Hello everyone. It has been many years since I last posted here. I thought it would make sense to ask for advice from folks that may have a few more miles on their cars.
I bought my 2006 330i six speed with cold weather, premium and sports package in September of 2005. My car was produced in June of 2005. Now, almost 9 years and only 62,000 miles later, I've decided to keep it for another couple of years, after which I'll probably pass it on to a family member.
In order to get it ready for the next 60K I've ordered front and rear brakes (rotors, pads, rotor retainer bolts,and sensors), front struts and rear shocks, a front and rear sports package shock and strut small parts kit, and left and right tie rod end assemblies. Two of the wheels will be straightened and then all four will get a new set of Potenza SO4s. I got a space saver spare for the trunk when I go on long trips and a can of fix-a-flat for around town. I'm probably also going to get a new valve cover gasket as I get a wife of burnt oil every so often but I'd like to find the source before I reach any conclusions. All parts were either showing wear or needed to be replaced. All parts except the tires came from Bav Auto. The battery was replaced three or four years ago. The brake fluid has been changed this past winter. I do regular oil and filter changes.
So, with that, what else should I replace or service at this juncture?
My '06 330i just passed 152K miles. I'm the second owner, having acquired it over 5 yrs ago with 107K miles. I haven't replaced the the suspension components that you mentioned (but I might soon, as I've just recently noticed a change). However, since you would like to maintain the car for the long haul, here are some suggestions:
Maintenance
spark plugs
air filter
diff lube
coolant flush
M/T fluid change
power steering fluid
Drive/serpentine belt
fuel filter
proactively replace before failure
water pump
thermostat
Check for leaks and replace if necessary
valve cover gasket
oil filter housing gasket
oil pan gasket
Thanks for the list. I'm surprised your shocks and struts have lasted that long. I can see the oil leaking from mine as well as feel a difference over rough roads. Do you have the sport suspension?
Hello everyone. It has been many years since I last posted here. I thought it would make sense to ask for advice from folks that may have a few more miles on their cars.
I bought my 2006 330i six speed with cold weather, premium and sports package in September of 2005. My car was produced in June of 2005. Now, almost 9 years and only 62,000 miles later, I've decided to keep it for another couple of years, after which I'll probably pass it on to a family member.
In order to get it ready for the next 60K I've ordered front and rear brakes (rotors, pads, rotor retainer bolts,and sensors), front struts and rear shocks, a front and rear sports package shock and strut small parts kit, and left and right tie rod end assemblies. Two of the wheels will be straightened and then all four will get a new set of Potenza SO4s. I got a space saver spare for the trunk when I go on long trips and a can of fix-a-flat for around town. I'm probably also going to get a new valve cover gasket as I get a wife of burnt oil every so often but I'd like to find the source before I reach any conclusions. All parts were either showing wear or needed to be replaced. All parts except the tires came from Bav Auto. The battery was replaced three or four years ago. The brake fluid has been changed this past winter. I do regular oil and filter changes.
I threw on a pair of Bilstein Heavy Duty (couldn't find a pair of Touring's at the time) on my car, and it rode like new. For rotors, Meyle are great, and pads wise, can't go wrong with Cool Carbons or a set of new OEM's (dust issue mostly solved).
Like Buzzy said, the thermostat and waterpump will go very soon, they only last 40-60K ON AVERAGE. I say on average, because sometimes you find cars with 100K+ miles on them, and the original pump and thermostat. Mine completely gave out around 150K. I agree with the rest of his list, and I've personally done 90% of it to my car before I sold it.
Did you have much trouble compressing the front springs? I was going to do it myself, but I have read that people have had trouble compressing the front springs with the typical hook type compressors.
If you grab the upper strut mount, instead of the highest spring coil, you will have no problem using the hook type compressors.
Issue people have is that they can't compress the spring enough since they can't grab enough coils.
Btw, cool carbons are a waste of money.
At the shop I work for, we always use stoptech slotted or blank rotors and hawk HPS (for street/spirited driving) or HP+ pads (for occasional street/light track use)
I'm at 104k and have done water pump, engine head replacement, and various other maintenance things like fluids and suspension bushings. Just replaced my entire suspension with new mounts and bushings, with ///M upgrades.
For the occasional oil smell, check the PCV hoses. They tend to become brittle with age and crack, leaking oil onto the back of the engine.
There are 2 hoses. You might as well just replace both. The lower is a pain in the ass to replace. Very tight access
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