[Dirtleg]

I'll chime in.

Picked up a fairly unhealthy e90 2006 325i last Saturday. 1st car for my 16 year old. I say unhealthy in that is lacking up to date maintenance. It needs a valve cover gasket, plugs, oil canister gasket, has some charging issues and rear wheel speed sensor (Fixed with a washer) issue. Headlights need to be wet sanded and idrive is well, broken. But it was very inexpensive. Interior is in very good condition, windows, sunroof all work. Tires are decent and brake pads are healthy. Paint is polishing out well and it is a good looking car overall. Smooth and solid on the highway in spite of a misfire (Moved plug misfire followed plug). I figure it'll be mostly sorted out in the next few weeks as parts are on order.

When I was looking for a car for him everything American or Japanese in the same price range was just nasty inside. Cracked dash, ripped seats, shift knobs worn down to the rubber, falling headliners etc. And probably in need of other repairs as well. Didn't want to stick my kid in a car that looked like a crime scene inside.

So in spite of having to do some work and spending a few more $$ to get it reliable, it was IMO the best option for a car with the amount of money I was willing to spend.

Essentially part of the reason there are so many still on the road is they are built a little better. Even if they may need more maintenance in some areas.

[C4maro]

Originally Posted by fazman

I got my 2008 e90 335xi as a CPO with 17k miles.

I went FBO by 40k miles in 2012.

My car has 197k miles today (original motor, trans, and transfer case). I put in new turbos at 186k miles because the original turbos were making a howling sound at low speed.

I love my n54 WAY more than my $80k 2018 Tesla Performance Model 3

Is that the one that goes to 0-60 in like 0.2 seconds?

That's a lot of miles. Do you drive pretty normally? How often do you get on it?

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Dirtleg

I'll chime in.

Picked up a fairly unhealthy e90 2006 325i last Saturday. 1st car for my 16 year old. I say unhealthy in that is lacking up to date maintenance. It needs a valve cover gasket, plugs, oil canister gasket, has some charging issues and rear wheel speed sensor (Fixed with a washer) issue. Headlights need to be wet sanded and idrive is well, broken. But it was very inexpensive. Interior is in very good condition, windows, sunroof all work. Tires are decent and brake pads are healthy. Paint is polishing out well and it is a good looking car overall. Smooth and solid on the highway in spite of a misfire (Moved plug misfire followed plug). I figure it'll be mostly sorted out in the next few weeks as parts are on order.

When I was looking for a car for him everything American or Japanese in the same price range was just nasty inside. Cracked dash, ripped seats, shift knobs worn down to the rubber, falling headliners etc. And probably in need of other repairs as well. Didn't want to stick my kid in a car that looked like a crime scene inside.

So in spite of having to do some work and spending a few more $$ to get it reliable, it was IMO the best option for a car with the amount of money I was willing to spend.

Essentially part of the reason there are so many still on the road is they are built a little better. Even if they may need more maintenance in some areas.

It's amazing how much a reputation can sell a vehicle regardless of its condition.

About 5-6 years ago my sister was looking at used cars. Her Honda Civic had finally rusted to a point where it just wasn't safe to drive and burned about as much oil as gas.

She initially started looking at Civics and Corollas to replace it, but they were all trashed. Anything used (even the really expensive ones) seemed to have had sub-par maintenance, junk tires, loose steering, etc, and the seller/selling dealer would just state "It's a Honda/Toyota, it will run forever", even though the car itself was not in that good of shape. She ended up buying a 2013 Jetta 2.5L with low miles, spotless interior and brand new tires for less money, and the car has been just about flawless.

[toy4two]

Originally Posted by Frankenstein_135

I have read that the N52 naturally aspirated engine found on 325i, 328i and 330i variants of the E90s are pretty stout. I have a 2011 E91 328xi wagon and so far I haven't had any problems.

I bought the car with 140,000 miles. I have recently completed some preventative maintenance and below is what I found:

1. The spark plugs and/or coils went out. From service history, it seems the first set lasted 60,000 miles and the second set lasted 80,000 miles.

2. I changed the transmission fluid and filter. Fluid and filter looked clean, no debris found in pan.

3. I changed the valve cover gasket and oil filter housing gasket. No oil leak was visible outside prior to the change. The old gaskets were still reasonably soft. There was oil on the spark plugs so I hope changing the gasket will solve that.

4. I changed the VANOS solenoids. No signs of failure prior to the change.

5. I changed the water pump and thermostat. No signs of failure prior to the change. I am not sure how to read the stamp on the old water pump, but it seems it was the factory unit.

6. I replaced the "Mickey Mouse" coolant flange with an aluminum one. The old flange was holding together just fine, but when I tried to break it with a hammer, it shattered very easily. (Since I was replacing the water pump/thermostat at the same time, I took out the entire coolant pipe to work on the flange.)

Things I haven't fixed yet:

1. The oil pan gasket is leaking. I cannot see it actively dripping, but the entire oil pan and plastic underbody panel were very wet. I researched and found that replacing the oil pan will require dropping the subframe, so I will just let it be and keep an eye on the oil level.

2. The interior rear view mirror and the MULF2-HI in the trunk seem defective. I have posted my questions in these threads:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1663593
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1767973

Once I sort out all the small issues I will post a thread for all the works I did on my car.

No need to swap water pumps in 2009-2011 LCI E90's all the problems were electrical related (wrong voltage) and was corrected in 2009 so no more over working those electronics to the point of failure. I also swapped my 2011 before I knew this.

You can try some of that "high mileage" oil that has chemicals that expand the existing oil seals. Get a few more years out of them. Replacing the oil pan on an X drive I'd avoid X drive models just because its more difficult to maintain since that front diff blocks access to everything.

I have noticed that BMW has decided to go all "Lexus". Their cars drive like Lexus now, softer, disconnected, over assisted but more reliable, shocked they won most reliable car this year, its never happened before for them

Times have changed. Soon all cars will be pretty much the same electric drive trains and boring AF.

[whyzee125]

Most of the horror stories are from n54/n55 owners. E90s overall are actually pretty reliable cars. The thing a lot of people forget, too, is that while they’re pricy to maintain compared to, say, a Toyota, it’s way cheaper to maintain an e90 than to buy a new car.

I see lots of non enthusiast types, especially people who are 50+ driving these. If it’s a great car that’s treated you well for 10+ years and you still like it, why sell? Makes sense to me.

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by toy4two

No need to swap water pumps in 2009-2011 LCI E90's all the problems were electrical related (wrong voltage) and was corrected in 2009 so no more over working those electronics to the point of failure. I also swapped my 2011 before I knew this.

This is great. Where can I find more information about the updated waterpump?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Guy Fieri

This is great. Where can I find more information about the updated waterpump?

It's just a p/n change. My replacement pump I put in, in June 2011, has 269,000 miles on it. Zero codes. The factory pump only went 149,000.

[Skoidat69]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Most of the horror stories are from n54/n55 owners. E90s overall are actually pretty reliable cars. The thing a lot of people forget, too, is that while they’re pricy to maintain compared to, say, a Toyota, it’s way cheaper to maintain an e90 than to buy a new car.

I see lots of non enthusiast types, especially people who are 50+ driving these. If it’s a great car that’s treated you well for 10+ years and you still like it, why sell? Makes sense to me.

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Most of the horror stories are from n54/n55 owners. E90s overall are actually pretty reliable cars. The thing a lot of people forget, too, is that while they're pricy to maintain compared to, say, a Toyota, it's way cheaper to maintain an e90 than to buy a new car.

I see lots of non enthusiast types, especially people who are 50+ driving these. If it's a great car that's treated you well for 10+ years and you still like it, why sell? Makes sense to me.

There are 2 other guys at work that drive E9X cars and we laugh went guys with newer BMWs talk trash them bitch about their cars..

[trader1414]

I've had my 2010 e93 since 2012 and outside of brakes/rotors/calipers, tires, maintenance stuff the only thing I've really done is replace the plastic flange (spelling) with a aluminum one. I'm about to replace my tie rods/bushings but only because I drove over a barrier that I didn't see. I probably ought to do the vcg but I've been told that since 2014. We bought ours cpo so really just changing the oil

[Pittz1]

2006 w/ 214k

Still get compliments. I had to replace the TC motor the other week. Pulled one from the junkyard for $30. Doing the transmission service today just to stay on top of things.

[POBEP]

My 2c.

2009 E91 LCI N52K, single owner, 107K miles (only)
The only warranty issue was CIC replacement.
Post warranty repairs: OFHG, VCG and OPG (outstanding), both rear speed sensors and coolant vent hose.
Maintenance: oil/filters/brake fluid/brakes - CBS, transmission/diff/ps fluids once, battery - once, tires - twice.
It never left me stranded on the road.
Original water pump, thermostat, expansion tank

Over 13y of ownership $795 in repair and $4,554 in maintenance (major cost was tires)

2011 E90 LCI M57Y, 4th owner, 147K miles
Got it 18mo ago.
$2,865 in maintenance (lots were overdue), $1,882 in repairs and more on the way.

