230k Mile E91 330d (Manual)
Discussion
I must have started writing out a thread for my last 4 cars, then getting distracted and finding something perhaps more productive to do.. for my fantastic prose to be lost forever.
Well, here's hoping I finish this one!
I have a wide and varying car history, and as I creep up to my 30th birthday I seem to be returning back to previous form (sheds)... it's amazing what having a kid/getting married does to how much you care about your 'image'
I'll skip the majority of my car history but to make my thought-process make sense, a little backstory. Bear with me here, I love a ramble.
I'm fortunate to have worked within the motor industry since graduating university, a big benefit of this sector is the company car scheme. Having a new car every 6 months for minimal outlay was a boon. I still owned various other cars privately, but the pressure on having something reliable and sensible was off (Cue an M4, L322 & R56 JCW amongst others).
That all came to a close a couple of months ago, when I took a new job (still in industry) just sans company car. Weirdly, getting a new car all the time lost its sheen quite quickly and became quite normal, so I was excited to be able to choose my own wheels and maintain them.
Yet, for a sensible car I'm a massive tightwad. I got married in September last year, which has put me in permanent debt - so the coffers were truly empty. I had a 182k mile L322 TDV8 & a £500 RX8 at the time, neither of which were especially suitable for the 600 mile weekly commute I had taken on (not to mention the >£1200pa tax bill from the pair of them....!) so they were swiftly sold on.
So I bought this.
2005 V70 D5 Ocean Race, pictured in front of my dearly departed 530d. 155k miles, Cat D.. a bit of a rarity, being a 55 plate but having the fabled Euro 3 D5 163hp engine.
(At this moment, you're like.. wtf? I came here for a premium E91, not a noncey Volvo.... bear with me)
I'm eternally crap at anything practical but have been building up my home mechanic skills for a while. This Volvo was advertised with a short MOT and a permanent limp-home mode issue. As I now thought I was Edd China, I bid it up on eBay and picked it up from Guildford the next day, concluding my 2 month long fascination with crap old Volvo's.
Long story short I replaced lots of bits, with the eventual problem being a blocked cat. New one fitted, it's better but still suffers the limp home issue (to a lesser extent). Anyway it carted me to and from my work for 3 or so weeks, before the cambelt decided to begin to slip off the pulleys. The MOT was also due, so naturally I went and bought this:
As per the title, E91 330d Manual, 230k miles - short MOT (check!)
The car was bought from a nice old boy in Surbiton, who seemingly had used it to drive to Ireland and back whilst he waited for his RR SVR to come through. I'd seen it for sale for quite a while, he was asking a fair bit for it to be honest but I put a cheeky offer in that he accepted. He'd spent a fair chunk on it recently, with:
- 3 new tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1)
- New clutch/flywheel
- New key (from BMW)
- New front arms
- New brake discs & pads (genuine BMW)
- Other stuff I've forgotten about
It needed some tidying up (obviously at the mileage) but it drove really well, and had no real issues to report. This was bliss after going to see some E60s which were complete dogs, being sold by your usual FB marketplace crack dealer/child trafficker/car salesmen. Absolutely base spec, with the awful cloth SE seats which are so flat it hurts but that can all be changed.
To be continued...
Well, here's hoping I finish this one!
I have a wide and varying car history, and as I creep up to my 30th birthday I seem to be returning back to previous form (sheds)... it's amazing what having a kid/getting married does to how much you care about your 'image'
I'll skip the majority of my car history but to make my thought-process make sense, a little backstory. Bear with me here, I love a ramble.
I'm fortunate to have worked within the motor industry since graduating university, a big benefit of this sector is the company car scheme. Having a new car every 6 months for minimal outlay was a boon. I still owned various other cars privately, but the pressure on having something reliable and sensible was off (Cue an M4, L322 & R56 JCW amongst others).
That all came to a close a couple of months ago, when I took a new job (still in industry) just sans company car. Weirdly, getting a new car all the time lost its sheen quite quickly and became quite normal, so I was excited to be able to choose my own wheels and maintain them.
