What have you done to your BMW today?

[MissChief]

beambeam1 said:

Ahead of preparing the F11 for selling, I booked it in for the following recall jobs at my local BMW dealer just outside of Edinburgh (Newbridge).

10011090700 - Replacing the exhaust gas recirculation cooler (high temperature)
10011350700 - Exhaust gas recirculation cooler customer notification
10013490300 - Program control units (DDE)

I had actually dropped the car off Sunday afternoon so they could crack on with it early doors Monday and not have to wait for the car to cool down. I was on nights anyway but woke to a message at 3pm saying the car was ready and had it back before 5pm. Interestingly, when I had a call from the service technician this morning they asked if I was happy with them washing and hoovering the car (I was) which, given all I've read in the past about dealers ignoring requests not to, was a surprise to me. When I collected the car there was also a nice little pack containing OEM replacement wipers, air freshener and one of those 1L oil top up bottles in a BMW case, another pleasant surprise.

Had my car in at Eastern earlier this year for the airbag recall and their service was good even though I declined their offer of work required as I was getting an MOT only a few days later. Polite and courteous and truthful at their inspection too which was nice to see.

[Court_S]

Went through the faff of replacing the rear dampers on the 330 I yesterday. Bilstein B4S dampers for the touring were double the price of coupes etc last summer so I was tight and fitted sine TRW ones which were rubbish. As soon as the B4’s were sensible cash I bought a pair which have been sat in the garage for a long time.

Whilst the car was on stands, I cleaned out the rear arches and replaced the upper arms too.







It was then washed just in time for today’s downpour.

[bodhi]

Sofa said:

Balls- sorry to hear that. I thought I'd cracked it with the idea of sourcing some from the States (where the mechanically identical 128i/328i are incredibly common), but even looking for 'half-shafts' that side of the pond hasn't really resulted in much success, and amazingly many of them are the same thinner 4-pot driveshafts I've been trying to avoid despite those cars never being sold there.

This one should be correct- the corresponding right-hand one has the correct image showing the thicker driveshaft, and it's from GKN who are the OE supplier. There's some website in Norway I found (Trodo I think?) who also had them but over £200 a side...

I think there's going to be a lot of 125i/128i/328i owners taking a punt on 120d driveshafts in the future.

Edited by Sofa on Tuesday 21st May 21:55

Looks like I'm one of those - got the car back yesterday and doing a quick Google on the past number it's the thinner 120d version. If my guys happy to fit it then I'm not too concerned - obviously I'd rather have the genuine 125i one but if its a choice between an expensive paperweight or a slightly thinner drive shaft I'll go with the second option.

Took it out for a spin yesterday and it's still running beautifully at 175k miles, no warning lights or issues putting the power down. Will monitor and let you know how it goes.

[Fermit]

Sorted out the electrical gremlins. To re-cap, the windows weren't functioning, as weren't the indicators/hazards, light functions, and the exterior lights on unlock. Also had the battery programmed to the car. I still think that last one is a dick move by BMW, for what is otherwise a 5 minute DIY job with 2 nuts and bolts. £168 all in, can't grumble. It was the FRM as most thought.

Tomorrow I'm going to get it booked in for a roof respray in July. My regular guy is doing the entire roof, boot spoiler, under the boot spoiler (which was rusty, treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80, and will red-oxide prior to paint) and a few bits of manky windscreen trim for £450, which I think is fair. The body work side will then be complete, although the front bumper is getting a bit peppered, so I dare say I'll get that done at some point too.

Then, on to the performance mods!

Edited by Fermit on Wednesday 29th May 19:35

[Fermit]

OK. Can anyone recommend me some decent front brake discs (Brembo?) as when searching, every last find states 'doesn't fit your vehicle'

I've a juddering steering wheel under heavy braking. It's quite horrid, and my best guess is new discs needed.

[d_a_n1979]

Fermit said:

OK. Can anyone recommend me some decent front brake discs (Brembo?) as when searching, every last find states 'doesn't fit your vehicle'

I've a juddering steering wheel under heavy braking. It's quite horrid, and my best guess is new discs needed.

