E90 on it's last legs, time for a replacement?

swain90

swain90

swain90

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7 Aug 2012
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949
Hi All,

My 2005 E90 320d (142k) is slowly starting to die, the turbo is finally on it's way out. I've had a quote of £1650 to get it all repaired. (It's currently making a wooshing noise).

To top things off I'm just in the process of buying my first house so a lot of capital has tied up in that, however there is a little left over.

I've got in my head that I have about 8K to spend, but I'm having issues finding something I want.

My requirements are;

1) Something with similar power delivery as my E90, doesn't need to be "fast" however I would like something which will allow me to over take with a fair amount of ease.

2) I've done 60,000 miles over the last two years I've had the car, in the next couple of months that'll be dropping to 20k a year so I still need something which is reliable and happy nomming all those motorway miles.

3) I've got a dog so something where we can chuck her would nice without dirtying the interior to badly.

4) Needs to have cruise

5) not a necessity, however Nav would be nice.

If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it.

Cheers

Swain90
 
I would probably leave the 8k in the bank and spend the £1650 to fix the E90.

Unless you specifically want a change? But £1650 to fix yours would seem to make more financial sense no?
 
I have thought about it, but i've already spent £1K in replacing the clutch, the breaks will need doing soon. Glow plugs also need replacing so the costs are starting to shoot up.
 
Part of me says repair it, but then the other is saying is there any point in repairing something that's old and isn't a cheap fix?
 
Tom|Nbk said:
If you've already replaced the clutch replace the turbo man and the car will keep going on and on!
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I am in agreement. Seems pointless spending 8K for another vehicle. If you wanted to move this vehicle on you will be holding out for a buyer without the work being done. It would be better to replace both the turbo and the glow plugs at the same time.
 
I'd look into getting the turbo reconditioned or swapping it out for a rebuilt unit, something like that. Some places may do an exchange programme for parts like that.

Ie, look at getting the turbo resolved for a better price, and then keep your existing car.
 
swain90 said:
I have thought about it, but i've already spent £1K in replacing the clutch, the breaks will need doing soon. Glow plugs also need replacing so the costs are starting to shoot up.
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spend the 2k fixing it.
plenty more mileage left in that car.
 
Yeah reconditioning / a swap forna reconditioned unit is normally in the region of £500, plus the labour to remove and refit should still be a significant saving on the numbers you've been given so far

Brakes are something you can either do yourself or pay pretty much any mechanic to do, so long as you're using decent parts they're hard to get wrong and won't be big money
 
Just speaking with the garage I usually use who are going to give me a ring back with some prices. This couldn't have come at a worse time....stupid car fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
If you are not comfortable getting a reconditioned turbo I would still spend the £1650.

Brakes and Glowplugs are consumables, so the cost of those shouldn’t really enter into it, you could easily buy an 8k car that ends up needing new discs and pads.
 
swain90 said:
Disc and Pads i think, however my sensors haven't warned me yet, this was from when I had a service the garage mentioned they'd need doing at some point
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Have you had a quote for that? As said above you can do them youself if you are even a little bit handy with a socket set.
But it is worth getting a cost for everything before deciding on a new car.
 
You need to bear in mind what 8k gets you if you compare it to your current car, it basically gets you a slightly newer lower mileage version of what you already have, or a similar aged 5 series? (Fox will be able to give you good advice on what 8k on a BMW gets you)

Something like a Skoda Superb/Octavia, a Mazda 6 or Mondeo would be ok, but probably not as nice as your E90.
 
I replaced my e46 330d turbo myself for £450 (recon unit with trade of mine). Took about 3 hours with nothing more than a halfords socket set, a trolley jack, and axle stands.
 
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