Hey, I jus reached 108K on my 330ci, and would like to tune her up. Any Suggestions on what i should change, and what brands should i use thae as close to OE or better.
Change plugs, air filter, fuel filter, and oil if it needs it. That is pretty much it. It would not kill you to go ahead and replace the coil boots. Check to see if the valve cover gasket is leaking and check for splits in the intake boots. The upper one is prone to splitting at the accordian. Go with the factory recommended plugs. Go with a Bosch or Mann or Mahle fuel filter and air filter. Use a little anti-sieze on the plug threads and a little dielectric grease on the boots.
Thanx, I found some plugs on bavauto.com bosch +4 were 5.95 each, and the other Bosch plugs which are recommended were $17.95 each are the plugs for this car usually that expensive?
Yes, they are that expensive. BMW recommends replacing them at 100k, so they were built to last. IIRC, you need the NGK BKR6EQUP on your car. You can get them here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/catalog/shopcart/BE46/POR_BE46_BAStun_pg1.htm I have always used them for customer tune ups and never had a problem. Hell, they lasted 108k in your car.
Thanx for the website really helpful. Next question is Bosch betterthan NGK? I always thought so but never really knew.
Depends. THey like to think so, but I believe that they are hit and miss. For your car, you will get conflicting opinions, but I always use the NGKs because that is what they came with. The regular Bosch platinums are junk. The +4s are OK, I guess.
I addition the the above, change the diff and manual tranny fluid. Check the brake pads and disks and consider replacing the brake fluid. Check the radiator and cooling system for tell tale signs of leaks (white powdery residue). Replace the coolant. I prefer NGK by a large margin based on two bad experiences with Bosch.
+1 for the above. I know it is out of the scope of the regular tune up, but consider replacing the thermostat and coolant expansion tank if they are original.
If you decide to replace the coolant, consider replacing the water pump, thermostat and hoses at the same time. The Stewart Warner water pump is about twice the price of the BMW unit, but has a limited lifetime warranty. http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html/show_category.asp?txtsearchParamCat=Engine#WaterPumps
Oddly, I have not seen as many water pumps fail as I have seen coolant tanks, thermostats, and to a lesser extent, radiators. The hoses, in my experience, actually seem to hold up, even the clip on types. If you wanted to you could replace the entire cooling system in one go, just to be safe, but that gets pricey. Might want to check belts and idler pulleys, since these fail more often than the water pumps.
I have the same philosophy as Paul. My hoses are original at 120k with the last 40k often on the track. They are soon to be replaced with the radiator. I wouldn't replace hoses except as part of another repair. The Stewart pump was about 4x the cost of stock(internet price) and it is absolute overkill for a street car.
