New member: My 330D

Processing61 · 10-31-2019, 08:49 AM

Hi everyone,

Just bought a 330D. It’s a 2006 BMW 330D 2006 Saloon SE. It has the grey Dakota leathers, heated front seats, Idrive, cruise control, 87200 miles with full service history and 11 months MOT. Picked it up for £3500.

It’s in pretty good condition but not perfect. Slight bit of orange peel on drivers door, some light scratches and door dents around the car and all the wheels have a little bit of curbing. There is one main problem but I’m not sure if I am that fussed about fixing it; this had the xenon and adaptive lights added from factory and it looks one headlight has been replaced at some point to a standard xenon headlight (because of the price of the correct headlight) so there is an error on the dash for the cornering lights. Tyres have been changed to non run flats and have been replaced with new cheap-ish tyres. I will probably change the tyres over to a better tyre at some point but not bothered about them being run flat. I will probably just get some tyre filling liquid and a compressor if I go on a long journey, or buy and carry a spare wheel somehow. But overall for the money I paid, I think this was a good deal. I have to say I’m absolutely in love with how it drives. I think the economy is slightly down so may be an egr/dpf/swirl flap problem I will have to look into in the future.

Plans; I’m considering a DPF, EGR and swirl flap (with blank) removal, getting the software changed to allow for this, then a stage one remap, a service and a gearbox service as it seems to be good to do a gearbox service every 60-80k miles even though it’s apparently not a serviceable part.

It looked like the car had been sitting for a long time and the interior Pretty filthy/grubby and exterior was full of moss and mould everywhere on all the rubber parts. I gave it a real good clean/valet inside and out and have everything a good live up and some rust protection. please see the pictures attached.

sirleeofroy · 10-31-2019, 09:10 AM

Welcome! You might want to resize and rotate your picture though

MrSweet1991 · 10-31-2019, 11:25 AM

Ahh very good, the bargain 330D haha. Its looks great, your right about the transmission, BMW never built it ZF did and they say something very different to BMW and its well worth doing to keep it going. Also, with a healthy transmission you may as well couple the remap with an XHP transmission flash, some people have said this felt as good as when they had a remap.

Before jumping in and removing the DPF though are you sure you want to do that? BWChiptune dynod with and without DPF and for stage one it makes no difference. They can be a pain but if you learn about them you might be okay with one. First off I'd say to invest in a diagnostic tool such as Carly OBD adapter and software, it's brilliant as it's simple to use and plug and play and you could identify issues like glow plugs and thermostat issues which are some things that prevent DPF regeneration (glow plugs depend on DDE version) and you can measure soot so just throwing it out there before you bin the DPF. Then of course if your a bit more technically minded you could by a K+Dcan adapter and install ISTA+ which is dealership level software and do a lot more including better coding than Carly but it's time consuming to download and setup and you can run into issues.

Also, check the Brake Vacuum Pump as the gaskets fail and leak oil.

Processing61 · 10-31-2019, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirleeofroy

Welcome! You might want to resize and rotate your picture though

Will do when I’m on the computer! It’s all weird on the phone

Processing61 · 10-31-2019, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSweet1991

Ahh very good, the bargain 330D haha. Its looks great, your right about the transmission, BMW never built it ZF did and they say something very different to BMW and its well worth doing to keep it going. Also, with a healthy transmission you may as well couple the remap with an XHP transmission flash, some people have said this felt as good as when they had a remap.

Before jumping in and removing the DPF though are you sure you want to do that? BWChiptune dynod with and without DPF and for stage one it makes no difference. They can be a pain but if you learn about them you might be okay with one. First off I'd say to invest in a diagnostic tool such as Carly OBD adapter and software, it's brilliant as it's simple to use and plug and play and you could identify issues like glow plugs and thermostat issues which are some things that prevent DPF regeneration (glow plugs depend on DDE version) and you can measure soot so just throwing it out there before you bin the DPF. Then of course if your a bit more technically minded you could by a K+Dcan adapter and install ISTA+ which is dealership level software and do a lot more including better coding than Carly but it's time consuming to download and setup and you can run into issues.

