Another silver BMW - 2005 330i Touring
Discussion
That boot hinge was an absolute nightmare job! It’s the sort where halfway through I was asking myself why wasn’t I just paying someone to do it for me! I hope the other one behaves itself...
I think I opted for a genuine used one as it didn’t need painting.
Fair play buying a complete suspension set up, the rears would probably benefit from a fresh pair of dampers. Are the dampers still yellow? Birds were talking about doing more discreet ones in black instead.
Cheers
I think I opted for a genuine used one as it didn’t need painting.
Fair play buying a complete suspension set up, the rears would probably benefit from a fresh pair of dampers. Are the dampers still yellow? Birds were talking about doing more discreet ones in black instead.
Cheers
Our E91s bootlid hinges have been fine, so I WD40’d them today to expel any moisture and now they creak! May be a sign that I need to follow up with the lithium grease.
Good to see this one making its way to 200k. Ours is on 89k, bought at 30k in 2009, so a while to go before we reach 200!
Good to see this one making its way to 200k. Ours is on 89k, bought at 30k in 2009, so a while to go before we reach 200!
CB 987 said:
That boot hinge was an absolute nightmare job! It’s the sort where halfway through I was asking myself why wasn’t I just paying someone to do it for me! I hope the other one behaves itself...
I think I opted for a genuine used one as it didn’t need painting.
Fair play buying a complete suspension set up, the rears would probably benefit from a fresh pair of dampers. Are the dampers still yellow? Birds were talking about doing more discreet ones in black instead.
Cheers
I remember you saying! Also, the bootlid is heavy and I'd rather not have to hold it up while changing a hinge. I think I opted for a genuine used one as it didn’t need painting.
Fair play buying a complete suspension set up, the rears would probably benefit from a fresh pair of dampers. Are the dampers still yellow? Birds were talking about doing more discreet ones in black instead.
Cheers
The dampers are still yellow, which is good as I think they look best that way. For me Bilstein's top offerings have to be yellow!
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Our E91s bootlid hinges have been fine, so I WD40’d them today to expel any moisture and now they creak! May be a sign that I need to follow up with the lithium grease.
Good to see this one making its way to 200k. Ours is on 89k, bought at 30k in 2009, so a while to go before we reach 200!
I used a LOAD of WD-40 and exercised the hinges a lot to free them up, probably up and down close to 100 times with good amount of lube. (Finbarr Saunders, where art thou?) But lithium grease to keep it all protected isn't a bad idea too.Good to see this one making its way to 200k. Ours is on 89k, bought at 30k in 2009, so a while to go before we reach 200!
I think my mileage won't pick up quite as much post lockdown, as I am looking at changing jobs. Down from 88 miles of commuting a day to 15 is the right move, though. For wallet and for mind. I still do a lot of private mileage though, so we should still see some impressive mileages from the car.
Your 325i is really nice. I especially like the colour combo and the wheels. If they weren't so expensive I think I'd get a set to replace the MV3s I used on mine in the summer.
A suspension update
As I think had been mentioned some time ago, I wasn't 100% happy with the suspension on my car. Namely that the front shocks were knocking. This, combined with the rear shocks having done over 100,000 miles, I thought it was time for an upgrade.
I bought a new Birds B3 suspension kit, as they were doing a final run, and now I have spare springs should I snap one.
I also spent a load of money at BMW and bought all new fastening hardware, top mounts and the funny little washers and rubber spring pads, just so it's all new.
Some pictures from the job:
Car in the air. I managed to borrow a ramp (in a Land Rover specialist) to do this job. Heated, and adjustable height was lovely.
Old damper off. I compressed it in the arch rather than disconnect any of the front suspension arms.
Building up the new ones. I had to disassemble the old struts, as one washer was on back order at BMW. The MINI bag contained all of the bits from BMW. First time I've ever been given a bag!
Front in and happy.
Hole where a rear shock goes.
And where the bottom mounts.
A poorly looking bottom rubber mount
I didn't take any more pictures. It does seem the knock on the front is gone, and generally the suspension is quieter. The top mounts were tired, as was the rear shock bottom mounts.
Nothing mega to report as of recent, suspension is settling in nicely, and the knock when warm is certainly gone. Good news.
In spite of the weather not being 'summery', the summer wheels have been swapped back on. Outright grip, and high speed refinement is much improved.
I also helped a mate replace the belt tensioner on his N53 powered 630i. As can be seen in the below picture, the belt was starting to come off of the tensioner. This is quite a common thing on the N52/53 engine. the belt should be fully on the tensioner. I did the belt and tensioner on my car when the A/C compressor died in 2019. On his six series it's really easy. One of those 30 minute jobs which is actually 30 minutes.
Following this, we went to a local 'house' (Bowood I think), and took some pictures, seeing as we're not allowed inside.
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In spite of the weather not being 'summery', the summer wheels have been swapped back on. Outright grip, and high speed refinement is much improved.
I also helped a mate replace the belt tensioner on his N53 powered 630i. As can be seen in the below picture, the belt was starting to come off of the tensioner. This is quite a common thing on the N52/53 engine. the belt should be fully on the tensioner. I did the belt and tensioner on my car when the A/C compressor died in 2019. On his six series it's really easy. One of those 30 minute jobs which is actually 30 minutes.
Following this, we went to a local 'house' (Bowood I think), and took some pictures, seeing as we're not allowed inside.
