The wagon_ e46 touring m/t

[1badg35]

well... car has gone under the knife for the past 2 weeks time for a total overhaul and maintenance project. didnt want to have to do so since there is a million other things going on at the moment, but its necessary as the oil separator system has been showing signs of age and all of the hoses are dry rotting by the day as the car gets driven.

it will come back better than ever, likely with every single piece of maintenence done, new rear coils, and new wheels too from the looks of it.... better in every way. whether i decide to keep it or sell, its all around more reliable for the next 100k

update: its definitely up for sale, so tell your friends. with or without the schnitzers. found a newer bmw to get into as i don't need the practicality of the wagon anymore and need a newer car.

[244Brick]

Well that good to hear

[1badg35]

After far more time than I wanted to spend on it, she is back and better than ever. Motor runs like it has only a few miles on it, and all of the little things I've learned to live with are no longer there. Everything pulls much more evenly and no bogging at any time like it occasionally had. Very happy to be able to enjoy the daily again. Sick of the jeep after two weeks...

Now to sort the suspension out (should be quick) and get some stock wheels and tires back on her and she will be back in action for me or the next owner.

[Cornerkiller]

Calling bc today to sort a few things out. So far not impressed. That's putting it nicely. The rears are not on the same par as the fronts. The fronts take bumps stiffly but well, the rears bounce and hop.. Not acceptable. When I transport 10+ sets of wheel faces in the back of my car I expect them not to hop around and get chipped because of poor suspension.

Oh and they settled 30mm since the last time I lifted them up (time #11). Again just sad

Would you recommend ordering a custom valved set up from, BC racing? What was your final solution to the rear sagging issue? Thanks so much for disproving all the shit written on e46 fanatics. I'm a new 01 325xit 5 speed owner and have been getting nothing but, "that can't be done" answers until I read your thread.

[1badg35]

yeah, have put almost 20k on the setup with no issues other than the fact that the bc racing parts are not as nice as i would have hoped they be quality wise. Other than that, it requires about 5 min of simple modification to the front shocks and they will then bolt right up.

as for custom valved setup, hard to say but it depends on what youre going for... mine has been a daily and I've been running meaty tires and hoping for a decent ride, so i just went with a standard 325i kit they offered. but thats just me. front shocks would be far better if the body of the shock was an inch or 1.5" shorter overall and if they would do that, this would be my recommendation. rears have heaps more room to go lower, fronts are maxed out and I'm not all that low

i ordered brand new rear shocks from bc when calling to lightly complain. they didnt hesitate to give me a decent price on a new pair of shocks, and sent them right out to me. fixed the issue with the sagging.


the wagon is for sale, and quite cheap for what youre getting by the way. tell all your friends

[Svenska94Aero]

Don't you think the extra weight in the rear of the wagon would cause the rear suspension issues you're talking about? Hence the 'sedan suspension won't work in a wagon' argument? Stiffer springs and stronger shocks are necessary to cope with the extra weight and balance/distribution thereof.

[1badg35]

no, the rear shocks for wagons are the same model number from every manufacturer throughout the entire e46 range.. sedan has exactly the same rear shocks as wagon, as coupe. the fronts are different in length, but otherwise the properties and specs are all the same for the 325 range as well. m3 is a little different up front, but again, the rear was not functioning because of crap parts that were leaking after little use...

[1badg35]

well since the car is hopefully going to be sold soon, I figured now was the time to test fit a few sets of wheels on it before its gone. All of these sets are for sale, and I had a few moments to do so, so why not test fit a few things for the sake of curiosity..

the 3 piece style19s for sale. color is unreal on a white or black car









the compomotives for sale (not sure i put them up yet)















fun putting wheels worth almost as much as the vehicle.. haha

potentially one of the final updates to this thread, not quite sold yet, but hopefully it will be soon. Its been a fun year and a half with this thing