From a slippy diff to Alcantara touches, we find out if our refresh makes this E46 better on British roads
I’ve been driving a 90,000-mile, 21-year-old BMW 330Ci (E46) for several weeks thanks to online auction website eBay, which owns it.
The company paid just under £9000 for it and spent a few grand giving it a few modifications to bring it more up-to-date inside – and now I’ve given it a few more.
I wanted to give it a suspension refresh and stiffen the body without turning it into a harsh road racer. I buy quite a lot of parts from eBay already, and I’m not just saying this because this car belongs to the company.
I’ve got a couple of old cars and a motorbike stored in the ‘My Garage’ section of its website, which is near-essential because it limits searches to parts that will fit a specific vehicle from an otherwise overwhelming number of results.
So I added the 330Ci to my garage too. It’s also useful because you know parts will fit and you can send them back for a refund if they don’t.
I opted for a bush rebuild kit (£140) for the rear suspension and new bushes for the front (which all seemingly included control arms – £292), plus a brace for the rear struts (£103) that will sit across the boot, and one for the front struts (E81).
I haven’t felt a massive problem with the BMW’s traction but I do like a limited-slip differential so opted for one (£649) and thought/hoped that lot combined would tighten the handling without spoiling the ride.
The car has at some point had a decent exhaust put on it, which is a little boomy, so I thought a big air filter kit (£206) might add some induction noise to balance it. And then I opted for a new steering wheel (Alcantara-finished-£319).
Seven parts, then, for £1790, and to fit them I booked an appointment with a delightful man called Derek Drinkwater, an American-car specialist whose garage does a lot of telly work and who recently recreated Cadillac’s ‘Le Monstre’ Le Mans racer and then toured around the US in it, pulling a tiny caravan. Also: very serious garage envy.
A few days later I got the car back, and… have I ruined it?
Thank heavens, I have not. It still retains much of the suppleness it seemed to have before, with just some of the softness and squidge that I thought was due to wear in the bushes and the body dispelled.
Its steering feels sharper too, even though it’s wearing winter tyres, which usually move around more than regular tyres.
But it’s better: tauter yet no less comfortable.
Downsides? A couple. Stiffening the shell has led to it occasionally creaking a bit in tight manoeuvres. And I think turn-in is slightly more reluctant, as is the way with a slippy diff. But traction is improved and it has a nicer corner exit stance, so I’m calling this a win overall. Trailing the brakes into a bend helps.
This is all noticeable at normal road speeds, by the way. I don’t often drive like my trousers are on fire on the road. The car is giving subtle messages about stance that are palpable through its lovely new steering wheel.
The induction kit doesn’t make a huge difference most of the time, either, but is a bit raspier at high revs, and it looks cool if, like me, you’re childish.
So I’m happy, relieved and really enjoying the 330Ci as a daily. It’s engaging, narrower than modern cars and plenty refined enough.
Soon there will be more to do: the differential oil needs changing after 500 miles and a service will be due shortly afterwards.