More than likely pad deposits on the discs, or you've suspension issues (main thrust arms are generally the culprit - either the ball joint or main bush has failed/is failing etc)

But if you do want to replace the discs and pads; go for ATE discs and ATE ceramic pads via Autodoc.co.uk

Jurid, Textar and TRW are OEM too and you'll find the on Autodoc - use their app, it generally gives the best discounts

I'd avoid any brakes via ECP personally, Brembos (the uprated stuff is good but not cheap; the bog standard stuff isn't great at all) and anything from Mtec Brakes, but that's my personal preference

[Fermit]

d_a_n1979 said:

Fermit said:

OK. Can anyone recommend me some decent front brake discs (Brembo?) as when searching, every last find states 'doesn't fit your vehicle'

I've a juddering steering wheel under heavy braking. It's quite horrid, and my best guess is new discs needed.

More than likely pad deposits on the discs, or you've suspension issues (main thrust arms are generally the culprit - either the ball joint or main bush has failed/is failing etc)

But if you do want to replace the discs and pads; go for ATE discs and ATE ceramic pads via Autodoc.co.uk

Jurid, Textar and TRW are OEM too and you'll find the on Autodoc - use their app, it generally gives the best discounts

I'd avoid any brakes via ECP personally, Brembos (the uprated stuff is good but not cheap; the bog standard stuff isn't great at all) and anything from Mtec Brakes, but that's my personal preference

OK, interesting. I'll chat to my go to BMW specialist (Park Autos Worksop) tomorrow, see what his thoughts are. As an aside, it normally rears it's head when the brakes are hot, IE taking it out and wringing its neck. When needing to shave MPH off quickly for an approaching corner it's a bit unnerving for the wheel to be shaking like a Rampant Rabbit on full dildo speed.

[d_a_n1979]

Fermit said:

d_a_n1979 said:

Fermit said:

OK. Can anyone recommend me some decent front brake discs (Brembo?) as when searching, every last find states 'doesn't fit your vehicle'

I've a juddering steering wheel under heavy braking. It's quite horrid, and my best guess is new discs needed.

More than likely pad deposits on the discs, or you've suspension issues (main thrust arms are generally the culprit - either the ball joint or main bush has failed/is failing etc)

But if you do want to replace the discs and pads; go for ATE discs and ATE ceramic pads via Autodoc.co.uk

Jurid, Textar and TRW are OEM too and you'll find the on Autodoc - use their app, it generally gives the best discounts

I'd avoid any brakes via ECP personally, Brembos (the uprated stuff is good but not cheap; the bog standard stuff isn't great at all) and anything from Mtec Brakes, but that's my personal preference

OK, interesting. I'll chat to my go to BMW specialist (Park Autos Worksop) tomorrow, see what his thoughts are. As an aside, it normally rears it's head when the brakes are hot, IE taking it out and wringing its neck. When needing to shave MPH off quickly for an approaching corner it's a bit unnerving for the wheel to be shaking like a Rampant Rabbit on full dildo speed.

That could be the calipers starting to stick too; so they may need refurbing with new seals/pistons etc (or replacing with a freshly refurbed pair)

But hammering on brakes can highlight the failing bushes/ball joints on the thrust arms too; they only need to move a little bit to make it very noticeable on the steering wheel

[rottenegg]

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

[Fermit]

Nearly ran out of fuel. Photo at the Tesco forecourt, having driven circa 10 miles, starting the journey showing 6 miles. Oooops

[d_a_n1979]

rottenegg said:

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

Pfft... Oil burners; who'd av'em

[rottenegg]

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

Pfft... Oil burners; who'd av'em

Indeed, dirty rotten things!

They're great when they work but the emissions control equipment costs a fortune! The cost of being socially responsible I guess!

The O2 sensor was £300 in the end. The dealer failed to tell me the price was + VAT on the phone, lol.

[d_a_n1979]

rottenegg said:

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

Pfft... Oil burners; who'd av'em

Indeed, dirty rotten things!

They're great when they work but the emissions control equipment costs a fortune! The cost of being socially responsible I guess!

The O2 sensor was £300 in the end. The dealer failed to tell me the price was + VAT on the phone, lol.

Feck! That's more than I expected; tis what it is though...

[rottenegg]

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

Pfft... Oil burners; who'd av'em

Indeed, dirty rotten things!

They're great when they work but the emissions control equipment costs a fortune! The cost of being socially responsible I guess!

The O2 sensor was £300 in the end. The dealer failed to tell me the price was + VAT on the phone, lol.

