EXPERT GUIDE: E36 318iS

100
GUIDE
BUYING
EXPERT GUIDE: E36 318iS
Four-cylinder practicality and Coupé style made the E36 318iS a winner.
The Facts
Models:
Produced:
318iS, 318iS Auto, 318iS 1.9
1993-1998
ENGINES
318iS
318iS 1.9
M42
M44
1796cc
1895cc
140 bhp
140 bhp
129 lbf.ft
133 lbf.ft
PERFORMANCE
Max speed
0-60 mph
318iS
132 mph (129) 10.2 secs (11.6)
318iS 1.9 132 mph (129) 10.2 secs (11.2)
Automatic in brackets
Words: Andrew Everett
PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID WIGMORE
economy
34 mpg (31)
35 mpg (32)
101
T
he E36 318iS is one of the best cars
BMW has made, period. It looks
great even after ten years, it’s durable,
handles like a dream and it’s both brisk
and economical. It’s well made and reliable, and with proper maintenance it’ll do
a vast mileage.
What’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one.
Good early examples are now down to six
grand and for a car BMW only stopped
making a few years ago, that’s pretty good
value. Unlike the E30 which seemed to
fall out of bed when its replacement
arrived, the E36 looks so similar to the
current model that we don’t see values
sliding that much. The 318iS is just a
great all-rounder so here’s how to find a
good one.
HISTORY
The life story of the E36 318iS is a pretty
simple and uneventful one. BMW
designed it so well in the first place that
the first and last cars are virtually the
same. The model was launched in April
1992 in five-speed manual form and standard equipment included electric front
windows, power steering, central locking
and 205/60 tyres on 7x15 alloy wheels as
well as a 140 bhp 16-valve twin-cam M42
engine of 1796cc.
Costing £17,250 on launch, the 318iS
cost less than £500 more than the
£16,850 318i saloon and a whopping
£1700 less than the 320i Coupé which
along with the 325i Coupé joined the
318iS for an April 1992 launch date.
The Coupé may have looked like a simple two-door conversion from the saloon
but every panel was different as well as all
the glass and the rear lamps. All Coupés
(even the 316i) had M-Tech suspension
and this alone made the Coupé worth the
extra money over the four-door.
By January 1993, an automatic version
had joined the
range which was an odd partner for a
high-revving 16-valve engine with just
129 lbf.ft of torque at a revvy 4500 rpm.
Even so, the auto was a bigger seller than
you’d think.
In terms of production changes, the
first mod was the addition of a driver’s
airbag in October 1993 meaning that
most L-registered cars will have one. A
transponder immobiliser followed in
January 1995 and in June that year a
high-level brake light was standardised.
The biggest change came in May 1996
following the launch of the new Z3
Roadster in Europe. The Z3 used a
1.9-litre version of the M42 engine
(renamed M44) which apart from having
almost 100cc more capacity wasn’t very
different. Certainly, power remained at
140 bhp at the same 6000 rpm but torque
was increased slightly to 133 lbf.ft at a
lower 4300 rpm which made the iS a bit
better at low engine speeds.
September 1996 saw a minor facelift
for the E36 to help it through its last
two years and the most visual
mod was the new grille with
thicker chrome surrounds. Requiring >>
102
GUIDE
BUYING
FEW PEOPLE REALISE THAT THEY EXIST BUT FROM MARCH 1998
AND THE E36’S DEATHBED CAME THE FOUR-DOOR VERSION
a new grille panel, this part is easily fitted
to an older car and is becoming a popular
upgrade. New-style alloy wheels were fitted along with seat belt tensioners, but by
1998 the new E46 3-Series was here and
that concludes the 318iS stor y.
Well, almost. Few people realise that
they exist but from March 1998 and the
E36’s deathbed came the four-door version. By fitting the 1.9 M44 running gear
into a four-door shell, BMW created a ver y
low volume car that’s both great to drive
and with four door practicality — but I’ve
only ever seen one in the UK.
BUYING THEM
The 318iS was a big seller for BMW in
Britain and there are lots to choose from.
The only deciding factor is how much you
want to spend, but be aware that late
1998 models are dropping in value now
and can make dealer forecourt 1993/94
cars seem expensive.
BMW main agents still stock the E36
Coupés and the BMW warranty is better
than most — but again, compare prices
and be prepared to bargain. Car auctions
have late models in fleet sales and there
can be some real bargains here so give it
some thought. For some 318iS advice
we spoke to Trevor Klimpke at Grants of
Wellington (01823 662067), an independent BMW specialist down in the heart
of Somerset.
