BMW 3 Series E90 E91 E92 E93 buyers guide (2005-2013) Reliability and problems (318/320/325/330/335)

BMW 3 Series E90 E91 E92 E93 2005-2013 Buyers guide for 318I, 318d, 320i, 320d, 323i, 325i, 325d, 328i, 330i, 330d, 335i, 335d. Avoid buying a cheap broken BMW 3 series saloon or estate and find the BMW 3 series that you want without breaking the bank. Used BMW 3 series can vary in price and reliability with some previous owners modifying their cars or using them as company cars for high mileage. With our guide you'll be able to avoid the ones with problems. Avoid the mistakes of buying the cheapest broken BMW 3 Series as a project and attempting to fix the BMW E90 E91 E92 E93 3 series due to valve stem failure, vanos unit failure, broken timing chains, or oil leaks with our review. This buyer's guide covers the E9X BMW 3 series from years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 in all trims from SE to Sport. If you are deciding between the BMW 3series or are an owner looking for a guide, but considering other vehicles, like the Audi A4 or Mercedes C-Class then why not check out this video and others from our channel.

The issues discussed in our buyer's guide to the E90 BMW 3 Series include timing chain stretch, faulty door locks and steering wheel, and door handle mechanisms, which we review. Along with the links to the BMW M3 E92 and E90 and E93 if you want a more powerful version.

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Legal and disclaimer - Any content not originally created by The Miles Driven remains the property of the original owner and is editorialised for media reporting. All content is used within the confines of media reporting/editorial use and is transformative in nature to inform others with new information and content about cars and vehicles. We use no more of the original content than necessary in alignment with U.S copyright law for fair use and U.K fair dealing. We accept no liability for the purchase of vehicles using our guide and suggest thorough due diligence by individual professional inspections before making a buying decision.

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[tcliff]

Just bought a 2010 328i convertible. I'm absolutely in love with it!

[tcaudiobooks]

Really wished the saloon looked more like the coupe. You never had to convince yourself the coupe was beautiful, it just was... even in standard SE spec.

[mikegradidge]

I had a 2006 E90 330i Msport, what a great car. 200kw and never gave any problems. Had it for over 5 years (bought it second hand in 2010).

[himdadshwani]

2 n47 cars in our family. one 318d 2009 400, 000 km+ Other 320d 2012 f30. 300, 000. Both purring beautifully

[robertonunez]

Best study of the 5fth generation of 3 series!!.thank you!!

[abizzle]

Had a 2008 e90 for five years now. It’s a great car

[TheRasbane]

proud owner of a n47 2011 e91, its done nothing but be a solid run about. ive serviced it myself and via garages. ive used it for 40k miles, hitting 156k not long ago. had it mapped to 185bhp (143 standard) when i bought it. its had a few niggles here and there but nothing i havent been able to sort myself (spring clips weak causing break judder, for example). at 130k i had my biggest outlay, but something i wanted todo (not needed todo), replacing the chain and full clutch assembly with full service. cost me £1700 for the lot.

[vdubwise]

Hi there, what a great video! I have a 2006 E90 320d m sport I purchased last year. 94000 miles on the clock, two previous owners (guy I bought it from had it 6 months) and full service history, proving really great value for the £2600 I spent on it! Use it daily for work and for family stuff etc. Apart from the heated rear window not working and some pixels not showing on the radio, everything is working great for a nearly seventeen year old car! Would have loved a bigger engine, but this was purchased for the decent fuel economy.

[tjaartjacobs]

In South Africa the N47D was serviced every 15 000 even by dealers so little to no one had timing chain issues. My experience however is there is a cooling pipe that will fail running on the top part of the engine that needs replacing as a preventive measure. Also make sure there is no water in the battery box located in the boot / trunk of the car. This seems to be a common E9x issue.

[hungrysurfer]

I got my 330d manual 12 years ago. Use it as my daily. 341, 000 on the clock now. Ran it in gently for 9000 miles then mapped it to 330hp and emission filter delete. This improved the fuel economy a lot. 60s mpg on the highway, 40s in town. I recommend a birds bmw B1 dynamic kit LSD upgrade, it improves the traction a lot and body control. I tried out a few F30s and G20 new generations but sadly BMW removed their traditional qualities, to make a world car and feel Japanese like Honda Toyota. If i wanted a reliable honda shopping trolley id buy one, but i want to buy traditional bmw steering feel and 50 50 balance which the E9X has but they removed with the F30 & G20 gens. So totaly unplanned I end up keeping my E9X many more years. Now with all the dangerous driver interference technology there is no way id buy a BMW that steers itself to crash into bicycles or brakes hard exiting a roundabout to cause a rear end crash from the car behind you. 341, 000 miles is a lot, it wont last forever, what do I do ? Maybe look for another E9X with less miles or try an F10 5 series.

[BMW-trnf]

Thanks for a very informative review on all these models. Well done.

[JackiG]

Great vid for info on my 2008 328i - she has 136k miles and is running like a dream with regular BMW maintenance. Only issue is the oil pan gasket which is a plastic seal that cracks and should be rubberized. $1700 to replace the little plastic seal and most is labor to get to the hidden, parts. I highly recommend occasional Fuel & Exhaust
System Cleaner that you can get from BMW. I add one to my gas tank every time I change the oil to clean and maintain the fuel system, resulting in better fuel consumption and engine performance

[targa]

If you’re looking for a convertible, double check the weather seals all around the vehicle. Drop the top halfway and examine the mechanism for dry crusty seals at all the connection points. Dry or cracked seals are a red flag. They required special care and maintenance from the previous owner. Neglected cars have leaking c and a pillars and the replacement seals are difficult to find now. Just be wary, buyer. These vehicles are timeless, but they are still older now.

[elliottpalumbo]

The steering column lock problem was more common on the Volkwagon/Audis cars then the BMWs. When it comes to the BMW electronic steering system what's very common to break on those are the computer module shorting out causing the steering to feel very sticky.

[johannes.m]

Ive heard that the fuel injectors are a pretty hot item to replace

[intunewithcars]

i have an lci 325i se n53 3, 0 litre steptronic...i literally love it...great car drives wonderful and very fast

[Mdskillssah]

Great car
Awesome for long trips
Almost 200k
Still running perfectly.
DIY for the maintenance
Look after and it‘ll look after you.

[enviro__life]

Since l have E90 2.5 325i N52 (2006) 138k mileage the lastest issue l have is the Abs pump unit failure and Vanos (which now disappeared lol) but otherwise N52B25 is the best engine ever I’m happy about my first car the comfort is ok because in UK with M sport suspension our road is bad but the performance is still nice for +16 year old car just because I’m living in central London it’s impossible for my car to be under 11L/100km consumption

[miketuber]

I have the 316i E90 2007 model with N45B16A! Amazing car and very reliable