BMW 3 of the E46 series

since 1998 release

Repair and operation of the car


BMW 3 of the E46 series
+ BMW 3 Cars (E46)
+ Current leaving and service
+ Engine
+ Cooling systems, heating
+ Power supply systems, injection and release
+ Electric equipment of the engine
+ RKPP and transmission line
+ Automatic transmission
+ Coupling and power shafts
+ Brake system
+ Suspension bracket and steering
- Body
   General information and security measures
   - Leaving and repair of damages of a body
      Care of a body
      Care of the finishing panels made of vinyl
      Care of an upholstery and rugs of salon
      Repair of insignificant damages of body panels
      Repair of considerable damages of a body
   + External elements of a body
   + Internal elements of a body
+ Onboard electric equipment
+ Schemes of electric equipment


Repair of insignificant damages of body panels

1 in the absence of access to the back party of the panel of a body for percussion of a dent, it should be extended by means of a hammer with sliding the brisk. In the deepest place of a dent, or along its border, nasverlit or fill small openings at distance not less than 2.5 cm from each other …

2 … then screw in a hammer rod in an opening and put it in action. Tap with a usual hammer at edge of a dent to help metal to take the initial form. After the end of this procedure the surface of a dent has to come nearer to the initial contour and approximately on 0.3 cm act over a surface of surrounding metal.

3 by means of a rough emery paper remove paint to naked metal. It is possible to make it manually, but the adaptation shown on a photo will help you to accelerate process. By means of thinner, approximately No. 320, an emery paper nullify paint in a radius not less than 2.5 cm round a dent site.

4 After removal of paint it is better to check to the touch, than by sight, whether enough the metal surface is equal. Begin to knock a hammer of camber and/or extend hollows where it is necessary. Clear the restored surface wax or silicone stain remover.

5 Following instructions on packing, mix a pack of plastic hard putty with a hardener. The proportion of mixing is critical and if you break it, hard putty will stiffen too slowly or too quickly (and you will not manage to put it and to give the necessary form).

6 Working quickly not to allow to stiffen to hard putty, by means of the plastic applicator with pressing apply it on a metal surface, making sure that there is a full gearing to metal. Process hard putty that it took the form close to an initial form of a site and slightly towered over a surrounding surface.

7 Let's hard putty stiffen to such state that it could be pressed through only a nail. By means of a file or the adaptation shown on a photo roughly process hard putty.

8 by means of the rough emery paper fixed on a plate or whetstone process hard putty that it became smooth and equal. Gradually pass to more and thinner grades of paper, always using a plate or whetstone, and finish processing number 360 or 400.

9 as a result of processing the hand should not feel transition border from hard putty to naked metal and from naked metal to old paint. If these objectives are achieved, remove dust and cover the next panels and details of finishing.

10 Apply some layers of a primer on the processed surface. Do not spray too much primer that it did not flow down, and after drawing each layer let's previous dry. Usually here the professional gun sprayer is used, but in shops of auto parts there is on sale a primer in inexpensive aerosol package.

11 The primer will help to reveal defects or scratches. Fill them with polishing paste. Following instructions on packing, process its thin (No. 360 or 400) an emery paper to smoothness. Repeat polishing, applying polishing paste and grinding it until the grounded surface does not become absolutely smooth.

12 Finish polishing with very thin paper (No. 400 or 600) to remove surplus of a primer. Wash up a processing site water and let's it dry. Use a sticky napkin for full removal of dust, then put a layer of external paint. Do not try to wipe or apply a wax covering on this site until paint does not dry completely (not less than two weeks).


