E91 Straight Six Bearding
Discussion
bmwmike said:
six port said:
Can anyone recommend a BMW specialist around Essex to finally sort out our N53 E91 325i, from reading up sounds like NOX sensor issue rather than injectors, car on just 68,000 miles only ever returned 26mpg, slightly blackened exhaust pipes and has a light misfire cruising at motorway speeds at low rpm.
Two local specialists PMW and BM Mini tech I’ve taken it to say there are no faults with the car as it’s got no fault codes but I know it’s not quite right.
Hoping the cat is not trash now as it’s been two years as it is!
If there are no NOX codes, the NOX sensor is fine. For now Two local specialists PMW and BM Mini tech I’ve taken it to say there are no faults with the car as it’s got no fault codes but I know it’s not quite right.
Hoping the cat is not trash now as it’s been two years as it is!
If its a slight misfire like its running lean, when cruising? I had similar recently, and it was the coilpacks - bought a set of six delphi (latest N53 part number) off autodoc for around 130 quid iirc, via one of their sales. The old ones had scorch marks up the side and 2 were originals (2012). These are pretty much consumable. I think what happens is the engine runs hotter and in stratified mode when cruising and that puts extra demand on the spark/ignition. If the coils are borderline it misfires. I didn't have any codes either. Fixed my issue.
Another thing to consider is battery state of charge - the N53 is pretty heavy on the electric juice - try charging the battery via the posts and see if it improves things.
Finally when they clear the nox trap you can sometimes get a brief stumble but usually shouldn't feel it - guess it depends on how full it is, and if cars been doing mostly short journeys etc.
Forgot to add - coilpacks is super easy DIY if you feel like it.
Will give it a good full day on charge on the drive as well, could be on original battery still.
Did your economy improve when you did yours?
Ours is a December 2010 LCI.
Interior has been a bit of a let down on ours too, all dash vents have fallen apart, speakers also blown under the seats now!
If I get it running well I will sort these out and get some sport seats/M leather wheel up front.
six port said:
Many thanks, I guess a set of coils it is as the first port of call then being the easiest and cheapest thing to start with.
Will give it a good full day on charge on the drive as well, could be on original battery still.
Did your economy improve when you did yours?
Ours is a December 2010 LCI.
Interior has been a bit of a let down on ours too, all dash vents have fallen apart, speakers also blown under the seats now!
If I get it running well I will sort these out and get some sport seats/M leather wheel up front.
Didn't particularly notice any difference in MPG if i'm honest. It's always done 23-24 on my super market run (1-2 miles round trip) and if i'm pottering around town all day, approx 28mpg. Only time it dropped below that, and I knew something was wrong, was when the NOX sensor gave up as it droped to 15-18mpg. Oddly, on a run for a month or two before it failed, MPG went really high - was seeing mid to high 40's. Usually mid 30's.Will give it a good full day on charge on the drive as well, could be on original battery still.
Did your economy improve when you did yours?
Ours is a December 2010 LCI.
Interior has been a bit of a let down on ours too, all dash vents have fallen apart, speakers also blown under the seats now!
If I get it running well I will sort these out and get some sport seats/M leather wheel up front.
Good luck with it, be a cheap fix if the coils sort it. Otherwise, perhaps you are looking at the start of injector issues.. usually cause codes though, as far as I know. Assuming your indy has a proper code reader and not just an obd2 scanner.
Another thing to check, make sure all the coil packs, spark plug wells, and around the injectors is clean and free of oil. A cracked cam cover can bleed oil and make a mess, and apparently cause misfires (not sure how, oil is an insulator..).
Edited by bmwmike on Tuesday 14th June 10:38
six port said:
Can anyone recommend a BMW specialist around Essex to finally sort out our N53 E91 325i, from reading up sounds like NOX sensor issue rather than injectors, car on just 68,000 miles only ever returned 26mpg, slightly blackened exhaust pipes and has a light misfire cruising at motorway speeds at low rpm.
Two local specialists PMW and BM Mini tech I’ve taken it to say there are no faults with the car as it’s got no fault codes but I know it’s not quite right.
Hoping the cat is not trash now as it’s been two years as it is!
