[e90sabr]

Hey folks, did a lot of research on a new-to-me long term car, and finally pulled the trigger on my first BMW--a space gray e90 Xdrive! Previously came from an '07 Pilot LX, '05 6MT TL, '04 6MT TSX, to finally this bucket of magnificence, 6MT E90.

Compared to my previous cars, right off the bat the bimmer is just a whole different level of refined and smooth, less dramatic than the TSX maybe, but completely blows my previous cars away altogether. Since buying it, the only change I've made is putting a Borla muffler with a staggered single tip outlet on. This is my new daily, so the goal is to keep it close to stock with some minor mods; looking into a set of H&R sport springs, probably a k&n drop-in filter, and preferably style 270's on a square setup--anyone selling?

Looking forward to my new bimmer ownership!

[jiggz]

Originally Posted by e90sabr

Hey folks, did a lot of research on a new-to-me long term car, and finally pulled the trigger on my first BMW--a space gray e90 Xdrive! Previously came from an '07 Pilot LX, '05 6MT TL, '04 6MT TSX, to finally this bucket of magnificence, 6MT E90.

Compared to my previous cars, right off the bat the bimmer is just a whole different level of refined and smooth, less dramatic than the TSX maybe, but completely blows my previous cars away altogether. Since buying it, the only change I've made is putting a Borla muffler with a staggered single tip outlet on. This is my new daily, so the goal is to keep it close to stock with some minor mods; looking into a set of H&R sport springs, probably a k&n drop-in filter, and preferably style 270's on a square setup--anyone selling?

Looking forward to my new bimmer ownership!

Welcome to the forum. I recently bought an E90 xDrive also (for my kids), but I've been driving mostly just BMWs for 20+ years now. I also came from Acuras - great cars but not comparable to how a BMW drives. You also started with a great platform, the garbage BMW is putting out today is obviously faster with way more tech, but most drive and sound like shit, IMO.

Enjoy your new ride

[e90sabr]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Welcome to the forum. I recently bought an E90 xDrive also (for my kids), but I've been driving mostly just BMWs for 20+ years now. I also came from Acuras - great cars but not comparable to how a BMW drives. You also started with a great platform, the garbage BMW is putting out today is obviously faster with way more tech, but most drive and sound like shit, IMO.

Enjoy your new ride

Thanks brother! I really appreciate it. I'm pretty young compared to many people on the forums but I'm always willing to learn more from you all.

[Fredo]

Congrats, sir! And welcome to the forum. I've owned 2 E90s. The first one was a 2006 E90 330i. I sold that one to my father-in-law, so it's still in the family.

The other was a 2009 E90 335i with sports package. Someone from Wisconsin bought it and had it shipped.

[e90sabr]

Originally Posted by Fredo

Congrats, sir! And welcome to the forum. I've owned 2 E90s. The first one was a 2006 E90 330i. I sold that one to my father-in-law, so it's still in the family.

The other was a 2009 E90 335i with sports package. Someone from Wisconsin bought it and had it shipped.

Thank you brother! Absolutely love the way she drives and sounds. I wanted to experience the last of the original BMW formula—straight six, stick, and hydro steering. Absolutely no regrets. Those e90’s of yours sound lovely!

[bad_335xi]

Ok so this is my confusing situation that I'm looking a straight answer for! So I bought my 2007 335xi e90 New Year's Eve of 2023 so roughly two and a half months ago. I was told when I put a new battery in that it needs to be coded. It had an AGM battery in it but I put a lead acid battery in it just to get by for a couple of months till I got my finances in order. I was told the coding program was for AGM battery only and if I coded it under a lead acid the car wouldn't start but i didn't code it or register it cause I didn't have the lead acid program the thing is the car runs fine I do have a few electrical issues but that's because I think put an h6 battery in instead of the h8. What I'm trying to get at here is that I was told if the lead acid battery was not coded it wouldn't start cause it was code for the old AGM battery but I've been drive the car daily. So my real question is do I really need to code the battery? Or should I just go upgrad to a bigger battery it's so frustrating cause I can't find a straight answer about his situation cause it seems to be a huge debate on weather you need to code the batteries to these cars or not any information helps at this point thanks!