Yet, for a sensible car I'm a massive tightwad. I got married in September last year, which has put me in permanent debt - so the coffers were truly empty. I had a 182k mile L322 TDV8 & a £500 RX8 at the time, neither of which were especially suitable for the 600 mile weekly commute I had taken on (not to mention the >£1200pa tax bill from the pair of them....!) so they were swiftly sold on.
So I bought this.
2005 V70 D5 Ocean Race, pictured in front of my dearly departed 530d. 155k miles, Cat D.. a bit of a rarity, being a 55 plate but having the fabled Euro 3 D5 163hp engine.
(At this moment, you're like.. wtf? I came here for a premium E91, not a noncey Volvo.... bear with me)
I'm eternally crap at anything practical but have been building up my home mechanic skills for a while. This Volvo was advertised with a short MOT and a permanent limp-home mode issue. As I now thought I was Edd China, I bid it up on eBay and picked it up from Guildford the next day, concluding my 2 month long fascination with crap old Volvo's.
Long story short I replaced lots of bits, with the eventual problem being a blocked cat. New one fitted, it's better but still suffers the limp home issue (to a lesser extent). Anyway it carted me to and from my work for 3 or so weeks, before the cambelt decided to begin to slip off the pulleys. The MOT was also due, so naturally I went and bought this:
As per the title, E91 330d Manual, 230k miles - short MOT (check!)
The car was bought from a nice old boy in Surbiton, who seemingly had used it to drive to Ireland and back whilst he waited for his RR SVR to come through. I'd seen it for sale for quite a while, he was asking a fair bit for it to be honest but I put a cheeky offer in that he accepted. He'd spent a fair chunk on it recently, with:
- 3 new tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1)
- New clutch/flywheel
- New key (from BMW)
- New front arms
- New brake discs & pads (genuine BMW)
- Other stuff I've forgotten about
It needed some tidying up (obviously at the mileage) but it drove really well, and had no real issues to report. This was bliss after going to see some E60s which were complete dogs, being sold by your usual FB marketplace crack dealer/child trafficker/car salesmen. Absolutely base spec, with the awful cloth SE seats which are so flat it hurts but that can all be changed.
To be continued...
Looking forward to reading more about this. Also good to hear the petrol models can do high mileage daver1184. I have a 2006 E90 325i SE with 92,000 on the clock although it is an auto. Great car - a little thirsty (27MPG average after 18 months of ownership) but lovely and smooth engine, plenty of power for commuting and comfortable on a 3 or 4 hour drive. Only costs has been tyres and a service. First MOT after a year of ownership was a pass and no advisories.
Mine has leather SE seats and although I keep reading people say they are not good seats and to change to the sports seats, I find them absolutely comfortable and have never thought I need better seats. Then again I am 6ft 3 and 18 stone so maybe they are OK for us larger lads...
Mine has leather SE seats and although I keep reading people say they are not good seats and to change to the sports seats, I find them absolutely comfortable and have never thought I need better seats. Then again I am 6ft 3 and 18 stone so maybe they are OK for us larger lads...
Your post has taken further a thought I was having.
I've had my E92 330d for four years now, it's coming up to 95k and was thinking of an upgrade. The problem is, the car is good in so many ways that it has ruined me for a lot of classics.
The oil changes have been done diligently (someone I know had a 3.0d X5 that went expensively bang) and it's at the garage at the moment for some pre-continental-trip TLC.
Why don't I keep it, keep it in good nick and keep going? There are a healthy number of 100k+ examples on Autotrader.
For my benefit, and the OP's, what should be done to prevent it becoming a repair-cost write-off?
I've had my E92 330d for four years now, it's coming up to 95k and was thinking of an upgrade. The problem is, the car is good in so many ways that it has ruined me for a lot of classics.
The oil changes have been done diligently (someone I know had a 3.0d X5 that went expensively bang) and it's at the garage at the moment for some pre-continental-trip TLC.
Why don't I keep it, keep it in good nick and keep going? There are a healthy number of 100k+ examples on Autotrader.
For my benefit, and the OP's, what should be done to prevent it becoming a repair-cost write-off?
daver1184 said:
235k E90 330i manual here.
Ask me anything.
Good work! I assume N52?Ask me anything.
I do have a question...
High speed braking, i've got a proper rumble (isn't there at low speed). What could that be? The previous owner changed the front discs, pads & arms and even mentioned it got rid of rumbling so unsure why mine is doing it.
JWH said:
Interested to hear more!
I’ve just bought the replacement for my 240k mile E91 330d, it’s been a fab car, 180k in my ownership. Do you mind giving a broad idea of what you paid?
Topped me! Nice. I paid £2k for it... not sure if that's good or bad. He had it up for £2.5k, which he'd already reduced... I’ve just bought the replacement for my 240k mile E91 330d, it’s been a fab car, 180k in my ownership. Do you mind giving a broad idea of what you paid?
DanG355 said:
Mine has leather SE seats and although I keep reading people say they are not good seats and to change to the sports seats, I find them absolutely comfortable and have never thought I need better seats. Then again I am 6ft 3 and 18 stone so maybe they are OK for us larger lads...
I did slate the SE seats, but I must admit I did find them really comfortable actually. The M Sport seats i'm still getting to grips with.. i'm a larger frame myself so they're a bit tight (particularly as I can't adjust the side bolsters ) sgtbash said:
E91 330D here too. Very good cars.
Best of luck with yours. Any more pics?
Thank you. More to come... Best of luck with yours. Any more pics?
bmiles44 said:
Great read so far OP!
I do wonder though, which of your many cars was the best for a super silky smooth Sunday Chortle?
Anything but a crash-damaged S2000, with it's god awful sub-k20. :PI do wonder though, which of your many cars was the best for a super silky smooth Sunday Chortle?
So before I get on to the trials and tribulations of the car, why did I go for it?
BMWs are something of a comfort zone to me. I've owned/had every single generation of 3 series post E30. I think the E9x serves as a bit of a sweet spot, as the F3x generation is definitely a better car but perhaps more comfort oriented and not as great a steer, also not much of a looker until you get to the later LCI Shadows. The G2x generation is a stunning platform, but a bit out of my price range at the moment
I'm also not shy of buying cars at high mileage. Of course a lower mile car is better, but I think buying based upon an assumption of ownership and service history is way more important, particularly as I know how many cars get clocked nowadays....
I've been particularly lucky too, in recent years almost always getting something that proves reliable and turns a profit come resale time (touching so much wood right now
) Realistically, the car cost £2k.. so the most you can lose is £2k.
Why 30d not 20d? I'm a sucker for a 6 potter. I've had an E90 320d, and plenty of later generation 20ds and they're brilliant engines in their own right, but the six-cylinder cars just have a completely different feel to them. Smoother, longer-legged and just feel a more expensive car. They sound alright too, for a diesel.
BMWs are something of a comfort zone to me. I've owned/had every single generation of 3 series post E30. I think the E9x serves as a bit of a sweet spot, as the F3x generation is definitely a better car but perhaps more comfort oriented and not as great a steer, also not much of a looker until you get to the later LCI Shadows. The G2x generation is a stunning platform, but a bit out of my price range at the moment
I'm also not shy of buying cars at high mileage. Of course a lower mile car is better, but I think buying based upon an assumption of ownership and service history is way more important, particularly as I know how many cars get clocked nowadays....
I've been particularly lucky too, in recent years almost always getting something that proves reliable and turns a profit come resale time (touching so much wood right now
) Realistically, the car cost £2k.. so the most you can lose is £2k. Why 30d not 20d? I'm a sucker for a 6 potter. I've had an E90 320d, and plenty of later generation 20ds and they're brilliant engines in their own right, but the six-cylinder cars just have a completely different feel to them. Smoother, longer-legged and just feel a more expensive car. They sound alright too, for a diesel.
Moving on.
