The Compact is up for sale!

With the E60 alive again and a new house project costing the earth, I can't justify keeping two Beemers on the road so the stalwart E36 Comp will have to go. It's been a great car for me while the 5er has ben off the road, so if the practicality doesn't draw buyers in, then the E46 Coupe arm-rest / centre-console sure will...

I've paid £15 to list it as a classified on eBay here - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181669438132?ss

And also stuck it on Gumtree here - http://www.gumtree.com/p/bmw/2000-x-bmw-316i-compact-e36-/1100726371

It's your for £450 or near offer!

Advert text (being as honest as I can):

BMW 316i Compact. Titan silver, 164k miles. MOT until end of may, tax until end of April. Good solid reliable little car.
Blow from exhaust, nothing some putty can't fix and the passenger window does not open, but the glass just needs remounting to the regulator frame as it still works and can be heard going up and down without the glass. 
Brakes, chassis, suspension all good, as are all tyres. Bit tatty inside and out, but no major dents or damage at all, there are no rips or tears in the seats. It has the larger, later 1.9 engine from the E46 and is the later spec with front fog-lamps, traction-control and air-conditioning. It features the twin front arm-rest and centre-console from an E46 coupe.

E36 Compact: M43 Oil Change + Filter Removal.

Got round to changing the oil and filter on the Compact, as I've been running it for a month with the mayonnaise filled concoction left from the dodgy head-gasket / cooling issue.

Removing Oil-Filter:

The filter-housing on the later M43 316i / 318i is right down in the bowels of the engine and impossible to get to easily, as they are on almost all other BMWs. The lid has no nut either to undo it from above, so the only way is to use an old-skool oil-filter removal tool from the side, only most of the engine prevents this.

The simplest way to get it off is to remove the fan-cowl and fan. This way there is just about enough room at the front of the engine to get a turn on the filter with the removal tool. I found a chain based removal tool works well, but a steel-belt one would probably be just as good. It isn't essential, but I removed the top inlet-manifold too, just to see what I was doing more clearly.

1. Remove the fan-cowl by undoing the two top screws with a 10mm socket and lifting it off, popping it out from the air-inlet ducts at either side.

2. Remove the two 8mm screws holding either side of the rear edge of the fan-housing at the top and lift the fan vertically up, sliding it out of the two bottom lugs.

3. Slide the removal-tool in from the front and there should now be room enough to get a turn on the filter-housing lid, even if it's as tight on as mine was.