Just like Efthreeoh and others say, N52 is a tank.
M57 is solid too with exception of all emission-related components.

E70 is rock solid too, with exception of diesel emissions as well.
F25 was at the dealer on average every 4 months.

I had 1994 Accord and 1989 Civic - it needed far more repairs per mile.
Both Civic & Accord left me on the side of the road 3 times each.

[Bims328i]

After owning a few different cars I can say I love my E90 even if it has been a bit of a pain to keep up with repairs. The 3-series are wayyy over engineered for the price they were back when they were new. I take great car of my cars and while they are not perfect, I feel like I'm working on my own land-ship-millennium-falcon even if is not a top-of-the-line model, they are some classy cars well suited for the mechanical type.

After owning a bimmer for nearly two years now I will say the biggest thing you can do to keep them in good shape is to change the oil every 3-4k miles. Most do the absolute bare minimum to maintain their cars. You just can't do that BMW's.

If you can fix and maintain it yourself, it will really save a lot of money in labor costs.

I recently saved up to buy a genuine valve cover which I will say is kind of ridiculous to have integrated the PCV system like they did (a replacement PCV kit is literally an entire new VC) but its fixed now along with all the other things I've repaired to make sure it is running well. Still more to do but that is because I enjoy the vehicle and want to take good care of it.

[NorthernDancer]

Imported a 2006 330xiT w/6 spd manual from Germany in June with only 78K miles. Easily passed our strict safety inspection.
I've had my 128 for 11 years now; only "repair" was VCG.

E90's and E82's with the N52/51 are fantastic cars.

[lowrydr310]

I just returned from a trip to Germany, Switzerland, and France. I was really surprised to see a lot more E90/91s than I did F30/31s. Not surprisingly most of them were E91s but I saw a lot more E90 sedans than I expected. It was cool to see all the different configurations that we don't see in the US too, like the LCI E90 320d with M-sport bumpers, and some really basic models as well.

I usually make it a point to stick with manual cars when traveling to Europe but this time it seems the Automatic transmission is taking over at least with the more upmarket brands/models. I had a choice of rental between an Audi A6 Avant or a BMW X4, both automatics, so I got the X4. It was nice and comfortable, and the handling was excellent for such a tall vehicle, but it still felt numb like any modern car compared to the E90.

[titaniume91]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I disagree. BMW supports the cars it has sold for decades after the last production run of a particular model. Speaking of the E30, I had mine for 18 years since new and even in the 18th year, nearly every part was still available as OE from BMW. Not many manufacturers keep a deep level of parts available for 20 years past the model production date. My wife's 25-year-old Z3 is still supported by BMW. I'd guess 85% of the car is still available as OE parts, being based on the E30/E36 and 300,000-unit production run helps, but still the oldest models are 20 years old now. I think BMW wouldn't keep parts in stock for 20-year old cars if it wasn't making money at it.

That's the good news about BMWs, you can keep them for decades because the new OE parts are plentiful. That's why you see so many old ones on the road.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I disagree. BMW supports the cars it has sold for decades after the last production run of a particular model. Speaking of the E30, I had mine for 18 years since new and even in the 18th year, nearly every part was still available as OE from BMW. Not many manufacturers keep a deep level of parts available for 20 years past the model production date. My wife's 25-year-old Z3 is still supported by BMW. I'd guess 85% of the car is still available as OE parts, being based on the E30/E36 and 300,000-unit production run helps, but still the oldest models are 20 years old now. I think BMW wouldn't keep parts in stock for 20-year old cars if it wasn't making money at it.

That's the good news about BMWs, you can keep them for decades because the new OE parts are plentiful. That's why you see so many old ones on the road.

@Efthreeoh Yup. I asked my service department last time I was in if there was any cutoff year for parts support. They chuckled and showed me the 1934 315 roadster a customer had brought in.

On the other hand, my local Jeep dealer turned away my 2003 Grand Cherokee.

[Carlife851]

check below the cluster, has this option now to make cluster be digital

[KKevin]

Gotta give them the wave of course when you see another E90

[HB E90]

Anyone want a very well kept So Cal Low mi E90 335i? I've had it for 4 years. Only the usual repairs and maint needed. Unfortunately have to sell because now my 2 teenage daughters are driving and the insurance co put one of them in the car. It was reasonable to keep as a 2nd vehicle for me but not now.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1974872