So, pick up the 3 series. Immediately impressed with it, feels faster than I thought it would and the manual gearbox suits it nicely. I think an Auto would maybe be more sensible particularly for my usage, but I'm in it for the curio factor/extra mpg.
Few issues. Something wrong with the rear window/flap that opens on the touring, in that.. it doesn't open. The rear wiper also doesn't work I'm guessing due to the same problem. PO did tell me about this. He also mentioned the only thing he knew needed doing was a pinion diff seal, which comes back to bite me..
BMW beard firmly on, it's a pretty poor spec. It has LCI alloys on, which are nice tbh. The interior is really quite drab though, and brings the car down. I immediately buy M Sport black leather full interior & wood trim off eBay, my sensible thinking cost-saving mentality straight out the window. The Professional head unit seems to lose it's pixels when its hot, not such a bother as it has some Bluetooth dongle that plugs into the AUX. I do consider buying another headunit off eBay but resist the urge. What else? Oh, the braking thing I mention above. Not a big deal tbh, they all do that sir. Oh and there's what looks like an entire tin of paint spilled in the boot, I guess maybe it might give the impression this is my tip run car and not actually my tragic daily driver?!
Driving to and from work for a couple of weeks, I seem to be averaging 55mpg without even trying. Is this genuine? I managed to get 72mpg (indicated) combined on a round trip from Southend to Reading and back in the V70. I either am a hypermiling king or my cars trip computers not working properly (I suspect the former). Messing around with the secret menu (Hackerman) in a 1hr30 queue to leave Legoland, I pull up the water temp and it's cruising around 70, hitting a high of 80 on the way home. Bugger. There are two thermostats on the M57, one for coolant and the other on the EGR. Another job on the list! Would this then read the mpg high?
So the interior arrives and I set a day aside to swap it.
Before:
During:
After:
Happy with that! Wood trim has always been classed as old man, but I love it. I'm usually all for a light coloured interior, but there's something about black leather combined with wood trim. Also note the genuine real Aliexpress ZHP gearknob, a bargain at £12.
Removing and fitting was pretty straightforward, door cards were quite fiddly but it was probably 2 hours work in all. Three snagging points: I didn't realise the drivers seat didn't have the seatbelt buckle
until I went to drop my daughter off at nursery. Snag 2, whatever idiot took my new seats out the donor car just cut the middle belt out.. so I had no middle seatbelt (I'm pretty sure it's part of the seat?) again, this comes back to bite me later on. Three, it seems the interior came from a car with Logic 7, so additional tweeter holes in the doorcards. Can't find replacement grilles on eBay so we'll see on this one.
Overall pretty happy with the new interior, it looks way better than the cloth. Jury is out on how comfy though, the seat seems to sit slightly higher and I haven't quite got the right position yet.
So, pick up the 3 series. Immediately impressed with it, feels faster than I thought it would and the manual gearbox suits it nicely. I think an Auto would maybe be more sensible particularly for my usage, but I'm in it for the curio factor/extra mpg.
Few issues. Something wrong with the rear window/flap that opens on the touring, in that.. it doesn't open. The rear wiper also doesn't work I'm guessing due to the same problem. PO did tell me about this. He also mentioned the only thing he knew needed doing was a pinion diff seal, which comes back to bite me..
BMW beard firmly on, it's a pretty poor spec. It has LCI alloys on, which are nice tbh. The interior is really quite drab though, and brings the car down. I immediately buy M Sport black leather full interior & wood trim off eBay, my sensible thinking cost-saving mentality straight out the window. The Professional head unit seems to lose it's pixels when its hot, not such a bother as it has some Bluetooth dongle that plugs into the AUX. I do consider buying another headunit off eBay but resist the urge. What else? Oh, the braking thing I mention above. Not a big deal tbh, they all do that sir. Oh and there's what looks like an entire tin of paint spilled in the boot, I guess maybe it might give the impression this is my tip run car and not actually my tragic daily driver?!