Elimination of traces of small scratches

1 If scratch superficial also does not affect panel metal, its repair is made extremely simply. For removal of particles of the lagged behind paint and a wax covering slightly rub the scratched area with thin grinding paste. Rinse the processed surface with clear water.
2 Small brush paint over scratch the paint applied to an external covering of surrounding panels of a body. Continue to apply paint a layer behind a layer until the surface it in scratch does not reach the level of a surrounding surface of the panel. Let's new paint be polymerized within at least two weeks, then polish a transitional surface aflush with a surface of other panel with use of very thin grinding paste. In summary cover the processed surface with wax.
3 If got through paint, having reached metal of the panel and having caused its corrosion, it is necessary to apply other technology of repair. A penknife scrape out a powdery rust from scratch, then process a surface inhibitory paint in order to avoid development of corrosion in the future. The rubber or nylon applicator cover the processed damaged area with hard putty of glyantsovochny type. If necessary - that is especially useful at hard putty of narrow scratches - for formation of very fine paste hard putty can be diluted with solvent. Before glyantsovochny hard putty hardens in scratch, wrap up a finger-tip smooth cotton fabric. Then, having moistened a finger in solvent, quickly carry out them along the puttied scratch surface. It will make a surface slightly concave. Now, after hard putty hardening, the processed scratch can be painted according to instructions of paragraph 2.

Repair of dents

4 At repair of dents the pulling of the deformed surface for the purpose of its removal to original level becomes a priority. It does not make sense to try to achieve absolute compliance to the original is it is all the same impossible in a type of violation of internal structure of metal of the panel at blow. Optimum removal of level of the pressed surface to level is about 3 mm lower than a surface of the surrounding intact site of the panel of a body. In case the dent is very superficial a pulling it it does not make sense at all.
5 In a case when to a concave site it is possible to reach from a reverse side of the panel it is necessary to try to align a dent in blows of a hammer with soft the brisk from within. Tapping a dent, densely press to its face a wooden hammer for repayment of an impulse of blow in order to avoid an excessive flexure of the deformed panel metal.
6 If the dent was formed on a two-layer site of the panel or access to it from a reverse side is impossible for any other reason, it is necessary to apply other technique of a pulling. Nasverlite on a concave site of the panel some small openings, trying that they appeared in the most buried dent areas. Then screw long self-tapping screws in openings, having left their heads sticking out so that it was possible to grasp them nippers. Now start extending a dent nippers for screws.
7 At the following stage of processing of a dent it is necessary to remove from the damaged surface and on a site about 3 cm wide round it. It is best of all to perform this work by means of the wire nozzle or a shkuryashchy disk established in an electric drill cartridge, however also manual processing by an emery paper is not less effective. The final stage of preparation for a shpaklevaniye is the protsarapyvaniye of naked metal of a dent a screw-driver or a fragment of a file or drilling in it small openings for ensuring the maximum adhesion of hard putty to a metal surface. Further it is possible to pass to performance of procedures of a shpaklevaniye and coloring (see below).

Repair of the rusted openings and holes

8 by means of shkuryashchy or a wire nozzle, clamped in a cartridge of the electric drill remove all traces of paint from the damaged area and on a site about 3 cm wide round it. In case of lack of possibility of use of the electric drill work can be performed not less effectively manually by an emery paper.
Whether 9 After removal of paint it is possible to estimate a metal damage rate corrosion and it makes to be defined sense to start repair or it will be more reasonable to replace the panel entirely (if it in principle is possible). New panels can be got far not so expensively as it many motorists think. Often it appears much quicker and even to install the new panel more economically, than to make repair of extensive damages of a body.
10 Remove from the damaged panel all elements of finishing of a body, except for what can serve as a reference point for a reconstruction of an original form of the deformed sites (such as facing of block headlights, etc.). By means of scissors on metal or a hacksaw cloth remove the pieces of metal which everything are freely dangling, poorly fixed and hopelessly damaged by corrosion, then unbend edges of an opening a hammer inside for the purpose of formation of deepening for the room in it spackling material.
11 by means of a metal brush remove a powdery rust from the damaged metal. If there is an access to a reverse side of the damaged site, process it corrosion inhibitor.
12 before a shpaklevaniye the opening needs to be muffled. It can be made by a priklepyvaniye or screwing up to the damaged site from its reverse side of a piece of a tin or having blocked an opening a wire grid.
13 After blocking of an opening the damaged site can be puttied and painted (address to the following subsection).

