[OSK77]

Thought I would share a series of maintenance updates my car went through a few weeks back so folks who are not aware of some of these things can have a handy reference. I am not a fan of 'Condition based servicing' and like to change fluids on a fairly regular/consistent basis as opposed to waiting for the computer to tell me when to change fluids. Also, most people talk about their negative experiences. Thought I would add a positive review

• MY: 2007 CPO (bought at 47K kms from T&C)
• 335i E90 Sedan (ZSPwith + Oil Cooler)
• Oil Change + Filter Interval: Every 10K kms - now contemplating going down to every 5000 Kms (I know a bit excessive for Synthetic oil, but oh well)
• Current Kms: 69K
• Total Ownership: Less than a year. Since BMW T&C did NOT share the detailed service history of the vehicle, for my own piece of mind I am being a little extra cautious with the car's maintenance.

Went for a preliminary fact finding meeting @ Budds BMW Oakville and met Gregor Ibowski (great guy whose knowledge is vast, also does most of the Dinan tunes at the dealership - very professional and courteous).

He read my key fob and we went through all the fluids that may need changing now that the car is coming to a 4 year life span. I also found out my "Paid 80Km/4 year service plan" expires end of June so he wanted to get as much paid warranty service done before June. He was also going to fit in one more oil change at 71K kms.

It was great timing because I was up for the following Recall's as well:

1. Fuel Pump replacement (fingers crossed)
2. Injector tolerance review and replace injectors where needed
3. DME Software update (I had one done earlier this year by BMW Hamilton as well). To date, I have had ZERO HPFP issues on my car. Hopefully it stays that way.
Note: The major change through the HPFP software update (as Gregor explained it) is that BMW "re-map's" the transmission shift points.

Here are the fluids we decided to change irrespective of service interval - even though most of these fluids were up for changing (except the transmission fluid). For a handy reference, a Houston based BMW shop has a fairly finicky maintenance interval plan. Check it out: http://bavarianmachine.com/maintenance_post96.html

1. Power Steering Fluid (typically every 4 years)
2. Differential Fluid (typically every 4 years)
3. Brake Flush (every 2 years)
4. Coolant (only use the original BMW blue version or then flush the system 4 or 5 times before putting a new brand in there - typically every 4 years)
5. Transmission Fluid (every 100K kms)

We went through all the pricing, the only fluid change covered by BMW was the Brake flush. The remainder fluid changes were pricey if I got them done at the dealer. I called Bimmersport and spoke to John, he could do all the fluid changes for half the price, Gregor was cool about it.

So for less than CAD $300 taxes in (total time: 2 hrs), I had Bimmersport replace/flush the following:

1. Power Steering fluid
2. Differential fluid
3. Coolant (original BMW coolant supplied by them - total cost $80 + tax)

Notes:
- Re: Coolant flush > Bimmersport confirmed I did not need to change the fluid, but for my own piece of mind I said go ahead as it has been 4 years. This way I knew everything is up to date.

- Transmission Gasket lead found > As the car went up on the hoist we noticed the transmission gasket had a leak. Good thing we found it. A common problem Bimmersport comes across with N54 engines apparently. Anyhow that would be a big job ($1000 or so to remove/replace gaskets and add new oil). I knew this would be covered under BMW warranty, so I did not sweat it.

I booked my appt. with Budds and the car went it a week and a half later as I needed a rental as well. Got a Volvo C30 as a rental (lets just say, I'm going to stick with BMW's). Here is what they did in 1.5 days.

- All three recall's done: incl. Fuel Pump replaced, 4 injectors replaced, DME/Software updated. So far so good, car is running fine.
- Brake flush done - a decent difference in the brake pedal, good stuff.
- Transmission gasket replaced and new transmission fluid added (about 9 Litres) under warranty (yay!). Wont have to worry about this cost at 100K.
- Spark plugs changed
- Air Filter/In-Cabin filters replaced
- Front door panel Tweeter's fixed - they were rattling. Tried some Hans Zimmer sound track for testing, voila...they are fixed.
- OEM Privacy screen's for rear side windows re-adjusted with OEM velcro
- Right side view mirror folding mechanism was acting wonky - they replaced it under warranty.

Total cost at Budds Oakville: $16 for the rental! Everything else done under warranty by Budds.

Great service from Budds Oakville and Bimmersport.

Next up looking at the following upgrades:

• DINAN STAGE 2 [OR...?]
• BMW PERFORMANCE WHEEL SQUARE BOTTOM - NON ELECTRONIC
• M5 SHIFTER
• HID FOGS
• STETT OR HPF INTERCOOLER
• BMW PERFORMANCE EXHAUST
  • M-TEC KIT FOR 335I PRE-LCI
  • BLACK FRONT GRILLS
  • SHADOWLINE TRIM CONVERSION
  • FOG LIGHT ACTIVATION SWITCH
  • ALFLUGEN SF-71 19" SET UP WITH MICHELIN PILOT SPORT'S STAGGERED

[vantage_coupe]

Thank you for taking the time to post this! My car is very similar to yours (CPO, almost at 69k...and same colour too!).

I'm due for a brake fluid flush/oil change (do mine every 10k)/air filter & microfilter/spark plugs this summer.

How did you know you needed the: Power Steering fluid and Differential fluid changed? (edit: I'm reading the link you provided...very informative!)

I was thinking of waiting until 90k and doing that along with the transmission fluid (I have the ZF steptronic)

[OSK77]

You are most welcome, glad my experience was helpful!

