BMW e91 330d lci
Discussion
Now the full title is out of the way.
Last car was a legacy spec b. The £600 a year tax and 22mpg meant that I only kept it for a year. Difficult to justify 1/4 of the cars value in tax a year. Plus who doesn’t like going shopping for a car.
Requirements were <£300 tax, more than 35mpg, estate, less than £7k and good to drive.
Naturally that lead me to the e91 330d.
After trawling the classifieds and ebay nothing was standing out. There was one 5 miles away 2009, £7.5k, 125,000 miles and an error on the dash for the hid. I was tempted by it. The HID fault could be costly so back to looking.
Whilst in work an ebay notification popped up with a new listing. 2011 e91 330d in black. 94,000 miles and £7000.
Rang the seller and asked about the car. Full BMW service history with one due in 3000 miles. Pictures looked ok but pictures don’t always portray reality.
Offered him £6.5 and a pick up asap. The seller accepted on condition it was picked up that weekend as his new car had arrived.
One problem. Its 5 hours away and I’ve got no way of getting there. The OH can’t as our baby was 4 months old.
Luckily my father volunteered to take me.
First impressions weren’t brilliant. Front left has had a poor paint job, runs in the paint and solvent pop on the edge of the bonnet. Front bumper looks like it’s been shot at by a shotgun. Loads of stone chips.
A couple dents in the tailgate and the skirt not fitted correctly.
Now the positives.
Full bmw history, engine sounds sweet, pulls cleanly in all gears, no knocks bangs or strange noises. Everything works inside.
On balance what 11 year old car hasn’t t seen paint. The rest of the bodywork was dent free and in reasonably tidy condition. It had oyster leather and individual piano black trim. Has the pro nav.
The deal was done. A 5 hour journey home to get acquainted to my new car. Averaged 53mpg on the journey.
Here’s a couple pictures of it home. It photographs better than it looks.
![](https://thumbsnap.com/sc/qJPvXUHp.jpg[/img]|https://thumbsnap.com/qJPvXUHp[/url] <a href="https://thumbsnap.com/f5Bg6SUS" Target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[img]https://thumbsnap.com/sc/f5Bg6SUS.jpg)
Another from a carpark.
First thing was to clean the interior. It was filthy.
This is after a good hour or two cleaning the seats.
New mats were ordered as well.
Carried out a service of the oil, oil filter, air filter and cabin filter. No contaminants in the filter. Replaced the oil and filter again after 2k miles. It won’t be going to bmw during my ownership as I’ll do most of the maintenance and I’ll take it to Darren Wood for anything I don’t fancy/have time to do.
Last bit of preventative maintenance was to fit 4 new Michelin ps5 as it had nexxen front and some other crap on the rear.
It will need new disks soon. Probably go for ATE disks and ceramic pads with new braided lines.
Then systematic replacement of suspension components until it’s all refreshed.
Unsure as to servicing the zf6. I doubt its ever had a service in 94k miles. I’m thinking of putting the service funds aside and if/when it pops use the money saved to help with a rebuild. Lots of owners have had issues after servicing a non serviced high mile box like mine. I think zf specify 30k or there about service intervals. BMW say sealed for life.
Congratulations if you made it through my rambling. I’ll try and keep it updated along the way.
Last car was a legacy spec b. The £600 a year tax and 22mpg meant that I only kept it for a year. Difficult to justify 1/4 of the cars value in tax a year. Plus who doesn’t like going shopping for a car.
Requirements were <£300 tax, more than 35mpg, estate, less than £7k and good to drive.
Naturally that lead me to the e91 330d.
After trawling the classifieds and ebay nothing was standing out. There was one 5 miles away 2009, £7.5k, 125,000 miles and an error on the dash for the hid. I was tempted by it. The HID fault could be costly so back to looking.
Whilst in work an ebay notification popped up with a new listing. 2011 e91 330d in black. 94,000 miles and £7000.
Rang the seller and asked about the car. Full BMW service history with one due in 3000 miles. Pictures looked ok but pictures don’t always portray reality.
Offered him £6.5 and a pick up asap. The seller accepted on condition it was picked up that weekend as his new car had arrived.
One problem. Its 5 hours away and I’ve got no way of getting there. The OH can’t as our baby was 4 months old.
Luckily my father volunteered to take me.
First impressions weren’t brilliant. Front left has had a poor paint job, runs in the paint and solvent pop on the edge of the bonnet. Front bumper looks like it’s been shot at by a shotgun. Loads of stone chips.
A couple dents in the tailgate and the skirt not fitted correctly.
Now the positives.
Full bmw history, engine sounds sweet, pulls cleanly in all gears, no knocks bangs or strange noises. Everything works inside.
On balance what 11 year old car hasn’t t seen paint. The rest of the bodywork was dent free and in reasonably tidy condition. It had oyster leather and individual piano black trim. Has the pro nav.
The deal was done. A 5 hour journey home to get acquainted to my new car. Averaged 53mpg on the journey.
Here’s a couple pictures of it home. It photographs better than it looks.
Another from a carpark.
First thing was to clean the interior. It was filthy.
This is after a good hour or two cleaning the seats.
New mats were ordered as well.
Carried out a service of the oil, oil filter, air filter and cabin filter. No contaminants in the filter. Replaced the oil and filter again after 2k miles. It won’t be going to bmw during my ownership as I’ll do most of the maintenance and I’ll take it to Darren Wood for anything I don’t fancy/have time to do.
Last bit of preventative maintenance was to fit 4 new Michelin ps5 as it had nexxen front and some other crap on the rear.
It will need new disks soon. Probably go for ATE disks and ceramic pads with new braided lines.
Then systematic replacement of suspension components until it’s all refreshed.
Unsure as to servicing the zf6. I doubt its ever had a service in 94k miles. I’m thinking of putting the service funds aside and if/when it pops use the money saved to help with a rebuild. Lots of owners have had issues after servicing a non serviced high mile box like mine. I think zf specify 30k or there about service intervals. BMW say sealed for life.
Congratulations if you made it through my rambling. I’ll try and keep it updated along the way.
BMW don't build the boxes, they aren't sealed for life, they are sealed for warranty, I'm sure the company that manufactures them (ZF or whoever) would say the same - if its a keeper I would get it done. Nice car OP, I have a E91 albeit a 2012 318d (147,000 miles) still lovely thing to drive.
I've been running one of these for a few years, albeit an older manual.
One thing to watch out for is that it is reaching the correct temperature. If not, then one or both of the thermostats are likely dead and the DPF won't regenerate. You won't get an error for a failed thermostat either.
One thing to watch out for is that it is reaching the correct temperature. If not, then one or both of the thermostats are likely dead and the DPF won't regenerate. You won't get an error for a failed thermostat either.
Court_S said:
Looks good OP. I like the E91; I think it’s the best looking of the E9x range.
I’ve looked at them before and there are loads of tatty ones out there presumably because they end up as workhorses. First time around I ended up with a 330 saloon and this time around a 335 coupe.
I know a lot prefer the pre lci but I don’t. I’ve looked at them before and there are loads of tatty ones out there presumably because they end up as workhorses. First time around I ended up with a 330 saloon and this time around a 335 coupe.
Perfect car for me would be an lci e91 335i in moonstone, oyster leather and piano black trim.
Unfortunately the chances of finding one are slim to none and I don’t think I could stomach the running costs. Two turbo, injectors and hpfp issues would keep me awake at night.
That looks like it has the makings of being a great car with that colour combination and the Pano roof. 
I wanted a manual E91 330i with the N52 engine but couldn't find one that wasn't silly money so I bought a 325i. But it felt a bit sluggish so after a year I compromised again and got an E90 330i that is much better, albeit not quite so practical!
So I'm another E9* fan.
I wanted a manual E91 330i with the N52 engine but couldn't find one that wasn't silly money so I bought a 325i. But it felt a bit sluggish so after a year I compromised again and got an E90 330i that is much better, albeit not quite so practical!
So I'm another E9* fan.
sam.rog said:
I know a lot prefer the pre lci but I don’t.
Perfect car for me would be an lci e91 335i in moonstone, oyster leather and piano black trim.
Unfortunately the chances of finding one are slim to none and I don’t think I could stomach the running costs. Two turbo, injectors and hpfp issues would keep me awake at night.
I like bits of both….the rear tail lights of the pre-LCI tourings are awful, but then again I feel very strongly about the bigger teddy bear ears of the later cars! Perfect car for me would be an lci e91 335i in moonstone, oyster leather and piano black trim.
Unfortunately the chances of finding one are slim to none and I don’t think I could stomach the running costs. Two turbo, injectors and hpfp issues would keep me awake at night.
The later 335’s got the N55 which is more reliable.
I’m sure not all N54’s are disaster zones, well that’s what I keep telling myself about mine!
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
Genuine kits can be picked up on Autodoc for £160 if you time it right on the app. I need to do mi E on my 335i; just torn between DIY and pay someone to do it.Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
ZF kit comes with sleeve and seal. I didn’t change mine-if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! (Did the sump and oil).Court_S said:
Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
Genuine kits can be picked up on Autodoc for £160 if you time it right on the app. I need to do mi E on my 335i; just torn between DIY and pay someone to do it.I did seals/sleeves and solenoids on mine, and the change after was buttery. It was a huge improvement, from a box I didn't even think wasn't smooth before
helix402 said:
Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
ZF kit comes with sleeve and seal. I didn’t change mine-if it ain’t broke don’t fix it! (Did the sump and oil).Jhonno said:
Court_S said:
Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
Genuine kits can be picked up on Autodoc for £160 if you time it right on the app. I need to do mi E on my 335i; just torn between DIY and pay someone to do it.I did seals/sleeves and solenoids on mine, and the change after was buttery. It was a huge improvement, from a box I didn't even think wasn't smooth before
I helped a friend do the service on his ZF6 on his old 530d and it was a messy job to do on the drive but sone of the quotes from ZF specialists start with a 5 so I’m starting to think that I’ll do it myself. I’ll just need to get a copy of ISTA or INPA to monitor the temps.
Court_S said:
Jhonno said:
Court_S said:
Jhonno said:
Definitely worth doing the box! 94k isn't excessive over! That is low miles for one. It is very DIY'able if you have INPA or similar to read gearbox temps. Also, get the sleeves done, and rear seal. As the ZF oil/sump kit is £230 odd, most specialists only really charge 1-2hrs labour to do it. Sleeves and seal are another £50 odd iirc.
Genuine kits can be picked up on Autodoc for £160 if you time it right on the app. I need to do mi E on my 335i; just torn between DIY and pay someone to do it.I did seals/sleeves and solenoids on mine, and the change after was buttery. It was a huge improvement, from a box I didn't even think wasn't smooth before
I helped a friend do the service on his ZF6 on his old 530d and it was a messy job to do on the drive but sone of the quotes from ZF specialists start with a 5 so I’m starting to think that I’ll do it myself. I’ll just need to get a copy of ISTA or INPA to monitor the temps.
BMW sell these? I didn't realise they sold anything internally for the box! Every day is a school day.
Edited by Jhonno on Friday 18th November 10:43
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