[Socket]

Continued working on the lip install today
Took about an hour to bolt on and put the front back on the car
After fitting these lips a few times, kinda have it down pat
The trick is to line up the center point and clamp one end in the correct position
Then drill and bolt it in place so you can use the clamp on the other end
Get the far end into position and clamp it down
The starting in the center, drill and bolt the lip into position working from the middle and out to the ends

Total of 14 bolts used so no chance of this suckers coming off lol
Pretty happy with the end result

Pics below

Pic 1 - Lip clamped in position and one end bolted down
Pic 2 - Close up of bolts (supplied with lip)
Pic 3 - Having the front bar positioned like this makes it easy drill and bolt
Pic 4 - Lip attached
Pics 5 & 6 - Job done

[Aus335iguy]

Looking good as new socks.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Aus335iguy

Looking good as new socks.

Cheers Aus

[kookie]

What number Lip is this now? Hehe

[Socket]

Originally Posted by kookie

What number Lip is this now? Hehe

I think this is number 4 or 5...... ive lost count

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by Socket

I think this is number 4 or 5...... ive lost count

haha shit maybe you'd be best to make one out of housebricks?

[Wolf 335]

Must they make their logo visible and in the center of the lip. It kills the look.

You gonna cover that up, or leave it?

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Must they make their logo visible and in the center of the lip. It kills the look.

You gonna cover that up, or leave it?

Agree Wolf, it is a sticker, easy to take off

[Socket]

Originally Posted by DR-JEKL

haha shit maybe you'd be best to make one out of housebricks?

Hahaha not a bad idea Shane

[Socket]

Still one of my fav pics from way back

[Socket]

Mod 123 - BMW Performance Steering Wheel

The orange stripe steering wheel was one of the first mods I installed, when this build started out (mod 25 back in Aug 2015 to be exact)
It has been on the car so long, it had become to me one of the unique features of SPCGRY (bit like the AFF1 rims) but all good things must come to an end (you will be missed)


Hahaha seriously, an upgrade is well overdue and thanks to Pete Ys part out, got the chance to install Petes old BMWP steering wheel today

While it is sad to see Pete part out his car, he really did things right and everything is top quality OEM stuff
His BMWP steering wheel is no exception, finished in alcantara with a yellow stripe, it has been meticulously maintained and looks brand new

The steering wheel mod is super simple to do and makes a huge difference to the look of the interior
Took about an hour to swap over the wheels, including transplanting the control buttons
Link below to my DIY for anyone wanting to have a go at this

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...light=Steering

Meanwhile thanks again to Pete for contributing to the SPCGRY build


As always pics below:

Pic 1 - New wheel
Pics 2 & 3 - Before and After
Pic 4 - Removing air bag
Pic 5 - Should drive ok like this
Pic 6 - Swapping over internals
Pics 7 & 8 - Done

[Aus335iguy]

Congrats to Gary on getting a new tiller

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Aus335iguy

Congrats to Gary on getting a new tiller

Thanks Aus

[jard]

New wheel looks sweet socket.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by jard

New wheel looks sweet socket.

Appreciate the kind words Jard

[RJ019]

What the next new mod for the car?

[Socket]

Originally Posted by RJ019

What the next new mod for the car?

Hey RJ, in all this time I think you are the first person to ever ask this question (true)

Little know fact, but I update the first post of this thread, each time we make a change to the car. Post 1 lists of the current mods on the car and a list of mods to do next

The next couple of mods are to install an external oil thermostat (to help the oil reach operating temperature quicker) and a to install a short shifter kit (out of Pete Y car) for quicker shifts

But the most interesting mod in the pipeline is definitely, fitting a turbosmart electronic waste gate actuator to the 7670

Basically, we have always had trouble with the mechanical actuator keeping the wastegate closed. Turbosmart have come out with a new range of eletronic external waste gates, that in theory can be control boost levels without the need for vacuum etc (obviously)

Problem is we want to use one to control a internal waste gate, and turbosmart have not released an IEWG yet, which means we need to make one, by buying one of these new eWG units and cutting it up and seeing if we can bolt it to the 7670 (see pics of what we are trying to do below)

Second problem is no one actually has a controller for these new units, so Vince will need to build a custom control box (H bridge) to take the DME signal for the solenoid and convert it to a signal that will drive the actuator motor

Then Tim needs to come in and work out if we can play with the boost tables to get this all to work

90% chance of failing but 10% chance it will work haha

Might look like a long and complicated way of doing something that could be done with a spring, but I guess that's what makes modding worth while
Having a go at something and opening new options for the platform if it works !!

Meanwhile the turbosmart eWG45 and a turbosmart EFR IWG kits have been ordered and hopefully will arrive this week

Stay tuned


Pics below

Pic 1 - take this
Pic 2 - and the shaft from this
Pics 3 & 4 - to make this (easy)

[Baker e92gc]

Ok, so I just acquired a 2007 335i e92 manual trans. (bone stock).
I'm sure you have been asked this before, and sorry if you have, it's just I cant get through over two hundred pages of thread to see if you have....
what are the fist few mods you think are most beneficial to the car? I will of course do some aesthetic bits and pieces, but as far as safe power goes what do you recommend to start on?

Btw, your car...... love it. I got a Black one but that space grey.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by e92gc

Ok, so I just acquired a 2007 335i e92 manual trans. (bone stock).
I'm sure you have been asked this before, and sorry if you have, it's just I cant get through over two hundred pages of thread to see if you have....
what are the fist few mods you think are most beneficial to the car? I will of course do some aesthetic bits and pieces, but as far as safe power goes what do you recommend to start on?

Btw, your car...... love it. I got a Black one but that space grey.

Hey E

Congrats on your new purchase

Let us know a bit more about your ride, how you came across it, why you decided to get a 335, what color interior, plans etc. Feel free to post a pic below

Bone stock is hard to find these days, so your have a great platform to work from. Like a blank canvas though, you need to do some maintenance and address any weak spots, as they will be exposed as you add more power.

Even if the previous owner said all the maintenance has been done, I can guarantee there will be things that need to be done. Truth be known, about half the money I spend on my car is on mods and the other half is on replacing bits that are failing or are at the end of their life. For example I have an order in for new o2 sensors because mine are on the way out and causing a rough idle and spluttering under heavy acceleration

The reason maintenance is constant with these cars because they run big power, which put lots of pressure on components. Plugs burn out faster, stock water pumps that are over 10 years old work harder, higher oil pressures put more strain on gaskets etc. This pressure only goes up the more "go fast bits" and tunes you throw at the car.

This is why fixing all the "maintenance items" or weak components before you throw more power at it, is so important.
99% of new owners, don't listen and within a few weeks, they have problems and start posting "I got these codes" or "whats this dash light" posts on FB
100% of the time its maintenance related !!!!

Oil filter housing gasket is top of the list here. Almost all leak (mine included) and drip onto the serpentine belt, which weakens the belt causing it to fail and get sucked into the engine causing engine failure.

Vincent Lim (Vtl) is a guru when it comes to the N45 engine. He put together a guide for new owners which Ill post below. Without sounding like a broken record, spend your first mod budget on strengthening the motor, that alone should give you some gains

Once the maintenance is out of the way, it really is a question of which direction you want to take your car. Sleeper, Stanced, M3 clone...

IMO mods come in three flavours, visual, performance and interior

If you want to improve the look, tinted windows, new rims, spacers, lips, RGBW AE rings etc fall into this group

If you want to improve the performance, tunes, coilovers, turbo upgrades, fueling, LSD etc fall into this group

If you want to improve the comfort of the cabin, seats, audio systems, interior lighting etc fall into this group

Tbh it really depends on where you want to go, how much money you want to sink into it and what you enjoy in a car.
Most people do a bit of each, but Ill talk a little about my experience with performance mods

A disclaimer here, this is just my experience after spending a bucket load on my E92 and making a bunch of wasteful mistakes along the way

First of all, everyone wants as much power as they can get. Me included

I was always thinking, if I just do this next mod, the car will be transformed and rip my arms off !!! Truth is, there are very few mods that make a huge step change with one mod. Rather the power builds in small steps as you add on upgrades.

Probably the best bang for buck power upgrades (from stock) is a MHD tune, followed by a Front Mounted Intercooler (FMIC) and Catless downpipes (DP)

On the topic of turbo upgrades, putting in aftermarket turbos is not great value for $ tbh. While there is a step up in power, in my experience unless you install a big single, the different in real world driving between a car with stock turbos and aftermarket turbos is not that significant. Now before I get shot down in flames, let me explain.

When I got my first set of aftermarket twins, i picked up the car and thought wow after sinking $6K into this, these twins are going to be crazy. The expectation unfortunately was bigger then reality. While there was a step up, it honestly was more like a 20% gain, not the 50% or more I was expecting. Important lesson to learn.

Also, Ive been on heaps of cruises with guys on this forum and when we are all out on the road ripping through the twisties, there is not that much between the cars, with most of the differences coming from the skill of the drivers. For example Vtl runs stock turbos, yet he can out pace everyone in his 135, one because he is a good driver and 2 because his car is well balanced and tuned. Aftermarket turbos don't automatically make your car a weapon, there is more to it then that. Tbh the stock turbos on these cars are really good with virtually no lag. Shame the wastegates rattle like mofos hahaha

Seriously now, the key message here, is turbo upgrades do produce more power, but it is an expensive route that don't always deliver as much of a step up as you would think. If i was doing a turbo upgrade, I would def just go straight to a big single, mainly because they produce heaps grunt and are super reliable once set up

While we are talking about power upgrades, there is little point in generating heaps of power, if you cant get that power down, stop fast enough, or the car rolls wildly because of soft suspension.
You really need to upgrade each system in turn as you add more power. This approach will give you a fast car, that is controllable and feels great to drive.

If you go down the performance path, at the very least, a suspension upgrade is a must


So what would I do if I was to start over with a new stock 335i??

First of all I'd do the plugs, oil change, walnut blast and other maintenance

Then throw on a new charge pipe with a BOV, FMIC and DPs
Buy a bimmergeek cable, install the MHD app and flash the car with stage 2 MHD tune

Next I would spend money on wheels and suspension

First thing I would buy is wheel studs and race nuts (82mm length) and some wheel spacers.
Wheel studs are cheap and make swapping tires so much easier.
The spacers just instantly close wheel gap and make even stock wheels look good ( I use 12mm up front and 5 mm spacers up back)

Talking about wheels, grab some new rims (in 18" or 19" your choice) and wrap then in yokohama AD08R tires.
I have run lots of different rubber and the are about the only thing that wont spin and grip well in both the wet and dry. Great tires!!

Next I would put in a set of good quality coilovers.
The stock suspension is so floaty, it feels like driving a boat in comparison to a good set of coilovers.
There are cheap coilovers out there but while better then stock, most are not great. Save up and get a decent set.
A good set will not only allow you to lower your car and improve the stance, but it will also corner like on rails....

That's what I would do if I had my time over

Beyond that there are so many options....
Just be careful not to go over the top, there is a point where you have done so much to your car, there is no point in selling it, so you just do more.
It is an illness and there is no cure

Cheers
Socket

[Socket]

Vtl guide for new owners

As soon as you buy the car:

Plugs and coils - The plugs and coils are weak items on this platform, buy them immediately after you purchase your car. I would suggest buying NGK 95570 gapped at 0.022", the 3 pronged bosch ones I have seen the gaps be very inconsistent. ON a tuned car the NGKs are highly reccomended.

Water pump 11517632426 - The water pump is prone to crapping out very suddenly and can leave you stranded. If you are on the original pump then you should change it straight away. The old style pump is bolted onto the block and isolated with rubber grommets (rubber will usually be swelling from the oil leaks over the years), the new one is directly bolted to the block. The car will overheat on a dead pump quite quickly and can take out weak components like the radiator with plastic end tanks. You need to buy the pump and 3 STEEL (11517602123) screws, do not buy the aluminium screws or reuse the old ones.

Fix any oil leaks immediately
The oil filter housing is a common thing to leak, along with the valve cover and lately I have seen a lot of slow oil pan leaks as these cars cross the 10 year mark. If you've leaked oil on any of the hoses and let it sat for a while, this degrades the rubber so make sure you replace any hoses that look swelled. Oil leaking on the drive belt should be rectified immediately, this can cause the belt to slip and cause a shredded belt. It is also possible for the belt to get sucked into the crank seal, resulting in belt fragments being caught in the oil pickup, causing oil starvation and dead engine.

Charge pipe - For model years 2009+ including N55 you should replace it immediately, as it is prone to cracking and exploding. The 2006-2008 2 piece rubber charge pipes are very strong and do not require replacements. Theres many aftermarket chargepipes out there, most of them fit like crap. Personally if it was me i'd source a pre09 charge pipe, but if you had to get a metal one (if youre n55) I'd go for the Evolution Racewerks one.

Short term:
Walnut blast - These cars are direct injected and have no fuel passing over the intake valves to clean them. This results in the intake valves getting clogged up over time. After 60-100k they'll be pretty gummed up, reducing performance and idle quality.

Thermostat to cylinder head hose 11537541992 - This hose has a plastic flange that bolts onto the cylinder head and you need to remove it to access the oil filter housing. After several years it gets brittle and cracks, I would highly recommending getting a metal replacement off eBay.

Radiator hoses - The top thin overflow hose for the expansion tank (17127565094) is prone to bursting, replace it and buy a new clamp (34321156893). Upper radiator hose (17127540127) that clips into the oil filter housing is plastic and also prone to deteriorating.

Vacuum hoses - These should be replaced with silicone rubber, the rubber ones perish after a number of years and can split and be the cause of vacuum leaks. Locally you can buy the SAAS branded 3mm hose (its actually 1/8" 3.2mm) from Autobarn, or buy the CRP hose from FCP euro. Do not use 4mm hose as commonly recommended off the forums, it does not fit well.

Boost solenoids - These are sometimes the cause of boost related issues, these also get less effective over time and you can feel a difference in boost response when replacing old ones.

High pressure fuel pump - This part will probably have already been replaced on your car, the latest revisions appear to be reliable. If its never been done then keep an eye out for long cranks in the morning

Coolant flush - These cars are quite old now and may have changed through the hands of many mechanics. The coolant should be blue, if it is not, flush it out and put the genuine stuff in (83192211191), its not expensive.

Engine mount - The engine mounts are hydraulic and are prone to blowing out on the hot side (right hand side). They fail as early as 100k kms.

Automatic transmission service - You'll want to service the Auto to keep it shifting nice. If you leave it until 150k no amount of servicing will make the ZF auto shift better short of a rebuild. Youll need to get the pan and the ZF lifegaurd fluid. Do not use anything other than the ZF fluid!

Manual Transmission Fluid - I would only reccomend using BMW fluids, in general they last for ages and give you very slick shifts. MTF LT3 for the N54 gearbox, and MTF LT5 for the n55 gearbox (includes BMW 1M)

Oil filter housing gasket - This is an extremely common leak point and is worsened by the fact that these cars have changed hands many times over the years, resulting in poor repairs. This is a critical gasket and even if the procedures are followed exactly, it can still result in leaks in rare cases. A lot of times the bolts have been overtightened by the previous mechanic, or copious amounts of RTV silicone has been used to seal it. To do it properly you will require both the oil filter housing seal (11428637821), thermostat seal (11428637820) and 2 oring seals for the oil cooler (17222245358). You will also want to buy an aluminium cylinder head fitting, as the original one is plastic and prone to cracking.

Long term
Turbochargers - Eventually the turbos will fail, a lot of the 2006-2007 cars and some of the later cars are prone to wastegate rattle. The only proper way to fix these are to remove the turbos and replace the wastegates or the turbos themselves. The installation costs are quite high so not worth throwing the old turbos back in imo. Brand new turbos would be the best option, instead of stuffing around with reconditioning. Aftermarket turbos have a very poor reliability record, so don't buy them unless you can afford to replace a set of smoking turbos.

Injectors - These injectors are expensive and not very reliable, if you plan on keeping your car for a long time then budget in a set of Index 12 injectors at some point. Faulty injectors can be the cause of rough cold starts and misfires. Unfortunately these are very expensive, so just bearin mind this is something that will have to be done eventually.

Oil pan (11137548031)- These are now starting to go after these cars are close to 10 years old. Make sure you buy a new set of aluminium bolts (11132210959). The gasket and bolts are cheap but its quite labour intensive. A lot of cars will be leaking from the oil pan, near the transmission, it starts off as a very slow leak then gets progressively worse over time.

