Nonsense Thread

[Northern]

surprised either of those had less than two cats per exhaust stream, seems very un-bmw of them.

Edit: at least in NA market. I know there are some markets where they've historically only used a single cat since at least E30s and thru at least 2013

[McGyver]

I don't know, I feel like a stock n55 sounds pretty good. It's still got a smooth straight six noise. It's even better this the MPPK muffler.

Also, n55 is a single turbo with a single cat and a single pipe to a single-in dual-out muffle, the n54 had twin turbos and 2 cats

[MrBurgundy]

The tiny turbos they use make it sound like ass..

[Northern]

I'm sure multi stage DISA, turbos, DI, Valvetronic, etc all make a difference in the sound of any current BMW engine

Probably a lot better once swapped and you get all the intake muffling and half a dozen cats/mufflers out of the way.

[varg]

BMWs in general sound like ass, especially modern ones, I have no doubt the B38 would be any different.

As for all of this N55 talk, plus talk of sound. This one has been making the rounds and it sounds decent. It would probably sound better without a screamer pipe and with a muffler to tame some of the mid to low rpm rasp.

[Northern]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all US f31s are 4-cyl turbos with automatics.

Yeah BMW pulled the same bullshit with the E91 - no 335 in wagons, later in production (at least in Canada) dropped manuals, non-xdrive, and even the 330, so by end of production it was just auto 328ix when I thought about trying to buy one.

N20s seem kind of shit. B38/46/48/whatever seem solid as they're 3-4cyl cut down B58s. Would really love to see the B38 in an e30.
Triples sound stupid good on bikes, but the B38 probably just sounds like a straight 6. Not sure how much they can take power wise, but I imagine 300hp is fairly easy pending ECU stuff.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Many threads of this type have tried, none have lived.

Glad to see this thread still going.

That said, I sold my old diesel Grand cherokee that had become yard art to some random guy with a tow truck for $50. It's at the scrap yard now.

What did I do with that $50 you ask? Well, the Mrs. and I found ourselves at Costco that day so I bought 2 fat lobster tails. Never made it myself, so figured why not. Well... I made the mistake of trying to cook it to temp, and while my mind was saying (they've been in there too long), the thermometer said different. I should have trusted myself.... Totally ruined $50 worth of lobster to the point that the dogs wouldn't even touch it, and they eat deer poo....

[McGyver]

The only thing that's been a major pain on my n55 has been replacing the o-ring on a turbo coolant pipe. I went through 4 or 5 o-rings trying to get the thing on, but kept slicing the ring on the sharp edge of the block because I couldn't get the pipe to go in straight.

The annoying thing is that BMWs catalog is not correct for some turbo related things. It'll pull catalytic converter gaskets for a 2013 n55 with a PWG instead of the 2014 updated version with an EWG. There are also some associated turbo coolant pipes that are incorrectly associated with the engine.

Other than that, it's been great. Just minor maintenance and repairs for known issues. I'm really happy that I bought it over another e30.

[MrBurgundy]

n55s are cake to work on.

Great engines

The n54 tho.... different animal for sure.

[McGyver]

F30s (ideally F31) seem like a good pickup, but I know almost nothing about them and I don't think they came manual or at least are exceedingly rare.

I've got an f30 (sedan) with the n55 and a 6-speed. I really enjoy that car.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all US f31s are 4-cyl turbos with automatics. I've read about timing chain problems on early n20 engines, but the b48 seems to be very reliable. They are really nice cars and have plenty of power for such a small engine, I'd give it a look. I feel like my f30 is built very similar to how an e46 or e90 is put together. So although it's a little different, it's not completely alien to work on.

[Northern]

I agree with the e90 comment. Aesthetically aged well, nice interior, cheap, manual. I think an e91 would make an awesome daily, but there's a price premium over the e90.

F30s (ideally F31) seem like a good pickup, but I know almost nothing about them and I don't think they came manual or at least are exceedingly rare.

I do like having a comfy/newish daily with modern safety BS and bells & whistles, and have had relatively few issues with doing this.
When I do have issues, it's always something stupid, like my XC90's headlight leaking from some stupid locating tab being snapped off, or right now where the rear caliper piston is seized, and anywhere other than the dealer is on intergalactic backorder so I'm forced to either spend $550 on a goddamn brake caliper or take a shot at rebuilding it.

[MrBurgundy]

N52 330i e90 is next to the e39 for ultimate DD IMO

The N52 might be the best non M engine BMW has made. It beats the M54 in my book with the power they make. Their valvetronic system is soooooooooo good. Hardly done any replairs to valvetronic systems in my 13 years at the shop.

Non iDrive e90s are such awesome cars..

[2mAn]

I've said it before, and us as "old" E30 owners can attest to, currently the 00s are the E30s of our youth. They are relatively cheap being at the bottom of their depreciation and if you can find one thats been well-maintained around its 2nd or 3rd owner, its a great buy to have as a daily driver so the E30 can be driven for enjoyment. I like my current 06 TDI Jetta, it offers excellent fuel economy and is fully 'throw-away' status if something bad were to happen. I wanted a E39 530 with a manual box, but the MPG it was going to return made it much less appealing. If I commuted at freeway speeds I could've made a case for it. the MK5 had a bunch of failing plastic and an old 6-disc changer headunit but some cheap ebay switches and then a good headunit has bluetooth, and some other goodies so its now modern enough.

Good time to buy a 330 with either a M54 or even an N52. I think the turbo stuff will falter and I think eventually a 128i would be a wonderful buy

[McGyver]

My newest car is a 2014 335i (e30 to f30). It's been a HUGE step up in comfort and features. It's also been great to have so much reliable power. Sure, there are dumb things (cooling system, gummy door handles, no map updates, 3G sunset, etc.), but I REALLY like how easy it is to get more power without putting in much work. It's also really cool to be able to customize so many features in the car by adjusting the factory settings (auto folding mirrors, how the comfort access works, seat sliding back when getting out, etc.). It's also really nice to have such comprehensive diagnostics and accessibility of information (voltage, coolant temp, oil temp, oil pressure, boost pressure, AFR, etc.)

There is definitely a tradeoff in overall reliability, but you can get so mush more. I'm not sure what I'll get after the f30, but I have been enjoying it for the last 4 years.

[MrBurgundy]

All the new electronic wastegate shit brakes all the time and mercedes won't sell you anything but a remaned turbo, even if your wastegate failed.... 4k

e46 e39 BMW era is still very good. I prefer to skip the e36 e34 era.. the interiors of the latter is just infinitely better and lasts way longer, in my anecdotal experience.

Any rad will leak eventually, especially aluminum core/plastic tank ones..

Newest vehicle I own is my 2005 Chevy, which was peak Chevy for something that's not a classic. New cars are total dog shit.