[JoltinJoe7]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum but not new to the 335i's. I previously owned a 2012 E92 w/ the N55 and now have a 2010 E93 N54 w/ only 54k miles. Before I jumped into any performance upgrades I performed the following maintenance items; please let me know what you think overall and definitely point out anything I may have missed and should take care of. Thanks!

-Oil Change: Liqui Moly Engine Flush, Liqui Moly5w40 MolyGen w/ Hengst filter & Liqui Moly Ceratec additive
-Transmission Svc: New oil pan, filter and Redline Atf Fluid
-Rear Diff Svc: ECS Rear Diff Svc kit w/ Redline 75w90
-Spark Plugs & Coils: NGK 2 step colder plugs gapped to .020" & Precision Raceworks N54 Ignition Kit
-Brakes: New Stop Tech drilled & slotted rotors w/ Sport ceramic pads & stainless steel brake lines (the driver side rear is a pain), flushed & bled the system w/ Pentosin DOT 4 LV fluid
-Replaced water pump, thermostat, all hoses & flushed the system
-Replaced Valve Cover Gasket
-Replaced Oil Filter Housing Gasket
-Replaced Oil Pan Gasket
-Walnut blasted intake valves & replaced Intake Manifold & Throttle Body Gaskets
-Upgraded to BMS Oil Cooler valve
-Upgraded to VRSF Chargepipe w/ OEM Twin Diverters
-Upgraded to Billet Aluminum PCV Valve assembly
-New Wheels, Tires, & H&R Race Lowering springs (will be replacing shocks & struts w/ Koni Sports), alignment.
-New battery
-BMS Double Baffle Catch Can (Vacuum Side)

That's pretty much it, look forward to any and all feedback!

[Phil325i]

Looks to me like you've covered all the usual culprits, except maybe coolant flush...

[E93Dude]

You've put in quite a bit of work, so bravo. I'm in the middle of doing the 100K mile refresh/service on my 2007 E93 MT6, and have done nearly all the same items except for charge pipe and springs - both are fine. Water pump blew up at 85K, so that was already taken care of. Couple of thoughts I wanted to offer as you continue:

-- LiquiMoly does not recommend use of Ceratec with Moly5w40 MolyGen. They are very specific that MolyGen already contains Ceratec additives, so its redundant. I use the same oil, BTW. Good choice.

-- I walnut blasted my E93 AND added dual cone intakes ($100 from BGS). My throttle response was only modestly noticable, but its the jump in gas mileage that really impressed me. I went from about 25mpg on an easy commute to 30mpg. I don't know what percentage of the jump was due to the blasting or DCIs, but they are certainly complimentary and cheap/easy fixes for the DIYer. My intake valves were effing nasty and gunked up. I should have done them at 50K...

-- Beware the lurking fan belt in the crank seal disaster. BMW's failure to include a crank seal guard on N54s was an awful engineering choice (blame the accountants, probably). VTT and others make aftermarket guards that are relatively easy to install. You have to remove the fan to get at the crank. Here is one example: https://vargasturbo.com/product/vtt-...nk-seal-guard/

-- If you want to go the extra mile, replace the plastic coolant hose flange to the engine block with a billet aluminum one. The plastic ones are notorious for degrading in place, cracking, and bursting. FCPEuro sells one for about $20. And while you are down there in the front of the engine tearing up your knuckles, pull the VANOS solenoids and clean them with carb cleaner. Its not a "must do" but they can get finicky and cause the car to throw codes and run like crap if they get too gunked up.

Your car is not old enough yet, but you may want to look at replacing the power steering fluid. Am not quite sure what the recommended intervals on that are. Vacuum lines are going to need replacing at some point, too, but that is another cheap and easy fix.

Good luck, our E93s are awsome! Post some photos.

[edycol]

Wow. A lot of work.
My $0.02.
1. Engine flushes/additives IMO are big no. Quality oil will do all the work necessary.
2. You have better choices than Liqui Moly. In N54 you really want low evaporation oil (low Noack). BMW TPT 5W30, Castrol Edge 0W30, are far better than anything LM has to offer. Castrol 0W40 is exceptional choice too if going to upgrade. Stay away from M1 0W40 as it is rich in Sulfated ash and phosphorus, a bug no for engines prone to CBU.
3. Why slotted and drilled rotors? Personally, I would be afraid to run that.

[JoltinJoe7]

Originally Posted by edycol

Wow. A lot of work.
My $0.02.
1. Engine flushes/additives IMO are big no. Quality oil will do all the work necessary.
2. You have better choices than Liqui Moly. In N54 you really want low evaporation oil (low Noack). BMW TPT 5W30, Castrol Edge 0W30, are far better than anything LM has to offer. Castrol 0W40 is exceptional choice too if going to upgrade. Stay away from M1 0W40 as it is rich in Sulfated ash and phosphorus, a bug no for engines prone to CBU.
3. Why slotted and drilled rotors? Personally, I would be afraid to run that.

