Is an EDR Actuator a throttle actuator? Tips for car with 100k miles?

[911r]

Hello all,

I was recently offered an E90 M3 in my perfect spec (slick top, speed cloth, no edc, single hump, dct.) Anyways, I searched the car for maintenance records in my data base at BMW and saw the following, “EDR actuator (motor driven throttle valve control) with operating system, M-models permanent failure.” This service was done at 56,000 miles. Does anyone know what could have been done during this service?

Additionally - the car has 95,000 miles. The list of maintenance items that I plan on doing to it includes the following: rod bearings, TB actuators (if not already done,) spark plugs, change all filters, and perhaps solid rear subframe bushings, sway bar bushings, etc. DCT fluid has already been flushed. Anything else you guys recommend I look out for?

[WAKman]

Congrats on finding a truly rare car. Color?

I'd say it's a decent guess the service was to replace the throttle actuators. When you get "in there," you'll be able to tell whether the actuators have been replaced by their date codes. When I opened up my car (an '08) in 2017, I found actuators dated 2014, which meant they'd obviously been replaced. Since they were fairly new, I just replaced the OEM gears with the better aftermarket ones and put them back in. If you discover yours actuators have been replaced using the car's life, you might consider doing the same, as the replacement gears are a bunch cheaper than a pair of actuators.

I like your list of preventive maintenance. I'd add in new engine mounts.

Best,


Terry

[911r]

Originally Posted by WAKman

Congrats on finding a truly rare car. Color?

I'd say it's a decent guess the service was to replace the throttle actuators. When you get "in there," you'll be able to tell whether the actuators have been replaced by their date codes. When I opened up my car (an '08) in 2017, I found actuators dated 2014, which meant they'd obviously been replaced. Since they were fairly new, I just replaced the OEM gears with the better aftermarket ones and put them back in. If you discover yours actuators have been replaced using the car's life, you might consider doing the same, as the replacement gears are a bunch cheaper than a pair of actuators.

I like your list of preventive maintenance. I'd add in new engine mounts.

Best,


Terry

Alpine white, better than black in my opinion but not as great as Le Mans, or some of the other more vibrant colors. Because this is a daily I almost prefer the more subdue, and under the radar color. And that makes a lot of sense, I’ll definitely be doing that; it’s too bad it doesn’t specify which bank, if any were done in the first place.

I totally forgot about engine mounts, I’ll certainly be replacing those when I have the rod bearings done, perhaps even the trans mounts too.

Thanks for your input! I’m really looking forward to joining the E9x community.

[nyc_dude]

Don't buy an M3 with more than 60k-70k miles and don't use it as a daily driver. If you drive more than 8k-12k miles a year, it will cost you a fortune to maintain once you hit 120k-180k miles. You also need an expert M3 mechanic in your city to maintain it.

Buy a 60-70k mileage M3, and keep the yearly mileage below 5k-7k miles. Then buy a separate daily driver or SUV. F30/F32's with an N55/B58 are dirt cheap.

Enjoy it when you find the one!

Cheers

[911r]

Originally Posted by nyc_dude

Don't buy an M3 with more than 60k-70k miles and don't use it as a daily driver. If you drive more than 8k-12k miles a year, it will cost you a fortune to maintain once you hit 120k-180k miles. You also need an expert M3 mechanic in your city to maintain it.

Buy a 60-70k mileage M3, and keep the yearly mileage below 5k-7k miles. Then buy a separate daily driver or SUV. F30/F32's with an N55/B58 are dirt cheap.

Enjoy it when you find the one!

Cheers

Luckily, because of my proximity to work I only drive around ~ 5,000 miles a year (100-150 miles / month) and that is pretty much just from leisurely drives, or going to the grocery store. Daily driving is a bit of a stretch, but I didn’t really know what else to call it. I’ve considered purchasing another car, but it fiscally wouldn’t make sense; especially due to the fact that I have fairly limited parking where I live. Through trial and error with my previous 4 BMW’s, I’ve been lucky enough to find a great mechanic too. I’ve also considered purchasing a car with less miles, but for the spec I would want they’re significantly more expensive than the one I’m currently looking at, and after factoring in ~$5k for preventative maintenance, it just wouldn’t make sense. I’d rather have a 997.

I figured after I do rod bearings, throttle actuators, & deal with the valve covers (covers, gaskets, plugs) there really won’t me much to worry about. A co-worker of mine got his ‘08 to 150k miles with routine oil changes and putting stronger gears in the throttle body actuators. Perhaps I’ve seriously over estimated these cars though.

[jvictormp]

Originally Posted by 911r

Luckily, because of my proximity to work I only drive around ~ 5,000 miles a year (100-150 miles / month) and that is pretty much just from leisurely drives, or going to the grocery store. Daily driving is a bit of a stretch, but I didn’t really know what else to call it. I’ve considered purchasing another car, but it fiscally wouldn’t make sense; especially due to the fact that I have fairly limited parking where I live. Through trial and error with my previous 4 BMW’s, I’ve been lucky enough to find a great mechanic too. I’ve also considered purchasing a car with less miles, but for the spec I would want they’re significantly more expensive than the one I’m currently looking at, and after factoring in ~$5k for preventative maintenance, it just wouldn’t make sense. I’d rather have a 997.

I figured after I do rod bearings, throttle actuators, & deal with the valve covers (covers, gaskets, plugs) there really won’t me much to worry about. A co-worker of mine got his ‘08 to 150k miles with routine oil changes and putting stronger gears in the throttle body actuators. Perhaps I’ve seriously over estimated these cars though.

There are alternator, water pump, belts and tensioners, radiator coolant flush, and power steering flush too. But you may not need, there is no way to preview.

[pbonsalb]

Buy it, drive it, and learn to DIY to reduce maintenance costs. Maybe try to find one that has been well maintained and had the rod bearings done. 100k mile examples have popped up for as little as $20k