[CSBM5]

EDIT: I'm going to continue to update this thread with posts at the end with current status and repairs/updates/etc. This first post was done in 2017, and even though this thread was started a few years back now, and as of October 2022 we still have the car although its replacement is on the horizon.

For those looking at ~100k mile E91s (or E9x in general), I thought I'd share my experience over the first 2 years since buying one with 102k miles that presented in excellent condition. It now has about 113k miles (it's a 4th car so not driven a lot).

One thing you can expect is that just about every N5x powered car will require the oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket to be replaced somewhere in the 100k range. I think we made it just past that mileage on my wife's E90 330i (we bought new, still have it now with 150k miles) before needing both of those. I expected it on this E91 as it had no records and was near that mileage level. No leaks I could see of significance when I inspected it however.

Items that have needed attention in the first 21 months after Feb 2016 purchase (9k miles driven, 112k total on car at that point):

Radio screen -- I missed this during my purchase inspection but the upper portion was not showing properly. I sent this to a place in CA on eBay and had it repaired for $159. Very easy to remove but the details of doing the screen replacement are a bit of a pain, so I just sent it off. The eBay seller is germanaudiotech -- good experience.

Blower motor -- this started chirping and then squealing once warm weather arrived (bought car in Feb 2016). I pulled it out (really easy to do up under glovebox), set it upright, put penetrating oil on the shaft-to-bearing seal and let it sit overnight. This worked fine for a year then it started making noise again. Pulled it out again and this time I mixed up half/half concoction of penetrating oil and Mobil 1 0W40. Same placement, except I did this three times over 3-4 hours. Quiet now for the past 9 months.

Right front door handle -- this was already gooey when purchased. I replaced it using star spring washers to secure the back side in place of the factory "melting" procedure. Easy to do and I used a heat gun to warm up and reseal the vapor barrier while door card was off.

Oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket -- yep, both started leaking by 110k miles.

Left rear wheel bearing -- this whine was present when I bought the car and initially was thought to be the junky 205/55-16 runflat "tires" that were on this car (it wasn't).

Left headlight Xenon control unit -- this is the part that BMWNA has an MSRP of $595.13, so even heavily discounted is crazy. This is a basic electrical device that is massively overpriced for what it is. Hello eBay seller genuinexenon. $44. Yes, $44. Only $551 cheaper than BMW MSRP. It has worked fine now for 1.5 years, zero issues.

Right headlight Xenon control unit -- this just started failing, intermittently, about 2 weeks ago, and another one was bought from genuinexenon that I'll install shortly (but it's back working right now).

Left rear window regulator -- this died a bit over a year ago and the window fell mostly into the door at the worst possible time (was driving to my son's wedding transporting his wife-to-be's wedding dress). Bought discounted BMW part (paid about $120), and it was actually easy to fix. Used heat gun to reseal vapor barrier.

Right rear window regulator -- this just died last weekend. The regulator is now a $151 BMW MSRP (available for $113 from Morristown), so off to Amazon where I found one for $21.98 Prime. It's identical to the part that came off as far as I can tell. My wife and I installed it last night (we're experts at this job now between one on her car and the two on the E91). Heat gun used once again to reseal the vapor barrier.

Sand clear and UV protect headlights -- typical aging thing with cars like this one that has likely sat outside every day. My wife did one and me the other -- took about 1 hour total, and they look great. We used the Sylvania kit with the UV coating final step. After using their polish, we took an additional step of using some Griot's all-in-one polish and a red foam polishing pad to really buff out the headlights.

Well, that's it for now. This car, so far, has been a fair amount more troublesome than my wife's E90 330i has been since new. I have an E90 M3 also that I bought when it was two years old, and during the remaining two years of the factory warranty plus the entire two years of the CPO warranty it never needed anything -- nothing. Since the CPO expired 11 months ago, I've had one issue -- a CCV hose valve -- cheap to fix, but that is literally the only thing the M3 has ever needed, repair-wise, since new.

E91 handling mods -- neither my wife nor I could stand the rolly-polly non-sport suspension coupled with the 205/55-16 OEM runflats. From what we're used to driving, this car felt awful. We weren't looking to set it up for track or autocross use but instead simply reduce roll and increase wet and dry grip and ditch the runflat harsh tires.

-- Eibach 28mm solid front sway bar
-- E93 M3 rear sway bar (just the right rear stiffness to balance the Eibach bar and found on eBay with bushings/brackets/endlinks for $79 shipped)
-- 219M M3 front wheels all around; 8.5"x18" with Michelin PSAS3+ tires

These added up to a huge improvement in feel and grip. It's actually fun to drive now, and the PSAS3+ are impressive tires. Next up when we get around to it is to replace the struts/shocks.

Regards,
Chuck

[The Nightman]

Thanks for sharing! My blower fan started squeaking around 60k mi but I was able to lubricate it from the engine bay with the cabin filter removed.



Which struts/shocks will you go with?

[tlow98]

Appreciate the tip on the blower. My E91 needs this, as well. Mine is up to 80k and hasn't needed anything since i bought it and did all the standard items (OFHG, windshield seal, belt and pulley tensioner).

Good to hear about the handling mods. That, along with sport seats are my next upgrades.

Good talking with you over on the M3 section, as well! Didn't realize you also had an E91. Nice stable!

[NiNeTyOne]

When you say control modules, do you mean the HID ballast, or do you mean the adaptive headlight control module?

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by NiNeTyOne

When you say control modules, do you mean the HID ballast, or do you mean the adaptive headlight control module?

Yes, the HID ballast. Sorry, I was using the BMW-TIS-speak name.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

Which struts/shocks will you go with?

I have a pair of rear B6s already here, so probably going with those.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Appreciate the tip on the blower. My E91 needs this, as well. Mine is up to 80k and hasn't needed anything since i bought it and did all the standard items (OFHG, windshield seal, belt and pulley tensioner).

Good to hear about the handling mods. That, along with sport seats are my next upgrades.

Good talking with you over on the M3 section, as well! Didn't realize you also had an E91. Nice stable!

Thanks. The sport seats are so much more comfortable too. I'd like to find a set also for the E91!

[NiNeTyOne]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Yes, the HID ballast. Sorry, I was using the BMW-TIS-speak name.

Okay, just checking.. I'm about to replace one that's been flickering out randomly. I found 55W ballasts that I can drive Osram CB! bulbs with that should up my output my over 50%, looking forward to getting them in Saturday.

It's going to cut bulb life by about 20% but it's more than worth it for the added lumens. New Ballasts have a 6 year warranty. We'll see how they look when they arrive.

I'll let you know what I determine.

I ran 55W Morimoto ballasts on the Audi RS, and the output over 35w was pretty amazing.

[NiNeTyOne]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

Thanks for sharing! My blower fan started squeaking around 60k mi but I was able to lubricate it from the engine bay with the cabin filter removed.



Which struts/shocks will you go with?

Love the Heath Robinson extension stick!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Thanks. The sport seats are so much more comfortable too. I'd like to find a set also for the E91!

Any pics floating around of the M wheels on the E91?

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Any pics floating around of the M wheels on the E91?

I'll post some up this weekend.

[djh2]

How have your headlights been since using the Sylvania kit?

My lights aren't hazed or yellowed, but there are a ton of chips and road grit blasting so they're not crystal clear any more. I'm weary of using anything on them because I don't want them to start yellowing.

It sounds like it is easy to use and has good reviews on Amazon, just wanted your experience on the BMW lights. I like that their kit has a UV agent, vs some that are more or less one step polish.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by djh2

How have your headlights been since using the Sylvania kit?

My lights aren't hazed or yellowed, but there are a ton of chips and road grit blasting so they're not crystal clear any more. I'm weary of using anything on them because I don't want them to start yellowing.

It sounds like it is easy to use and has good reviews on Amazon, just wanted your experience on the BMW lights. I like that their kit has a UV agent, vs some that are more or less one step polish.