BODY
Rust? Not likely. The E36 has proved a
more rust-resistant car than the early E30s
and even the oldest cars should still be
rust-free. Having said that, do examine
the rear wheelarch edges carefully as
some early cars with less than caring
treatment can display some minor cosmetic
brown stuff which should be caught and
put right before it spreads.
Likewise, the bottom of the front wheelarch in the sill area can take a pounding
on older high-mileage cars but we are
talking minor surface rust that £200 in a
paintshop will put right, so put your
welder away.
Bonnets can acquire stonechips just lik e
any other car but be aware that the door
windows should automatically drop by
about half-an-inch when the door is
opened and should raise when the door is
shut. Problems can come when the mechanism wears but as with any electric window problem, it won’t cost a fortune to
fix. Grant’s sell a good used mechanism
for about £45 plus VAT and even a motor
is only £25.
INTERIOR
Very early E36s were a bit grim for interior quality but by the time the Coupé
came out a lot of the glitches such as
dodgy door trim clips and glovebox latches
were sorted. Even so, door trim clips can
still break but it’s cheap to put right and
the dealer will have the clips in stock for a
few pence each.
Interior trim quality on the E36 was
never in the 5-Series league and you do
get the odd squeak or rattle on older cars.
Seat fabric isn’t particularly special either
but it’s hard wearing as is the rest of the
interior. Make sure the service interval
The M-Tech spoilers and sideskirts were all
standard fare on the 318iS Coupé. High spec
included the front foglamps.
lights work like they should, as well as the
ABS warning light. Remember, an ABS
light which doesn’t come on or won’t go
out means an MoT failure.
ENGINE
With the E36, BMW shook off the top-end
problems which sometimes dogged the
earlier E30 units and produced an engine
that could well be the most durable unit
BMW made in the ’90s.
According to Grant’s, the engines
themselves are very reliable and they see
many cars with around 140,000 miles
which are still fine and recently sold a car
with 193,000 miles — that says it all really.
The big secret is 6000-mile oil changes
using semi-synthetic oil, although synthetic oil can be made to last longer.
103
Profile gasket is one of the engine’s few weak
points. Not disastrous but can cause water leaks.
Upgrade to 1895cc in 1996 improved torque but
power remained at 140 bhp.
Obviously, quality oil filters are a must as
they are hardly expensive items at around
£7 a time.
Two problems can afflict an M42
engine though and the first one is the
rubber O-ring or ‘profile gasket’ which
sits between the head and the block at
the front. This seals a water passage and
they can leak which results in water
running down the front of the engine.
Putting this right costs about £250 so it’s
hardly a disaster.
The other problem is the hydraulic timing chain lifter and when this fails the
timing chain gets rattly but again it’s not
an expensive job to fix and the camshaft
and followers seem a lot more durable
than the E30 engine.
Fuel pumps have been known to fail but
more often than not it’s due to running the
car out of fuel — the petrol acts as a lubricant and you only have to do it once for
the pump to become very noisy.
TRANSMISSION
Has anyone ever broken one of these
E36 five-speed gearboxes? Unless it’s
been driven for long periods with an iffy
clutch or the car has been seriously hammered, the synchromesh on these boxes is
extremely tough. If the oil has been
changed when it should, the automatic
gearboxes are good too.
Clutches are very long lived and aren’t
expensive to replace — the Four Plus
charge is less than £250.
>>
104
GUIDE
BUYING
Standard alloys are parallel-spoke 7x15 alloys
with 205/60 rubber. 16-inchers were optional.
Driver’s airbag became standard fit in 1993.
Make sure the electric windows work properly.
IT’S MINE
Peter Hart retired from the RAF some time ago but still
loves his BMWs. “I’ve had eight BMWs over the years and
only recently sold the E21 323i I bought years ago,” he
says. Peter bought this gorgeous 1997 R-plated Arctic
Silver example from BMW main dealer Astle two years
ago with 21,000 miles on the clock, half-leather trim and a
full M-Tech bodykit. So far his only mod has been to fit an
M3 grille insert and undertake lots of cleaning and polishing to make the car show worthy.
Despite the Coupé styling, folding rear seats
make the two-door E36 a really practical car.
Make sure the service lights work and the ABS
light goes off when the engine is started.