Also, check the Brake Vacuum Pump as the gaskets fail and leak oil.

Thanks for the info! The XHP transmission flash; is that something you can do yourself?

Yes I’m not 100% made up my mind with the DPF, but I don’t tend to do too many miles and doubt that will change anytime soon so my thinking is the dpf and egr system are going to be a problem at some point in the future. I’ll have to have a think.

Will check the brake vacuum pump seal, thanks! It has been sat for a while so I’m imagining that there are going to be a few seals which will be leaking 😅

rasa bmw · 10-31-2019, 01:46 PM

xhp ,,you can buy license and cable/app,,then you can choose between 3 box maps stage 1 etc etc ,,and id get the gearbox serviced,,especially if getting remapped and xhp flash..and just elave the dpf its pointless getting rid,,unless you do very few miles,,which is again pointless in a derv...

Processing61 · 10-31-2019, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rasa bmw

xhp ,,you can buy license and cable/app,,then you can choose between 3 box maps stage 1 etc etc ,,and id get the gearbox serviced,,especially if getting remapped and xhp flash..and just elave the dpf its pointless getting rid,,unless you do very few miles,,which is again pointless in a derv...

Nice one, cheers. Will look into that! That’s where we differ in opinion. In my opinion just because it’s diesel doesn’t mean it’s pointless when you don’t do many miles. Only causes problems if cars are fitted with emissions related gear dpf, egr etc..

Tambohamilton · 10-31-2019, 04:16 PM

Remove or fiddle with the dpf and you'll not pass an MOT any time soon (without putting it back how it's supposed to be). Not unless you know a place that does mail-order MOT testing.

My 330d does fine with a 10mi each way commute, and an hour or so motorway trip per tank of fuel... Never had any dpf issues. I'd recommend leaving it until it causes issues at least. (And then fixing the issues and leaving the dpf in place some more)

Your poor economy might be a tired thermostat or 2 - watch the coolant temps in the BC hidden menu to diagnose that. Best get it sorted fairly soon if they're bad, so you get your fuel economy back and dpf regens can run.

I'd also recommend leaving all the other emissions controls in there too...why remove them, when you can just maintain your car properly instead?

Keep the swirl flaps if you can too - definitely check them though! They're not an emissions device; they help massively with low rpm combustion. The auto box will probably mask the drop in low rpm torque if you do need to remove them though.

Good luck with it

Processing61 · 10-31-2019, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Remove or fiddle with the dpf and you'll not pass an MOT any time soon (without putting it back how it's supposed to be). Not unless you know a place that does mail-order MOT testing.

My 330d does fine with a 10mi each way commute, and an hour or so motorway trip per tank of fuel... Never had any dpf issues. I'd recommend leaving it until it causes issues at least. (And then fixing the issues and leaving the dpf in place some more)

Your poor economy might be a tired thermostat or 2 - watch the coolant temps in the BC hidden menu to diagnose that. Best get it sorted fairly soon if they're bad, so you get your fuel economy back and dpf regens can run.

I'd also recommend leaving all the other emissions controls in there too...why remove them, when you can just maintain your car properly instead?

Keep the swirl flaps if you can too - definitely check them though! They're not an emissions device; they help massively with low rpm combustion. The auto box will probably mask the drop in low rpm torque if you do need to remove them though.

Good luck with it

Thanks!

I have reset the economy and it actually seems about right, averaging around 38mpg over the last 40 miles. I think the last driver may have had a heavy foot.

I am aware of the MOT related issues. I’ve heard so many stories of people having problems with the DPF and EGR system, even if you did look after it well. I thought I’d just get rid of it all together so no problems there could ever be caused. Same again with the swirl flaps, just don’t like the idea of knowing they could fall in the intake at any point. I think I will get rid of the swirls but will definitely consider keeping the dpf and egr now as some people don’t seem to have problems, so thanks for that!

Silver Streek · 11-01-2019, 02:57 AM

As said above, no point getting rid of the DPF, it's an MOT requirement. Any sign of smoke from the exhaust and it will fail MOT when it has a DPF fitted. It will map to good power with the DPF still fitted. Any tuners that say you need to remove it to get decent power should be walked away from as they don't know their stuff.

With the EGR valve you can have the function switched off (mapped out) in the ECU so no need to remove any hardware, and no more gunk sticking up your intake.

Tambohamilton · 11-01-2019, 06:21 AM

Intake gunk is a pain, agreed. I need to clean mine...then fit water/methanol injection

Processing61 · 11-01-2019, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

As said above, no point getting rid of the DPF, it's an MOT requirement. Any sign of smoke from the exhaust and it will fail MOT when it has a DPF fitted. It will map to good power with the DPF still fitted. Any tuners that say you need to remove it to get decent power should be walked away from as they don't know their stuff.

With the EGR valve you can have the function switched off (mapped out) in the ECU so no need to remove any hardware, and no more gunk sticking up your intake.

Thanks for that. My tuner hasn’t said it needs to be removed they have just said that they have so many cars come in with DPF problems even if they’re looked after well and they’re expensive to fix, so that’s why I was thinking of just getting rid.

I’m thinking now, maybe just swirl flaps blanked/delete, give Intake manifold a good clean while apart and check the glow plugs, get the egr coded out (and maybe blank it? Would that affect MOT?), stage one remap, normal service and gearbox service. I’m guessing around £1200 for all of that. Then if I get a problem(s) with the dpf, I’ll probably get it removed, but I will try and give it some beans each week at a dual carriageway near mine so it has a chance to clean and really try and look after it.

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but I though the DPF and EGR worked together, would just getting rid of the EGR cause problems?

kash330D · 11-01-2019, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berger96

Thanks for that. My tuner hasn’t said it needs to be removed they have just said that they have so many cars come in with DPF problems even if they’re looked after well and they’re expensive to fix, so that’s why I was thinking of just getting rid.

I’m thinking now, maybe just swirl flaps blanked/delete, give Intake manifold a good clean while apart and check the glow plugs, get the egr coded out (and maybe blank it? Would that affect MOT?), stage one remap, normal service and gearbox service. I’m guessing around £1200 for all of that. Then if I get a problem(s) with the dpf, I’ll probably get it removed, but I will try and give it some beans each week at a dual carriageway near mine so it has a chance to clean and really try and look after it.

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but I though the DPF and EGR worked together, would just getting rid of the EGR cause problems?

I know of a 330D thats that the swirl flaps done, EGR and DPF removed and that is stage 2. Runs perfect with no issues. It's not had an MOT since the work was done but I've been told it will pass

and the work all cost circa £5-600 max if remember correctly.

Silver Streek · 11-01-2019, 09:01 AM

EGR and DPF work independently, coding out the EGR has no I'll effects at all to the engine. It keeps the intake clean. I've had mine coded out for about 40k miles and have noticed no difference in the running at all. If you have it coded out there is no gain from removing the hardware, so just leave it in place. At least then if they change the mot rules to check for a working EGR you can just have it recoded to work.

Your tuner should not even be thinking it's an idea to remove the DPF's they are only a problem if you don't keep up on servicing and maintenance on your car. People leave things like duff thermostats then moan when their DPF blocks because they couldn't be bothered to get it fixed. If your car is working as it should you should have no real bother with the DPF..... Unless all you do is crawl like a granny around town not even driving far enough to warm the car up. Under normal driving conditions you should be fine

Silver Streek · 11-01-2019, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kash330D

I know of a 330D thats that the swirl flaps done, EGR and DPF removed and that is stage 2. Runs perfect with no issues. It's not had an MOT since the work was done but I've been told it will pass

and the work all cost circa £5-600 max if remember correctly.

