[Efthreeoh]

I've been on E90 Post for 12 years. I've written many an accolade on the E90 chassis. Here's another one...

So last night I went out to pick up some grub. I live out in a rural area (hence the go out to pick up food...). The road for last few miles to my house follows a river (and I live in the mountains) so it's pretty much a race track (lightly populated) just point-to-point. The only police present to keep your speed in check are the deer (and occasionally a cow or black bear). Anyway, I absolutely hammered my car up the last two miles to the house. Full throttle and threshold braking in the corners. Parked her totally wet and burning. I've been driving the car this way going on 12+ years. It's 280 miles away from reaching 350,000.

The E90 with the N52 absolutely is a tank. I don't over-maintain mine either. And it does see quite a bit of stop and go traffic.

I post info like this just to inform people who are considering an N52 E90 that you basically can't go wrong with buying one.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by Hops128i

I mostly agree. I recently did the VCG, and if i didn't find this crazy detailed youtube DIY, i wouldn't have attempted it. I don't know if i'll diy the oil pan gasket when the time comes, it looks really involved. Still though, there is so much DIY n52 content, it really pays off for simpler stuff. After understanding the pricing of bmw labor dealer/independent alike, it's a real motivator to DIY. Stuff like, plugs, OFHG, battery, air filter, shocks/struts, brake rotors/pads, fluid changes have so many good DIY's.

I just added a DIY guide section.

[SpenceRx]

Solid guide. The e90 msport styling has really held up. These are awesome cars.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I just added a DIY guide section.

Most excellent adding the DIYs.

There's a pretty good clutch replacement DIY on E90 Post...

[BuckyBeaver]

Very good info! You might add the ZMP M Sport Package for 2009 and above cars. Also the IDrive was updated in 2009 for the LCI and then again for 2010 if I remember correctly to add bluetooth streaming.

[flacon01]

good post

[Nebraska330xi]

Originally Posted by Hops128i

I mostly agree. I recently did the VCG, and if i didn't find this crazy detailed youtube DIY, i wouldn't have attempted it. I don't know if i'll diy the oil pan gasket when the time comes, it looks really involved. Still though, there is so much DIY n52 content, it really pays off for simpler stuff. After understanding the pricing of bmw labor dealer/independent alike, it's a real motivator to DIY. Stuff like, plugs, OFHG, battery, air filter, shocks/struts, brake rotors/pads, fluid changes have so many good DIY's.

Yea we probably found the same YouTube video! Was it the guy that cut a cm off from the excess white electronics box to clear the cover? That really made a difference for me if so. And agreed, the vast diy for BMW is superior to most other manufacturers. Save for Porsche and other enthusiast brands. My wife has a CRV that I like to find DIY for and although they have a good community, there isn't anywhere near the same technical volume. Probably helps that most things are reasonable at a dealer, and go wrong less

[Jashan90]

Originally Posted by ihbase

Are there are many 200k e90 survivors of any type? Even an N52 is going to require a laundry list of parts before 200k.

If you dismissed the N57 because you think a NA diesel is good idea, then you would never be happy with an N57. It is not a the ideal candidate for someone seeking to hyper-mile. It is a good candidate if you have to cover a lot of ground effortlessly and feel at home between 90 and 120.

-Mike

My N52 is at 198,538 as we speak. She's doing good! Water pump was replaced with all cooling hoses etc at 130k. 170k the ac system was refreshed with a new compressor. 185k all new coils, and spark plugs. Now I will be doing a full suspension refresh.

[Hops128i]

Originally Posted by Nebraska330xi

Yea we probably found the same YouTube video! Was it the guy that cut a cm off from the excess white electronics box to clear the cover?

Yeah, i think so!

Funny, i really never thought i'd be wrenching on my 128i at that level when i bought the car new, but it's really satisfying to effectively pay yourself $50-$100hr! Well, that might be a little of an exaggeration if i included the time spent researching and planning.

[iamtheta]

Thanks for the valuable post!

[MintE90]

Excellent! I just bought my first Bmw and love it!

[RedKnight]

Test

[Poacher123]

Great post, thanks!

[JustiniPGA]

Very helpful. Thanks for taking the time.

[bmwjess]

All info above is correct

[Dpesce04]

Great post

[e91n00b]

I picked up my 2012 E91 N52 today. 45k miles, one owner, fully serviced at a BMW dealership for the life of the car. This thread is golden! To know what to expect and look out for will help a 1st time BMW owner like me.

[TheDapperDruid]

Very helpful!

[wdb]

Excellent post OP! Very impressive. I probably should have read it before buying my 2007 E93 328i.

I have a couple of questions.

1) Are there caveats or things to watch out for when looking at older cabriolets? I'm sure there must be, and it might be nice to list some in your post. One that pops into my head right away is the motorized glovebox door, which apparently fails with alarming frequency.

2) I specifically wanted a 328i for the N52 motor. My 2007 Z4 3.0si coupe has the 255HP flavor of that motor and I absolutely adore it. However the car I bought has the N51, which based on my research is a SULEV'd N52. It's still the happy revvy motor I was looking for, but is it less reliable than the N52? Any special good/bad features? Is it worth differentiating the two in your post?

Thanks all for the compiled knowledge found here. I've already fixed my glovebox door.

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by wdb

Excellent post OP! Very impressive. I probably should have read it before buying my 2007 E93 328i.

I have a couple of questions.

1) Are there caveats or things to watch out for when looking at older cabriolets? I'm sure there must be, and it might be nice to list some in your post. One that pops into my head right away is the motorized glovebox door, which apparently fails with alarming frequency.

2) I specifically wanted a 328i for the N52 motor. My 2007 Z4 3.0si coupe has the 255HP flavor of that motor and I absolutely adore it. However the car I bought has the N51, which based on my research is a SULEV'd N52. It's still the happy revvy motor I was looking for, but is it less reliable than the N52? Any special good/bad features? Is it worth differentiating the two in your post?

Thanks all for the compiled knowledge found here. I've already fixed my glovebox door.

I know some owners have had issues with the sensors that allow the roof to close. The cabriolet will have more things to break on it. The N51 is a N52 with more emissions crap on it. It has significantly more expensive parts like the fuel pump which requires the entire fuel tank to be replaced. If you are in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and DC; you are covered by a 15 year, 150,000 mile warranty on SULEV components.

I want to add more information into the guide but I have been very busy with university work.

[wdb]

I'm still learning but one thing I've read is that the N51 has the 3-stage DISA intake from the 255HP versions of the motor. Also lower compression ratio. The cylinder head is different too. Haven't heard about the fuel pump yet, and I'm happy to hear about the 150K emissions warranty because I live in one of those states (PA).

[Lev]

Amazing, post. I'm selling my E90(2010) with 33K miles on it. Please ping me if interested.

2010
328xi
33k original miles.
Black(metallic) on Black.
Brand new
* Tires
* Brakes
* Rotars
* Spark Plugs
* Battery
* Sensors