[bfleming]

I'll start by saying 'manage your expectations' by following this build. It'll be somewhere between slow & non-existent! So now the ground rules have been established, I'll start!

I've owned a few cars over the years. My BMW's have been (in order): 1997 E36 316i Compact, 1995 E36 320i Touring, 1990 E30 320i 2dr, 2000 E46 330i Touring, and now a 2010 E90 LCI 320d Efficient Dynamics!

I bought this car in October 2016. I had a 2008 VW Passat B6 before this, which was a genuinely great car. A colleague of my wifes badgered me for 6 months to sell it, and eventually I said ok. On a whim I bought my E90 LCI 320d Efficient Dynamics. I say a whim. I had made my mind up to buy an Audi A6. I started wanting a big petrol engine, and talked myself sensible, so settled on a 2008 Limited Edition model. A 2.0TDI manual, but with the Leather & Nav the 'Limited Edition' models offered. The more I looked at, the less excited I was, until I started seeing other people. I mean cars! My wife said 'What about a BMW?' so as uninspired as I was looking at E60's, I decided to have a quick look at the E90's, and was gobsmacked at the affordability of the LCI's. One Saturday evening with Autotrader & I spotted what looked to be a no-brainer. Went along on Sunday morning, and bought it.

The colour is Blue Water Metallic, code 0896, with EBAT cloth interior. The standard specification on the E90 LCI 320d Efficient Dynamics model is a bit different to a regular base E90, but it has rear parking sensors, climate control, MFSW, front fog lights, sport seats & lowered suspension - and not much else. But CO2 levels of 109g/km mean annual tax of £20! Some pics:







My first job was to tackle that ridiculously long gear throw. I bought the shift lever from a 335iX and a new nylon cup, and fitted that. Most time was spent removing the underbody covers which the Efficient Dynamics version has in abundance. But the gearchange difference is immense. No more vibrating gearstick either - the Efficient Dynamics version has a big damping weight that I believe does the opposite & amplifies the vibration. I binned it, shortened the throw and it's now a pleasure to drive.

My second job was to fit cruise control. I'd been familiar with VCDS on the Passat, so bought INPA (& associated software) for the BMW with a view to fitting cruise control. I bought the stalk set with cruise including the slip ring, the lower steering column cowl, and installed it. It's a remarkable easy install, but when I'd done it, I had errors. I had expected the steering angle sensor error (corrected using Ediabas ToolSet32), but one error told me there was a mechanical failure to the Multi-Function Steering Wheel (MFSW) buttons. I swapped the slip ring back for my original one, and all was well again - full functionality & no errors.

Next I fitted a Parrot CK3100. An old school Parrot bluetooth device, but as my car came without Bluetooth (remember, strange spec) it was a must. That went ok - Battery feed from the fusebox, Ignition feed from the cigarette lighter feed. That went ok, and I might put some pictures up - although it's not the most exciting thing ever!

I've played with some wheels since I've had it. The standard wheels are those 5 spoke 16in jobbies. They're actually handed, so 2 are left handed, and 2 are assymmetrically right handed. It's to do with aerodynamics (allegedly). The tyres are super comfortable 205/55-16's, and the tyre pressure sticker doesn't cite any other permissible sizes. Having bought the car with bald tyres (and factoring them in to the purchase price) I had a set of winter tyres from the Passat (same 16in size) so these went on the standard alloys. I bought a set of 17's on Ebay. The all weather run-flats are excellent, but the wheels less so - plenty of kerbing. Keep an eye on the classifieds - they'll be on there soon!

Last week after much deliberation, I bought the BBS CK alloys that MR VYS was selling on here. In my opinion they are a stunning wheel, and having bought them advertised with front tyres (Hankook, come to think of it) I collected them to find some Kumho winter tyres on there! No big deal though. I bought a complete set of new budget tyres for under £200. That's 235/45-18 on the front, 255/40-18 on the rear. Now anticipating the 'you should have 225/40-18 on the front', let me explain. All wheels are 8.5x18 (ie not staggered) & the 225/40-18's on there already looked stretched. Hence I went 235/40-18. No issues with this set-up though, no traction light etc.


I've made no secret of my running issues, but I think it's getting better (see my gearbox swap/ECU programming/turbo actuator issues), and should the issues reappear I will post accordingly.

The plusses of this car are: Handling, Economy, Power (compared to the Passat), Build Quality, Ride Quality
The negatives are: Cabin space (my 16 year old is 6ft 3, my 12 year old isn't far behind). Boot space is also poor. No spare wheel. No DAB. No Bluetooth. No Leather. No Cruise. Maybe I should have bought that E60...

That's it for now - hope this has been of interest to you so far - more to come in due course hopefully.

[Rustymage]

Looking forward to seeing what you have in store

[Nel2014]

Hi, like what you have done with the car so far. I am a fellow 320d ed owner and am enjoying my car as well at the moment. Im looking at doing the c/c retrofit but need to work out her to do the coding first!
Interested in doing the gear shift mod as well.

[bfleming]

Originally Posted by Nel2014

Hi, like what you have done with the car so far. I am a fellow 320d ed owner and am enjoying my car as well at the moment. Im looking at doing the c/c retrofit but need to work out her to do the coding first!
Interested in doing the gear shift mod as well.

