[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

How are these as convertibles? My mom said she always wanted a convertible and I thought about the e93 but didn't know much about their top and how reliable they are. This is coming from someone who owned an e30 with a power top and went through the trouble of making it manual because it was such a PITA

Knock on wood, it's been great so far. Only issue I have is an intermittent problem with the contact switch on top of the windshield, sometimes the roof comes in closing hard and slams down. This is well documented and the fix is easy, I just haven't gotten to it yet.

There are a few old complaints floating around these forums, but not a whole lot. Seems the most complaints are from the non-DIY types as most mechanics don't know much about these tops and if they do decide to touch them, they want to charge a lot of hours for diagnostics and repairs. They're complex, and there are expensive parts that are hard to find, but it seems the things most likely to break are sensors or switches which can easily be cleaned/adjusted/replaced. Even then it's not all that common.

Aside from the top it's just like any other E90, easy to work on and quite reliable when you don't neglect maintenance.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

How are these as convertibles? My mom said she always wanted a convertible and I thought about the e93 but didn't know much about their top and how reliable they are. This is coming from someone who owned an e30 with a power top and went through the trouble of making it manual because it was such a PITA

Take a look at the E88 as well. 300 lbs lighter, smaller footprint, less complicated fabric top. About the size of an E30.

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

How are these as convertibles? My mom said she always wanted a convertible and I thought about the e93 but didn't know much about their top and how reliable they are. This is coming from someone who owned an e30 with a power top and went through the trouble of making it manual because it was such a PITA

I've wanted one as well. The Pages are all horror stories about the tops and leaking and water drainage. They have issues opening and closing and it was a short run.

If I'm buying a vert, it will probably be a soft top with a manual up down option.

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Take a look at the E88 as well. 300 lbs lighter, smaller footprint, less complicated fabric top. About the size of an E30.

I was hoping the hard top would be better as the soft top has wind noise and such.

Side note: I very much regret selling my e30 as I type this.

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by fastboatster

2011 335i: Replaced radiator, put the stock intercooler and charge pipe back because I need to smog it again. Will have to install the stock cat converter back after having lots of trouble installing aftermarket downpipe (v band flange was way bigger than stock, very difficult to install a v band back).
The whole point of installing a downpipe was to make my "ignition cut" shifts more pronounced. Finally recorded how they sound from the outside:
https://youtube.com/shorts/n-utFWDtU...BlJFPlR40GR2Ao
2009 328: N/A

I have to pass emissions in PA but with BEF from MHD it my car doesn't show a CEL and it goes through. However in PA you can have one not ready and pass. The cat is my only not ready and therefore passes. Is California that much stricter?

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by RealJ22

I've wanted one as well. The Pages are all horror stories about the tops and leaking and water drainage. They have issues opening and closing and it was a short run.

If I'm buying a vert, it will probably be a soft top with a manual up down option.

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Knock on wood, it's been great so far. Only issue I have is an intermittent problem with the contact switch on top of the windshield, sometimes the roof comes in closing hard and slams down. This is well documented and the fix is easy, I just haven't gotten to it yet.

There are a few old complaints floating around these forums, but not a whole lot. Seems the most complaints are from the non-DIY types as most mechanics don't know much about these tops and if they do decide to touch them, they want to charge a lot of hours for diagnostics and repairs. They're complex, and there are expensive parts that are hard to find, but it seems the things most likely to break are sensors or switches which can easily be cleaned/adjusted/replaced. Even then it's not all that common.

Aside from the top it's just like any other E90, easy to work on and quite reliable when you don't neglect maintenance.

The very expensive seals are the biggest issue, and if they've been maintained you're pretty good. A full on failure of the hydraulic system seems pretty rare, it's more little stuff like the seals, sensors, switches, little white cable... all that piddly stuff that fails and isn't hard to deal with, but like mentioned , you'll pay a lot for if you take it into a shop.

They kept the same top mechanism from 2007 to 2020, so there are plenty out there!

[oVeRdOsE.]

added android auto on stock CIC

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by RealJ22

I've wanted one as well. The Pages are all horror stories about the tops and leaking and water drainage. They have issues opening and closing and it was a short run.

If I'm buying a vert, it will probably be a soft top with a manual up down option.

Where are the horror stories? I could only find a few posts and nothing seemed too bad, which is why I went ahead and got one.

I've seen far more post about sedan/coupe sunroof drain problems than I have E93 roof drains or leaks. The only opening/closing issues I've seen were mostly related to new owners not knowing that the sliding rear cover needs to be locked down, and a few reports of hall sensors needing to be realigned.

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

I have to pass emissions in PA but with BEF from MHD it my car doesn't show a CEL and it goes through. However in PA you can have one not ready and pass. The cat is my only not ready and therefore passes. Is California that much stricter?

Yes. Not only do the monitors all have to be ready, they also check the software.

Beginning July 19, 2021, vehicles with software not provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or approved through a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Executive Order (EO) will fail Smog Check.

I believe only the Dinan tunes have the required EO to pass smog, but there aren't any catless Dinan tunes to my knowledge. Even if there were they wouldn't have the EO to be legal.

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I believe only the Dinan tunes have the required EO to pass smog, but there aren't any catless Dinan tunes to my knowledge.

How did they know you have a tune added? Does the tune itself leave a footprint?

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

How did they know you have a tune added? Does the tune itself leave a footprint?

Yes. Smog checks involve connecting the car to their computers via the OBD2 port and those computers are connected to the DMV. Part of the test is checking the software versions on the car.

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Yes. Smog checks involve connecting the car to their computers via the OBD2 port and those computers are connected to the DMV. Part of the test is checking the software versions on the car.

Wow that’s crazy. Sorry to hear that.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

I was hoping the hard top would be better as the soft top has wind noise and such.

Side note: I very much regret selling my e30 as I type this.

The E88 soft tops are supposed to be fairly quiet. Really good materials and multi la yer. It's still a soft top, no getting around that though.

We had a '91 325i cab... GREAT car! I had to re-do the coolant hoses and the fuel pump... that was the only maintenance on it!

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

Is California that much stricter?

LOL of the day... they do a checksum test to make sure the software is stock. I failed a visual inspection by having a BMW Euro airbox.

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

Where are the horror stories? I could only find a few posts and nothing seemed too bad, which is why I went ahead and got one.

I've seen far more post about sedan/coupe sunroof drain problems than I have E93 roof drains or leaks. The only opening/closing issues I've seen were mostly related to new owners not knowing that the sliding rear cover needs to be locked down, and a few reports of hall sensors needing to be realigned.

Look on the facebook pages. It's literally a meme on how many people have leaking tops.

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

The very expensive seals are the biggest issue, and if they've been maintained you're pretty good. A full on failure of the hydraulic system seems pretty rare, it's more little stuff like the seals, sensors, switches, little white cable... all that piddly stuff that fails and isn't hard to deal with, but like mentioned , you'll pay a lot for if you take it into a shop.

They kept the same top mechanism from 2007 to 2020, so there are plenty out there!

You know I only do work myself. Only reason my car was at the dealer just now is because recalls and they did about $1500 worth of parts on the top end for free.

I've wanted to get one as a spare / mom car. Girlfriend also wants a convertible for some reason.

Is there a way to manually move them if they fail? That would sell me. I don't care about the operation here in AZ. It rains like once a year

[DBShiznit]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

LOL of the day... they do a checksum test to make sure the software is stock. I failed a visual inspection by having a BMW Euro airbox.

I remember seeing that. I was mind blown!
Any chance you have pictures of your e30? Mine was also a 91 325i.

Here’s one of mine!

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

I remember seeing that. I was mind blown!
Any chance you have pictures of your e30? Mine was also a 91 325i.

Here’s one of mine!

Yeah, I was shocked when it didn't pass. Whoever was doing the visual inspection new their shit to be able to tell it was't a NA filter box!

Our '91 was red but with black interior and had the big bumpers (real early '91 production). No pics of it. It was my wife's car before we started breeding and moved into an E34 wagon. Manual roof, so no motors to go bad! Just the fuel pump, radio mast, & coolant hoses!