Would be interesting to hear from the folks on here that have had their DPF's removed and successfully made it through a legit MOT ok. I wonder how many have? From what I've heard MOT stations are supposed to have tightened up on that these days.

Processing61 · 11-01-2019, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Remove or fiddle with the dpf and you'll not pass an MOT any time soon (without putting it back how it's supposed to be). Not unless you know a place that does mail-order MOT testing.

My 330d does fine with a 10mi each way commute, and an hour or so motorway trip per tank of fuel... Never had any dpf issues. I'd recommend leaving it until it causes issues at least. (And then fixing the issues and leaving the dpf in place some more)

Your poor economy might be a tired thermostat or 2 - watch the coolant temps in the BC hidden menu to diagnose that. Best get it sorted fairly soon if they're bad, so you get your fuel economy back and dpf regens can run.

I'd also recommend leaving all the other emissions controls in there too...why remove them, when you can just maintain your car properly instead?

Keep the swirl flaps if you can too - definitely check them though! They're not an emissions device; they help massively with low rpm combustion. The auto box will probably mask the drop in low rpm torque if you do need to remove them though.

Good luck with it

If you could shed any light on this thread, relating to the coolant temp. That would be great: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25412107#post25412107

Processing61 · 11-01-2019, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

EGR and DPF work independently, coding out the EGR has no I'll effects at all to the engine. It keeps the intake clean. I've had mine coded out for about 40k miles and have noticed no difference in the running at all. If you have it coded out there is no gain from removing the hardware, so just leave it in place. At least then if they change the mot rules to check for a working EGR you can just have it recoded to work.

Your tuner should not even be thinking it's an idea to remove the DPF's they are only a problem if you don't keep up on servicing and maintenance on your car. People leave things like duff thermostats then moan when their DPF blocks because they couldn't be bothered to get it fixed. If your car is working as it should you should have no real bother with the DPF..... Unless all you do is crawl like a granny around town not even driving far enough to warm the car up. Under normal driving conditions you should be fine

“Duff thermostats”. I think I do have this issue haha. If you could take a look that would be helpful! Thanks

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25412107#post25412107

Processing61 · 11-01-2019, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kash330D

I know of a 330D thats that the swirl flaps done, EGR and DPF removed and that is stage 2. Runs perfect with no issues. It's not had an MOT since the work was done but I've been told it will pass

and the work all cost circa £5-600 max if remember correctly.

Awesome! Does “this persons” car

smoke much at all? Idling? And when hard on the gas?

Processing61 · 11-01-2019, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silver Streek

Would be interesting to hear from the folks on here that have had their DPF's removed and successfully made it through a legit MOT ok. I wonder how many have? From what I've heard MOT stations are supposed to have tightened up on that these days.

No names will be mentioned here but I also know someone one 😂 who has talked to an Independent MOT station fairly local to them about the DPF, this was their response summarised; Theoretically it should always fail, full stop. However, regarding the EGR blank; they have to physically see the plate between the egr which they can’t because it’s behind the engine.

Regarding the dpf; they have to physically see a cut and weld to see it has been welded up, so if the person who is doing the dpf removal can do it well and in the right place, it would be very hard to see it. Even if they notice a cut or weld, there
Is no way to see inside the exhaust so you cannot tell for definite if there is or isn’t one, even if cut or weld marks have been noticed.

The final thing is it will need to pass the emissions test and mustn’t have an engine light on. From what I have been told, a really good tuners map will hardly smoke at all compared to having the dpf in and will still pass the emissions test.

Who knows if this is all true^. It’s just what a little birdy has told “someone I know”.

rasa bmw · 11-01-2019, 01:18 PM

im not saying nowt,,,,,but mine has passed no probs....my 335d still has a dpf.

rasa bmw · 11-01-2019, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berger96

Awesome! Does “this persons” car

smoke much at all? Idling? And when hard on the gas?

if you get a remap from the likes ive mentioned,,then the smoke is minimal,,only visible on hard acceleration and in cars lights behind you,,if you seee a car with black smoke then its either not healthy or the remapper is shite...

nomiS330d · 11-01-2019, 01:42 PM

I’m not saying my 330d has had its DPF gutted and the car may or may not have been mapped but it’s passed 3 MOT’s in my ownership 😉
I’ve not driven one that’s been mapped but retained all the emissions stuff so I can’t say how much difference it makes removing it but mine goes very well indeed.
I replaced the swirl flaps with blanks myself and that didn’t make a difference to anything that I noticed.

