E91 Straight Six Bearding

[JakeT]

Swervin_Mervin said:

Passenger side under the scuttle covers. In the white box. Googling suggests it's a very common problem. Seems water is drained to an area of the inner wing but can go up the ecu box drain hole. Need to read further as i don't want it happening again!

That's st luck Mervin. Make sure that they modify the box so that it doesn't happen again though.

Someone I know with an E91 320d has gone through two DDEs in 3 months.

While we're on the topic of migh milers, a tasty 335i up with 202,000 miles on it.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Bit spendy, but they're so rare that they must be tricky to value.

[stevesuk]

Sorry to hear about the problems people have been having.

By contrast, our 14 year old 325i has just served us well, covering 400 miles in 3 days on a half-term trip to the Eden Project. At one point the OBC was registering 40 MPG. Earlier in the year, the sat nav stopped working - but a cheap 2019 disc from eBay seems to have worked a treat and guided us just fine (yeah I know Google Maps is better)

Not perfect though - I checked the coolant before we left, and I’m still getting a small amount of what appears to be oil residue on the under side of the coolant reservoir cap. We’re not losing coolant (level is unchanged), the coolant itself looks “clean”, oil consumption is no worse than usual and in general it’s running fine. So I’m thinking it’s a case of keeping an eye on it?

[rallycross]

Swervin_Mervin said:

Garage phoned.

Not good news! The ecu has been taking a bath.

They've drained it but it's not happy - getting hot and a few terminals are corroding. So, £1,200+ from BMW for a new one, or £450 to get it either repaired/refurbed or replaced with a used one (with all stored info/data transferred over).

Not sure how water has got in down there as it's all fairly closed off

They don’t normally get damp in the e90 ecu:
Don’t pay those prices get it sent off to ecu testing ltd for diagnosis - if they don’t have the software use BBA REMAN - £450 is way too much should be £175-£275 and £60 if no fault found.

[Swervin_Mervin]

I'll keep you all updated chaps. I'm going to phone garage tomorrow am to see if they can have a dig about under the ECU box, if they haven't done so already. I keep the gutters clean fairly regularly, but 13yrs and 123k is still likely to see crud accumulate in some areas.

Here's the guy on Bimmerfest I was reading earlier - he's drilled two extra holes in the bottom:

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t...

Edited by Swervin_Mervin on Wednesday 30th October 22:44

[Swervin_Mervin]

rallycross said:

Swervin_Mervin said:

Garage phoned.

Not good news! The ecu has been taking a bath.

They've drained it but it's not happy - getting hot and a few terminals are corroding. So, £1,200+ from BMW for a new one, or £450 to get it either repaired/refurbed or replaced with a used one (with all stored info/data transferred over).

Not sure how water has got in down there as it's all fairly closed off

They don’t normally get damp in the e90 ecu:
Don’t pay those prices get it sent off to ecu testing ltd for diagnosis - if they don’t have the software use BBA REMAN - £450 is way too much should be £175-£275 and £60 if no fault found.

A quick Google suggests they absolutely do get wet in there, and that it's very common. And they've told me it's toast - badly corroded pins, and it's getting very hot despite having been thoroughly dried off. If it can be saved then these other guys will save the boards, otherwise they'll do the transfer.

[JimClark49]

Swervin_Mervin said:

A quick Google suggests they absolutely do get wet in there, and that it's very common. And they've told me it's toast - badly corroded pins, and it's getting very hot despite having been thoroughly dried off. If it can be saved then these other guys will save the boards, otherwise they'll do the transfer.

Hi Swervin Mervin,

I had the exact same problem as you this time last year (see pics below) on my 2005 E90 330i auto, N52. I got mine sorted and I want to help you get yours sorted as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Briefly, mine likely happened when I opened the bonnet to jump start my neighbors old BMW. All the surface water must have drained under the white ECU box and flooded the ECU from the bottom. For a day or two the car would cut out but would re-start before eventually dying. I researched the problem and decided to open the ECU box and check. As I did, the puddle of water you see in the second picture came out. The ECU pins were not too corroded but enough for that ECU to be kaput.

DO NOT GO TO BMW. THEY WILL CHARGE YOU A LOT. Knowing this, I called ECU testing in Derby. I sent them the unit only for them to say there is nothing they can do. All in all this was a frustrating time waste. I would advise you not to use them for this car. I also called https://the-ecu-doctor.co.uk/ who said they can do it, but I have read some bad reviews about them.

I then had a look on Ebay and found a guy with 100% positive feedback for ECU repairs. His name was Henal Madhvani and he is an electronic engineer https://motortronics.co.uk/. I spoke to him at length on the phone and he was very helpful. I then sent him my ECU, key and CAS module (located under steering wheel and very easy to remove) and he cloned the ECU to another SIEMENS VDO unit for ~£500. I had my garage refit everything in January 2019 and my car has been fine for over 5k miles. I have driven through the worst of the wet weather and there are no problems. The next bit is important...

IMPORTANT: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU DRILL ANY HOLES on the ECU BOX AS YOU MIGHT HAVE READ ON OTHER BMW FORUMS. The white ECU box has a small two way valve that allows water to drain from the ECU box should any get in. DO NOT remove this. Henal advise me to remove a rubber grommet which is located on the chassis by the wheel arch. This grommet should not be confused with the rubber valve on white ECU box which as I say should not be removed. Removing the chassis grommet will prevent any water from building up underneath the ECU box. The garage's auto electrician confirmed this was the best approach.

I hope the above helps. I am happy to answer any more questions.

Amir

PS: We are not allowed to name and shame, but there was one guy whose company name you might decipher xx Ch**tune who I spoke to on the phone. He posts a lot on other BMW forums about avoiding using third party ECU repairers and to take your car only to him. However, I had a long conversation with him too, and he was just seeing me as a cash cow and making it look like its a really hard job and they will have to keep the car until another customer comes in with a car with similar ECU. My experience proves otherwise. Again, he is probably one to avoid for this specific job (he is probably fine for other things he does).

[Swervin_Mervin]

Hi Jim

cheers for that. Car is at Darren Wood's in Stockport, so it's a co. they use based in Warrington that are looking at the ecu.

What you've said about the ecu box and inner wing drain hole exactly matches that described in the link I posted to bimmerfest. So I'm going to ask Darren Woods to look at that area beneath the ecu box and specifically that drain hole in the inner wing. Possibly needs blasting out with compressed air, as it sounds like it probably just silts up over time if it's taking run-off from the windscreen.

[zippyonline]

Traffic cop complemented me on how good the car is and how well they drive at speed (he was in an F31 330d auto). Unfortunately it was due to being pulled over for "excess speed on dual carriageway" (it was dark and all I saw was a set of bmw headlights catch me up...).
I passed the attitude test and the speed written down on the traffic offence report was adjusted such that I am eligible for a speed awareness course, it went about as well as it could have possibly done given the circumstances.

[ferrisbueller]

zippyonline said:

Traffic cop complemented me on how good the car is and how well they drive at speed (he was in an F31 330d auto). Unfortunately it was due to being pulled over for "excess speed on dual carriageway" (it was dark and all I saw was a set of bmw headlights catch me up...).
I passed the attitude test and the speed written down on the traffic offence report was adjusted such that I am eligible for a speed awareness course, it went about as well as it could have possibly done given the circumstances.

Bugger. Good outcome though.

[ferrisbueller]

Has anyone put anything other than the standard Ba9S 10W (Osram 64113) bulb in the angel eyes on a Pre-LCI? LEDs?

[JakeT]

He's right though, they do well at speed. Mine is off to Cologne Via Spa next week. Shame I'm limited to 130 on the winters.

Nothing from me on bulbs, Ferris. Mine has LCI halogens. I will say as a matter of personal taste though, I really like the contrast of the warmer halos vs xenon lights. I think it looks much better than the all LED new BMWs.

[dave_s13]

ferrisbueller said:

Has anyone put anything other than the standard Ba9S 10W (Osram 64113) bulb in the angel eyes on a Pre-LCI? LEDs?

