Think I should update this thread a bit:
Bought the car from
@Kyle in November 2020. He was such a pleasure to deal with during the process. And a real nice guy as well.
Took a bus to Durban from Bloemfontein, picked up in a rainy Durban, and proceeded back to the Free State.
Unfortunately on the drive home about 80km from Bloemfontein the car suddenly lost power, christmas tree on the dash and the shut off and would not start again. Phoned a friend to come and assist as it looked like the car had no power. Kyle tried to assist and troubleshoot with me remotely best he could. When friend arrived we jumped the car and it would start up again. Unfortunately as is with these cars, the FRM clutched out.
The next week I took the car to a local BMW indie. Battery was replaced and the FRM had to be recoded. After this car was back up and running.
- This not being a new car I noticed a few things after picking up the car and living with it for a while that needed attention:
- The car had a bad shudder/vibration under braking
-- Fixed with new brakes front and rear.
- Windscreen was chipped in the line of sight of the driver. The top windshield trim was also brittle and flaking (Common on E90)
-- Replaced windscreen and trim.
- The wrap on the interior pieces was peeling and not looking the best.
-- Removed the wrap as it was gloss black underneath but later wrapped in carbon vinyl. Came out decent.
- Interior handles were all melted badly. (common e90 issue)
-- Replaced all handles with aftermarket ones that I bought from Momentum Auto in vereeniging. The replacements dont have the soft touch that can go sticky but they are
really nice quality and attach with some screws. Really easy DIY.
- The automatic rain sensor was not working.
-- This was fixed by replacing the windshield.
- The Bluetooth, USB , AUX was not working.
-- The MOST fiber ring loop connector that completes fiber loop was missing. Replaced with OEM part. All working
- Bonnet had a slight dent on one of the body lines also had some touch ups that were not looking great.
-- Repaired bonnet and bumper professionally after wife scraped the bumper while parking in the garage.
- Boost pipes were oily at the joints, indicating the seals were shot. Luckily Kyle included them.
-- Removed intercooler, washed all pipes and cooler and replaced the seals. Have not seen any oil since, almost two years.
- Exclusive steering wheel felt like a truck steering and was really thin. Kyle included the M-sport steering wheel but had it removed from the car to have it redone and was not
happy with the finished product so left it off the car.
-- I had this steering recovered by auto trimmers in Bloem. Came out great and is fitted currently.
- Mismatched tyres. Goodyear fronts, Bridgestone rears.
-- Replaced rears with another set of 255/35/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 AS2 ROF. Fronts need replacing soon.
- Oil leak at the back of the engine
-- This was fixed by my trusty indie by replacing the tappet cover gasket. But this was a costly repair (R12k) as all the injectors have to come out to remove the cover. This
means new injector seals etc and loads of labour. Also found the coolant bottle had split after I told mech the car consumes water but it never leaks anywhere. Replaced
bottle and cap.
- Car had a towbar fitted with wiring but the removeable part and key was missing.
-- Got a new removeable and key from my indie.
- Strange White specs all over the engine bay. (Later learned this was coolant)
-- Fixed by replacing the upper radiator hose. The nipple going to the expansion tank was brittle and leaking due to age.
- After hitting a pothole there was a knock on the front suspension. Turns out the shock was wrecked. Replaced the shocks with Billsteins, (had monroe). The car was so much nicer to drive. No more bumpy hard ride.
Car was also a bit on the heavy side consumption wise, the onboard indicating 9.9 km/l. Decided to have it mapped by RK motion. Power is addictive and now returns 11.9 km/l.
I also added Stage 2 XHP as the box was a but rubber band like. The amount the XHP improves the overall drive is immeasurable. The car shifts alot faster in S and M and D is so much nicer to drive, No more feeling like your being pulled along by a rubber band.
Plans I have for future:
EGR cooler delete and Intake Manifold Clean. This should happen in the next week or so.
Downpipe and exhaust.
Android radio
Some cosmetics, Carbon here and there.
Will post some pics when I have the time.