Valve cover - These will leak eventually. You can get the gasket on its own but it is not recommended unless you have a relatively new cover. They are prone to cracking and the removal sometimes requires a bit of force to unstick the gasket, resulting in the valve cover being stressed. Might not crack immediately but would probably end up replacing the valve cover later. Just do it once and do it right. Normally you'll get plenty of warning that the gasket is leaking

Suspension - Shocks will have lost a lot of performance by 90k kms, front upper control arm bushings will tend to leak as well, best to start looking at aftermarket suspension options

VANOS Solenoids (11367585425) - These will be the cause of various VANOS check engine lights, some that may be very hard to reproduce. You can clean the solenoids but most of the time only a replacement will fix it.

Drive belt (11287628652) - Worth doing to avoid a shredded belt.

Fluids - You will want to keep on top of the fluids as they hardly ever get changed by owners. Power steering (CHF11S), brake fluid (DOT4), trans fluid, diff fluid and coolant should all be done eventually

Turbo oil drain seals - These are common to weep oil, the flat oval shaped seal (11422246091) is a common leak source.

Gear selector shaft seal (23128677736) - This seal is a common failure point on the manual gearbox. It weeps oil and leaks onto the shifter (has a foam bushing in it), which is the cause of a sloppy shifter. Worth replacing this and the shifter bushes at the same time. This requires a special tool to remove, removing it with tiny screwdrivers is possible with enough fortitude and swearing but not worth it.

A while ago I did a post on maintenance. So hopefully all your cars are well maintained now, with no oil leaks and ready to tackle the next 100km without throwing a fault code. Here is some information about engine tuning which may be helpful to beginners.

For most people, this is what you want to do to make power on stock turbos:

Tune
Intercooler
Downpipes

Tune - This is something that generates a lot of discussion and arguments. A flash tune is what you want, this reprograms the factory ECU (called the DME) with the updated parameters. There is actually a lot of stuff in a tune, and it goes beyond just increasing the boost. More on that in a minute.
In the early days of the platform, the first things that came out were piggybacks. There was Vishnu Procede, and BMS's JB4 (was "Juicebox" back then). These piggybacks were required because the factory ECU was locked and you could not make changes to it. If you wanted more power, you needed a piggyback. What is a piggyback? It is basically a box that has a harness that sits between the car's electronics and the DME. It sends fake signals to the DME to keep it happy and not throw any codes, and then controls the boost solenoids directly, giving you more boost without codes. The piggybacks have features like clearing codes and hijacking the gauge cluster to show boost, which many people like.

Disadvantages to piggyback tuning are quite numerous. Lets use JB4 as an example as you can't get Procede anymore. JB4 does not adjust engine timing, and the increased torque output of the engine is not correctly reported to the rest of the car (transmission uses torque values to decide how much clamp force to use). Shifts on DCT and auto will also be poor when the torque is not reported correctly the transmission. The logging parameters are not that comphrehensive (the JB4 has no access to the internal values of the DME), poor resolution of values, weird scalings just make it a pain to use.
There is also an "autotuning" map on these piggybacks which works in a particularly dodgy fashion, it basically increases boost until the engine knocks, then the DME decreases the engine timing to prevent damage. This 'feedback' mechanism is how the autotuning works, very crude and results in poor power delivery and driveability.

This is particularly dangerous when this product is advertised to work on ethanol mixes without any other mods, the piggybacks have no means to adjust the fuel scalars in the tune, which means the fuel trims max out. The DME controls the fuel system and only adjusts up to +-34% of fuel adjustment until it maxes out and doesn't give you any more fuel, until you adjust the fuel scalar. Once the fuel trims max out, the DME cannot add any more fuel to correct the A/F ratio and the engine runs lean and hot. The Piggybacks don't adjust AFR (air fuel ratio) either, which is a huge fundamental of tuning.

Basically the only reason why the piggybacks work at all, is due to the excellent DME with discsfully closed loop fuel adjustment and the sensitive knock sensors. Most other cars only have a narrowband O2 sensor which only gives you readings on cruise, wideband gives you a reading even on cruise and full throttle driving. If you used a JB4 on a JDM car with narrowband O2 sensors you'd have a ruined engine pretty quickly.

