E91 Straight Six Bearding

E91 Straight Six Bearding

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Discussion

texasjohn

3,687 posts

232 months

Sunday 18th November 2018
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I'd take a car with the regular CD player and Harman Kardon or Individual Audio, over a car with iDrive and business loudspeaker or no loudspeaker upgrade!!

Reality check - most cars won't have upgraded speakers but it's an easy fix for the semi-competent DIYer. You'll probably exceed Harman Kardon standards spending the same as the option originally cost.

Dannbodge

2,166 posts

122 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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Upgraded sound with pro nav was one of my biggest wants (along with Adaptive Xenons).
Luckily I got Individual audio in mine. It's bloody incredible.

phil_cardiff

7,099 posts

209 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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texasjohn said:
I'd take a car with the regular CD player and Harman Kardon or Individual Audio, over a car with iDrive and business loudspeaker or no loudspeaker upgrade!!

Reality check - most cars won't have upgraded speakers but it's an easy fix for the semi-competent DIYer. You'll probably exceed Harman Kardon standards spending the same as the option originally cost.
What's the DIY fix? Focals?

campionissimo

578 posts

125 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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Forgive me for asking if its the wrong place, but what LED angel eye replacement bulbs should I go for? The bulb on the offside has gone, so time to upgrade!

It's for an 09 plate LCI 325d Touring with halogen headlights.


13aines

2,153 posts

150 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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I have read a lot of bad stuff about early iDrive too, but I think it makes the interior look so much more modern personally.

Perhaps I should be seeking an iDrive-less car, and some sort of nice very OEM looking headunit upgrade?

ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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campionissimo said:
Forgive me for asking if its the wrong place, but what LED angel eye replacement bulbs should I go for? The bulb on the offside has gone, so time to upgrade!

It's for an 09 plate LCI 325d Touring with halogen headlights.
Assuming you're looking at #9 in the below:

http://www.bmminiparts.com/DiagramView.aspx?Diagra...

The standard replacement is the whole bulb plus holder and was IIRC something like £30. I modified the holder on mine so a bulb can be slotted in and out the front. The bulbs are £1 ea.

An LED part would be some kind of eBay special I guess? Given that the Angel Eye is more form over function in terms of actually providing illumination of the road ahead I'm not sure of the point? And a naff one will trigger the OBD.

You also need to take the wheel off and remove the arch-liner to get access.

13aines said:
I have read a lot of bad stuff about early iDrive too, but I think it makes the interior look so much more modern personally.

Perhaps I should be seeking an iDrive-less car, and some sort of nice very OEM looking headunit upgrade?
It's a 14 year old interior design so modernity is relative. What functionality is it that's missing due to the absence of I-Drive?

p1stonhead

25,577 posts

168 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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ferrisbueller said:
It's a 14 year old interior design so modernity is relative. What functionality is it that's missing due to the absence of I-Drive?
Lots of stuff.

Telephone stuff, vehicle settings for everything, tyre pressures, settings, lists of radio stations on DAB, service requirements etc. Along with the navigation obviously.

Now the above are not missing just much easier to find with idrive. I had the second gen CIC though - the original was a lot worse.

I too prefer the screen being there.

ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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p1stonhead said:
ferrisbueller said:
It's a 14 year old interior design so modernity is relative. What functionality is it that's missing due to the absence of I-Drive?
Lots of stuff.

Telephone stuff, vehicle settings for everything, tyre pressures, settings, lists of radio stations on DAB, service requirements etc. Along with the navigation obviously.

Now the above are not missing just much easier to find with idrive. I had the second gen CIC though - the original was a lot worse.

I too prefer the screen being there.
To be honest most of this is lost on me. In many (all) cases i-Drive isn't the only means of accessing the things listed.

What functions are exclusively i-Drive?

There's tyre pressure monitoring and service information on every car, with or without i-Drive. DAB presence depends on the age and phone depends on whether there's Bluetooth connectivity and the Nav on my phone pisses on the generation of nav in these cars, even with an update disc.

I have owned full spec cars before and driven countless i-Drive/Non i-Drive cars and there's nothing I really miss. Much of that functionality is a liability once it reaches a certain age. Clearly I'm a luddite.


Mike335i

5,011 posts

103 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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It's more about the ease of use really, the iDrive is so easy to use whilst on the move, for instance changing music. It gives the option of a harddrive to save music on. Having a big colour screen instead of a small single line screen makes a difference.

The nav is relatively decent, despite the maps being 5 years out of date. Waze is much better of course, but it is more convenient to use the built in nav.


ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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I look at something like this 2006 330i (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810301952317) for £3k and wonder what more one could possibly need for day to day motoring.



