These days, 3 grand buys an e90 330i ...

[Christopher]

Sold mine for 6k but I was in a rush, took 30mins ha ha ha.

£6k!? Is was mint wasn't it?

 

[Jason_E]

You bought a cheap E90? From the West Midlands? This has disaster written all over it. Following.

(Smart car, mind).

 

[Sir_Dave]

Got some B12's to fit today myself. Good price, bought from venom motorsport by any chance?

Nah, Amazon. £540 instead of the usual £720 - what they are back up to now.
Came direct from Bilstein in Germany ?

How did you find this so cheap Dave? I’ve been looking for similar to replace the 6 with and everything half decent is 7k odd

I just spend far too much time on ebay, pistonheads & autotrader @Rob
Also have a habit of buying cars that i dont necessarily need, because they are a good deal, then ending up with too many cars.
In all seriousness, if you're after one, i'd sell this for the right money ?

You bought a cheap E90? From the West Midlands? This has disaster written all over it. Following.
(Smart car, mind).

Ha ha, you bought a cheap (but nice) 986. It seems we both like to live dangerously ?

 

[Rob]

Nah, Amazon. £540 instead of the usual £720 - what they are back up to now.
Came direct from Bilstein in Germany ?

I just spend far too much time on ebay, pistonheads & autotrader @Rob
Also have a habit of buying cars that i dont necessarily need, because they are a good deal, then ending up with too many cars.
In all seriousness, if you're after one, i'd sell this for the right money ?

Ha ha, you bought a cheap (but nice) 986. It seems we both like to live dangerously ?

£3,540 (the 540 is to cover the coilover cost) ?

 

[RDH]

I have a dream of a 3k 330i, although it is slowly dying. Anything decent looking on the surface is 5k plus.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

£6k!? Is was mint wasn't it?

Yeah but BMW offered me 4k and I had 3 days to sell it or accept it. I had a nosey at similar E90's with similar mileage and spec and it was like 1 or 2k off the mark. 96k needed a few bits (nothing serious) and I wanted 340 goodness desperado.

 

[Christopher]

Yeah but BMW offered me 4k and I had 3 days to sell it or accept it. I had a nosey at similar E90's with similar mileage and spec and it was like 1 or 2k off the mark. 96k needed a few bits (nothing serious) and I wanted 340 goodness desperado.

Fair enough yeah. I'm fully converted to the BMW life btw.

 

[Cookson]

Fair enough yeah. I'm fully converted to the BMW life btw.

As great as it is, it can get a little boring too.

Hence me chopping mine in for a 3.2 TT

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

As great as it is, it can get a little boring too.

Hence me chopping mine in for a 3.2 TT

You were bored so you got a TT v6?

Does not compute!

 

[Christopher]

You were bored so you got a TT v6?

Does not compute!

Exactly what I thought.

It's like getting sick of how raw an NA MX-5 is, then buying a DC2.

 

[BIFCAIDS]

Exactly what I thought.

It's like getting sick of how raw an NA MX-5 is, then buying a DC2.

Well all depends on what BM your driving... I've only even driven 6 cylinders or V8 so I can't relate.

 

[Cookson]

You were bored so you got a TT v6?

Does not compute!

I went from a 330i tourer auto, to a 320d tourer auto. The 320d was a much nicer place to sit, but boring as sin. So I bought a 3.2 V6 manual. Totally different beast.

 

[Jason_E]

Ha ha, you bought a cheap (but nice) 986. It seems we both like to live dangerously ?

Yeah, the irony of coming from a previous E92 M3 owner was totally intentional hahaha

 

[Sir_Dave]

Never one to stop buying things that i dont really need ... facelift climate control panel with the chrome knobs instead of black plastic ...


Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Minor change, but i think it ties in better with the rest of the dash, especially if my next addition (as below) goes to plan.


Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

In effect, whilst my little Bluetooh dongle is ok for music streaming, its not so brilliant for actual talking (you have to switch the headunit to "AUX" to hear anyone for starters), which is a tad unhelpful being that im trying to setup a business, so out & about quite a bit at the moment!! On that basis, im currently pondering either the LCI headunit with Bluetooth/USB/DAB that @GrahamS has fitted to his 135i, or just going all out & doing CIC/Combox ... the latter does look infinitely cooler, especially if i can get Waze/Carplay integration somehow (also dont actually think i've seen Pro Media with Alcantara interior before!), but the difference is circa £1k ?

I also keep looking at saloon 335i's because they are cheapish now, naturally forgetting that they are unreliable POS'.

The circa £4k price to change would also buy me this ... https://esstuning.com/ess-n52-vt1-supercharger-system-gen-2/ which sounds far more interesting!

 

[JB21]

Fitted the Bilsteins yet?

 

[GrahamS]

Jesus dave you changing your car more than I change my pants.

Mine isn’t a DAB unit because the antenna is a bit difficult to run. When factory fitted it attaches to the rear windscreen which after a certain age has the antenna built in. Have a look at jay bmw retrofits on Facebook. They are the lords of retrofit. And yes don’t get an n54 for reliability, as you know mine still needs about £5k spending on it to make it the Car I want. Le Mans blue though, what a colour

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Buy my M135i before I give it to WBAC later this week, nice reliable N55

 

[Rob]

Buy my M135i before I give it to WBAC later this week, nice reliable N55

You’re not serious?

 

[Jack!]

Do the BMW forum guys still recommend Dynavin units? I've just put one in my TT and I'm pretty happy with it. Integration is very good, much better than an Alpine/Pioneer etc, and much better quality than the eBay Android units.

 

[JB21]

Buy my M135i before I give it to WBAC later this week, nice reliable N55

How much you want?

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

You’re not serious?

Serious as cancer!

 

[Sir_Dave]

Fitted the Bilsteins yet?

No lol, have priced up all the other odds & sods i need to fit them though, top mounts, bushes etc etc, about £200 worth from BMW.

Jesus dave you changing your car more than I change my pants.

Mine isn’t a DAB unit because the antenna is a bit difficult to run. When factory fitted it attaches to the rear windscreen which after a certain age has the antenna built in. Have a look at jay bmw retrofits on Facebook. They are the lords of retrofit. And yes don’t get an n54 for reliability, as you know mine still needs about £5k spending on it to make it the Car I want. Le Mans blue though, what a colour

Useful info about the DAB, ill have to look into whether the BMW Diversity antenna is a must, or if aftermarket amplified will do instead. Bugger me about the 135i's (lack of) reliability though, you've just put me off them again ? ESS s/c instead of upgrading to a 335i it is then. Re: coding, ill have to watch your video, having now installed all the coding stuff on my laptop, i think i'll just give it a go myself ...

Buy my M135i before I give it to WBAC later this week, nice reliable N55

The temptation was strong, but alas, it wasnt worth the extra £££'s over the 330i i dont think ?

Do the BMW forum guys still recommend Dynavin units? I've just put one in my TT and I'm pretty happy with it. Integration is very good, much better than an Alpine/Pioneer etc, and much better quality than the eBay Android units.

People still use them as far as im aware, but i always prefered OEM, even if most of the time its far worse ?

Which brings me onto my next update; DHL just delivered what looks like a body ...

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Oh herro.

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Dunno where im gonna hide this from Sarah however, it wont fit in the boot like all my other car parts ?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

Should have left it in the garden and written HAPPY HALLOWEEN on it ...

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

That's quite the task. I used to consider dash removal a right of passage to calling a car your own. I did Mk1 > Mk2.5 upgrade on my old MX5, the Ph1>Ph2 upgrade on my 172...

Not sure I'd brave a BMW dash tbh!

I also quite like the clean look of an E90 without iDrive. But then I'm probably in the minority who would actively look for a non-nav car with a manual box.

 

[Rob]

Errrrrr, what did I miss? Why are you changing the dash?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Not sure I'd brave a BMW dash tbh!

It doesnt actually look that hard (famous last words!), 5 bolts holding it in, but lots of ancillaries that need to come off. 3 hours work apparently ... ?

Errrrrr, what did I miss? Why are you changing the dash?

I want to fit OEM bluetooth, so considered just getting the unit that GrahamS has, but realistically speaking (unlike @Jeff simply), i hate the look of the non-idrive dash, so thought id put in either OEM CIC/Combox retrofit (the usual nav/bluetooth/BMW apps etc) or perhaps an iPad Mini in the upper display area ( for Waze/Music/other stuff). No idea how the latter would work, although i think AvinUSA do a screen that allows Carplay/iPhone mirroring etc when linked to the CIC.

All in all, i just wanted something to tinker with.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

There are certainly some cool aftermarket options for that unit. If you've got it all out I'd be very tempted to look at aftermarket double DIN solutions that utilise CarPlay/Android Auto.

M135i went for a half decent price to a dealer at the weekend btw. I kind of miss it now it's gone though... The guy collecting it obliged by ripping it up the road whilst I filmed, they don't half sound good as they come!

 

[Sir_Dave]

Yes, lots of options available if you have the double scoop screen to fit it all into. Will deffo do that first, then assess what i want to fit in "all the holes" ?

Re: the M135i ... I saw it for sale yesterday actually ... instantly thought "i recognise that car" ?

 

[Rob]

It doesnt actually look that hard (famous last words!), 5 bolts holding it in, but lots of ancillaries that need to come off. 3 hours work apparently ... ?


I want to fit OEM bluetooth, so considered just getting the unit that GrahamS has, but realistically speaking (unlike @Jeff simply), i hate the look of the non-idrive dash, so thought id put in either OEM CIC/Combox retrofit (the usual nav/bluetooth/BMW apps etc) or perhaps an iPad Mini in the upper display area ( for Waze/Music/other stuff). No idea how the latter would work, although i think AvinUSA do a screen that allows Carplay/iPhone mirroring etc when linked to the CIC.

All in all, i just wanted something to tinker with.

Interesting.

My biggest bug bear with BMW's is that they have their weird time frame where they will do calls via bluetooth but no audio. Mental.

Keep this well updated.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Looks like a nice ad but I literally couldn't buy a car like that from a dealer like that. Something in me just feels dodgy about it.

I wish them well with it though! It's a clean(ish) car.

 

[alistairolsen]

That's quite the task. I used to consider dash removal a right of passage to calling a car your own. I did Mk1 > Mk2.5 upgrade on my old MX5, the Ph1>Ph2 upgrade on my 172...

Not sure I'd brave a BMW dash tbh!

I also quite like the clean look of an E90 without iDrive. But then I'm probably in the minority who would actively look for a non-nav car with a manual box.

+1

 

[Rob]

BMW's do not look good without iDrive! Because if they haven't got it, they've not got a s**t load of functionality. So pov is not a good look.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

On later models for sure, but what useful functionality did a 2006 E90 have?

 

[Rob]

On later models for sure, but what useful functionality did a 2006 E90 have?

Audio, nav, climate and service timings, oil level etc?

 

[alistairolsen]

As a 2006 E90 owner, I don't want/need 12 year out of date non-google based nav, my phone does that job perfectly. I have climate control and dont really see what I-drive would add to it, service timings and oil level are all in a menu off the service button on the indicator stalk, although I still check it under the bonnet twice a month when I'm doing screenwash, other fluids and tyres just because it's good practice.

Not sure what additional benefit it adds to my audio, but it plays CDs/radio/aux in and USB fine and the bluetooth handsfree works fine.

This is the issue with SO many cars, until they just install an android tablet and let you configure it yourself, you're just stuck with crap that's out of date, or doesnt work, operated through an awkward interface.

 

[Christopher]

Wow, you're brave!

They do update the interior massively though. I viewed a pre-LCI 335d without ID before mine and the interior felt grim, so I get whey you want to change.

CCC system with a few tweaks would be awesome.

 

[Christopher]

On later models for sure, but what useful functionality did a 2006 E90 have?

You wouldn't want to use a CIC iDrive system in 2018, I can tell you that much! Lol.

 

[Sir_Dave]

So this happened.

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Back in 2008, a chap called "Booster4075" created a mammoth thread on how to retrofit CCC.
He then created a nice little PDF which i followed for the dash removal etc: https://www.pdf-archive.com/2017/04/01/e90-idrive-retrofit/e90-idrive-retrofit.pdf

Took about 3 hours all in, less rattles now than previously, which is always nice ?

Looked like this at the end of the day, few more bits of trim required ... but the bulk of the work is done:

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

My CIC unit then arrived. Naturally being a breakers yard, they had just cut the cables, so when i pulled out the Fakra antenna:

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

FFS. They wont refund me, so i'm (when i say me, i mean Sarah's dad, whose a retired electronics engineer!) going to have to re-solder on a new Fakra to the CIC at some point. Still it came with the latest C1A firmware so its not the end of the world.

At this point, it was time to tackle the wiring, so i used another guide, this time by "mr_vys": https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1336444

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Unfortunately, i found that PIN 37 at the JBE already had something in it, so whilst the Screens Can +/- and ground went in there, i spliced into a retrofit Quadlock harness for power. For the controller i simply spliced all cables into the Quadlock. No OEM wires have been cut, so i can go back to standard if needs be.

By this point, i had something that resembled a dashboard again:

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

So after a little coding (changing the VO) with NCS as per this video:

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Da Na ?

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Everything works bar the Nav, this can be activated with software/code these days, but my god it looks complicated, so ill probably just buy an emulator for £45. In all honesty, i only ever use Waze, i dont like having the option greyed out in the menus, i also tend to leave the map in the smaller screen because, well i just think it looks nice lol.

Also coded front PDC so it appears on the screen, with all the latest bongs & other noises. Parking sensors come through in stereo now as well, which is useful.

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Next job is to fit a combox & USB input in the armrest, primarily for the bluetooth phone calls, but it'll also give me better access to music etc on my phone. Thats another £400 or so however, so can wait a while, my little bluetooth aux thingy works ok for the moment. Oh and i also need some CIC trim, my controller is currently placed in the coin tray behind the gearstick ?

 

[Cookie]

If i ever buy an E90 I'll just bring it round for you to do, then ?

Oh and how many screws never went back in?

 

[Christopher]

Nice upgrade! Same as I have in my LCI now.

Do you need the newer iDrive controller to match? I'd imagine so.