[scbarney]

Hello. I'm Shawn, I'm new to the group, and I'm an alcoholic. JK,JK... or am I!?

Anyway, I live in Baltimore, MD (any other local D owners around?), I've owned my 335d M sport for about 2 weeks now, and it kicks so much ass. Especially coming from an older STi swapped Subaru.

I've been reading, watching videos, and learning as much as I can about these cars/engines. I see that to make these engines have longevity you should do the deletes, so I have all hardware for ABC deletes on the way and will have it tuned at Kassel Performance (in PA) in about 2 weeks.

That said, does the general collective have any other tips, tricks, do's and don'ts to make these cars live long and prosper? I know obviously don't beat the shit out of it every time I drive, and to keep up with regular maintenance. But are there other little things that we can do to help our diesels last?

I.e.
Don't down shift when coming to stop lights, just let the trans do it's thing.

Let the car warm up a few minutes before driving on cold days.

Let the car sit/idle for a few minutes after driving a long distance.

Sorry for the novel (and potentially dumb question). I'm just looking to see if there are things I'm doing that aren't particularly good for the car, or if there are things I can do to keep this thing on the road longer.



Shawn

[BB_cuda]

Welcome to our little spot within E90post. Glad you're enjoying the stock D. Just wait until you have the work done for car to become illiterate! you will have to restrain yourself to keep foot out of it.

Please look at this stickyed thread as it has lots of advice and great tidbits. Torq3e attached a couple of my threads within it. It is known as the MEGA thread.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1334283

[Persian Whisperjet]

There is a lot on the sticky, but short version is lose the EGR and the SCR (DEF injection) system. (This requires a tune and there are several options.) Those two mods make a huge difference in mitigating carbon buildup and improving reliability without turning the car super smelly. If smelly is not a bad word in your support group, you can take the next step and lose the DPF system. I am at 125K miles and have had almost zero problems with the car. Once you have all that done: redo the vacuum hoses, consider swapping out the harmonic balancer (they tend to fail around 80K), lose the intake manifold swirl flaps, and monitor the turbo oil feed lines as one of them tends to leak. A defective thermostat will overload the glow plug controller (irritating repair) and interfere with regen cycles if you still have DPF, but since you yanked your EGR valve and cooler the thermostat replacement is fairly easy. Find a good independent shop that does not mind working on diesels. I find Kevin at AKTIV automotive (Gaithersburg) is a great option and he does not mind if you source your own parts.

[RL18]

Hah I downshift when I come to a stop light.... nothing crazy though at like 1500rpm at most normally 1200rpm though. Haven't seen any side effects... a bit smoother with the xhp stage 3 tune though.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by scbarney

...
I.e.
Don't down shift when coming to stop lights, just let the trans do it's thing.

Let the car warm up a few minutes before driving on cold days.

Let the car sit/idle for a few minutes after driving a long distance.

1st gear is almost totally unnecessary to use. Even drag racing, the best times are gotten by brake torquing in manual/2nd.

Don't worry about doing a warmup by idling. You've got an electric heating element in the a/c system, and the tranny won't shift good until you get it warmed up. Just don't hop on a freeway for a few minutes.

Long distance drives don't need an extended cool-down. Doesn't hurt to go slow for the last mile or so, or idle for a minute or less.

Long distance drives, and an operable thermostat (deletes or not), are the most effective ways to keep the CBU at bay. I'm at 135K and never had deletes, and never have had CBU cleaning necessary. 50% or so of my driving is longer distance (non-urban stop/go).

[rohanmalik]

Maintenance. Maintenance. Maintenance.

Find the schedule and stick to it. You should get the CBU completed ASAP if it hasn't already been done. Next thing would be to change all of the fluids. Get the cabin and intake filter. Get the fuel filter. Etc.

These cars will last you a while if properly maintained.

[WreckerX5d]

Do: Drive and delete it.
Dont: Wreck.

[awenthol]

Originally Posted by scbarney

I.e.
Don't down shift when coming to stop lights, just let the trans do it's thing.

Let the car warm up a few minutes before driving on cold days.

Let the car sit/idle for a few minutes after driving a long distance.

I'm an engineer and worked for a major diesel OEM for a lot of years. Idling is not good for any engine and especially a cold diesel. Take it easy until it starts to warm up but don't waste fuel idling. Same goes for cool down... As long as you weren't just doing a lug curve pull, don't waste the fuel. You only need the turbos to settle into "idle" speed.

I don't understand the trans comment? Of course you can use the trans for "braking". Much easier to do if you get a good trans tune.

Otherwise, maintenence, maintenance, maintenance. Coolant flushes, trans filter/fluid, engine oil/filter, fuel filter.... Proactive replacements--crank damper, tensioner, t-stat....