Interesting info on the oil. I've had nothing but good results with LM, I run it in my 2015 VW Golf Sportwagen TDI as well. I know their products are solid, but I hadn't done any research into the more scientific aspects of the N54's specific needs, so thanks for that. In terms of engine flushes, I've talked to a lot of seasoned mechanics and techs and it's pretty much a 50/50 split on if they help or hurt in terms of longevity and reliability. My E93 is a 1 owner car with low miles and 20+ pages of dealer and private shop maintenance records, so I'm leaning towards just keeping it simple and staying away from additives as you suggest. The drilled and slotted rotors are a performance boost, I have them on my VW as well. I've noticed a significant increase in stopping power. Why would you be wary of running them?

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by E93Dude

You've put in quite a bit of work, so bravo. I'm in the middle of doing the 100K mile refresh/service on my 2007 E93 MT6, and have done nearly all the same items except for charge pipe and springs - both are fine. Water pump blew up at 85K, so that was already taken care of. Couple of thoughts I wanted to offer as you continue:

-- LiquiMoly does not recommend use of Ceratec with Moly5w40 MolyGen. They are very specific that MolyGen already contains Ceratec additives, so its redundant. I use the same oil, BTW. Good choice.

-- I walnut blasted my E93 AND added dual cone intakes ($100 from BGS). My throttle response was only modestly noticable, but its the jump in gas mileage that really impressed me. I went from about 25mpg on an easy commute to 30mpg. I don't know what percentage of the jump was due to the blasting or DCIs, but they are certainly complimentary and cheap/easy fixes for the DIYer. My intake valves were effing nasty and gunked up. I should have done them at 50K...

-- Beware the lurking fan belt in the crank seal disaster. BMW's failure to include a crank seal guard on N54s was an awful engineering choice (blame the accountants, probably). VTT and others make aftermarket guards that are relatively easy to install. You have to remove the fan to get at the crank. Here is one example: https://vargasturbo.com/product/vtt-...nk-seal-guard/

-- If you want to go the extra mile, replace the plastic coolant hose flange to the engine block with a billet aluminum one. The plastic ones are notorious for degrading in place, cracking, and bursting. FCPEuro sells one for about $20. And while you are down there in the front of the engine tearing up your knuckles, pull the VANOS solenoids and clean them with carb cleaner. Its not a "must do" but they can get finicky and cause the car to throw codes and run like crap if they get too gunked up.

Your car is not old enough yet, but you may want to look at replacing the power steering fluid. Am not quite sure what the recommended intervals on that are. Vacuum lines are going to need replacing at some point, too, but that is another cheap and easy fix.

Good luck, our E93s are awsome! Post some photos.

All good stuff. Your comment about VANOS solenoids reminded me that cleaning the VANOS filters would be a good one to add to the OPs list:

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=900394

[edycol]

Originally Posted by JoltinJoe7

Interesting info on the oil. I've had nothing but good results with LM, I run it in my 2015 VW Golf Sportwagen TDI as well. I know their products are solid, but I hadn't done any research into the more scientific aspects of the N54's specific needs, so thanks for that. In terms of engine flushes, I've talked to a lot of seasoned mechanics and techs and it's pretty much a 50/50 split on if they help or hurt in terms of longevity and reliability. My E93 is a 1 owner car with low miles and 20+ pages of dealer and private shop maintenance records, so I'm leaning towards just keeping it simple and staying away from additives as you suggest. The drilled and slotted rotors are a performance boost, I have them on my VW as well. I've noticed a significant increase in stopping power. Why would you be wary of running them?

So, LM is solid product. But, you have better products available. For example, absolute top performer for VW TDI common rail engines that require VW 504.00/507.00 oils is Mobil1 ESP 5W30 or Motul 5W30 X-Clean+. LM does not have anything close to that. So, why getting LM? Most people fall on Made in Germany thing. I tested their oils when I worked on oil testing in previous life. Would I use them? Yes, if no better options, but there are plenty better options.
Additives? Mechanics are not chemists. Your oil has well balanced additives that do all that. WHen you add something you are messing up that balance and increasing certain type of additive that could be overkill, do one thing good, but make issue somewhere else.
Rotors? No rotor should be both slotted and drilled. On track many people are hesitant running drilled rotors as integrity might be compromised. F1 cars mostly have only small slotts, not drills. It looks fantastic, but integrity is compromised, and 335 packs a punch when it comes to braking. Your performance comes from pads. They are ones providing feedback, more aggressive initial bite etc. Stop Tech sport pads are a OK, IMO not improvement over OE or OEM pads. I tried them on track, so, so. Better pads would be Hawk HP+ or Ferodo DS2500 which are duel track/street, but get ready for some noise when cold. I personally run ATE solid rotors on track. If rotors start to get too hot, drilled rotors won't solve that issue. Bigger rotor will (think upgrading to F30 brakes with 4 piston caliper and 370mm rotor in front).