[Efthreeoh]

So not to reprise everything, but I'm the original owner. I ordered the car to my specs: 325i, Sport Package, Adaptive HID, and Bluetooth. I took delivery May 22, 2006. I've driven all of the 400,000+ miles. It hit 400,000 on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. I've come in contact with four deer over the years. My dog bit the living shit out of the fenders and front bumper cover (he was on meds); my insurance agent actually said he'd actually had such claims before - I thought I'd have some splainin' to do.

The E90 with the N52 is a tank; no other way to state it.

The other mileage updates prior to this one are:

200,000 Report: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=788317

300,000 Report: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1251458

Overall stats are:
Total Maintenance Cost: ... $34,513 ----- 9 cents/mile (mostly all DIY - estimated labor savings of $19,500)
Total Gasoline Cost: ......... $47,439 --- 12 cents/mile (14,881 gallons)
Total Vehicle Price: .......... $39,554 --- 10 cents/mile (with loan cost)
Total Operating Cost: ..... $121,506 --- 30 cents/mile
Lifetime MPG: ----------------------------27.13
Total driving seat-time (est.) -----------8,880 hours

Maintenance from 300,000 to 400,000 miles (major items):
300,620 - replaced original windshield
304,980 - Deer hit #3 damage repaired by PDR https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1250584
305,020 - Replaced VCG and ESS
314,000 - New M3 Thrust Arms (2nd set) ball-joint on left side failed
314,869 - Replaced original alternator. It up and died about 20 miles from home.
324,270 - Replaced rear wheel bearings, differential, and finally the driveshaft. I've posted about this. I was chasing a high-speed vibration. I started with wheel bearings (outside in). That was not it. Figured the diff was worn out. Replaced the diff with a 40,000 mile used unit. Nope, that wasn't it either. Decided to replace the driveshaft with a rebuilt unit. That was it!

327,000 - New battery. 2nd replacement
333,900 - Both airbag recalls performed by BMW (1st time in a BMW dealership since August 2013 - lol)
336,660 - Suspension refresh #2 (1st was at 186,000). Replaced all four springs, front struts, rear shocks, front control arms and tierods. H&R springs and Bilstein B8. Rear suspension bushings are all original (@ 400,000 miles)
343,250 - replaced gas springs for hood and rear trunk decklid
348,800 - Deer hit #4 body damage repair. This totaled the E90. I bought it back from insurance and paid an additional $1,765 out of pocket. Original radiator was replaced at this time along with new AC condenser core.
353,450 - Front brake refresh #4. Was an early replacement interval (55,260) to solve a vibration issue.
373,775 - AC compressor replacement #2. This was a bit preemptive. AC pump was making uncomfortable noises. I decided rather than trash the system (the condenser was just 20,000 miles old) and lose all the refrigerant, I had a local shop replace the AC pump. It was a NAPA shop where an EX BMW racer runs it. The new AC pump was a NAPA part but OE Denso unit. Total price was $854 installed.

378,500 - replaced the T-stat hose bib with the aluminum replacement part. This is on the 2nd T-stat hose (originally replaced at 236,850 Jan. 2014)
383,056 - Replaced the entire CCV system with new OE parts. Replaced the original starter (it was still good but a little slow cranking). Replaced the CCV to see if oil consumption improves (not much better) The engine burns about 3L in 10,000 miles.

383,414 - New spark plugs replacement set #3. Got several misfire codes. New plugs solved it. The old plugs were 95,000 miles old.
387,056 - Replaced the original foglights. Road rash had made them white-opaque. Found one on sale for $45 and the other for $65. $110 total. ZKW OEM units.
396,600 - Rear brake replacement #4. 98,410 mile interval.
398,000 - Replaced the headlight HID bulbs. The headlights were getting really dim. I never actually replaced either bulb, but, I guess though the 3 front-end deer hits the bulbs were probably replaced. Parts detail of repairs are not that specific. Right old bulb was Sylvania and the left was Phillips. The left side was in the used headlight I sourced for Deer hit #4. Both are EOM spec Phillips. Made a HUGE difference in lighting performance.