I'm in Hertfordshire, so could code the CC for you no problem! Remember you only need the levers & the lower cowl, you don't need the slip ring. With the levers, there are a few options depending on whether yours is a E90 or E91, auto wipers or not, etc. RealOEM can assist you.
The gearshift mod is a must. Shift lever is part number 25117553172, and the nylon cup it sits in is 25111220600. There are no little mylon washers like the old E36/E46 models, so those 2 part numbers are all you need.

[Nel2014]

Hi that would be really helpful, live near herfordshire. I have a cable just trying to get the software working on my laptop. Mine is e90 without autowipers. Have you an idea on the p/n for cruise levers and lower cowl.
Your help is much appreciated.

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by bfleming

But CO2 levels of 109g/km mean annual tax of £20

It's not C02 that's the problem, it's diesel particulates that mainly contribute to poor air quality & ruin people's health, causing lung & bladder cancer.
Diesel emissions are right up there with asbestos & mustard gas as a group 1 carcinogen.

£20 tax a year is a joke, should be £2000 a year

[Nel2014]

Thats why they have a dpf isnt it! 🤗

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by Nel2014

Thats why they have a dpf isnt it! 🤗

Do some research

[bfleming]

Well it's definitely £20/year! Maybe write to your MP if it makes you feel better!

[bfleming]

For cruise control, you need the bottom cowl for the steering column, part number 61316950263, and the stalks are 61319169750. These are for non-auto wipers. I got mine on Ebay, £50 all in I think. 30 mins to fit, and another 15 mins to code, incl steering angle sensor recalibration.

[Nel2014]

Thanks for that, i will have a look and give you a pm when i get the parts. Loaded my d-can cable drivers and software on today. Not sure where to start next with it all..🤔

[bfleming]

Been a little while since my last post, so thought I'd show my latest update. On my last car (2007 Passat SE) I had a Golf GTI flat-bottomed wheel on there which felt great. So for the last 10 months of BMW ownership I've been thinking 'I've got to sort the steering wheel out'. This is what it looked like:


I got on to http://royalsteeringwheels.com/ and asked them for something a little fatter, black leather, perforated sides & blue stitching. This arrived today:


The workmanship & detail is pretty spectacular:


10 minutes after it arrived, this is what it looked like:


I realised later I forgot to mention thumb grips, but as I didn't have them before, I won't miss them. I can recommend Royal Steering Wheels 100%, and the price was great too (under £150 incl P&P both ways). Feedback welcome

[bfleming]

Also, by way of update to my first post, I added a Parrot CK3100 and a Pure Highway 300Di DAB module. The DAB is amazing, and works very well indeed. The mount (which you can see to the left side of the gearstick) keeps getting hit by knees & handbags, so I may need to rethink its location, but I'm running out of mount locations. The Parrot will hopefully be replaced soon by a more capable mki9200 to allow bluetooth streaming.

I also bought this dash mount a little while ago, which I have more or less ready to remount now. I will include a separate update when that's done as it's slightly different to how the previous keeper had it!

[bfleming]

Sitting on the BBS wheels in lovely August weather:

[Nel2014]

Making decent progress with you car mate...!
I bet the steering wheel feels great. Looking into getting Dab, the pure highway looks a good option.

[bfleming]

Originally Posted by Nel2014

Making decent progress with you car mate...!
I bet the steering wheel feels great. Looking into getting Dab, the pure highway looks a good option.

It's actually incredible how a steering wheel transforms the way a car feels - literally like a new car!
Regarding DAB, I did a lot of research, and wanted to avoid anything that used a FM Modulator. The 300Di uses the aux-in jack, so the sound quality is spot on with zero interference. The little screen for tuning is identical to my DAB radio at home, so easy & intuitive.

I've ordered the Parrot MKI9200 now too, so the CK3100 will be relegated shortly. I'm going to permanently wire my HP dash cam & dash screen at the same time, so lots to come in the next few weeks!

[Nel2014]

Look forward to that, makes me want to do more stuff to my car now!

[bfleming]

Some pictures of my dash cam... It's a HP f330s, and I've very happy with it. I've hidden the cabling to run behind the roof lining / a pillar trim / under the dash to another 12 socket I've put behind the climate control.
No pictures of the install, just the final product!

[RajB]

Nice progress so far.

Jack is excellent and I've used him many times.
It certainly makes a huge difference to the way the car feels as it's the direct touch you have to the car.

Look forward to future progress.

My build thread has fallen by the waste side wince photo bucket ruined all my threads LOL. Need to readdress that and update all the links.

[bfleming]

Originally Posted by RajB

My build thread has fallen by the waste side wince photo bucket ruined all my threads LOL. Need to readdress that and update all the links.

Same - I've had to start again with Imgur - no complaints about them (so far)!

[bfleming]

Parrot MKI9200 fitted:
The 'during' bit. What a mess!


All done:



DAB controller tidied up a little to prevent the constant knee-bashing:


Excuse the dusty interior. It's going to get a lot dustier before it gets better as the seats will be coming out soon!

[bfleming]

Leather seats in & cleaned. Very happy with the way they look & feel...





Now I get a rear armrest with cupholders...


And nets on the backs of the front seats...