legend e36 said:
Thanks guys, its a 2006 model Black in color. It just looks stunning for words. @Naushad, it purrrs when you put the foot down. @Frikkieh is Phillip also on the forum?
Since it's out of motorplan I would just have a look at its recent service history, ideally from after it went off motorplan just to make sure that everything that needed to be done has been done. Otherwise these engines are bullet-proof and have a great balance between performance and economy, sort of best of both worlds...
But, my 330i is (and has been for a while) suffering for pinging which the agents (small wonder) could not sort out, and now it is out of motorplan trying to solve it myself. So take note of any noises from the engine while test driving with the driver's window down - you will hear if it's pinging at lower town speeds at normal engine speeds. But I reckon mine is just a very rare case and possibly a software issue (thanks again to the agents).
Servicing costs are roughly the same as a typical E46. Costly service items are brakes, but they should last a fairly long time, just maybe the pads a few times, but the disks should last 50 - 100k km if not abused.
In general, E90 petrol engines seem to use a bit of oil, some more than others. Stupidly they don't have normal dipsticks, so you have to trust the electronic dipstick accessed on your instrument cluster. Some use a litre of oil every 2500 km, and some even sooner, but then mine initially (from 46k km) was using a litre per 6500 km, then 8100 km, and now 8900 km and she has just dropped to 25% remaining, so getting better over time.
Common issues with the N52 engines can be a metallic ticking noise from the engine when idling and being revved. This is the dreaded hydraulic lifter noise. In most cases if the car is still under warranty a new head is fitted, or the head is pulled apart and the affected parts replaced. There is a bleed procedure apparently which involves running the engine at 3000 rpm for a minute with the engine at operating temperature and then idle for a few minutes, repeating if necessary a few times - this is suppose to help. Prevention is better than cure - mine is thankfully not affected by this, but I am particular about preventing my car from doing short trips. Never idling a cold engine, start it and drive off gently. Then while she is completely in her stride at low revs around town, this is the other mistake - I gather that the oil flow to the top the engine is not as good as it should be for these lifters, so every now and again a good high rev spirited drive is essential, and of course rewarding!
Like with any BMW and for instance the E46, the oil service intervals are usually around 25k km or two years. In my case with three vehicles in the household, around 10k km a year is typical, which means oil change every 2 years which for me is just too long, so my intention is to change oil once a year or for that matter every 10k km. Rather fresh oil than stretch it to two years or 25k km and eventually you have an engine full of sludge!
Another somewhat annoying issue that you will most likely notice with the 330i is a squealing noise from the brakes at low speeds when driving around (i.e. not actually using the brakes) - this a design fault I gather and has something to do with the brake wear sensor, but more likely the handbrake system. I actually saw a DIY to modify and fix that.
Shout if you have any other questions! :thumbs:
