E91 Straight Six Bearding
Discussion
Luckily my nearest filling station is a Tesco so I've only ever used Momentum in my 3 Series' and Z4s. And as it's only 6p a litre dearer than Regular I think it's money well spent.
On the odd occasion I've needed fuel elsewhere I still use Super, but at Shell stations it's typically at least 20p a litre more than Regular - so I only put in enough to get home.
On the odd occasion I've needed fuel elsewhere I still use Super, but at Shell stations it's typically at least 20p a litre more than Regular - so I only put in enough to get home.
Swervin_Mervin said:
I'll be honest - I have no idea! Darren Wood in Stockport sorted it all. I think they sent the unit off to this company and the flashed 2nd hand unit returned. IIRC they were based in Ashton-under-Lyne
Thanks a lot. Good to know that it can be resolved successfully at least!Sir_Dave said:
Speak to BWChiptune if your DME needs replacing
Yeah, reached out to them. Jason has texted me back with a price and information. However, early yesterday evening I sourced a unit on eBay for less than £200 so hoping that is on it's way and the guy I'm using can work his magic no bother. Stroke of luck, he's based only a couple miles from my house. Unusual for me to find anyone that isn't useless IN Edinburgh.Sounds like we should heed the warning of these issues with wet DMEs. Is it caused by the usual blocked drain holes/pipes resulting in water backing up and getting into places it shouldn't, or is there a more fundamental problem with the box that contains the DME?
Hope you get it sorted ok!
Hope you get it sorted ok!
pmorg4 said:
Sounds like we should heed the warning of these issues with wet DMEs. Is it caused by the usual blocked drain holes/pipes resulting in water backing up and getting into places it shouldn't, or is there a more fundamental problem with the box that contains the DME?
Hope you get it sorted ok!
Darren Wood's believed it was actually that the box warps over time through heat soak, and then doesn't seal properly. And obviosuly with any blocked drain hole that water's got nowhere to go.Hope you get it sorted ok!
Either way guys, it's something simple to take a look at when doing your checks.
A useful thread about some of the causes: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/preventing-e90-...
If you take off the front wheel arch liner, you will see that there are a couple of creases in the ecu box well where it joins to the bulkhead/inner wing. These form drainage slots but can block up. Poke a cable tie or similar through these to unblock them. It probably is worth drilling a hole aswell if the ecu box is out.
All this fuel chat... my E91 325i has never had anything other than regular over the 24k miles I've had, usually Tesco because it's closest and cheapest. It's fine. (Well, my lifters can be a bit noisy, but fuel has no bearing on that as far I'm aware.)
If the car seems hesitant right after switching from premium to regular, that might just because the ECU needs time to adapt.
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
If the car seems hesitant right after switching from premium to regular, that might just because the ECU needs time to adapt.
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
MajorMantra said:
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
I totally understand your view, but I have an irrational fear of my N53 engine having an issue that may or may not have been anything to do with the fuel being used, but then me beating myself up forever more than if I'd just used vPower, all would have been well...It's a no-win, really.
MajorMantra said:
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
I only ever used 95RON in my E90 330i as well. I did/do use Tesco 99 or V power in the higher performance cars I've had/have though. Swervin_Mervin said:
It's fine to run 95RON. But apart from being a bit cheaper why would you? You will lose a little performance.
Because I don't actually care all that much about nth degree performance in a car that's mostly used for walking the dog these days. (And if I really cared about performance, I wouldn't be driving a 325i in the first place...)Anyway, not judging anyone's choices here. I ran my old Eunos almost exclusively on premium because it felt right, and that was a car that I'm sure didn't need it either. OTOH my bike (which has a much higher specific output than most cars) only ever gets 95RON because (pre-covid) I was commuting on it and the fuel costs really added up.
Mine has been in to investigate whether the cam cover gasket has got worse (I already knew it was a bit weepy from when I did the coils last year). It hasn't - I think it's just sitting around so long that on the rare occasions it does get used it's burning off a fair bit that has collected.
