Anywho, some maintenance! 

149,000ish/January 2026 - new front struts, along with every associated wear item (bump stops, strut mounts, washers, dust boots, hardware) in the strut assembly. New top hats too cause they're cheap. Not sure if i put it in the last post, but I threw in some new Meyle HD front sway links last year too, so all the front suspension is brand new save the springs themselves and the tie rods, which feel fine.

150,074/This week: Oil change, LM Special Tech 5W-30 and a Mann filter. SO easy to do on these cars, I wish my F250 had a filter insert. So much less mess.

I held off on driving this car this winter until late January to keep salt off (I needed to take it to get an emissions test to renew the registration), and I think in addition to some strategic fluid film this summer, I will likely park it next winter fully unless the truck breaks. Not worth smashing the front bumper on an ice chunk or risking some yahoo sliding through an intersection into it, plus salt=gross.

Tension struts got tossed in awhile back, all is good so far. Swapped to summer wheels this week.

New front struts came in this week, so going to replace those soon. I also got a new serpentine belt and crank seal guard over the winter, so I'll throw those on when I go digging for the whining noise eventually. Also got a new tweeter while on clearance from ECS to replace a blown front one.

Other than front tires, it really just needs a good wash and paint correction/wax. I always forget how good of a car this is, I got out of the E30 and into this after a 2700 mile road trip and it was almost jarring how smooth, quiet, and competent it felt. 

Toying with selling the busted old Performance Aero front bumper to (partially) fund a manual swap. Thoughts from the peanut gallery? I also have a set of partially finished M-Systems with 3/4 turbine covers that I could donate to the cause and get close to breaking even between the two of them. It's tempting considering those parts are doing nothing but take up space and in the case of the M-Systems, I own nothing they even fit on anymore.

Installed the rear subframe inserts last night - no pics unfortunately, but I discovered that the E91 has a different rear subframe bushing than the sedans and coupes. The lower insert still went in fine but the upper was completely different. Some googling showed me that while FCP claims it’s for all chassis, the E91 does in fact have a slight bushing difference. Oh well, 6/8 isn’t bad and there was a very definite difference before and after. Firmer ride, but only because the rear shocks were now attenuating bumps instead of the subframe. No notable NVH increase, just better ride (IMO) and the car feels way more planted in really all cornering, but especially sweepers. Good bang for the buck I’d say!

Ordered what will hopefully be my last set of front tension struts for awhile from FCP today - the M3 TRW struts had a COO change to Malaysia and ever since have had major ball joint failure problems that are being widely reported. Both pairs I bought failed within the first 5k or so. Going to try Meyle M3 arms to see if that fixes it permanently; if not, I think I’m just gonna light it all on fire

Picked the car up today from International Autos, they went in and did the PCV and VANOS recall work - they noted the exhaust adjuster already had the bolts replaced, and just did the intake ones as a result (which checks out from Joe’s thread). I’ll gladly take the free VCG!

Changed oil tonight - Liqui-Moly Special Tec 5W-30 and a Mann filter. While I was down there, I pulled the belly pan off and replaced the primary ground strap - old one was original I believe and getting gross. I found a seeping PS line while I was under there, not leaking much but I’ll add it to the list. Looks like the return line from the cooler to the reservoir. I also found blue fluid down in the PS pan, but I’m pretty sure it’s washer fluid since I accidentally filled to the brim last time and it’s still basically that full. I’ll keep an eye on it just in case. 

Replaced the rear license plate frame; it already had one snapped bolt and I broke another this year when putting on my new registration sticker so I figured it was time for a new one. No more rattles when closing the hatch!!

Also bought a new cabin air filter (Hengst), really high quality with the foam seal around the outside. Took the opportunity to wipe the engine bay plastics down while I was in there. Also replaced a few fender liner pop rivets that I lost the center pins for when fixing the leaking washer fluid pump seals. 
Next up is confirming whether the whining I’m hearing is indeed the PS pump (going to pull the serpentine belt and see if it goes away) or if it’s the A/C compressor or alternator. I still have rear subframe inserts to install this spring, and a new ground strap to go on at the next oil change, which will hopefully happen this week or next. 
 

Debating on what tires to get this spring - the summers need replacing. I’ve heard good things about the DWS06, but it has 300TW tires on it now and they aged/wore out at the same time, so I don’t think I need anything that’ll wear harder. Leaning PS4S unless anyone has something else they love and would recommend over it?

Replaced air filter - used a Mahle filter (P/N LX1035) in the euro airbox and it was an identical drop-in replacement. It doesn’t show up as compatible on FCP euro for the euro airbox, while the K&N does - the Mahle is 1/4 of the price and doesn’t need to be oiled or anything. Very happy. 
 

Upper control arm ball joint is already failing again after replacement earlier this year, sounds like the TRW upper control arms have been problematic since a COO change from Europe to Malaysia. They’re letting me warranty with Meyle M3 arms instead, hopefully those work better because swapping them every year is quite annoying. 
 

Pretty sure there’s either a sticking caliper (unlikely) or a failing wheel bearing on the drivers rear, it’s generating a lot of heat after even short drives. Going to temp gun it and see if I can diagnose further. Just got parts in to fix the leaking washer fluid (pump and filters), as well as rear sway links and rear subframe bushing inserts. Going to order front struts and start stockpiling all the rear suspension parts for some much-needed suspension refreshing this winter. 
 

In other news, I used the wagon for a weekend camping trip at Mirror Lake this past weekend, it was perfect for the job and never skipped a beat. I love this car. 

It still has a mild vibration at highway speed that comes and goes that was improved after the front brakes were done, but I’m going to start with a wheel balance and go from there. Pretty sure there’s a bad ball joint somewhere in the rear suspension too so that likely isn’t helping. If the front pads were this prone to pad deposits it could be that too but on the rears, but since there’s no pulsing anymore when braking it seems less likely.

YoungCR said:

Bummer but glad it worked out! Crazy those are NLA already, you should 3D scan and reproduce them...

I believe it’s just the performance aero stuff. M sport and regular are easy to get, so not sure how many people would pay for it. I certainly kept the old one though!

Oil change completed, swapped in new wishbones on the front due to a ball joint clunk I was hearing, and found that while they definitely weren’t perfect, those weren’t the problem. After some poking around, I concluded that the 1-year old tension struts were the issue. The passenger side arm had a bad ball joint already. 
 

Brake shudder is I believe still the culprit, I replaced the drivers side rotor and it improved, but now when I spin the passenger side rotor that one has a very obvious high spot in it. For now, I just replaced both tension struts again and am going to order new brake pads (EBC yellowstuff, going to get something with more bite to hopefully keep pad material from building up) to hopefully solve this permanently. Planning to just turn the rotors for the new pads since they’re almost new still. 
 

Front shocks are mega blown out, their replacements arrived a few days ago courtesy of @patsbimmer1. Went with soemthing a little spicier than OEM, I’ll share more details when they’re installed. 
 

Oh - last update: had a semi back up into this car in traffic in April, and I was extremely disappointed. The hit wasn’t too hard but it put a large crack in the front bumper, which is NLA and basically unobtanium (genuine performance aero bumper, and would’ve made the car have an incomplete kit)

Through Reddit and a bit (read: a stupid amount) of luck, I found one on German EBay of all places, bought it, had it shipped here (in only bubble wrap ) and finally painted and installed a week or two ago. I managed to snag a euro model bumper too without headlight washers, so I got to delete the ugly covers and the ugly side markers all in one fell swoop. 

Coolant leak saga is over - took it into Kummrow as the leak started to get worse and I never was able to figure out exactly what was leaking - turns out the radiator itself was leaking. Apparently, the Behr e9x radiators commonly fail at the crimps on the driver’s side end tank near the bottom - I can’t remember the exact % they said their supplier has taken back under warranty, but it was a lot. 
 

Anyways, got it replaced with a Genuine BMW one, that should hopefully solve it permanently. Hope this knowledge saves some of the other e9x guys here some pain, this is one of those cases where the OE supplier part just doesn’t cut it.

I bought the Amazon special version, as much as I want the OEM look I couldn’t bring myself to spend $100ish on a new door pull that’d break down in the exact same way in a few years. The black plastic definitely looks cheaper on the outer cover, so maybe I’ll get an OEM replacement for that, but the inner feels fine and it all mounted solidly. This version uses screws instead of the heat-staked originals. 
 

Changed the oil in the rear differential. I used full synthetic liqui moly 75w-90 and a couple transfer pumps to get it done. 

Old oil was in quite good shape, I don’t recall seeing records of it being changed but it looks like it was. Still, the new stuff is way lighter in color and it’s good peace of mind. I only got about 3/4 of a quart out so I’ll maybe do it again in 10-20,000 miles once it’s all mixed in. 
 

I also noticed some coolant under the car the other day, so while it was on the lift I pulled the belly pan and took a peek.

It seems like there’s two leaks:

- One appeared to be a loose hose clamp on the water pump; I tightened it and will re-check in a few weeks.

- The other seems to be either a leak at the seam of the radiator on the drivers side, or the o-ring on the upper rad hose. It kinda looks like it’s spraying, but I wonder if it’s wind blowing it off of the radiator as it leaks and spreading it all over the underside. I’m going to swap the o-ring this week sometime and see if that fixes it, and if it doesn’t I’ll get a new rad. I’m considering a full aluminum replacement to bulletproof it, but we’ll see. This one should be under warranty still but if it failed this fast I’m not sure if I want to put the same thing back in. 

P_Roloff said:

Broken link^

Looks like BMW finally put out a recall for the VANOS bolts issue. 
 

I wonder if it’s anything more/different compared to the service this car already had? From what I remember the bolts were replaced with steel ones? Sounds like the same. 
 

Also a good reminder to get the car in for the PCV heater recall as well.

P_Roloff said:

What product did you use, if you don’t mind me asking?

I've used an Ozium Single-Shot Fogger and another brand that I cant find online. Having access to a ozone machine is 100X better idea though!

m42b32 said:

I have an ozone machine if you want to borrow it. My brother used it to get cigarette smoke smell out of his XJ and it worked amazingly, haven't had a whiff of it since. You could put it in the car with the air running.

I did replace the cabin air filter sometime in 2022 with an oem one but worth a check anyway. 

Yeah, the cabin filter was something of a last resort if nothing else fixes it. I’ll definitely take you up on that, I’ve heard great things about those!

I did replace the cabin air filter sometime in 2022 with an oem one but worth a check anyway.

Jdesign said:

Curious on how this works out. Ive always used an ozone bomb for a car that was really bad. 

Smell is still there. I’m going to try it again I think (maybe spraying some down the hvac air intake as well) to see if that helps. It’s definitely better, it’s almost gone once the hvac has run for a few seconds, but it definitely still there. 
 

The blower motor had the same smell as the air I’ve been getting out of it, so I’m wondering if the smell and gunk is in the ducting too. I haven’t replaced the cabin air filters either, so might do that. They’re almost external though so it’d be a bit odd if that was the culprit. 
 

What product did you use, if you don’t mind me asking?

After some product research, I decided the Nextzett Klima Cleaner would be my best bet:

I went with the method of removing the blower motor and spraying directly onto the evaporator; my first attempt I missed with the hose and didn’t get it all the way there. The second try, I got the hose sufficiently far over and hit the evaporator square; it foamed up nicely and drained thru the evap drain hoses along the trans tunnel. 
 

I waited 20ish minutes, put the blower back in (so much easier than the e30), and ran the fan on high for 10ish minutes to dry it all out. I’ll report back in a week or two on the results!

I also discovered a 12V power plug on the panel under/behind the glovebox door that I never knew I had, so that’s a win! I might need to enlist @Bassboy3313 to make me another of those printed inductive charger pads and run the power to it from this plug.

GunMetalGrey said:

I don't know if you've experienced these in person, but it is truly amazing.
I was in an Audi Q8 with some guys in Switzerland and I couldn't believe how well it cut the light out around street signs and cars.

It was the best random thing to slip into the COVID legislation.

I haven’t, but I’ve always thought it was neat tech. Now I’m even more excited for it!