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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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Helping out a friend with 2008 328i fixes
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01-03-2018, 02:56 PM | #1 |
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Helping out a friend with 2008 328i fixes
Hello Everyone. I'm helping out someone get there 328i in better shape. She received quotes from the dealer and as a single mom, the prices just aren't in her budget. Here is the list:
VCG - cracked and leaking LR Window regulator LR Window Motor RR Door Actuator Sunroof Motor FR RDC Antenna Missing Oil filter housing gasket I've ordered the parts for the VCG including the cover, sensor, gaskets, and bolts. I know that is a fairly big job for me, but it looks like I'll be able to get it done. For the Regulator, do you guys have a recommended part or will any work. Also, could I just get away with ordering the plastic replacement parts instead of the whole thing? LR Window Motor - I'm not sure if the motor is bad, I feel like i can hear it for a split second try to go down, but I didn't want to hold the switch down for fear of breaking anything else. While I hear something happen for that brief second, the window doesn't move and that's why I immediately release. I don't want to force a bind in the glass or anything else i guess. Any other ideas before I pull the panel off? RR door actuator. I'm guessing these just go bad over time. Any place I should order one of these that are budget friendly yet have had a good reputation? Any luck with salvage yard options? Sunroof motor - This appeared to be totally dead and well it's because there were no fuses. I'm not sure why there are no fuses, but it's missing a few as far as I can tell. Once i placed a fuse, I think it was spot 29, in the top right hand corner, the sunroof moved, but it quickly blew a (20A)fuse. Do you think the tracks just need greased or do you think it's the motor? Any purchasing recommendations here? FR RDC Antenna Missing - I'm not sure what or where this part is to be honest. Is it the part in the wheel well behind the plastic cover? Any purchasing recommendations here? I'm assuming it will need to be programmed at the dealer once replaced. Oil filter housing gasket - Gasket has been ordered. This looks pretty straight forward with only one bolt in a tight location. Any tips or feedback would be appreciated. I'm no mechanic and I know that VCG job isn't fun, but I just had to try and help. I can't believe the dealership prices she was quoted. Thanks again! |
01-03-2018, 06:27 PM | #2 |
douchebaggo
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Leykis 101 rule: Never date single moms. But I digress...
VCG - read up and watch all youtube videos and you'll be fine. They have all the tips and tricks covered. If budget allows also replace the eccentric shaft sensor. LR Window regulator - $20 ebay ones don't last very long. I installed a $50 Dorman unit 2 years ago. It would get stuck at the open position at the beginning but it seems fine now. Safest route is OEM but they cost over $100. LR Window Motor - these don't usually break RR Door Actuator - don't think there's aftermarket for these. These fail because of the internal nylon gears breaking as they age. Unless you can find a used one that's less than 3 years old, I would just get new. Sunroof Motor - try hand cranking the sunroof first and check for resistance. FR RDC Antenna Missing - http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1204495 Oil filter housing gasket - bolt under the intake manifold is not the problem on N52, it's the one on the lower front that you have to worry about. Without the proper tool you may have to remove the coolant hose, which can easily break on older cars. |
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01-04-2018, 09:25 AM | #3 |
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haha..well, she's my wife's cousin so...
Yeah, I've watched a lot of long youtube videos on even made a sort of manual out of the PelicanParts HowTo. I think I'm going to try just replacing the green plastic piece on the regulator that appears to be the normal culprit. I'll know more on that this weekend when I have the car. I was hoping that was the case on the motor. Actuator - I've seen people replace the plastic gear on youtube. It doesn't look too difficult, but not sure if I'll go that route. I'm missing the manual crank tool for the sunroof, but from what I remember when I had the cover off, it looked like it takes an allen wrench so I'll give that a shot. Ahh, so the FR RDC Antenna is the Popsicle/USB thing they mentioned? Thanks for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it! |
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01-04-2018, 10:45 AM | #4 | |
Cometh
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01-04-2018, 11:39 AM | #5 |
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Thanks for that info. That was the one I was wondering most about on the oil filter housing. The front lower one. I have an 8mm wrench so I'm hoping that will work.
For those curious, here is what the dealership wanted to charge. LR Window Regulator and Motor----$852.19 RR Door Actuator ---- $455.15 Sunroof Motor----$846.96 Front Right RDC Antenna Missing----$623.47 Valve Cover and Gasket replace----$1,413.93 The VCG quote doesn't even include the VT Sensor. And I'm sure they would have came back and said oh your oil filter housing is leaking too. Which it is and I'm surprised they didn't quote for that originally. |
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01-04-2018, 12:28 PM | #6 |
douchebaggo
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I bought an e10 wrench specifically for that bolt but the head of the wrench was too big to clear the coolant hose. But somehow I was able to fit my e10 socket on there to finish the job.
Forget dealer prices. There's no reason you cannot do everything for under $1k excluding the sunroof as you don't know what the real issue is yet. |
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01-04-2018, 06:29 PM | #7 |
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All of the motors, like seats, windows,,and roof all have circuit breakers and offen fail from being used, they won't have fuses. These motors pull a lot of amps to operate. The front and rear motors are the same, as long as it's the correct side. The vc cover job will include a new cover, it's not worth going in there twice, especially if it's plastic. All these gaskets will take a day to replace. The door regulator that has a cable held in by plastic, the cable usually pulls and breaks the plastic, save the headache and buy a complete one,and as far as the antenna, I would invistagate further into this, they don't go missing unless the car was bought without one, sensors are common, and the module can get wet and corrode. Without taking time and dianostiing every part wrong, it's hard to tell what the cost would be. I would concentrate on the window and door first, those are safety concerns. Hope his helps.
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01-05-2018, 05:58 AM | #10 |
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Use a 6" extension and a swivel for the one under the intake manifold on the OFG. Put some electrical tape on the swivel to stabilize it so it is not so wobbly. I might have used a 6"+3" extension. I don't recall. But under 30 minutes. Way cheaper than stealership.
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01-05-2018, 09:16 AM | #11 |
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Yeah, after doing so much research on this car, I'm starting to find out how many issues it has. Is this a BMW thing or just this series?
We have two Acuras and a Silverado and all three cars feel way tighter than this car. Granted one of the acura's and the silverado are two years newer(2010). The other Acura is new so that one doesn't really count in comparison. I was really close to buying a BMW convertible just as a fun car, but I'll definitely have to do more research after finding all the issues on this one. |
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01-05-2018, 09:24 AM | #13 | |
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N52 is very robust engine. Treat it well, and it will treat you well. Gaskets are main issue. Vanos Solenoids are pain point, but simple cleaning takes care of them. Change any bad coils and replace plugs. Also change the serpentine belt and you should be ok. Engine wise there is not much to it. The other big thing is the water pump. Nothing on this car is more complicated than on Honda (to work on). Even parts are similar price as Honda. In my opinion, it’s actually easier to work on than Accord. |
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01-05-2018, 09:47 AM | #14 |
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The engine does feel stronger than our 2010 Acura TSX. We did get the smaller engine on the TSX because it's our daughter's first car.
I have a question about reading codes on this car. The car is showing the error symbol for the TPMS and Adaptive Headlights on the dash. I plugged my cheap bluetooth (Peak) scanner in and it's not seeing any codes. I've used this scanner on other vehicles to see and clear codes. Is this normal for me not to see codes with this cheap scanner? I only tried once. I spoke to a guy yesterday that said he would code those two things out for $50. He said I would need to replace the missing RDC Antenna for the error not to show after coding. |
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01-05-2018, 03:04 PM | #15 |
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You can pay him to do it, or just get a cable from bimmergeeks and download tools that they have on their website and do it yourself. (But you will have to learn a lot)
BMW has bunch of brand specific codes that are not accessible via generic code readers. If you want a specific code reader one of the best options is Carly for bmw. |
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01-05-2018, 03:25 PM | #16 |
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I thought about getting the cable and software, but I'm really busy these days and not sure I could fit in the proper time to pick up the code. I'll definitely go that route if I end up picking up a BMW for myself. Looks like there are some cool things you can mod.
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01-06-2018, 09:43 AM | #17 | |
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Parts are also much more expensive. The E90 water pump is 500-700 bucks, a Honda is at most 100. Vanos solenoids for these things can run $300. While the E90 is a much better driving car than a Honda, and much more premium, the service for the two are not even close. The most expensive thing on my sister's Acura 3.2TL has been the timing belt, which was $1000 at a shop. That's less than some valve cover gasket quotes from shops on the E90. I'd much rather drive my E90 than her TL, but at 150k miles her TL has needed a timing belt (100k service) and a $15 sway bar link.
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01-06-2018, 10:39 AM | #18 | |
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01-06-2018, 08:35 PM | #19 |
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Well, I think I had a successful install of the Valve cover and gasket. I took my time during the whole process and so it took me a while. It probably took me a good 4-5 hours. I haven't had a chance to drive it so, i'm leaving most of the plastics off so that I can monitor leaks.
I'm not 100% sure it's running smooth. Is is possible to install the Valvetronic motor incorrectly? Meaning, are you supposed to load or unload the for tension before the first start? I did go through the turn key on, turn key off, turn key on, turn key off, start process that I say on a youtube video. The video stated that was so the Valvetronic motor could learn the limits. Everything may be fine, just wanted to see if anyone had any feedback on this. I didn't get to finish the oil filter housing gasket. I got the difficult (front) bolt out using an 8mm ratchet. I got the top longer bolt out, but I couldn't find my adapter to get the last bolt. I think that will be an easy job once I get what I need tomorrow. I probably have it, but my garage is a mess. As a side note, I guess my cheap scanner is working. I did get a check engine code after the first start. It was a misfire in cylinder 4. I reseated everything, cleared the code, started the car and it didn't come back. Anyone know if about 850-890 degrees in the Catalytic converter sounds about right? I really appreciate you guys help. |
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01-07-2018, 01:11 PM | #20 |
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Oil filter housing gasket complete! I need to take it for a spin, but this job is done (knock on wood)!
I'm waiting on a couple of parts from amazon to do a couple other things. Upper windshield molding and the window regulator. |
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01-07-2018, 01:21 PM | #21 |
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In which converter? Keeping them consistent is what your shooting for, with those kind of miles, there may be some flexibility. If your running out of the parameters, you'll pop a catalyst code,,as long as there are not codes, then your within. That's a good sign,th car is running well. Have you done plugs yet? This is a great place to start if you hey haven't been done, also if you plan on doing the maintance from now on, you'll know it's been done and can track any misfires from here on out.
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01-07-2018, 07:55 PM | #22 |
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Thanks for the feedback JB. Car is running great now. I didn't have one of the connectors to the coil seated well.
I didn't check cat temps after that fix, but I could just hear that it was running "right". I was asking about cat temps because it was glowing at idle. Which may be normal. Anyway, all seems to be good now. |
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