E91 Straight Six Bearding
Discussion
Sir_Dave said:
MattOz said:
Was about to post that very car in here!!Absolutely love it, dont need it, but the temptation is very strong
JakeT said:
Ive not replaced the pins. If I were to, I would get a jack under the door (with a block of wood to avoid damage) to hold it in position, and as you said, do them one at a time. They shouldn’t have a massive bearing on the door shut lines I wouldn’t think, but I’d do them one at a time.
Have you got any droopy wiper pics at all? I disassemble and lube the rear wiper pivot yearly, but just pop the blade back on where I think it goes. Never had any issues that way as the motor only has a c.180 degree sweep angle on it.
Cheers Jake. Might get the pins ordered as well then. Have you got any droopy wiper pics at all? I disassemble and lube the rear wiper pivot yearly, but just pop the blade back on where I think it goes. Never had any issues that way as the motor only has a c.180 degree sweep angle on it.
I'll get a pic later of the wiper. You see it a bit on these as they age and E46 as well. I've tried resitting the arm on its splines before but it's not far enough out for that - hence I'm sure it's the rubber stop on the arm that's just a touch worn.
Swervin_Mervin said:
Cheers Jake. Might get the pins ordered as well then.
I'll get a pic later of the wiper. You see it a bit on these as they age and E46 as well. I've tried resitting the arm on its splines before but it's not far enough out for that - hence I'm sure it's the rubber stop on the arm that's just a touch worn.
for what its worth, i just replaced the rear pivot on my E91, decided to buy new, a whole £106 from BMW. I'll get a pic later of the wiper. You see it a bit on these as they age and E46 as well. I've tried resitting the arm on its splines before but it's not far enough out for that - hence I'm sure it's the rubber stop on the arm that's just a touch worn.
bmwmike said:
Surprised to hear of rusty e90 body panels, don't think i've seen one personally. They must be pretty good for rust considering the age they are getting to.
My E91 is an august 2005 build, so as early as they get. The rear arches right at the bottom are just showing some signs of corrosion. They do seem to resist corrosion a lot better than the E46 did, I did the rear brake lines at 14 years old, where one of my E46s needed them at 6 years old.JakeT said:
My E91 is an august 2005 build, so as early as they get. The rear arches right at the bottom are just showing some signs of corrosion. They do seem to resist corrosion a lot better than the E46 did, I did the rear brake lines at 14 years old, where one of my E46s needed them at 6 years old.
Re brake lines I did the short n/s/r line from hose to caliper. I will do the longer o/s one shortly. It runs over the diff, I’ve only changed one several years ago. I recall that it can be done without lowering the subframe, am I right? The E9* models do have one rust foible that’s worse than the E46-the brake line unions always seize to the pipes. helix402 said:
Re brake lines I did the short n/s/r line from hose to caliper. I will do the longer o/s one shortly. It runs over the diff, I’ve only changed one several years ago. I recall that it can be done without lowering the subframe, am I right? The E9* models do have one rust foible that’s worse than the E46-the brake line unions always seize to the pipes.
I paid to have that done (brake lines scare me) but they didn’t lower the subframe, and looking at it I would think it could be done, too.Brake flexi hoses perish more easily, too. I see lots of E90s with perished hoses, never saw it as an issue on E46s.
JakeT said:
I paid to have that done (brake lines scare me) but they didn’t lower the subframe, and looking at it I would think it could be done, too.
Brake flexi hoses perish more easily, too. I see lots of E90s with perished hoses, never saw it as an issue on E46s.
Thank you. I think I’ll buy the longer pipe form BMW as I’d hate to make one up and find I’ve put a bend in the wrong place.Brake flexi hoses perish more easily, too. I see lots of E90s with perished hoses, never saw it as an issue on E46s.
RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Nuisance said:
Anyone roughly any idea how many E91 N55 335i autos were built?
I'm so pissed off about missing that black one. It had a decent spec and low mileage, god knows if there's even another one out there anywhere like that.
Edit, didn't see the same question asked above!
I doubt there’s another on that low mileage and with what looked to be individual paint and interior. Shame for the rest of us! I was torn as we have an E91 and an E55 AMG, torn whether you go for the 335i or try and find an F11 35i. The 550i engine looks to be a real nightmare of efficient dynamics bI'm so pissed off about missing that black one. It had a decent spec and low mileage, god knows if there's even another one out there anywhere like that.
Edit, didn't see the same question asked above!
ks that means the expensive battery is a standard service part and sir can expect it not to start in the morning multiple times. Never mind the rest of the issues the BMW V8s have. Anyway, back to E91s. They're getting on a bit now yes but the e6x platform seems robust enough. Mine is treated very very badly with little to no tlc but just kept on trucking. Well that was until I started tinkering with it last year and then got bored and left it half in pieces.
Very different car to the e91 as its much bigger. I ran an e91 n54 335i alongside the e61 for over a year before I decided the e91 should go. Still regret that a bit though.
helix402 said:
Re brake lines I did the short n/s/r line from hose to caliper. I will do the longer o/s one shortly. It runs over the diff, I’ve only changed one several years ago. I recall that it can be done without lowering the subframe, am I right? The E9* models do have one rust foible that’s worse than the E46-the brake line unions always seize to the pipes.
Another rust foible on these is where the road grime collects on the bootlid- pop the rear window up and you may find bubbling at the lower edge of the surround. Not sure if that was an issue on E46 tourings.RelentlessForwardProgress said:
helix402 said:
Re brake lines I did the short n/s/r line from hose to caliper. I will do the longer o/s one shortly. It runs over the diff, I’ve only changed one several years ago. I recall that it can be done without lowering the subframe, am I right? The E9* models do have one rust foible that’s worse than the E46-the brake line unions always seize to the pipes.
Another rust foible on these is where the road grime collects on the bootlid- pop the rear window up and you may find bubbling at the lower edge of the surround. Not sure if that was an issue on E46 tourings.Swervin_Mervin said:
Yep, and as I've posted recently, it largely seems to be down to the plastic trim on the sides - wet muck gathers in/near the lower clips and if it's not cleaned out it seems to be that which causes the issue. I cleaned mine a couple of months ago, and even with minimal mileage since they're gunged up again.
It was an issue on the E46 and continues to be one on the E91. I have the bill from last owner of mine for the tailgate rust repair. 
Thought I'd chime in here since I used this thread as a bit of research and inspiration before making a purchase!
To set the tone here, we recently moved on our much-loved Disco 4 and wanted to go back to something fun, something lighter, something simpler and something that still retained character mixed with practicality. That meant a fast hatchback or estate car, and it had to be powered by petrol. Other marques were briefly considered, but predictably we landed back at BMW's door having had several over the years and basically loving almost everything they made from the 70’s to the late 00’s.
A 130i and various E61's were viewed and discounted. Opting for the middle ground, we came within a whisker of an E91 330i manual because a naturally aspirated manual car was at the top of my wishlist. However, this car was to be my wife’s daily and she has grown used to automatics and preferred that setup. I relented as I have another old manual car undergoing a bit of recommissioning so that will be my fix when the time comes.
So, we arrived at a beautifully looked-after 2008 E91 335i, and wow, what a machine!
I've taken it out multiple times "just because" which honestly hasn’t happened for longer than I care to remember for a variety of reasons. I had forgotten what it's like to be in a car that you can easily manoeuvre within the confines of your own lane to find the best lines and avoid drains etc., yet is large enough inside to load up to the hilt if required. It is a fantastic combination for us and I'm wondering why it took so long to arrive at this option, such is life.
I suspect the ‘30i sounds even better, but this turbo lump sounds pretty good to my ears, if a little muted at higher speeds, although that is part of the appeal. It is a performance package in a practical suit, and once the rear badge gets whipped off, only the exhaust pipes are likely to give the game away to the enthusiast observer. Most people will not give it a second look and I am very cool with that.
It's in lovely condition and had all the major N54 maintenance done so now I'm going around the car doing bits and bobs to make it as factory fresh as reasonably possible, perhaps a little too fastidiously, but the car has already won me over.
It is early days obviously, but for our tastes, tuning it for more power would be unnecessary, the thing is a weapon as it is. I’d agree that the ride could be improved upon to remove the tendency to skip over imperfections so that may be the route I will take, but other than that it will remain OEM fresh.
It is genuinely impressive that so much car is available for a relatively modest sum. It feels very well screwed together with no shakes, squeaks or rattles that might be expected on a 10+ year old used car. Whilst of course it’s no Lotus, the car feels so crisp, so sharp and so taught. Up until now our favourite car from our back catalogue has been the Legacy 3.0 wagon, but this, has just toppled that.
To set the tone here, we recently moved on our much-loved Disco 4 and wanted to go back to something fun, something lighter, something simpler and something that still retained character mixed with practicality. That meant a fast hatchback or estate car, and it had to be powered by petrol. Other marques were briefly considered, but predictably we landed back at BMW's door having had several over the years and basically loving almost everything they made from the 70’s to the late 00’s.
A 130i and various E61's were viewed and discounted. Opting for the middle ground, we came within a whisker of an E91 330i manual because a naturally aspirated manual car was at the top of my wishlist. However, this car was to be my wife’s daily and she has grown used to automatics and preferred that setup. I relented as I have another old manual car undergoing a bit of recommissioning so that will be my fix when the time comes.
So, we arrived at a beautifully looked-after 2008 E91 335i, and wow, what a machine!
I've taken it out multiple times "just because" which honestly hasn’t happened for longer than I care to remember for a variety of reasons. I had forgotten what it's like to be in a car that you can easily manoeuvre within the confines of your own lane to find the best lines and avoid drains etc., yet is large enough inside to load up to the hilt if required. It is a fantastic combination for us and I'm wondering why it took so long to arrive at this option, such is life.
I suspect the ‘30i sounds even better, but this turbo lump sounds pretty good to my ears, if a little muted at higher speeds, although that is part of the appeal. It is a performance package in a practical suit, and once the rear badge gets whipped off, only the exhaust pipes are likely to give the game away to the enthusiast observer. Most people will not give it a second look and I am very cool with that.
It's in lovely condition and had all the major N54 maintenance done so now I'm going around the car doing bits and bobs to make it as factory fresh as reasonably possible, perhaps a little too fastidiously, but the car has already won me over.
It is early days obviously, but for our tastes, tuning it for more power would be unnecessary, the thing is a weapon as it is. I’d agree that the ride could be improved upon to remove the tendency to skip over imperfections so that may be the route I will take, but other than that it will remain OEM fresh.
It is genuinely impressive that so much car is available for a relatively modest sum. It feels very well screwed together with no shakes, squeaks or rattles that might be expected on a 10+ year old used car. Whilst of course it’s no Lotus, the car feels so crisp, so sharp and so taught. Up until now our favourite car from our back catalogue has been the Legacy 3.0 wagon, but this, has just toppled that.
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