2008 E90 BMW - what would you do?

Soldato
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So I was planning to take this to We buy any car tomorrow (with full disclosure of the EML/DPF issues), then as I drove it today disaster..another warning light showing electronics failure.

Guess I'm scrapping it...
 
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It seems their cars do well at low mileage but they get old, higher mileage and they just develop faults.

Luck of the draw really. I managed to put 105k miles on my 2010 E90 320d with nothing going wrong except for clutch/flywheel. Gearbox went at around 165k miles and I decided it wasn’t worth the effort of sorting out but that car did pretty damn well.

So I was planning to take this to We buy any car tomorrow (with full disclosure of the EML/DPF issues), then as I drove it today disaster..another warning light showing electronics failure.

Guess I'm scrapping it...

What icon/message is that one? And does it still drive?
 
Soldato
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What icon/message is that one? And does it still drive?

It was a picture of the car on like an upside down T shape. Indicating electronics failure.
Still drives but the manual says to end your journey so not sure if I should just take it down to We buy any car
 
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It was a picture of the car on like an upside down T shape. Indicating electronics failure.
Still drives but the manual says to end your journey so not sure if I should just take it down to We buy any car

Get a code reader. Read the codes.

Reset and give to webuyanycar.
 
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Sold it to We buy any car with issues and all (I just chose to be up-front).
£988. TBH it was barely worth £2,000 in a private sale in it's best condition
 
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BMW are no worse then other brands, Nissan for example , our local dealer charges £95 per hour, £120 diagnostic fee and crazy servicing rates. The service rates an an x35d are almost identical to a 1.6dci comparing X3 to Xtrail

It always pays to find a good indie, they will diagnose for a fraction of the cost and have more reasonable rates for any work that needs doing. Specifically with BMW the cheap access to good diagnostic tools means you can diagnose yourself with relatively little outlay, and the information is quite detailed, a breath of fresh air to diagnosing a Japanese brand.

A DPF on an older car I’d have considered having gutted and mapped out so it can’t happen again, plus you’d get more power, and that might only cost a few hundred in comparison.
 
Soldato
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BMW are no worse then other brands, Nissan for example , our local dealer charges £95 per hour, £120 diagnostic fee and crazy servicing rates. The service rates an an x35d are almost identical to a 1.6dci comparing X3 to Xtrail

It always pays to find a good indie, they will diagnose for a fraction of the cost and have more reasonable rates for any work that needs doing. Specifically with BMW the cheap access to good diagnostic tools means you can diagnose yourself with relatively little outlay, and the information is quite detailed, a breath of fresh air to diagnosing a Japanese brand.

A DPF on an older car I’d have considered having gutted and mapped out so it can’t happen again, plus you’d get more power, and that might only cost a few hundred in comparison.

Taking it to the electrical specialist to diagnose was fairly cheap, just over £100. It was the necessary work to replace glow plug module, glow plugs, electronics issues, EGR valve work, and sort the gearing issues, that was expensive. Thousands of pounds worth of work required, not worth it on a 2008 car.

Now the electrical place did suggest removal of DPF and remapping, but DPF removal is illegal. Yes, you may not get caught but you could also fail an MOT or get fined £1,000.
 
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I enjoyed this thread - enlightening.

I've seen a delightful 2012 BMW 3 Series 2.0 318d Touring. High Mileage though at 147k. Private sale at £2900 for what was a £30k car.

We've just let our ultra reliable 2008 Mondeo go - family runabout that was written off after the local bin lorry side swiped it on the street so I need to get it right. insurance firm paid market value so I'm royally knackered less the excess.

The BMW has had 2 owners, manual, documented FSH, claimed 80% motorway mileage and is up for £2900. Checked the MOTS and nothing but advisories on each test. It seems too good to be true, but I'd value peoples opinions on what I need to look out for when I take it out for a test drive on Sunday.

I've heard horror stories regarding timing chains and the engines eating themselves, but I only need the car for 10 miles a day and to last me 2/3 years.

I'm afraid our budget is firmly set at £3000 as I've had too many kids and my other cars a Range Rover.

Many thanks,
Richard
 
Soldato
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I enjoyed this thread - enlightening.

I've seen a delightful 2012 BMW 3 Series 2.0 318d Touring. High Mileage though at 147k. Private sale at £2900 for what was a £30k car.

We've just let our ultra reliable 2008 Mondeo go - family runabout that was written off after the local bin lorry side swiped it on the street so I need to get it right. insurance firm paid market value so I'm royally knackered less the excess.

The BMW has had 2 owners, manual, documented FSH, claimed 80% motorway mileage and is up for £2900. Checked the MOTS and nothing but advisories on each test. It seems too good to be true, but I'd value peoples opinions on what I need to look out for when I take it out for a test drive on Sunday.

I've heard horror stories regarding timing chains and the engines eating themselves, but I only need the car for 10 miles a day and to last me 2/3 years.

I'm afraid our budget is firmly set at £3000 as I've had too many kids and my other cars a Range Rover.

Many thanks,
Richard
10 miles a day? Get a petrol :).
I'd want to know the turbo had been changed at 147k miles to be honest. Otherwise you're talking the best part of £2k I think if it fails.
Motorway miles is fairly easy on a car.
Sounds a bit expensive. I just traded a late 2011 X1 (X drive, 2.0) with just under 60K miles on it for 5500, was worth 6500 privately apparently. Again, many motorway miles. Needs £500 or so off it.
 
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There's a voice that keeps on calling me.
Turbo shouldnt be a 2k repair, this is where a decent indy is worth their weight in gold, on RWD car its not a mega job and a used turbo is fairly cheap, and its easy to spot how worn they are.

Unless its a lease car or less than 3 years old or something special, it really makes no sense to use dealers for work.
 
Soldato
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Turbo shouldnt be a 2k repair, this is where a decent indy is worth their weight in gold, on RWD car its not a mega job and a used turbo is fairly cheap, and its easy to spot how worn they are.

Unless its a lease car or less than 3 years old or something special, it really makes no sense to use dealers for work.
I'm sure a mate paid around £2k at a BMW specialist in Devon, albeit for a new turbo. I think the car had around 130k miles on it. I had a turbo fail on a 2002 3 series at around 48k miles, thankfully inside the BMW used car warranty. I remember it would have been over a grand even back then.
I tend to use the dealer networks personally. Not had a great experience with so called specialists in the past. Nothing major but just stuff I've never had issues with when using the dealer networks. It's often difficult to find a good one. Dealers are much alike (IMO) and any problems get resolved.
 
Soldato
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There's a voice that keeps on calling me.
Well its obv your choice to use a dealer, but ive not had any issues with using Indy's ive found them better than main dealers. In fact my neighbour nearly got fleeced by Merc on his E320, they claimed the turbo was at fault. Took it to a indy, and it turned out the alternator was at fault.

TBF in the OP's case, the gearbox is a specialist job so its either a recon box or a used one with an unknown history, who wants that headache for a old run of thhe mill motor!
 
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