Feck! That's more than I expected; tis what it is though...

Yup. I don't use aftermarket parts when it comes to critical engine sensors. Too many bad experiences as they're just not calibrated to OEM standards.

Still, I had to replace the O2 sensor on the missus's Golf 2.0 TDI and that was 300 quid as well! It's the same bloody sensor on all German engines. Got us over a barrel.

[d_a_n1979]

rottenegg said:

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

d_a_n1979 said:

rottenegg said:

Plugged ISTA in to diagnose an engine stutter on part throttle and joy of joys, the pre-cat O2 sensor is having a bad day. £244 of your finest English sovereigns for a new un', kaching. Thankfully it's a piece of p1ss job, like nearly every maintenance task on the N57, so need to pay a dealer £4000 per hour for that job.

Pfft... Oil burners; who'd av'em

Indeed, dirty rotten things!

They're great when they work but the emissions control equipment costs a fortune! The cost of being socially responsible I guess!

The O2 sensor was £300 in the end. The dealer failed to tell me the price was + VAT on the phone, lol.

Feck! That's more than I expected; tis what it is though...

Yup. I don't use aftermarket parts when it comes to critical engine sensors. Too many bad experiences as they're just not calibrated to OEM standards.

Still, I had to replace the O2 sensor on the missus's Golf 2.0 TDI and that was 300 quid as well! It's the same bloody sensor on all German engines. Got us over a barrel.

Agree; anything like MAFS, cam/crank sensors, O2 sensors etc - all need to be OEM or whomever makes them

The E39s are known for MAF, cam/crank sensor issues - so many folk replace it with aftermarket £30 jobbies off eBay and then wonder why the cars worse than it was before...

[couzens]

Finally got round to sorting out replacing the head up display that wasn't working, but showing no faults on any plug in systems. Dash and center consol out job.

I cheated and paid someone to do it. Chap had it done withing 3 hours!

[Fermit]

Can anyone assist with what may be up with my car today? E91 335i N54 for those not aware. Out on a 'spirited' drive, near home the engine management came on. The car's sounding like a NASCAR, and not the faintest what it's upset at this time. The exhaust tips are none OEM, I couldn't feel any blow, but could it be as simple as a spot weld coming ondone?

Honestly, I still adore this car, but I'm beginning to get pissed off at constant wobblies it throws up.

I've got a couple of short video clips (MP4) with sound, but for the life of me I can't get the laptop to play ball attaching them Could anyone accept an email from me with these and attach them?

Edited by Fermit on Saturday 1st June 19:17

[cerb4.5lee]

Fermit said:

Nearly ran out of fuel. Photo at the Tesco forecourt, having driven circa 10 miles, starting the journey showing 6 miles. Oooops

Don't worry...you still have the dashes in a line after that!

That is when it definitely gets worrying I reckon for sure.

I used to run all my cars low on fuel for years, but I do tend to remove that stress now though, by keeping them as topped up as I can in comparison. A lot less exciting for definite though to be fair!

[Court_S]

Fermit said:

Can anyone assist with what may be up with my car today? E91 335i N54 for those not aware. Out on a 'spirited' drive, near home the engine management came on. The car's sounding like a NASCAR, and not the faintest what it's upset at this time. The exhaust tips are none OEM, I couldn't feel any blow, but could it be as simple as a spot weld coming ondone?

Honestly, I still adore this car, but I'm beginning to get pissed off at constant wobblies it throws up.

I've got a couple of short video clips (MP4) with sound, but for the life of me I can't get the laptop to play ball attaching them Could anyone accept an email from me with these and attach them?

Edited by Fermit on Saturday 1st June 19:17

Sounds like they codes need readying….is the engine management still on or has it cleared since turning it off?

[Fermit]

Court_S said:

Sounds like they codes need readying….is the engine management still on or has it cleared since turning it off?

I've just popped up, and it's exactly the same. EML on, and a grumbly engine note. Did you hear the MP4 clips I emailed you Sam?

Not following your first sentence? I wonder if it needs new HT leads? It does sound like it's misfiring, and this is exactly the behaviour my old 172 Cup displayed when a HT lead was shot?

It's in at Parkside on Tuesday, they're looking in to the failing water cooler pump and steering wheel vibration under braking, so let's hope they can figure it out.