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Rattling from a potential purchase. Will it cost a lot?

I'm thinking of purchasing a BMW 320i 2.2 2003 59k, immaculate in all respects apart from a rattle or ticking from the engine compartment that I noticed on tick over, possibly more noticeable when warm.

I've read a range of different possibilities about this from forums. Valve (intake?) wear, timing chain or pulley wear or is this something else or merely a characteristic of the engine. Beautiful car but potentially an expensive problem to fix? Is this one to avoid?

Asked on 5 January 2012 by mattr2506

Answered by Honest John
Could be the Valvetronic system. Unlikely to be the timing chain unless the oil has hardly ever been changed. It's a straight six. More here: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/3-series-e46-199...d

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