E90 Engine Oil Choice, RFT, Mobility Kits, Battery & Car Service

[feelgood]

Hi All,I'm one of the new owners of E90 320i, year 2007 model with car mileage only is 42,000km, pre-owned by a 70+ years old company boss who only use as weekend car. Like new.I've read thru this forum for almost 3 weeks now whenever I'm free, from wheel, tire, mobility kits, and engine oil to every other thing. I browsed through all of the relevant topics I interest without missing any of them. Although I have some questions & conclusion my own, I don't want to spend time to post, partly because this forum has been less active recently, probably due to E90 is almost end of life. I guess I've decided to listen to all the E90 guru here. I'd appreciate your time to share your opinion & help.1- Engine Oil:I get to know E90 model from year 2009-2010 onwards was scheduled to have oil change every 12,000km instead of the previous 20,000km schedule, mainly due to AB know oil degrade after long mileage and the high engine temperature (due to E90 high compress ratio?) cause the gasket/O-ring etc degrade, result in oil leak issue. My car is okay, so far no sign of oil leak. I've decided to change engine oil every 10,000km at 3rd Party workshop. What oil do you recommend to use in my case? A 5 years old car, with low mileage. My current decision is Mobil1, 5W-50.2 – RFT:From what I read in the forum, many E90 owners switch to none RFT, mainly due to ride comfort and high RFT price. I'm one of them. So far I guess Michelin PS3 is one of the choices for me. In Penang, Michelin PS3 225/45/R17 cost RM650 a piece. Is this the right market price? I will do more survey in few other shops.I like comfort but don't want to trade off grip and safety. What other brand you've experienced and recommend?3 - Mobility Kits/ Space saver spare wheel:I need this for sure if I switch to none-RFT. I chat with one of the E90 owners at a car wash, who told me he know a workshop now can convert our E90 trunk compartment (the sinking/hiding compartment) to fit a spare wheel. I think that sinking compartment was originally design for spares. Have you heard of such thing? I don't think leaving the spare wheel (even tie up) is not a good idea to me.I forget to ask that owner where to install such thing and he just left. Do you know where can I buy the space saver spare wheel? From the forum, I know it cost roughly RM600 range.4 - Car BatteryThe AB SA told me the original battery from BMW cost RM1300 but outside shop cost significant lesser. Do you have any preferred brand to suggest? Price?Can our E90 give us pre-warning in the event of weak battery? Or it will just die without warning?5 - Car ServiceMost likely I will send my car for service at outside workshop, AB maintenance service cost is way too high. The AB SA told me oil change cost around RM1,000!?, whereas outside shop only cost < RM250 inclusive labor cost. My question is, beside oil change, there are many other things like air cleaner filter, steering fluid, brake pads need to be changed at certain mileage (can see from the car PC). If I change from outside workshop, can they reset my "Service" counter? If not reset, even after I've change the parts, it will keep showing a warning sign right?6 -Others:I still keep my old Pivot Voltage Stabilizer (Capacitor) and Pivot Spark Earth cable (from my previous Civic), do you think it is necessary to install such thing in our E90?Finally, anyone know which car detail shop in Penang region help people install the white LED Angel Eyes bulb? 6W? 10W? Price?Thanks in advance. Your advice would be much appreciated!!

 

[bash]

PS3 is about RM650.

 

[roy89]

Engine Oil - You may consider Torco SR5 (5w-30).
RFT - Good choice of considering PS3 for day to day use. Shops you may survey in Pg Island would be Goh Swee Hin (Jalan Air Itam), Hock Cheong (Opps Prangin Mall) or a newly open shop Opposite Federal Motor at Sg Pinang.
Mobility Kits - Go look for portable pump comes with a bottle of green stuff which i cant recall what is it called! You may go to a Acc Shop opposite Sunshine Square (Mc Jutaria). Tell them you need the portable pump stuff!
Car Battery - As i was told, the ori battery would be able to last easily 5 years! Guess is high time for you to replace. Check out the prices from the above tire shop mention. Confirm better pricing as compared to AB SC.
Car Service - Chu Seng at Jln P Ramlee or Excel Service Center at Chulia Street behind Sky Hotel.
Other - Not sure doesnt the Volt Stabilizer helps on conti cars..? If Hot Inazma i believe it helps a little. As for your Angle Eyes - For sure you need to go Neuton at Pahang Road.

By the way, you're from PG?

Hi All,

I'm one of the new owners of E90 320i, year 2007 model with car mileage only is 42,000km, pre-owned by a 70+ years old company boss who only use as weekend car. Like new.

I've read thru this forum for almost 3 weeks now whenever I'm free, from wheel, tire, mobility kits, and engine oil to every other thing. I browsed through all of the relevant topics I interest without missing any of them. Although I have some questions & conclusion my own, I don't want to spend time to post, partly because this forum has been less active recently, probably due to E90 is almost end of life. I guess I've decided to listen to all the E90 guru here. I'd appreciate your time to share your opinion & help.

1- Engine Oil:
I get to know E90 model from year 2009-2010 onwards was scheduled to have oil change every 12,000km instead of the previous 20,000km schedule, mainly due to AB know oil degrade after long mileage and the high engine temperature (due to E90 high compress ratio?) cause the gasket/O-ring etc degrade, result in oil leak issue. My car is okay, so far no sign of oil leak. I've decided to change engine oil every 10,000km at 3rd Party workshop.

What oil do you recommend to use in my case? A 5 years old car, with low mileage. My current decision is Mobil1, 5W-50.

2 – RFT:
From what I read in the forum, many E90 owners switch to none RFT, mainly due to ride comfort and high RFT price. I'm one of them. So far I guess Michelin PS3 is one of the choices for me. In Penang, Michelin PS3 225/45/R17 cost RM650 a piece. Is this the right market price? I will do more survey in few other shops.

I like comfort but don't want to trade off grip and safety. What other brand you've experienced and recommend?

3 - Mobility Kits/ Space saver spare wheel:
I need this for sure if I switch to none-RFT. I chat with one of the E90 owners at a car wash, who told me he know a workshop now can convert our E90 trunk compartment (the sinking/hiding compartment) to fit a spare wheel. I think that sinking compartment was originally design for spares. Have you heard of such thing? I don't think leaving the spare wheel (even tie up) is not a good idea to me.

I forget to ask that owner where to install such thing and he just left. Do you know where can I buy the space saver spare wheel? From the forum, I know it cost roughly RM600 range.

4 - Car Battery
The AB SA told me the original battery from BMW cost RM1300 but outside shop cost significant lesser. Do you have any preferred brand to suggest? Price?

Can our E90 give us pre-warning in the event of weak battery? Or it will just die without warning?

5 - Car Service
Most likely I will send my car for service at outside workshop, AB maintenance service cost is way too high. The AB SA told me oil change cost around RM1,000!?, whereas outside shop only cost < RM250 inclusive labor cost. My question is, beside oil change, there are many other things like air cleaner filter, steering fluid, brake pads need to be changed at certain mileage (can see from the car PC). If I change from outside workshop, can they reset my "Service" counter? If not reset, even after I've change the parts, it will keep showing a warning sign right?

6 -Others:
I still keep my old Pivot Voltage Stabilizer (Capacitor) and Pivot Spark Earth cable (from my previous Civic), do you think it is necessary to install such thing in our E90?

Finally, anyone know which car detail shop in Penang region help people install the white LED Angel Eyes bulb? 6W? 10W? Price?

Thanks in advance. Your advice would be much appreciated!!

 

[roy89]

Engine Oil - You may consider Torco SR5 (5w-30).
RFT - Good choice of considering PS3 for day to day use. Shops you may survey in Pg Island would be Goh Swee Hin (Jalan Air Itam), Hock Cheong (Opps Prangin Mall) or a newly open shop Opposite Federal Motor at Sg Pinang.
Mobility Kits - Go look for portable pump comes with a bottle of green stuff which i cant recall what is it called! You may go to a Acc Shop opposite Sunshine Square (Mc Jutaria). Tell them you need the portable pump stuff!
Car Battery - As i was told, the ori battery would be able to last easily 5 years! Guess is high time for you to replace. Check out the prices from the above tire shop mention. Confirm better pricing as compared to AB SC.
Car Service - Chu Seng at Jln P Ramlee or Excel Service Center at Chulia Street behind Sky Hotel.
Other - Not sure doesnt the Volt Stabilizer helps on conti cars..? If Hot Inazma i believe it helps a little. As for your Angle Eyes - For sure you need to go Neuton at Pahang Road.

By the way, you're from PG?

Hi All,

I'm one of the new owners of E90 320i, year 2007 model with car mileage only is 42,000km, pre-owned by a 70+ years old company boss who only use as weekend car. Like new.

I've read thru this forum for almost 3 weeks now whenever I'm free, from wheel, tire, mobility kits, and engine oil to every other thing. I browsed through all of the relevant topics I interest without missing any of them. Although I have some questions & conclusion my own, I don't want to spend time to post, partly because this forum has been less active recently, probably due to E90 is almost end of life. I guess I've decided to listen to all the E90 guru here. I'd appreciate your time to share your opinion & help.

1- Engine Oil:
I get to know E90 model from year 2009-2010 onwards was scheduled to have oil change every 12,000km instead of the previous 20,000km schedule, mainly due to AB know oil degrade after long mileage and the high engine temperature (due to E90 high compress ratio?) cause the gasket/O-ring etc degrade, result in oil leak issue. My car is okay, so far no sign of oil leak. I've decided to change engine oil every 10,000km at 3rd Party workshop.

