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Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
Looking at e90 325i auto.
- Thread starter silverdelange
- Start date
Blue Shirt
Well-known member
Iceman007 said:
I achieve this kind of fuel consupmption with my 4.8i X5. There is something seriously wrong with your 325i if this is truly your consumption unless you are robot racing every day.
Iceman007
Active member
sclass said:Sory to hear that, what issues did you experience with your e90 325? Between 40-68k you should've been worry free
No Motorplan issues on printout when I bought her and it was clean only services.
After I got it. At 40 000km it was gearbox(mekatronics replaced)
At 50 000km misfire at start up and fuel smoke. That was injectors and all 6 were replaced.
Shortly after that it was hunting on cold start.(also struggling to get to 240) Puma case was opened Another set of injectors
did not help. Then a month later vanos solenoids. Then o2 sensors. Airflow meter. Fuel pump and filter. Then eventually the complete head was replaced and the problem was sorted. Well BMW gave me a full tank of petrol for all the trouble I went through. And a month later I trade her in on a 320d and was very sceptical but now I wont buy a petrol again.
Blue Shirt said:
No my friend I do have an heavy foot. I had the opportunity to drive many courtesy cars during this 325i horror including a 323i and even that 323 went to 14L/100km. (Cars I had during this was 2010 e90 323. Polo Vivo. Old e90 325 manual. And an 2013 F30 320i manual.)
Philip Foglar
///Member
The N52 range of engines are fairly bullet-proof and do offer good overall performance/economy for what they are in my opinion. Okay, I am most familiar with the 330i, and not so much with the 323i and 325i, but the basic engine design is the same, so in terms of reliability they all typically have the same strong and weak points. With regards to fuel consumption (spanning a good few years), click on my Fuelly signature - worst fuel consumption from mostly town driving for me has been 12.5 l/100 km which is not bad. Admittedly, I do try most of the time to conserve my fuel, but sitting at a few robots is in many cases all that is needed to spoil all your effort. These things are at their best on the open road, granted, that's a typical ideal situation for these NA 6's.
Things to look out for:
As mentioned, some earlier N52 engines developed a noisy HVA lifter problem (I firmly believe mostly due to frequent short trips with the engine still being fairly cold). There is a so called "bleed" procedure, but it is not at all a fix. A proper fix is either a rebuild of the existing head with new lifters or a new updated head which they released later on, but these apparently also suffered from this. Touch wood, mine has never been noisy and I can only hope that this is thanks to me being fussy about not allowing ANY short trips and the engine is most definitely not driven like a granny is driving it.
Oil consumption varies on these engines - some people see absolutely no oil consumption between services, but most tend to have to top up at least once before the service indicator comes on. So when test driving, check the oil level via the electronic dipstick (no physical dipstick BTW).
Vanos problems are usually caused by the solenoids being slightly dirty and sludged up. This can often be remedied by removing both solenoids and cleaning, then swapping their locations when returning into the engine (they are the same and this is a very common practice). Oil pressure is also quite critical for the Vanos to work properly, so fresh oil and oil filter is something these engines love!
Electric water pump (does not have a normal belt driven water pump) and thermostat are common parts that fail or become faulty over time, and they are fairly costly to replace. No temperature gauge, just a warning light if the engine overheats, but you can check the engine coolant temperature through the hidden menu on the OBC. You can also test the water pump by performing a coolant purge which bleeds the cooling system to remove any trapped air - you will be able to hear the pump going through the motions.
Valvetronic throttle system is also a known area of concern. The Eccentric shaft sensor which measures the amount of valve lift can become faulty often caused by a failed oil gasket on the valve cover where this sensor's electrical connector is located - so typically when the connector is removed, the pins on the sensor are swimming in oil. The actual Valvetronic motor can also fail, but not as much in general. Both parts are fairly costly, the VVT motor is fairly easy to replace, but the sensor requires the valve cover to come off.
DISA actuators (some engines have 1, 2 or none) can become faulty and as far as I know, you cannot "repair" them as you can on the older units found in the M54 engines for example, but overall these are somewhat less prone to fail.
Then the usual various sensors, cam position sensors, MAF sensor, oil level/condition sensor, etc.
Personally, I would suggest the 320d, or a 330d for that matter, especially since you want to go for an automatic. Performance and economy for daily driving is going to be the best overall, and the engines are pretty well made. There are obviously things to look out for there too, and failed parts, turbo etc, can hurt the pocket, especially if there is further damage from the turbo failing.
Things to look out for:
As mentioned, some earlier N52 engines developed a noisy HVA lifter problem (I firmly believe mostly due to frequent short trips with the engine still being fairly cold). There is a so called "bleed" procedure, but it is not at all a fix. A proper fix is either a rebuild of the existing head with new lifters or a new updated head which they released later on, but these apparently also suffered from this. Touch wood, mine has never been noisy and I can only hope that this is thanks to me being fussy about not allowing ANY short trips and the engine is most definitely not driven like a granny is driving it.
Oil consumption varies on these engines - some people see absolutely no oil consumption between services, but most tend to have to top up at least once before the service indicator comes on. So when test driving, check the oil level via the electronic dipstick (no physical dipstick BTW).
Vanos problems are usually caused by the solenoids being slightly dirty and sludged up. This can often be remedied by removing both solenoids and cleaning, then swapping their locations when returning into the engine (they are the same and this is a very common practice). Oil pressure is also quite critical for the Vanos to work properly, so fresh oil and oil filter is something these engines love!
Electric water pump (does not have a normal belt driven water pump) and thermostat are common parts that fail or become faulty over time, and they are fairly costly to replace. No temperature gauge, just a warning light if the engine overheats, but you can check the engine coolant temperature through the hidden menu on the OBC. You can also test the water pump by performing a coolant purge which bleeds the cooling system to remove any trapped air - you will be able to hear the pump going through the motions.
Valvetronic throttle system is also a known area of concern. The Eccentric shaft sensor which measures the amount of valve lift can become faulty often caused by a failed oil gasket on the valve cover where this sensor's electrical connector is located - so typically when the connector is removed, the pins on the sensor are swimming in oil. The actual Valvetronic motor can also fail, but not as much in general. Both parts are fairly costly, the VVT motor is fairly easy to replace, but the sensor requires the valve cover to come off.
DISA actuators (some engines have 1, 2 or none) can become faulty and as far as I know, you cannot "repair" them as you can on the older units found in the M54 engines for example, but overall these are somewhat less prone to fail.
Then the usual various sensors, cam position sensors, MAF sensor, oil level/condition sensor, etc.
Personally, I would suggest the 320d, or a 330d for that matter, especially since you want to go for an automatic. Performance and economy for daily driving is going to be the best overall, and the engines are pretty well made. There are obviously things to look out for there too, and failed parts, turbo etc, can hurt the pocket, especially if there is further damage from the turbo failing.
Iceman007
Active member
Philip Foglar said:
I agree with what Philip said. Those 325i and 323i Autos are heavy and they are lazy. Manual option is much lighter on fuel and not so lazy. I got rid of my 325i before I might also have gotten to the other common issues on those engines as mentioned by Philip. In the end the choice is yours and you will have to live with the decision. All we are giving is advice and my own personal experience with the e46 325i and e90 325i. ( I would rather buy a e46 325i before an e90 325i from the experience I have gained by owning these cars. My E46 I had for 5 years and absolutely no engine related issues at all and sold it on 178 000km because I wanted something Newer and that was clearly a mistake)
silverdelange
New member
Thanks for all the replies. I am more confused now than ever before, which may be a good thing. I have looked around now for a few 320d’s and found this one.
http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-ca...km/caryearrangeszar/2010?featuredListing=true
A 2010 model, and at a BMW dealer for about R 180 000. My question is, why is it so cheap for a 2010 model?? They retail for R 200k plus for that year and mileage? I am going to look at it and if it looks good I am going to take it, today still!
http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-ca...km/caryearrangeszar/2010?featuredListing=true
A 2010 model, and at a BMW dealer for about R 180 000. My question is, why is it so cheap for a 2010 model?? They retail for R 200k plus for that year and mileage? I am going to look at it and if it looks good I am going to take it, today still!
WyKiD
Active member
silverdelange said:
Just a word of caution bud, check that car from top to bottom properly before you buy it. Bought a car recently from these guys(Club Motors), they are fine during the sales process but I now get zero response/assistance with a couple of issues. They do not respond to attempts to contact them, promise to come back to me and then just nothing....typical case of once the car is sold...there is zero customer service.
RAArmstrong
///Member
ChefDJ said:
This is true :thumbs:
GPGrobler said:
As its a BMW Premium Selection car it should have full service history and should most definitely not be a Code 3... However it is always a good idea to check the motorplan history to make sure you're not buying a lemon.
Demontec
Well-known member
Looks neat, Agree with all the things the guys said above regarding the value dropping but as per the M&M book this car retails at R235,590.00
and trade is at R193,990.00 so Just check it out properly cos even that mileage is nice and low at that price
40-50k is alot to knock off the going rate just because the F30 is around keeping in mind the F30 has been around for almost 2 years
and trade is at R193,990.00 so Just check it out properly cos even that mileage is nice and low at that price
40-50k is alot to knock off the going rate just because the F30 is around keeping in mind the F30 has been around for almost 2 years
sclass
New member
Just make sure you buy the best car you can get for you money, both petrols and diesels can go wrong, there are no guarantees....just try to minimize your risk as much as possible whatever your choice.
My 323's on 192k kms, original waterpump/thermo, butter smooth, no HVA noise, easily tops 230kph. I'm looking to do preventative stuff soon though. I do have the DMF rattle, some suspension parts are getting tired, and despite its topend I suspect car is down on torque below 2k rpm, should have more throttle response, so maybe I have the vanos solenoid/valvetronic actuator issues Phillip mentioned.
Good luck :thumbs:
My 323's on 192k kms, original waterpump/thermo, butter smooth, no HVA noise, easily tops 230kph. I'm looking to do preventative stuff soon though. I do have the DMF rattle, some suspension parts are getting tired, and despite its topend I suspect car is down on torque below 2k rpm, should have more throttle response, so maybe I have the vanos solenoid/valvetronic actuator issues Phillip mentioned.
Good luck :thumbs:
Philip Foglar
///Member
Yep, no matter what you buy, there are always potential things that can go wrong, so best is to "arm" yourself with knowledge before deciding on a specific car. I am pointing out what can be problematic on the N52 motors from a few years of researching and reading up on various problems, but along the way I have seen and read plenty about most of the other engine ranges too.
One thing that I will say, I am more confident about the E46 petrol 6's than the E90 petrol 6's (but mostly because I think with the E90 engines they seem to have attempted to redesign the wheel), and far more confident about the E90 diesel engines than the E46 diesel engines!!
One thing that I will say, I am more confident about the E46 petrol 6's than the E90 petrol 6's (but mostly because I think with the E90 engines they seem to have attempted to redesign the wheel), and far more confident about the E90 diesel engines than the E46 diesel engines!!
silverdelange
New member
Shot, thanks a million guys!
Philip Foglar
///Member
You are welcome! :thumbs:
