E91 Straight Six Bearding
Discussion
Court_S said:
Apparently they do; they were on his pre LCI E90 before hand.
Edited to add that the the LCI lights on the E90/1 are a straight swap having done some research online.
As stated above by a few posters headlights are a straight swap. Personally I don't really see much benefit in standard LCI headlights as they are still halogens and have the standard filament indicator bulbs etc. although you do get angel eyes. LCI xenons are a much bigger upgrade with the LED indicators, but they are very pricey used. When I had my 330i I swapped out the standard halogens for pre-LCI xenons which were a huge improvement, and they look better than pre-LCI halogens as they have the angel eyes.Edited to add that the the LCI lights on the E90/1 are a straight swap having done some research online.
Edited by Court_S on Tuesday 25th April 14:06
The big upgrade to a pre-LCI touring is the rear lights LCI conversion, but although the outer lights are a straight swap the inners need a new tailgate, which is obviously a big job and pretty hard to justify just to get rid of those huge white reverse lights. I thought about it many times on my 330i but could never bring myself around to it.
Edited by pmorg4 on Wednesday 26th April 09:28
pmorg4 said:
As you are aware I had an N52 330i manual touring for a few years and it was more or less faultless in that time. Despite what many say about the N/A engines being "gutless" unless you wind them up, I never found it particularly wanting and in many ways it's a more rewarding drive on the open road than the 335i with a much more linear and responsive throttle and an eagerness to rev that I find the standard 335i lacks.
I used to really like my E90 330i for a bit of high speed cruising and as you say it is a lovely engine to use. It is only when you come across stuff like 330d's etc that it feels a bit on the slower/less punchy side for me. Mine was an auto, but I think a manual gearbox will help it feel a bit more lively lower down the revs I reckon. The auto seems to sap a lot of the performance/power out of the N52 engine for me. cerb4.5lee said:
I used to really like my E90 330i for a bit of high speed cruising and as you say it is a lovely engine to use. It is only when you come across stuff like 330d's etc that it feels a bit on the slower/less punchy side for me. Mine was an auto, but I think a manual gearbox will help it feel a bit more lively lower down the revs I reckon. The auto seems to sap a lot of the performance/power out of the N52 engine for me.
Agree with that, based on my experience with a manual 330i and auto 335i. The auto in D mode likes to keep the revs low for obvious efficiency reasons, and needs a fair bit of prodding to wake it up. Switching to S or manual mode will alleviate this, but I don't imagine many drive in those modes on a regular basis. D mode is fine in a turbocharged engine with a good spread of low down torque, but the N52 doesn't really shine with that type of driving. In my view the N52 works well with a manual as you are always in control of which part of the engine's rev range you're using, combined with the responsive throttle and linear delivery make it quite an enjoyable experience when you're driving it quickly across country roads, despite the obvious weight.ATM said:
That's a lot of money for a pretty basic spec 330i. It does look tidy and the mileage is low, but I can't say I'm a fan of the AC Schnitzer kit which just screams Barry to me! All the show and none of the go... maybe I'm just getting old 
pmorg4 said:
As stated above by a few posters headlights are a straight swap. Personally I don't really see much benefit in standard LCI headlights as they are still halogens and have the standard filament indicator bulbs etc. although you do get angel eyes. LCI xenons are a much bigger upgrade with the LED indicators, but they are very pricey used. When I had my 330i I swapped out the standard halogens for pre-LCI xenons which were a huge improvement, and they look better than pre-LCI halogens as they have the angel eyes.
The big upgrade to a pre-LCI touring is the rear lights LCI conversion, but although the outer lights are a straight swap the inners need a new tailgate, which is obviously a big job and pretty hard to justify just to get rid of those huge white reverse lights. I thought about it many times on my 330i but could never bring myself around to it.
They just look a bit fresher; they’ll still be crap but nicer looking crap! The big upgrade to a pre-LCI touring is the rear lights LCI conversion, but although the outer lights are a straight swap the inners need a new tailgate, which is obviously a big job and pretty hard to justify just to get rid of those huge white reverse lights. I thought about it many times on my 330i but could never bring myself around to it.
Edited by pmorg4 on Wednesday 26th April 09:28
The LCI rear lights look loads better, but not enough for me to justify swapping the bootlid.I’m certainly coming round to the idea, as is my other half. I’m waiting for pics of the service history (more interested in receipts for work than stamps). I’m hoping it’s now a relatively good time to sell a cab, just as they weather is looking a tad better.
ATM said:
Yeah that just seems ludicrously overpriced to me, but then in my eyes the mods add zero value (possibly negative).MajorMantra said:
ATM said:
Yeah that just seems ludicrously overpriced to me, but then in my eyes the mods add zero value (possibly negative).Court_S said:
I’m certainly coming round to the idea, as is my other half. I’m waiting for pics of the service history (more interested in receipts for work than stamps). I’m hoping it’s now a relatively good time to sell a cab, just as they weather is looking a tad better.
Will you miss roof down motoring Sam? You always seem to enjoy it from what I read on your threads. cerb4.5lee said:
Will you miss roof down motoring Sam? You always seem to enjoy it from what I read on your threads.
I will for sure, but I don’t get to do it that much. She literally never puts the roof down, even when the weather is nice.I’ve spent too much on the 335i recently to move that on just yet, so I think it’ll be hers that’s on the chopping block. Plus, if we have one decently practical car, I can look at something like a Boxster next year.
ferrisbueller said:
MajorMantra said:
ATM said:
Yeah that just seems ludicrously overpriced to me, but then in my eyes the mods add zero value (possibly negative).
Having previously owned and enjoyed the convertible aspect of a Boxster I get the attraction in it, even in relatively cool weather you can still get the roof down and heaters on, which makes for a great drive on the open road with a nice sounding engine. I've never really understood the appeal of 4-pot diesel convertibles that seem to be a thing in recent years!
That said, since owning the E91 which was originally bought to deal with family requirements (two under-2s at the time, so prams, travel cots, high chairs and all that lot) and that is less of an issue now that the kids are slightly older and don't need half the house to come with us on holidays, the thought of going back to a "normal" car isn't very appealing, as you get used to the practicality. Being able to just go and collect various items and easily throw them into the boot without the creeping uncertainty as to whether it will fit, being able to quickly fold the seats and put a bike in the back with very little effort, etc. I appreciate you have roof bars for that, but for those things that you only do occasionally it's very handy having the much more usable load space of the touring.
Oh and the retractable "dog guard" is a standard feature of the E91 (as long as the load cover hasn't been lost, as it's removable and the two are integrated) and very handy for when you want to load the car up to the roof without worrying about things flying forward into the car.
I can't see me going back to a saloon let alone a coupe any time soon, put it that way
That said, since owning the E91 which was originally bought to deal with family requirements (two under-2s at the time, so prams, travel cots, high chairs and all that lot) and that is less of an issue now that the kids are slightly older and don't need half the house to come with us on holidays, the thought of going back to a "normal" car isn't very appealing, as you get used to the practicality. Being able to just go and collect various items and easily throw them into the boot without the creeping uncertainty as to whether it will fit, being able to quickly fold the seats and put a bike in the back with very little effort, etc. I appreciate you have roof bars for that, but for those things that you only do occasionally it's very handy having the much more usable load space of the touring.
Oh and the retractable "dog guard" is a standard feature of the E91 (as long as the load cover hasn't been lost, as it's removable and the two are integrated) and very handy for when you want to load the car up to the roof without worrying about things flying forward into the car.
I can't see me going back to a saloon let alone a coupe any time soon, put it that way
pmorg4 said:
Having previously owned and enjoyed the convertible aspect of a Boxster I get the attraction in it, even in relatively cool weather you can still get the roof down and heaters on, which makes for a great drive on the open road with a nice sounding engine. I've never really understood the appeal of 4-pot diesel convertibles that seem to be a thing in recent years!
That said, since owning the E91 which was originally bought to deal with family requirements (two under-2s at the time, so prams, travel cots, high chairs and all that lot) and that is less of an issue now that the kids are slightly older and don't need half the house to come with us on holidays, the thought of going back to a "normal" car isn't very appealing, as you get used to the practicality. Being able to just go and collect various items and easily throw them into the boot without the creeping uncertainty as to whether it will fit, being able to quickly fold the seats and put a bike in the back with very little effort, etc. I appreciate you have roof bars for that, but for those things that you only do occasionally it's very handy having the much more usable load space of the touring.
Oh and the retractable "dog guard" is a standard feature of the E91 (as long as the load cover hasn't been lost, as it's removable and the two are integrated) and very handy for when you want to load the car up to the roof without worrying about things flying forward into the car.
I can't see me going back to a saloon let alone a coupe any time soon, put it that way
I can’t see the appeal of a diesel convertible either….yuck. When we bought it, I had the M140i which was reasonably practical so it wasn’t really an issue. Had I bought the 335i touring that I was also considering, it would be a none issue.That said, since owning the E91 which was originally bought to deal with family requirements (two under-2s at the time, so prams, travel cots, high chairs and all that lot) and that is less of an issue now that the kids are slightly older and don't need half the house to come with us on holidays, the thought of going back to a "normal" car isn't very appealing, as you get used to the practicality. Being able to just go and collect various items and easily throw them into the boot without the creeping uncertainty as to whether it will fit, being able to quickly fold the seats and put a bike in the back with very little effort, etc. I appreciate you have roof bars for that, but for those things that you only do occasionally it's very handy having the much more usable load space of the touring.
Oh and the retractable "dog guard" is a standard feature of the E91 (as long as the load cover hasn't been lost, as it's removable and the two are integrated) and very handy for when you want to load the car up to the roof without worrying about things flying forward into the car.
I can't see me going back to a saloon let alone a coupe any time soon, put it that way
My E92 isn’t too bad (at least the seats fold unlike my old E90), but it’s only got four seats, misbehaved doors etc. As our little boy gets bigger and wants to do more stuff, it’s getting more of a pain in the arse. We’re going to Cornwall this summer and the idea of an inflatable kayak has been bought up; that’s never fitting in the 335i! Our smallish dog is getting on a bit and his replacement is likely to be a bit bigger etc.
I know the E91 isn’t the biggest or most practical estate, but it’ll be better than either of our current cars.
pmorg4 said:
ATM said:
That's a lot of money for a pretty basic spec 330i. It does look tidy and the mileage is low, but I can't say I'm a fan of the AC Schnitzer kit which just screams Barry to me! All the show and none of the go... maybe I'm just getting old Had an E46 330i touring for sale at £10k and it'd done c120k miles and was poverty spec bar heated seats and black; when you zoomed in on the pics you could see the bubbles on the arches etc
Court_S said:
I just wanted to gauge what peoples views on values for a 330i touring are…
A coupe and a cabriolet are a poor combo of cars for practicality. I ended that I’ve spent a bit on the 335i recently, that’s not going anywhere for a while yet so her 125i is most likely in the firing line. Plus she never puts the roof down, so the compromises of a cab are ridiculous. On this basis, it’s the one most likely to be sacrificed for something more sensible.
Being a BMW fanboy, a 3 series touring seems like the obvious choice. 330i tourings are like rocking horse poo, but a chap has one that’ll be for sale soon. Its Le Mans blue, lemon leather (my favourite combo), it’s a manual too, done 158k, has and recent work like the water pump, VANOS solenoids, Disa valves, plugs, coils and is on style 216 alloys. Spec is pretty basic other then front parking sensors and what looks like a built in dog guard. Condition is good for the age and mileage other than some solvent damage to the spoiler, lacquer peel on edge of the front bumper and a few light scratches. With a decent polish, I think it’d look pretty good.
It’s currently got a 3.64 ratio LSD on it, but I’m happy with the stock diff.
He’s asking £5.5k on the stock diff. Given the lack of other options out there I can’t tell it it’s high or about right.
It certainly drove ok last night.
Sounds identical to my one languishing in the garage, 2006 330i Touring, Le Mans with Dakota Lemon, and manual!A coupe and a cabriolet are a poor combo of cars for practicality. I ended that I’ve spent a bit on the 335i recently, that’s not going anywhere for a while yet so her 125i is most likely in the firing line. Plus she never puts the roof down, so the compromises of a cab are ridiculous. On this basis, it’s the one most likely to be sacrificed for something more sensible.
Being a BMW fanboy, a 3 series touring seems like the obvious choice. 330i tourings are like rocking horse poo, but a chap has one that’ll be for sale soon. Its Le Mans blue, lemon leather (my favourite combo), it’s a manual too, done 158k, has and recent work like the water pump, VANOS solenoids, Disa valves, plugs, coils and is on style 216 alloys. Spec is pretty basic other then front parking sensors and what looks like a built in dog guard. Condition is good for the age and mileage other than some solvent damage to the spoiler, lacquer peel on edge of the front bumper and a few light scratches. With a decent polish, I think it’d look pretty good.
It’s currently got a 3.64 ratio LSD on it, but I’m happy with the stock diff.
He’s asking £5.5k on the stock diff. Given the lack of other options out there I can’t tell it it’s high or about right.
It certainly drove ok last night.
How much does he want for the diff? I could be interested...
The only alternative I found for the pre LCI rear is black lines, they’re still serviced by BMW - they sorted me mine out for a shade under £300 I believe.
Definitely modernises the rear.
The only other alternative is if you’re lucky enough to find an LCI tailgate in the same colour code, sadly in my case Sparkling Graphite is pre LCI only.
Definitely modernises the rear.
The only other alternative is if you’re lucky enough to find an LCI tailgate in the same colour code, sadly in my case Sparkling Graphite is pre LCI only.
nipsips said:
The only alternative I found for the pre LCI rear is black lines, they’re still serviced by BMW - they sorted me mine out for a shade under £300 I believe.
Definitely modernises the rear.
The only other alternative is if you’re lucky enough to find an LCI tailgate in the same colour code, sadly in my case Sparkling Graphite is pre LCI only.
May be a bit biased but blacklines are great, bought them new a few months ago.Definitely modernises the rear.
The only other alternative is if you’re lucky enough to find an LCI tailgate in the same colour code, sadly in my case Sparkling Graphite is pre LCI only.
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