Advive on BMW E90 !

Silver09

Hey ppl,
Looking for advice on buying a used bmw E90 318d (2005-2007).
My Brother is buying but is a bit clueless on cars, was wondering if anybody out there has any experience with them , what are the things to look out for?
He will be test driving some on saturday,
I'm trying to convince him to go for the 320d...

EPM

Test drove one for myself lately. It was the 122 brake model and found it dead as a door nail. Smooth enough but not enough power for the tax you'll pay IMO. 320d ftw. Also if he's looking at a 2007 model make sure there's a decent saving compared to a 2008 with lower tax. Otherwise go for a 2008.

Silver09

Ya was thinking that myself, don't think he can stretch to a '08 model so he'll have to put up with the €600+ tax!
Do they have any issues with the turbo,clutch, injectors etc.?
How does the interior hold up?

EPM

Interior on one I test drove was mint and rattle free at 120k km. Think there are some turbo problems on some E90s but don't know if it's more than other diesels.

Silver09

Thanks for the input EPM!

bazz26

I'd opt for the 320d over the 318d as the 320d is more powerful yet costs the same to tax.

I don't think the E90 suffered the same turbo failure or swirl flap issues of the later E46 as the E90 uses a different engine.

Silver09

bazz26
good to hear I know that was a big problem with the older model.
Any problems with injectors etc?
Does the clutch hold up for long?

Bulmers

I have a 2006 320d, bought it 2 years ago from Frank Keanes

In terms of known issues on the E90, i think there is an issue with the traction / stability ( DSC Control) computer - this went on mine but was covered under warranty but a google search throws up alot of issues around that.

In the first two months of owning mine, altenator went, onboard computer went, pipe connection to fuel tank went!!, but was all covered under warranty at the time, so would put it down to being unlucky and a one off.

Luckily since then, hassle free, no issues.

The only thing to take into account is the servicing costs, will be higher in general, and on the turbo diesels, there are filters that need replacing every year.

Also you'll prob have runflats, looking at €150 / tyre

Fuel economy is great on the 320d, i get around 800km - 1000km on a full tank, costs ~€70 to fill.

Comfortable car, nice drive, good power

R.O.R

We don't have any 07 318d's on fleet, but I've just had a look through the history of an 07 320d.

Currently has 140,000km on (back in the garage off lease now), never had any work done on the clutch or injectors. Had Rear Balljoints, Rear Suspension Arms an Rear bushes at 113,000km - but this is a tourer. Nothing else except standard servicing, so looks pretty reliable.

brownej

Silver09 wrote: »

Hey ppl,
Looking for advice on buying a used bmw E90 318d (2005-2007).
My Brother is buying but is a bit clueless on cars, was wondering if anybody out there has any experience with them , what are the things to look out for?
He will be test driving some on saturday,
I'm trying to convince him to go for the 320d...

While I don't mean to be sending people away from boards.ie, there have been some discussions on the BMW E90 320d/318d over on www.bmw-driver.net (the irish bmw forum). The discussions are in the 3 series section.

Silver09

thanks brownej i'll take a look!

Bulmers your experience does'nt inspire confidence!
Sounds like that could have been an expensive experience but for the warranty!

R.O.R, the brother is looking to pick up one with low milage so hopefully the suspension bits wont need attention for a few years.

Any other info greatly appreciated..

Gumbo

i had a 2005 E90 320d with 121k miles on it.
full complete service history from the previous owner as it was a lease car.
other than general services, the only thing that went on it was the DSC unit.
AFAIK its the only common problem on the E90's at present.

was replaced under a good will gesture as the car had FBMWSH, otherwise its a 2k fix :eek:

in general, check for service history, ensure the mileage is correct and double check that the turbo breather filter was changed at least every 2 years or so depending on mileage.

the GF now has a 2007 318d with 45k km on it and touch wood its the same, just general services.

the E90 uses CBS (condition based servicing) so the OBC will only fkash up whats required at each service, ie. if you only need an oil change, thats all you pay for at the dealer etc it will throw separate warnings for coolant, micro filter, pads etc

if your mate is looking at 2007 models, try get a car built after September 2007 as thats when they changed to better performing 177bhp engine in the 320d.

other than that its :
320d - 163bhp
318d - 143bhp

i had my 320d remaped and the Gf's 318d is now remapped and the remapped 318d is about bang on with a standard 320d and her average MPG since she bought is 39.7. she goes finglas-santry-finglas on commute and then general tipping around other than that.

EPM

Were the earlier E90 318d's 122 brake though? Almost 100% the one I drove was. My 1.6 hatch felt as nippy as it tbh.