Smoothtune in Colchester worth a look? Mark did some work on my wife's X5. Seems decent enough and is a nice guy. https://www.smoothtunecolchester.co.uk/Two local specialists PMW and BM Mini tech I’ve taken it to say there are no faults with the car as it’s got no fault codes but I know it’s not quite right.
Hoping the cat is not trash now as it’s been two years as it is!
BM Mini Tech - is that the one near Dedham (just off A12)? IIRC, the guy who owns it used to be in partnership with another chap and they had Eastgate Automotive BMW Specialist (near Rollerworld in Colchester). As I understand it, they went their separate ways when Eastgate shut down.
I suppose can be difficult in the absence of error codes. I assume one would need to look at the live data stream(s) during a drive to see what's going on.
VS02 said:
I’m going to have a look at a Mineral Grey touring today
Its up for 4995. 123k miles. Full history. 3 owners
Options are Active cruise
Extended Bluetooth
Bluetooth Phone
Navigation Professional
DAB radio (I like that!)
Clima windscreen
Really want xenons so will check
I’ll take some pics while I’m there
If it really has active cruise control that's a very rare option. You can tell immediately from the front as the radar sensor in the lower grille is very obvious. Unfortunately sellers often confuse active cruise control with dynamic cruise control (i.e. cruise control with brake function for downhills) which is fitted to all 330i models.Its up for 4995. 123k miles. Full history. 3 owners
Options are Active cruise
Extended Bluetooth
Bluetooth Phone
Navigation Professional
DAB radio (I like that!)
Clima windscreen
Really want xenons so will check
I’ll take some pics while I’m there
Xenons are definitely worthwhile, and unfortunately surprisingly uncommon considering the option was only around £400 when new. The irony is it will cost you more than that to retrofit them using 15-year old used xenon headlights! If your car has both these options and otherwise in good condition it looks like a bargain.
pmorg4 said:
If it really has active cruise control that's a very rare option. You can tell immediately from the front as the radar sensor in the lower grille is very obvious. Unfortunately sellers often confuse active cruise control with dynamic cruise control (i.e. cruise control with brake function for downhills) which is fitted to all 330i models.
Xenons are definitely worthwhile, and unfortunately surprisingly uncommon considering the option was only around £400 when new. The irony is it will cost you more than that to retrofit them using 15-year old used xenon headlights! If your car has both these options and otherwise in good condition it looks like a bargain.
I gave up on looking for a car after receiving this message.Xenons are definitely worthwhile, and unfortunately surprisingly uncommon considering the option was only around £400 when new. The irony is it will cost you more than that to retrofit them using 15-year old used xenon headlights! If your car has both these options and otherwise in good condition it looks like a bargain.
I have 2 cars left to see and after that, that’s it I think. as I move my focus over to preparing for medical school entry exams and my interview. Who knew trying to find a 330i would be like preparing for Mount everest or something.
The last car to see
A 325i, one of the first I saw when browsing
In person, it was in absolutely stunning condition. I’m not sure what the colour is called, it looks like a terracotta in the sunlight. Barring some war scars on the splitter and a bit of a thump on the wing, the car is immaculate.
It has full BMW service history barring one stamp in the middledone at a garage.
The seller is selling it to treat his wife to a new Macan GTS and seems to be knowledgable about motoring. However he admitted his wife was the one who dealt with the car and she didn’t know about the ins and outs about it. she just said she got it fixed at BMW whenever it went wrong. His other car is a 991 Carrera S so must be in to cars at least
2 owners. The owner has had it for 10 years.
Shows no signs of leaky injectors or anything like that.
The seller was more than happy for me to poke around the car unaccompanied and took me for a long drive.
Excuse my friends poking around the car
It still has all the original BMW stuff in the boot like the first aid kit and some other stuff.
The seller will chuck in a spare wheel too. Just got serviced at BMW today
And guess what?
Its probably going to be sold tomorrow to someone else.
A 325i, one of the first I saw when browsing
In person, it was in absolutely stunning condition. I’m not sure what the colour is called, it looks like a terracotta in the sunlight. Barring some war scars on the splitter and a bit of a thump on the wing, the car is immaculate.
It has full BMW service history barring one stamp in the middledone at a garage.
The seller is selling it to treat his wife to a new Macan GTS and seems to be knowledgable about motoring. However he admitted his wife was the one who dealt with the car and she didn’t know about the ins and outs about it. she just said she got it fixed at BMW whenever it went wrong. His other car is a 991 Carrera S so must be in to cars at least
2 owners. The owner has had it for 10 years.
Shows no signs of leaky injectors or anything like that.
The seller was more than happy for me to poke around the car unaccompanied and took me for a long drive.
Excuse my friends poking around the car
It still has all the original BMW stuff in the boot like the first aid kit and some other stuff.
The seller will chuck in a spare wheel too. Just got serviced at BMW today
And guess what?
Its probably going to be sold tomorrow to someone else.
Edited by VS02 on Tuesday 14th June 22:23
Edited by VS02 on Tuesday 14th June 22:32
g3org3y said:
^^Why are you not making offer and snapping it up before then?
I have made an offer. The seller said first come first served and apparently the buyer has already booked the tickets to come down here and yadda yadda. He said he mentioned that I was coming down and that guy got frustrated or whatever. The seller is honest - I reckon the other guy is having him on though so I’ll see what happens tomorrow. If it was me selling I would have just sold it to whoever comes first in person not the first guy on the phone.VS02 said:
I have made an offer. The seller said first come first served and apparently the buyer has already booked the tickets to come down here and yadda yadda. He said he mentioned that I was coming down and that guy got frustrated or whatever. The seller is honest - I reckon the other guy is having him on though so I’ll see what happens tomorrow. If it was me selling I would have just sold it to whoever comes first in person not the first guy on the phone.
Damn, hope it works out for you!RelentlessForwardProgress said:
Damn, hope it works out for you!
I am the unluckiest used car buyer ever. I don’t think fate wants me to buy a car. Every time I try something goes catastrophically wrong right at the last second.First E9x I saw: Got there and it turned out to be a heap and clearly very broken.
Second E9x I saw: sold on the way to getting there.
Third: got told to f off by the seller because I was young and he wouldn’t sell it to me. (And im sure he lied, he said he had 2 people coming the next day and both were fighting to buy it, its still on sale now).
Fourth: Insurance refused to cover me a day before I was supposed to leave.
Fifth: before i could even go and see, the seller said there was a power steering failure and the car couldn’t be seen.
Sixth: says someone else is buying it.
pmorg4 said:
Personally I think the touring (and saloon) look better and have aged better in the E9x series. The E92 coupe looks a bit soft and rounded to my eyes, and the E93 convertible just looks downright weird with its long boot lid to allow for the folding roof mechanism.
In the E46 (and E36) generation I'd definitely say the coupe was the best looker of the range, but as the cars have become longer with each generation the four-door models tend to look better proportioned from the E9x onwards.
I’ve warmed to the E92 over the years (enough to buy one….). My biggest issue with them is the lack of rear arches,mit makes them looks a bit soft. The side on profile is nice in my opinion abs a lot sleeker than the equivalent A5.In the E46 (and E36) generation I'd definitely say the coupe was the best looker of the range, but as the cars have become longer with each generation the four-door models tend to look better proportioned from the E9x onwards.
The E91 is my favourite shape, but I struggled to find one with a good spec. Stuff like xenon’s on petrol cars are rare options. The E93 has never worked for me.
Took the private plate off it because it's going onto our new BMW in the morning. After 2 x E91's that's us shifting on to an F11 since we need the space and better fuel economy. The N52 and 90% town driving is killing my bank balance on fuel.
Couple things to tidy up then I'll have the E91 up for sale. A wee part of me wishes to keep it as they are definitely a dying breed but it's not to be.
Couple things to tidy up then I'll have the E91 up for sale. A wee part of me wishes to keep it as they are definitely a dying breed but it's not to be.
beambeam1 said:
Took the private plate off it because it's going onto our new BMW in the morning. After 2 x E91's that's us shifting on to an F11 since we need the space and better fuel economy. The N52 and 90% town driving is killing my bank balance on fuel.
Couple things to tidy up then I'll have the E91 up for sale. A wee part of me wishes to keep it as they are definitely a dying breed but it's not to be.
I've got news for you (as someone who has both an E90 330i(N52) and a F11 535d), around town, you are not going to save much. Diesel is more expensive and the mpg advantage in town is not so significant. Sure, you will save. But not as much as you think.Couple things to tidy up then I'll have the E91 up for sale. A wee part of me wishes to keep it as they are definitely a dying breed but it's not to be.
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