E90 330d potential purchase
Discussion
Going to go look at an E90 330d with the old man soon. It’s a late 2005 model with ~130k on the clock. Spec includes; auto, xenons, electric & heated leathers, M Sport. Price is £3500.
Anything specific we should be looking for? I believe it is the older M57 engine so should be pretty much bulletproof, right? Appreciate any advice and pointers.
Anything specific we should be looking for? I believe it is the older M57 engine so should be pretty much bulletproof, right? Appreciate any advice and pointers.
About a year ago I was thinking about getting an E91 to replace my E46 Compact as I'd had it 3 years and thought a Touring would be more practical as a daily.
My regular ex-Sytner BMW Indy told me years ago to avoid any BMW with less than 6 cylinders, and that petrol was generally preferable to diesel for lower maintenance costs and less stress.
Anyway last December my Compact was with him for a service and I mentioned I had seen an E91 330d that looked pretty good. He said the M57 installation in the E46 was better than in the E9* Series cars - something to do with the DPF regeneration on the E9*s IIRC. He reckoned the N57 was a better option in the E9*s.
Bearing that in mind in February I bought an 06 plate E91 325iSE with 132K miles and full BMWSH for just under £3,000!
Seeing as Tourings do seem to have a bit of a price premium as not many come up for sale I wouldn't want to pay £3,500 for the car you describe - if you fancy it there must be a deal to be done at this time of year!
Good luck whatever you decide.
My regular ex-Sytner BMW Indy told me years ago to avoid any BMW with less than 6 cylinders, and that petrol was generally preferable to diesel for lower maintenance costs and less stress.
Anyway last December my Compact was with him for a service and I mentioned I had seen an E91 330d that looked pretty good. He said the M57 installation in the E46 was better than in the E9* Series cars - something to do with the DPF regeneration on the E9*s IIRC. He reckoned the N57 was a better option in the E9*s.
Bearing that in mind in February I bought an 06 plate E91 325iSE with 132K miles and full BMWSH for just under £3,000!
Seeing as Tourings do seem to have a bit of a price premium as not many come up for sale I wouldn't want to pay £3,500 for the car you describe - if you fancy it there must be a deal to be done at this time of year!
Good luck whatever you decide.
I’d approach that with caution, the spec, engine and mileage tell me it’s a 4-5 grand car.
My brother had a E46 330d with the older 180 2.9 bhp engine and that was pretty much bullet proof, it had 120k miles, mis matched tyres, missing wing mirrors, some rust on the arches and he sold it for 1800 pounds to the first person who saw it.
A 2005 E90 330d M sport with those options should cost a lot more unless something is wrong with it.
My brother had a E46 330d with the older 180 2.9 bhp engine and that was pretty much bullet proof, it had 120k miles, mis matched tyres, missing wing mirrors, some rust on the arches and he sold it for 1800 pounds to the first person who saw it.
A 2005 E90 330d M sport with those options should cost a lot more unless something is wrong with it.
- edit
Edited by Chestrockwell on Monday 10th December 00:41
Yeah the air filter is a mission for sure, the one torx near the front needs a specific socket too that fits into the manifold - unless you want to butcher the plastic a bit.
I have an 08 330d m sport, have no plans to change it - paid a lot of money for it 2 years ago as it was a sub 75k miles car.
I have an 08 330d m sport, have no plans to change it - paid a lot of money for it 2 years ago as it was a sub 75k miles car.
I had the same engine in an E46 330d (the 204 bhp model) and it was great, didn't miss a beat over 3 years and 60k miles (took it from 106k to 166k). Only slight issue was with the glow plugs which didn't always pre-heat the engine properly, but the only symptom was it chuntering into life (with much smoke) if it had been sitting for a while.
It's a great powerplant for a diesel. Great bottom end and doesn't run out of ideas quite as quickly as your typical diesel - I used to frequently take mine up to the red line. I just got bored of a limited rev range however, so went back to petrol. If I had to go back to diesel however, it would be to a 330d.
