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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BMW E90/E92/E93 3-series General Forums > General E90 Sedan / E91 Wagon / E92 Coupe / E93 Cabrio > Gentlemen - Two Hundred Thousand (200,000 mile) E90



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      01-06-2013, 12:43 AM   #45
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I wish op had a Auto instead of manual so it would instill more confidence in me about it
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      01-06-2013, 06:21 AM   #46
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Again, guys, thanks. I should add that I also ran a 1989 Acura Integra to 230,000 miles (that one was almost all highway miles though) too. The E30 (also a 1989) was my wife's daily driver until I took it over from her at 120,000 miles (when she bought a Z3) and I drove it to 256,000. So getting a car to 200K is not that big of a deal for me.

I would like to observe that having taken an E30 and now an E90 both from new (zero miles) to 200K, the E90 has actually been less problematic than the E30 (in defiance to Mike Miller - sorry dude). I think the E90, the '06's anyway, are very well built cars. We'll see how she does going forward to 250,000.

My dilemma is I really see this as my last BMW. The new F30 just doesn't do it for me. I can't see BMW's turbo motors going as far as the N52 without problems (based on the history of the N54). I have to say I didn’t expect the N52, with all the fancy VANOS and Valvetronic hardware to go 200,000 trouble free (okay, I did have to clean and swap the VANOS solenoids, but that’s minor). I also hate the idea of having electric powersteering, and I really have no desire for an Ipod sticking out of the dash. Add to that no naturally-aspirated in-line 6 and a manual transmission that is really the secondary trans choice, it makes me think BMW is getting away from what attracted me to the brand back in the 1970s.

I'd like to keep the E90 for a long time, but reality says I have another few years with it at 38,000 miles per year before it will require too much maintenance to use as a daily driver. So lately I've been thinking of preserving the E90 and getting a new DD now. But an E90 is not a garage queen by any stretch of the imagination and it would just end up rotting away from dis-use. Dilemma....

I'll keep you posted on how she does getting to 250,000, my planned retirement age for her. If she's good at 250,000 then we'll see what I do. The engine is consuming a quart of oil about every 8,000 miles now; down from about 16,000 miles when new. But all the power is still there and my MPGs have dropped a bit. She used to average about 27.6 MPG until about a year ago. Good news is I'm way out front in mileage to most of you guys and will let you know what comes up.
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      01-06-2013, 06:31 AM   #47
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Excellent! Not all that unusual in Europe to have high-milers like this. People I work with in the Netherlands do not even look at used cars until they have 100K miles.
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      01-06-2013, 06:49 AM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sammk View Post
Good man..!

Congrats on keeping up the car so well, and nice write-up of the history. Hope it continues to drive well for as long as you own it..

It's good to know that the car has been by and large reliable.

And if you ever pull the valve cover at any point, would love to see the insides. I believe that the BMW OCI does a good job as long as you stick to the right oil and filter, and seeing pics of your head would be a good reaffirmation.

BTW, I betcha BMW would be willing to buy that car back for analysis and hook you up with an F30.. Single-owner car, clean history and regular maintenance on schedule..
Sammk, here's the valve train at 100,000. No sludge back then, and no sludge now.

And this is a pic of my Wife's Z3 valve train in April 2012 when I did the gasket. The Z3 has BMW OCI's around 10,000 miles and he car sits quite a bit and gets driven once or twice a week at about 40 miles a trip.
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Last edited by Efthreeoh; 01-06-2013 at 07:16 AM..
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      01-06-2013, 07:18 AM   #49
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Sweet! Totally the smart thing to do, when you compare how much that car cost in 2006, how much you have to put into maintaining it, and how much a 328 would cost today, man, you are probably more than 10k ahead of the game. Imagine, 2006, there are people who got rid of that car in 2009, and got rid of the car they got in 2009 in 2012. Your wallet is solid while theirs has a 25k hole in it!
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      01-06-2013, 07:25 AM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
Again, guys, thanks. I should add that I also ran a 1989 Acura Integra to 230,000 miles (that one was almost all highway miles though) too. The E30 (also a 1989) was my wife's daily driver until I took it over from her at 120,000 miles (when she bought a Z3) and I drove it to 256,000. So getting a car to 200K is not that big of a deal for me.

I would like to observe that having taken an E30 and now an E90 both from new (zero miles) to 200K, the E90 has actually been less problematic than the E30 (in defiance to Mike Miller - sorry dude). I think the E90, the '06's anyway, are very well built cars. We'll see how she does going forward to 250,000.

My dilemma is I really see this as my last BMW. The new F30 just doesn't do it for me. I can't see BMW's turbo motors going as far as the N52 without problems (based on the history of the N54). I have to say I didn’t expect the N52, with all the fancy VANOS and Valvetronic hardware to go 200,000 trouble free (okay, I did have to clean and swap the VANOS solenoids, but that’s minor). I also hate the idea of having electric powersteering, and I really have no desire for an Ipod sticking out of the dash. Add to that no naturally-aspirated in-line 6 and a manual transmission that is really the secondary trans choice, it makes me think BMW is getting away from what attracted me to the brand back in the 1970s.

I'd like to keep the E90 for a long time, but reality says I have another few years with it at 38,000 miles per year before it will require too much maintenance to use as a daily driver. So lately I've been thinking of preserving the E90 and getting a new DD now. But an E90 is not a garage queen by any stretch of the imagination and it would just end up rotting away from dis-use. Dilemma....

I'll keep you posted on how she does getting to 250,000, my planned retirement age for her. If she's good at 250,000 then we'll see what I do. The engine is consuming a quart of oil about every 8,000 miles now; down from about 16,000 miles when new. But all the power is still there and my MPGs have dropped a bit. She used to average about 27.6 MPG until about a year ago. Good news is I'm way out front in mileage to most of you guys and will let you know what comes up.
My Nissan "was" trouble-free for 14 yrs. The '98 Nissan was more reliable than the 2007 335i up until last fall!! Not really a fault of the car, the starter went at year 14. Put a replacement in, which failed in 2 1/2 mos. Had to get the replacement replaced under a lifetime warranty, and just put that in yesterday. The quality of replacement auto parts is really bad. The trigger for the solenoid doesn't even fit the Nissan's plug, that's how bad. imho sticks last forever if you don't ride the clutch, the Nissan's is original, still holds fine at 220k.

If they made a BMW that lasted 14 yrs. trouble free I'd get it for sure.

imho the single greatest argument against the F30 is the pricetag. A 4 cyl. car goes for around 47k. In 2007, the 335i based at 40,600, and was loaded at 48k. The 47k today doesn't even get you a loaded car. How can a person shell out beaucoup bucks on something they don't actually like that much or love? I think the answer is those who lease. They have no choice, their cash outlay is dictated by the financing co. Whereas when you buy and drive forever, you make the decision as to whether or not to replace and when.
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      01-06-2013, 07:45 AM   #51
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HEY NOW!!! Congrats on hitting 200k.

Your thoughts on the f30 reflect my own. Here is to the last NA BMW builds.
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      01-06-2013, 07:58 AM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John 070 View Post
My Nissan "was" trouble-free for 14 yrs. The '98 Nissan was more reliable than the 2007 335i up until last fall!! Not really a fault of the car, the starter went at year 14. Put a replacement in, which failed in 2 1/2 mos. Had to get the replacement replaced under a lifetime warranty, and just put that in yesterday. The quality of replacement auto parts is really bad. The trigger for the solenoid doesn't even fit the Nissan's plug, that's how bad. imho sticks last forever if you don't ride the clutch, the Nissan's is original, still holds fine at 220k.

If they made a BMW that lasted 14 yrs. trouble free I'd get it for sure.

imho the single greatest argument against the F30 is the pricetag. A 4 cyl. car goes for around 47k. In 2007, the 335i based at 40,600, and was loaded at 48k. The 47k today doesn't even get you a loaded car. How can a person shell out beaucoup bucks on something they don't actually like that much or love? I think the answer is those who lease. They have no choice, their cash outlay is dictated by the financing co. Whereas when you buy and drive forever, you make the decision as to whether or not to replace and when.
So where I see all of this high-MPG Government-mandated requirements crap going is to expensive cars with high maintenance costs and really to no good benefit for the owner. The N20 in the F30 will get a bit better fuel mileage than the N52. Maybe a 3 or 4 MPG increase. Using my real MPG data (27) and adding 3 MPG to get to 30 MPG average and using my average fuel price per gallon, which is $3.24. The N20 would have saved me $2,300. I'd bet anything that by 200,000 miles, I'd need to replace the turbo(s) at some point, which would easily be a $2,300 repair bill, so there is no net gain. Yeah, okay, you can make the argument that the N20 would be a half second quicker to 60 MPH, big deal. I need reliability and longevity. Throw in that the N20 is probably more expensive to produce than the N52 and would raise the base price of the car by a few thousand dollars, there is no benefit at all.
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      01-06-2013, 08:03 AM   #53
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Originally Posted by 3_runner View Post
HEY NOW!!! Congrats on hitting 200k.

Your thoughts on the f30 reflect my own. Here is to the last NA BMW builds.
I'm thinking more like:

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      01-06-2013, 08:16 AM   #54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
So where I see all of this high-MPG Government-mandated requirements crap going is to expensive cars with high maintenance costs and really to no good benefit for the owner. The N20 in the F30 will get a bit better fuel mileage than the N52. Maybe a 3 or 4 MPG increase. Using my real MPG data (27) and adding 3 MPG to get to 30 MPG average and using my average fuel price per gallon, which is $3.24. The N20 would have saved me $2,300. I'd bet anything that by 200,000 miles, I'd need to replace the turbo(s) at some point, which would easily be a $2,300 repair bill, so there is no net gain. Yeah, okay, you can make the argument that the N20 would be a half second quicker to 60 MPH, big deal. I need reliability and longevity. Throw in that the N20 is probably more expensive to produce than the N52 and would raise the base price of the car by a few thousand dollars, there is no benefit at all.
As much I don't like the N20, I also think that a turbo will easily last 200000 miles, given your specific drive (mostly highway and in 6 years).

BTW, the same 3-4mpg gain you are talking about, probably may have been done adding direct injection to the I6. That's what happened to the GLK that gained suddely 3mpg overall for 2013.

I also took the risk of keeping my car longer than usual. So far at 75K miles, it is ok, but each visit at the shop makes me nervous. Next Wednesday, I am going to the dealer for a leak on head cover - it is the second time (it has been done on warranty in 03/2011). I won't be surprised if it costs me 1500$ (including a rental, a brake oil change and 15% taxes). So far, I haven't been successful finding a specialized indy shop in my area. I tried one and wasn't impressed.
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      01-06-2013, 08:32 AM   #55
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I need to be clear on this. My commute is not "mostly highway". My car sees alot of stop-and-go traffic, and a alot of hard cornering and high RPM use. In the morning, when the motor is warming up, I climb over a mountain on a 11-curve road that goes up in elevation about 500 feet in less than a mile, and I hammer this corkscrew on the way home almost every night just for fun and to relieve stress. Out of my 80 mile commute one way, my car sees about 35 miles of open easy cruising, the rest is either stop and go traffic and stop-light traffic, or backroad hammering.
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      01-06-2013, 08:39 AM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Efthreeoh View Post
So where I see all of this high-MPG Government-mandated requirements crap going is to expensive cars with high maintenance costs and really to no good benefit for the owner. The N20 in the F30 will get a bit better fuel mileage than the N52. Maybe a 3 or 4 MPG increase. Using my real MPG data (27) and adding 3 MPG to get to 30 MPG average and using my average fuel price per gallon, which is $3.24. The N20 would have saved me $2,300. I'd bet anything that by 200,000 miles, I'd need to replace the turbo(s) at some point, which would easily be a $2,300 repair bill, so there is no net gain. Yeah, okay, you can make the argument that the N20 would be a half second quicker to 60 MPH, big deal. I need reliability and longevity. Throw in that the N20 is probably more expensive to produce than the N52 and would raise the base price of the car by a few thousand dollars, there is no benefit at all.
You fill your car up with regular??
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      01-06-2013, 08:57 AM   #57
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You fill your car up with regular??
Shell V-Power high test.
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      01-06-2013, 09:32 AM   #58
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Very nice!
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      01-06-2013, 09:34 AM   #59
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Awesome post. We share some similar views!

With your suspension, if you could go back and do it again, would you have done anything differently? My 2011 E91 ZSP is at 50K. When the suspension needs to be refreshed, I am planning to be rather thorough.


Also, as far as replacements go, why not pick up a 2013 128i 6MT ZMT for the next 250K miles? It will be 20% E30 (in terms of size) and 80% E90. I get the feeling that the car's going to be the end of an era...

Cheers,

Roundle
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      01-06-2013, 09:45 AM   #60
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wow! very encouraging that you got up to 200k. goes to show that 200k isn't out of reach with proper TLC
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      01-06-2013, 10:00 AM   #61
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Go get a new manual 328i coupe before they're no longer offered new. Essentially the same NA engine and you'll be set for another 6 yrs.
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      01-06-2013, 10:08 AM   #62
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Congrats, very impressive!
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      01-06-2013, 10:12 AM   #63
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That's a beautiful thing. Cheers to another 200!
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      01-06-2013, 10:14 AM   #64
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wow! very encouraging that you got up to 200k. goes to show that 200k isn't out of reach with proper TLC
TLC, well that's the debate isn't it? Almost everyone on here thinks BMW's maintenance schedules are designed for obsolescence. From what I read almost everyone here thinks 100,000 mile trans, diff, and coolant changes are way too long, and 15,000 mile OCIs as ridiculous.

My POV and experience is different.
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      01-06-2013, 10:23 AM   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roundle View Post
Awesome post. We share some similar views!

With your suspension, if you could go back and do it again, would you have done anything differently? My 2011 E91 ZSP is at 50K. When the suspension needs to be refreshed, I am planning to be rather thorough.


Also, as far as replacements go, why not pick up a 2013 128i 6MT ZMT for the next 250K miles? It will be 20% E30 (in terms of size) and 80% E90. I get the feeling that the car's going to be the end of an era...

Cheers,

Roundle
I'd go Bilstein. Put a Bilstein suspension on my Wife's Z3 in 2011 and just love it.
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      01-06-2013, 02:12 PM   #66
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I am also sad to hear that BMW stops making the NA I6. Something is telling me that one day they'll return though. It's the best engine ever built. And, if I'm not mistaken, BMW was one of the first, if not the first, to build a straight 6-cylinder for passenger cars.

I would probably keep on driving your current car until it dies or you need major maintenance. I could imagine that it will run at least another 50k, but you might be lucky and drive another 150k. I have a weakness for older cars, so it would be cool to see that. By that time, maybe spend some serious time searching for a good second hand E90 (and keep your current BMW for the museum one day). I'm sure there will be a few low-milage cars around by then. And, if you find a well-maintained E90 with 60k on the gauge, I don't see a problem either. You might even find a Certified Pre-Owned one at the dealer...
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