[Madcat]

I purchased my 2006 330i with 99.6k miles on it Monday. I did my research before I bought the car and know that it has been taken care of. It is time for some maintenance though so I've gotten a list together. I'd like some advice/opinions on whether what I'm planning to do is all warranted and if I've missed anything. I have a shop but I mostly work on motorcycles, I am planning to DIY pretty much everything.

I'm using the list available here: http://www.bavauto.com/Assets/inst_pages/e90mc.pdf

• So far my plan is:
• Change waterpump and Thermostat/thermostat housing
• Coolant change/flush
• Valve cover gasket replacement (It's weeping a little)
• Oil change
• Transmission fluid flush/change
• Charcoal canister replacement (I'm in CA so emissions are a thing)
• O2 sensor replacement
• Power steering fluid

Unsure about:

• Diff fluid change (what fluid do I use for the diff, I've read redline but it didn't mention a weight or specifics. Any DIY threads I could read through would be a huge plus.)
• Spark plugs (If I'm pulling the valve cover it looks like I'll at least need to remove the coils, should I go ahead and replace the spark plugs then since I'm already elbow deep? Do the coils/boots need to be replaced as well or just inspected and replaced if damaged?)

I know that preventative maintenance is super important with these cars and as they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If I'm missing anything on my list please let me know. I have the Bentley manual for my car and will be looking up DIY's as well.

Just because a picture says a million words:

[GoRomeo]

Congrats you got pretty much all covered. My water pump still running stromg at 120k miles.

[Phil325i]

At your mileage, yes to diff fluid and plugs. Replace coils only when they fail. Diff fluid DIY thread here:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=385975

[Efthreeoh]

I'd wait until the WP and T-stat break, but that's just me. I guess the parts sold as a package now cut down on the cost, but the parts are around $350 for original BMW parts. It can save you a tow if the pump goes on you when traveling. The pump usually throws codes well before it actually dies, but you have to occasionally scan the car with BMW scan tool to find them.

The plugs have a 100K mile change interval. The diff and trans have 100K change intervals per BMW maintenance schedule, as does the coolant. My car at 276K has three of the original O2 sensors in it. BMW says to change them at 120K. I lost the Bank 2 Sensor 1 (before-cat) sensor at around 120K (long ago). I've decided to just let the O2 sensors go until a SES light says they are bad. I've had cars where I've changed the O2 sensors and got fault codes afterwards indicating the Cats were bad, so I swapped the old sensors back in and the fault went away - just my 2 cents on O2 sensors.

The rear diff fluid is SAF-XO. BMW now sells it in quart bottles P/N 33117695240. The diff takes a bit under 2 quarts. Manual trans fluid is BMW MTF-LT3 BMW only sells it in 5-liter jugs for about $120. A lot of people here switch to Redline MTL. I've only used BMW MTF-LT3. Assuming you have a manual trans. If automatic, then it's a PIA from what I read in the DIYs.

Power steering is not a recommended maintenance item, but people here do it any way. I have. I suggest doing it the correct way, which is open up one of the lines going to the rack and draining as much old fluid as possible. The fluid if CH-11F. NAPA usually sells it, most parts stores don't carry it. 1 Liter should be enough.

Not sure where you are as far as build date, but brake fluid flushes are every 24-months. If it was kept up properly the CBS should tell you when the fluid is due for a change, or every 2-years from the date of manufacture.

I'd leave the valve cover alone is it is just weeping a little. It's s PIA to replace the valve cover because of the VANOS, it might not be worth it for a little weeping leak. Just my opinion.

Charcoal canister, I'm not sure I'd worry about that, but Cali is Cali.

Attached are some of my DIYs I've posted over the years:

[Madcat]

Thanks for the info guys and or gals, I really appreciate it. I only do about 7300 miles a year commuting and rarely over 10k even with some joy riding. I'm going to pick up a bluetooth OBDII reader and BMWhat/Torque so I can see any codes that might pop up. I'll come up with a bi or tri weekly schedule to check for codes. It sounds like I may get another 2 years or so of service out of the water pump and that I should have at least a little warning before it goes.

I'm going to go ahead and do Oil/filter, Trans fluid (it's a manual), Diff fluid, Power steering fluid, plugs and coolant. I'll pop the cover off the motor and check out the valve cover and make sure it's just a minor leak, barring a major one I'll let that sit for a bit. I'll inspect the hoses, filters and coils for damage and if needed I'll replace. I'll hold off on the O2 sensors and charcoal canister until I need to swap them I think. The brakes were flushed last year and should be good for another year.

If you can think of anything else I should do please let me know!