E90 320i LCi

[Kyle]

Hi guys,

Picked up this '09 320i at a steal... She's doing well as a daily so far..

She needs a bit of TLC but all in all, a solid car and well specced.

Colour: TASMAN METALLIC (A81)
Upholstery: LEDER DAKOTASCHWARZ (LCSW)
S431A Interior Mirror With Automaticdip
S441A Smoker Package
S4UAA Partially Electric Seat Adjustment
S609A Navigation System Professional
S620A Voice Control
S644A Preparation F Mobile Phone W Bluetooth
S676A HiFi Speaker System
S694A Provisions For BMW 6 CD Changer
S698A AreaCode 2 For DVD
S6FLA USBAudio Interface
S6NFA Music Interface For Smartphone
S502A Headlight Cleaning System
S508A Park Distance Control PDC
S521A Rain Sensor
S522A Xenon Light
S534A Automatic Air Conditioning
S540A Cruise Control
S5ACA Highbeam Assistant
S5DSA Emergency Release Luggage Compartment

Wasn't too happy with steering response, coupled with a slight whine when turning. So the first bit of maintenance was a power steering fluid change.

Looks like it was way overdue, this is what came out :fencelook:

Actually had the consistency of water.

Comparison to the new LM ATF

The process was quite simple, chose to play it safe and drain / replace the fluid on the reservoir instead of messing with the PS pump lines. Each time the car was started and wheels turned from end to end a few times.

I did this until the 2lt of fluid I had on hand were done. I will run the car under normal driving conditions and replace again this weekend.

The good news is that the steering feels way more positive and the whine from the pump has disappeared!

Next I thought it would inpect / clean the vanos solenoids

Seals still seem decent.

Nicely varnished but no sludge as such...

Could not get the lower solenoid out, and since I was rushed for time I decided to leave it for next weekend. Ideally would like to soak them in petrol so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

This is after a quick spray with carb cleaner

No real difference after, but definitely worth doing as preventative maintenance.

As usual, gave the engine bay a wipe down to hide the evidence.

Thanks for looking! :thumbs:

 

[AshvRod]

Awesome Kyle! Maintenance is always key and looks like this car is in really good hands.


What’s the next plans ?

 

[VinceM]

So sad that the 5 series is gone.

This looks like a nice clean car, the 320i has a distinct exhaust sound that isn’t bad at all. Though they can be sluggish.

 

[Kyle]

Awesome Kyle! Maintenance is always key and looks like this car is in really good hands.


What’s the next plans ?

Thanks bud, unfortunately these cars are seldom maintained properly and as a result, get a bad rep for being unreliable. There are obviously a few known weak points that are expected to fail but this is something you accept when you choose to buy the car.

Research is key here.

In terms of power, again, it's a 320i. It all depends on what your benchmark is. Compared to a 6 cylinder BMW it's obviously lacking, but in comparison to the Fiesta I used as a daily runaround... It's an epic car with some nice modern features.

 

[SubLoaded]

Congrats :bravo:

Are you and @Riaad competing? :fencelook:

 

[Kyle]

Congrats :bravo:

Are you and @Riaad competing? :fencelook:

TLGP coming soon

 

[Riaad]

Congrats :bravo:

Are you and @Riaad competing? :fencelook:

TLGP coming soon

:boink: