BMW E91 325i M-Sport Touring Ownership Diary
Discussion
Roughly one month into ownership, I thought it might be interesting to keep a bit of an ownership diary of my 2007 E91 325i msport manual.
Prior to this, I have had my fair share of decent fun cars (JDM DC2r, E36 M3 evo, Clio 172 to name but a few), and most recently had an ex-evo press clio 220 trophy. I sold the clio back in February and didn't replace it as I live in central London and had no need for a car. It was quite nice actually, not worrying about maintaining a car and making money off my parking space, but with Christmas just around the corner I needed something to ferry my wife and greyhound to Ireland for the holidays. I had initially put down a deposit on a nice, low mileage, totally standard forester sti making its way here from Japan, but due to a last minute change in circumstances, the budget had to be halved, so I went looking again. I spent a few weeks looking out for a manual 330i msport touring but as it became more urgent I conceded and went to look at a 77,299 mile manual 325i msport touring that was just down the road from me, but I kept scrolling past on autotrader due to not being a 330i.
Anyway, aside from a few modifications I wasn't totally keen on, it was pretty nice. The paint was in great condition, as was the black leather interior, and it drove great, so a deal was done to include the genuine roof rack and roof box, and I took it home with me.
Here is a pic from the test drive:
Another from the drive home:
And the all importand mdecoder spec list:
Prod. Date 2007-07-19
Type 325I OL (EUR)
Series E91 (3 Series)
Body Type TOUR
Steering RL
Engine N52
Displacement 2.50
Power 160kw / 218hp
Drive HECK
Transmission Manual
Colour LEMANSBLAU METALLIC (381)
Upholstery LEDER DAKOTASCHWARZ (LCSW)
Editions And Packages
P337A M Sports Package
S704A M Sports Suspension
S710A M Leather Steering Wheel
S715A M Aerodynamics Package
Comfort And Interior Equipment
S428A Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit
S431A Interior Mirror With Automaticdip
S441A Smoker Package
S481A Sports Seat
S4ADA Interior Trim Strips Alu Brushed Fine
Multimedia
S644A Preparation F Mobile Phone W Bluetooth
S663A Radio BMW Professional
S694A Provisions For BMW 6 CD Changer
Driver Assistance And Lightning
S507A Park Distance Control PDC Rear
S521A Rain Sensor
S534A Automatic Air Conditioning
S544A Cruise Control With Brake Function
S563A Light Package
S520A Fog Lights
Wheels And Drive
S249A Multifunction F Steering Wheel
S2MFA BMW Alloy Wheel M Spider Spoke 193
Environment And Safety
S302A Alarm System
S386A Roof Railing
S850A ZUSAETZL TANKFUELLUNG EXPORT
S863A Retailer Directory Europe
S877A Delete Crosspattern Operation
S880A Onboard Vehicle Literature English
S8S2A Coding Alarm Signal
S8S3A Automatic Locking When Driving Off
S8SMA Car Ident Number Visible From Outside
S8SPA Control Unit COP
S321A Exterior Parts In Vehicle Color
S853A Language Version English
Individual Equipment
S760A High Gloss Shadow Line
S775A Headlining Anthracite
Other Equipment
S1CAA Selection Of COP Relevant Vehicles
L812A National Version England Ireland
Just my luck, on the way home the passenger side xenon flickered and died. Following a mild panic about the ballast being dead, I ordered a new pair of bulbs that were delivered the following morning. I wrestled with the arch liners but managed to get both bulbs replaced, and thankfully that has cured the problem.
I took the car for a quick spin to make sure everything worked, and here you can see the eyesore of a towbar the owner had fitted prior to my purchase, as he had planned to buy a caravan:
That will have to come off!
I booked the car in with Munich Legends for a post purchase inspection the following week, which thankfully turned up no nasty surprises:
Car has wheel spacers fitted, suggest removing and having a full alignment
Passenger side rear bump stop needs replacing at next service
Passenger side upper control arm needs replacing at next service
One of the retaining clips for the bulb access cover on the passenger side headlamp is broken (noticed this when changing bulbs), allowing moisture to enter, new headlamp needed to fix
One of the clips on the bulb access cover of the driver side headlamp is broken (also noticed this when changing bulbs), again allowing moisture to enter, needs new access cover
Overall, nothing majorly urgent!
A pic from the trip down:
Thankfully the seller included the standard wheel bolts and OEM locking bolts, so yesterday morning I removed the 12mm front and 15mm rear spacers, and brought it to my local kwik fit for an alignment. Only the fronts were out and I think they felt a bit guilty about charging me full whack, so the absolute gent of a mechanic removed the ugly choad part of the tow bar for free. I'll remove the rear bumper and take the rest of the tow bar off in the new year:
The wheels look a little lost in the arches, but I am ok with that if it means the car will handle better.