It's a great powerplant for a diesel. Great bottom end and doesn't run out of ideas quite as quickly as your typical diesel - I used to frequently take mine up to the red line. I just got bored of a limited rev range however, so went back to petrol. If I had to go back to diesel however, it would be to a 330d.
sortedcossie said:
Yeah the air filter is a mission for sure, the one torx near the front needs a specific socket too that fits into the manifold - unless you want to butcher the plastic a bit.
I have an 08 330d m sport, have no plans to change it - paid a lot of money for it 2 years ago as it was a sub 75k miles car.
Yeah there's one little captive torx bolt/screw that's in a recess at the front of the air filter housing. I spent a while working out how to do it, but it turned out that a socket (8mm or 10mm i forget which) will fit.I have an 08 330d m sport, have no plans to change it - paid a lot of money for it 2 years ago as it was a sub 75k miles car.
I didn't find it too bad TBH.
I'm a big fan of the E90 330d and I took one(2006 model) from 3k miles to over 150k miles. It was faultless over the 6 years I had it, and I actually preferred it to the E90 330i I had a few years later.
I've been considering a 430d recently based on how happy I was with the 330d, a great all round car/engine.
I've been considering a 430d recently based on how happy I was with the 330d, a great all round car/engine.
Leave the autobox. Lack of oil changes isn’t what kills them.
Fit metal swirl flap blanks. Change all vacuum hoses for silicon. Do not use a K&N air filter. Use gen BMW, Mahle or Mann filters. Change oil and filter every 10k miles. Buy LL04 in 20l containers from eBay, around £48.
Change both thermostats for gen BMW. Use G48 coolant. Change brake fluid every 2 years, use gen BMW, Quantum or ATE SL6. Ensure you use low viscosity DOT 4. Change glow plugs and controller together as soon as any fault relating to glow plugs occurs.
Do not remove or replace the Dpf. Decent remaps work week and cause no problems. More power/torque less fuel. Allow the car to warm and and cool down.
Fit metal swirl flap blanks. Change all vacuum hoses for silicon. Do not use a K&N air filter. Use gen BMW, Mahle or Mann filters. Change oil and filter every 10k miles. Buy LL04 in 20l containers from eBay, around £48.
Change both thermostats for gen BMW. Use G48 coolant. Change brake fluid every 2 years, use gen BMW, Quantum or ATE SL6. Ensure you use low viscosity DOT 4. Change glow plugs and controller together as soon as any fault relating to glow plugs occurs.
Do not remove or replace the Dpf. Decent remaps work week and cause no problems. More power/torque less fuel. Allow the car to warm and and cool down.
helix402 said:
Leave the autobox. Lack of oil changes isn’t what kills them.
I wouldn't personally, every auto BMW I've had has had fresh oil and a new filter in the gearbox, I don't see how running a gearbox on old, dirty hydraulic fluid (fluid that it 100% relies on to do it's job properly) is going to do it any favours?
njw1 said:
helix402 said:
Leave the autobox. Lack of oil changes isn’t what kills them.
I wouldn't personally, every auto BMW I've had has had fresh oil and a new filter in the gearbox, I don't see how running a gearbox on old, dirty hydraulic fluid (fluid that it 100% relies on to do it's job properly) is going to do it any favours?
njw1 said:
I wouldn't personally, every auto BMW I've had has had fresh oil and a new filter in the gearbox, I don't see how running a gearbox on old, dirty hydraulic fluid (fluid that it 100% relies on to do it's job properly) is going to do it any favours?
I've also seen an E39 530d auto get to 480k before the 'box started doing silly things. It would hold first if you pulled out hard from a junction. Yes, the car was a taxi. To my knowledge, that car went to 530k with the 'box still in that condition, and which point the car became a parts donor.
You would have seen a few flywheels and clutches on a manual car by then.
You would have seen a few flywheels and clutches on a manual car by then.
No need for a remap post flap removal. But the M57 does like a good remap.
Both thermostats can be done in a morning or afternoon, afraid I can’t remember the cost, if you want them to last use gen BMW. (Mahle/Behr are nearly as good)
Both thermostats can be done in a morning or afternoon, afraid I can’t remember the cost, if you want them to last use gen BMW. (Mahle/Behr are nearly as good)
Edited by helix402 on Wednesday 26th December 07:58
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