[rskl]

I came across some good deals on AC hoses and power steering hoses for the E90 and I was considering purchasing them in advance. However I noticed the hoses are actually metal (unlike our coolant hoses which are rubber) - which brings up the question - do these need to be replaced even? What is the expected service life for these components (100k miles, 200k, 500k, 1m, etc.)?

Have any of you had any problems with AC or power steering hoses - if so, what was your mileage?

[Efthreeoh]

I can attest that the AC and power steering hoses are good for 12+ years and 359,000 miles.

Spend the money on crack, you'll get better use of it.

[rskl]

Thanks for the info, useful.

Have you had a chance to inspect them - any sign of them going out soon? I see that some of them have a rubber or plastic covering on the middle parts (perhaps they're not 100% metal?). Any problems with the power steering/AC at that mileage?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by rskl

Thanks for the info, useful.

Have you had a chance to inspect them - any sign of them going out soon? I see that some of them have a rubber or plastic covering on the middle parts (perhaps they're not 100% metal?). Any problems with the power steering/AC at that mileage?

My AC compressor died in 2008 at 85,000. I believe it was a result of a front end accident repair (from a deer hit) where the shop let the AC system open too long and let it get contaminated. I had the AC system repaired at a BMW dealership due to the newness of the E90 chassis back in 2009. 275,000 miles later, I'm still on the replacement AC pump and hoses. In April at 350,000 miles I found another deer, which required the factory AC condenser to be replaced. No new hoses; still using the original factory hoses.

Power steering; I've flushed the oil at 150,000 and 300,000 or so. Hoses are original.

Cooling hoses; I replaced all of them at 231,000 miles. None needed replacement at the time I did them, they were 8 years old at the time.

The E90 doesn't need to be over maintained to achieve high mileages, has been my experience (which is the same I've found for my other three BImmers I've had - two of which I still own).