Making_of_an_BMW E46

[@peterkim1999]

BMW during it's glory days. I still remember my 1999 BMW 328i -- the best sports sedan I've ever owned. Feels like flying when driving at night with warm orange glow of the instrument cluster with fantastic sound dampening body and seals.

[@shaft3r1]

E46 330D 2003, the best car I've ever owned, quality of leather and plastics, and everything was thick and overbuilt.

[@216-i6p]

328i is one hell of a car!! Iv got a '00' manual 330i so prefacelift and the i6 petrol and hopefully be supercharging it with ess sooooon.

[@Xixu.co.6]

90% of the assembly is done by hand but there's a fully automated machine to put the spare tire in the trunk lol

[@martinhorak4877]

Try to put this spare tire to trunk whole shift ;)

[@imreeflexx1878]

@@martinhorak4877 😂 gonna need a new back by lunch time

[@pilotnyc2572]

I LOVE my e46!!!! Thanks for building them so well!

[@mro4ts457]

Yes🙌 Except the headliners, whoever approved of the shite glue that they used, has become my nemesis

[@jonzxcv]

Like if you have an E46 prefacelift

[@aor3200]

I have 2, 2005 330CI + 2005 316i Sedan :)

[@geohernandez2074]

Bmw 318i 2002 sedan😂👌🏿

[@puddlebarf]

@@geohernandez2074 if theres a 1 in your badge it doesnt count

[@Shot_City313]

E46 m3 🤟🏻

[@josuereyes6685]

330i 2001 👌

[@mro4ts457]

This video was put on KZbin when the E46 was the most modern model. 15 years later, I’ve finally found it!

[@javierjimenez3627]

2023 here

[@maikelnait1051]

Same.

[@dingus2519]

I mean, there were 05 e90s though at that point very few

[@andreig475]

Hardly... KZbin was released în 2005..

[@mro4ts457]

@@dingus2519 Interesting, as there were still new E46’s produced in 2006. So the factory was making both models at the same time… Seems like lately it’s been just one model in production at a time.

[@nenadrakovic]

still one of my favourite cars! 2020!

[@glotek1]

If only they knew that the window regulator would fail constantly, the oil filter housing would leak, the oil pan gasket would leak, the rocket cover would leak, the expansion tank would crack, the water pump would fail, the roof lining would sag, the rear shocks would leak, the rear sub frame would crack, the ccv would block, the constant air leaks, the top and bottom hoses would fail, the tension pulleys would squeal, the sun roof would leak..... still love my e46

[@alec-s]

i totally agree with you, it has many issues, mine has a lot of little problems, but it repays you with an awesome driving, the way you feel the road is incredibile..... i love my E46!

[@wheelieschulz1204]

Mutch more problems in Europe are corrosion with those bmw

[@OleM-0891]

Thanks god i have an e46 and dont have any of that problems Or thanks to maintenance

[@bimmerfan2672]

I know why a lot of these things happen! It’s because, the oldest e46 is 22 years old!!!! This is not a new car anymore

[@playcer8388]

I mean that can happen with any car

[@DonJuanDeMarco2]

The E46 is 200,000+ miles old and still going strong. Honestly if it is serviced well, i can't see how it will ever stop working ? Like all manufactured cars, it did have its issues. Front bushes, rear subframe on some, water pump if you were unlucky, perhaps a doorbrake for heavy handed people on the coupe doors, camshaft sensors may need upgrading, but thats about it ! The engine, electrics (and there is alot of it), paintwork and chassis seem invincible. I HEART my BMW 330ci M-Sport !

[@KDanio]

Eigentlich muss man sagen, Respekt an die Leute, die die Maschinen gebaut haben und so programmiert dass alles passt.

[@TheAnunnaki-NYC]

E46 is the best 3 series PERIOD....

[@Val323-S54]

SOOOOOOOO true

[@davisperkons8058]

MANN!! - NOW Thats The Truth /Coupe`s ar Best/

[@Volvo8Fifty4Life]

Most definitely!

[@gslee442]

100% agree

[@gslee442]

@@mislavkonjik2827both are good cars, i prefer 3series

[@theluckydawg2498]

2:42 there it is... the part that has every single E46 owner worried lol

[@0megalul309]

fucking rear subframe panel

[@shawnblau8919]

I worked on this line (if this is Regensburg) for three months during the summer of '99. Worked on the E46 2 and 4 door and the E36 convertible. After working on about 20,000 E46s I had to eventually get my own (330ci). Beautiful cars...

[@TheWolfer_YT]

You are veteran hahahaha 😂. I have a BMW E46 325i and i love it

[@Dravito94]

What did you exactly were doing on the line?

