E46 vs. Mk4 Golf

rslifkin said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

Aren't the subframe mounts stronger on the 01+ E46s?  I don't remember those having the same subframe mount concerns, especially not on the street.  

I think there was a TSB or something to fill the cavity in the chassis above the subframe with foam.  

The root cause of the issue is due to the way that the chassis is constructed, the subframe is mounted to a thin piece of sheet metal and the mounts are pretty far inboard from the solid structural elements that make up the frame rails.  Filling with foam helps a bit, but I'm thinking that the weld-in subframe reinforcements wouldn't be a whole lot of help since they just thicken the area around the mount, so theoretically, it would just move the failure point from the subframe contact to the edge of the reinforcement plate. 

There's an awesome explanation here: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?p=1067164063#post1067164063 and it kinda makes you do a forehead slap, like, "how could those BMW engineers berkeley this up so bad?" and its the main reason I've avoided buying an E46 despite how incredibly fun they are to drive.  

I've put 20k miles on my Mk4 ALH Golf that I bought in march 2018.  It was cheap enough that I figured I could daily it for a bit and then use it as an engine donor for something cool once the rest of the car wears out or is unfit to be maintained.

It's been shockingly good.  It is now approaching 300k miles and doesn't smell like crayons or seem to be falling apart. I've done 3 oil changes ($5 mann cartridge filter and $20/gal Rotella Synthetic), 2 fuel filters ($10 ea), front brake pads, timing belt ($200 parts, paid a tdi guru $300 labor), and replaced some weepy rubber fuel hose between hard lines and injection pump.

I like the car enough, that I'm planning on doing a little more maintenance.  It will need the following soon; dogbone engine mount, front control arm bushings, and rear beam bushings (Ugh, looks like it's a PITA). The interior is still in OK shape, except the steering wheel which is sun damaged on the top of the rim and the foam is deteriorated.  I couldn't turn down a set of Recaros I found in a junkyard GLI.  

Overall it's a great daily driver and getting 45-50mpg definitely helps me look over it's faults 

rothwem said:

rslifkin said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

Aren't the subframe mounts stronger on the 01+ E46s?  I don't remember those having the same subframe mount concerns, especially not on the street.  

I think there was a TSB or something to fill the cavity in the chassis above the subframe with foam.  

The root cause of the issue is due to the way that the chassis is constructed, the subframe is mounted to a thin piece of sheet metal and the mounts are pretty far inboard from the solid structural elements that make up the frame rails.  Filling with foam helps a bit, but I'm thinking that the weld-in subframe reinforcements wouldn't be a whole lot of help since they just thicken the area around the mount, so theoretically, it would just move the failure point from the subframe contact to the edge of the reinforcement plate. 

There's an awesome explanation here: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?p=1067164063#post1067164063 and it kinda makes you do a forehead slap, like, "how could those BMW engineers berkeley this up so bad?" and its the main reason I've avoided buying an E46 despite how incredibly fun they are to drive.  

The problem with the expanding foam approach is that some still crack.  If you foam it, then you can't go back and weld it.  Redish Motorsports has the best weld-in solution in my opinion.  Everything else is a bodge, requiring you to cut the trunk floor.  I would drop the subframe slightly and inspect carefully after buying one.  If no issues, I'd probably leave it alone and keep an eye on it.

2002maniac said:

I've put 20k miles on my Mk4 ALH Golf that I bought in march 2018.  It was cheap enough that I figured I could daily it for a bit and then use it as an engine donor for something cool once the rest of the car wears out or is unfit to be maintained.

It's been shockingly good.  It is now approaching 300k miles and doesn't smell like crayons or seem to be falling apart. I've done 3 oil changes ($5 mann cartridge filter and $20/gal Rotella Synthetic), 2 fuel filters ($10 ea), front brake pads, timing belt ($200 parts, paid a tdi guru $300 labor), and replaced some weepy rubber fuel hose between hard lines and injection pump.

I like the car enough, that I'm planning on doing a little more maintenance.  It will need the following soon; dogbone engine mount, front control arm bushings, and rear beam bushings (Ugh, looks like it's a PITA). The interior is still in OK shape, except the steering wheel which is sun damaged on the top of the rim and the foam is deteriorated.  I couldn't turn down a set of Recaros I found in a junkyard GLI.  

Overall it's a great daily driver and getting 45-50mpg definitely helps me look over it's faults 

I can assure you the rear beam bushings are beyond UGH!!! I did my own and ordered a firmer set from a SEAT. They were an absolute PITA to install and the old ones coming out were worse! They old ones came out in pieces eventually.

I would strongly suggest farming that job out.

MkIV owner here - over 5 years. I bought the car with 132k kms and I am approaching 266k kms. It's a 2.0L and it's been reliable as hell. Slow, boring but reliable. I currently commute 70 kms (43 miles ) each way per day. It hasn't let me down.

Avoid 1.8T's - they are why people think that a CEL assures a VW owner that their engine is running.