Re: Power Steering fluid and Differential fluid, I went by how many years the car has been on the road, and replaced them as preventative maintenance. Plus what BMW states around typical duration and kms on the car. My car is a steptronic as well.

I was also thinking of the getting the injector cleaning service that Budds does for $169. Upon further investigation, my findings are that if one uses Shell 91 octane V Power with Nitrogen consistently (which I do), the nitrogen has cleaning agents that keep the fuel lines/injectors clean, so would not do much difference. Need to dig a little deeper on this. But will keep you posted.

Ironically enough (I digress a little): my wife has a '08 CR-V and I took it to Sterling Honda (best Honda Service dealership in Ontario, top notch pro's) and got all the fluids changed (brake, transmission, differential, power steering) made a huge difference in driving. Ended up getting her Michelin Latitude Tour tires as well. Amazing tires - very quiet and rated at 110K kms tread life!

Originally Posted by vantage_coupe

Thank you for taking the time to post this! My car is very similar to yours (CPO, almost at 69k...and same colour too!).

I'm due for a brake fluid flush/oil change (do mine every 10k)/air filter & microfilter/spark plugs this summer.

How did you know you needed the: Power Steering fluid and Differential fluid changed? (edit: I'm reading the link you provided...very informative!)

I was thinking of waiting until 90k and doing that along with the transmission fluid (I have the ZF steptronic)

[vantage_coupe]

I will likely add the power steering/diff fluid chg to my maintenance list. My understanding is the Shell 91 cleaning agents don't really do a huge service on our cars since we're Direct Injection (although I still exclusively use Shell 91).

I'm currently getting a little bit of throttle lag in my car (barely noticeable) but I was told after my spark plugs are replaced this will disappear. I've also been looking at the idea of adding the BMW Performance kit to the car (good for about 20whp?) and adds a stronger OEM cooling system. Not sold on the cost however (well over 2 grand).

I can also second your feelings on the 'honda tune ups'. Back in the day I used to drive a civic sedan and I do vividly recall driving it after a full tuneup/fluid change it was like the car was on race gas haha.

Originally Posted by OSK77

You are most welcome, glad my experience was helpful!

Re: Power Steering fluid and Differential fluid, I went by how many years the car has been on the road, and replaced them as preventative maintenance. Plus what BMW states around typical duration and kms on the car. My car is a steptronic as well.

I was also thinking of the getting the injector cleaning service that Budds does for $169. Upon further investigation, my findings are that if one uses Shell 91 octane V Power with Nitrogen consistently (which I do), the nitrogen has cleaning agents that keep the fuel lines/injectors clean, so would not do much difference. Need to dig a little deeper on this. But will keep you posted.

Ironically enough (I digress a little): my wife has a '08 CR-V and I took it to Sterling Honda (best Honda Service dealership in Ontario, top notch pro's) and got all the fluids changed (brake, transmission, differential, power steering) made a huge difference in driving. Ended up getting her Michelin Latitude Tour tires as well. Amazing tires - very quiet and rated at 110K kms tread life!

[OSK77]

I forgot to add to the list that they replaced the spark plugs as well.

Re: Power kit - let me know when you want to pull the trigger, there is a fellow member on here who gets great discounts at BMW T&C. He quoted me a price I will double check and get back to you. Also, the kit for a steptronic adds in excess of 30hp/lbs torque. You will basically convert your car into a 335is minus the Performance exhaust (if I would buy a car, the 335is would be on my list). Good luck with the maintenance and I'll get back to you on the discounted pricing for the Power Kit.

Originally Posted by vantage_coupe

I will likely add the power steering/diff fluid chg to my maintenance list. My understanding is the Shell 91 cleaning agents don't really do a huge service on our cars since we're Direct Injection (although I still exclusively use Shell 91).

I'm currently getting a little bit of throttle lag in my car (barely noticeable) but I was told after my spark plugs are replaced this will disappear. I've also been looking at the idea of adding the BMW Performance kit to the car (good for about 20whp?) and adds a stronger OEM cooling system. Not sold on the cost however (well over 2 grand).

I can also second your feelings on the 'honda tune ups'. Back in the day I used to drive a civic sedan and I do vividly recall driving it after a full tuneup/fluid change it was like the car was on race gas haha.

[silvermist99]

For transmission fluid flush, is it the auto you're talking about? I asked about my MT and i was quoted as lifetime fluid, not sure how true that is.

also spark plugs are part of the free scheduled maintance?

[domrep]

First mistake is getting the dinan tune

[Dr. G]

Originally Posted by silvermist99

For transmission fluid flush, is it the auto you're talking about? I asked about my MT and i was quoted as lifetime fluid, not sure how true that is.

also spark plugs are part of the free scheduled maintance?

lifetime = 100k

Originally Posted by domrep

First mistake is getting the dinan tune

Agreed.

[OSK77]

Re: Transmission Fluid Flush: Yes, it is the Steptronic/Auto I'm talking about.

To answer your question: Dr. G is right. BMW recommends replacing the Transmission fluid at 100K kms.

Re: Spark Plugs: yes, replacing them is part of the free scheduled maintenance plan

Originally Posted by silvermist99

For transmission fluid flush, is it the auto you're talking about? I asked about my MT and i was quoted as lifetime fluid, not sure how true that is.

also spark plugs are part of the free scheduled maintance?

[OSK77]

Enlighten me about the demerits of getting a Dinan tune apart from the higher cost than other tunes. I keep going back and forth on this and am looking for objective advice. Are you basing your opinion on actual experience? Thanks.

Originally Posted by domrep

First mistake is getting the dinan tune