for fear of what could be there
PenguinActually It is most common on the 330i and M3 due to the higher torque and horsepower but can happen to models below that if the owners abuse their cars which sadly is more often than not. But if you do not kick the snot out of your car it should be fine.
I don't really, though if I'm cruising along a straight with no traffic around I am a bit partial to full throttle. Don't launch it from lights and crap like that But Manufactured in August 1999, 4 previous owners and nearly 175.000 km's on it. Who would know
+PenguinActually Have you got it checked yet?
are these cracks really as common as the forums claim??
Worked at a bmw dealership in 2012. The older guys said e46 m3' s and also some non m3 but few, came back left right and center for subframe cracks in 2004-07 time period. For the year I worked there I never saw 1 with that issue. Most likely the doubler plate had already been installed at this age. I believe it was a recall at the time. Also, m3's seem to like spinning number 5 crank bearing. Had 3 come in with nasty squeak/knock, number 5 crank bearing spun.
***** not as these 'EXPERTS' say it does happen yes but not all of them are like that there are people who've owned 10 of these beauties and all say never ever had this problem
Orb playing in the background.!
how many "design flaws" do these damn cars have? I seem to find one right after the other.
greg h When I discovered this car I thought I had found the perfect German car, but my joy didn't last long after I found out about the problems.
Did u ever buy or drove the car? you cant really judge a car by its problems people have. Ofcourse it is a issue but all those people on the internet with a cracked Subframe on a E46 might be just 1% or less. The people who dint give a fk or dont have the issue wont post they have a broken subframe. so it might look all E46 have this
There is actually a thing in BMW club circles celled "the M tax", the after cost of buying one. :D
whitewater0034 not really m tax refers to the price for part of m cars specifically, my e46 sport coupe is at 230k miles on stock clutch and slightly upgraded suspension with no cracks so far and I’ve got less than 5k In it :)
fail on bmw.
That car looks rustier than the 325i riced I bought!
what a rust bucket
why have 300hp if you cant get it to the pavement without the car coming apart. these cars are total junk.
bradley goode , almost every car has some + and some - so if You take care of it and do supframe reinforcement You should be good to go .
You realize these BMW's are either 12-18 years old? These problems are prone to happen.
You act like this happened to a BMW fresh out the factory with under 15k miles.
This isn't like the Toyota recall incident awhile where some of the brand new cars were having major failures due to variety of reasons.
Lancer evo's have more power and dont have any such issues, some are 20+ years.
I think it's a valid point.
Admittedly, most cars are designed for 10-15 years and 150k miles but there should have been a good safety margin for fatigue in the rear subframe to floor.
Also happens on the very low end engines, it's just a fragile design.