BCM's Ultimate E90 Member Hangout.

[E46Fanatic]

Macheet, David,

Have you done a VIN lookup to see what is the production date of your car? I am curious if it was a certain batch of E90's rolling out of the Munich plant which has this problem.

If I am not mistaken there were a couple of batches of E90s brought in by AB/Cartrade back in 2005.

 

[David Yong]

Seeing as many of the 50 are no longer active in this forum,

Yup, it is so true that I also find that most of the member in the e90 list here are not active forumer. They got themselves listed here and then gone missing in action

 

[David Yong]

Yes David, that's mine now with a spanking new 07 engine .

Good that u are back into the forum in time so that I can have yours as a reference when I went to AB today. At least I can tell them that there is such a case and they should seriously look into mine or else they will keep giving me the excuse to continue driving it first and see how's the condition later on. In fact I am not sure whether they have really done the compression & leak test for me previously. They just told me they did it. For this time around, I will follow your footstep i.e. to be there when they do the test. Just wanna make sure they really do their work. Thanks for sharing buddy.

 

[David Yong]

Macheet, David,

Have you done a VIN lookup to see what is the production date of your car? I am curious if it was a certain batch of E90's rolling out of the Munich plant which has this problem.

If I am not mistaken there were a couple of batches of E90s brought in by AB/Cartrade back in 2005.

Didn't check the VIN but mine is a CKD unit manufactured in year 2006.

 

[rookie]

Thanks to Macheet for sharing his experiences and info on this. There is always something new to learn from someone in this forum everyday.

 

[Macheet]

Macheet, David,

Have you done a VIN lookup to see what is the production date of your car? I am curious if it was a certain batch of E90's rolling out of the Munich plant which has this problem.

If I am not mistaken there were a couple of batches of E90s brought in by AB/Cartrade back in 2005.

VIN details of my unit :

Prod month Jul 05 P E90 Lim 325i N52 ECE 20050700 R N Production Code: VB12, batch ID: 48482
And yes E46(E90)Fanatic; mine is from that Cartrade batch.

Cheers

 

[KL2DC]

that's not the VIN...

 

[Macheet]

That they swapped the whole engine means it was a serious bore issue, not fixable by simply changing the piston rings.

Apparently, it's BMW policy to replace the engine as a whole unit rather than mess around with the component on piece meal basis (which I wholeheartedly support - imagine the pain that I need to go through going to AB for each cylinder )

Anyway, credits to where it's due - AB Glenmarie did a good job. The SA called me to update progress regularly, called me to witness the new engine when it arrived. The tech who handled the installation seems to be well trained and of course the gave me a 116i (stick shift) as a loaner which was useful though I did not use it as much as I like.

Well that what BeeEmm is allbout not just driving experience but OWNERSHIP experience where 'imperfections' are characters...

Cheers

 

[Macheet]

that's not the VIN...

I know KL2DC, those are results of my VIN check. Did not intend to publish my Vehicle Identification Number which incase you're wondering its KU######.

Cheers

 

[Schwepps]

The BMW is a more complex car and its not farfetched to think that the more toys you have, the more stuff that can go wrong.

Heeheehee! Just to get your goat, we're not talking about the complexities of the cars here and toys that can go wrong. This is basic manufacturing tolerances and quality control of the engine pistons and cylinders. Something that Gottlieb Daimler and Henry Ford had to contend with. BMW still has problems with this?

BTW, I'm not promoting camcords, haven't owned a Jap in 15+ years, nor will I even look at a Lexus.

 

[Schwepps]

Apparently, it's BMW policy to replace the engine as a whole unit rather than mess around with the component on piece meal basis

From a warranty perspective, it's cheaper for them unless it's a straightforward part change. In this case, even changing the piston rings would be a complete engine dismantle, which BMW would have to pay AB for. Far cheaper and better for all parties to plonk in a new unit. All marques would handle it this way.

 

[Schwepps]

BTW Macheet, you'll have to do the JPJ inspection and transfer yourself as they insist on the owner doing it. Using an agent is possible but requires commissioner of oaths verification of the paperwork, etc, and you'd have to let the agent drive your car to the inspection

Are AB/BMW doing the transfer for you or will they compensate you for the hassle? Eg, free service coupons, other freebies?

 

[E46Fanatic]

Didn't check the VIN but mine is a CKD unit manufactured in year 2006.

I guess that rules out my theory heh. Not so good, as this may imply that the problem is not localized to a particular batch due to a defective part batch.

Anyway, my production date is Aug 2005. Also VB12 batch, but I did get the Sept firmware upgrade as the door locks itself when the car moves off.

I also discovered that all CKDs now come with the staggered 161's with Bridgestone RE050A II RFTs (same as CBU). I was just at AB (buying black floor mats to replace the prone to dirt beige ones) and its now ,harder to tell a CKD vs. CBU 325i. Both have the white led lights under the door handles, and rear sunblinds, and the only tell tale sign is rear foldable seats, and a tiny latch (for rear baby seat) on the left side of the back rear shelf (near the rear speaker). The CKD 325i doesn't have these 2 items.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

Those LED lights under the door handles are a real marvel especially for aesthetics! I thought only E92s come with it since I didn't notice 'em in the loaner CKD E90 325i I had for a month (courtesy of Auto Bavaria Glenmarie).

 

[325xi]

Noisy RFTs replaced

I just got my noisy Bridgestone RFT tires replaced with Continentals.

I'm not sure if this apply to Malaysia as well but there is this technical service buletin : http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/bulletin_graphic_temp/B360606g.htm

 

[E46Fanatic]

Those LED lights under the door handles are a real marvel especially for aesthetics! I thought only E92s come with it since I didn't notice 'em in the loaner CKD E90 325i I had for a month (courtesy of Auto Bavaria Glenmarie).

If I am not mistaken, the first batch of CKD E90 325i (no staggered wheel setup) didnt get the ground control lights and electric rear sunblind as well. Only the most recent batch gets them. But I still didn't notice the rear foldable seats on the most recent CKD batch.

 

[danc]

325xi,

Please let us know your experience w the Conti. Are they any better than Bridge?

Thanks

 

[David Yong]

If I am not mistaken, the first batch of CKD E90 325i (no staggered wheel setup) didnt get the ground control lights and electric rear sunblind as well. Only the most recent batch gets them. But I still didn't notice the rear foldable seats on the most recent CKD batch.

Mine is the first batch of CKD. I have both the ground control lights on four door handles and the electric rear sunblind. Not all the first batch of CKD is without the staggered wheel setup. Only 120 units with non staggered setup which they came with the style 159's rims. Mine falls under that particular 120 units. After the 120 units, the rest are on style 161's rims which is on staggered setup. I didn't notice about the rear foldable seats. Let me checkout mine.

 

[Bimmer910]

E-90 SG 2005 CBU with lots of highway miles. >80k to be exact. All receipts and service records intact. 2nd owner. car still drives well. bummer that it doesnt have a spare tyre though.

 

[E46Fanatic]

Mine is the first batch of CKD. I have both the ground control lights on four door handles and the electric rear sunblind. Not all the first batch of CKD is without the staggered wheel setup. Only 120 units with non staggered setup which they came with the style 159's rims. Mine falls under that particular 120 units. After the 120 units, the rest are on style 161's rims which is on staggered setup. I didn't notice about the rear foldable seats. Let me checkout mine.

Ah thanks for the verification. My sales lady told me this during delivery of my car. As for the rear foldable seats, there should be 2 release latches in the trunk near the parcel shelf where the speakers are. Also can't miss the gap separating the rear seat back rest