osiris
///Member
They are very nice and suite the 2 series really well. Send me a DM and I will let you know where I got them from.
@Clint@MMS AUTO We want more updates š¤£
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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
Can a 200,000 km F30 320d Still Be a Good Buy?
- Thread starter Clint@MMS AUTO
- Start date
@Clint@MMS AUTO We want more updates š¤£
Okay cool man, I also enabled Sport Auto Trans when I coded the Start/Stop memory and I agree with you, It makes a massive difference in the shifts. That coupled with the transmission service and EGS Adaptations really transformed the way my car selects and changes gears now. Itās chalk and cheese.
Come lets do it š
Thank you kind sir, I look forward to seeing your car soon, once you take delivery, bring it by for a free inspection and Diagnostics š
THIS WEEKāS UPDATE - STEERING WHEEL, ANDROID SCREEN & COOLING SYSTEM PREP
First up, the steering wheel. This one was long overdue.
The steering wheel is probably the one part of the car youāre constantly interacting with whenever you drive, so fitting a fresh one always makes the whole driving experience feel that little bit better.
The MQS terminals and wire finally arrived, so I made up the missing paddle signal wire and ran it from the FEM to the steering column.
The old steering wheel was removed and the new M Sport wheel with paddles fitted.
I also added the harness for the M1/M2 buttons, which allows me to cycle through the driving modes from the steering wheel, and connected that into the iDrive controller circuit.
Once everything was wired up, I coded the car to enable the paddle shifters.
Tested everything afterwards and Iām happy to report that it all works exactly as intended.
Paddles are working, the M1/M2 buttons are changing the driving modes, and the new wheel has made the interior feel much fresher.
Next up was something Iāve been waiting a while for.
I recently ordered a full aluminium oil filter housing from the US. I specifically wanted this particular version because it is properly aluminium throughout, rather than some of the versions Iāve seen being sold locally which use an aluminium outer housing but retain a plastic centre thermostat section which I've noticed always fails around the brass thermostat valve when the plastic cracks as shown in the pics below from another N47 we worked on recently.
new one looks like this
While I was ordering, I also added:
Then, while browsing through the cooling-system parts, I made the mistake of seeing a 12.3-inch Android screen for the F30. š
It looked really good, so naturally I ordered that too.
What I didnāt consider was that the dashboards on LHD and RHD F30s are different.
The advert didnāt mention anything about LHD or RHD compatibility, and Iām assuming thatās because it was being sold primarily into a left-hand-drive market.
Needless to say, I discovered this the hard way...
At around 21:30ā¦ About 50% of the way through the installation. š
Since I was already that far into it, there was no chance I was putting everything back together.
So I modified the mounting panel and made it work for now.
Itās not the final solution, though. Iāve already asked a friend to check for the correct RHD version when he goes to China at the end of the month.
If he canāt find one, Iāll order a RHD housing from another version and modify the two pieces to make one that fits and looks the way itās supposed to. For now, though, Iām just happy to have Waze and my music working nicely on the larger screen. I still need to run and wire the reverse camera, but Iāll get to that soon.
Now onto the next major jobā¦
At this point, pretty much every fluid in the car has been switched over to its Motul equivalent, with the exception of the engine coolant. Thatās next.
I now have everything required for a fairly comprehensive cooling-system refresh:
Iām not replacing the water pump because BMW replaced it last year, along with the coolant expansion tank and cap, so thereās no point replacing perfectly good recent parts just for the sake of it.
This cooling-system job looks like it could easily turn into a two-day affair if I want to do everything properly, clean everything up while Iām there and make sure there are no leaks afterwards.
So when I get another decent gap in my schedule, that will be the next big job.
Still making progress whenever I get the chance but looks like there there isn't much else left to do after this besides rack up mileage and enjoy it.
First up, the steering wheel. This one was long overdue.
The steering wheel is probably the one part of the car youāre constantly interacting with whenever you drive, so fitting a fresh one always makes the whole driving experience feel that little bit better.
The MQS terminals and wire finally arrived, so I made up the missing paddle signal wire and ran it from the FEM to the steering column.
The old steering wheel was removed and the new M Sport wheel with paddles fitted.
I also added the harness for the M1/M2 buttons, which allows me to cycle through the driving modes from the steering wheel, and connected that into the iDrive controller circuit.
Once everything was wired up, I coded the car to enable the paddle shifters.
Tested everything afterwards and Iām happy to report that it all works exactly as intended.
Paddles are working, the M1/M2 buttons are changing the driving modes, and the new wheel has made the interior feel much fresher.
Next up was something Iāve been waiting a while for.
I recently ordered a full aluminium oil filter housing from the US. I specifically wanted this particular version because it is properly aluminium throughout, rather than some of the versions Iāve seen being sold locally which use an aluminium outer housing but retain a plastic centre thermostat section which I've noticed always fails around the brass thermostat valve when the plastic cracks as shown in the pics below from another N47 we worked on recently.
new one looks like this
While I was ordering, I also added:
- Aluminium coolant flange
- EGR delete kit
- Swirl flap delete kit
Then, while browsing through the cooling-system parts, I made the mistake of seeing a 12.3-inch Android screen for the F30. š
It looked really good, so naturally I ordered that too.
What I didnāt consider was that the dashboards on LHD and RHD F30s are different.
The advert didnāt mention anything about LHD or RHD compatibility, and Iām assuming thatās because it was being sold primarily into a left-hand-drive market.
Needless to say, I discovered this the hard way...
At around 21:30ā¦ About 50% of the way through the installation. š
Since I was already that far into it, there was no chance I was putting everything back together.
So I modified the mounting panel and made it work for now.
Itās not the final solution, though. Iāve already asked a friend to check for the correct RHD version when he goes to China at the end of the month.
If he canāt find one, Iāll order a RHD housing from another version and modify the two pieces to make one that fits and looks the way itās supposed to. For now, though, Iām just happy to have Waze and my music working nicely on the larger screen. I still need to run and wire the reverse camera, but Iāll get to that soon.
Now onto the next major jobā¦
At this point, pretty much every fluid in the car has been switched over to its Motul equivalent, with the exception of the engine coolant. Thatās next.
I now have everything required for a fairly comprehensive cooling-system refresh:
- Motul coolant
- New thermostat
- New thermostat housing
- Aluminium coolant flange
- Full aluminium oil filter housing with Thermostat assembly, Both oil coolers, New cooler gaskets and seals
Iām not replacing the water pump because BMW replaced it last year, along with the coolant expansion tank and cap, so thereās no point replacing perfectly good recent parts just for the sake of it.
This cooling-system job looks like it could easily turn into a two-day affair if I want to do everything properly, clean everything up while Iām there and make sure there are no leaks afterwards.
So when I get another decent gap in my schedule, that will be the next big job.
Still making progress whenever I get the chance but looks like there there isn't much else left to do after this besides rack up mileage and enjoy it.
THIS WEEKāS UPDATE - COOLING SYSTEM REFRESH, OIL FILTER HOUSING, INTAKE & EGR WORK
We had some time Yesterday so the 320d went back onto the lift for another fairly big round of work.
The Coolant Drained and engine bay was stripped back to get access to all the cooling-system components I had been collecting over the last few weeks.
While everything was opened up, I also took the opportunity to have a look at the turbo. Happy to report that itās looking good for the mileage. There is very little shaft play and the compressor blades look clean and in good condition.
First up was the thermostat and thermostat housing.
I had suspected there may have been a coolant leak in this area previously because there was quite a bit of dried coolant residue around the housing where the hose connects. Once everything was stripped out, it confirmed that replacing these parts was definitely worthwhile.
A new thermostat and thermostat housing were fitted.
Next was the intake manifold removal as well as the coolant flange and complete oil filter housing assembly. This is where things got interesting.
Iām very glad I decided to replace the oil filter housing Preventatively rather than simply leave the original one in place.
Once removed, we found that part of the original housing had actually failed internally. The small brass valve had broken off and was lying loose inside the coolant channel on the engine block. In the pictures you can clearly see the broken brass piece and where it had separated from the original housing.
Then compare that to the new full-aluminium housing.
The original plastic unit also has quite a few recessed areas and weak points in its construction, while the new aluminium version feels much more substantial and eliminates a lot of the plastic components that tend to become brittle with age and heat cycles.
Once the block mating surfaces were properly cleaned, the new complete aluminium oil filter housing assembly was installed together with the aluminium coolant flange.
Hopefully thatās a few more plastic cooling-system weak points removed from the equation.
Then came the intake manifold. This was probably the biggest surprise of the whole job. The moment the manifold came off, I was expecting to find the usual diesel carbon build-up through the intake system and cylinder-head ports. Instead, there was almost nothing.
The intake runners were incredibly clean, the ports in the cylinder head had virtually no carbon build-up, and you could clearly see down towards the valves.
Honestly, I was expecting something completely different from a 200,000 km N47.
What a car this is turning out to be. Lebofa clearly looked after this engine properly over the years.
Next up was the EGR system.
The EGR cooler was removed and, surprisingly, even the cooler core had very little carbon build-up inside it.
The EGR blanking plates were then fitted while everything was accessible.
Back to the intake manifoldā¦
The original intake gasket plate also houses the swirl flaps, so I initially removed the flaps from the existing plate while waiting for the replacement gasket plate to arrive.
While the manifold was off the car, I also gave the outside of it a proper clean because it had accumulated quite a bit of dirt over the years.
Since we ended up waiting for the manifold gasket plate, we moved onto refill the cooling system.
Before adding coolant, I vacuum-tested the system to make sure it could hold vacuum and that we hadnāt introduced any leaks during the work. Everything checked out, so the system was vacuum-filled with Motul Auto Cool Expert
coolant.
Once the new gasket plate arrived, it was fitted with the swirl-flap arrangement removed, and the intake manifold was then reinstalled onto the engine. New on the bottom. I had used the old as test to remove the flaps.
The battery was reconnected, the engine started, and both the coolant and engine-oil levels were checked.
With everything mechanically back together, Everything looked good. No visible leaks, no coolant loss and everything was operating as expected. By that point it was getting fairly late, so I stopped for the evening and left a large clean sheet of paper underneath the engine overnight.
The following morning, the sheet was still completely clean.
No coolant.
No oil.
No leaks.
Started the car again, no warning lights on the dash, and took it for a short test drive. Iāve only done about 5 km since completing the work, but so far everything is running perfectly. The engine feels very smooth and responsive. Whether thatās actually related to the intake changes or simply everything being freshly reassembled and serviced is difficult to say after such a short drive, but the car definitely feels good.
No engine warning light has appeared so far either, but Iāll continue monitoring everything as I put some more mileage onto it. Overall, Iām very happy with how this round of work went. The biggest surprise was definitely seeing just how clean the intake system, cylinder-head ports and EGR cooler were after more than 200,000 km.
Itās becoming more and more obvious that this Vehicle has had a very good life.
And lastly, an interior picture since I donāt think Iāve posted many of those. The inside of the car is also in really good condition for its age and mileage, especially after the recent detail.
Thatās it for now.
We had some time Yesterday so the 320d went back onto the lift for another fairly big round of work.
The Coolant Drained and engine bay was stripped back to get access to all the cooling-system components I had been collecting over the last few weeks.
While everything was opened up, I also took the opportunity to have a look at the turbo. Happy to report that itās looking good for the mileage. There is very little shaft play and the compressor blades look clean and in good condition.
First up was the thermostat and thermostat housing.
I had suspected there may have been a coolant leak in this area previously because there was quite a bit of dried coolant residue around the housing where the hose connects. Once everything was stripped out, it confirmed that replacing these parts was definitely worthwhile.
A new thermostat and thermostat housing were fitted.
Next was the intake manifold removal as well as the coolant flange and complete oil filter housing assembly. This is where things got interesting.
Iām very glad I decided to replace the oil filter housing Preventatively rather than simply leave the original one in place.
Once removed, we found that part of the original housing had actually failed internally. The small brass valve had broken off and was lying loose inside the coolant channel on the engine block. In the pictures you can clearly see the broken brass piece and where it had separated from the original housing.
Then compare that to the new full-aluminium housing.
The original plastic unit also has quite a few recessed areas and weak points in its construction, while the new aluminium version feels much more substantial and eliminates a lot of the plastic components that tend to become brittle with age and heat cycles.
Once the block mating surfaces were properly cleaned, the new complete aluminium oil filter housing assembly was installed together with the aluminium coolant flange.
Hopefully thatās a few more plastic cooling-system weak points removed from the equation.
Then came the intake manifold. This was probably the biggest surprise of the whole job. The moment the manifold came off, I was expecting to find the usual diesel carbon build-up through the intake system and cylinder-head ports. Instead, there was almost nothing.
The intake runners were incredibly clean, the ports in the cylinder head had virtually no carbon build-up, and you could clearly see down towards the valves.
Honestly, I was expecting something completely different from a 200,000 km N47.
What a car this is turning out to be. Lebofa clearly looked after this engine properly over the years.
Next up was the EGR system.
The EGR cooler was removed and, surprisingly, even the cooler core had very little carbon build-up inside it.
The EGR blanking plates were then fitted while everything was accessible.
Back to the intake manifoldā¦
The original intake gasket plate also houses the swirl flaps, so I initially removed the flaps from the existing plate while waiting for the replacement gasket plate to arrive.
While the manifold was off the car, I also gave the outside of it a proper clean because it had accumulated quite a bit of dirt over the years.
Since we ended up waiting for the manifold gasket plate, we moved onto refill the cooling system.
Before adding coolant, I vacuum-tested the system to make sure it could hold vacuum and that we hadnāt introduced any leaks during the work. Everything checked out, so the system was vacuum-filled with Motul Auto Cool Expert
coolant.
Once the new gasket plate arrived, it was fitted with the swirl-flap arrangement removed, and the intake manifold was then reinstalled onto the engine. New on the bottom. I had used the old as test to remove the flaps.
The battery was reconnected, the engine started, and both the coolant and engine-oil levels were checked.
With everything mechanically back together, Everything looked good. No visible leaks, no coolant loss and everything was operating as expected. By that point it was getting fairly late, so I stopped for the evening and left a large clean sheet of paper underneath the engine overnight.
The following morning, the sheet was still completely clean.
No coolant.
No oil.
No leaks.
Started the car again, no warning lights on the dash, and took it for a short test drive. Iāve only done about 5 km since completing the work, but so far everything is running perfectly. The engine feels very smooth and responsive. Whether thatās actually related to the intake changes or simply everything being freshly reassembled and serviced is difficult to say after such a short drive, but the car definitely feels good.
No engine warning light has appeared so far either, but Iāll continue monitoring everything as I put some more mileage onto it. Overall, Iām very happy with how this round of work went. The biggest surprise was definitely seeing just how clean the intake system, cylinder-head ports and EGR cooler were after more than 200,000 km.
Itās becoming more and more obvious that this Vehicle has had a very good life.
And lastly, an interior picture since I donāt think Iāve posted many of those. The inside of the car is also in really good condition for its age and mileage, especially after the recent detail.
Thatās it for now.