In case you don't already know. Ask this chap on Facebook...he's a bit of a BMW lighting guru.

https://www.facebook.com/CYLED-573612489809176/

I got my replacement halo LEDs off him, had halogen before and they look a lot better imo.

[ferrisbueller]

dave_s13 said:

ferrisbueller said:

Has anyone put anything other than the standard Ba9S 10W (Osram 64113) bulb in the angel eyes on a Pre-LCI? LEDs?

In case you don't already know. Ask this chap on Facebook...he's a bit of a BMW lighting guru.

https://www.facebook.com/CYLED-573612489809176/

I got my replacement halo LEDs off him, had halogen before and they look a lot better imo.

I'd seen his stuff on eBay, not cheap but longevity could be better than the standard bulbs. The Phillips OEM bulbs (without holder) aren't readily available and the info. on the other brands says 1,000 hours life, I think mine have lasted about 3 years vs (I think) 9 for the factory fitted part, which seems odd. Depending on your driving your average speed might be about 30mph, which would me 30,000 miles i.e. swapping them every three years for the average user. They're not the easiest things to swap out, either.

[ladderino]

ferrisbueller said:

Has anyone put anything other than the standard Ba9S 10W (Osram 64113) bulb in the angel eyes on a Pre-LCI? LEDs?

Yes, I put LEDs from Horizon LEDs in - worked well. Was much nicer with the whiter light, so also coded to use just the AEs as DRLs.

[phil_cardiff]

There's a lovely grey 330i on auto trader for £5500, seller saying all the right things.

Just wish I was in the market right now.

[Spitfires]

Gents, not an E91 or petrol I'm afraid but does anyone know this car:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-330D-m-sport-coupe-...

It's a fair way from me and I'd prefer an auto, but I really like individual colours and that leather. Lack of decent audio annoying also mind.

I'm seriously considering letting my beloved E46 go, having worked out what I've spent on it over the last 3 years/50k miles and it then celebrating with a yet to be diagnosed CEL.

Edited to add - really enjoyed reading the thread from the start, it's helped pass some night shifts!

Edited by Spitfires on Sunday 3rd November 14:17

[twokcc]

2009 325 d LCI Auto
Thought I may have wet ECU as posted above, Car wouldn't turn over and every fault possible light up when starter pressed Drive train. DSC, Flat tyres etc. Left battery to charge up overnight but no difference, so decide to get recovery out in morning but would have a look at battery and price up a new one as seemed most likely cause.

Battery well full of water, with battery removed and water mopped up see 2 leads from positive terminal to two black plastic covered connectors on wheel arc. One completely corroded thro and other one about to go same way. Not sure what there for but phone call to indy to get it booked in for repair tomorrow.
Battery in garage on charge but put tailgate down- cant open it again, other doors Ok with door buttons and small key from remote- anyone know how to release tailgate(no keyslot next to rear no plate lights)

[gizlaroc]

Put your battery on the jump terminals under the bonnet and then open it?

[zippyonline]

ferrisbueller said:

Bugger. Good outcome though.

Very - I could have very easily been given a court summons on the spot....

ferrisbueller said:

Has anyone put anything other than the standard Ba9S 10W (Osram 64113) bulb in the angel eyes on a Pre-LCI? LEDs?

Mine came with some LED's when I got them - dunno what they are, they're not silly bright, but they're a bit brighter than stock. Dunno what they are, I've not had to change them yet... had mine over 3 years now and about 30k miles.

twokcc said:

2009 325 d LCI Auto
anyone know how to release tailgate(no keyslot next to rear no plate lights)

Climb in to the boot via the rear doors. Pull back the trim in the boot lid where you'd flip it down to change the lights in the boot lid. There should be a little sliver of foam near the centre/boot catch, slightly to the passenger side of the car, flip that back and there's a small ringpull. Pull that and it releases the catch.

[twokcc]

gizlaroc said:

Put your battery on the jump terminals under the bonnet and then open it?

Thanks for info got recover set up to take to indie on Wednesday so will leave to him.

Also note zippy's comment not aware of tailgate release and looks relatively easy to get trim panel off,thanks