[olliedg6]

Hi there, just recently joined the E92 club having bought a 330i m sport auto (Picking it up next week!). The car I've bought is an lci 2011 plate with 75000 miles on it. Excited is an understatement!

It has good service history with 8 stamps in the book and 2 previous owners. I've done a decent amount of research on the N53 and am aware of its common issues (i.e. injectors, coilpacks, waterpump etc) and have set aside a car fund if anything major suddenly needs doing. I'm also going to get a full service done on it soon just for my own peace of mind.

My question is, asides from consumables, what else should i focus on next maintenance wise. I was thinking maybe the auto gearbox oil service or possibly a suspension refresh but is this necessary at my current mileage?

Thanks in advance

Ollie

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by olliedg6

Hi there, just recently joined the E92 club having bought a 330i m sport auto (Picking it up next week!). The car I've bought is an lci 2011 plate with 75000 miles on it. Excited is an understatement!

It has good service history with 8 stamps in the book and 2 previous owners. I've done a decent amount of research on the N53 and am aware of its common issues (i.e. injectors, coilpacks, waterpump etc) and have set aside a car fund if anything major suddenly needs doing. I'm also going to get a full service done on it soon just for my own peace of mind.

My question is, asides from consumables, what else should i focus on next maintenance wise. I was thinking maybe the auto gearbox oil service or possibly a suspension refresh but is this necessary at my current mileage?

Thanks in advance

Ollie

Have you driven the car?

If it drives fine, the suspension is probably alright, you don't necessarily have to replace shocks, Springs etc straight away.

If its using the ZF6 gearbox, I'd save up and do a full service later on, (Mechatronic Sleeves, seals, solenoids, pan+filter and oil)

[olliedg6]

Originally Posted by Saif2018

Have you driven the car?

If it drives fine, the suspension is probably alright, you don't necessarily have to replace shocks, Springs etc straight away.

If its using the ZF6 gearbox, I'd save up and do a full service later on, (Mechatronic Sleeves, seals, solenoids, pan+filter and oil)

Hi thanks for the reply , yes i test drove it and it drives fine no knocks or anything, was more just thinking it might need doing cause of the mileage. And yes I think i probably will do a whole gearbox service at some point then.

Since its an N53 is it worth getting it walnut blasted or terracleaned/hyrdro cleaned etc at all for any carbon build up from DI. I will run it on Shell V power mainly anyway so wasn't sure if it would be worth it

[Saif2018]

Originally Posted by olliedg6

Hi thanks for the reply , yes i test drove it and it drives fine no knocks or anything, was more just thinking it might need doing cause of the mileage. And yes I think i probably will do a whole gearbox service at some point then.

Since its an N53 is it worth getting it walnut blasted or terracleaned/hyrdro cleaned etc at all for any carbon build up from DI. I will run it on Shell V power mainly anyway so wasn't sure if it would be worth it

For DI engines its worth it in my opinion, although your car mileage is pretty low

V Power or any fuel additives won't negate Walnut blasting,

The reason is the fuel is injected directly into the Combustion chamber and not over the valves like in port injection setups.

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by olliedg6

Since its an N53 is it worth getting it walnut blasted or terracleaned/hyrdro cleaned etc at all for any carbon build up from DI. I will run it on Shell V power mainly anyway so wasn't sure if it would be worth it

Best thing you can do to avoid carbon build-up is to fit an oil catch can. The intake valves on my N53 were inspected last week at 125,000 miles and were pristine - which I put down to my OCC and partially blanking the EGR.

If you're intending your 330i to be a 'keeper' then ignore BMW 'lifetime fill' service nonsense and change your oil, filter and other fluids regularly. You might find this an interesting read on BMW maintenance:

https://www.dslreports.com/r0/downlo...e%20v03.13.pdf

[0l0dom0l0]

If you can do it yourself then a walnut blast is a good thing to do. I did mine when I got it and there was a fair bit of carbon even at 36k miles or whatever it was when I did it.

Best thing you can do is get yourself a set of diagnostic kit and scan it once a month. Most faults are detectable in the early stages.

[OliSharp]

If I were buying my car again things i'd do straight away are:

dampers (good time to upgrade if you're keeping the car a while)
tyres (non-run flat)
check wheels are round and repair if needed (replace if cracked) these cars don't like potholes
gearbox fluid change (I'd be tempted to go the the ZF factory to have it done, if keeping the car for a while)
front control arms (m3 arms are pretty similar in price)
track rods (inner and outer)
ARB drop links / bushes
check all the rear arms for play and replace if needed
(Maybe get a full arm kits from TRW / MeyleHD)
a 4 wheel alignment from somewhere proper (i.e. not kwikfit!) I find potholes knock the tracking out quite easily so keep on top of this.
coolant flush (radiator change if it's bowed at the bottom, maybe do the hoses while you're in there)
Brakes (discs pads fluid lines) if needed, plenty of upgrade options when replacing pads

I've had plenty of other small things fail too like wheel speed sensors, interior air vent tabs etc.

I've actually found main dealer servicing prices are often similar to independent garages, BMW had 20% discount just before Christmas, your car should qualify for value line servicing now too. Otherwise AutoDoc, C3BMW, EuroCarParts. RealOEM is the place to find all your part numbers.

Get a fault code reader, or a cable and software for your laptop.

Injectors - just replace them when they fail (cold start misfires etc) Don't buy 2nd hand injectors, you can usually find main dealers selling them on eBay with 2 year warranty. Index11 is the latest.
Coils - not really a big deal, again just replace when they fail, the cost isn't huge
My water pump hasn't failed so can't comment on changing those.


Sounds like a lot, but if you do all this straight away you'll have a tight car driving as it should which you can enjoy for years to come, and not worry about things breaking.

[Dormermike]

I'd just enjoy it !! congrats