[Aziego]

Not sure if this is the right forum, please move if it is not.

I am looking at a 2009 e90 with ~31k miles. It has most options that I want except for HID.

The car has the N31 engine and looking at the Carfax, it failed NY emissions testing multiple times starting in 2013. Is this a common thing with the N31? I know it has a long warranty period for emissions so I am not too worry.

Another thing I noticed is after the car got rear ended, the previous owner replaced all 4 tires during a service visit. The report showed he visited the dealer 2 more times in a short time span where the service performed include 4 wheel alignment. Should I be worry or can this just be the rubber bushings wearing out causing alignment issues?

From the pics it looks like a well kept car and priced reasonable.

[relative4]

Ah, the elusive N31. A priceless gem. Nice find.

[matamua]

Originally Posted by Aziego

Not sure if this is the right forum, please move if it is not.

I am looking at a 2009 e90 with ~31k miles. It has most options that I want except for HID.

The car has the N31 engine and looking at the Carfax, it failed NY emissions testing multiple times starting in 2013. Is this a common thing with the N31? I know it has a long warranty period for emissions so I am not too worry.

Another thing I noticed is after the car got rear ended, the previous owner replaced all 4 tires during a service visit. The report showed he visited the dealer 2 more times in a short time span where the service performed include 4 wheel alignment. Should I be worry or can this just be the rubber bushings wearing out causing alignment issues?

From the pics it looks like a well kept car and priced reasonable.

What is the n31?

Typically any motor/drivetrain warranty is usually a time or mileage, whichever comes first. Unlikely you've got a long warranty left on the basis of time.

[pedro2u]

Originally Posted by matamua

What is the n31?

Educate me too on what the N31 engine is. If I search for BMW N31, the only hit is for an N31 racing cam on the E28 blog

[ctuna]

They only made one of those.


possible e9x engines in the US N51 n52 n54 n55.

Better put the vin in mdecoder.com

https://www.google.com/search?client...x+engine+types

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series_(E90)

I would stay away from an N51

[Aziego]

It is the N51.

[CTinline-six]

That isn't much information to go by. You really need to have a pre-purchase inspection done by a good shop and they can go over it and tell you if it's worth buying.

Not passing emissions could be as simple as the car had a CEL on for a loose gas cap and the previous owner never fixed it, or it could be a string of issues that you want nothing to deal with. I find it hard to believe a car with 31k miles wouldn't pass emissions, but being 10 years old it obviously sat around a lot, so anything is possible.

[Schmitz]

Changing mileage on these cars isn't as difficult as you might believe. I would verify that the mileage is correct as 31k miles on an 11 year old sedan is pretty crazy... 3k miles a year?

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Schmitz

Changing mileage on these cars isn't as difficult as you might believe. I would verify that the mileage is correct as 31k miles on an 11 year old sedan is pretty crazy... 3k miles a year?

I bought my 2009 in early 2018 with only 32k miles on it. The owner lived in the city and basically never drove it since they took the train to work. It is possible, I'd be more concerned about the emissions and accident stuff.