5 WAYS TO MAKE IT BETTER

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

The standard SE seats can become quite at and unsupportive after a few thousand miles of use. One of the best modi cations you can make to the interior is to swap out the SE seats for the Sport trim ones. Beyond that, much of the interior has aged well and was well designed to start with.

FIX THAT MISFIRE

More of a bad choice from the factory than a sign of age, the original plastic coil pack has a horrendous failure rate and can result in a mis re. These were typically replaced under warranty, although if you nd an example that has slipped through the net, a coil will only cost you around £35.

GET SHOT OF ANY BAD TYRES

Even if you don’t have the Autobahn-storming M3, the E46 is a much better drive if it’s well shod. A decent set of tyres and good alignment can revolutionise an example with shonky handling. Badly set up models have a habit of tramlining and wandering.

STOP THAT STUTTERING

If you’re looking for a Touring (estate), the rear wiper can grow slow with age. This isn’t a motor issue, more a problem with the bearing in the glass. Stripping it back and greasing it isn’t an issue even for Diy-ers and will almost certainly free up that slow, stuttering motion.

MORE POWER

This is easy to achieve if you have gone down the diesel route, although moderation is the watch word because it’s easy to compromise reliability if you over-stress one. Petrol units are a bit trickier to coax power from but tend not to suffer as much from reliability woes as greatly when you turn up the wick.