Driving to and from work for a couple of weeks, I seem to be averaging 55mpg without even trying. Is this genuine? I managed to get 72mpg (indicated) combined on a round trip from Southend to Reading and back in the V70. I either am a hypermiling king or my cars trip computers not working properly (I suspect the former). Messing around with the secret menu (Hackerman) in a 1hr30 queue to leave Legoland, I pull up the water temp and it's cruising around 70, hitting a high of 80 on the way home. Bugger. There are two thermostats on the M57, one for coolant and the other on the EGR. Another job on the list! Would this then read the mpg high?
So the interior arrives and I set a day aside to swap it.
Before:
During:
After:
Happy with that! Wood trim has always been classed as old man, but I love it. I'm usually all for a light coloured interior, but there's something about black leather combined with wood trim. Also note the genuine real Aliexpress ZHP gearknob, a bargain at £12.
Removing and fitting was pretty straightforward, door cards were quite fiddly but it was probably 2 hours work in all. Three snagging points: I didn't realise the drivers seat didn't have the seatbelt buckle
until I went to drop my daughter off at nursery. Snag 2, whatever idiot took my new seats out the donor car just cut the middle belt out.. so I had no middle seatbelt (I'm pretty sure it's part of the seat?) again, this comes back to bite me later on. Three, it seems the interior came from a car with Logic 7, so additional tweeter holes in the doorcards. Can't find replacement grilles on eBay so we'll see on this one.Overall pretty happy with the new interior, it looks way better than the cloth. Jury is out on how comfy though, the seat seems to sit slightly higher and I haven't quite got the right position yet.
Thermostat failure and hence low temp should, if anything, make fuel consumption worse. Mine is also a manual but LCI and hence the newer N57 engine, theoretically a little more economical than the M57.
I've averaged a calculated 43mpg over the last 100k miles, but that's a majority of running at outside lane speeds on quiet motorways.
IME >50mpg is possible but requires a lot of restraint.
Thanks for the purchase price info, that's roughly where i was intending to pitch mine.
I've averaged a calculated 43mpg over the last 100k miles, but that's a majority of running at outside lane speeds on quiet motorways.
IME >50mpg is possible but requires a lot of restraint.
Thanks for the purchase price info, that's roughly where i was intending to pitch mine.
Good updates. Thing is, if you did look to replace this what would you do? It owes you about £3k if you include the interior and work you have had. If if needs something else it might be £500. But another car and you’re in for £5k and still have things that may go wrong. Buy a new car and you can give your car as a deposit and pay £300 a month. No brainier for me - keep it and run it until it dies or gets banned…
JWH said:
Thermostat failure and hence low temp should, if anything, make fuel consumption worse. Mine is also a manual but LCI and hence the newer N57 engine, theoretically a little more economical than the M57.
I've averaged a calculated 43mpg over the last 100k miles, but that's a majority of running at outside lane speeds on quiet motorways.
IME >50mpg is possible but requires a lot of restraint.
Thanks for the purchase price info, that's roughly where i was intending to pitch mine.
Yes your right here. Note to the OP buggered thermostats stop the car from doing a regen of the DPF. Trouble ahoy with that one, they’re not too bad to change, lift out the fan pack on the rad, don’t forget some cardboard to protect the radiator(I always do this) and some a dab of o-ring grease when you install the new thermostats. You’ll see a rise in economy and take it for a nice long steady run to let the cat regen.I've averaged a calculated 43mpg over the last 100k miles, but that's a majority of running at outside lane speeds on quiet motorways.
IME >50mpg is possible but requires a lot of restraint.
Thanks for the purchase price info, that's roughly where i was intending to pitch mine.
I had an E90 330d and always fancied a touring.
Edited by Huskyman on Thursday 28th April 20:16
Huskyman said:
Yes your right here. Note to the OP buggered thermostats stop the car from doing a regen of the DPF. Trouble ahoy with that one, they’re not too bad to change, lift out the fan pack on the rad, don’t forget some cardboard to protect the radiator(I always do this) and some a dab of o-ring grease when you install the new thermostats. You’ll see a rise in economy and take it for a nice long steady run to let the cat regen.