[@ffs_999]

lol, only three months? you should stay there before 2001-2002, since Compact arrived at line(on the same with limos)

[@dantelickc]

Probably best 3 series ever made with that balance of hand made and all necessary technology.

[@googlenutzer1313]

Emufedern :-) Was für eine Technik. Spitze!

[@mariano992]

@10:57 Chassis number: KM65749 BMW 330i, sedan, left drive, Europe, date of production: 20/2002 Who is the lucky owner?

[@boostedcortez3156]

Probably totaled, junked, abused to crap, or well preserved

[@jeremiahjames7.62]

Boosted Cortez yup🤷‍♂️😂

[@oneofthemanyfew]

I got a bmw 325i and I’m in love with it. In stellar condition.

[@oneofthemanyfew]

2004

[@alexdane5461]

its in europe so easier to maintain than us

[@schneegeist]

I was there for the factory tour in 2002. Brings back some cool memories of walking around the plant floor. I'm on my second E46.

[@647killa]

Love my e46. On my 3rd one now and have run all of them well over 250,000 kms. I never once complained about it being expensive. Its really not as bad as people on the internet make it out to be. Source out the parts on aftermarket and try to do ur own work, or have a good indie shop do it. E46 and E36 are dirt cheap as their is a lot of support for aftermarkets and they are old, meaning cheap part prices. You have to be an idiot to go to the dealer for anything. And I live in Canada. Hell I've had to pay more and had bad experiences with all the GM and lexus's in my family.

[@S1ngula1rity]

Right on dude. I'm also in Canada and I just bought my first e46 M3 6spd vert with only 100000k. Any advice on what to do maintenance wise? It's a 2001

[@647killa]

Welcome to the dark side my friend. You are screwed on life now because one track day at Cayuga motorsports park in that m3 will make u hate every other car on terms of driving feel and dynamics. Anyhow enough fanboyism lol. 2001 was the first year so I hope you've got good history on the previous owners and their maintenance etc. If the valve adjustment hasn't been done, prepare to shell out over a grand to get it done as its part of the scheduled maintenance. If its been done, then don't worry about it ever again. Inspect the vanos seals or the unit itself. Start the car on the morning when its cold and let it idle. See if the rpms bounce around and the take it for a drive and see if u hear like a chain mesh rubbing noise below 3000 rpms when decelerating. Differential bushings and most of the rubber components tend to get brittle so expect to replace them as time goes on. The s54 otherwise is bulletproof as well as the transmission (6MT FTW !). Since u have the Bert, I heard the top mechanisms go to shyt so make sure if top goes up and down without any noises (i have a pheonix yellow coupe so I'm not 100%). Other than that join the m3 forums and be sure to bring ur car to bimmer cruise on the summer. Always use synthetic recommended oil only and 91 or higher gas. Make sure to give her a redline a day. I find that with all my bmw's, the problems happened when I DIDNT drive them lol. I beat the hell out of both my m3 and 328i and they don't ask for anything but premium fuel and synhetic oil. Everything else u need to know would be maintenance. Being an M car, it'll be expensive. But u already bought it so suck it up and enjoy every moment of the finest M product. Subframe issue affected the non-M cars mostly (the early 99-00 3s) and some abused bmw's innthe layer years. The M had a wider track and is not prone to this but some people do have problems so I dont know. My bmw's are Toyota reliable if not Toyota cheap, and my M3 haS seen the track at cayuga, Ontario twice and I have no subfrsme issues. I bought my 2000 328i from the P/O with the subframe recall done by bmw as it was an early year car. Ummm ya just don't go cheap on parts or maintenance and they are bulletproof like u wudnt believe. Drive safe and if u are looking for parts and love near the GTA area, go to bimmer heaven in Milton as they have the best used parts and sometimes even new. Awesome guys to deal with. Learn to do work on it urself and NEVER take it to the dealer. These cars are stupid easy to work on trust me. There is tons of support and feel free to mssg me anytime of u need any help. I've written an essay lol but I hope that helped. Drive safe !!

[@647killa]

Holy shyt, I made so many errors in my comment. I need to turn of auto-correct. Forgive me.

