[Exitious]

Hi all, just picked up a used '08 328i MT, and the previous owner had it for about a year didn't drive it much. Says there are no issues. Only the brake light is on for some reason.

Owner before him was a lady who worked at BMW for several years and got free maintenance. So I'm assuming its had all its regular inspections and what not over the years.

With only 60k miles on it and regular maintenance having been done, what do you guys suggest I take a look at first and take care of?

Already did the air filters and gave the whole car a nice detailing. Might change the oil. Open to ideas

[Biginboca]

Check the Oil Filter Housing, Valve Cover, and Oil Pan for any oil leaks.

Nothing is really needed at that mileage although personally I would want to change all the “lifetime” fluids due to age. So that would be transmission and differential fluids, plus a coolant refresh. BMW also recommends a brake fluid flush every 2 years which might be coming due. (This is possibly why the brake light is on, or your pads are getting thin.)

Things to keep an eye on during your ownership are watching for those 3 oil leaks and check the serpentine belt/tensioner at oil changes to make sure the belt isn’t starting to walk off the tensioner. Replace these parts as the belt starts to walk off.

Congratulations on the purchase! Sounds like you have a nice car there. With only 60k miles on it you should be good to go for a long while. At 100k I would look to do the spark plugs and the water pump (just preventative maintenance on the pump they tend to last maybe 100k miles).

[Efthreeoh]

So, you are jumping into a car Forum that was established back in 2005 and literally everything regarding maintenance has been discussed ad nauseam. Searching the maintenance section will help. It's excellent that you found a 2008 E90 with such low miles and maintained professionally if the story of the original owner holds true. Buying used cars always carries the risk of what the previous owner says about the car doesn't exactly mirror the truth. Your new car has aged more by time than by miles.

I've been on this Forum since 2006 when I bought my E90, and I have been able to put a few miles on mine since then, so I'm well versed in the maintenance side of E90 ownership. The E90 does not need the level of maintenance that the internet says it does. BMW built into your 2008 E90 a conditioned-based maintenance schedule (known as CBS), which tracks service intervals for engine oil, cabin airfilter, spark plugs, brake fluid, brake pad wear, safety inspection, emission inspection, and a 30,000-mile general vehicle inspection. Read the owner's manual and especially the section on the CBS. The "brake light" on, if that means the icon on the gage cluster is red, probably means one of the axles (or both) require brake replacement maintenance, or the brake fluid is low, or both. 60,000 is about the miles that the brakes may need service depending on how the car was driven.

Over time the E90 community has discovered common issues that arise with the E90. You need to understand some nomenclature, such as the engine in your car has a model designation of its own, which is N52. It has different maintenance requirements than the other engines BMW installed in the other model variants of the N52. I'm not going to reprise all of the issues and their solutions here, but the N52 usually requires maintenance for three locations of oil leaks: at the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, and oil filter housing gasket, as biginboca mentioned. Whether your engine has such leaks depends on time and mileage. The water pump (and sometimes the thermostat) can be problematic on the early year cars. Replacing those components preemptively is wasteful IMO since the best method to prevent a break down and resultant tow event is to buy a BMW scan tool and periodically scan the ECU for water pump codes. If the t-stat fails, it will throw the Service Engine Soon (SES) light but will not strand you on the road. If you find water pump codes, replace the pump as soon as possible, as codes are a sign the pump is going to fail. Look for a thread by Eninty, which explains the issue very well.

Other cooling system issues are the thermostat hose at the cylinderhead. There is a plastic hose connector that can fail. Your car has not seen enough miles for it yet to be a problem, but age can also be a factor depending on heat cycles the engine has seen. Google on "micky mouse flange". Or look in the DIY section for my DIY on how to replace it. Tons of info on the internet about it.

Also as biginboca suggested, the brake fluid is due for replacement this year because your car is a 2008 model year and brake fluid is flushed and replaced on a 24-month period.

Other than that, read up in the Forum, everything you need to know is in here. Enjoy your new car.

[Mike K]

Welcome and congrats!

Biginboca and Efthreeoh has said it very well indeed!

The brake system uses pad sensors which are basically just wire lead sensors that wear through along with the pad wear and then throw warning codes. There are two of these sensors on my e91, 1 in front, the other in the rear. On the US driver's side in front and I can't recall which side for the rear. Change these out when renewing the pads and rotors (if needed). About $10 for these.. I've had the sensors fail with the brake pads still OK btw. Lots of info here about brakes in the DIY section.

She's not really your car until you leave your DNA on her so dive in! And post some photos too..

[marvinstockman]

Drive into a BMW dealer and ask them if they can pull the service history. Be nice and bring donuts!

[ctuna]

When BMW started free maintenance all of a sudden these cars didn't
need that much maintenance.

You can draw your own conclusions about that.
As said before that has been discussed a lot here.
See Mike Miller schedule in attachment.

One thing you want to stay ahead of is oil leaks and the accessory belt tensioner.

broken belt
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho....php?t=1231881
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...3&postcount=23
https://www.oxwerkzperformance.com/
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1477111
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1305990

[Efthreeoh]

OP, your car does not need the Mike Miller (airplane) maintenance schedule. It's outdated and is BMW's old maintenance schedule for cars produced in the 1970s and 1980s using that era fluids and metallurgy.