I had an E90 330d and always fancied a touring.
Good point - I didn't mention the thermostat/DPF issues because I thought the pre-LCI M57 cars don't have a dpf but I could well be wrong.I had an E90 330d and always fancied a touring.
Edited by Huskyman on Thursday 28th April 20:16
The only problem I've had with the DPF on mine was caused by a knackered thermostat (there's only one on the N57) causing low temp running and thus a blocked DPF. A replacement thermostat followed by a forced regeneration sorted it and it's been find for the following 60k.
JWH said:
Huskyman said:
Yes your right here. Note to the OP buggered thermostats stop the car from doing a regen of the DPF. Trouble ahoy with that one, they’re not too bad to change, lift out the fan pack on the rad, don’t forget some cardboard to protect the radiator(I always do this) and some a dab of o-ring grease when you install the new thermostats. You’ll see a rise in economy and take it for a nice long steady run to let the cat regen.
I had an E90 330d and always fancied a touring.
Good point - I didn't mention the thermostat/DPF issues because I thought the pre-LCI M57 cars don't have a dpf but I could well be wrong.I had an E90 330d and always fancied a touring.
Edited by Huskyman on Thursday 28th April 20:16
The only problem I've had with the DPF on mine was caused by a knackered thermostat (there's only one on the N57) causing low temp running and thus a blocked DPF. A replacement thermostat followed by a forced regeneration sorted it and it's been find for the following 60k.
Right, I haven't done so well with keeping this up-to-date, have I?!
In my defence, I've written out long posts - to be distracted, and then lost them forever (twice!)
So anyway, this time I am bound to get this written out as I genuinely enjoy rambling about my dull escapades with sheds.
Where was I? Right, swapped out interior. This turned out to be a pretty bad idea 5 days before my MOT. Remember I said they cut the middle rear seat belt? MOT Failure. amongst other things...
Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Central Rear Seat belt likely to become detached in the event of a collision already not attached (7.1.1 (a) (ii))
Repair immediately (major defects):
Offside Rear Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))
Central Rear Seat belt missing (7.1.2 (a))
Rear Oil leaking excessively from transmission differential (8.4.1 (a) (i))
Offside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Rear Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))
Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Greaaaaaaat. I thought this MOT centre liked me, they passed a ropey old RX8 I had no issues! No such luck this time.
Gratuitous pic..
In the meantime, I needed wheels so chanced the V70 getting a MOT so I could use that. It passed with 1 advisory for a numberplate light.. go figure!
So, sorting the major failures as per usual with me was anything but straightforward.
- Rear seatbelt: I still had my old cloth backrest section which had a complete middle belt. This was pretty straightforward, just swapped them around (this is still actually in the car... baby seat hides it)
- Rear fog lamp: Note, your passenger side foglamp (if you have one each side) doesn't matter so much. If your drivers side one is out, it's a fail. I replaced the bulb, didn't fix it. Replaced the bulb holder, didn't fix it. Turned out it was the wiring between the body & the boot (in the harness) that had split.. i'm pretty sure I had the same issue on a previous E90. I did some dodgy wiring and it's back in action.
- Diff leak: Another faff. Spent £25 on a diff seal for it not to fit once we had it apart. Spoke to my local BMW and they got the correct part in for £10. Reminder to always try OEM first as it can work out cheaper. Refilled diff oil with some I had lying around and some cheap Amazon hand pump. Does seem smoother...
- Front shock: ANOTHER faff. Ordered a used shock off eBay as i'm tight. Turns up and it was passenger side (despite being advertised as driver side) - thought sod it, went to Euros and picked up the cheapest damper I could get (Erschler? something like that) no more leak, but now it's knocking from this end....
Anyway, re-tested.. MOT passed. Back to six-cylindery smoothness and dependability, with some knocking here and there.
In my defence, I've written out long posts - to be distracted, and then lost them forever (twice!)
So anyway, this time I am bound to get this written out as I genuinely enjoy rambling about my dull escapades with sheds.
