Previous generations of triples from BMW differed reliability and "indestructibility." Since the distant year of 1982, the third series in the E30, E36, E46 bodies were produced by the Bavarian concern and they all served for a long time and did not create problems for their owners, despite the rather complicated technical design.

And now we will examine in detail the penultimate generation in the body of the E90, which was produced from 2005 to 2012, there are still a huge number of such machines on the secondary market.

Externally, the car looks stylish and modern, despite its age, and in the future, the exterior design of BMW cars will not become obsolete. The quality of the body is also very high, corrosion does not take such a body. The paint coating layer is thick and strong, so the car remains as new for a long time, does not fade in car washes, does not fade with time, and if there are scratches, they are not visible due to high-quality metal.

In 2008 there was a restyling that fixed some childhood diseases. And in the dorestaylingovyh versions there are some flaws, cracking glass headlights are particularly noticeable, even with xenon headlights can safely crack without any reason. A new headlamp with xenon assembly will cost 700 euros.

In the models released after 2008, the glass on the headlights no longer burst. You can distinguish the post-styled 3rd series by updated bumpers, other nostrils, a muscular hood and LED headlights at the back.

Severe Russian winters are not very suitable for BMW electrics, especially in dorestaylingovye models in the fuse block JunctionBox the positive wire may be damaged, there have been cases that after 3 years he simply turned away. To fix this problem, you need to change the wire, and if it does not help, then replace the unit itself, which costs 400 euros.

If the rust gets to the wipers' mechanism, their joints will sour, causing the motor to overheat and fail. As for the exterior mirrors, their folding mechanism, if stuck, can be stirred up and smeared, then the exterior mirrors can be automatically folded. It is better to do such simple things than to buy a new janitorial mechanism and a folding mechanism, which cost 300 and 160 euros, respectively.

It is also necessary to monitor the bearings of the engine heater and lubricate them, especially for cars with an age of more than 6 years bearings dry out and create a not very pleasant whistle. There are more difficult situations when the car has a 2-zone climate control, and only cold air is blowing from the passenger side. It’s not so easy to solve the problem here - you need to change the heater valves, but it’s not cheap - 300 euros. They are located near the shield of the engine compartment, and also need to change the water pump, which costs about 170 euros.

If heated seats have stopped working, then there will not be any serious expenses if you have standard seats, they are heated with inexpensive elements - 18 and 60 euros for the pillow and back, respectively. And if sport seats are installed in the car, then you will have to make a replacement along with the skin, the price will be much more expensive, depending on the material used, the cost varies from 600 to 1000 euros.

In cars with gasoline engines, electrics are reliable enough and rarely cause trouble to owners. The only thing that can entail costs - servo throttle system Valvetronic. The price of the servomotor is 220 euros, it rotates the eccentric shaft, which regulates the course of the intake valves. Usually, this servomotor cannot withstand more than 50,000 km. Even earlier, individual ignition coils may fail, their price is 42 euros for each. Generators easily keep on 200000 km. But by this time the engine itself may require repair.

Motors in the BMW E90

In this generation of the 3-series BMW, the best Bavarian engines in the form of a plate — M54 — were no longer installed. Instead of these reliable and durable motors, new N52 engines were installed, which weigh less, consume less fuel, and have more power. But then, these motors are not as durable as the "stove". The new engines use a bimetallic cylinder block - the outer honor is made of a light magnesium alloy, and the inner one is cast from an aluminum alloy.

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Even the oil consumption of the M-series engines was significantly less: the more you drive at higher revs - the more oil consumption. And on new N-series engines, oil must always be added, regardless of where the tachometer needle is located. Most of the oil consumes a 2.5-liter engine, which is installed on 25% of cars - about 1 liter per 1000 km. The reason for such a large expense is that thin rings are used in the construction, and their shape is not the most successful, therefore the cylinder-piston group wears out very quickly, which entails an expensive repair - about 2,000 euros.

All gasoline engines are famous for the fact that the oil wiper caps are no longer suitable for 100,000 km. run, and the oil gets into the inside of the cylinder, where the fuel mixture burns. A set of data caps will cost 50 euros.

