[cluebird]

Hello all!

Recently, I purchased a 2011 328i with 125K miles on the clock. The PPI was done at a great BMW shop that I trust, and they said that the only thing needed soon is an oil pan gasket, and that otherwise the car looked and drove great.

However, I'm not sure that the previous owner was keeping up with regularly scheduled maintenance, like brake fluid, filters, belts, diff fluid, etc. If they weren't, what's the best way to get things back to baseline on those items and how much would it cost for someone with very low DIY skills?

Thanks a lot everyone

[Emilime75]

To start, it's very dependent on what model/engine you have. Aside from that, with no service history records, it's a matter of checking/changing whatever is needed. Any leaking gaskets and seals, fluids, fluid hoses, spark plugs and coils, serpentine belt, vacuum lines, brakes, tires, air intake filter...

For me, on a new used car, I automatically change the oil and filter regardless. Even if it looks clean and like it was recently done, you never know what oil someone used and I'd rather know it was changed with the right oil. From there I'd consider diff fluid, tranny fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant. Brake fluid can be checked by looking at it, if it's clear and not heavily discolored, it's most likely fine. Coolant can be tested with a cheap tester, so of it's the right mix and not cruddy looking, should be ok. Power steering fluid can also be inspected visually, so of it isn't black, likely to be ok...at least for a while. Diff and tranny fluid really can't be checked without opening the drain plug. Anything rubber deteriorates with age and climate and use(mileage) add to it. Inspect all hoses/vac lines/belts. Anything that looks like it has surface cracks, or is mushrooming at the connections, replace it. If the belt/s need replacing, consider doing the tensioner and idler pulley/s, as well. For final peace of mind, replace the plugs-coils are highly optional at this time, but not terribly expensive and, again, peace of mind.

With the above said, if you're paying a shop to do all of this, it'll get expensive, fast. Did the PPI shop give you a quote on the oil pan gasket?

[Soden82]

Plugs
Coils
Injectors
Serp belt with tensioner
Water pump & t stat
Hpfp
Valve cover/gasket
OFHG and oil cooler gasket if equipped
Oil pan gasket
Vacuum lines
Carbon cleaning
(N54) boost solenoids

I'm sure there's a few more miscellaneous ones but those are the main ones

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Soden82

Plugs
Coils
Injectors
Serp belt with tensioner
Water pump & t stat
Hpfp
Valve cover/gasket
OFHG and oil cooler gasket if equipped
Oil pan gasket
Vacuum lines
Carbon cleaning
(N54) boost solenoids

I'm sure there's a few more miscellaneous ones but those are the main ones

LoL, so don't bother with a PPI then...

[bluewater328]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

LoL, so don't bother with a PPI then...

LoL this is hillarious. True though. And the amount of caution and paranoia should differ between a 328i and a 335i

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by cluebird

Hello all!

Recently, I purchased a 2011 E90 with 125K miles on the clock. The PPI was done at a great BMW shop that I trust, and they said that the only thing needed soon is an oil pan gasket, and that otherwise the car looked and drove great.

However, I'm not sure that the previous owner was keeping up with regularly scheduled maintenance, like brake fluid, filters, belts, diff fluid, etc. If they weren't, what's the best way to get things back to baseline on those items and how much would it cost for someone with very low DIY skills?

Thanks a lot everyone

So at 125K a 2011 N52N (the engine) calls for new spark plugs at 120,000 miles; it's a 60,000-mile interval. If the plugs are old, or even original (I doubt it), you'll start to get misfire codes and poor performance. I'd bet the plugs are due since the previous owner probably didn't want to drop $300 - $400 for a re-plug service before he sold the car. The coolant should be changed at 100,000. Diff and tranny juice at 100,000. In reality if you are looking to just get to 200,000 miles, diff and tranny fluids are "lifetime". Coils are a wait-and-see issue. Coils cause misfires, which trigger the SES light. Then that's when you decide to do the whole rack, or just one at a time. My first coil dropped out of No. 5 cylinder at 287,000 (No. 5 is common as that cylinder gets a bit more hot) in Aug. 2015, so I replaced the entire rack of coils. It's been 106,000 miles since then not a misfire yet.

The serpentine belt is a wear item that is easily visibly inspected as is the belt tensioner. If original at 125,000, it should show signs of wear, and should have been diagnosed in a good PPI.

If your funds allow for it, and you plan on keeping the car for a few more hundred thousand miles, then have the coolant, trans, and diff fluids all changed. The brake fluid is biennial based on build date. Find the build date on the sticker on the driver's door pillar (by the door latch) and have the brake fluid flushed at the next 24-month anniversary of the build date. If the current brake fluid is past 24-months, it's not that big of a deal. $20 buys a brake fluid hydrometer if you want to get serious about it, but it's not really necessary. Now, if the fluid in the reservoir is really dark brown rather than golden colored, then have it flushed.

The E90 does not need as much maintenance as the internet will lead to to believe.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by cluebird

Hello all!

Recently, I purchased a 2011 E90 with 125K miles on the clock. The PPI was done at a great BMW shop that I trust, and they said that the only thing needed soon is an oil pan gasket, and that otherwise the car looked and drove great.

However, I'm not sure that the previous owner was keeping up with regularly scheduled maintenance, like brake fluid, filters, belts, diff fluid, etc. If they weren't, what's the best way to get things back to baseline on those items and how much would it cost for someone with very low DIY skills?

Thanks a lot everyone

Congrats! I purchased the same back in January and the car is a perfect little daily driver.
A little background .....I actually bought mine (2011 328i) sight unseen out of state and had it delivered to our house. I do a fair amount of my own maintenance on our two other BMW's and had set aside funds for a maintenance refreshing after the car arrived.

At 91,000 miles it was in good shape, but pretty similar to your situation. Just needed a refresh of all the basic components especially the oil pan gasket which without a doubt, was the first item I planned to tackle. Anyways, after arrival and inspection, I went forward with the big refreshing to have a baseline as I'm planning on keeping the car as long as possible.

Here is what I bought from FCP Euro, and I numbered the DIY difficulty 1 thru 10 to help. 1 being "My Mom could handle it", to 10 being "take it to a Indy shop".
FCP Euro $1,400 included:
Leak detection pump.......3
Oil change kit.......3
Spark plugs.....4
Mass Airflow Sensor.....4
Vanos solenoids (x2) .......4
Oil pan gasket..........8.5
Power steering reservoir kit......3
Belts, pulley's, idler tensioner........4
Oil filter housing gasket kit......4
Brake flush..........4
Engine air filter....3
Cabin air filter......3
Rear differential flush.....3
Coolant flush......4
Intake boots, throttle body ...4
Some headlamp bulbs, interior parts, nuts bolts and miscellaneous items.

A few on the list such Mass Air Flow Sensor and Vanos solenoids didn't necessarily need to be replaced and are expensive. The oil pan gasket is fairly involved but there is a world of help on these forums.

I would invest in some basic tools specific for e90's and learn how to DIY. Lastly, after working on our e46, F30 335i and our F80 M3, I can honestly say the e90 is probably the easiest to work on and the least temperamental BMW I've owned.
I hope that helps.

[cluebird]

Originally Posted by Emilime75

To start, it's very dependent on what model/engine you have. Aside from that, with no service history records, it's a matter of checking/changing whatever is needed. Any leaking gaskets and seals, fluids, fluid hoses, spark plugs and coils, serpentine belt, vacuum lines, brakes, tires, air intake filter...

For me, on a new used car, I automatically change the oil and filter regardless. Even if it looks clean and like it was recently done, you never know what oil someone used and I'd rather know it was changed with the right oil. From there I'd consider diff fluid, tranny fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid and coolant. Brake fluid can be checked by looking at it, if it's clear and not heavily discolored, it's most likely fine. Coolant can be tested with a cheap tester, so of it's the right mix and not cruddy looking, should be ok. Power steering fluid can also be inspected visually, so of it isn't black, likely to be ok...at least for a while. Diff and tranny fluid really can't be checked without opening the drain plug. Anything rubber deteriorates with age and climate and use(mileage) add to it. Inspect all hoses/vac lines/belts. Anything that looks like it has surface cracks, or is mushrooming at the connections, replace it. If the belt/s need replacing, consider doing the tensioner and idler pulley/s, as well. For final peace of mind, replace the plugs-coils are highly optional at this time, but not terribly expensive and, again, peace of mind.

With the above said, if you're paying a shop to do all of this, it'll get expensive, fast. Did the PPI shop give you a quote on the oil pan gasket?

Thanks man. Edited the post to reflect that it's a 328i. The shop quoted $800 for the oil pan gasket.

I want to do as much work as I can myself, but unfortunately I don't have a garage so would have to just work on the street, which isn't ideal. City living...

[JRinTX]

Originally Posted by SCS55

I would invest in some basic tools specific for e90's and learn how to DIY.

What specific tools did you buy? including diag?
Did you buy a shop repair manual?
Do you have a preferred parts supplier?

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by JRinTX

What specific tools did you buy? including diag?
Did you buy a shop repair manual?
Do you have a preferred parts supplier?

buy a bimmergeeks adapter and either buy their protool app, or download bmw standard tools and install them on a laptop or virtual machine.

You also NEED external torx sockets and wrenches. they are mandatory. Failure to buy them will result in your considerable frustration.
other than that, nothing terribly special, you'll only come across a few tools that you need to buy, but wait until those jobs that require them.

ISTA is basically the shop manual, but if you really want find a copy of the bentley manual.

I buy most things from FCP Euro.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by nsjames

buy a bimmergeeks adapter and either buy their protool app, or download bmw standard tools and install them on a laptop or virtual machine.

You also NEED external torx sockets and wrenches. they are mandatory. Failure to buy them will result in your considerable frustration.
other than that, nothing terribly special, you'll only come across a few tools that you need to buy, but wait until those jobs that require them.

ISTA is basically the shop manual, but if you really want find a copy of the bentley manual.

I buy most things from FCP Euro.

^^^This^^^

[MoonstoneE90]

There are a lot of DIY videos available that you should watch and then decide if it's worth it to do yourself or take it to a pro. For example, it's easy enough to do a power steering change but a coolant change may be better to take to someone. Also consider the cost of the parts and labor. With BMWs, you'll find there are higher labor hours as just to get access to the item that needs changed, will require a tech to take off a lot of parts just to get access to it. I have done the oil housing gasket and cooler which is like $20 in parts but dealer may quote 4-5 hours in labor. It just takes time but you can save yourself a lot of money and do it.