[fdriller9]

So in about a week I am planning to do a coolant, power steering, and oil flush as preventative maintenance and am wondering if I should do anything else while I'm at it....simple things.

I'm also planning on changing the oil filter housing gasket since I need to flush the coolant at the same time.

I changed my oil about 7k miles ago. This is my first coolant and power steering flush at about 64k.

I plan on doing transmission and diff fluid at about 75k.

Is there any other maintenance I can do? Filters are good. Spark plugs could be changed but I don't think it's necessary right now (probably do that with the trans/diff flush). Just changed brake fluid this past summer.

Any other seals/gaskets I should replace....that are relatively easy to do?

What about belts? I don't ever see any people talking about replacing belts. I check them periodically and last time I checked, they were pretty tight.

Thanks guys!

[Tom K.]

Sounds like a pretty complete list. I had the serpentine belts replaced on my E46 at 55,000 miles, but I'm not so sure it was really necessary.

The only things I might add would be to consider a new battery when you do the tranny/diff oil change, and to continue using a rubber preservative like Gummi Pflege on the weather sealing and a good leather preservative on the seats.

Tom

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Sounds like a pretty complete list. I had the serpentine belts replaced on my E46 at 55,000 miles, but I'm not so sure it was really necessary.

The only things I might add would be to consider a new battery when you do the tranny/diff oil change, and to continue using a rubber preservative like Gummi Pflege on the weather sealing and a good leather preservative on the seats.

Tom

I just retrofitted a Braille 21lb lightweight battery so I'm good on that.

I've been putting 303 aerospace on the seals....I'm going to look into the Gummi Pflege though.

Thanks.

[topcat87]

brake fluid, air con compressor flush, aircon filter, ignition coils

[Saintor]

The more I think about it, I plan to change my electrical water pump at 70000 miles (1000$ job). I expect to keep my car until 115000 miles. I certainly don't want to left stranded in my heavy traffic commute.

IMO, I see no point in changing the coolant only because that water pump seems to be as a time bomb and you'll likely to do it again.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by topcat87

brake fluid, air con compressor flush, aircon filter, ignition coils

Do you mean like refilling freon? And by filter do you mean the microfilter?

I did a brake fulid swap during the summer so I'm good on that too.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by Saintor

The more I think about it, I plan to change my electrical water pump at 70000 miles (1000$ job). I expect to keep my car until 115000 miles. I certainly don't want to left stranded in my heavy traffic commute.

IMO, I see no point in changing the coolant only because that water pump seems to be as a time bomb and you'll likely to do it again.

Well I've read our pumps are a bit more reliable than the old e46 design which was belt driven. Since our e9x pumps are electrical they are less prone to the bearing failure you see in traditional, belt drive water pumps.

Also I'm swapping out my oil filter housing gasket as those are prone to failure on any BMW. I've seen some recent threads on how bad the gasket was after 70k+ miles.

The gasket can deteriorate and chunks can flow into the coolant system, clogging the thermostat and destroying the propeller in the pump.

I have to agree though, that it is a good preventative maintenance step. I may look into swapping it with my trans/diff flush. But I still want to change that gasket which requires my to flush the coolant.

It's way easier to Chnage the gasket on e46s since you don't have to flush the coolant. Just swapped it out on a buddy's e46.

Thanks.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by *********

Do you mean like refilling freon? And by filter do you mean the microfilter?

I did a brake fulid swap during the summer so I'm good on that too.
Thanks.


Well I've read our pumps are a bit more reliable than the old e46 design which was belt driven. Since our e9x pumps are electrical they are less prone to the bearing failure you see in traditional, belt drive water pumps.

Also I'm swapping out my oil filter housing gasket as those are prone to failure on any BMW. I've seen some recent threads on how bad the gasket was after 70k+ miles.

The gasket can deteriorate and chunks can flow into the coolant system, clogging the thermostat and destroying the propeller in the pump.

I have to agree though, that it is a good preventative maintenance step. I may look into swapping it with my trans/diff flush. But I still want to change that gasket which requires my to flush the coolant.

It's way easier to Chnage the gasket on e46s since you don't have to flush the coolant. Just swapped it out on a buddy's e46.

Thanks.

A few notes since our cars are basically the same less your front drive. I did my plugs at 99,000 and did the drive belt at that time. My old belt looked good and probably would still be going fine now at 135,000 miles, but the belt is only $24 and it really only takes 5 minutes to replace; it's the easiest one I've ever done.

I'd recommend you get some type of pneumatic liquid transfer tank. Since there is no drain on the diff, I don't think you can get all of the fluid out of the diff without one. I made a custom pickup tube for my vacuum tank when I did my diff oil and it made a big difference.

I think replacing the coils is a bit of overkill. Replace one if it breaks. The OBDII system will tell you when one goes bad anyway. Getting the AC system flushed is not a bad idea. By new Aircon filter he means there is a filter/drier for the Freon. The filter/drier is a drop-in part on the right side of the AC condenser (radiator). It requires removal of the bumper cover to get to it and full AC service (flush/vacuum/fill). The part is a bit over $100.

[Dan_Q]

Does it really make sense to wait until 75k miles to do the trans/diff? I thought a good guideline was every 30k (pwr steering fluid too). Since it is only about $30 in fluid and takes less than an hour to do both (assuming manual trans) I'd say do those now too.

You may already have referenced this, but I found a good pwr steering fluid flush which I bookmarked.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=471081

Good luck

[Crusader]

Mike Miller, BMW tech guru for BMWCCA, recommends man trans, diff, ps @ 30k intervals. Coolant every 2 years, brake fluid every year, oil at twice the service indicator interval. Air cleaner? Cabin filter?

I'd check the insp 2 in my service manual and insure that everything listed was done.

[AlanAZ]

I'd change the diff fluids now, and the plugs too, there is a revised NGK for your car, stronger spark and more mid-range power. Did you flush the clutch Hydraulics when you did the brakes? If not, I'd do that also.

Also I'm swapping out my oil filter housing gasket as those are prone to failure on any BMW. I've seen some recent threads on how bad the gasket was after 70k+ miles.

First I've heard about that, can you point me to the best thread?

[topcat87]

Originally Posted by *********

Do you mean like refilling freon? And by filter do you mean the microfilter?

I did a brake fulid swap during the summer so I'm good on that too.
Thanks.

yup microfilter and the compressor has some oil too
brake fluid is once a year its like spark plugs you can feel the difference once you change it

as for coils since your looking for preventive maintenance is why im recommending this as well might as well change it at your own leisure instead of having to worry when your car starts to misfire when your rushing somewhere in future

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

A few notes since our cars are basically the same less your front drive. I did my plugs at 99,000 and did the drive belt at that time. My old belt looked good and probably would still be going fine now at 135,000 miles, but the belt is only $24 and it really only takes 5 minutes to replace; it's the easiest one I've ever done.

I'd recommend you get some type of pneumatic liquid transfer tank. Since there is no drain on the diff, I don't think you can get all of the fluid out of the diff without one. I made a custom pickup tube for my vacuum tank when I did my diff oil and it made a big difference.

I think replacing the coils is a bit of overkill. Replace one if it breaks. The OBDII system will tell you when one goes bad anyway. Getting the AC system flushed is not a bad idea. By new Aircon filter he means there is a filter/drier for the Freon. The filter/drier is a drop-in part on the right side of the AC condenser (radiator). It requires removal of the bumper cover to get to it and full AC service (flush/vacuum/fill). The part is a bit over $100.

Well I plan on having a shop do the trans and diff swap. That's something I don't think I want to do as a first time DIY.

I'm gonna have to look into the AC flush and belt change.

Originally Posted by Dan_Q

Does it really make sense to wait until 75k miles to do the trans/diff? I thought a good guideline was every 30k (pwr steering fluid too). Since it is only about $30 in fluid and takes less than an hour to do both (assuming manual trans) I'd say do those now too.

You may already have referenced this, but I found a good pwr steering fluid flush which I bookmarked.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=471081

Good luck

Yea that's the DIY I'll be following. I know the Mike Miller maintenance schedule says to swap trans fluid every 30k but I haven't touched it since I got the car new so I don't want to do too many swaps as I heard that refilling can dislodge settled metal particles and potentially damage other things.

Originally Posted by Crusader

Mike Miller, BMW tech guru for BMWCCA, recommends man trans, diff, ps @ 30k intervals. Coolant every 2 years, brake fluid every year, oil at twice the service indicator interval. Air cleaner? Cabin filter?

I'd check the insp 2 in my service manual and insure that everything listed was done.

Just had inspection 2 around 55k. I'm at 63K now. I'm familiar with the Mike Miller maintenance plan but I think it's a bit much. Some more than others. The only reason why I'm waiting to do the trans/diff flush is because I haven't done so already and don't want to be doing them every 30k. If I had the tools and know how, sure. But this will be the first time doing trans/diff fluid so I'll be watching my shop do it so I can learn.

Originally Posted by AlanAZ

I'd change the diff fluids now, and the plugs too, there is a revised NGK for your car, stronger spark and more mid-range power. Did you flush the clutch Hydraulics when you did the brakes? If not, I'd do that also.



First I've heard about that, can you point me to the best thread?

I was unaware of the revised spark plugs. I'll have to look into that.

And I did not flush the clutch.....is that only for manual cars? I have an AT.

As far as the oil filter housing gasket. There is a DIY thread in that section. It's pretty well written and I beleive there is a comparison between the old and new gasket. I've seen 2 instances of people complaining about the gasket leaking. But I don't know where they are now. Let me know if you can't find them. I'll try to search for them.

Originally Posted by topcat87

yup microfilter and the compressor has some oil too
brake fluid is once a year its like spark plugs you can feel the difference once you change it

as for coils since your looking for preventive maintenance is why im recommending this as well might as well change it at your own leisure instead of having to worry when your car starts to misfire when your rushing somewhere in future

Well I have a BT tool which can tell me which pack is faulty so I would just need to buy the coil pack at the dealer and swap it out.

Is there a possibility a coil pack failure could leave me stranded? If so then I think I may replace all coils as well.

Thanks for the responses guys.....much appreciated.

[AlanAZ]

And I did not flush the clutch.....is that only for manual cars? I have an AT.

Yes, only for MT.

One other thing, struts and shocks, if you're still on the originals, you'll notice increasing degradation from here (65K mls) on out.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by topcat87

yup microfilter and the compressor has some oil too
brake fluid is once a year its like spark plugs you can feel the difference once you change it

as for coils since your looking for preventive maintenance is why im recommending this as well might as well change it at your own leisure instead of having to worry when your car starts to misfire when your rushing somewhere in future

You can't be serious. The ignition coils are $50 each. The replacement cost would be $300 for the parts plus either the OPs time or shop time to replace all six. If one coil fails the car would still be drivable and a tow (which is normally covered by insurance or by BMW roadside assistance) is only $150. The probability of an ignition coil failure is so low, it is not worth the cost to replace all of them rather than risk a roadside failure and a tow to a shop for repair. And with coils, the failure rate is more to do with manufacturing defects than use. Replacing the coils does not decrease the probability of failure very much.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by *********

Well I plan on having a shop do the trans and diff swap. That's something I don't think I want to do as a first time DIY.

I'm gonna have to look into the AC flush and belt change.



Yea that's the DIY I'll be following. I know the Mike Miller maintenance schedule says to swap trans fluid every 30k but I haven't touched it since I got the car new so I don't want to do too many swaps as I heard that refilling can dislodge settled metal particles and potentially damage other things.



Just had inspection 2 around 55k. I'm at 63K now. I'm familiar with the Mike Miller maintenance plan but I think it's a bit much. Some more than others. The only reason why I'm waiting to do the trans/diff flush is because I haven't done so already and don't want to be doing them every 30k. If I had the tools and know how, sure. But this will be the first time doing trans/diff fluid so I'll be watching my shop do it so I can learn.



I was unaware of the revised spark plugs. I'll have to look into that.

And I did not flush the clutch.....is that only for manual cars? I have an AT.

As far as the oil filter housing gasket. There is a DIY thread in that section. It's pretty well written and I beleive there is a comparison between the old and new gasket. I've seen 2 instances of people complaining about the gasket leaking. But I don't know where they are now. Let me know if you can't find them. I'll try to search for them.



Well I have a BT tool which can tell me which pack is faulty so I would just need to buy the coil pack at the dealer and swap it out.

Is there a possibility a coil pack failure could leave me stranded? If so then I think I may replace all coils as well.

Thanks for the responses guys.....much appreciated.

Just a bit more opinion from me. You've been doing some maintenance yourself, battery change, I think you fixed a fuel system vent pipe, and other stuff if I remember correctly, but you're cautious of diff and trans oil changes. There is probably nothing easier to do than drain and fill the transmission and differential. But you will attempt a oil filter housing gasket change? If you are confident enough to attempt the gasket change, the diff and trans oils are a piece of cake. Go for it.

The drive belt is so easy it's not funny. The AC needs special tools normally not available to the home mechanic (i.e. freon recovery tank, AC vacuum machine), and you can't buy refrigerant in bulk without a license to properly refill the system in accordacne with the BMW procedure, so that one you should leave to a shop.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Sounds like a pretty complete list. I had the serpentine belts replaced on my E46 at 55,000 miles, but I'm not so sure it was really necessary.

The only things I might add would be to consider a new battery when you do the tranny/diff oil change, and to continue using a rubber preservative like Gummi Pflege on the weather sealing and a good leather preservative on the seats.

Tom

+1

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by AlanAZ

Yes, only for MT.

One other thing, struts and shocks, if you're still on the originals, you'll notice increasing degradation from here (65K mls) on out.

Yea I've noticed my the back end of my car feels a bit more loose than usually. Like it feels floaty but not the common floaty-ness on xis. It's like there's no shock and just springs.

I wanted to lower my car on eibach springs but I think I'm just going to wait and get coilovers.

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Just a bit more opinion from me. You've been doing some maintenance yourself, battery change, I think you fixed a fuel system vent pipe, and other stuff if I remember correctly, but you're cautious of diff and trans oil changes. There is probably nothing easier to do than drain and fill the transmission and differential. But you will attempt a oil filter housing gasket change? If you are confident enough to attempt the gasket change, the diff and trans oils are a piece of cake. Go for it.

The drive belt is so easy it's not funny. The AC needs special tools normally not available to the home mechanic (i.e. freon recovery tank, AC vacuum machine), and you can't buy refrigerant in bulk without a license to properly refill the system in accordacne with the BMW procedure, so that one you should leave to a shop.

Well I've done a oil filter housing gasket change on an E46. It's pretty much the same procedure minus draining the coolant.

I was nervous as hell doing my brake fluid swap over the summer and it was also my first time doing oil as well. So this is all new to me but I am getting more confident in changing fluids in my car.

I guess I'll look over the DIY guide a few more times. That's what scared me lol.

Have you done a trans/diff flush? Any tips? Special tools? I read it's better to vacuum the fluid out. It may be posted in this thread.

[Chriztofor]

Originally Posted by *********

Have you done a trans/diff flush? Any tips? Special tools? I read it's better to vacuum the fluid out. It may be posted in this thread.

Here is my DIY for the auto transmission drain. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=367729

[73tnh]

we just did my 2006 E90 routine maintenance recently at 65k miles and changed differential oil, engine oil & filter, engine and cabin filters. The rear differential fluid we sucked out with a hand pump and refilled it to the level it was at, right up to the level of the drain plug=Easy. We also used the Amsoil intake carbon remover spray. It makes a great difference on the Direct Injection BMW of 40k+ miles engine by cleaning up the intake system/valves and makes the car idle and respond better now. We took the intake tube off and sprayed the entire can it into the throttle body as indicated while holding the idle at 1,500rpm. After it is all in, let the car sit for about 8-10 minutes. Then crank it up and drive the hell out of it. It will spit, sputter and maybe even cut off. The Service Engine light will come on after a few minutes. Simply crank the car up and turn it off 5 times and the SES light will reset. After the large smoke cloud is gone and the idle returns to normal you are done with this procedure. Works great. Do Not use the Seafoam brand intake cleaner. The fuel injector cleaner you pour in the gas tank Will Not do the same thing. This is for the Direct Injection intake systems engines to clean the valves and throttle body. It is not designed for cleaning fuel injectors.

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by 73tnh

we just did my 2006 E90 routine maintenance recently at 65k miles and changed differential oil, engine oil & filter, engine and cabin filters. The rear differential fluid we sucked out with a hand pump and refilled it to the level it was at, right up to the level of the drain plug=Easy. We also used the Amsoil intake carbon remover spray. It makes a great difference on the Direct Injection BMW of 40k+ miles engine by cleaning up the intake system/valves and makes the car idle and respond better now. We took the intake tube off and sprayed the entire can it into the throttle body as indicated while holding the idle at 1,500rpm. After it is all in, let the car sit for about 8-10 minutes. Then crank it up and drive the hell out of it. It will spit, sputter and maybe even cut off. The Service Engine light will come on after a few minutes. Simply crank the car up and turn it off 5 times and the SES light will reset. After the large smoke cloud is gone and the idle returns to normal you are done with this procedure. Works great. Do Not use the Seafoam brand intake cleaner. The fuel injector cleaner you pour in the gas tank Will Not do the same thing. This is for the Direct Injection intake systems engines to clean the valves and throttle body. It is not designed for cleaning fuel injectors.

My 330xi doesn't have direct injection....only the European versions have DI. That's one of the reasons why the Euro spec 330is make more power than US spec models.