Quite popular in the third series of BMW are 4-cylinder engines N46, cars with such motors for more than 25%. The oldest machines of this generation have a lot of problems - chain tensioner has weak sealing ringand also, after 50 thousand km. there is a leak through the valve cover gasket, the replacement of which will cost 80 euros.

These new engines don't even have a dipstick to check the oil level. But there is a sensor that monitors the oil level, it gives these readings on the display of the onboard computer, but this data is not accurate enough, and is updated with a delay, so you should not trust them.

Even the ventilation of the oil sump can create problems, after 60,000 km it happens that it does not fulfill its functions. The point here is that oil separator membrane fails, and there is also a possibility that plastic pipes are clogged up with deposits. Replacing the membrane will cost 90 euros, and a set of pipelines - 100 euros. If the crankcase ventilation is not repaired in time, the valve hydraulic bearings may fail due to oil starvation. Each hydraulic support costs 10 euros, and a total of 24 pieces. if you take a 6-cylinder engine.

You should also monitor the vacuum pump, especially after 120 thousand km. If there are drips of oil, then it is necessary to replace the gasket in it. In general, the vacuum pump is reliable here, it costs 300 euros and calmly serves no less than 200 thousand km.

The cooling system also requires attention, especially in 6-cylinder engines that suffer from overheating, they have little space under the hood, and the temperature of the refrigerant is not shown on the dashboard. In order for the cooling system to work properly, it is necessary to clean the gap between the radiators every 2 years, as well as to clean the radiator cells, they are small and after 70 thousand km. can get clogged. For prophylaxis, every 60,000 km is recommended. replace the expansion tank capwhich is inexpensive - only 15 euros. The valve of this lid can imperceptibly jam, because of this the radiator, water pump and thermostat will deteriorate, which will be much more expensive than the lid of the expansion tank. There are positive changes, now there are fewer problems with the fan, on the M-series engines a design with a thermal coupling was used, and in the new engines a completely electrical design was introduced.

Valve train chain it is very reliable here, one might say eternal, for prevention it is desirable to change the hydraulic tensioner once every 100,000 km, it costs only 40 euros. As for the circuit on some diesel engines, the opposite is true - it lives a little.

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In 2007, a 4-cylinder diesel engine N47 with a volume of 2 liters appeared. Capacity ranges from 115 to 184 liters. with. It uses an aluminum cylinder block, and the chain is already after about 100,000 km. it can stretch and jump so much through a few teeth of the drive sprocket, and it can even break. In both cases - a very expensive engine repair. Therefore, starting from 80,000 km. it is better to change it immediately, so as not to risk the motor.

BMW has been struggling with this problem for a long time, installing various tensioners, completely changing the motors under warranty. But the owners of these cars are not particularly easy, you have to listen when you go, whether unusual sounds appeared from under the hood. It is also unpleasant that the timing gear is located at the rear of the unit, so it’s difficult to keep track of its condition in order to change the chains - you need to completely remove the engine.

Wait, when there will be a vibration and sound, as if something is being sawn in the upper part of the engine and the power of the car will decrease - it is not worth it, especially on those cars where there is no guarantee. Sure to change the timing gear you need to spend more than 2,000 euros, but if the chain breaks, you will have to completely change the engine, and these are other costs - the new engine costs 10,000 euros. It is not expedient to pay such money, because the BMW 3-series car in the back of the E90 with mileage costs about 15,000 euros. So, those owners who have had a similar situation calmly install a used motorized motor that they bought during disassembly. Excellent for these purposes are not cleared cars.

Here in the old turbo diesel engines M47 and M57, the problems cast out of cast iron are much less, but these engines cannot be called ideal. For example, after 150,000 km. run, if there was a smell of burning rubber, it means that it’s time to replace the crankshaft pulley together with the torsional vibration damper. It will cost about 300 euros.

And the 3-liter diesel engine M57 may crack exhaust manifold, made of steel. New such costs about 400 euros. When mileage reaches 200,000 km., It is necessary to closely monitor intake manifoldso that there are no traces of oil near the dampers of the vortex channels. If there is oil, then the valve, which has a broken axle, has failed, it can get directly into the cylinder. Therefore, we must quickly go to the service station and correct the situation.

Transmission from BMW 3-series

The BMW transmissions are reliable, especially the xDrive all-wheel drive system. The manual gearbox on 6 steps Getrag works for a long time and does not create any problems, except that the clutch needs to be changed every 200,000 km. Replacing the clutch will cost about 400 euros.

As for the 6HP automatic transmission box from ZF, this box is not particularly reliable. Despite its prevalence, it requires some costs: after 120 thousand km. It will be necessary to change the seals, if they flow, as well as gaskets. All this will pull 300 euros. And when the mileage will be over 200,000 km., There is a risk that the friction clutches, the torque converter and the electronic-hydraulic control unit will fail. Such a serious repair to replace all of these elements will draw about 2000-3000 euros.

On versions with more power, you need to keep an eye on the rear axle - if during a sharp start from the place there are light tapping, then you need to replace the loosened nut of the cardan flange, which is attached to the main gear, as soon as possible. If the nut is fully loosened, the drive shaft will fall off on the way.

Suspension

In the third series BMW in the back of the E90, the suspension does not live long, especially if the car drives along Russian roads. Already after 40 thousand km. need to change the stabilizer and bushings for them, in versions before restyling, the sleeves failed very quickly, but the post-styled sleeves were made from stronger material, which positively affected their durability. Already after 100 thousand km. it will be necessary to change the shock absorbers, the front ones cost 200 euros each, and the rear ones 250 rubles each. The levers on the front suspension will also need to be replaced, each of which costs 120 euros, but the rear suspension arms can last up to 140,000 km.

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On models with all-wheel drive, the suspension starts to crumble faster than on models with rear-wheel drive. If you take for example the BMW X3 in the back of the E46, then it has levers made of steel and not aluminum, which already makes the suspension more durable. In addition, in the E90 treshka front bearings do not live long and they need to be changed simultaneously with the hub, and on X3 there are bearings that calmly withstand 200 thousand km each.

Brakes

Brakes in general have taken on several functions at once: simply braking with the help of the brake pedal, they are also involved in the ESP system and imitate locks. Therefore, the brake pads are quickly erased - after about 50,000 km. The caliper must be kept clean when the car slows down, the discs and pads become very hot, and from high temperatures the caliper becomes covered with a crust of mud that has been caked, so there are cases when the brake pads are stuck. Also due to severe heating hub flanges may oxidizeon which the wheels are held. Due to such oxidations, then it becomes problematic to remove the wheels.

The BMW 3-ki steering is at a height, the steering rack is reliable and serves for a long time, there are also modifications with the ActiveSteering system, they also do not cause problems. There are cases that after 100,000 km. Still, there is a backlash, but there may be a problem in the cross of the steering shaft, change it will cost 210 euros. After about 150,000 km. may require replacing power steering pump, it needs to be changed as soon as possible, because if it is worn out, then it will start to pour chips, which will scatter throughout the system, which can affect the steering rack very badly, and if it fails, you will have to pay 1,400 euros , just so much is the new rack mechanism.

In general, it can be said that the reliability of the 3rd series of the BMW E90 has significantly deteriorated when compared with the previous generation of the 3-ki - E46. But for those who decide to buy this Eimer bimer, it’s better to stay away from modifications with a 2.5-liter gasoline 6-cylinder engine and a 2-liter diesel engine N47. It is better to choose among the 3-liter gasoline engines and diesel engines, poured from cast iron. These motors are less of a problem for their owners. The gearbox is the most reliable mechanic, it lasts the longest. You should also choose the car after the restyling one, many children's diseases are corrected in it, the normal car costs about 900,000 - 1,100,000 rubles. About the same are in the secondary market of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen Passat B6. These machines are no more problematic than the BMW Three, and also, their predecessors are considered more reliable.

Sometimes it helps a lot to watch videos with test drives and car inspections before you buy directly. In this regard, here is a video on how to inspect the BMW 3 Series car in the 46th body: