[Zen_Driver]

Hi all,

As I just got my (hopefully first of many!) BMW this week, does anyone have any helpful tips/things to watch out for, either generally or specific to my model ('06 325i saloon)?

E.g.

Servicing
Common issues
Best tyres
Anything else?

[rasa bmw]

yeh,,330i and 335i cars passing you ha ha. sorry i couldnt resist.

[Zen_Driver]

Haha, thanks Rasa....

[rasa bmw]

Originally Posted by Zen_Driver

Haha, thanks Rasa....

no probs

[jamherber]

Keep £1000 on standby for engine ancillary issues....

[Zen_Driver]

Nice optimistic outlook 😃

[nick46]

Yeah that's what I thought!
Not sure if there's any specific issues with the petrol so I'd just say service regularly - every 10-12K or once a year which ever comes first. Change the brake fluid every other year. If your car has a few miles on it, it might be a good idea to get the auxiliary belts replaced and the gearbox serviced if it's an auto. Also if you're going to service the auto box then you may as well change the diff oil. Apart from that just keep on top of all the usual things like discs and pads, and also fit the best tyres you can afford. Don't bother with budget tyres unless you want to end up in a ditch.

[Zen_Driver]

Originally Posted by nick46

Yeah that's what I thought!
Not sure if there's any specific issues with the petrol so I'd just say service regularly - every 10-12K or once a year which ever comes first. Change the brake fluid every other year. If your car has a few miles on it, it might be a good idea to get the auxiliary belts replaced and the gearbox serviced if it's an auto. Also if you're going to service the auto box then you may as well change the diff oil. Apart from that just keep on top of all the usual things like discs and pads, and also fit the best tyres you can afford. Don't bother with budget tyres unless you want to end up in a ditch.

Hey Nick, thanks for the comprehensive advice! She came just serviced and with MOT (passed with flying colours) done the same day I picked her up so in the 3 weeks I've had her although I'm driving around with a perma-smile on my face, there is that nagging voice saying 'When will something go wrong?'

She has 70k on the clock and seems very well looked after (clearly the previous owner had no kids, see how long it takes my two to destroy the nice cream leather haha) so will probably take her in for one or two of the things you recommend in a couple of months.

I'd post pictures but she's fairly standard looking if very clean. Don't suppose you or anyone can suggest subtle but nice cosmetic upgrades? No teenage body kits....

[Andy198712]

should be fine tbh!

good tyres are Goodyear Eagle F1's got those now, they're probably the second best all year road tyre id say, first being PS4's which i may try next.
check out ASDAtyres for good prices.

some method of reading codes can save you a lot of money if you do every have snags

[nick46]

Yes some sort of diagnostic tool would be a good idea. I've got Carly which is very easy to use and can be used for a number of things including coding. I've coded mine to have a digital speedo, the angel eyes to be day running lights without the headlights, the wing mirrors to fold in and out when you lock / unlock the car with the fob. I've also used it to turn off the voltage monitoring for the headlights as ive fitted LED bulbs and was occasionally getting an error come up. You can literally personalise pretty much everything on the car. However I'm led to believe that Carly may now have changed the rules, in that if you purchase it now, you will have to pay a yearly subscription. Those of us that already have it won't have to pay this - but don't quote me on this as I'm not sure.

As for cosmetic mods I've swapped my halogen angel eyes for leds to give them a nice crisp white light. Also swapped my halogen headlight bulbs for LED's, again to make them nice and white but more importantly to enable me to see where I'm going in the dark cos the halogens are about as good as candles! There is a big thread on here about the headlight led conversion that I did a comprehensive write up on. Finally I've just swapped all the interior bulbs for LED's. Nice cheap upgrade and a big improvement.

[nick46]

Here's the thread about led headlight bulbs. A lot of very useful information in here as well as full write ups by myself and another member on here on how we installed them and how we've been getting on with them.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1438935

[4 Doors]

I would say, as above, set aside an emergency fund for repairs. Also, if you don't do the work yourself, find a reliable and trustworthy independent mechanic. You could ask your local BMW CCA members for a good Indy in the area.

[Jeff123]

Originally Posted by 4 Doors

I would say, as above, set aside an emergency fund for repairs. Also, if you don't do the work yourself, find a reliable and trustworthy independent mechanic. You could ask your local BMW CCA members for a good Indy in the area.

I was about to say the same. Keep a slush fund in case anything goes wrong. If it doesn't, you have a nice start towards the next car.

IMO, most of the issues can be sorted out at a reasonable price and these cars have been out for so long and sold in such volume that I would imagine parts should be widely available.

I de-badged my E90's and I think that improves the look. Other than that, I personally would keep the car standard and don't modify it - they can look like chavmobiles if you aren't careful.

Keep the service record up-to-date and keep any receipts, so that it is more saleable in the future.

Also, keep a close eye on the tyres for uneven wear - outer/inner edges. These cars are sometimes prone to this, particularly if you are on runflats. A 4-wheel laser alignment is not too expensive and this will probably cure it.

[bfleming]

Oil consumption would be my only concern, but that's something you can't really detect on a test drive. My old 330i used about a litre every 1000 miles. Some do & some don't.

[Zen_Driver]

Hey all,

Nick46
bfleming
Jeff123
4 Doors
Andy198712

...thanks very much for the advice!

Update...

Had to take her in for a service (engine oil) and my local BMW indy was very impressed by the state. Also changed the rear brake pads, not too bad for under £400 and a bit of peace of mind.

Definitely want to get LEDs but things like this will have to wait until the boss (yes, her ) will certainly view them as luxury spend rather than keeping the car on the road!

And here she is...

[DriverLDN]

Congrats on the new car!

I have a 2006 330i, I believe they are the same engine, I maybe mistaken though. Tyres wise I swear by Goodyear Eagle F1s, they're awesome, although for the last 35k miles I've had Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance on the front and they have been very impressive performance wise and wear wise. I've had my car for 4 years now and clocked up 58k miles since I bought it.

Main things I've done preventative:

Rear diff oil
Gearbox oil change, sleeve and software update (Auto)
Power steering fluid to be changed (Active Steering for me)
Engine oil change every 10k miles of thereabouts.

What's gone wrong:

Waterpump failed around 56k miles, no warning nothing, fine one minute gone the next.
Oil filter housing gasket and cooler gasket replaced.

Then usual maintenance has been done, brakes and discs, new set of D1S bulbs for the headlamps.

Other than that its been a very reliable car.

[wrongmark]

+1 for Goodyear Eagle F1's. I got mine done at Costco when they had an offer on. Got all 4 done for not much more than 2 Conti run flats would have cost (and did cost me the year before).

+1 on rear diff oil too.

An don't skimp on cheapo parts. I always go OE or OEM, apart from my Brembo coated discs and pads all around.

[texasjohn]

The guy suggesting £1000 as a war chest isn't being unrealistic. Pessimistic, yes, but not unrealistic. The cars are reasonably reliable, but when they do shit themselves it can cost a fortune as I found out recently with my low mileage FSH 335i. I had two other 335i previously, a couple of 130i, and those cars didn't have any problems. Luck of the draw.

I lost confidence at that point, had it fixed and sold it on; I'm sure it will now be absolutely fine for 10s thousands of miles but I wasn't willing to take the risk.

I would also give a vote for Eagle F1s.

[rasa bmw]

any car at 5 years and older will cost in the future..its common sense..and i find bmw no dearer than most makes of same sized engine cars..

[bishbosh]

Correct, things wear.

All we can do is replace when it fails. I had a crank pulley fail at 185,000 miles while on holiday. Bad luck but it could have failed at anytime.

I'm still on the original water pump, turbo and clutch and the car is now almost at 200,000 miles, conversely I've heard of these parts failing at mileages much less than half that.

+1 for Eagle F1 AS2