Where was I? Right, swapped out interior. This turned out to be a pretty bad idea 5 days before my MOT. Remember I said they cut the middle rear seat belt? MOT Failure. amongst other things...
Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Central Rear Seat belt likely to become detached in the event of a collision already not attached (7.1.1 (a) (ii))
Repair immediately (major defects):
Offside Rear Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))
Central Rear Seat belt missing (7.1.2 (a))
Rear Oil leaking excessively from transmission differential (8.4.1 (a) (i))
Offside Front Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.3.2 (b))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Rear Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))
Nearside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
Offside Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated (1.1.12 (b) (ii))
Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Greaaaaaaat. I thought this MOT centre liked me, they passed a ropey old RX8 I had no issues! No such luck this time.
Gratuitous pic..
In the meantime, I needed wheels so chanced the V70 getting a MOT so I could use that. It passed with 1 advisory for a numberplate light.. go figure!
So, sorting the major failures as per usual with me was anything but straightforward.
- Rear seatbelt: I still had my old cloth backrest section which had a complete middle belt. This was pretty straightforward, just swapped them around (this is still actually in the car... baby seat hides it)
- Rear fog lamp: Note, your passenger side foglamp (if you have one each side) doesn't matter so much. If your drivers side one is out, it's a fail. I replaced the bulb, didn't fix it. Replaced the bulb holder, didn't fix it. Turned out it was the wiring between the body & the boot (in the harness) that had split.. i'm pretty sure I had the same issue on a previous E90. I did some dodgy wiring and it's back in action.
- Diff leak: Another faff. Spent £25 on a diff seal for it not to fit once we had it apart. Spoke to my local BMW and they got the correct part in for £10. Reminder to always try OEM first as it can work out cheaper. Refilled diff oil with some I had lying around and some cheap Amazon hand pump. Does seem smoother...
- Front shock: ANOTHER faff. Ordered a used shock off eBay as i'm tight. Turns up and it was passenger side (despite being advertised as driver side) - thought sod it, went to Euros and picked up the cheapest damper I could get (Erschler? something like that) no more leak, but now it's knocking from this end....
Anyway, re-tested.. MOT passed. Back to six-cylindery smoothness and dependability, with some knocking here and there.
Continuing the story, I was eminently upset with my 230k mile 16 year old BMW for failing it's MOT, so vowed to run it on shed terms, i.e the basics only when it needs it, as it's what it deserves for letting me down so badly. 
Getting back into using the car after tooling around in the Volvo for a while, my anger quickly dissipated. It's so much better than the V70. I know people rave about them on here, but it's my second Volvo and I just really didn't get on with it. Anyway, soon after the BMW passed it's MOT I sold the V70 on (f**k eBay is all I have to say on that matter)
So, anger dissipating. I quickly went back into spend money on tat mode!
I fit my private plate. I bought this when I had an N18 JCW and had big plans to make it a ring tool. Not quite so fitting on the BMW but hey..
I'm a massive weirdo when it comes to spec on cars, and something I hold in higher importance than most is upgraded headlights. I always think they completely change the look of the car, and with the E9x generation add in the signature Halos (not to mention way better lighting at night)
Browsing eBay I picked up some cheap Bi-Xenons (Pre-LCI). I bought them separately, I think one headlight was £60 and the other £80, so £140 in all for the pair. They were in varying conditions, one headlight had the backing screwed on, the other didn't have any backing covers at all.
Of course it's never that straightforward, as I said I'm a massive weirdo so I hate LED angel eye bulbs. I think these cars look so much better with the yellowy halogen. Both headlights came with some cheap LED bulbs, so I removed these and went to get some halogen bulbs. Luckily for me, these bulbs are specific to BMW and these headlights - the only way I can go back to halogen is to buy bulb holders with the bulb from ECP for £46 each. Headlight conversion not looking so cheap now! I can see why people just replace with LEDs now... One of the headlights didn't come with the D1S bulb required, so got some cheapy ones off Amazon for now.