10-31-2019, 08:49 AM	#1
Processing61 First Lieutenant 61 Rep 346 Posts Drives: BMW E91 325D Join Date: May 2019 Location: U.K. iTrader: (0)	New member: My 330D Hi everyone, Just bought a 330D. It’s a 2006 BMW 330D 2006 Saloon SE. It has the grey Dakota leathers, heated front seats, Idrive, cruise control, 87200 miles with full service history and 11 months MOT. Picked it up for £3500. It’s in pretty good condition but not perfect. Slight bit of orange peel on drivers door, some light scratches and door dents around the car and all the wheels have a little bit of curbing. There is one main problem but I’m not sure if I am that fussed about fixing it; this had the xenon and adaptive lights added from factory and it looks one headlight has been replaced at some point to a standard xenon headlight (because of the price of the correct headlight) so there is an error on the dash for the cornering lights. Tyres have been changed to non run flats and have been replaced with new cheap-ish tyres. I will probably change the tyres over to a better tyre at some point but not bothered about them being run flat. I will probably just get some tyre filling liquid and a compressor if I go on a long journey, or buy and carry a spare wheel somehow. But overall for the money I paid, I think this was a good deal. I have to say I’m absolutely in love with how it drives. I think the economy is slightly down so may be an egr/dpf/swirl flap problem I will have to look into in the future. Plans; I’m considering a DPF, EGR and swirl flap (with blank) removal, getting the software changed to allow for this, then a stage one remap, a service and a gearbox service as it seems to be good to do a gearbox service every 60-80k miles even though it’s apparently not a serviceable part. It looked like the car had been sitting for a long time and the interior Pretty filthy/grubby and exterior was full of moss and mould everywhere on all the rubber parts. I gave it a real good clean/valet inside and out and have everything a good live up and some rust protection. please see the pictures attached. Attached Images Last edited by Processing61; 11-04-2019 at 04:27 PM..
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10-31-2019, 09:10 AM	#2
sirleeofroy Captain 92 Rep 660 Posts Drives: E90 330D M-Sport LCI Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Buckinghamshire iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 330D M-Sport [0.00]	Welcome! You might want to resize and rotate your picture though
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10-31-2019, 11:25 AM	#3
MrSweet1991 Captain 127 Rep 828 Posts Drives: BMW E90 330D M Sport Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: West Midlands iTrader: (0)	Ahh very good, the bargain 330D haha. Its looks great, your right about the transmission, BMW never built it ZF did and they say something very different to BMW and its well worth doing to keep it going. Also, with a healthy transmission you may as well couple the remap with an XHP transmission flash, some people have said this felt as good as when they had a remap. Before jumping in and removing the DPF though are you sure you want to do that? BWChiptune dynod with and without DPF and for stage one it makes no difference. They can be a pain but if you learn about them you might be okay with one. First off I'd say to invest in a diagnostic tool such as Carly OBD adapter and software, it's brilliant as it's simple to use and plug and play and you could identify issues like glow plugs and thermostat issues which are some things that prevent DPF regeneration (glow plugs depend on DDE version) and you can measure soot so just throwing it out there before you bin the DPF. Then of course if your a bit more technically minded you could by a K+Dcan adapter and install ISTA+ which is dealership level software and do a lot more including better coding than Carly but it's time consuming to download and setup and you can run into issues. Also, check the Brake Vacuum Pump as the gaskets fail and leak oil.
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10-31-2019, 01:46 PM	#6
rasa bmw Colonel 243 Rep 2,026 Posts Drives: 640d sport/f31 330d x drive Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: northumberland iTrader: (0)	xhp ,,you can buy license and cable/app,,then you can choose between 3 box maps stage 1 etc etc ,,and id get the gearbox serviced,,especially if getting remapped and xhp flash..and just elave the dpf its pointless getting rid,,unless you do very few miles,,which is again pointless in a derv...
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10-31-2019, 04:16 PM	#8
Tambohamilton Brigadier General 3058 Rep 3,909 Posts Drives: E91 330d Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Herefordshire iTrader: (0)	Remove or fiddle with the dpf and you'll not pass an MOT any time soon (without putting it back how it's supposed to be). Not unless you know a place that does mail-order MOT testing. My 330d does fine with a 10mi each way commute, and an hour or so motorway trip per tank of fuel... Never had any dpf issues. I'd recommend leaving it until it causes issues at least. (And then fixing the issues and leaving the dpf in place some more) Your poor economy might be a tired thermostat or 2 - watch the coolant temps in the BC hidden menu to diagnose that. Best get it sorted fairly soon if they're bad, so you get your fuel economy back and dpf regens can run. I'd also recommend leaving all the other emissions controls in there too...why remove them, when you can just maintain your car properly instead? Keep the swirl flaps if you can too - definitely check them though! They're not an emissions device; they help massively with low rpm combustion. The auto box will probably mask the drop in low rpm torque if you do need to remove them though. Good luck with it
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11-01-2019, 02:57 AM	#10
Silver Streek Lieutenant 119 Rep 597 Posts Drives: 325d E91 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: The Moon iTrader: (0)	As said above, no point getting rid of the DPF, it's an MOT requirement. Any sign of smoke from the exhaust and it will fail MOT when it has a DPF fitted. It will map to good power with the DPF still fitted. Any tuners that say you need to remove it to get decent power should be walked away from as they don't know their stuff. With the EGR valve you can have the function switched off (mapped out) in the ECU so no need to remove any hardware, and no more gunk sticking up your intake.
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11-01-2019, 06:21 AM	#11
Tambohamilton Brigadier General 3058 Rep 3,909 Posts Drives: E91 330d Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Herefordshire iTrader: (0)	Intake gunk is a pain, agreed. I need to clean mine...then fit water/methanol injection
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11-01-2019, 09:01 AM	#14
Silver Streek Lieutenant 119 Rep 597 Posts Drives: 325d E91 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: The Moon iTrader: (0)	EGR and DPF work independently, coding out the EGR has no I'll effects at all to the engine. It keeps the intake clean. I've had mine coded out for about 40k miles and have noticed no difference in the running at all. If you have it coded out there is no gain from removing the hardware, so just leave it in place. At least then if they change the mot rules to check for a working EGR you can just have it recoded to work. Your tuner should not even be thinking it's an idea to remove the DPF's they are only a problem if you don't keep up on servicing and maintenance on your car. People leave things like duff thermostats then moan when their DPF blocks because they couldn't be bothered to get it fixed. If your car is working as it should you should have no real bother with the DPF..... Unless all you do is crawl like a granny around town not even driving far enough to warm the car up. Under normal driving conditions you should be fine
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11-01-2019, 01:18 PM	#20
rasa bmw Colonel 243 Rep 2,026 Posts Drives: 640d sport/f31 330d x drive Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: northumberland iTrader: (0)	im not saying nowt,,,,,but mine has passed no probs....my 335d still has a dpf.
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11-01-2019, 01:42 PM	#22
nomiS330d Lieutenant 75 Rep 541 Posts Drives: E92 330d Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Doncaster iTrader: (0)	I’m not saying my 330d has had its DPF gutted and the car may or may not have been mapped but it’s passed 3 MOT’s in my ownership 😉 I’ve not driven one that’s been mapped but retained all the emissions stuff so I can’t say how much difference it makes removing it but mine goes very well indeed. I replaced the swirl flaps with blanks myself and that didn’t make a difference to anything that I noticed.
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