E91 Straight Six Bearding

[majorjoy]

Mr Tidy said:

Lovely - a 330i Sport in a colour.

BMW don't schedule changing the transmission fluid - it's filled for life according to them!

But many (including me) reckon it is worth having it changed.

Thanks! I know the auto box is sealed for life but surprised to learn the manual is not on the service schedule...Seems an odd way to treat the transmission...Any recommendations on which brand/grade of fluid to use please?

[majorjoy]

lord trumpton said:

That looks lovely. The N52 is an absolute peach isn't it!

It is seriously impressive...Previous work car was a Mondeo 2.5t which has the great Volvo 5pot engine but sadly runs out of puff around 5k revs and has oil tanker like handling in comparison!

[zippyonline]

majorjoy said:

Mr Tidy said:

Lovely - a 330i Sport in a colour.

BMW don't schedule changing the transmission fluid - it's filled for life according to them!

But many (including me) reckon it is worth having it changed.

Thanks! I know the auto box is sealed for life but surprised to learn the manual is not on the service schedule...Seems an odd way to treat the transmission...Any recommendations on which brand/grade of fluid to use please?

Redline stuff. If your change is a bit notchy, it's recommended about the place to go 50:50 with some auto fluid - as long as it's good quality so you still have the protection. I did a change 20k miles ago when I got my car, but I dunno if it had any changes before then, so doing another one soon. I'm going for more like 2 parts MTL to 1 part ATL.
Also worth doing the diff whilst you're at it.

Here's a care package mostly for my N52 330i manual!:


199 (18-07-2018) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

[majorjoy]

Thanks for the info, Zippy. That's very helpful.

[bodhi]

PaulGT3 said:

Has anyone posted this one yet?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-330i-3-0-M-Sport-To...

Manual N52 330i touring M sport with this mileage has got to be rare.

That is lovely - especially with the Alacantra interior. I would pay extra for that over leather tbh.

[zippyonline]

bodhi said:

PaulGT3 said:

Has anyone posted this one yet?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-330i-3-0-M-Sport-To...

Manual N52 330i touring M sport with this mileage has got to be rare.

That is lovely - especially with the Alacantra interior. I would pay extra for that over leather tbh.

Mine had Alcantara originally, the previous owner to me swapped the interior over to leather! That said, it was on 180k miles at that stage...

[PTF]

bodhi said:

PaulGT3 said:

Has anyone posted this one yet?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-330i-3-0-M-Sport-To...

Manual N52 330i touring M sport with this mileage has got to be rare.

That is lovely - especially with the Alacantra interior. I would pay extra for that over leather tbh.

That's the nicest 330i E91 i've seen. Great spec/mileage.

That almost makes me want to sell my 130i!!

[ferrisbueller]

PTF said:

bodhi said:

PaulGT3 said:

Has anyone posted this one yet?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-330i-3-0-M-Sport-To...

Manual N52 330i touring M sport with this mileage has got to be rare.

That is lovely - especially with the Alacantra interior. I would pay extra for that over leather tbh.

That's the nicest 330i E91 i've seen. Great spec/mileage.

That almost makes me want to sell my 130i!!

Similar thoughts here. You could keep that forever.

[stevesingo]

zippyonline said:

majorjoy said:

Mr Tidy said:

Lovely - a 330i Sport in a colour.

BMW don't schedule changing the transmission fluid - it's filled for life according to them!

But many (including me) reckon it is worth having it changed.

Thanks! I know the auto box is sealed for life but surprised to learn the manual is not on the service schedule...Seems an odd way to treat the transmission...Any recommendations on which brand/grade of fluid to use please?

Redline stuff. If your change is a bit notchy, it's recommended about the place to go 50:50 with some auto fluid - as long as it's good quality so you still have the protection. I did a change 20k miles ago when I got my car, but I dunno if it had any changes before then, so doing another one soon. I'm going for more like 2 parts MTL to 1 part ATL.
Also worth doing the diff whilst you're at it.

Here's a care package mostly for my N52 330i manual!:


199 (18-07-2018) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

And also remove the clutch delay valve and bleed the clutch fluid. Improves the clutch action no end and eases the 1st to 2nd jerkiness.

[bmwmike]

PTF said:

That's the nicest 330i E91 i've seen. Great spec/mileage.

That almost makes me want to sell my 130i!!

What's so good about the spec? It's a bogo silver e91 isn't it? No xenons even

[PTF]

bmwmike said:

PTF said:

That's the nicest 330i E91 i've seen. Great spec/mileage.

That almost makes me want to sell my 130i!!

What's so good about the spec? It's a bogo silver e91 isn't it? No xenons even

I like the silver/black colour combination. It's the m-sport version with the nicest (IMO) wheels. Heated electric alcantara seats. Cruise. Parking sensors.

It's a nicer spec than my 130.

[bmwmike]

PTF said:

I like the silver/black colour combination. It's the m-sport version with the nicest (IMO) wheels. Heated electric alcantara seats. Cruise. Parking sensors.

It's a nicer spec than my 130.

Ah fair point. Does look nice...

[2 GKC]

Dashboard looks crap without the nav and M Sport just ruins the ride

[BaronVonVaderham]

Dipped beam bulb on the left has gone on our e91 330i, is it a 5 min job, a hobbit hands job or a Halfords (shudder) job?

Got the recall notice as well.

[cerb4.5lee]

BaronVonVaderham said:

Dipped beam bulb on the left has gone on our e91 330i, is it a 5 min job, a hobbit hands job or a Halfords (shudder) job?

I changed mine three times over the 6 years I had it on the E90 330d, its a bit of a faff but doable. I did it twice without a problem but I do remember the third time I did it...it was a pain in the backside.

[ferrisbueller]

BaronVonVaderham said:

Dipped beam bulb on the left has gone on our e91 330i, is it a 5 min job, a hobbit hands job or a Halfords (shudder) job?

Not sure it's the same but the ISTR main issue is the price of part from BMW which was something like £20 plus for a bulb which is captive in a housing instead of being a few quid for a bulb. I ended up drilling a small slot in the lens at the base of the bulb to extract the original bulb and then slotting a replacement in and refitting. Getting them in and out wasn't that tricky in itself.

[BaronVonVaderham]

Cheers chaps. Is access via the bonnet or the hatch in the wheel arch? If the latter can you get away with full left lock or does the wheel have to come off?

[ferrisbueller]

Hatch - full lock.

[Swervin_Mervin]

It's easy if you know what you're doing or can remember the last time you did it. Which I never can.

Hatch in the arch liner, but sometimes easier to go in from above. Pop the hinged clamp off the bulb cover and remove plastic housing cover. Then reach in and unplug the bulb. Then there's a metal clip which holds the bulb in the housing. It has a couple of sticky out bits which you can use to lever it. It hinges from the bottom and clips in at the side somewhere, so all you're trying to do is unclip it from the sides (inside) and then let it drop down.

You can see them here:

[Swervin_Mervin]

Oh and it's a normal halogen bulb you can get from Hellfrauds if necessary.

If you're in a spot, like I was last time it happened to me (post-meeting 60mi from home in winter in the dark, via rural roads) you can simply switch out the full beam bulb if you prefer. BMW usefully use the same bulbs for dipped and full beam.