For anyone wanting to do this, it's quite straightforward but not plug & play. You can plug the headlights straight in to the existing harness, but the low beam won't work. The info on the internet/YouTube was quite sporadic, but I figured out that you can do the wiring inside the headlight, so you don't need to mess around with the loom on the car. There's two bits to do off the top of my head. wire the Bi-Xenon shutter to the main beam power wire so the Bi-Xenon is activated when you go full-beam. For the low beam, I think you wire the low beam to an additional ground.. sorry my memory fails me slightly. Here's a pic.
Anyway, wiring all done I set to fit the headlights to the car. Again, not super straightforward.. for the E9x you have to take the front bumper off. A lot of the nuts were seized/rusted so I sort of left the bottom ones and just pushed the front bumper over:
Normally with Xenon's you need headlight washers, luckily my car had whatever pack came with them.. so pretty much prepped. There's some brackets the headlights are attached to, slightly fiddly especially with keeping the washers in the right place.
All buttoned up and with a quick DA polish, they're on and working well. Ish.*
Getting back into using the car after tooling around in the Volvo for a while, my anger quickly dissipated. It's so much better than the V70. I know people rave about them on here, but it's my second Volvo and I just really didn't get on with it. Anyway, soon after the BMW passed it's MOT I sold the V70 on (f**k eBay is all I have to say on that matter)
So, anger dissipating. I quickly went back into spend money on tat mode!
I fit my private plate. I bought this when I had an N18 JCW and had big plans to make it a ring tool. Not quite so fitting on the BMW but hey..
I'm a massive weirdo when it comes to spec on cars, and something I hold in higher importance than most is upgraded headlights. I always think they completely change the look of the car, and with the E9x generation add in the signature Halos (not to mention way better lighting at night)
Browsing eBay I picked up some cheap Bi-Xenons (Pre-LCI). I bought them separately, I think one headlight was £60 and the other £80, so £140 in all for the pair. They were in varying conditions, one headlight had the backing screwed on, the other didn't have any backing covers at all.
Of course it's never that straightforward, as I said I'm a massive weirdo so I hate LED angel eye bulbs. I think these cars look so much better with the yellowy halogen. Both headlights came with some cheap LED bulbs, so I removed these and went to get some halogen bulbs. Luckily for me, these bulbs are specific to BMW and these headlights - the only way I can go back to halogen is to buy bulb holders with the bulb from ECP for £46 each. Headlight conversion not looking so cheap now! I can see why people just replace with LEDs now... One of the headlights didn't come with the D1S bulb required, so got some cheapy ones off Amazon for now.
For anyone wanting to do this, it's quite straightforward but not plug & play. You can plug the headlights straight in to the existing harness, but the low beam won't work. The info on the internet/YouTube was quite sporadic, but I figured out that you can do the wiring inside the headlight, so you don't need to mess around with the loom on the car. There's two bits to do off the top of my head. wire the Bi-Xenon shutter to the main beam power wire so the Bi-Xenon is activated when you go full-beam. For the low beam, I think you wire the low beam to an additional ground.. sorry my memory fails me slightly. Here's a pic.
Anyway, wiring all done I set to fit the headlights to the car. Again, not super straightforward.. for the E9x you have to take the front bumper off. A lot of the nuts were seized/rusted so I sort of left the bottom ones and just pushed the front bumper over:
Normally with Xenon's you need headlight washers, luckily my car had whatever pack came with them.. so pretty much prepped. There's some brackets the headlights are attached to, slightly fiddly especially with keeping the washers in the right place.
All buttoned up and with a quick DA polish, they're on and working well. Ish.*
- The angel eyes are particularly dim on the passenger side. They're dim anyway as far as I'm aware, but you can barely see the light. From what I've gathered, when you fit LED angel eye bulbs, you do away with a black plastic bracket that has some glass shield, one of the headlights doesn't have this hence why it's so dim. If anyone happens to have this, let me know as it doesn't have a part number! In the meantime i've ordered some Amber LEDs, so lets see how they turn out..
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff