E90 Diesel Turbo Maintenance & Servicing

licketylips · 05-10-2013, 07:14 PM

E90 Diesel owners, have any of you had your Turbocharger Serviced / Reconditioned?
My 320d is coming up to 95000 kms, still running well. I asked my Indy this same question and he said it never needed to be serviced which I found hard to believe given the many problems that can occur with turbos and may be averted with some preventative maintenance / recondition.

krhodes1 · 05-10-2013, 10:52 PM

What would you service?

A turbocharger is actually a very simple device, they really only have one moving part in most cases (not counting the wastegate). They just live in a very, very harsh environment. They work until they don't. The best service you can give them is keeping clean synthetic oil in the car, and following a reasonable startup and shutdown routine. Minimal boost for the first couple minutes, a bit of cool down time before you shut it off.

I've owned more than a dozen turbocharged cars, both gas and diesel, from a 1982 Volvo 245T to my current 2013 FIAT Abarth. I have never, ever, not once had a turbo related issue beyond a leaking oil line. Once. Volvos, Peugeots, Saabs, VWs, and now the FIAT. Most of them bought VERY used with lots of miles. Only a 185K mile 1985 Saab with a non-watercooled turbo had ever had the original turbo replaced out of all those cars.

Timujin · 05-10-2013, 11:37 PM

Agreed ^

Simple care during startup, warm-up, cool off & shut down. Should be ok.

Thud · 05-14-2013, 08:46 AM

Right, the turbos in our cars are simple. Pretty much the bearings would be the only thing that would give out.

Some of the cars (like 330d) have variable-geometry turbos, which are more complex-- I wonder how their longevity is.

anielsen71 · 05-14-2013, 05:30 PM

My former BMW E46 330d had variable geometry, and it was said that I should expect aprox 250.000km. Mine lasted until 302.000km. Then it failed. Fortunatetly without blasting the fanblades into the IC og engine. It was replaced and I drove 250.000 more km in that car.
I had my current E91 330d turbo replaced last week after seeing blue smoke lifting the gaspedal. Instead of waiting for the unit to fail, I got it replaced with another hybrid version from TurboDynamics in UK. And now it runs better than ever with 225.000km on the clock.

05-10-2013, 07:14 PM	#1
licketylips New Member 3 Rep 11 Posts Drives: 320D Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Melbourne iTrader: (0)	E90 Diesel Turbo Maintenance & Servicing E90 Diesel owners, have any of you had your Turbocharger Serviced / Reconditioned? My 320d is coming up to 95000 kms, still running well. I asked my Indy this same question and he said it never needed to be serviced which I found hard to believe given the many problems that can occur with turbos and may be averted with some preventative maintenance / recondition.
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05-10-2013, 10:52 PM	#2
krhodes1 Colonel 1430 Rep 2,525 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Wagon Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Westbrook, Maine, Port Charlotte, Florida iTrader: (1) Garage List 2011 128i [10.00] 2011 BMW 328i Touring [10.00]	What would you service? A turbocharger is actually a very simple device, they really only have one moving part in most cases (not counting the wastegate). They just live in a very, very harsh environment. They work until they don't. The best service you can give them is keeping clean synthetic oil in the car, and following a reasonable startup and shutdown routine. Minimal boost for the first couple minutes, a bit of cool down time before you shut it off. I've owned more than a dozen turbocharged cars, both gas and diesel, from a 1982 Volvo 245T to my current 2013 FIAT Abarth. I have never, ever, not once had a turbo related issue beyond a leaking oil line. Once. Volvos, Peugeots, Saabs, VWs, and now the FIAT. Most of them bought VERY used with lots of miles. Only a 185K mile 1985 Saab with a non-watercooled turbo had ever had the original turbo replaced out of all those cars. __________________ '11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire Last edited by krhodes1; 05-10-2013 at 10:59 PM..
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05-10-2013, 11:37 PM	#3
Timujin Major 352 Rep 1,005 Posts Drives: GMC Sierra Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: California iTrader: (9) Garage List 2010 BMW M3 [0.00]	Agreed ^ Simple care during startup, warm-up, cool off & shut down. Should be ok. __________________ We grow food to feed the animals so we can eat the animals
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05-14-2013, 08:46 AM	#4
Thud Throbbing Member 43 Rep 1,433 Posts Drives: Join Date: Jan 2008 iTrader: (0)	Right, the turbos in our cars are simple. Pretty much the bearings would be the only thing that would give out. Some of the cars (like 330d) have variable-geometry turbos, which are more complex-- I wonder how their longevity is. __________________ 2014 Tesla Model S 85kwh Previous cars: 2011 335d / Deep Sea Blue / Saddle brown / sport / premium 2008 BMW 135i / 6MT 2002 Z06 Corvette
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05-14-2013, 05:30 PM	#5
anielsen71 Lieutenant Colonel 557 Rep 1,500 Posts Drives: F36 435xd Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Behind the wheel iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 BMW F36 435d [8.00]	My former BMW E46 330d had variable geometry, and it was said that I should expect aprox 250.000km. Mine lasted until 302.000km. Then it failed. Fortunatetly without blasting the fanblades into the IC og engine. It was replaced and I drove 250.000 more km in that car. I had my current E91 330d turbo replaced last week after seeing blue smoke lifting the gaspedal. Instead of waiting for the unit to fail, I got it replaced with another hybrid version from TurboDynamics in UK. And now it runs better than ever with 225.000km on the clock. __________________ Brgds Allan ‘15 F36 435xd Gran Coupé Ex: E46 330d, E91 330dA
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