So... What should I do?

[mLuMaN83]

So I am officially a broke student at the age of 30. Sheesh. The 330 has 152k on the clock. Engine and tranny seem to be great but the suspension and brakes need TLC. Suspension most importantly. I know the front end needs work. Most likely FCAB and maybe end links. she makes clunking knocking noises at low speeds. Rear diff bushings clunk like crazy. I might be able to get away with doing the front areas myself but the rear is going to need to go in the shop. Just cant do it.

Question is should I spring for a refresh kit or just fix whats wore out? I basically want to get through school with this car which is the next 4 or so years. I am worried labor on a front and rear refresh kit is going to be a massive amount of money but I am not sure how much.

What do you guys and gals think? Refersh the whole thing or just fix what is wrong with it? I am leaning toward a refresh kit because the amount of parts you get in the kit vs buying things individually seems like a smarter idea. But again, I dont know exactly what she needs.

Link to refresh kit...http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330Ci-M54_3.0L/Suspension/Refresh_Kits/ES2219706/

[alexandre]

If you want 4 years out of the car, in school, here's my take - do the most you can afford now. At 152k, with VT salt history, everything will start failing on and off all the time. Plus, if your tech does everything at once, you won't be paying once, twice, 3x for all the prep work (remove wheels, loosen stuck bolts, all the crap that makes a job longer than it should). Everything will be off the car and most of what will be going back in will be new instead of crap parts that are gonna fail and need to be replaced (and you're gonna have to pay again for the prep work).

Get brakes for all corners through Ray (Smilez), about $300 for pads and rotors.

Tip: don't buy a kit - buy everything that's in the kit through another company (Pelican, FCP, BMA, RMEuro, etc.) with cheaper pricing. The kits are almost always more expensive.

I was gonna recommend this for suspension - http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-front-suspension-kit-e46-zhp-oem-33500429577 - but it was $700 a few months ago. Not sure why price went up 50%. Might wanna look into it.

I remember reading that BP had done a full refresh maybe a year ago at his indy - PM him for the deets ?

[330i ZHP]

I am thinking refresh

[az3579]

Yes, I did a full refresh. Most of it was stuff I could've done myself but it was winter with snow on the ground and I wasn't about to start refreshing suspension components in freezing weather. Plus, I got an E39 touring with over 300k miles as a loaner. :)

My refresh consisted of a lot of stuff. Check my maintenance thread for the details (can't readily link since I'm on my phone).

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4


EDIT:
Hopped on the computer to get the info. Here's the entry from my log:

2012.12.11 -- 145,964 -- Replaced springs, shocks, struts, front and rear upper and lower spring pads, strut and shock mounts + gaskets, bump stops/dust sleeves, strut bearing seats, upper radiator hose, right front fender liner cover, control arms and bushings; rear shock mount reinforcement plates installed. Alignment.


All this came at a time when I was pretty broke, but I do not regret doing it for one second. My suspension still feels factory fresh 20k miles later. I used ALL OEM parts with the exception of the shocks and springs; I replaced shocks with Bilstein Sports and springs remained H&R Race. All mounts were E46 M3 parts, so they are an upgrade and heavier duty. Control arm was OEM ZHP arms since they are the best you can get for this car (and the most expensive :shifty).

[mLuMaN83]

How about this
http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-suspension-bushing-kit-rear-e46-e46rearbush-l

And

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-kit-8-piece-e46-e46cakit

Or should I go with Lemforder? Meyle? I just want it to feel factory and last me another 50K+ miles. Im not a ZHP btw. 330ci.