OV9

I can confirm that getting the train / plane to pick up a new car is a great way to do it - as long as you’ve concluded the negotiation on the price of course.

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 9:36 pm Nice Beany. Welcome to the N52 club. If there's anything you want to know about them ask away. There's not much different between the early ones and the N52K (mainly the CCTV and inlet manifold).

Main things to look for are whether it's had the water pump done and have the DISA valves been changed.

ETA - I'm not sure it's an N52K as it has the silver top of the earlier N52 and not the black top

Black top is N52KP, silver top is earlier, but the changes were pretty detail - I'm quite certain I'll not notice that it doesn't have hollow camshafts, for example, although the inability to retrofit a real dipstick might be annoying. I like a real dipstick.

I'm not sure I'm too keen on spending a whole fucking day collecting a car, but I'll check transport costs next week and see what the difference is. If train tickets are £100-200 and transport is £700, then that would obviously make a difference I'm better paid than I was but I'm not fucking stupid.

We'll see.

I'm also quite sure there's a few jobs I'd want to do on it once i get it too (IE he's got a rocker cover gasket but not got around to fitting it, but has done the oil filter housing gaskets) so I'll probably ask him for a list of things he'd planned to do but not got around to, and then look at implementing them myself - one of the advantages of buying from someone who clearly cares about this stuff, rather than from a dealer who doesn't give a toss, doesn't know, etc.

Fairly sure yours is N52. Have you checked on realoem - it should tell you if you put your VIN in. K came later with black top, integrated CCV and later engine map.

I hope you haggled HARD!

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 10:09 pm Fairly sure yours is N52. Have you checked on realoem - it should tell you if you put your VIN in. K came later with black top, integrated CCV and later engine map.

Don't even need the VIN. If it has a silver top, it's not the updated engine.

AFAIK Main practical difference is the earlier engines clatter a little more from cold due to not having a terribly clever oil retention mechanism for the cams. Doesn't do any notable harm, it's just annoying.

John, it's already had it's price reduced, and for the mileage, age and existing work done, the price isn't unreasonable. I've seen some other 9k cars that very clearly need a lot more work. I'm pretty sure cam chain guides, rocker cover gasket and brake fluid and this'll be an 'oil and filter changes' car for the next few years.

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 10:15 pm
I'm pretty sure cam chain guides, rocker cover gasket and brake fluid and this'll be an 'oil and filter changes' car for the next few months.

EFA

Wouldn't worry about cam chain guides.

If rocker is leaking just get that done. Only other things to consider are DISAs and water pump. These engines are pretty bulletproof.

And you seem to be agreeing with me that it's an early N52.

Same engine (silver cover) as the 330i I had - fabulous engine and a massive step on from the 3.0 that went before it IMO. Very quick to rev and sweet overall. Congrats. It will also feel a much more special car than the E46 cab or any hatch - no matter how spicy.

Swervin_Mervin wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 10:35 pm Wouldn't worry about cam chain guides.

If rocker is leaking just get that done. Only other things to consider are DISAs and water pump. These engines are pretty bulletproof.

And you seem to be agreeing with me that it's an early N52.

Oh it's absolutely an early engine - if it's silver, it's N52. If it's black, it's N52K(P?) with the wee changes. No controversy there as far as I know

I'll likely get my local friendly garage to check the guides (just in case), do the rocker cover gasket and (as I've had a few glasses of wine and can't remember the PH thread) do the water pump if it's not been done already. It's a near 20 year old car, it'll need *some* work, it's just had more of it done than the average car of a similar age up for sale for £2k more than it, etc.

Those are the main maintenance pieces I'm aware of that you need to be paying attention to that aren't suspension age related, and other than that, it's a chopped E46 with E90 running gear. It's not like there's anything weird about it.

GG. wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 10:36 pm Same engine (silver cover) as the 330i I had - fabulous engine and a massive step on from the 3.0 that went before it IMO. Very quick to rev and sweet overall. Congrats. It will also feel a much more special car than the E46 cab or any hatch - no matter how spicy.

Yeah I'm really interested to feel how different it is. My brother has my old E46 so a back to back test would definitely be interesting!

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:02 pm

GG. wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 10:36 pm Same engine (silver cover) as the 330i I had - fabulous engine and a massive step on from the 3.0 that went before it IMO. Very quick to rev and sweet overall. Congrats. It will also feel a much more special car than the E46 cab or any hatch - no matter how spicy.

Yeah I'm really interested to feel how different it is. My brother has my old E46 so a back to back test would definitely be interesting!

Should feel quite a bit more rapid / responsive.

I had an e90 330i and was desperate for a sports car so I drove 100 miles to drive a Z4 convertible 3.0 and it was a huge disappointment. The engine just felt flat (which will be the engine that was in your e46). I'm sure the 135i would be different again but not "zingy" like the N/A lump.

Yeah from what I've seen the N52 races to the redline like my old Puma did, and while the M54 was a nice, even-power-delivery lump in it's own way, it didn't feel like it wanted to test the rev limiter with too much enthusiam!

The chain guides will.look fine. The main risk is breaking them when changing the rocker cover gasket. You'll also need the eccentric shaft seal doing at the same time as cam.cover, and the eccentric shaft has to be released in a very specific way.

It's worth checking out George Austers on YT as he did a lot of vids about the various N52 common issues. And I can't reiterate enough about checking if the DISAs have been done - see my post from earlier this week about why they should be. Basically they can kill them engine when they fail, at worst. At best you lose low and mid range torque which really impacts performance, as I've just found out this week.

Yeah I did see that, and they seem simple enough to do that it's not worth skimping on!

Again, twenty year old car, got to expect some things to check.

I bet your M135 is 'Mat Armstronged' and back on the road by September @Beany. That'll be a bargain for someone to fix up.

Simon wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:40 pm I bet your M135 is 'Mat Armstronged' and back on the road by September @Beany. That'll be a bargain for someone to fix up.

Oh absolutely, and fair play to anyone who does. They can have an organised crime targeted theft risk outside their house....

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:41 pm

Simon wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:40 pm I bet your M135 is 'Mat Armstronged' and back on the road by September @Beany. That'll be a bargain for someone to fix up.

Oh absolutely, and fair play to anyone who does. They can have an organised crime targeted theft risk outside their house....

Yes that's never a nice thing to have to deal with (having very much experienced it with the Range Rover).

Was the 135i keyless?

GG. wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:44 pm

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:41 pm

Simon wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:40 pm I bet your M135 is 'Mat Armstronged' and back on the road by September @Beany. That'll be a bargain for someone to fix up.

Oh absolutely, and fair play to anyone who does. They can have an organised crime targeted theft risk outside their house....

Yes that's never a nice thing to have to deal with (having very much experienced it with the Range Rover).

Was the 135i keyless?

No, so they bricked a window and ripped wiring out of the boot to disable it, and then sent for cash in hand recovery to collect it 'on behalf of the owner' because who's gonna question a car with a broken window getting lifted late at night?

Other than the actual owner, chatting to the police about his apparent 'just vandalism' as they pulled up...

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:47 pm

GG. wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:44 pm

Beany wrote: Fri May 02, 2025 11:41 pm

Oh absolutely, and fair play to anyone who does. They can have an organised crime targeted theft risk outside their house....

Yes that's never a nice thing to have to deal with (having very much experienced it with the Range Rover).

Was the 135i keyless?

No, so they bricked a window and ripped wiring out of the boot to disable it, and then sent for cash in hand recovery to collect it 'on behalf of the owner' because who's gonna question a car with a broken window getting lifted late at night?

Other than the actual owner, chatting to the police about his apparent 'just vandalism' as they pulled up...

Ridiculous... Not sure whether that level of ineptitude is better or worse than someone proficient enough to nick a Range Rover 4 feet from your front window whilst you're in the front room...

At least it didn't disappear which is some consolation. Anyway - that Z4 "coop" is a much nicer thing than a hatch. Its a connouseirs car my freind. Just like the yellow Pooma.

Much nicer than a Z3 coop as well