i was able to go to a shop that put my car up on the lift and let me look around. my mounts looked ok, but, my oil pan gasket is leaking rather badly. so this job just went from mild pain in the butt, to 100% painful all over. :)

anyone have a good DIY for an oil pan on a XI? i keep finding the same thing, just "similar" DIY's.

when you say VANOS, are you only referring to the 2 solenoids on the front of the head? or any seals inside the VANOS unit?
i know they changed the design from the E46 era to the E9X era for the VANOS. now it looks like the only thing to service is the 2 solenoids.

just got a quote of $1300 to do the oil pan gasket. looks like i will be having a long weekend in may garage in the near future saving over $1000.

Hey, I am on the same boat as you. Wish you luck, let me know if you want to get in touch to bounce ideas off of while in the garage. I always find it helpful to have a second mind, especially when I can't find a solid DIY.

Check out my thread

i think it will be rather straight forward. keep taking stuff off until you can get the oil pan out.
i have a nice long 4 day weekend for new years. so this might be what i do then, since i won't need to leave the house for 4 days.
the thing that gets me is all the other bits i will have great acess to while i'm doing this. so my parts list goes from a gasket and oil change, to motor mounts, water pump, t-stat, hoses, and so on. well there goes that $1000. but its to a good cause. i kinda just want to convert it to rear wheel drive while i'm there.

I am novice, learning as I go. As far as straight-forward goes, I have disconnected everything that I can see plus the engine mounts. I plan on "flossing the subframe to double-check.

I am just a little afraid BMW has something in store for me that I am not yet aware about.

I might try to get away with disconnecting the axle at the differential, but leaving it attached the wheel hub. Do you think this is possible? assuming I detach the strut bar bracket bolt.

SAME! I actually am dropping the subframe for the turbo coolant line leak. found some oil under there so i figured to tackle it. Funny part is after tracking e90's its all fun and games until the awd makes it almost not worth it.

i simply don't need AWD. i live in Florida, there isn't any snow, and i know how to drive. plus i won't be putting 1,000+ hp through it. for me AWD just adds more things to go wrong. and this is a perfect example.

I am the opposite. I havnt needed awd all year, but now I am going to need it more than ever. Hope the service is a success.

What exactly does this have to do with your car having AWD? I also know how to drive, and AWD is an excellent feature where I drive, as are dedicated winter tires on said vehicle for the fun season. Of course, AWD makes little or no sense where you drive, and the added complexity is a waste for your needs.