To compensate for these shortcomings, theres things called "backend" flashes, which allow you to flash a tune onto the DME while keeping the piggyback. This means the piggyback is only used for boost control while the flash tune does the rest. This seems a bit redundant to me, it’s basically admitting the piggyback is deficient if you need to disable most of the features on it for it to be good! The only reason imo you'd need a piggyback is to activate external devices like port injection or methanol injection which cannot be triggered by the DME. Even then, you can still trigger these devices with the ECUs that the PI and methanol kits come with.
So flash tune is what you want, basically you will want a DCAN cable, OTG cable and Android phone or tablet. No it does not work on Apple stuff.
Bimmergeeks DCAN cable: https://www.bimmergeeks.net/product-...eeks-pro-cable

OTG cable will need to be sourced based on your android device, they cost around $1-$5 off ebay.
This is a quality OTG cable if you're tired of crap ones: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/232990064223

Most Android devices can be used for MHD, for people who use an iPhone, your best option is to buy a cheap android tablet like this:
https://www.officeworks.com.au/…/len...-tablet… (Update 2 July 2020 - MHD now available for apple devices)
Stage 1 - For cars with stock downpipes Stage1+ would be for cars with upgraded intercoolers

Stage 2 - For cars with catless downpipes, Stage 2+ is for cars with upgraded intercoolers.

With the off the shelf MHD maps you will get a few timing corrections on these maps but the 95 maps would feel a lot slower. This is due to the octane of our 98 fuels in Australia is lower due to not having 10% ethanol of the USA pumps. If this bothers you, you should go for a custom tune which I would highly recommend. If you run OTS maps then make sure the plugs are kept fresh and the coils have been replaced, to minimise timing corrections.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by Socket

Vtl guide for new owners

As soon as you buy the car:

Plugs and coils - The plugs and coils are weak items on this platform, buy them immediately after you purchase your car. I would suggest buying NGK 95570 gapped at 0.022", the 3 pronged bosch ones I have seen the gaps be very inconsistent. ON a tuned car the NGKs are highly reccomended.

Water pump 11517632426 - The water pump is prone to crapping out very suddenly and can leave you stranded. If you are on the original pump then you should change it straight away. The old style pump is bolted onto the block and isolated with rubber grommets (rubber will usually be swelling from the oil leaks over the years), the new one is directly bolted to the block. The car will overheat on a dead pump quite quickly and can take out weak components like the radiator with plastic end tanks. You need to buy the pump and 3 STEEL (11517602123) screws, do not buy the aluminium screws or reuse the old ones.

Fix any oil leaks immediately
The oil filter housing is a common thing to leak, along with the valve cover and lately I have seen a lot of slow oil pan leaks as these cars cross the 10 year mark. If you've leaked oil on any of the hoses and let it sat for a while, this degrades the rubber so make sure you replace any hoses that look swelled. Oil leaking on the drive belt should be rectified immediately, this can cause the belt to slip and cause a shredded belt. It is also possible for the belt to get sucked into the crank seal, resulting in belt fragments being caught in the oil pickup, causing oil starvation and dead engine.

Charge pipe - For model years 2009+ including N55 you should replace it immediately, as it is prone to cracking and exploding. The 2006-2008 2 piece rubber charge pipes are very strong and do not require replacements. Theres many aftermarket chargepipes out there, most of them fit like crap. Personally if it was me i'd source a pre09 charge pipe, but if you had to get a metal one (if youre n55) I'd go for the Evolution Racewerks one.

Short term:
Walnut blast - These cars are direct injected and have no fuel passing over the intake valves to clean them. This results in the intake valves getting clogged up over time. After 60-100k they'll be pretty gummed up, reducing performance and idle quality.

Thermostat to cylinder head hose 11537541992 - This hose has a plastic flange that bolts onto the cylinder head and you need to remove it to access the oil filter housing. After several years it gets brittle and cracks, I would highly recommending getting a metal replacement off eBay.

Radiator hoses - The top thin overflow hose for the expansion tank (17127565094) is prone to bursting, replace it and buy a new clamp (34321156893). Upper radiator hose (17127540127) that clips into the oil filter housing is plastic and also prone to deteriorating.

Vacuum hoses - These should be replaced with silicone rubber, the rubber ones perish after a number of years and can split and be the cause of vacuum leaks. Locally you can buy the SAAS branded 3mm hose (its actually 1/8" 3.2mm) from Autobarn, or buy the CRP hose from FCP euro. Do not use 4mm hose as commonly recommended off the forums, it does not fit well.

Boost solenoids - These are sometimes the cause of boost related issues, these also get less effective over time and you can feel a difference in boost response when replacing old ones.

