The Nurple | E91 6MT - manual BMW Sport Wagon Content)

Today I bought a new (to me) Car!  On Monday afternoon the right car popped up at the right time at a very fair price and I happened to be the first to respond & get on the phone with the seller.  After finally managing logistics (it was 3 hours away), it's finally in my driveway. 

RWD, sport package 328i Sport Wagon with a 6-speed manual transmission.  It has 185k miles, a few minor issues that I'm aware of, but it drives nicely, the seats are very comfortable and it's a bit of a unicorn.   I've always liked these cars and was close to buying on back in 2016.  Recently an acquaintance posted his E91 6MT as "sort of for sale" and I went to see it with my son (now w/a driver's license).  He really like it so I started actively looking for a manual-trans wagon.  The N52 has a reputation for being a good engine & as long as the car is running I don't think depreciation will be much of a concern.  It'll be my car, but I do plan to have him comfortable enough driving a manual transmission to auto-x with me and also to drive our rusty jeep around town & on the beach. 

Things I to fix/correct:

Headliner on the panoramic sunroof is sagging.  I'll clean out the sunroof drains to make sure they're clean.  Maybe I can  spray-glue it back up in place for the time being?  

The seller said there's a very slight leak from the oil pan gasket.  Valve cover and oil filter gaskets have already been done.  I'll have to investigate once it's on jackstands.

Cupholders.  The Germans think we should be driving, not drinking.  I drink lots of coffee.  I also rarely leave the house without a Yeti full of icewater.  The single cupholder isn't going to work for road trips...or even for the occational drive into the office.

The headlights are fogging a little. I don't think they're the original lamps.  I can buff/polish them.  I doubt I'll switch back to halo/angel-eye type lenses unless the performance of the current ones is bad.  

One of the key fobs needs a new battery.  Apparently, they're not designed to be serviceable...but they can be fixed w/some surgery. Also, only one the key fobs has the actual physical key portion.  Research needed.

The wheels are using 20mm spacers in the rear and 10mm in the front.  I've always thought using a spacer isn't a great idea if you're doing anything on the track.  I'm not sure if the wheels will clear everything w/out the spacers.  Research needed.

there's no spare tire.  I can pack a compressor & fix a flat.  I think I do recall reading about a solution for a dount...more research required.

I've been told the collant system was completey refreshed in the last ~3-4 years.

What else should I know?  

My only insight is that this is very cool. 

Carry on!

Love it, great spec. I'm glad someone bought/ordered a car like that when it was new.

The manual N52's use a steel pan that can rust out but hopefully that is not your issue that far south. The automatics had an aluminum pan which is a lot easier to source and can be modified to work, you can read more about that here - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/pinhole-in-steel-oilpan-weld-or-epoxy-or/241607/page1/

Looks like a great car in a great spec!

adam525i said:

Love it, great spec. I'm glad someone bought/ordered a car like that when it was new.

The manual N52's use a steel pan that can rust out but hopefully that is not your issue that far south. The automatics had an aluminum pan which is a lot easier to source and can be modified to work, you can read more about that here - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/pinhole-in-steel-oilpan-weld-or-epoxy-or/241607/page1/

It's a lifetime Florida car so the underneath is very, very clean.  Prior to buying this car the AWD car I had looked at had lived in the northeast & had lots of corrosion on the nuts/bolts.  No rot..but it was crusty.  The seller would have parted with it I was willing to overpay...but I told the kid it would be smart to wait.  A good lesson for the Kid in being patient & not just trying to buy the first thing you see.  

I have been running wheel spacers on my racecar for about 10 years with no issues.  Make sure the studs / bolts are of good quality and have enough thread engagement.

That's awesome. Love the color.

Awesome car!

You know this, but do not forget to clean the sunroof drains! I check the ones on my wife's wagon every six months and I flow well, but if they don't mayhem ensues.

The N52 is a very nice engine, I have one in my son's X3 and it is quite peppy even in that heavy car.

Slippery said:

Awesome car!

You know this, but do not forget to clean the sunroof drains! I check the ones on my wife's wagon every six months and I flow well, but if they don't mayhem ensues.

The N52 is a very nice engine, I have one in my son's X3 and it is quite peppy even in that heavy car.

Yes! This should be #1 on my list, since it should be an easy thing to inspect/test & a leaky roof would have a pretty significant impact.

another fan of RWD manual N52 here. 

Great buy - I think I saw this car on fb marketplace in the E91 group earlier this week and was surprised it didn't immediately go that day. Beautiful car and the price looked great. Hope you enjoy. RWD/6 speed combo means that someone will always want this car

Following. These are high on my wife's list to replace the Explorer. So hard to find though. Great color!

Wizard_Of_Maz said:

Great buy - I think I saw this car on fb marketplace in the E91 group earlier this week and was surprised it didn't immediately go that day. Beautiful car and the price looked great. Hope you enjoy. RWD/6 speed combo means that someone will always want this car

Yes, this is the same car.  The seller & I agreed on a price & logistics shortly after it was posted.  I'd been looking for something that would be challenge-eligible, but nothing close enough seemed to surface.  I happened to grab my phone off the charger mid-afternoon & the ad was in my news feed.  Aside from a little paint-checking on the hood as far as I can tell the car was exactly as described.  The seller had some family issues pop up that delayed us a few days & people never stopped writing him while the ad was marked "pending."  I got a little nervous someone would offer convince him strike a new deal...but he stuck to his agreed terms. 

There's an xi  (AWDD) manual car in Maryland at a wholesaler that i was planning to see & potentially buy next week.  I was planning to be nearby for work already.  He was only asking $5k but it had a rebuilt title, both front fenders had dents & it was in generally rough looking shape. It didn't have sport seats either.  I can send his phone number if anyone is interested.  

Hoondavan said:

Wizard_Of_Maz said:

Great buy - I think I saw this car on fb marketplace in the E91 group earlier this week and was surprised it didn't immediately go that day. Beautiful car and the price looked great. Hope you enjoy. RWD/6 speed combo means that someone will always want this car

Yes, this is the same car.  The seller & I agreed on a price & logistics shortly after it was posted.  I'd been looking for something that would be challenge-eligible, but nothing close enough seemed to surface.  I happened to grab my phone off the charger mid-afternoon & the ad was in my news feed.  Aside from a little paint-checking on the hood as far as I can tell the car was exactly as described.  The seller had some family issues pop up that delayed us a few days & people never stopped writing him while the ad was marked "pending."  I got a little nervous someone would offer convince him strike a new deal...but he stuck to his agreed terms. 

There's an xi  (AWDD) manual car in Maryland at a wholesaler that i was planning to see & potentially buy next week.  I was planning to be nearby for work already.  He was only asking $5k but it had a rebuilt title, both front fenders had dents & it was in generally rough looking shape. It didn't have sport seats either.  I can send his phone number if anyone is interested.  

Ah!  I saw it on there too, was severely tempted to try to snap it up.  Glad it went to an enthusiast, the price on it was bonkers good.  

A few observations after a few trips to/from the airport, work & around town:

I've always liked this color mostly because it's unusual.  What I really like is how different it can look under different light. In bright sun it's burgundy.  In flat light at sunset it looks brown.  

This is a great long-distance hauler.  The seats are very adjustable & hands-down the most comfortable I've owned.  Cruising at 75ish mph at just under 2,750 RPMs still offers lots of torque for passing.  It's quiet, but you can also hear the engine juuuust enough.  16 Gallon fuel tank means 400 miles of range should be easy.  SWMBOs Lexus GX struggles cover 300 miles of range unless it's straight highway cruising.  The only thing I do need to adjust to is the sensitivity.  The car is planted at speed, but w/the steering ratio the car will wander if you turn around to grab something from the back seat.  Minor mental adjustment.  The smallish diameter chunky wheel is perfect.

Yes, I'll likely need to replace the lower oil pan gasket.  The lower pan gasket seems to be a $1k to $2k repair...and and was a factor for why this car was priced pretty low.    I haven't put it up on jack stands yet to confirm the source, but I'm going to plan on doing it in the next month or two...about when the next oil change is probably due.     I'll be shopping for a used engine support bar.  I watched a DIY video last night where the guy loosened...but did not completely drop the front subframe.  That allowed the steering rack & suspension to stay connected...but dropped it enough to be able to remove the pan.  Top tip:  Zip-tie the gasket in place until you get a few of the pan bolts in place.  Once I confirm it's not leaking from somewhere else I'll start ordering parts.  I need to spend a little replacing exhaust on SWMBOs jeep and the brakes on the minivan.

The biggest issue I've found so far is an SOS error that's stopped all sound from the radio.  The radio turns on, but the volume button does nothing. It happened for a few days after I bought the car, than randomly started working afew days later.  Now it's not working again.  The alert symbol (light bulb) followed by a picture of the phone w/a cross through it and SOS.  The audio system is based on light cables. I can see the light is reaching the amp in the driver-side rear panel by pulling the cable.  Most cars with this issue bypass the satellite radio by adding a looped cable to omit the satellite radio system altogether.  I don't see a satlite radio module in my trunk...so I'm at a loss.  The error is likely within the emergency calling feature...but I'm not sure how to fix this other than replacing the whole module.  More internet searching is needed.

The other issue is the headliner.  No immediate need, but I'll probably pull the whole panel  down & fix it properly.

In reply to Hoondavan :

Is the SOS button on the headliner or on the mirror itself? The SOS button is probably accidentally grounding itself, could be frayed wiring. The SOS and radio and even the light switch are all related somehow, don't ask me how I know :) Bottom line, I would look at the wiring close to the switch ... mine had the button on the rearview mirror and got damaged by an overly enthusiastic Safelite guy changing my windshield. BTW, dont use Safelite.

I thought the e90 3 series aged well looks wise, im not sure about the reliability as I never drove one, id defiantly would want a wagon if i stepped up to buy one. 

That's awesome!  

I often wish there was room in my life for a manual wagon again. 

I did the oil pan gasket on my 128i. Can confirm that an engine support bar (got mine at harbor freight) is extremely helpful for the exact reason you said. If you don't loosen the subframe to drop it, i don't see how the oil pan would ever come close to coming out. I had a hard enough time getting it back in with the subframe bolts at the last couple of threads. Other than that, it's not too bad a job.

Slippery said:

In reply to Hoondavan :

Is the SOS button on the headliner or on the mirror itself? The SOS button is probably accidentally grounding itself, could be frayed wiring. The SOS and radio and even the light switch are all related somehow, don't ask me how I know :) Bottom line, I would look at the wiring close to the switch ... mine had the button on the rearview mirror and got damaged by an overly enthusiastic Safelite guy changing my windshield. BTW, dont use Safelite.

SOS is on a panel on the ceiling, right by the mirror.  What's weird, is when you press the button it the switch pops open.

In reply to Hoondavan :

Yep, that's just a cover. The switch is a little square button behind that cover. 
 

Crappy pic from my X3:

Been thinking about this, I am pretty sure your SOS problem is related to the sunroof drains. Have you been getting rain lately?

Test the drains with some water. 

Slippery said:

Been thinking about this, I am pretty sure your SOS problem is related to the sunroof drains. Have you been getting rain lately?

Test the drains with some water. 

You know...i still haven't checked them.  We haven't had much rain...but I am going to have to take a closer look.  I did buy a fiber loop to (hopefully) bypass the SOS and/or TCM module.  For $10 it might be worth checking.

In reply to Hoondavan :

Great score!  The sagging headliner and issue with the SOS switch do seem to indicate water entry from plugged sunroof drains.  I have a 135i that when plugged would drain down inside the A pillar wetting the OBD connector and soaking the carpet.  Tried reaming out the sunroof drains with welding wire, weed wacker line and even applied pressure and suction, but nothing worked.  I then discovered that there is a flexible rubber flattened nozzle if you will, at the bottom outlet under the car (think of the business end of whoopie cushion).  I still have no idea what it's intended purpose was, but what it does do is catch and retain any debris coming down the drain ultimately plugging it shut.  I cut that off and the problem was solved.  That was four years ago no apparent downside.  I'll bet the 3 series has the same thing.  

A caution if you do continue to try to ream it out from the top.  Friends warned me that if you push hard enough you can disconnect the drain hose from the sunroof with the much bigger problem that obviously causes.

Last thought...I didn't realize the SOS switch in these had a fiber optic connection.  My experience with fiber optic connections failing on a home AV system was that the cable terminals get dirty interrupting the light signal.  Try just disconnecting and gently cleaning that terminal; maybe with glass cleaner.  Worked for me.   

Good luck with the cool wagon!

GopherBrokeRacing said:

In reply to Hoondavan :

Great score!  The sagging headliner and issue with the SOS switch do seem to indicate water entry from plugged sunroof drains.  I have a 135i that when plugged would drain down inside the A pillar wetting the OBD connector and soaking the carpet.  Tried reaming out the sunroof drains with welding wire, weed wacker line and even applied pressure and suction, but nothing worked.  I then discovered that there is a flexible rubber flattened nozzle if you will, at the bottom outlet under the car (think of the business end of whoopie cushion).  I still have no idea what it's intended purpose was, but what it does do is catch and retain any debris coming down the drain ultimately plugging it shut.  I cut that off and the problem was solved.  That was four years ago no apparent downside.  I'll bet the 3 series has the same thing.  

A caution if you do continue to try to ream it out from the top.  Friends warned me that if you push hard enough you can disconnect the drain hose from the sunroof with the much bigger problem that obviously causes.

Last thought...I didn't realize the SOS switch in these had a fiber optic connection.  My experience with fiber optic connections failing on a home AV system was that the cable terminals get dirty interrupting the light signal.  Try just disconnecting and gently cleaning that terminal; maybe with glass cleaner.  Worked for me.   

Good luck with the cool wagon!

I checked the sunroof drain from the top this morning & everything looked clean & dry.  I didn't try to ream anything though it.  It wasn't easy to see where the drains were behind the front wheels, so I'll have to pour some water down to see where the drains are.  There is some very light staining on the sunroof headliner material...so I do think that may have been an issue (at least in the past).  I haven't found any evidence of water in the trunk.