I had a '90 325ix that I drove till about 200,000 and then got paranoid about the transfer case so sold it and moved into a '91 325i sedan which I would be driving today if I didn't crash it like a total tool one morning.
E90 is the pinnacle of car design for me!!!!!

[RealJ22]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Yeah, I was shocked when it didn't pass. Whoever was doing the visual inspection new their shit to be able to tell it was't a NA filter box!

Our '91 was red but with black interior and had the big bumpers (real early '91 production). No pics of it. It was my wife's car before we started breeding and moved into an E34 wagon. Manual roof, so no motors to go bad! Just the fuel pump, radio mast, & coolant hoses!

I had a '90 325ix that I drove till about 200,000 and then got paranoid about the transfer case so sold it and moved into a '91 325i sedan which I would be driving today if I didn't crash it like a total tool one morning.
E90 is the pinnacle of car design for me!!!!!

I literally sold my 13 CT200h and got back into a E90 for a daily because I hate newer vehicles and also hybrid throw away junk. Even though its on the "Beater" side, I have enjoyed it much more in the days Ive had it, rather than the years with the lexus.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by RealJ22

I literally sold my 13 CT200h and got back into a E90 for a daily because I hate newer vehicles and also hybrid throw away junk. Even though its on the "Beater" side, I have enjoyed it much more in the days Ive had it, rather than the years with the lexus.

Yes, agreed! My de-contented 330i is as good a car as I will ever need!
But yeah, a convertible is still on my list. I know I don't need one though.
Just seems like it would be a nice way to get to work!
N52/1 is the way to go for reliability, but tempted by some N54 ones out there and I imagine that extra horsepower coming in handy!
N55 would probably be the best of both worlds, just to have some get up and go.
The E93 weighs 500lbs more than an E90, so having something more behind the go-pedal would be a positive!

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by RealJ22

Look on the facebook pages. It's literally a meme on how many people have leaking tops.

Ah that must be it, maybe the bimmerpost users care more for their cars than the Facebook crew and don't have those issues?

Seriously though, my seals aren't perfect, have some very minor cracking on the top of the roof panels seals, yet no leaks. We've had a lot of rain even by LA standards this past Winter - I've even had the car parked outside in that April storm when we got nearly 4 inches of rain, and it was fine. I was paranoid and kept checking every night but nothing.

But for real, I always found the Facebook groups to be full of a lot of noise and bad advice.

I once watched a video that shows how to manually open and close the top but it's not practical at all, definitely only useful for repairs and not something you'd do every day. If you're comfortable with moderate work on the E9x platform then I wouldn't worry about it.

[DBShiznit]

I don't know if I mentioned it but I purchased a 2015 Audi A3 Quattro as my daily. I hated the car not having torque like the straight 6. (I mostly drove 6cyl BMWs). Sold it to car max at the height of inflated used cars and purchased the 335xi and I love it. Solid chassis and the N54 is great. That is after you do all the maintenance, however the previous owner had done a lot of it including index 12 injectors.

I'd honestly say the N55 would be a better choice for reliable power. Single turbo makes it easier to work on and with a tune it can still move pretty good. Plus you get the benefits of the LCI cars.

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by DBShiznit

I don't know if I mentioned it but I purchased a 2015 Audi A3 Quattro as my daily. I hated the car not having torque like the straight 6. (I mostly drove 6cyl BMWs). Sold it to car max at the height of inflated used cars and purchased the 335xi and I love it. Solid chassis and the N54 is great. That is after you do all the maintenance, however the previous owner had done a lot of it including index 12 injectors.

I'd honestly say the N55 would be a better choice for reliable power. Single turbo makes it easier to work on and with a tune it can still move pretty good. Plus you get the benefits of the LCI cars.

I've been on a low-key hunt for an E93 for a couple years now. Currently thinking hard about this one in SD, but the N54 life seems so off putting.

He's done the injectors, but pretty much everything else is stock. Oil pan, VCG, suspension, water pump, HPFP are all 15 years old. Good on them for lasting so long, right! But that's a lot of potential parts to replace! I can do all that work, but not sure I want to. But the price is good presuming it has been well kept. Decisions, decisions...