BRAKES, STEERING,
SUSPENSION
RUNNING THEM
The standard rear suspension weak points
are rear top damper mounts and the rear
trailing arm bushes. You might also find
the front anti-roll bar bushes start to deteriorate but apart from that there isn’t
much that goes wrong.
Wear and tear is ever present of course
but these cars really are very good and
the M-Tech dampers which are standard
fitment on the 318iS seem to plod on for
a lifetime.
Power steering racks are excellent but a
leaky one is possible and pricey although
aftermarket firms are cheaper than BMW
on this score. Brakes are fine too and the
ABS system is more reliable than older
BMW systems.
A different tooth pitch on the ABS
trigger rings makes them less likely to
become clogged with dirt and removes
one of the reasons that ABS warning light
used to come on.
There’s nothing unduly complex about a
318iS and if you don’t have a specialist
nearby or want to continue the row of
BMW dealer stamps in the book, most
examples are now eligible for the BMW
Four Plus scheme.
Because it’s such an inherently reliable
car, running a 318iS should be a case of
filling the fuel tank and not much else in
between services.
Aftermarket parts are fine but make
sure you stick to quality items. As ever,
check what your local BMW dealer is
charging before booking the car into your
local garage or fast fit centre as you might
be surprised.
Also consider how long you’re keeping
the car for. BMW exhausts are expensive
but they will last three times as long as a
cheap copy and BMW’s own brake pads
are absolutely superb for brake ‘feel’ as
well as pad life so they aren’t expensive in
real terms.
105
WHAT TO PAY
£18,000 This is now absolute top dollar for one of these
and we’d want to see minimal miles, lots of nice
extras like air con and an S or T registration
plate. This is what you’ll pay a main dealer but it
might not be a lot cheaper anywhere else.
Despite the arrival of the new £22,000 318Ci,
the E36 is still a highly regarded car.
£10,000 There are plenty of choice examples around for
this kind of cash and you might even scrape a
1.9 for this money although to be honest the bigger M44-engined car isn’t vastly superior and
some say there’s almost no difference on the
road. Even so, look for a P-registered car with
about 40,000 miles and full history. Go to a
specialist auction such as a BCA Top Car sale
and you might bag an even newer one.
£6000
This is the cheapest you can buy a decent 318iS
for now. K or L-registered cars with upwards of
90,000 miles, you still want a history and a
clean, well maintained car with no nasty extras
fitted. Expect stone chips and look out for that
O-ring leak. Automatics should be cheaper as
they aren’t sought after. We’ve even seen them
for £4995 with plenty of miles on.
WHERE TO BUY
Apart from the Total BMW classifieds, you’ll find a 318iS
for sale somewhere today. BMW sold a lot of them over
here and you’ll find one at a better class of car auction, in
the local paper or Top Marques as a private sale, at used
car dealers and of course a BMW dealer.
PARTS
Rear damper mounts
Headlamp lens
Front fog lamp
Rear exhaust box
Front pads
MAIN DEALER
£15
£69
£69
£264
£44
MAIL ORDER
£9
£57
£59
£186
£29
SERVICING
Oil Service
Inspection 1
Inspection 2
Clutch, fitted
ORIGINAL
PRICES
318iS
318iS Auto
318iS 1.9
£17,250 (April 1992)
£18,500 (January 1993)
£19,355 (May 1996)
INSURING THEM
Our owner is a 30-year-old accountant living in North
Oxford, he’s got one SP30 speed camera spike from 1999,
four years’ no claims and wants fully comprehensive
cover. He does 10,000 miles a year in a 1994 M-registered 318iS that’s valued at £7000. It’s got a Category 1
Thatcham alarm/immobiliser, it lives in a garage and our
mystery accountant is the only driver. Cost? £430 from
www.insureyourmotor.co.uk.
MAIN DEALER
£91
£250
£275
£320
FAST FIT
£55
£200
£236
£340
All cars over four years old are eligible for the BMW Four
Plus Scheme. All prices include VAT. Thanks to BMW
Dealer Murketts of Huntingdon (01480 459551).
VERDICT
E30 318iS owners might decry the E36 replacement as
being a different car but that’s not strictly true. Like its
predecessor, the E36 iS is a fine handling two-door with a
revvy 16-valve engine and better handling balance than its
six-cylinder brothers — with a very different feel on the
road, too.
While the E30 version was a relatively limited edition,
the E36 318iS became a very successful mainstream
model and a fully sorted one at that. Buy a clean historied
car, keep it up to scratch and enjoy mainstream four-cylinder BMW motoring at its best.