[@S1ngula1rity]

647killa Hahaha thanks for the reply man! Much appreciated! I can do most of the work myself including valve adjustments and VANOS service. Beisan has a pretty detailed guide on how to do it. The interior needs some TLC and I'm replacing the wooden trim because it's scratched but I bought it for 15k all in including taxes/safety/detailing/winter rims and tires/warranty. I'm on my last leg of university so i can't afford a winter car yet hence the winter tires..oh well. Even if I do spend some money on it, I still feel like I got a steal LOL. I'll keep you in mind and when it's in good shape and if I have the time, I'll see you on that cruise! In terms of upgrading, I'm keeping it stock. Maybe a CAI for the induction noise. I am worried about the VANOS grenading though. Been doing research on the oil pump tabs and am thinking of doing the Beisan or Dr. Vanos replacement. All that's left really is hunting for an Orient Blue hard top attachment for next winter.

[@S1ngula1rity]

S1ngula1rity Or buy a random one and get it painted.

[@stratusgeret3794]

Da sieht man nicht nur den tollen Herstellungsprozess von einem Auto sondern auch mit dem schönen Abspann bekommt BMW ein persönlicheres Gesicht durch die Mitarbeiter.

[@vjpaul007]

E46 is truly a beast I can't keep mines from speeding it loves to go fast

[@iheartpoison]

i have a 99 328i, at first i wasn't so sure i could live with a bimmer, but it's coming up on 1 year since i've purchased it and despite a few issues i wouldn't trade it for anything! thanks for posting this! it's neat to see how they were made!

[@MrDumi1]

e46,e39 best looking cars bmw ever made

[@kouroshtashvishi5031]

yh

[@kouroshtashvishi5031]

The last proper BMW's ever made.

[@theluckydawg2498]

Kourosh Tashvishi M2.

[@dariusas204]

E39 is ugly for me

[@BavarianM]

F36 too

[@Super4ndroid]

I love BMW E46! Most beautiful BMW ever made!

[@voodoomelons]

Ha ha, love all the "happy clips" at the end! "I love my life at BMW!"..

[@anxiong]

Das ist was ich daraus lernen muss, der deutsche Stil: ehrlich, fleissig, ruhig. Wunderbar!

[@EVILWS666]

This is by far one of the best videos i've ever seen.

[@44lucas]

Great video! shows the amount of work that goes into those cars. Even entry models like mine 318i are a joy to drive. On top of that, e46 are the best looking popular BMWs ever made, with e21s coming a close second.

[@ShawnSMSU]

Cool beans! I took a similar tour at Audi in Ingolstadt. I saw a guy drinking a beer on the assembly line!!!

[@TheAliMoradi]

Pretty impressive to see how they built my car. Love it.

[@SavageBunny1]

I love my sedan, it just drives so good, so far I've replaced every single thing, and because of my swap and my hard driving the subframe started to crack, but I reinforced my self with custom plates and now it handles and feels more solid, defiantly an enthusiast car, if your not a car lover or know how to work on your own car then this car really isint for you.

[@jjad4mgamingandmore395]

Couldn’t agree more! I love mine but wouldn’t be able to afford it if I didn’t do 99% of the work on it myself

[@216-i6p]

Facts!

[@vietec]

I don't understand exactly what they're saying, but I know this is a work of art indeed. Lovely.

[@Karl_Kampfwagen]

You can have it auto-translated now, in case you were interested

[@2200hak]

This is a beautiful car, and for it's age, it has an amazing look, if you know how to keep a car in a good condition, this won't have a single problem, parts are expensive though if you brake anything

[@mro4ts457]

Relative to candy bars, parts are expensive… Relative to other cars now, parts are pretty cheap🤷‍♂️ (Owner of 2001 M3)

[@saucemk]

My used E46 is awesome but I wish I knew how it felt right after being produced

[@STSTV94]

My favorite car ever made, I Finally own a e46 2001 300i, Outstanding engineering.

[@ffs_999]

10:20 Red compact 10:29 SIlver compact(left) 18:16 Compact bumper behind(seems to be from m package) 19:40 Red compact 20:50 Silver compact(behind) 20:59 At front black Compact (there is a photo made by bmw -> E46 on train which are ready to be sent on dealership) and some of them are from behind (quality of video so bad, so hard to understand, but in fact Compact is shorter on 20cm than any other BMW E46) 21:12 White compact

[@79wolfgar]

Schön zu sehen wie das Auto mal hergestellt wurde das man jezt fährt und Pflegt,ein davon Fahr und Pflege ich😉👍😍

[@TheAnunnaki-NYC]

BMW FTW!!! my 330CI was born on Nov 21, 2000 at the Regensburg plant. Went from Japanese to German and ain't never going back!

[@redknightricky]

Funny why I find that true to myself. I used to own a E30. Now I drive a Porsche 924S, yet I still plan on owning a BMW in the near future. I cannot forget how well it performs, its practicality and beauty as an automobile.

