THSCC Forums

Hey Guys,

Where is a good location to get OEM parts for BMW's? I picked up an e46 330i that needs some of the basic trouble spots tended too.

Thanks!
-Scott

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THSCC Timing & Scoring

Scott, check out Pelican parts. They're pretty competitive and have quick service from my experience with them.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/catalog ... atalog.htm

I dropped like $200 there and have a metal impeller water pump, vanos rebuild parts, shift bushings, belts, bunch of oil filters, m3 transmission mounts, etc etc. Good prices on OEM parts.

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2011/2012 Autox VP
2013/2014.5 President
2013 Top Gun

2015 Fit

22R-EC => 4G63 => D16Y7 + D16Y8 => EJ255 + K24Z2 => K20Z3 + K24Z2 => K24Z2 + M54 => L15B

Ha! I just got a E46 330i also Most of its "basic" trouble spots have already been addressed, but the car has some "advanced" trouble spots to deal with

Honestly I have been getting most of my parts from Amazon. Prime rules

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Which shop on Amazon? Or directly from 'Amazon'?

_________________
2011/2012 Autox VP
2013/2014.5 President
2013 Top Gun

2015 Fit

22R-EC => 4G63 => D16Y7 + D16Y8 => EJ255 + K24Z2 => K20Z3 + K24Z2 => K24Z2 + M54 => L15B

Directly on Amazon. I usually filter to only things on Prime. Problem is, their interface kind of sucks for part searches. For things like brake rotors and control arms, it works well, but for more obscure stuff I have been finding PNs on Rockauto and then searching on Amazon for the PN.

But if you find it, and they have it on prime, their 2-day shipped price usually beats Rockauto when you factor in shipping.

Or you can start with the "all products that fit your car" page:
http://www.amazon.com/2001-BMW-330i/e/B ... pf_pfg__dn

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Fyi, Advance Auto is proving to be a decent source for parts for older BMWs also, in some cases. Now that E36/E46 are "college kid and migrant worker" cars, local parts places carry a LOT of stuff in stock for them.

For example they had a window regulator in stock locally for the E46 which (after discounts cherry picked from http://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com) was cheaper than Amazon, same brand.

Problem with Advance is that they tend to be hit-or-miss on brand selection on critical stuff like axles, water pumps, etc. But for a street car most of their brands are just fine.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Yup, I was searching for window regulators so that I have one or two on hand. Can you get me the PN from Advance that you used?

Thanks

_________________
2011/2012 Autox VP
2013/2014.5 President
2013 Top Gun

2015 Fit

22R-EC => 4G63 => D16Y7 + D16Y8 => EJ255 + K24Z2 => K20Z3 + K24Z2 => K24Z2 + M54 => L15B

No reason to keep them on hand, if they are broken or flaky just go buy one. They are like $40 each new and really not hard to replace ... door panel is the hardest part. I don't have PNs but each door is different, just check Advance's site.

Fyi I did not find a need to remove the airbag or mess with battery connect/disconnect nonsense. I just let the airbag hang from the wire while I was working on the window.

_________________
Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

If you want OEM parts from a dealer, Tischer BMW's online site is about the cheapest (usually 25-35% off "real" BMWNA MSRP): www.getbmwparts.com

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

All of the above mentioned are good sources. I have not looked at Amazon as often as I should. I think Chuck posted this link before:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5 ... cript.html

Basically you can look up parts on RealOEM and see all of the price comparisons. I find RealOEM a PITA to use, but if you can find what you are looking for it's very useful.

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2003 Subaru WRX Sportwagon = daily driver/boost and booster seats
2000 BMW 540iT = wife's kid hauler
2012 Toyota Highlander = the boring reliable vehicle

firefox + greasemonkey + script = win

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh ... ?t=1706697

edit: oops chris beat me to it

I can get it to work on my macbook pro with FF, but not on my windows laptop at home.

_________________
2011/2012 Autox VP
2013/2014.5 President
2013 Top Gun

2015 Fit

22R-EC => 4G63 => D16Y7 + D16Y8 => EJ255 + K24Z2 => K20Z3 + K24Z2 => K24Z2 + M54 => L15B

Some good go-to's for me:
http://www.autohausaz.com/
http://www.bimmerworld.com/ (have some surprisingly good specials)
http://www.bimmerparts.com/

I also use http://www.bmrparts.com/ for used stuff that I can't find from the BMW Farm.

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

Hey Guys!

Thanks for all the input! I'm really enjoying the 330. First BMW I have owned and I really like how well it drives. I was tired of the 16mpg with the Sequoia for daily driving and so far this thing pulls off 30's which is amazing for a big 6!

From what I can research, the major weakness on these cars is the cooling system and all the plastic parts. It probably could stand a good tune up and fluid's exchange so I'll start with that tomorrow. Anything else on these cars to watch out for? It has 130k miles.

New stuff is fun!

-Scott

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THSCC Timing & Scoring