New owner B3S

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Ed2909
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 pm

New owner B3S

Post by Ed2909 » Tue Apr 12, 2022 9:51 pm

Hello there

I am really pleased to be able to say that I am the new custodian of the E46 B3S #147.

I have been looking for a fl B3S saloon for a while and after initially missing out on this one at the auction a few weeks back, I was given a second chance to acquire it and I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.

The car is in fabulous condition and is a real credit to the last long term owner and Josh it’s short term owner and drives really well.

There are only a few jobs that I want / would like to do in the short term which are
1. Have the Nav screen repaired by Carphonics due to dead pixels and possible BM54 upgrade.
2. Refurb the brake calipers. On that note, as I want to keep it as oem as possible, am I right in assuming they would have been silver / bare metal colour originally.
3. Change the gearbox oil / filter and also the diff oil. I am in South Wales, so does anyone have and garages they would recommend for this or do I just need to find a ZF specialist? I have reached out to Sytner’s Cardiff, but they are obviously to busy to call me back.

Looking forward to attending meets / shows in the future (unfortunately I can’t make the Weston SM one in June as away).

Thanks

Ed
E46 B3S #124

polynesian2
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by polynesian2 » Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:46 pm

Congrats, Ed. Pictures are a must!

If you’re not planning to do it yourself, Bigg Red do an excellent refurb service, with factory finishes available and the reassurance of a full rebuild. Www.biggred.co.uk

Carphonics are pretty good- Baris knows his stuff.

Good luck with the car- post pics!

Fast3000
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by Fast3000 » Tue Apr 12, 2022 11:07 pm

Welcome and congrats. On your items below -

1. Personal preference I opted for an e46 Alpine head unit unit rarher then repair an old sat nav....
2. Having done this highly recommend a rebuild. Went for Oem silver also. A bmw specialist rebuilt my calipers with new rubbers and pistons. Pedal feel was much improved as well as looks.
3. Good preventative maintaince and had it done on mine. I would find a specialist rather then a bmw dealer unless you know the service manager or technician well.
Current
2004 BMW B3S #156 (Keeper)
2015 BMW 320d F30 ED Sport (70mpg)
Previous
2011, 2016, 2018 - Kia Sportage (Rolls Royce customer care)
2007 BMW Z4M E86 Coupe (Animal)
2006 Audi A4 B7 2.0T (Good car)
2001 VW Golf GTI MK4 (Meh)
1994 Ford Escort 1.6 Zetec (light n dandy)
1992 Fiat Tipo GT (Fun car)
1991 Ford Orion 1.6 Ghia (beefy engine)
1984 Ford Fiesta 1.1L (Audio more expensive then car)

Ed2909
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 pm

Re: New owner B3S

Post by Ed2909 » Wed Apr 13, 2022 12:10 am

Cheers guys.

Many thanks for the comments and tips. Much appreciated.

I did refurb the calipers on a Mk1 TT that I have using the electrolysis method and whilst they turned out “ok”, for the B3S I think I will get them prof. refurb’d. Coincidentally, a mate who lives in Droitwich also suggested Big Red and apparently they have been on one of the TV car makeover shows.

Pictures to follow once we get a bit of sun and I get a Sunday morning drive up in the Welsh mountains.
E46 B3S #124

DogWagen
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by DogWagen » Wed Apr 13, 2022 5:22 pm

If you are close to Cardiff, it might be worth having a chat with Redcastle Classics (redcastleclassics.com), near Caerphilly. They look after a wide range of prestige marques and will, I am sure, be able to signpost you to local specialists that they trust. Simon and his Dad Brian have looked after a number of my cars (911 Carrera 3.0, Mercedes C43 AMG and E30 Touring) and I've always been pleased with their work.

Hope that helps,

Mike

Avtar
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by Avtar » Wed Apr 13, 2022 6:18 pm

polynesian2 wrote:
Tue Apr 12, 2022 10:46 pm
Congrats, Ed. Pictures are a must!

If you’re not planning to do it yourself, Bigg Red do an excellent refurb service, with factory finishes available and the reassurance of a full rebuild. Www.biggred.co.uk

Carphonics are pretty good- Baris knows his stuff.

Good luck with the car- post pics!
I used Baris in the past when I had the E46 B3, very good, he was even able to add a Bluetooth Module. Depending on how long you are planning to keep the car, in my E46 330, I replaced the head unit with a Pioneer that has Apple Car Ply, reads your text messages, etc and has a high power output. The only thing to keep in mind is the labour, especially if you have Harmon Kardon as new cabling needs to be run all the way to the back with fully steering wheel control integration, etc.

I am glad I did it but you will need to budget about £1200+ depending on the unit you select.
Alpina B4 Convertible 2016
Alpina B3S Saloon 2003 (Rolling Restoration)
BMW E46 330ci Convertible
Alpina B3 3.3 Coupe 2003 (SOLD)
Alpina D5 BiTurbo (SOLD)
Alpina B3 S BiTurbo (SOLD)

Frosty
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by Frosty » Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:14 pm

Congratulations, according to the archive this was a Japanese car, when did this come to the UK?
D5 F11 Touring #107
B8 Touring #21 SOLD - but regretted

Ed2909
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 pm

Re: New owner B3S

Post by Ed2909 » Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:07 pm

Thanks for the Red Castle recommendation. I will give them a call.

Also, thanks for the Pioneer suggestion but I am going to stay OEM, although I appreciate that a modern Alpine or Pioneer HU is probably better and has more functionality.
E46 B3S #124

Ed2909
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 11:40 pm

Re: New owner B3S

Post by Ed2909 » Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:15 pm

I don’t think this is a Japanese import as it was supplied by Sytner Nottingham and I have a service book that looks pretty legit, with the Sytner stamp on the “Taking delivery” page of the book and I have most of the MOT certificates.
E46 B3S #124

MDMA
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by MDMA » Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:03 pm

Ed2909 wrote:
Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:15 pm
I don’t think this is a Japanese import as it was supplied by Sytner Nottingham and I have a service book that looks pretty legit, with the Sytner stamp on the “Taking delivery” page of the book and I have most of the MOT certificates.
Is it this one on the archive?

https://www.alpina-archive.com/?p=13839

Maybe the archive info is wrong if yours is a UK car? Nice car though.

ScooBeeFive
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by ScooBeeFive » Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:59 pm

MDMA wrote:
Wed Apr 13, 2022 11:03 pm
Is it this one on the archive?

https://www.alpina-archive.com/?p=13839

Maybe the archive info is wrong if yours is a UK car? Nice car though.
I'd be surprised if it actually is that one, as it's a left hooker.

Ed mentions this was recently at auction and then owned for a short while by someone called Josh - is it not #124?

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=26213
Paul

2013 F11 B5 BiTurbo Touring #135 - Alpina Blue
2017 F33 B4S BiTurbo Cabrio #235 - Tanzanite Blue

Frosty
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by Frosty » Thu Apr 14, 2022 9:56 am

Could be Paul, but the OT suggests it is #147, that's why we need pictures too.
D5 F11 Touring #107
B8 Touring #21 SOLD - but regretted

hashluck
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by hashluck » Thu Apr 14, 2022 11:31 am

Yep, based on previous posts it should be number 124

Bob
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Re: New owner B3S

Post by Bob » Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:58 pm

I suspect the confusion is coming from the CCA blurb that listed it 147 of 200 produced worldwide.
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20220224 - 3-034-1_B3_S_[E46_LCI]_#124_i.JPG
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B3 3.2 TOURING #062

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