Pdfile

Silver09 wrote: »

Hey ppl,
Looking for advice on buying a used bmw E90 318d (2005-2007).
My Brother is buying but is a bit clueless on cars, was wondering if anybody out there has any experience with them , what are the things to look out for?
He will be test driving some on saturday,
I'm trying to convince him to go for the 320d...

get 320 with the sports auto box ( Ed or however bmw puts it )


seriously under rated car..... Seriously.


only expense ive ehard off bar them silly run flat tyres ( which are/gonna be phased out ?? ) is the electronics... if they go, your pretty much buggered.

Leonard Hofstadter

EPM wrote: »

Were the earlier E90 318d's 122 brake though? Almost 100% the one I drove was. My 1.6 hatch felt as nippy as it tbh.

The older 318ds were 122 bhp, but less prone to turbo failure than the 320ds were.

Apart from the ESP module, the main weaknesses are DMFs(every diesel has this problem) and turbos in diesel models. Injectors and coil packs give unbelieveable trouble in the ED(08 onwards) petrols so are best avoided.

The turbo problem is not as endemic as it was in the previous model 320d but it still happens often enough and of course the swirl flaps can fail, but again they are nowhere near as bad as the older cars were; nevertheless I would get rid of them straight away as they are only needed to pass EU tests and have no impact on the running of the car.

DublinDilbert

On the DSC issue, there is now a fix in place from BMW. There is a little pressure sensor that goes in the DSC unit. The sensor kit is €40, then there's just the labor to strip the unit and fit it. There's also a crowd up north offering to take the unit & fit sensor for a few hundred.

Paying €2k for a replacement is mad money

Leonard Hofstadter

That's nice to know, I think 318ds don't have swirl flaps as well.

I remember hearing before that any deliberatley detuned engines by BMW don't have them fitted, so 318ds and 525ds should be swirl flap free!

I'd still have the 320d for the added power and because there is no real economy penalty, 163 bhp means it will be quick enough for most people and is quite a bit more than the 318d's 122 bhp as well.

Gumbo

captainspeed wrote: »

That's nice to know, I think 318ds don't have swirl flaps as well.

I remember hearing before that any deliberatley detuned engines by BMW don't have them fitted, so 318ds and 525ds should be swirl flap free!

I'd still have the 320d for the added power and because there is no real economy penalty, 163 bhp means it will be quick enough for most people and is quite a bit more than the 318d's 122 143 bhp as well.

fixed your post!
only the older 318d's had 122bhp, the year and model of the 318d your looking at is 143bhp standard.

EPM

Some E90's had the 122 brake too afaik, the early ones. E46 def had those too

Leonard Hofstadter

Current gen 318ds were 122 bhp before 2008. When the 320d got the power boost from 163 to 177 bhp the 318d got a power boost from 122 bhp to 143 bhp. The latest 320d is of course rated at 184 bhp.

R.O.R

kceire wrote: »

fixed your post!
only the older 318d's had 122bhp, the year and model of the 318d your looking at is 143bhp standard.

captainspeed wrote: »

Current gen 318ds were 122 bhp before 2008. When the 320d got the power boost from 163 to 177 bhp the 318d got a power boost from 122 bhp to 143 bhp. The latest 320d is of course rated at 184 bhp.

It was late 2007 when Effecient Dynamics was introduced, which also gave the cars the powerboost.

So you're both right - and both wrong

EPM

New 320d is down to 161 brake...for the sake of being pedantic:p

R.O.R

EPM wrote: »

New 320d is down to 161 brake...for the sake of being pedantic:p

The ED (Effecient Dynamics model) uses a de-tuned version of the standard engine with 163ps. Keeps emissions down to 109.

The current 320d is pushing out 184ps or bhp. One or the other - don't know nor care really as the difference is so minimal.

Gumbo

captainspeed wrote: »

Current gen 318ds were 122 bhp before 2008. When the 320d got the power boost from 163 to 177 bhp the 318d got a power boost from 122 bhp to 143 bhp. The latest 320d is of course rated at 184 bhp.

i wont argue, i could be wrong but i was nearly sure it had 143bhp as standard!
maybe hers was a ED engine, but it was deffo built before Sept 2007.

anyway, i'd still pick a 320d over it if the right car came up with the right spec and condition.

bazz26

Afaik the pre ED 318d and 320d had 122bhp and 163bhp respecively. Pre ED 3 Series diesels had the exhaust pipe bend down towards the ground. ED models the exhaust pipe pointed straight out. ED models also have stop/start technology.

Silver09

Well I've talked him round to the 320d (05-07)version - 163bhp I believe(open to correction),
Did BMW do a recall on those DSC units??

DjBryn

check for any squeaking or creaking from the steering rack