[@samir.ebrahim]

This is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful

[@Welloiledcog]

So efficient - I wonder if Rover MG's are made like that? :-D

[@das9125]

Beautiful. I have just purchase my FOURTH e46! 1. 2002 325i 2. 2004 320i 3. 2003 330i 4. 2006 M3 Coupe - Finally my own S54! :)

[@216-i6p]

Mine was a.. 316i manual 330i auto 318i manual 320i manual 323i manual 330i manual 323i manual I still have the 330i manual which I'm fully building currently

[@kevgul3981]

Still have my 2000 (millenium edition) 320d 134bhp, it’s been with me through thick and thin

[@JikaInFamous]

soo this is where all my babys problems began

[@Doctorj63]

I wouldn't have thought there was so much hand assembly involved. Impressed.

[@Pipmen]

I was at BMW in 2001 during my studies for an internship semester at the department for Quality Assurance (Interior and Exterior). I have seen these cars everyday and was in love with the E46 Cabriolet and the M3. After finishing my studies and start working I have purchased a 320cd in 2008 (model 06/2005) and still have fun with the car after more than 400.000km and 15 years.

[@ZC0726]

I watched this video in China, 2006 maybe, when I was a child and the process of manufacturing a BMW this video depicted attracted me a lot. And inspired me to be a car fan for 17 years.

[@fordgalaxie3726]

Love my 2001 330 Ci Automatic Convertible - silky smooth engine, great handling. Topasblau metallic - new paint this year. It´s a keeper, even if gas will be 5 Euro per litre.

[@ahmadosama1121]

Wow! It takes quality, quality, and quality to build a 3 series.

[@shekoken]

awesome video..just knowing how my car is built gives me greater appreciation of bmw.

[@BMWReviews]

LOVE the e46. A proud 02 Touring owner!

[@kuladeeluxe]

I was lucky. I applied for a student exchange summer job at age 20. I live in Canada and the job was in Belgium at the Ford plant, working in the press shop. I saw rolls of sheet metal formed into parts and welded togther in jigs. Press shop work makes you part of the machine. The first few shifts seemed like 20 hours of boredom. After a couple of months, you switch into dream mode and the shift flies by. The work rewires your brain. I would prefer my brain was OE, but Europe was Great.

[@DarkAngelsization]

Okey!! now i know how to make a Bmw!! Now i go for homemade bmw;)

[@potentialise]

You make a good point too about Toyota and Lexus cars. If you want to keep the amount of contact with the dealers, or any mechanic, to a minimum after your purchase, it's a tempting way to go. I remember walking by the garage one day at Lexus and it was dead quiet.

[@H-var]

After I was done repairing it, my family asked me, if there's anything original left, and I answered "yes - it's the soul because my BMW E46 is the Ghost In The Shell, and the shell has just been restored. The ghost however remains original". When you own a BMW E46, you know what I'm talking about 😎👍

[@216-i6p]

'00' 330i owner here 👋

[@jiaweizheng1990]

Yes the clear tail lights are standard option on the 'facelifted version of E46 after 2002.

[@3rick512]

Anyone notice that these were the 02 and up e46's? and the computers look like they were from 1997. Production was 5 years ahead of the release date.. so right now BMW is cooking up the 2017 models. AWESOME!

[@connelly6375]

Such nice cars, i really love mine. I am glad to see bmw is ditching the space age look with the latest line of cars and is returning to the classier look.

[@M3chrisi]

Ein echt wunderschönes Auto!

[@imaginesc4]

Hey Mr Engineer. Shoulda made the rear suspension support area stronger. My suspension is trying to get inside the trunk.

[@maddrop]

Any car that gets old becomes cheap. Used cars are cheaper but BMW are always awesome new or used cars

[@JMUDoc]

Best car I've ever owned - 2001, 87,000 miles, and just passed its MOT with no advisories. Yes - I've done a lot of maintenance, but it's SO easy to work on... I showed my mechanic my list of jobs, and he said I'd have spent the price of the car again just on on the ones he would have been prepared to do🤣🤣

[@watchdorito]

Ich fahre den e46 coupe und der design ist zeitlos geil 😍

[@dreamdrivedrift]

aww it made me all warm and fuzzy on the inside. E46

[@BavarianM]

THANKS!!! Been searching for this video for over 15 years!

[@malky211]

i would love to work that team. being a part of building a BMW, what more would you want from life?

[@MotorsportMC]

bellissimo,BMW made very good cars

[@andrewglover9874]

Man, can you imagine how crisp and tight one of these handle right of the shop floor.....

[@prvt8pyle]

awesome cars from bmw as long as when you get it bin the cooling system and replace

[@franklingrebbo]

All I can say is "Love it!" awesome car!!

[@jonzxcv]

I wonder if the guy with the car whose VIN number is at 10:52 is watching this

[@DF-pr4sb]

Checked mine, was damn close.

[@wheelieschulz1204]

This is a 330i with a good spec it's was produced on the 2.5.2002

[@aleksanderzajkowski8285]

@@wheelieschulz1204 i cant see first 2 digits, what are they?

[@danielzychniewicz2633]

Wheelie Schulz why is that good spec

[@patr0n3]

I've got e46 2.0d 136KM since 2001(i am the first owner) and 285000km on the car.(it's not the only car i have). I still like it.

[@swixergoesboom2052]

is there any more videos like these? i really like these kind of videos

[@yzrnu]

13:25 airbag recall!

[@dbadgones]

@iLoveMyGun89 it is use as a general model denomination, all the 3 series between 1999-2005 were E46's Including M3, 318, 320, 323, 330, etc. and E36's were all the 3 series between 1991-1998.

[@fender9013]

Why can't body shops recreate some of this process when repainting / bodywork outside of the factory?

[@RadioMuse1]

+fender I don't speak German so I can't relay exactly what they're doing, but they're probably charging the body with an opposing electrical charge from the paint and as you can see they're using extremely precise robots. The problem with trying to recreate the process is that you need to have an ability to isolate the vehicle structure (electrically speaking) and apply a charge to it ("floating ground") - which isn't really safe for installed electronics. Notice that the vehicles were painted BEFORE the wiring harness was installed, let alone the engine or other components.

[@zah1982]

Greetings from Greece-Chios!!! E46 318ci :)) Very nice video..

[@tacohablador4993]

Tolles Video eines genialen Fahrzeuges! Gibt es dieses Video auch in einer besseren Qualität irgendwo im Netz?

[@katsaraios]

great video for the most valuable car

[@Arnet74]

E46 Coupe So beautiful !

[@alpiedelmicro]

One of the best cars in the world! 😊

[@tlustejmicin]

It is 2024 and in front of my house there is an e39 530da carbonswcharz individual with cinnamon leather. I have tears in my eyes we wont have such cars built anymore. As some people said and I agree. Everything was overbuilt. Doors were proper doors. Steering had a great feeling and all you needed was cruise control, abs, esc, edc and basic dsp radio on a 16:9 low pixel density screen. Not those fucking systems hysterical EU forces manufacturers to implement.

[@hasanjamil3969]

I wish they still made them like this.

[@CarrMike]

Makes me want to go out and take my e46 for a spin. Bimmer4Ever!!!!!

[@smokingflowers]

I just love how gently the paint bots open and close the doors.

[@vakaman1]

great stuff! germans really know how to build cars :)

[@EponskijGorodovoij]

Excellent DIY tutorial

[@rolandschmitt73]

Wenn die Sprache genauso laut wie das musikgedudel wäre dann ist es klasse.

[@kavaltoom]

Although there are newer 3 series out in the market today, I wouldn't trade my e46 m3 cabrio. nah uh! I'll keep mines.

[@BMWFTW123]

E46 is the sexiest BMW ever.. The 325ci 02 shape in particular!

[@DEADmetal3]

Making of the best driver's choice car. Very nice. I just can't say I like the facelift.

[@frangulearobert1093]

Lol, that painting robot that opens the door

[@sergiorapha476]

And a legend was born 😁

[@oldsjunkie1]

Nice. This car is the same color as my new 328ci.

[@richlee509]

Macau Blue

[@christianwiche2159]

Best bmw e46

[@robnelson5068]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing.

[@silowniam-power1812]

najlepsze samochody swiata

[@ACCollection]

Amazing video! #AcCollection

[@MrDamianDXi]

Ja chcę, aby te samochody wróciły do produkcji jeszcze raz ❤🎉❤😊😊

[@EthanCommins888]

You get clears when you have the sports package, or if your car is from the UK.

[@dynaco]

Can be had for a bit cheaper than that if you look carefully I just bought a 2003 318ti e46 for a bit under 10k in great condition. If you like the shape the ti compacts are a bargain at the moment as they're less popular than the coupes and sedans. A 325ti can be had for around 15k - my budget didn't stretch to that :-( but the 318ti is a great first car anyway :-)

[@marcwheels6718]

dynaco my brother bought a 316ti 2 years ago (great shape/good mileage) for 3.5K, TIME FLIES!

[@CrashBandikoot7]

beautiful.. no enlgish version?