e90 problems

mazez · 02-23-2015, 01:51 AM

Hey Guys, I bought my 06 330i with 105k about a month ago. Bought it for $8,500 clean carfax. It is black on black has premium, sport, and cold weather package. I bought the car knowing the rear main seal and oil pan gasket were both leaking. I fixed a couple of things and am wondering if there is anything else I should look out for or do as preventative mainenance. I want my car to be solid as I plan on keeping it atleast through college.
Heres my list
-Rear Main Seal, Oil pan gasket, Valve cover gasket, Aluminum Main head bolts, Crankcase breather hose, Oil filter housing gasket, Lower radiator hose and sensor, coolant flush, spark plugs, and an oxygen sensor.
-Stuff I need/ want to do- Transmission fluid/filter and mechatronics sleeve, differential fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid and my windshield washer fluid reservoir, ahc control module, water pump/thermostat.

I wish I had done more research about the car before I bought it, It's a money pit, but I love it, wish it had a little more power but 335i has even more problems apparently. Seems like I am experiencing all of the common problems for the 330i...
Thanks, sorry for such a long post, I just want my car to be 100% reliable and leak/worry free before i start modding it. I wonder to myself everyday if it's worth putting all this money into a car barely worth 11k.

GoRomeo · 02-23-2015, 02:15 AM

Congrats on your purchase. Ive had mine for 10 yrs now and other that the maintenance stuff you mentioned you already have a solid machine. Cheers!

Efthreeoh · 02-23-2015, 05:45 AM

If the plugs weren't done at 100K then they are scheduled for replacement. Coolant and driveline fluids are also due at 100K. Brake fluid is every 2 years from the date of manufacture. The other stuff I'd leave until it breaks. Leaking pan gasket, unless it is make a pure mess, I'd gently retorque the pan bolts first and see how that helps. If the valve cover is not leaking leave it alone. BMW says replace the O2 sensors at 120,000. I did one of mine at 126K when it threw a SES light, the other 3 are still original at 275K.

If the out-side head bolt is broken, replace it, but doing all of them as preventative maintenance is way overkill. OFHG if it's leaking.

My 2 cents.

jon_335 · 02-23-2015, 07:03 AM

If you're willing to DIY, I'd take a weekend to replace the water pump, thermostat, hoses, and oil filter housing gasket. You need to drain the cooling system so that counts for your coolant flush. Then I'd look at spark plugs.

The rest of the fluid changes do as you have time and money … I don't think there is any huge hurry to get to them, with maybe the exception of brake fluid.

Three_thirty_I · 02-23-2015, 10:23 AM

If budget allows, maybe consider replacing the eccentric shaft sensor since the valve cover is coming off. But looks like most things you have already got covered - maybe clean the Vanos solenoids.

mazez · 02-23-2015, 10:50 PM

"Rear Main Seal, Oil pan gasket, Valve cover gasket, Aluminum Main head bolts, Crankcase breather hose, Oil filter housing gasket, Lower radiator hose and sensor, coolant flush, spark plugs, and an oxygen sensor"

These are all items that I have already fixed.

02-23-2015, 01:51 AM	#1
mazez Private 4 Rep 64 Posts Drives: Daughter of the 335 and 328 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: fairfax iTrader: (0)	e90 problems Hey Guys, I bought my 06 330i with 105k about a month ago. Bought it for $8,500 clean carfax. It is black on black has premium, sport, and cold weather package. I bought the car knowing the rear main seal and oil pan gasket were both leaking. I fixed a couple of things and am wondering if there is anything else I should look out for or do as preventative mainenance. I want my car to be solid as I plan on keeping it atleast through college. Heres my list -Rear Main Seal, Oil pan gasket, Valve cover gasket, Aluminum Main head bolts, Crankcase breather hose, Oil filter housing gasket, Lower radiator hose and sensor, coolant flush, spark plugs, and an oxygen sensor. -Stuff I need/ want to do- Transmission fluid/filter and mechatronics sleeve, differential fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid and my windshield washer fluid reservoir, ahc control module, water pump/thermostat. I wish I had done more research about the car before I bought it, It's a money pit, but I love it, wish it had a little more power but 335i has even more problems apparently. Seems like I am experiencing all of the common problems for the 330i... Thanks, sorry for such a long post, I just want my car to be 100% reliable and leak/worry free before i start modding it. I wonder to myself everyday if it's worth putting all this money into a car barely worth 11k.
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02-23-2015, 02:15 AM	#2
GoRomeo Brigadier General 1251 Rep 4,166 Posts Drives: 330i, 135i Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Diego CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 135i [9.50] 2006 330i [6.75]	Congrats on your purchase. Ive had mine for 10 yrs now and other that the maintenance stuff you mentioned you already have a solid machine. Cheers!
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02-23-2015, 05:45 AM	#3
Efthreeoh General 19152 Rep 19,707 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	If the plugs weren't done at 100K then they are scheduled for replacement. Coolant and driveline fluids are also due at 100K. Brake fluid is every 2 years from the date of manufacture. The other stuff I'd leave until it breaks. Leaking pan gasket, unless it is make a pure mess, I'd gently retorque the pan bolts first and see how that helps. If the valve cover is not leaking leave it alone. BMW says replace the O2 sensors at 120,000. I did one of mine at 126K when it threw a SES light, the other 3 are still original at 275K. If the out-side head bolt is broken, replace it, but doing all of them as preventative maintenance is way overkill. OFHG if it's leaking. My 2 cents. __________________ A manual transmission can be set to "comfort", "sport", and "track" modes simply by the technique and speed at which you shift it; it doesn't need "modes", modes are for manumatics that try to behave like a real 3-pedal manual transmission. If you can money-shift it, it's a manual transmission. "Yeah, but NO ONE puts an automatic trans shift knob on a manual transmission."
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02-23-2015, 07:03 AM	#4
jon_335 Second Lieutenant 15 Rep 276 Posts Drives: 2007 BMW 335i Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: North Carolina iTrader: (1)	If you're willing to DIY, I'd take a weekend to replace the water pump, thermostat, hoses, and oil filter housing gasket. You need to drain the cooling system so that counts for your coolant flush. Then I'd look at spark plugs. The rest of the fluid changes do as you have time and money … I don't think there is any huge hurry to get to them, with maybe the exception of brake fluid. __________________ 2007 BMW 335i \| Garner, North Carolina
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02-23-2015, 10:23 AM	#5
Three_thirty_I Lieutenant Colonel 375 Rep 1,928 Posts Drives: 2010 BMW E90 330i M Sport Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Cape Town, South Africa iTrader: (0) Garage List 2010 BMW E90 330i M ... [9.63]	If budget allows, maybe consider replacing the eccentric shaft sensor since the valve cover is coming off. But looks like most things you have already got covered - maybe clean the Vanos solenoids. __________________ 2010 BMW E90 330i M Sport (M) Ex: BMW E90 330i (M) '05 (His) \| (Hers) BMW E46 320i f/l (M) '03
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02-23-2015, 10:50 PM	#6
mazez Private 4 Rep 64 Posts Drives: Daughter of the 335 and 328 Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: fairfax iTrader: (0)	"Rear Main Seal, Oil pan gasket, Valve cover gasket, Aluminum Main head bolts, Crankcase breather hose, Oil filter housing gasket, Lower radiator hose and sensor, coolant flush, spark plugs, and an oxygen sensor" These are all items that I have already fixed.
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