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      07-22-2018, 01:50 PM   #1
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E90 325i.. Let's see if i can improve 'the ultimate driving machine'

Hi All,

I've been using information off this form for a few years now and find it invaluable. I now own my 3rd E90, for the first time i've gone for a 3L petrol.

I've always wanted to do a build thread, one to keep track of my own progress, two in the hopes that if i'm ever out and about if anyone recognises the car they'll come over an say hello!

A bit about myself, I'm a BMW senior technician & MOT tester working at a BMW main dealer in Dorset. I've had cars in the past that i'd modified and messed around with, namely 350Z's, but this is the first BMW i've had the want to change things on. Aftermarket modifications & ICE are going to be a learning curve for me and i'm actually quite excited about it all.

I spent about a month looking for the perfect car for me, and just when i was about to give up and buy any old crap, this appeared. The spec list has pretty much everything i wanted minus one or two things which i could deal with as it's stuff i can potentially retrofit / upgrade myself.

I'll attach some photos of it from Day 1, but i've already changed a few bits that i'll add updated photos for going forward.
The most obvious changes so far are;
Removed original MV3 alloy wheels with mismatched tyres & fitted a set of brand new F30 400m's with matching bridgestone tyres.
Fitted gloss black kidney grills.
Replaced the incandescent bulbs in the angel eyes with LEDs.

I've also just ordered a set of F30 front 340mm Brembo callipers in blue with discs, pads & backing plates

I look forward to hearing back from people with advice, potential mod ideas & also feel free to test my technical knowledge!
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      07-22-2018, 04:49 PM   #2
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There will be info on here about getting 330i power from 325i engine. Not easy but big power jump for N/A engine. Maybe a manifold & a map.

Or on 1 series forums where people got 125i (3.0) coupe and tuned these up.

Best thing to make sure engine working OK, Injectors, HPFP etc and Walnut Blast of inlet ports as these gum up on DI engines.
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      07-23-2018, 01:25 AM   #3
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I did have a look through some part numbers on ETK & it seems like the main difference is like you say intake manifold, definitely a remap, and iirc the throttle body. I’ve got plenty of time to look into that & the resources to get parts at a good rate so that’s definitely on the list!

Interestingly, looking through my BMW portal as the vehicles claim history, it had a new engine at roughly 10k miles so it currently sits at 50k on this engine, it’s had 2 new HPFPs, all 6 injectors & ignition coils. I’m sure we’ve got a walnut blaster buried somewhere at work I’ll see if I can find that out at some point! Thanks
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      07-23-2018, 08:14 AM   #4
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Nice motor, congrats

2 new HPFP is surprising. Are the latest HPFPs still failing regularly?

I'm interested in the claim history for my car - do dealers give it out willingly if you can them or is it available online? Thanks
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      07-23-2018, 12:10 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dormermike View Post
Nice motor, congrats

2 new HPFP is surprising. Are the latest HPFPs still failing regularly?

I'm interested in the claim history for my car - do dealers give it out willingly if you can them or is it available online? Thanks
Thanks!
Yeah I was quite shocked by that, but then I guess these things happen. I’ve not really replaced one in the dealership for some months now, just seems to be the usual spark plug, ignition coil & injector combination!

Dealers don’t tend to hand it over too willingly, at least mine doesn’t! However, if you were to PM me the last 7 digits of your chassis number I’m sure I could look it up through my SGATE portal and see what’s been done - if anything!
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      07-23-2018, 12:24 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by N5GKP View Post
Thanks!
Yeah I was quite shocked by that, but then I guess these things happen. I’ve not really replaced one in the dealership for some months now, just seems to be the usual spark plug, ignition coil & injector combination!
I did read somewhere that the HPFP failure were actually sensor related but dealers were replacing the pump itself. Dunno how true.

Thank you for the offer, will take you up on that.
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      07-24-2018, 04:15 AM   #7
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As a fellow 325i owner, you can see my mods in my signature. Best by far is fitting a BMW Performance Exhaust. I also found the MSport ride quality bone-shaking, hence my investment in Ohlins Road and Track suspension (my car will be a keeper).

I've never felt the need for more power to be honest, so I couldn't justify the cost of a 330i manifold and re-map. Mapping the 325i without a new manifold just isn't worth it, for the small power gains.

Good luck with the car - looks great already.
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      07-24-2018, 01:13 PM   #8
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Dormermike, that wasn't something i was aware of, i'll have a look into that at some point for my own knowledge more than anything!

Phil325i, The M-Sport suspension is horrendous! I've been looking into fitting air suspension but at present i'm not sure i can justify spending in the region of £3k when i have another car project in mind too!
I'm not too huge on the idea of big power gains, especially with mine being an Auto it was never my intention to kick the ass out of the car so to speak, but who knows what i'll start changing as time goes by & no doubt boredom sets in!
Thanks!
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      07-25-2018, 12:34 AM   #9
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fitting manifold/remap/exhaust etc,,surely be cheaper buying a 330i and selling the 325i..then having the hassle of getting the mods declared to insurance etc,,some companies will even refuse to insure,,so cancel your insurance..
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      07-25-2018, 04:05 AM   #10
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Congrats on the purchase and glad you've already started modding it lol.

I'm over the mindset; if it breaks, mod it and if it doesn't, mod it still.

I'd personally go with some Ohlins for less money. Air is good but not for everyone and the costs are certainly not affordable.
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      07-25-2018, 09:05 AM   #11
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Wonder how the n53 would respond to a supercharger - unless I dreamt it, such a thing exists for the n52 which is almost identical to the n53 in ancillaries layout.
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      07-25-2018, 11:01 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dormermike View Post
Wonder how the n53 would respond to a supercharger - unless I dreamt it, such a thing exists for the n52 which is almost identical to the n53 in ancillaries layout.
I think the problem is no-one will have developed a software package for the N53 to cope with the supercharging. From what I've read, even in the States, where supercharging the N52 is offered, people have had issues getting the remapped software to work properly...
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      07-28-2018, 09:49 AM   #13
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Charging it isn't really something that interests me, i actually cannot stand the noise more than anything. Friend has a charged 350Z which i was initially looking to do to my previous one, second he started it & i heard that noise i was put off for life!

Carried out a few little bits and bobs since my last update. Plenty of cleaning / polishing to within an inch of its life! Our sales guys here routinely try to convince people to part with in the region of £500 on top of the price of their new car for a GardX paint protection kit which also comes with a goody bag full of all sorts of cleaning products + cloths.. I manage to get my hands on a complete kit + goody bag (FOC of course!). I must admit, i really really like the part that's supposed to be applied before supplying the vehicle to customers! really locks in the paint.. Worth £500? imo.. no. Free? too right!

I've since changed the chrome grills for some nice Gloss black ones. I also finally took delivery of my 340mm Brembo M Sport brakes and decided today was a good day to fit them!.. They really are a direct plug n play kit which was fantastic.. although i had to make a slight modification to the dust shields supplied (i hammered the shit outta them)... New brakes, New brake fluid and the car stops pretty damn well! I'll add some photos when my Phone & Mac decide to sync with each other! All in all, definitely worth the £600 the kit cost me & took no more than an hour to do!
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      07-31-2018, 09:00 AM   #14
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Hiya mate, welcome to the forum. Very nice car indeed.
Being an NA motor, I would add a performance exhaust to release some more noise from an already lovely sounding engine.
Also, I recommend looking into a gearbox remap - I currently use xHP Flashtool and it has completely transformed the way the car behaves. On my daily drives, the shifts are a lot smoother and feel more optimised but when flat out, the changes are much quicker than standard and it has increased acceleration slightly. It just feels much more modern.
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      08-08-2018, 05:41 PM   #15
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Lovely looking car I have the same rusty brown interior in my E91 325i LCI.

Couple of things to keep an eye on:

If the Nox sensor is failing (very common fault), consider a Bimmerprofs emulator and removing the NOX catalyst, then you should liberate some more sound.

https://bimmerprofs.com


I have upgraded to a 330I manifold and map and am very happy with the results, this is effectively a factory upgrade as all the parts are identical so quite a nice boost and and takes the flatness of the car.

The biggest plus so far has been the map and new set of injectors, the injectors are a huge issue on these cars, interestingly the Inlet manifold with DISA valves only gives another 10-15hp, so it in the balance as to whether its worth it..