Great minds, Helix.Great thread, I read it from start to end with interest.
I helped my parents buy a brand new E91 325i back in 2008. Its been great, 13 years later its still run as their daily, its on 47k miles now. We've had it serviced by main dealers every year (none of this CBS 2yr intervals for us as it was a keeper from day one) and its garaged every night. Still feels like a new car and drives like one too.
Here's hoping to many more years of fun and reliable motoring from our E91s!
I helped my parents buy a brand new E91 325i back in 2008. Its been great, 13 years later its still run as their daily, its on 47k miles now. We've had it serviced by main dealers every year (none of this CBS 2yr intervals for us as it was a keeper from day one) and its garaged every night. Still feels like a new car and drives like one too.
Here's hoping to many more years of fun and reliable motoring from our E91s!
Glad to hear you enjoyed. The 325i is a good car. Much more available than a 330i, and normally less abused. The last N/A six cylinder 3 series makes these cars feel like the end of an era.
I also don’t buy into CBS servicing. When I had a long commute and we were allowed out, I would do 2-3 services a year at 10,000 mile intervals. I think it’s important to have a look over an older car regularly, to spot any potential issues before they become serious issues.
I also don’t buy into CBS servicing. When I had a long commute and we were allowed out, I would do 2-3 services a year at 10,000 mile intervals. I think it’s important to have a look over an older car regularly, to spot any potential issues before they become serious issues.
Thanks Dan.
It was on a Birds kit before, but I do think it's a fantastic upgrade to any E90 platform car. This, or the 1 series on proper tyres and this suspension really does help.
There's a fluidity to the ride that is just not matched on the standard setup of these cars. I think BMW tuned the suspension much more for run flat tyres, and they're too firm on standard suspension. This feels like a car that really does well on a British road, because as we know they're mostly poor. The upside to this over a standard E90 on big wheels with runflat tyres is that the tyre feels much more in contact with the road. there's very little skip when hitting mid corner bumps, and it does not feel upset at all.
The ride is a little jiggly at low speeds, but that's the price to be paid for a ride that only gets better with speed. Even at the cars top speed on the autobahn, which can be quite bumpy it's still great, and I've had to do a genuine emergency manouver avoiding migrants near Calais at French autoroute speeds, and the DSC light remained off.
In short, I am really happy with it, that's why I bought another whole kit to refresh the bits I have on mine. I still have the old dampers and springs as spares, and I will have Bilstein UK refurbish the dampers, so that should I run into issues I have spares. The Birds kit for the E90 has just had its final production run, so supplies will start dwindling.
It was on a Birds kit before, but I do think it's a fantastic upgrade to any E90 platform car. This, or the 1 series on proper tyres and this suspension really does help.
There's a fluidity to the ride that is just not matched on the standard setup of these cars. I think BMW tuned the suspension much more for run flat tyres, and they're too firm on standard suspension. This feels like a car that really does well on a British road, because as we know they're mostly poor. The upside to this over a standard E90 on big wheels with runflat tyres is that the tyre feels much more in contact with the road. there's very little skip when hitting mid corner bumps, and it does not feel upset at all.
The ride is a little jiggly at low speeds, but that's the price to be paid for a ride that only gets better with speed. Even at the cars top speed on the autobahn, which can be quite bumpy it's still great, and I've had to do a genuine emergency manouver avoiding migrants near Calais at French autoroute speeds, and the DSC light remained off.
In short, I am really happy with it, that's why I bought another whole kit to refresh the bits I have on mine. I still have the old dampers and springs as spares, and I will have Bilstein UK refurbish the dampers, so that should I run into issues I have spares. The Birds kit for the E90 has just had its final production run, so supplies will start dwindling.
JakeT said:
Glad to hear you enjoyed. The 325i is a good car. Much more available than a 330i, and normally less abused. The last N/A six cylinder 3 series makes these cars feel like the end of an era.
I bought an E91 325i in 2018 because I couldn't find a 330i that wasn't twice the price! But I found the 325i a bit under-whelming so I tried again in 2019, and had the same problem. So I got an E90 330i as a compromise.
Mine both had the N52 engine because the N53 last of the N/A straight 6s seem to have issues!
Mr Tidy said:
I bought an E91 325i in 2018 because I couldn't find a 330i that wasn't twice the price!
But I found the 325i a bit under-whelming so I tried again in 2019, and had the same problem. So I got an E90 330i as a compromise.
Mine both had the N52 engine because the N53 last of the N/A straight 6s seem to have issues!
Agreed! We have the 3.0 N53 variant and, considering its supposed to have 220bhp, one does have to ask where they have all gone to, exactly. Feels more like 180bhp... even when compared to our E39 with the 3.0 M54 engine and 240bhp in a 1800kg car. Mind you, the N53 does sounds lovely and is very smooth, so its still a very pleasant drive, yet "relaxed".But I found the 325i a bit under-whelming so I tried again in 2019, and had the same problem. So I got an E90 330i as a compromise.
Mine both had the N52 engine because the N53 last of the N/A straight 6s seem to have issues!
On the reliability side BMW changed under a recall campaign the HPFP and some injectors, since then its been spot on. General consensus seems that the initial issues on the N53 have been long resolved and were mostly related to dodgy production runs, no?
PS: Sorry for thread hijack!
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