I have also taken delivery of less ugly reg plates, which I need to swap over at some point.
Per another thread I have started, this car was not originally specced with xenons, and had a minimal retrofit conversion (no washers or self leveling). Controversially I am considering reverting back to halogens, as although they will pass an MOT here, my plan is to eventually export this car to Ireland when I move home in the coming year or two, and it will not pass the Irish equivalent without washers or self leveling.
I'd love to go down the road of a birds b3 suspension upgrade, polybushing, and LSD, but lets see if I can justify that cost when push comes to shove!
Prior to this, I have had my fair share of decent fun cars (JDM DC2r, E36 M3 evo, Clio 172 to name but a few), and most recently had an ex-evo press clio 220 trophy. I sold the clio back in February and didn't replace it as I live in central London and had no need for a car. It was quite nice actually, not worrying about maintaining a car and making money off my parking space, but with Christmas just around the corner I needed something to ferry my wife and greyhound to Ireland for the holidays. I had initially put down a deposit on a nice, low mileage, totally standard forester sti making its way here from Japan, but due to a last minute change in circumstances, the budget had to be halved, so I went looking again. I spent a few weeks looking out for a manual 330i msport touring but as it became more urgent I conceded and went to look at a 77,299 mile manual 325i msport touring that was just down the road from me, but I kept scrolling past on autotrader due to not being a 330i.
Anyway, aside from a few modifications I wasn't totally keen on, it was pretty nice. The paint was in great condition, as was the black leather interior, and it drove great, so a deal was done to include the genuine roof rack and roof box, and I took it home with me.
Here is a pic from the test drive:
Another from the drive home:
And the all importand mdecoder spec list:
Prod. Date 2007-07-19
Type 325I OL (EUR)
Series E91 (3 Series)
Body Type TOUR
Steering RL
Engine N52
Displacement 2.50
Power 160kw / 218hp
Drive HECK
Transmission Manual
Colour LEMANSBLAU METALLIC (381)
Upholstery LEDER DAKOTASCHWARZ (LCSW)
Editions And Packages
P337A M Sports Package
S704A M Sports Suspension
S710A M Leather Steering Wheel
S715A M Aerodynamics Package
Comfort And Interior Equipment
S428A Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit
S431A Interior Mirror With Automaticdip
S441A Smoker Package
S481A Sports Seat
S4ADA Interior Trim Strips Alu Brushed Fine
Multimedia
S644A Preparation F Mobile Phone W Bluetooth
S663A Radio BMW Professional
S694A Provisions For BMW 6 CD Changer
Driver Assistance And Lightning
S507A Park Distance Control PDC Rear
S521A Rain Sensor
S534A Automatic Air Conditioning
S544A Cruise Control With Brake Function
S563A Light Package
S520A Fog Lights
Wheels And Drive
S249A Multifunction F Steering Wheel
S2MFA BMW Alloy Wheel M Spider Spoke 193
Environment And Safety
S302A Alarm System
S386A Roof Railing
S850A ZUSAETZL TANKFUELLUNG EXPORT
S863A Retailer Directory Europe
S877A Delete Crosspattern Operation
S880A Onboard Vehicle Literature English
S8S2A Coding Alarm Signal
S8S3A Automatic Locking When Driving Off
S8SMA Car Ident Number Visible From Outside
S8SPA Control Unit COP
S321A Exterior Parts In Vehicle Color
S853A Language Version English
Individual Equipment
S760A High Gloss Shadow Line
S775A Headlining Anthracite
Other Equipment
S1CAA Selection Of COP Relevant Vehicles
L812A National Version England Ireland
Just my luck, on the way home the passenger side xenon flickered and died. Following a mild panic about the ballast being dead, I ordered a new pair of bulbs that were delivered the following morning. I wrestled with the arch liners but managed to get both bulbs replaced, and thankfully that has cured the problem.
I took the car for a quick spin to make sure everything worked, and here you can see the eyesore of a towbar the owner had fitted prior to my purchase, as he had planned to buy a caravan:
That will have to come off!
I booked the car in with Munich Legends for a post purchase inspection the following week, which thankfully turned up no nasty surprises:
Car has wheel spacers fitted, suggest removing and having a full alignment
Passenger side rear bump stop needs replacing at next service
Passenger side upper control arm needs replacing at next service
One of the retaining clips for the bulb access cover on the passenger side headlamp is broken (noticed this when changing bulbs), allowing moisture to enter, new headlamp needed to fix
One of the clips on the bulb access cover of the driver side headlamp is broken (also noticed this when changing bulbs), again allowing moisture to enter, needs new access cover
Overall, nothing majorly urgent!
A pic from the trip down:
Thankfully the seller included the standard wheel bolts and OEM locking bolts, so yesterday morning I removed the 12mm front and 15mm rear spacers, and brought it to my local kwik fit for an alignment. Only the fronts were out and I think they felt a bit guilty about charging me full whack, so the absolute gent of a mechanic removed the ugly choad part of the tow bar for free. I'll remove the rear bumper and take the rest of the tow bar off in the new year:
The wheels look a little lost in the arches, but I am ok with that if it means the car will handle better.
I have also taken delivery of less ugly reg plates, which I need to swap over at some point.
Per another thread I have started, this car was not originally specced with xenons, and had a minimal retrofit conversion (no washers or self leveling). Controversially I am considering reverting back to halogens, as although they will pass an MOT here, my plan is to eventually export this car to Ireland when I move home in the coming year or two, and it will not pass the Irish equivalent without washers or self leveling.
I'd love to go down the road of a birds b3 suspension upgrade, polybushing, and LSD, but lets see if I can justify that cost when push comes to shove!
Looks a lovely car...
Always liked these and I would own a 330i or 335i tourer any day of the week
Re spacers and alignment, I’ve been running spacers for years, since early 2000s on various Honda’s, MG ZTs, BMWs etc and never had any issues with alignment nor handling.
Buying decent ones and IMO, using a stud conversion kit to make life easier when it comes to taking wheels off/putting them back on etc, plus they’re a safer bet when it comes to spacers too.
IMO if you’re alignment is bob on now, out the spacers back on as it looks so much better then having the wheels tucked right under the arches
Always liked these and I would own a 330i or 335i tourer any day of the week
Re spacers and alignment, I’ve been running spacers for years, since early 2000s on various Honda’s, MG ZTs, BMWs etc and never had any issues with alignment nor handling.
Buying decent ones and IMO, using a stud conversion kit to make life easier when it comes to taking wheels off/putting them back on etc, plus they’re a safer bet when it comes to spacers too.
IMO if you’re alignment is bob on now, out the spacers back on as it looks so much better then having the wheels tucked right under the arches
Love the Le Mans Blue - when I was looking for a Touring last year 330is were just so much dearer and sold so quickly that I ended up buying a 325i SE in Sparkling Graphite with Lemon Leather.
But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
Thales said:
Lovely car OP. It actually sat really nice with the wheel spacers, but understand your concerns re handling.
Thank you! I think the goal will be to try and find nice OEM or otherwise 9"/9.5" wheels, eventually.d_a_n1979 said:
Looks a lovely car...
Always liked these and I would own a 330i or 335i tourer any day of the week
Re spacers and alignment, I’ve been running spacers for years, since early 2000s on various Honda’s, MG ZTs, BMWs etc and never had any issues with alignment nor handling.
Buying decent ones and IMO, using a stud conversion kit to make life easier when it comes to taking wheels off/putting them back on etc, plus they’re a safer bet when it comes to spacers too.
IMO if you’re alignment is bob on now, out the spacers back on as it looks so much better then having the wheels tucked right under the arches
I'll hold off on spacers for now, it did look better with them on absolutely, but the car was quite skittish over uneven ground and Munich Legends said that the spacers would cause this. I'll just save my pennies for wider wheels in the future Always liked these and I would own a 330i or 335i tourer any day of the week
Re spacers and alignment, I’ve been running spacers for years, since early 2000s on various Honda’s, MG ZTs, BMWs etc and never had any issues with alignment nor handling.
Buying decent ones and IMO, using a stud conversion kit to make life easier when it comes to taking wheels off/putting them back on etc, plus they’re a safer bet when it comes to spacers too.
IMO if you’re alignment is bob on now, out the spacers back on as it looks so much better then having the wheels tucked right under the arches
Mr Tidy said:
Love the Le Mans Blue - when I was looking for a Touring last year 330is were just so much dearer and sold so quickly that I ended up buying a 325i SE in Sparkling Graphite with Lemon Leather.
But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
Looks smashing, well wear! Is the 330i noticeably better?But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
Aluminati said:
Nice colour combo in that blue. Has it had an aftermarket exhaust fitted ?
Thank you! No aftermarket exhaust that I can make out from the receipts I have, and it's not that noisy, but I'll have a poke around underneath and confirm!colm89 said:
Mr Tidy said:
Love the Le Mans Blue - when I was looking for a Touring last year 330is were just so much dearer and sold so quickly that I ended up buying a 325i SE in Sparkling Graphite with Lemon Leather.