Thoughts on BMW's maintenance schedules. I followed BMW's CBS system when the car was new. The OCI up to 221,000 was just over 16,000 miles. After 221,000 miles I dropped it to a 10,000 mile OCI. I decided at oil change #32 to drop to a 7,500 mile OCI. I have two other BMW dailies now, so it's a PIA to run OCI at 7,500, but I'm going to try it for awhile. Below is the record of engine oil changes. Plugs, trans, diff and coolant changes have been around the 100,000 interval. Engine airfilters have been 45,000 - 50,000 miles (I forgot once and it was around 75,000 LOL). Brake flushes every 24 months. All four calipers are original and never rebuilt. Brake hoses are also original.

Bushings: As I sated above, ALL of the rear suspension bushings are original. The engine mounts are original. Trans mounts I replaced when chasing the driveshaft vibration (maybe it was the DMF - can't remember). Front control arms were still good at 336,000 when I replaced them; so were the tierod ball joints. The thrust arms seem to need periodic replacement.

Coolant hoses are now at 7 years and 164,000 miles old, even the small return line over the radiator; mine is the updated part with an even longer plastic line.

Fuel pump is original and has pumped over 14,000 gallons of fuel so far. I find that amazing.

The water pump failed at 149,256 in July 2011. The 2nd pump is still working without a hitch 250,000+ miles so far; no codes. BTW, I was the first owner to discover out there are WP trouble codes. And I was the first owner to discover the CBS oil life monitor stops working at 186,000 miles; BMW USA didn't even know.

Based on a fuel tank average of around 45 MPH, I estimate I've spent 8,880 hours driving it to 400,000 miles. Holy crap, what a waste of time!

We'll see what 500,000 brings...

[Buug959]

Congratulations! Don't give up now. Double or nothin'!

[zipstic]

Congrats that's fantastic! The N52 really is a great motor when you take the effort to maintain it.

So the big question is....are you going for 500,000?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by zipstic

Congrats that's fantastic! The N52 really is a great motor when you take the effort to maintain it.

So the big question is....are you going for 500,000?

But that's the thing, it doesn't take that much effort to get 400,000 out of it.

I'm not sure I'll reach 500,000. If something goes out under the dash, that's when I may hang it up. As it is now, I'm putting about 15,000 on it a year. My newly acquired E46 takes most of the driving duties during the May to October timeframe; it's a convertible. Had I not bought the Z4 in late 2014 and the E46 in late 2019, I'd have hit 500,000 on the E90 by now.

[lookalikehuuh]

Wow nice! Congrats man!

Those N52 engines seem to be super solid. I too am an original owner for my 06 330i and although I used to drive about 60+miles/day for work it's been a few years that I have worked from home so mileage has really stopped going up like before. Nevertheless I am at near 220K miles and the car is as solid today as ever. People that have never ridden in my car before are always astonished when they look at the mileage of the car vs the condition and ride quality.

I'll tell you what though buying parts from FCP Euro has definitely saved me a ton of money when they failed a 2nd time like the Alternator (minus shipping of course).

[2one3E90]

Something to read before I go to bed.

[Ozzie335i]

BMW has replaced Volvo for longevity.

[E92inNC]

This is awesome, congrats. All the more reason I’d trade in my 335 for an LCI 328 if I ever find that elusive unicorn somewhere close by. Perfect daily with a sweet inline NA 6.

[2one3E90]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

Wow nice! Congrats man!

Those N52 engines seem to be super solid. I too am an original owner for my 06 330i and although I used to drive about 60+miles/day for work it's been a few years that I have worked from home so mileage has really stopped going up like before. Nevertheless I am at near 220K miles and the car is as solid today as ever. People that have never ridden in my car before are always astonished when they look at the mileage of the car vs the condition and ride quality.

I'll tell you what though buying parts from FCP Euro has definitely saved me a ton of money when they failed a 2nd time like the Alternator (minus shipping of course).

Is it reliable and a 6mT? Just got one

[lowrydr310]

Uh oh, what's that orange triangle warning all about?!?

[Clammy]

This is SO awesome!!!

I plan on keeping my '06 330i forever, and she "only" has 135,000 miles on her now. I'm always on top of maintenance and fixing issues as they arise, so your experience gives me lots of confidence that I should be able to reach my goal.