Clean bill of health otherwise and another comforatble MOT pass
Clean bill of health otherwise and another comforatble MOT pass
Most of the time I will use whatever supermarket or whatever piss is available. All about the cost for me!
During lockdown I've been doing less miles with less opportunities to keep the engine clean in an Italian manner, so that's the only reason I've been using vPower. When I had the inlet off the other week the back of the valves were spotless. I was quite surprised if I'm honest.
Mervin, normally sitting causes the oil to collect on the exhaust and other hot components more readily. A mate had a 328ci with a leaky Valve cover gasket that smoked badly when it had sat for a few months. Fresh MOT is good news though, I always see it as a stay of execution for another year.
During lockdown I've been doing less miles with less opportunities to keep the engine clean in an Italian manner, so that's the only reason I've been using vPower. When I had the inlet off the other week the back of the valves were spotless. I was quite surprised if I'm honest.
Mervin, normally sitting causes the oil to collect on the exhaust and other hot components more readily. A mate had a 328ci with a leaky Valve cover gasket that smoked badly when it had sat for a few months. Fresh MOT is good news though, I always see it as a stay of execution for another year.
cerb4.5lee said:
MajorMantra said:
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
I only ever used 95RON in my E90 330i as well. I did/do use Tesco 99 or V power in the higher performance cars I've had/have though. So it always gets Tesco Momentum "whenever possible".
Mr Tidy said:
cerb4.5lee said:
MajorMantra said:
I can't help feeling there's a lot of placebo with these things, but to each their own. BMW says it's fine to use 95RON, so that's what I do.
I only ever used 95RON in my E90 330i as well. I did/do use Tesco 99 or V power in the higher performance cars I've had/have though. So it always gets Tesco Momentum "whenever possible".
We're having a bit of bad luck with tyres recently. Had a puncture in one of the rears a couple of months ago, so got the pair replaced. During the process, the tyre place managed to crack one of the alloys (which to be fair, they paid to have welded up).
6 weeks or so later, and the TPM system warning pops up again.
The same corner (with the repaired alloy) needed inflating from 2.2 to 2.7 bar. However, one of the fronts also needed a similar level of inflation.
I checked the tyres, and can't see any visible damage.
I read somewhere that alloy wheels can get porous with age, and don't hold air so well. I'm wondering if having to put a bit of air in every couple of months is now just going to be the norm, unless we buy new wheels. Anyone else found this problem as our E90/91s get older?
6 weeks or so later, and the TPM system warning pops up again.
The same corner (with the repaired alloy) needed inflating from 2.2 to 2.7 bar. However, one of the fronts also needed a similar level of inflation.
I checked the tyres, and can't see any visible damage.
I read somewhere that alloy wheels can get porous with age, and don't hold air so well. I'm wondering if having to put a bit of air in every couple of months is now just going to be the norm, unless we buy new wheels. Anyone else found this problem as our E90/91s get older?
I've had a problem with one of my fronts for years, which only got better once it was refurbed. Not sure if it was being made round again or being painted that fixed it.
Anyway, at the moment I find they're all losing a bit as it stands still so much - even the rears and one of those wheels is only 3-4yrs old.
Anyway, at the moment I find they're all losing a bit as it stands still so much - even the rears and one of those wheels is only 3-4yrs old.
Swervin_Mervin said:
I've had a problem with one of my fronts for years, which only got better once it was refurbed. Not sure if it was being made round again or being painted that fixed it.
Anyway, at the moment I find they're all losing a bit as it stands still so much - even the rears and one of those wheels is only 3-4yrs old.
What's weird is that up until this summer, the TPM warning had never appeared in over 10 years of ownership (even though I've always been lazy about checking pressures). Oh well, now I know they're all where they should be again pressure-wise, I'll check them in a weeks time and see what we've got. Anyway, at the moment I find they're all losing a bit as it stands still so much - even the rears and one of those wheels is only 3-4yrs old.
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