Shpaklevaniye and coloring

14 the set of types of body hard putties Is issued, however, it is necessary to notice that the spackling paste enclosed complete with sets for repair of body panels with the hardener placed in a tube best of all is suitable for this type of works. To reach smoothness and correctness of a contour of the puttied surface, paste has to be applied with the flexible plastic or nylon applicator. Strictly following instructions of manufacturers (violation can lead them to the wrong hardening of spackling weight), involve insignificant amount of hard putty on a pure wooden or cardboard surface (carefully use a hardener).
Apply with 15 Applicator hard putty on a corresponding image prepared (see above) a surface of the damaged site of the body panel. For achievement of a desirable contour of a surface and level of hard putty each dab the applicator has to pass through all repaired surface. As soon as the contour of the puttied surface is close to original, immediately stop applying hard putty as that, stiffening will start podlipat to the applicator, forming lumps and leaving the tease on the processed surface. Continue to put paste layers with intervals about 20 minutes until the level of the puttied surface does not begin to act slightly over surrounding metal of the panel.
16 After hard putty hardening, its surplus can be removed by means of a file. Further the stage of a zashkurivaniye and polishing of the puttied surface begins. Best of all the waterproof emery paper of import production is suitable for this purpose (as in it uniform granularity of an abrasive and its good adhesion to a basis is observed). It is necessary to begin with coarse-grained paper No. 180 and, on progressing reducing granularity, it is possible to finish on No. 600. To reach adequate planeness of the processed surface paper it is necessary to wrap up previously round whetstone from dense rubber (a tree or polyfoam) or to paste on it. In processing paper has to be moistened regularly and often with water. Such technology allows to reach absolute smoothness and flatness of the processed surface at the final stage.
17 At this stage the processed damaged surface has to be surrounded with the ring of pure naked metal which is coming to an end with gradually coming to naught edge of good paint. Rinse the processed surface with clear water, the washout from it everything formed an abrasive during polishing.
18 From an aerosol barrel sprinkle the processed surface a thin layer of a light primer. It will allow to reveal all defects allowed during polishing which can be eliminated by covering with their layer of fresh hard putty. Repeat a stage of a zashkurivaniye and polishing. Repeat to alternate a shpaklevaniye, processing and a primer of a surface before receiving satisfactory result. At the end rinse the processed surface with water and dry it.
19 Now the surface is ready to coloring. Coloring of the car an aerosol has to be made at motionless, dry, warm, and not dusty air. Most fully meet these requirements of a condition of the volume closed and heated room. If circumstances compel to carry out coloring of a body in the open air, it is necessary to take a choice of suitable weather conditions seriously. During the work beat dust indoors, having sprinkled a floor water. If coloring only of the separate panel of a body of the car is made, cover the intact panels surrounding it. This precautionary measure will allow to minimize effect of insignificant difference in tones old and freshen paints. Such elements of finishing as the chromeplated decorative strips, door handles, etc., it is also necessary to cover (and it is better - to remove). For protection of the surfaces which are not subject to coloring use an adhesive tape and old newspapers which should be imposed in some layers.
20 Before starting use aerosols, carefully stir up a barrel, then sprinkle paint a trial surface, fulfilling technology of coloring. Cover the surface prepared for coloring with a powerful layer of a primer. Thickness to be reached due to recurrence of drawing a primer by thin layers. Without feeling sorry for water, a moisture resistant emery paper No. 600 process the grounded surface, achieving its absolute smoothness. Before starting final coloring let's a primer dry out completely.
21 Put a layer of decorative paint, again achieving thickness due to recurrence of its drawing. Begin coloring from the center of the repaired site, making a hand with a barrel the circular movements, expanding their radius on a spiral until it is covered all damaged area, plus still a ring with a surrounding good width about five centimeters. 10 - 15 minutes (it is better not later not to damage the edge of the fresh paint starting stiffening) later after drawing the last paint coat unstick the covering surrounding panels of a body of the newspaper and an adhesive tape. Paint will finally be polymerized within about two weeks then, for smoothing of transition of fresh paint, process the restored surface very thin grinding paste. In summary apply a wax layer on the panel.