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by bad_335xi

So my real question is do I really need to code the battery? Or should I just go upgrad to a bigger battery

OT to this thread, but the tl;dr is you can keep the Pb H6 in there for a minute and be fine.

Not the best option for the car, obviously. Properly code and register the new AGM H8 when you get it. That's really the correct battery for the car, and you want to do it right with these cars. If you're going to have an e90, you need to commit the $$$ to maintaining it correctly. You'll see lots of posts here from people that have their cars 2, 3, 400,000 miles, but you can also read how much time and $$$ they have had to put into them to keep them up and running. Dropping the truth bomb that if you don't have the time or money, BMWs will not be fun.

[GoRomeo]

Welcome to the club! 🤗

[bad_335xi]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

OT to this thread, but the tl;dr is you can keep the Pb H6 in there for a minute and be fine.

Not the best option for the car, obviously. Properly code and register the new AGM H8 when you get it. That's really the correct battery for the car, and you want to do it right with these cars. If you're going to have an e90, you need to commit the $$$ to maintaining it correctly. You'll see lots of posts here from people that have their cars 2, 3, 400,000 miles, but you can also read how much time and $$$ they have had to put into them to keep them up and running. Dropping the truth bomb that if you don't have the time or money, BMWs will not be fun.

I figured the H6 would be good for a minute when I bought it just to get by and I just started getting out of my financial hole so I do t think buying parts will be an issue I just want to make sure when I go to get the h8 AGM that it needed to be coded or not that ks for the info I used to rock the 1.9 BRM TDI jettas so ok a ton about those so this is a new ball game for me in the ero car community I love it so far and haven't had any issues except my head lights being all messed because of an electrical issue and I think the battery is more than likely to blame

[BRG_N54]

Originally Posted by bad_335xi

I was told the coding program was for AGM battery only and if I coded it under a lead acid the car wouldn't start

It's not that it won't start the first time, but maybe the 100th time it wont, because it is drained.

Originally Posted by bad_335xi

So my real question is do I really need to code the battery?

I am sorry to be long winded, but you are a new owner and it would be prudent to know more at this point, rather than less.

When the car was built, it was optioned with certain convenience features. Those features all have a load on the electrical system, a "power budget", if you will. To fit that power budget it was configured with a certain size battery, physically and electrically, to handle this budget. The battery is only used when the car is not running (simplified a bit), when the engine is on it uses the alternator, to not only supply power for everything, but also charge the battery. Most ICE powered cars work this way. The alternator delivers power through the voltage regulator. It contains two spring loaded brushes that rub against the central shaft of the alternator, which is rotated by engine power. Your car is an '07, so 18 years old. Over time, the battery will lose it ability to hold a charge and the brushes wear on the alternator. BOTH of those items need to be maintained and checked at regular intervals, for they are consumables, like tires, spark plugs, etc.

So, if your voltage regulator is failing and you put a new battery in, that will not fix the insufficient voltage while the car is running. The new battery may be ruined, because it is taking more load than normal, and is not being charged properly while driving. AGM and lead acid batteries have different charging profiles, using the wrong one may ruin a perfectly good battery. The coding process is also essential, because it is how the "power budget" and charging profiles are being determined. The electrical system is very intelligent and if presented with an impossible "power budget" solution, it will start to deactivate accessories, from least important to most, until the engine will shut down from overheating, since the water pump has been turned off.

Best advice; determine the output of the alternator while the engine is running. This is easily done from the dash by accessing the hidden menu in the dash cluster. It should be between 13.5V-14.5V, any more or less and it will just kill batteries and various electronic modules in the car, slowly over time. If the alternator looks good, either get the correct battery or code the car to the battery you have. Ignoring any of these things will leave you stranded and frustrated with your new bimmer.

Originally Posted by e90sabr

Looking forward to my new bimmer ownership!

Apologies for the thread-jack, welcome to the ultimate driving machine!

[bad_335xi]

Originally Posted by BRG_N54

Apologies for the thread-jack, welcome to the ultimate driving machine!

Awesome thanks for the input