A few weeks back, i got the dreaded front driver side oil leak...yeah that one. Alternator Bracket Gasket.

I have a 2008 e60 550i M Sport (Automatic 6 speed). 113k miles ( i bought it at 71k about 6 years ago) i love this car and its be relatively non-confrontational. Last year i had to do a few key things. And trust me once one of the 5 major E60 issues happen, it snowballed.
Last year:
1. Coolant bypass hose leak - that was a lesson in patience. DIY
2. Valve Stem Seals - found someone on my IG forum that did it at a great price of $900. had to bring it to East LA..but hey, the price was right! everyone else wanted $2k+
3. CCV valves/ Diaphrams - DIY

2 weeks ago:
4. Alternator Bracket Gasket - 10 hours of pure DIY joy for an $8 gasket
- while i had the bay clear i did the upper timing cover gaskets and valve cover gaskets... that had a small but not major leak
- i also put new seals on my vacuum pump since it had to come out - small seepage
- and i replaced the oil pressure sensor - definitely had a oil leak
5. Transmission service DIY - so this was fun...FCP Euro is the best! i had been noticing some slipping in 1st and 2nd gear, and when i came to a stop the car learched. So i figured the previous owner never did a service. I was right. Still original pan and gaskets.
- replaced the mechatronic gaskets, the front one had a crack (no surprise)
- and while i had to take the mechatronic unit out, i replaced all the solenoids (again, FCP Euro has great kits)
- put it back together and it was a little tough on the driveway, the unit is a heavy SOB..and i failed to seat the gear select properly..and put the pan on...began the fill procedure and started the car. tried to shift through the gears and no go...kept going back to neutral..F--Me...had to empty the fluid...ordered 3 more liters from FCP Euro and had to wait a few days for delivery. Meanwhile, i dropped the pan and seated the gear select properly and re-installed the pan and filter. Since the car was still up on 4 jack stands, i decided to service the rear differential..it was bad. needed to be done. Yesterday , the additional fluids came and i refilled..the refill procedure was a little stressful...if you arent using INPA..what are we doing folks?? hooked up my laptop and set it on the ground by the driver door, when the transmission was a operating temp i pumped like a mad man and was able to fill it before it hit 40 degrees celsius..(37 degrees exactly) and used my new fill plug. Done.
- i reset adaptations with INPA.

Now a few other small things..
- driver side mirror kept overextending so i ordered it last week and it arrived today. install was smooth.
- 2 of my parking sensors are gone, ordered on ebay a few weeks ago and should be here next week. my car is Alpine White , so they are coming from Germany .
- comfort pass isnt working and one of my key fobs wont open or lock the doors, and i must have the key in the column to start it...i ordered a Diversity Antenna which wont come until end of august...

sorry for the long post...but originally i just wanted to do upgraded rims and look into other performance additions to the car. however, maintenance first!!!! upgrades later!!! the car now runs like its new!!

Cheers gents!

 

So here I am at last purchased 2010 e92 n54 335i with 130k mi what would it be advisable for me I supplant before start with the mods I perhaps run 500-600whp In addition to I know nothing about help history.

 

I would go to the e90 discussion group for yours. was it previously tuned?

but for the N54 there are a few common issues:
high pressure fuel pump
fuel injectors & ignition coils
valve cover gasket leaks
turbo waste gate rattle & turbo seals (common with tuned n54's)
waterpump (your mileage is high if it wasnt previously replaced)
oil filter housing gasket
oil cooler gasket
oil pan gasket..just check under if there are any leaks or seeping...this is pretty expensive and time consuming
if youre gonna upgrade to bigger turbo, go through all your oil leaks first
transmission, pan/filter and mechatronics sleeves and service (if its an automatic)
Vanos..pull them out and check if they are dirty or clogged. you can clean them easily...it all depends on if the previous owner took care of the car with regular oil changes.
Definately change the oil right away..no matter what you do. You never know if the previous owner stayed on top of it. and get OEM filter.

 

Jordan, I have the same car as you and I envy your ability to do so much of those hard-core repairs yourself. I can handle routine maintenance and "standard repairs" but I'm over my head tearing down the motor to do the coolant transfer pipe, the alternator gasket, the timing seal, & the valve cover gaskets. I had to pay a pretty penny to get those all taken care of at the same time at 130k miles on my car. I'm at 145k now and everything remains completely dry.
Do I understand you were able to change your rear diff fluid? I seem to recall the fill plug is obstructed by something and difficult to access, so my indie said they couldn't do it when I requested it. Did you have to pull any prts to get at the fill plug or was it fairly straightforward?
Thanks, Nick

 

Hey Zero,
Absolutely no obstruction. it was very simple and straight forward. i did have to go get a 14MM allen wrench and socket. Its not difficult at all. The only thing is there is no drain plug. its a fill plug, so you have to pump out the old fluid, then pump back in the new fluid. Get a manual pump. Actually all these things arent difficult to do, just time consuming. There are very odd angles and tight spots where you have to get creative with extensions.

It runs like a new car after. And honestly, i learned a lot by doing it myself. Mainly, while i had it half-way apart, fix or repair the things that were now easily accessible. dont want to tear it apart again any time soon.
Cheers!

 

Oh sorry, i just remembered..if your indie had the car on a rack where the suspension was ride height, then yes, it would be difficult. i had it on jack stands so the rear diff hung down a bit. That made it very accessible.

 

"The only thing is there is no drain plug."
I had it backwards!!! I thouyght he told me there was a problem withthe FILL plug not being present or accessible; it was the lack of a drain plug as you pointed out. He didn't want to mess with it I guess.
Now that I know the issue thanks to you, perhaps I'll go ahead and do it myself as I have a pump I've been using for years.
Thanks for the insights.
Nick