Good looking E91 here, too: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

80k mile, manual, £5k


Swervin_Mervin

4,465 posts

239 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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Mike335i said:
The nav is relatively decent, despite the maps being 5 years out of date. Waze is much better of course, but it is more convenient to use the built in nav.
Really? I don't even use the nav in our f20 1series. Just Google maps on my phone as it's far easier to use and better mapping. It's also pretty hard to beat for rerouting in the event of any incidents

Mr Tidy

22,440 posts

128 months

Monday 19th November 2018
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ferrisbueller said:
I look at something like this 2006 330i (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810301952317) for £3k and wonder what more one could possibly need for day to day motoring.



Good looking E91 here, too: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

80k mile, manual, £5k

But is it £3K or £5K?

I might have paid £5K for that, but bought a 325iSE Touring in February for less than £3K - and I've got heated seats! laugh

ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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The 330i black saloon in the first link is £3k. The red touring in the second link is £5k. HTH.

Both cars are great VFM. And the touring is worth £5k all day long. There's a reason for the premium over the 325.

Mr Tidy

22,440 posts

128 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
quotequote all
ferrisbueller said:
The 330i black saloon in the first link is £3k. The red touring in the second link is £5k. HTH.

Both cars are great VFM. And the touring is worth £5k all day long. There's a reason for the premium over the 325.
Thanks - both are good! thumbup

Good Tourings are just so hard to find, and I fully understand the premium for a 330i - but a 330i wasn't essential as I've got a much more fun N52 engined toy! laugh

I really couldn't justify spending what people want for E91 330is when it's more than 2 thirds of what I paid for this, but probably less than half the fun on a good day! If I had to spend that much on a daily it would definitely be a 130i.



Edited by Mr Tidy on Tuesday 20th November 03:32


Edited by Mr Tidy on Tuesday 20th November 03:49

p1stonhead

25,577 posts

168 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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Swervin_Mervin said:
Mike335i said:
The nav is relatively decent, despite the maps being 5 years out of date. Waze is much better of course, but it is more convenient to use the built in nav.
Really? I don't even use the nav in our f20 1series. Just Google maps on my phone as it's far easier to use and better mapping. It's also pretty hard to beat for rerouting in the event of any incidents
I find the nav in my f30 with the real time traffic on to be just as good as the google maps one. However the mapping in my e91 was certainly not as good. Mostly because it didn’t have real time traffic which in the south east means everything.

Maps can easily be updated though too. When I sold my 2009 it was running End 2017 maps.

ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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Mr Tidy said:
Good Tourings are just so hard to find, and I fully understand the premium for a 330i - but a 330i wasn't essential as I've got a much more fun N52 engined toy! laugh
Change the record.

Swervin_Mervin

4,465 posts

239 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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MOT on the 330i. Nae problem. As I do every time, I get an advisory for engine covers/undertrays being fitted though.

Tread's getting very low on the rears, and apparently the front brake hoses are looking a bit tired as well. I'm going to have to try and hold off a little longer though as I started a business only a couple of months ago and I've not started paying myself yet (!), hence money's a leeeeetle bit tight

The New Year could see quite a spend on it again, as it needs the fuel filler breather hose replacing, a couple of gaskets, tyres, possibly hoses and possibly front pads. And I wanted to get the bodywork tidied up at some point - main cost being a new front bumper.

Dare I say it though, a couple of times this last few weeks I've actually started wondering whether I'd want to move on from the 330 - the first time I've had any such thoughts in 6yrs now, and this is the longest I've owned any car by a very long way.

ferrisbueller

29,344 posts

228 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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The fuel filler thing is annoying. It's a couple of hundred quid which I begrudge on the basis of the fact BMW knew about it and should have addressed the issue. Having said that, other than a coil pack, wheel bearing and rocker cover gasket the car has needed nothing in nearly 6 years.

I've had mine a similar length of time and whenever I've contemplated what else could replace it the list isn't very long or worth the expenditure when it comes down to it. It's still the newest thing I own.

Swervin_Mervin

4,465 posts

239 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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Maybe it's because I've started on a different commute which sees me take in more dual carriageway stuff. I don't like being pushed along by some of the modern stuff! The march of time means even some fairly boggo models are quick enough these days.

Wife wants to change hers first though, so we'll see what I think after that. TBH I'd rather spend on something more interesting to use at weekends if possible. The 330 is everything I need in reality, and it's still a great car. And as with you, it's wanted for very little in 6yrs, the water pump being the biggest single hit (ignoring the costs of refreshing the chassis last year, which was my call rather than outright necessity).

Edited by Swervin_Mervin on Tuesday 20th November 11:43

Mike335i

5,011 posts

103 months

Tuesday 20th November 2018
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Swervin_Mervin said:
Really? I don't even use the nav in our f20 1series. Just Google maps on my phone as it's far easier to use and better mapping. It's also pretty hard to beat for rerouting in the event of any incidents
It's the larger screen, that is shrouded (so as to avoid glare) and controlled by a rotary controller with proper buttons.

I don't like using touchscreens, especially when on the move.