After reading lots and doing lots of diagnosis in Inpa, the easiest test is to let the car sit over night and then pull the spark plugs - if they are wet then the injector is shot, I noticed your exhaust was looking abit black - so worth checking... Also worth checking that you car is running in stratified mode in inpa, if there a problem it will be stuck in homogenous mode essentially a limp mode with a CEL light.

Did you keep the same hoses on the 340MM brembos? I have set just waiting for my disks to arrive..

Last edited by Will_460cs; 08-08-2018 at 07:58 PM..
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      08-09-2018, 04:34 AM   #16
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Some interesting comments Will, thank you. One thing that's put me off the manifold conversion is having the possibility hanging over me of DISA flaps disintegrating and being ingested. And TBH, living in the crowded South-East, 214bhp stock (plus K&N and PE) is more than enough for me. I've never yet been in a circumstance when I've felt - 'boy, I really need more power!'...
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      08-09-2018, 06:59 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil325i View Post
Some interesting comments Will, thank you. One thing that's put me off the manifold conversion is having the possibility hanging over me of DISA flaps disintegrating and being ingested. And TBH, living in the crowded South-East, 214bhp stock (plus K&N and PE) is more than enough for me. I've never yet been in a circumstance when I've felt - 'boy, I really need more power!'...
I use my car abroad and take it for a few spirited drives, I know what you mean about road in south. If the DISA thing worries you then the MAP will give you almost all the same power.

I'm staggered by how much better my car is running with INDEX-11 injectors, it's like night and day... no more sooty (fuel rich) exhaust and fuel economy has shot up from 29-30 to 32-34.

Interestingly my NOX sensor which was intermittent even after I ultrasonically cleaned it has been working spot on - something I did a while ago and commented on as I don't think people ever attempted it , if you have a faulty nox sensor its worth trying to clean it as they aren't cheap... time will tell,

Also there's no point changing the NOX sensor before you have known good injectors as it knackers them quick... If it shows signs of failing I will be putting a NOX emulator in place and removing the NOX cat. I'd really like this engine to sound better, which brings me too...

I will be at some stage removing the the exhaust manifold and primary cat, I had the CAT's removed when I had the MAP done as it was an option, I noticed there are some reliantly OK 3 branch stainless manifolds on german eBay for not allot as there not TUV approved.

I'm hoping this should see a 10-20 HP improvement and more noise as I would like to see this thing as close to 300Bhp as possible...

Last edited by Will_460cs; 08-09-2018 at 07:06 PM..
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      08-10-2018, 05:30 AM   #18
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One word of caution on exhaust manifolds Will. Make sure they are compatible with RHD. I've been looking into manifolds for years and never yet found a manifold that will fit the N53 in the UK, because of the intrusion of the steering column. For that reason the N53s sold here had a different manifold from the rest of Europe from the factory.

Think you will find a custom manifold will be the only (expensive) solution...
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      08-11-2018, 04:11 AM   #19
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I have to echo what Phil's said about headers. I've looked too and can't find any, they need to be RHD specific.

I did speak to Evolve and they said they would do something with Supersprint but they would need a minimum of 10 orders and won't be cheap.
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      08-11-2018, 03:17 PM   #20
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Will take a photo of my f10 n53 530i exhaust manifolds tomorrow I'm sure they don't look like those UK examples above. Maybe they have more room in the bay of the f10.
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      08-11-2018, 06:53 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil325i View Post
One word of caution on exhaust manifolds Will. Make sure they are compatible with RHD. I've been looking into manifolds for years and never yet found a manifold that will fit the N53 in the UK, because of the intrusion of the steering column. For that reason the N53s sold here had a different manifold from the rest of Europe from the factory.

Think you will find a custom manifold will be the only (expensive) solution...
It give me an excuse to buy a TIG welder (I have been looking for one!), I have a friends that I can use quite often, happy to cut and shut it as necessary they are only 178+ delivery so no big one... once I have done one then perhaps I can do some more...

I am currently looking for confirmation that my MAP has deleted primary cats, I have a suspicion that its deleting NOX cat - i.e. NOX sensor... Why, well I know my NOX sensor is intermittent (INpa f5/shift f2 in 2.023 loader from memory) and my car car happily runs in Stratified mode (inpa f9/f1/f1 again from memory). If my theory is correct then I'm cutting the NOX cat of ASAP! And this provides another benefit of tuning as NOX stuff is crap and unreliable.
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