E92 - What to look out for?

[De@nO]

Hi guys,

Considering buying an e92 non-m

I would appreciate any buying advise, what do I look out for in terms of maintenance on these cars?

Thanks in advance!

 

[ASH]

Depends which model you going for, 325i is pretty much bullet proof if previously looked after, 335i has the performance but pricey to maintain if out of service plan, also hard to find one which hasn't been modified in any way. I'd steer clear of the 320i, engine doesn't match the size of the car.

The seat belt handover mechanism sometimes plays up. The car is very low,
so parking where there is high kerbs becomes a challenge, so the front bumper gets scrapped a lot. PDC front and rear is a must, the rear glass is very slopped so rear vision is a challenge. Avoid black, it becomes a pain in the arse to maintain, I found myself polishing it twice a month to hide fine swirls and scratches. The best part of this car is the massive doors, they feel
so macho, like big arms, and the frameless windows. It is a pure 4 seater, not
sure if it has a third seat belt in the rear, and to sit in the middle is impossible as there is a plastic insert where someone could sit, same problem I have with the 125i as well, the car effectively becomes a 3 seater when you need to put a child car seat in. Chassis is amazing, handling is so planted, it just eats corners compared to the sedan, which I found awkward in extremely tight cornering situations. If I compare my 125i to the e92 325i, the 125i is more of a handful to drive in extreme cornering, the 325i probably being faster and more composed and flat.

My 325i was fairly reliable, it had 101 000kms on purchase, only thing that failed was a v-belt pulley and a dead battery, was traded-in on 141 000km. Be careful with panels, car is not local build so body panels have to be imported if damaged.

 

[pimpassdaddy]

The 325i's diff and water pump tends to go around the 100 000 km mark... Either than that, solid BMW. No worries at all.

I don't agree about the black. Mine was black and it wasn't difficult to maintain at all.

An absolute gem to drive. I miss it!

 

[Yuben]

Good advice Ash.
The question I need to ask Deeno is whether u gonna be satisfied with the slight performance downgrade judging that u coming out off a 330i 6spd into the 325i.

Or r u going for the 335i?

 

[boost3d]

Depends which model you going for, 325i is pretty much bullet proof if previously looked after, 335i has the performance but pricey to maintain if out of service plan, also hard to find one which hasn't been modified in any way. I'd steer clear of the 320i, engine doesn't match the size of the car.

The seat belt handover mechanism sometimes plays up. The car is very low,
so parking where there is high kerbs becomes a challenge, so the front bumper gets scrapped a lot. PDC front and rear is a must, the rear glass is very slopped so rear vision is a challenge. Avoid black, it becomes a pain in the arse to maintain, I found myself polishing it twice a month to hide fine swirls and scratches. The best part of this car is the massive doors, they feel
so macho, like big arms, and the frameless windows. It is a pure 4 seater, not
sure if it has a third seat belt in the rear, and to sit in the middle is impossible as there is a plastic insert where someone could sit, same problem I have with the 125i as well, the car effectively becomes a 3 seater when you need to put a child car seat in. Chassis is amazing, handling is so planted, it just eats corners compared to the sedan, which I found awkward in extremely tight cornering situations. If I compare my 125i to the e92 325i, the 125i is more of a handful to drive in extreme cornering, the 325i probably being faster and more composed and flat.

My 325i was fairly reliable, it had 101 000kms on purchase, only thing that failed was a v-belt pulley and a dead battery, was traded-in on 141 000km. Be careful with panels, car is not local build so body panels have to be imported if damaged.

Couldnt have said it better....

just two thing to add, check the alignment of the fenders with the bumper and headlight....easy tell tale sign of a car in a mishap because apparently its a p.i.t.a to get the alignment correct...

secondly, if the car has the gloss black beadings, check to see if its fading, iv noticed this on a few cars other then my own

 

[Vinash]

Howsit D,

I have a e92 325i a/t i purchased the vehicle on 90 000km.
Car drives exceptionally well great power at the foot when you need it, car comes alive after 3200-3500rpm... i did a decat and installed a performance filter and that improved the fuel consumption allot (roughly 700km on a full tank combined - depends how heavy the foot is) did a performance exhaust as well and no major difference in consumption.

looking at the service history prior to buying the car all that have been replaced apart from normal wear and tear is the seat belt grabbers and the headlight bulbs.

services are also not bad - oil change, oil filter, pollen filter at the agents is around R2700 (what i paid at clearwater bmw)
last service with spark plugs including the above was around R4200.

car is now doing roughly 145 000km and all apart from the usual i had to do the CVT seals (R1300 including tappet cover gasket change - done at e car midrand)

i can hear the wheel bearings hymning a lil which will be needed to be replaced soon.
also recently picked up a scraping noise coming from the rear at low speeds around 20km/h need to check that out.

so ya other than that the car drives like a dream - and i must say i really enjoy it.

 

[De@nO]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

I purchased a '10 e92 325i Auto M Sport Alpine White
Extras: Orginal BMW Performance Exhaust, Logic 7 Sound, Electric Seats, Sunroof, Xenons, Paddle Shift, Gloss Black Style 225m 19's

Car has 54k kms on the clock and iv just extended the m/p for another year.

Its a bit lazy low down compared to my ex e46 330i but the motor really comes into life after 4K rpm all the way to redline at 7k RPM

I fell in love the moment I saw her.... :inlove:

 

[WyKiD]

Congrats bud, sweet ride...:coolShake:

 

[Nemo]

congrats bud:clapper:

 

[Ofentse]

Nice looking machine you have there mate... :clapper:
what can I say, e92 is boss :tiptoe:

 

[Divio]

Congrats, she's a beaut

 

[KPM3_30]

That is lovely! :clapper:

 

[Rando047]

Congrads... looks very nice :clapper:

 

[Vinash]

She is so sexy.... i like em milk white lol. Congratz Buddio