Wifey wants an e91, advice?

[Ratbastage]

N52 328 base. As in no MMI/I drive bullshit.

Common problems I see.

Waterpumps
Valve cover leaks
Eccentric shaft sensors
Belt tensioners on the no roller cars, later ones have secondary rollers. The big deal there is tossing the belt and stuffing it into the timing cover. You aint lived until you go into one to get a damn drive belt out of the oil pan.
Starters are simply put, shit.
Same radius arm bushing issues BMW has had for years
Rubber peels off the plastic bits
Exterior hard rubber trim falls apart
Coils, mostly on the n52K with the plastic valve cover.
Bolts breaking off on the magnesium valve cover ones. (early engine)
Oil stand profile gaskets leak oil
Fuel pump outlet nipples crack
Same map cooling faults as before but, a hell of a lot harder to replace the stat.
Window switches
Very expensive (compared to a 5hp) trans service. Mostly due to the cost of the filter/pan.



Now, on the subject of the modules. Yes, in BMW world if you replace a module you have to code it, if you are using ISTA all the modules have to be coded to get the I levels the same point. Autologic allows you to replace a single module and CIP to the level of the rest of the car. Easy stuff. The e90/1 cars are simple. You dont get into really insane stuff until the e65/6 cars and into the F cars.



Overall, just find a competent shop with autologic and let them deal with it. I find them to be about on the same level cost wise as the e38 was adjusted for inflation. At least the damn clusters live now.


Be mindful of proper oil service with the proper oil. 7500 or 6 months works well and IF you are looking at a N55 powered car, make sure the vanos gear campaign has been done.

If you are a tuner, avoid the n52. a grand for a whole 30hp aint worth it. For a tuner, the 335 is the one you want, 4500 will get you over 400 and they are staying together to 450, after that, time for head work, studs and a good, rod piston set up.

[camip]

Find a cpo(certified pre-owned) at a bmw dealership. The car will be more more money but the cpo isn't just some marketing crap. It raises the price of the vehicle but it comes with an extra 2 years or 50k miles of warranty. Most cpo cars are lease returns. The average lease is 3 years 12k miles a year. Most cars will have under 35k. That means you still get around a year of the original warranty plus 2 years cpo and around a year of bmws maintenance. Which covers everything but tires. The car will most likely have run flats. Yes they are more money then standard tires, but you said the car was for your wife. I'd personally much rather have the extra cost in run flats then have my significant other changing a tire in the rain during rush hour traffic. The e91 isn't a bad car at all I love driving them and will most likely end up with them when the become cheaper. Ps I'm not just reciting some shit I read on a forum I work a bmw dealership.

[delatlanta1281]

Pics of "wife" then advice.

[word is bond]

It's a nice driving car, don't get me wrong, but it's just not built like the previous generation of cars. Materials are cheaper.......everywhere.

What does this mean? If a modern BMW came with E30 interior plastics, it would be laughed at. Can you imagine getting our cheap-ass plastic door handles on a modern car?
I mean - yes there's a shit load of plastics under the hood, and a whole bunch of electronics to break, but how are the materials worse in any way?

Edit: CPO is totally the way to go. Extra price is worth the warranty.

[ficklerx]

I have an '11 e90 335d. I bought it of lease and have put about 35k miles on it in the 2 years I have owned it.

The BAD is that it has spent about 6 months in the shop for carbon build up issues that would not impact an e91. The majority of the time was one occasion while Germany determined a way to clean and reuse parts instead of replacing, which was the previous fix.

I have had two issues that would qualify as electrical in nature. The rear window defroster would not work and was repaired. The second was a malfunctioning headlight switch. This was also quickly replaced.

The diesel models were typically highly optioned. I have had no issues with the idrive, logic7, nav, etc. The fit and finish are very nice and are light years ahead of the closer-to-base model loaners I have had. I put around 13k miles on several F30 328i models in the last year. I truly hate them.

[Todd Black 88]

What does this mean? If a modern BMW came with E30 interior plastics, it would be laughed at. Can you imagine getting our cheap-ass plastic door handles on a modern car?
I mean - yes there's a shit load of plastics under the hood, and a whole bunch of electronics to break, but how are the materials worse in any way?

Edit: CPO is totally the way to go. Extra price is worth the warranty.

Nobody mentioned the e30. If you actually read my post you would see I had mentioned the e46 specifically. I have owned both, in wagon form.

The e46 interior and electronics were much better built, with better lasting materials, in my own experience.

On my e91 I replaced my drivers seat cover twice and the passenger seat cover once, in its first 18 months of existence. The drivers seat split both times, and the heats element "popped" out of its holder on the passenger one and caused a large ripple in the bottom cover. The steering wheel wrap started peeling, and then there were the window motors and mirror motors.

I did replace the drivers seat cover on my e46 once, but that was at 11 years and 188k.

Just feel the switches for the windows. The e46 just feels more solid, and in my experience in ownership for both, proved to be so.

Also, I said better built, not equiped.

[Kevinl]

My e90 has real aluminum trim how that is cheaper than painted plastic you find in an e46 is beyond me

[CorvallisBMW]

I'm sure there are pluses and minuses to the interior. From my understanding the pre-facelift e90s had interiors that people regarded as "higher quality" for whatever reason, and then after the LCA they were "cheapened". But the reliability and exterior styling improved significantly with the LCA also, so I'm willing to make that sacrifice.

I also have a few friends *cough Parker and Criv cough* with a BMW computer-dealy thing that could probably help out in a pinch if I didn't want to pay indy shop rates just to reset a few codes. But being very mechanically inclined myself, I' not afraid of replacing a few parts. It's all the proprietary electronics that require a $10K stealership computer to fix that worry me.

[Ryan Stewart]

My e90 has real aluminum trim how that is cheaper than painted plastic you find in an e46 is beyond me

Yeah, I dont get it. Maybe there are completely bog standard ones that have vinyl everywhere or something but none of the ones I was looking at (08 or later only though) had that. All were leather trimmed with metal or wood accents. Leather was holding up, etc.

I think in 2008 they started raising the level of standard and were basically "giving away" the upgraded interior, probably because not enough people were buying the base models or they were losing out to Merc/AUDI.

[nando]

The base '06 interior is fine (vinyl is on the cheap side, but no other complaints). the sport interior on my '06 is pretty nice though. The steering wheel is perfect and the seats are pretty dang comfy. both of ours have the aluminum trim, we both hated the fake wood.

I don't really get the appeal of the LCI's personally. I don't think the reliability is really better, aside from being newer (and more expensive). as far as LEDzzzz - meh. I like my fold down rear seats better. ;)

[Ryan Stewart]

Having the console replaced i don't know about the fakeness of the wood. Its a veneer but its wood. I didnt care either way, its a CPO and I was using it as a runabout.

Fold down seats are beastly. Ive moved a mid-fridge in this car and strapped ladders on the roof. Im hoping to shift the girlfriends scooter so I can get a Kendon trailer to tow behind the BMW for the bikes.

[shameson]

My dad bought a '06 325xi wagon back in February. He got if for a very reasonable price and has been a great car. Even with summer slicks, it did pretty good in the snow when he tested it. I've had the chance to drive it a couple times and loved it. My e39 wagon feels like a boat at times so driving a 3 series wagon was refreshing. Very zippy and smooth

Only issues so far have been electronic. First was that the radio will randomly stop putting out sound. But after restarting the car it would work, probably needs reprogramming. Second he said it would display the "4x4" light randomly which has to do with the AWD system making sure it's set correctly I think. Once you turned the wheels fully each way it would go away. Another thing is in the back, there isn't a well for a spare wheel, so you have to put one in the back which limits space a little, which I like that my 528i does have

[nando]

later BMWs use runflats, none of them have spare tires. I just run with a can of fix a flat. realistically, my wife was never going to change a tire on the side of the road anyway, and we have towing coverage.

[shameson]

later BMWs use runflats, none of them have spare tires. I just run with a can of fix a flat. realistically, my wife was never going to change a tire on the side of the road anyway, and we have towing coverage.

That is true. But he upgraded to brand new bmw sport wheels off a 2013 3 series, so no more runflats

[E30NJ]

Yea, carbon, and all the crap along with turboing and twin turbo and biturbo blah blah that audi had in the late 1990's and early 2000's. The shop I work at we get E9X for VC gaskets and oil pan gaskets. Not to mention, coils and plugs start to go around 90k They aren't built like E30's we'll put it that way.