General information about the setup (BMW 3 Series E46)

Table of contents: Minimum settings ↓ General settings ↓

The term "setup" is used in this manual to refer to a set of procedures rather than to a single procedure.

If the routine maintenance schedule is strictly followed from the date of purchase, with frequent checks of fluid levels and condition of high wear components as suggested in this manual, the engine will remain in good working order for a long time and the need for any additional work will be kept to a minimum.

More often, however, the engine is not running efficiently due to neglect of regular maintenance. This happens even more often when buying a used car, the owners of which did not bother with frequent and regular checks and maintenance. In this case, in addition to the usual routine maintenance procedures, it will be necessary to tune the engine.

The first step in any tuning or diagnostic procedure to improve engine performance is to check the compression ratio in the cylinders. Checking the compression (refer to Section Compression check) will help determine the condition of the internal engine components and should serve as a guide when performing tune-ups and repairs. If, for example, a compression ratio check indicates severe internal engine wear, a simple tune-up will not improve its performance and will be a waste of time and money. Since the compression ratio check procedure is so important, it should be performed by a specialist who has the equipment specifically designed for this purpose.

To get the engine into good working order, the following procedures are most often required.