[jerryh]

I am considering buying an 08 328i coupe with ZPP ZSP, <50K miles.
This would be from a large BMW dealer, with their pre-owned certification,
but the BMW extended warrenty is not available because of age.
They are offering a 3yr, 36Kmile Penske warrenty.

Are there any special issues with this car/year/options that I may need to be concerned with?

[ctuna]

1)Oil leaks due to head and valve cover bolt breakage.
They are aluminum due to the magnesium parts of
the engine block.
2)Valve ticking see the sticky at the top or the page the
really long one.
3)Most people that are into cars don't like runflat tires and
not having a spare. Many threads on this.
4)Expensive to change battery if you don't DIY and complicated
because of battery registration.
5)Long oil change intervals make many of us nervous check
for sludge build up .
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=627435
6)Any of the sound systems but the L7 is weak.
7)Power Cable recall for battery cable to main fuse panel
needs to have been perfromed.
8)Lifetime Fluid Changes regarded as not safe for long term
life of vehicle.
9)Expect to have to change the waterpump/thermostate between
60 and 90k at 1k plus from the dealer and around 1k at and Indy
or 600 in parts DIY.
10) Google the Mike Miller BMW for the old school maintenance
schedule and BMW maintenance and design history.

[KwlAznKid]

Originally Posted by ctuna

1)Oil leaks due to head and valve cover bolt breakage.
They are aluminum due to the magnesium parts of
the engine block.
2)Valve ticking see the sticky at the top or the page the
really long one.
3)Most people that are into cars don't like runflat tires and
not having a spare. Many threads on this.
4)Expensive to change battery if you don't DIY and complicated
because of battery registration.
5)Long oil change intervals make many of us nervous check
for sludge build up .
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=627435
6)Any of the sound systems but the L7 is weak.
7)Power Cable recall for battery cable to main fuse panel
needs to have been perfromed.
8)Lifetime Fluid Changes regarded as not safe for long term
life of vehicle.

no disrespect but I don't think 3,4,6,and 7 can really be viewed as "problems"

[Frenk]

Originally Posted by ctuna

1)Oil leaks due to head and valve cover bolt breakage.
They are aluminum due to the magnesium parts of
the engine block.
2)Valve ticking see the sticky at the top or the page the
really long one.
3)Most people that are into cars don't like runflat tires and
not having a spare. Many threads on this.
4)Expensive to change battery if you don't DIY and complicated
because of battery registration.
5)Long oil change intervals make many of us nervous check
for sludge build up .
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=627435
6)Any of the sound systems but the L7 is weak.
7)Power Cable recall for battery cable to main fuse panel
needs to have been perfromed.
8)Lifetime Fluid Changes regarded as not safe for long term
life of vehicle.
9)Expect to have to change the waterpump/thermostate between
60 and 90k at 1k plus from the dealer and around 1k at and Indy
or 600 in parts DIY.
10) Google the Mike Miller BMW for the old school maintenance
schedule and BMW maintenance and design history.

08 328i N52 water pump failure is very rare.

The HiFi Sound System is really good when playing at low volume.

Battery change is like 130$ , coding it is as easy as pressing on a button (+20$ DCAN cable)

03 is a good point, get ready to buy AAA in case of a flat tire if no RFT.

[nrrm1127]

It might also be worth investing in a Bentley shop manual - a little bit pricey, but it literally has every maintenance item you'd ever need along with intimate technical knowledge/drawings of the E9X platform.

Link here:http://www.amazon.com/BMW-Series-E90.../dp/0837616859

[ny325]

I own 2008 E90 328i with 50,200 miles. So far I replaced the starter, and belt tension. I could've waited because it wasn't bad enough to warrant repair. However, when I know that my car has a slight, or major issue, I just fix it and don't wait. I now have the infamous valve cover gasket leak, and housing gasket leak, my service advisor said it could wait to the summer. I will be bringing it in soon because like I said earlier, I don't wait to fix something. I take really good care of my car maintenance, and aesthetically wise. My car has been paided off for over a year. So repairing my car is a lot cheaper than a car payment for another 3-4 years. Overall, with the high cost of maintaining these cars, you will truly enjoy the way they feel, and drive. I was going to get a F30, however, I prefered my E90. Good luck.

[ctuna]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...waterpump+pole
The failure issue does not only affect the 06 and 07 models.

[Frenk]

Originally Posted by ctuna

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...waterpump+pole
The failure issue does not only affect the 06 and 07 models.

funny, I actually looked at the whole thread, and most are 06-07, the only 08's are 335's.

So far I never heard of a N52 08 water pump die. We most likely got the revised version, and less heat from engine probably help our cause.

[Agentphish]

Jerryh,

I bought an 08 328 w/ 43K on it about a year ago. I took it to an indie shop before I purchased to have them look the car over. $100 piece of mind.

Since I bought the car I have had to replace a battery just after my battery connector cable recall service, the dealer met me 1/2 way on the cost since I had 0 issues before I brought it in and it left there with battery issues when I picked it up so I let them do it. Otherwise I would have done myself. My tensioner pulley was also replaced under CPO at this time due to being bent, which I understand to be common on these cars too.

After getting the car I changed my, cabin air filter, engine air filter, spark plugs and oil immediately using the DIYs on these forums. I had a local shop (same one who checked the car over) change my brake fluid, and coolant shortly thereafter.

I have now a valve cover gasket leak, maybe eccentric shaft leak, and have heard lifter tick a few times. These will be getting fixed at the beginning of next month under CPO. Oil Filter Housing Gasket isn't leaking yet, but i'm sure it will. Hopefully before my CPO runs out.

I expect to DIY my brakes/rotors for about ~$500 within the next year/10K miles and am changing the manual trans fluid shortly as well, I was going to DIY this, but a local indie shop where I live now quoted me too good of a price for me to DIY.

When I was looking at mine, I was able to see the CarFax and see where the car had been serviced. I stopped by the places it had been serviced and asked for copies of those records so I now have a complete service history on the car as well. Hope this gives a good idea at what you could be looking at for a car with around the same miles.

[mlifxs]

re water pump no one starts threads titled "my xxxx still hasn't failed yet". Water pump failure reports are miniscule compared to the number of E9X. on the road.

[techie182]

Check for ticking noise for sure.

08 E92 328i coupe

Replaced valve lifter at 15k(ticking noise)
Replaced battery at 32k(dead battery)
Replaced head at 36k(ticking noise came back)
Replaced whole headlight(headlight adaptive error)
Other than that it runs like champ at 75k.

Everything was covered under warranty(maintenance upgrade).

Plan to replace spark plugs, transmission fluid, rotor at 100k.
I heard ticking noise is just noise from poor design.

[Hops128i]

Originally Posted by nrrm1127

It might also be worth investing in a Bentley shop manual - a little bit pricey, but it literally has every maintenance item you'd ever need along with intimate technical knowledge/drawings of the E9X platform.

Link here:http://www.amazon.com/BMW-Series-E90.../dp/0837616859" rel="ugc" target="_blank">http://<a href="http://www.amazon.co...0837616859</a>

yeah, I agree the Bentley manual is worth it, it's coverage is huge, but by itself, not deep enough for a intermediate diy like me. I find myself on the forums or searching bavauto or esctuning to get every step planned out. I guess you really need both. I like the Bentley manual has torque values and tool numbers.

[peeej]

only thing, you'd want more power like the N54!

[ny325]

The power is more than enough for daily driving. I think you will be very happy with the 328i.

[norsairius]

If you're worried about all sorts of noises from the car, try living in a cold climate. The car complains, groans, rattles, and creaks all the time, haha.

I have a 328i xDrive and love it. I wish it was manual, but at least my fiancee can drive it from time to time. A 335 would be amazing, but those come with their own issues to look out for. That and they require more maintenance. I know the spark plugs need to replaced more often anyway, not sure of what else.

I think you'll be happy with the 328, especially if you spend more of your time in traffic where the power of the 335 won't really matter. I've found that the 328 is more than adequate in the city/suburbs and does fine on the highway.

[pmanago]

I bought my 08 328i 18 months ago at 55K miles. Now it's at about 70K.

One issue the dealer told me about that I haven't read a post on is that the belt tensioner or tensioner bolt stretches/bends and the tensioner loses alignment. My belt was off-center on the tensioner pulley by almost 1/8" and the side of the belt began to rub on the crank balancer/pulley. Replace the tensioner, bolt, belt, and idler pulley (optional). Dealer ~$400 quote. DIY much less.

Fix the oil filter housing gasket leak as soon as you notice the leak. I let mine get bad enough to show dripping on the garage floor. What I noticed at that time was that the oil drips onto the belt and gets thrown onto the side of your air cleaner housing and the water hoses below it. One of my hoses has a slight bulge where the oil was deposited.

My car has the power rear sun shade. One plastic tab broke leaving it inoperable. This is quite common. The part is not offered separately, so I must source a solution before summer in Phoenix.

The outside rear view mirror motor (both sides) electrical connections can corrode. If you have memory seats, the mirrors check their position every time the car locks operate. When corroded, the mirrors do not know their position. My passenger side mirror moved to fully up or fully down. Dealer will replace the motor, but the problem can be easily fixed by carefully cleaning the connections. NOTE: The connectors are not waterproof. Be careful when rinsing car wash soap out of the mirror housing.

I know many DIYers access parts listings on realoem. I use the real deal- the catalogue at bmw.com (not bmwusa.com).
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/acc...catalogue.html

New tires for me are Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 non-runflats.
One of the main reasons for Michelin is their FREE 3-Year Flat Tire Changing Assistance--A qualified service professional will change your flat and install your spare tire or provide towing at no charge. In case of a flat tire, simply call 1-888-xxx-xxxx and a qualified professional will change the tire or provide towing up to 150 miles for free. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the U.S. and Canada. Not one salesperson mentioned this to me.

[ken1137]

No 2 is why I no longer own a 328. There is a TSB (see sticky) and my dealer ignored the problem.it's not a good thing to have metal ticking sound from the tappets (lifters) which means lack of oil inside them. I had it 100% of the time, not only at start-up. That being said, if you don't hear the ticking then there should be no problem.

[Delta0311]

Originally Posted by ken1137

No 2 is why I no longer own a 328. There is a TSB (see sticky) and my dealer ignored the problem.it's not a good thing to have metal ticking sound from the tappets (lifters) which means lack of oil inside them. I had it 100% of the time, not only at start-up. That being said, if you don't hear the ticking then there should be no problem.

You will only hear the ticking on a cold start on a cool day. There is always a chance that the dealer warmed the car up before the clients arrival, if thats the case he won't hear ticking.

[Taskmaster]

Doors that don't unlock. Bought my 08 328i ZSP about a month and a half ago. Driver side rear door won't unlock, and it's not a fuse.

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

You will only hear the ticking on a cold start on a cool day. There is always a chance that the dealer warmed the car up before the clients arrival, if thats the case he won't hear ticking.

Not true with the 328 I used to own.

[iBoost]

not much to worry about at under 50k specially with a 328i

at ~100k you'll most likely need
water pump and thermostat (good time to check other parts of the cooling system)
valve cover gasket
oil filter housing gasket
serpentine belt and belt / pulley tensioners

pretty much it, and most of those are all somewhat easy DIY's. also regular maintenance is easy to do as well (oil change, plugs, air filters, brakes)

[moonsin]

I bought my car @ 42k miles last year (late 2007 build N51). It had the infamous tick when i went for a test drive. After it warmed up for a bit i floored the crap out of it and it went away. Since purchase I try to have the oil temperature come up a tick or two before i turn it off. When the noise does come back i just drive around for a while until the oil temp comes up again and noise is gone afterwards.

Also, i had to replace my eccentric shaft sensor at around 60k miles but i hardly consider that a common issue with the car (This also fixed the fluctuating rpm while idling issue i had with the car).

As for the water pump...i keep hearing 08's don't have water pump issues...but i'm buying the parts right now while my car is working so i don't have to shell out $1,000+ all at once.