[Warden55]

75k miles and a decent carfax, previous owner serviced at BMW dealer every 5k or so miles since 2014, what exactly should i prepare to do in terms of preventative maintenance, repairs, etc?

[John in VA]

Welcome! You have what's called the E90 chassis, so check with the various BMW online forums in that section.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series_(E90)

It's one thing to get the oil changed annually at the dealership, but I hope it didn't need too much work every 5k miles! With age/miles you're looking at replacing spark plugs, chance of a leaky valve cover gasket or oil filter housing gasket, strut & shock replacement, changing the fluids (transmission, differentials, brakes, coolant).

https://www.e90post.com/forums/
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/f...0-E91-E92-E93)
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/e9...-2006-2012.99/

[whyzee125]

What’s been done? Typically to get s good baseline youll want fresh:
-Plugs
-Coils
-Fluids (coolant, power steering, brake fluid included)
-water pump and thermostat aren’t a bad idea
-Any leaks taken care of if present. Several of the big ones have prob been done by now

Congrats! Let’s see some pics!

[Altamate]

A lot of stuff comes due around that mileage, hopefully some of it has been done. Brake pads and rotors haven’t been mentioned, besides the two oil leak points mentioned the oil pan gasket, also front suspension bushings.

[HUGN*RDS]

I was running an e90 as a third car up until recently, it was an 09 sedan with 84k miles..ran to 102k miles. In the 1 year I owned it, I had done the brakes, fuel pump, wheel speed sensor, driver and passenger door seals/rubber as there was significant water intrusion, and the typical maintenance otherwise it was a great vehicle. I was just surprised it needed things one after the other so I moved on.

[Warden55]

Originally Posted by Altamate

A lot of stuff comes due around that mileage, hopefully some of it has been done. Brake pads and rotors haven’t been mentioned, besides the two oil leak points mentioned the oil pan gasket, also front suspension bushings.

would all of this be possible to be done by myself? and which of these things would be considered most urgent?

[Altamate]

Originally Posted by Warden55

would all of this be possible to be done by myself? and which of these things would be considered most urgent?

Get an inspection done on the car, also from the carfax you find out where it was last serviced. What work they recommended at that time.

No need to just start replacing stuff now, just expect to have to do it at some point if it wasn’t done by prior owners

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by Warden55

would all of this be possible to be done by myself? and which of these things would be considered most urgent?

Check & replace immediately if any sign of oil contamination:
OFHG - BMW brand made in Japan. **N55s have a specific oil priming procedure you need to follow for this or similar jobs**
Accessory belt/tension - Continental/INA
Mickey Mouse flange - BMW brand or Rein aluminum with BMW O ring

Regular maintenance due unless documented as done:
Oil change with any LL01 oil you like and Mann filter (my rec)
AT fluid/filter - follow ZF procedure, works for GM too. Do NOT reset adaptions. Buy correct fluid and filter/pan.
Transfer case fluid - BMW branded - reset adaptions.
F & R differential fluid - I like Redline.
Brake fluid - Any DOT4
Coolant - BMW brand is great and undiluted.
Spark plugs - NGK Iridium
Air filters (engine and passenger cabin) - Mann or Hengst.

Check:
Valve cover for leaks. If so, due to age/miles, replace entire valve cover, not just gasket. BMW or Elring from Rock Auto.
Brake pads - Akebono ceramic HIGHLY recommended
Rotors - probably fine, but if not, replace when pads are needed. I like Ate.
Oil pan gasket. Probably leaking, just ignore it till you can't stand it. This is a tough job on RWD cars, and miserable on AWD. Pay someone else to do it with the money you save from DIYing the rest!

Consider:
Overflow coolant line going to expansion tank (on top of radiator). Be careful, it often breaks the upper radiator hose plastic when you remove it.
Charge pipe - Plastic one can fail and leave you stranded. VRSF or similar.

Monitor:
Battery - BMW brand from dealer, or Interstate from Costco. Register as new, possibly code if different type
Water pump - check for codes. Don't worry about it too much, they're pretty durable.

Purchase/procure: Proper BMW code reader and update tool. I like Bimmergeeks Protool (Android based). ISTA on a laptop is top tier but more involved. Dedicate Foxtool ain't so bad. Just have something specific for BMW and learn to use it. Generic code reader is not good enough. Note the existing codes on the car, and clear 'em all to start fresh!

All of the above minus the OPG are DIY jobs. Valve cover isn't that hard, but it's the most advanced of the rest. Everything else is just removing bolts and filling with fluids. Buy original BMW branded parts for cooling system including OFHG, hoses, etc. I like Redline for fluids other than motor oil. For oil I just buy LL01 that's the cheapest. Mann filters are great. Akebono pads are sooooo clean. Like night and day from anyone else.

Post in the E90 forum, you'll get more responses there (this is the general forum).

[Hank_BmvRep]

Originally Posted by Warden55

75k miles and a decent carfax, previous owner serviced at BMW dealer every 5k or so miles since 2014, what exactly should i prepare to do in terms of preventative maintenance, repairs, etc?

Nice pickup. At that mileage I’d plan on the usual N55 items, charge pipe, coils/plugs, water pumpt, and keep an eye on the oil filter housing gasket and valve cover gasket. If those are sorted, they’re pretty solid.