It's only been a few weeks, so no useful report yet. Yes, the final step is applying the UV agent, and you load up the cloth edge with the agent, and then do horizontal wipes across the headlight without stopping. It worked great, and you essentially can't see it once it dries totally transparent. The dealer I bought the car from had attempted to fix road rash on them and did a very poor job. Hence we had our work cut out for us with the sanding steps (bought extra sandpaper in each grit level).

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Any pics floating around of the M wheels on the E91?

Originally Posted by djh2

How have your headlights been since using the Sylvania kit?

Here are some pics of the E91 with the 219M, 8.5" square, setup. Note these are the "early" 219M wheels in "gunmetal grey" (actually Ferric Grey is the color name of the wheel paint). Also the restored headlights can be seen.

[tlow98]

Looks fantastic CSBM5.

That a 245/40 square set-up then?

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Looks fantastic CSBM5.

That a 245/40 square set-up then?

I was originally going to go with 255/35-18 square, and after a few days I had rubbing on the RF outer fender lip under heavy cornering (wheels are ET29). Hence I dropped back to 225/40-18 up front (i.e. "normal" ZSP staggered tire sizes front and rear). So as it sits, it has the 225/40 front and 255/35 rears. Drives fine, tracks dead straight, no tramlining at all, etc.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

I was originally going to go with 255/35-18 square, and after a few days I had rubbing on the RF outer fender lip under heavy cornering (wheels are ET29). Hence I dropped back to 225/40-18 up front (i.e. "normal" ZSP staggered tire sizes front and rear). So as it sits, it has the 225/40 front and 255/35 rears. Drives fine, tracks dead straight, no tramlining at all, etc.

Nice, good to know.

[NiNeTyOne]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

I was originally going to go with 255/35-18 square, and after a few days I had rubbing on the RF outer fender lip under heavy cornering (wheels are ET29). Hence I dropped back to 225/40-18 up front (i.e. "normal" ZSP staggered tire sizes front and rear). So as it sits, it has the 225/40 front and 255/35 rears. Drives fine, tracks dead straight, no tramlining at all, etc.

Man I can run 245 up front no issue and I have 20mm spacers up there.

I can't imagine running staggered, these things push as it is already. Last thing I would want is less front grip and more rear grip. Square setup on mine has been ideal with the suspension sorted.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by NiNeTyOne

Man I can run 245 up front no issue and I have 20mm spacers up there.

I can't imagine running staggered, these things push as it is already. Last thing I would want is less front grip and more rear grip. Square setup on mine has been ideal with the suspension sorted.

Well, I tired. All I know is that on this car with 8.5" ET29 and 255/35-18 PSAS3+ tires, I had rubbing on heavy cornering loads and large bumps on the outside right front. The Michelins are a bit wide for their size in that the tread width is closer to the section width than some tires, so perhaps that's part of it.

With the square wheels, staggered tire sizes, the car handles fine as it is setup. There is plenty of rotation on turn-in, and at the limit, it is well-balanced...which has a lot to do with the front to rear roll stiffness balance of how it's setup. The main thing this chassis is lacking, and in a huge way, is power.

In any event, this is a fourth car/hauler/bike carrier/etc, so it serves its purposes well. I have other cars that are vastly more fun to drive at events than this one.

[djh2]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Here are some pics of the E91 with the 219M, 8.5" square, setup. Note these are the "early" 219M wheels in "gunmetal grey" (actually Ferric Grey is the color name of the wheel paint). Also the restored headlights can be seen.

Those headlights look great! I'm going to have to try to renovate mine. Car looks stunning, especially for a Pre-LCI. I really think they hit the mark on the design, certainly looks more modern than many other 10 year old cars today.

If I ever had to replace my E90, I'd look into E91 for the extra space in the back.

[SwissCheeseHead]

Originally Posted by freedomfries

Thanks for sharing! My blower fan started squeaking around 60k mi but I was able to lubricate it from the engine bay with the cabin filter removed.



Which struts/shocks will you go with?

Thanks for posting this! Mine has been squeaking since we bought it at 24K miles. Will have to do this soon.

[ladius]

Your E91 looks great, I've been looking into these recently to replace my e90 330i for more trunk room. But from what I can tell online, it seems the trunk space is the same dimensionally length and width wise as the e90 330i, is that right?