But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
Looks smashing, well wear! Is the 330i noticeably better?But earlier this year I looked at an E90 330i with the split/fold rear seats and talked myself into buying that, even though it was also Sparkling Graphite.
Still it does have the electric sunroof and Bi-Xenons - and I couldn't resist having a 330i.
And seeing as running costs are no different really I couldn't resist.
Nice car OP. Le Mans blue really suits these.
I had an E90 330 in Le Mans blue. It was a lovely colour that looked stunning when clean. I had my diffuser painted gloss black which looked much nicer than the grey. I really wanted a touring but all of the ones I looked at at the time were dogs so ended up with a saloon.
Glad to see that the plates are being changed.
I had an E90 330 in Le Mans blue. It was a lovely colour that looked stunning when clean. I had my diffuser painted gloss black which looked much nicer than the grey. I really wanted a touring but all of the ones I looked at at the time were dogs so ended up with a saloon.
Glad to see that the plates are being changed.
Teepot said:
Blimey that is nice - bravo!
How’s it performed thus far? I’m toying with the idea of a 335i Touring but not many about. E91, obviously
Yeah it's a lovely drive. Admittedly I was a bit disappointed by the performance at the start, but it turns out that it makes it all at the top end. It's an engine that likes to be worked hard. I'd imagine a 335i would be a weapon!How’s it performed thus far? I’m toying with the idea of a 335i Touring but not many about. E91, obviously
stevemcs said:
I'd have left the towbar on .... its stops people parking too close, although you would have walked into it at some point.
Ha ha, my dad said the very same. Aesthetically I just couldn't live with it though!Mr Tidy said:
Well in most respects it's much the same, but the 330i certainly gets down the road noticeably quicker than the 325i did if you are in a hurry.
And seeing as running costs are no different really I couldn't resist.
Sounds like a win win!And seeing as running costs are no different really I couldn't resist.
tvrfan007 said:
Like the body/wheel colour combination on that. Tidy.
Thank you, not sure whether it was the first owner or previous owner that got them refurb'd in that colour, but I agree, it suits it!Court_S said:
Nice car OP. Le Mans blue really suits these.
I had an E90 330 in Le Mans blue. It was a lovely colour that looked stunning when clean. I had my diffuser painted gloss black which looked much nicer than the grey. I really wanted a touring but all of the ones I looked at at the time were dogs so ended up with a saloon.
Glad to see that the plates are being changed.
Yeah, the plates are shocking! I really need to get my arse in gear and change them, once I figure out how to remove the sticky pads they are mounted with!I had an E90 330 in Le Mans blue. It was a lovely colour that looked stunning when clean. I had my diffuser painted gloss black which looked much nicer than the grey. I really wanted a touring but all of the ones I looked at at the time were dogs so ended up with a saloon.
Glad to see that the plates are being changed.
Car looks great!
With regards to the spacers, from memory, the LCI comes with a slighter different rear hub carrier/different ET on the rear wheels which gives a 24mm wider rear track.
On that basis, ive always fitted a 12mm rear spacer to my pre-lci cars, never had any issues and looks far better for it imho
With regards to the spacers, from memory, the LCI comes with a slighter different rear hub carrier/different ET on the rear wheels which gives a 24mm wider rear track.
On that basis, ive always fitted a 12mm rear spacer to my pre-lci cars, never had any issues and looks far better for it imho
Sir_Dave said:
Car looks great!
With regards to the spacers, from memory, the LCI comes with a slighter different rear hub carrier/different ET on the rear wheels which gives a 24mm wider rear track.
On that basis, ive always fitted a 12mm rear spacer to my pre-lci cars, never had any issues and looks far better for it imho
Agreed it looked a lot better with spacers, but I'll just save my pennies til I can afford 9.5" wide wheels With regards to the spacers, from memory, the LCI comes with a slighter different rear hub carrier/different ET on the rear wheels which gives a 24mm wider rear track.
On that basis, ive always fitted a 12mm rear spacer to my pre-lci cars, never had any issues and looks far better for it imho
Made the annual long journey from Camberwell to Holyhead for the ferry home for Christmas yesterday, and the e91 performed admirably well. Having done this 3 or 4 times in a clio 220 tropy, it was a much more relaxing experience with the space and comfort of an e91!
The whole trip was pretty uneventful, some pics from regular toilet stops along the way:
On the ferry:
All the 7's:
And sitting nicely (but filthy) in my parents driveway:
The whole trip was pretty uneventful, some pics from regular toilet stops along the way:
On the ferry:
All the 7's:
And sitting nicely (but filthy) in my parents driveway:
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