Congrats on an extraordinary achievement!

Cheers!

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

Removing gasoline costs, the cost of your maintenance and original vehicle cost over 14 years equates to about the price of a brand new 340i with most option packages. You've basically gotten an entire second new car's worth of value out of one. If we consider it from a used vehicle perspective, you could have 2 or 3 used BMWs for that price as well - and you didn't pay any interest on it. Very nicely done.

[marvinstockman]

Maryland, where I live is, is easy on cars, truck, and buses. San Diego is even easier. If you live in NYC, where I lived as a boy, you're not going to get 400K miles out of a a car. Maybe, just maybe, 200K miles before what ever it is starts falling apart!

[Greyfox]

Congrats!

I was rapidly heading toward the 300k mark with 4000 left.

But since I started teleworking last March, I haven't hit it yet.

I'm shy by about 1500 yet.

[jsunma]

Inspirational!

[longm1985]

Originally Posted by Ozzie335i

BMW has replaced Volvo for longevity.

After looking through my repairs done on my S80 in two years (like $2500 and most of that was parts, I did labor where I could), yeah. Probably. I was all OH HEY IT'S GOT 184K ON IT! MUST BE RELIABLE! Then I did math and looked over all the times it broke on me.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Uh oh, what's that orange triangle warning all about?!?

So that's the Bluetooth receiver. It was acting sporadic around 350,000. After the deer accident of April 2018, the several week inactivity at the shop, with the battery disconnected I suppose, did the BT module in. BMW doesn't support the emergency side of it, and I just plug my phone into the radio most times and use the mic on the phone with output via the AUX. Works just as well.

If I do an engine stop with a quick restart, a catalytic converter code comes up every once and awhile. I clear it usually, or it self clears eventually. 3 of the 4 exhaust emission sensors are original.

But that triangle is the Bluetooth module.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by marvinstockman

Maryland, where I live is, is easy on cars, truck, and buses. San Diego is even easier. If you live in NYC, where I lived as a boy, you're not going to get 400K miles out of a a car. Maybe, just maybe, 200K miles before what ever it is starts falling apart!

I live in the mountains west of Culpeper. While the roads are not NYC trash level, they aren't billiard table either. Of the three days a week it sees work now, it's hammered on some really awesome back country roads at high speeds (I can post the letter I have from the VA DMV that disagrees with my driving style if you'd like). It sees a 11-turn, 1-mile long corkscrew with an elevation climb of 900 feet every morning (read on a cold drivetrain), and the same corkscrew at night on my way home. I usually park the E90 while it smells like it may catch fire at any second. The cooling fan will be running after engine shut down, and that's in the winter. It's not Granny's churchmobile. Trust me on this.

BTY, my 257,000 mile E30 spent 4 years in Manhattan and Dobbs Ferry, so I know what NYC can do to a car. But don't think my car just sees 180 miles a day of interstate; it doesn't.

[longm1985]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Uh oh, what's that orange triangle warning all about?!?

I get that when I start my car in temps below 35 or 36 degrees (can't remember which). Goes away after a few seconds. When you have anxiety issues like I do, even knowing that can be a bit unnerving lol

[3PedalJake]

This is an inspirational thread. Ppl look at me like I'm nutz when I say 200k is just broken in for this engine, and here's proof. I'm sure the lifetime of loving wrenches helped but still, nice one bro!

[3PedalJake]

Originally Posted by jsunma

Inspirational!

As a owner of a 206k mile 330 this is the exact word that came to mind.

[Vivek.]

Great info Efthreeoh thanks for sharing!

Originally Posted by longm1985

I get that when I start my car in temps below 35 or 36 degrees (can't remember which). Goes away after a few seconds. When you have anxiety issues like I do, even knowing that can be a bit unnerving lol

It's actually 37*F

Originally Posted by 3PedalJake

As a owner of a 206k mile 330 this is the exact word that came to mind.

I almost bought a 180k mile 6MT '06 330 as a 'forever' car in 2017. Got an e39 6MT 540 instead at 120k and I should've just gotten the damn e90 if I'm honest.