What oil do you recommend to use in my case? A 5 years old car, with low mileage. My current decision is Mobil1, 5W-50.

2 – RFT:
From what I read in the forum, many E90 owners switch to none RFT, mainly due to ride comfort and high RFT price. I'm one of them. So far I guess Michelin PS3 is one of the choices for me. In Penang, Michelin PS3 225/45/R17 cost RM650 a piece. Is this the right market price? I will do more survey in few other shops.

I like comfort but don't want to trade off grip and safety. What other brand you've experienced and recommend?

3 - Mobility Kits/ Space saver spare wheel:
I need this for sure if I switch to none-RFT. I chat with one of the E90 owners at a car wash, who told me he know a workshop now can convert our E90 trunk compartment (the sinking/hiding compartment) to fit a spare wheel. I think that sinking compartment was originally design for spares. Have you heard of such thing? I don't think leaving the spare wheel (even tie up) is not a good idea to me.

I forget to ask that owner where to install such thing and he just left. Do you know where can I buy the space saver spare wheel? From the forum, I know it cost roughly RM600 range.

4 - Car Battery
The AB SA told me the original battery from BMW cost RM1300 but outside shop cost significant lesser. Do you have any preferred brand to suggest? Price?

Can our E90 give us pre-warning in the event of weak battery? Or it will just die without warning?

5 - Car Service
Most likely I will send my car for service at outside workshop, AB maintenance service cost is way too high. The AB SA told me oil change cost around RM1,000!?, whereas outside shop only cost < RM250 inclusive labor cost. My question is, beside oil change, there are many other things like air cleaner filter, steering fluid, brake pads need to be changed at certain mileage (can see from the car PC). If I change from outside workshop, can they reset my "Service" counter? If not reset, even after I've change the parts, it will keep showing a warning sign right?

6 -Others:
I still keep my old Pivot Voltage Stabilizer (Capacitor) and Pivot Spark Earth cable (from my previous Civic), do you think it is necessary to install such thing in our E90?

Finally, anyone know which car detail shop in Penang region help people install the white LED Angel Eyes bulb? 6W? 10W? Price?

Thanks in advance. Your advice would be much appreciated!!

 

[tIANcI]

feelgood ... I just swapped from RFT to non-RFT, took the Goodyear AS2. The ride is so much better and is a lot less noisy. HOWEVER ... I find the AS2 to have soft walls, when I am past mid corner the rear sways, I never had that with my RE050 RFT. Also, AS2 grip seems to be less than the RE050. Oh well ... life is about compromises.

 

[kama]

Hi feelgood...was having the same questions as well when i took my UDM last time..(1)I'm using Shell Helix Ultra Fully Synthetic 5w 40 for the past 60k kms..i do oil change every 10k km (2) Changed mine too from pirelli run flat to non rft michelin ps3..price about RM 630, never regret it (3) i just carry holts auto tyre inflater...cause carrying another tyre is taking too much space for me..(4) my original bmw battery is already 5 yrs old and still going strong ..thinking of replacing it with delkor battery soon..some say got battery sign before dying..some say battery just kaput like that..but i guess 5 yrs is long enough (5) yeah outside shop is much cheaper, at least by few hundreds..(6) no idea on this

 

[feelgood]

Hi Roy89, I apologize for the delay in writing back. Yup I'm from PG. I had my angel eye installed. Hey, thanks for you kind help here. I will check out the tires repair sealant later for sure.

Engine Oil - You may consider Torco SR5 (5w-30).
RFT - Good choice of considering PS3 for day to day use. Shops you may survey in Pg Island would be Goh Swee Hin (Jalan Air Itam), Hock Cheong (Opps Prangin Mall) or a newly open shop Opposite Federal Motor at Sg Pinang.
Mobility Kits - Go look for portable pump comes with a bottle of green stuff which i cant recall what is it called! You may go to a Acc Shop opposite Sunshine Square (Mc Jutaria). Tell them you need the portable pump stuff!
Car Battery - As i was told, the ori battery would be able to last easily 5 years! Guess is high time for you to replace. Check out the prices from the above tire shop mention. Confirm better pricing as compared to AB SC.
Car Service - Chu Seng at Jln P Ramlee or Excel Service Center at Chulia Street behind Sky Hotel.
Other - Not sure doesnt the Volt Stabilizer helps on conti cars..? If Hot Inazma i believe it helps a little. As for your Angle Eyes - For sure you need to go Neuton at Pahang Road.

By the way, you're from PG?

 

[seewai]

Bro feelgood,

I just acquired an AB-maintained car and I can say he's been maintained below my expectations. Therefore I've decided not to send any of my rides back to AB for servicing unnecessarily.

As for RFT, I've the BMW Mobility Kit and I believe you could find equivalents outside as well. This consists of tyre repair kit + air pump to inflate the tyre for short distance driving.

As for Pivot products, I sold my Civic along with them. Currently no intention to add-on any of such electronics to any of my UDMs yet. Just afraid they may bring more harm than good. To me, playing with Civic and different from playing with UDM. My years of Civic - mod to the max, as much away from stock as possible; my years with UDM - mod but maintain stock as much as possible.

 

[feelgood]

Many thanks to everyone reply,

I just visited one of the accessories shop in Penang and found the Slime Repair kit, RM70 (the one come with a green sealant + a 12V pump). When I'm about to make my payment at the counter, I ask the guy to test if the pump work. When he open up the package, the cigarette power socket broke and fell apart. (Plastic material deteriorate). Then he take another one, same issue, the cigarette socket plastic crack and that is their last stock. End up I did not manage to buy.

My advice to those who purchased Slime Repair kits, please constantly check the pump and everything. Don't end up surprise when you need to use it at the roadside.

Another experience I wish to share. My E90 front wheel arch plastic cover (the 6x5 inch square plastic cover when we want to replace light bulb) fell off and went missing. I went to a renown 3rd party mechanic shop here and they quote me RM38, the same day I drop by Auto Bavaria and bought it with only RM8.90 !!! I think if parts that doesn't require intensive workmanship, we should check with AB for comparison, AB not always expensive.

A separate question, Tesco Penang on sale a 4-Liter Castrol Edge 0W-40 fully synthetic oil with only RM136. Anyone know what is the normal price? Is this oil good for E90 320i? I know most recommend is 5W-30. If oil thickness of 40 give a little bit more protection with perhaps little compromise in power and fuel consumption. Why not. (am I right?)

 

[yapkjm]

feelgood,
When you saw the Castol Edge for sale at Tesco?

 

[astroboy]

This is the current offer:

 

[yapkjm]

This is the current offer:

Thanks will go Tesco later or tomorrow.

 

[astroboy]

This is the current offer:

Thanks will go Tesco later or tomorrow.

Any 0w-40 oil of that price is a steal because it's more costly to synthesize 0w-40 than X-30 due to the wide range between cold start temperate and SAE 40 heat tolerance. But my preference is Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 due to the word "Sport".. :4: .. even though Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 was RM139 but stock run out fast..

 

[yapkjm]

Any 0w-40 oil of that price is a steal because it's more costly to synthesize 0w-40 than X-30 due to the wide range between cold start temperate and SAE 40 heat tolerance. But my preference is Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 due to the word "Sport".. :4: .. even though Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 was RM139 but stock run out fast..

I just bought another 2 bottles of castrol edge for spare ,the price stated there Rm149 but is only Rm139.

 

[feelgood]

Yes... this is the one I saw, Castrol Edge "Sport". 0W-40. You haven't answer me, what is the normal price and is this a good deal? I kind of suspect this is Robbery Sale as yapkjm already rush there. Damn.. you guys make me want to rush to Tesco now.

Any 0w-40 oil of that price is a steal because it's more costly to synthesize 0w-40 than X-30 due to the wide range between cold start temperate and SAE 40 heat tolerance. But my preference is Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 due to the word "Sport".. :4: .. even though Castrol Edge Sport 0w-40 was RM139 but stock run out fast..

 

[astroboy]

Yes... this is the one I saw, Castrol Edge "Sport". 0W-40. You haven't answer me, what is the normal price and is this a good deal? I kind of suspect this is Robbery Sale as yapkjm already rush there. Damn.. you guys make me want to rush to Tesco now.

Normal price is RM199. Offer price is RM149. Now it‘s cheaper than normal offer price. The normal local pack Castrol Edge 5w-40 is currently retailing at about RM160 ~ RM180 at part shop. Tan Chong part division selling the Castrol SLX Powerflow 0w-30 at RM198.

 

[feelgood]

Thankssss Astroboy. Last question, you highly recommend for e90 320i? This is your preferred oil as well?

Normal price is RM199. Offer price is RM149. Now it‘s cheaper than normal offer price. The normal local pack Castrol Edge 5w-40 is currently retailing at about RM160 ~ RM180 at part shop. Tan Chong part division selling the Castrol SLX Powerflow 0w-30 at RM198.

 

[astroboy]

It‘s just oil. My preference is still 5w-30 with LL-04 for my 320i. I bought the 0w-40 for stand by only. Might pour it into my Avanza if a better offer for 5w-30 comes along... :4:

 

[anaksarawak]

Just purchased two bottles of edge on my way home, notice the year made is 2010

 

[feelgood]

Just purchased two bottles of edge on my way home, notice the year made is 2010

Same here. Drop by Tesco last night. Unfortunately the RM139 offer gone from the front tack. Only left with few bottles at the back rack. RM149. I still take one 4L bottle plus one 1 liter.