E90 325i

[MattSaw]

Hi all 325i owners,

I have been looking for a secondhand BMW and stumble upon the E90 325i model. If I'm looking at 2010-2012 model, the car is practically above 10 years old and will have accumulate 150K-200K KM. To those 325i owners out there still holding on to your car, what sort of issue have you been facing, engine and transmission wise? Is it likely the car is deteriorating and might need of a transplant or rebuild in these major components? Do you mind sharing your experience and the most costly repair you have done?

 

[yapmy]

I'll provide my feedback since I'm still an owner of the E90 LCI 325i M Sport. In summary, the car is actually quite reliable considering that it has not given me any major issues for a 10 year old car except for a few wear and tear as listed below done for my car:-
1. Lower arm (2 pieces) per side required replacement due to worn rubber bushes
2. Oil leaks from the valve cover, valvetronic and oil pan gasket. All 3 replaced at different occasions.
3. Speed/ABS sensor would also fail eventually where you will see all warning lights popping up at your instrument panel. So far 3 out of the 4 original sensors were replaced as I only replace the faulty ones upon failure.
4. M Sport Absorbers seems to have a short service life. Changed mine to Sach brand but front starting to show signs of wear again after 20k - 30k KM of use.
5. Oil filter housing gaskets.
6. Radiator leak and water pump failure.

Besides the above, my car has not given me any other issues apart from the regular interval maintenance i.e. Engine Oil 5W-40 Fully (10,000KM), Gear Oil (40,000KM), Brake oil (every 2 years) and differential oil (so far I only changed once at 90,000 KM). Next on my list would be the spark plugs, disc brake pad and rotors that I would like to change during my service in December'21.

Generally the car is great to drive with superb handling coupled with the smooth revving inline 6 NA engine which is the highlight of this model. However, the M Sport suspension is not that suitable for bad road conditions due to its firm and low ride. The tires are also not cheap considering the 18 inch staggered set up (I'm currently using the stock rim with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 for all sides).

 

[MattSaw]

Hi YapMY,

Thank you for your feedback.

For issues no.2 and 3, what sort of indicator did the car give out, is it warning lights in the dashboard? Did you source for OEM or Original parts? Is all 325i model using M Sport Absorbers or just the particular 325i M Sports model?

I'm also comparing with 323i model although its slightly detuned, rides comfortably better than the 325i, what else can I expect from the difference of these 2 models?

 

[yapmy]

For No.2, you can spot oily surfaces around the valve cover (left side and sometimes the front side of the engine). Oil pan leak detected when my floor had some oil patches when parked overnight. Oil pan gasket is the bigger job among the 3 gasket change.
For No.3, you will see ABS, ESC, TPMS failure and etc at the iDrive and instrument panel. No need to panic as its just a simple 30 min fix where you will need to replace the sensor located behind the wheel.

For absorbers, i opted for Sach (OEM) as the replacement but I think I'll go back to original when I change it again. All official Malaysian spec'ed 325i should be using the M Sport suspension. Not sure bout recond models.

Besides the suspension and engine tune, its mainly on the cosmetic side where you get bigger rims (18 inch), sporty M Sport bumpers, sport seats and aluminum trims compared to the wooden walnut trim in the 323i.

 

[MattSaw]

Mind sharing the price and location of where you fix these parts (valve cover, valvetronic and oil pan gasket)?

Do you recommend going for 17 inch wheels for more comfort, since some roads in KL are terrible?

And also, have you tried ceramic brake pads before? What's your opinion?

 

[firdaus325]

The things u need to check b4 get the N52 engine, please look at aging cooling system, oil cooler system, this not appear on computer check. Other can cucuk computer to know service records . Under carriage things can test during drive and put car on postlift jack.
17 msport can be comfort drive in klang valley.

 

[yapmy]

Mind sharing the price and location of where you fix these parts (valve cover, valvetronic and oil pan gasket)?

Do you recommend going for 17 inch wheels for more comfort, since some roads in KL are terrible?

And also, have you tried ceramic brake pads before? What's your opinion?

You can try Bluegreen motor weks or Avant Motoren if you're from KL.

17 inch should be more comfortable but I like the looks of the 18inch stock rim. Never tried ceramics before. Still using original brake parts.