High pressure fuel pump - This part will probably have already been replaced on your car, the latest revisions appear to be reliable. If its never been done then keep an eye out for long cranks in the morning

Coolant flush - These cars are quite old now and may have changed through the hands of many mechanics. The coolant should be blue, if it is not, flush it out and put the genuine stuff in (83192211191), its not expensive.

Engine mount - The engine mounts are hydraulic and are prone to blowing out on the hot side (right hand side). They fail as early as 100k kms.

Automatic transmission service - You'll want to service the Auto to keep it shifting nice. If you leave it until 150k no amount of servicing will make the ZF auto shift better short of a rebuild. Youll need to get the pan and the ZF lifegaurd fluid. Do not use anything other than the ZF fluid!

Manual Transmission Fluid - I would only reccomend using BMW fluids, in general they last for ages and give you very slick shifts. MTF LT3 for the N54 gearbox, and MTF LT5 for the n55 gearbox (includes BMW 1M)

Oil filter housing gasket - This is an extremely common leak point and is worsened by the fact that these cars have changed hands many times over the years, resulting in poor repairs. This is a critical gasket and even if the procedures are followed exactly, it can still result in leaks in rare cases. A lot of times the bolts have been overtightened by the previous mechanic, or copious amounts of RTV silicone has been used to seal it. To do it properly you will require both the oil filter housing seal (11428637821), thermostat seal (11428637820) and 2 oring seals for the oil cooler (17222245358). You will also want to buy an aluminium cylinder head fitting, as the original one is plastic and prone to cracking.

Long term
Turbochargers - Eventually the turbos will fail, a lot of the 2006-2007 cars and some of the later cars are prone to wastegate rattle. The only proper way to fix these are to remove the turbos and replace the wastegates or the turbos themselves. The installation costs are quite high so not worth throwing the old turbos back in imo. Brand new turbos would be the best option, instead of stuffing around with reconditioning. Aftermarket turbos have a very poor reliability record, so don't buy them unless you can afford to replace a set of smoking turbos.

Injectors - These injectors are expensive and not very reliable, if you plan on keeping your car for a long time then budget in a set of Index 12 injectors at some point. Faulty injectors can be the cause of rough cold starts and misfires. Unfortunately these are very expensive, so just bearin mind this is something that will have to be done eventually.

Oil pan (11137548031)- These are now starting to go after these cars are close to 10 years old. Make sure you buy a new set of aluminium bolts (11132210959). The gasket and bolts are cheap but its quite labour intensive. A lot of cars will be leaking from the oil pan, near the transmission, it starts off as a very slow leak then gets progressively worse over time.

Valve cover - These will leak eventually. You can get the gasket on its own but it is not recommended unless you have a relatively new cover. They are prone to cracking and the removal sometimes requires a bit of force to unstick the gasket, resulting in the valve cover being stressed. Might not crack immediately but would probably end up replacing the valve cover later. Just do it once and do it right. Normally you'll get plenty of warning that the gasket is leaking

Suspension - Shocks will have lost a lot of performance by 90k kms, front upper control arm bushings will tend to leak as well, best to start looking at aftermarket suspension options

VANOS Solenoids (11367585425) - These will be the cause of various VANOS check engine lights, some that may be very hard to reproduce. You can clean the solenoids but most of the time only a replacement will fix it.

Drive belt (11287628652) - Worth doing to avoid a shredded belt.

Fluids - You will want to keep on top of the fluids as they hardly ever get changed by owners. Power steering (CHF11S), brake fluid (DOT4), trans fluid, diff fluid and coolant should all be done eventually

Turbo oil drain seals - These are common to weep oil, the flat oval shaped seal (11422246091) is a common leak source.

Gear selector shaft seal (23128677736) - This seal is a common failure point on the manual gearbox. It weeps oil and leaks onto the shifter (has a foam bushing in it), which is the cause of a sloppy shifter. Worth replacing this and the shifter bushes at the same time. This requires a special tool to remove, removing it with tiny screwdrivers is possible with enough fortitude and swearing but not worth it.

A while ago I did a post on maintenance. So hopefully all your cars are well maintained now, with no oil leaks and ready to tackle the next 100km without throwing a fault code. Here is some information about engine tuning which may be helpful to beginners.

This list is on point perfection.

[Wolf 335]

Do those electronic waste gate actuators hold up well to high heat?