330d potential....?

[OllieB]

How much power can you reliably squeeze out of a 330d? I remember seeing one in Total BMW or something that was going in to the gumball and I'm sure he said he was running approx 300bhp. Any ideas?

[oakey]

probably a feckload id have thought. you can buy kits for the TDI golfs that raise the power to nearly 300hp from 150. so i would have thought that you could get alot from a 3litre turbo diesel.
do you own one?

[OllieB]

Thinking about getting one, the prices are coming within reach....

[Simon13]

go buy one! i can't wait for the turbo to sh!t itself like they all do, then get that fixed for £1500 and the maf will go! another £900

Bmw diesels are not all the crack they are made out to be and certainly more expensive to fix and are no where near as reliable as the petrols

[M5pilot]

Turbo problems on the 3.0D engine does occur, we have turned away cars for remapping because of clear symptoms of early turbo failure.

It's not as common a problem as people think though.

As far as performance tuning goes you can get a reliable 220-230bhp with a good remap.

[Andyboy]

And then the autobox shits itself. Turbo failure happens @100'000 miles because the BMW service schedule isn't enough. When the turbo lets go you need a turbo, intercooler, first catalyst and inlet manifold needs to come off and be washed out. About 3k all told.

If I were to buy one with 80k plus miles I'd be banging a new or properly reconditioned turbo on straight away. £500 is cheaper than £3000 and it's not a case of 'if' but 'when' it goes pop.

[gazza]

we had a 530d at work turbo went pop at 600 miles which isnt a problem when bmw pick up the tab

[Jhonno]

my mums X5 is bein done at BMW under warrenty atm.. Turbo is on back order and no sign of one appearing soon..

[miniblob]

I was very very tempted to get a 330d tourer!!!!!
I was going to change the turbo for a bigger/better one (along with many other parts!) and tune it up quite a bit - but i was frightened i'd spend the money and still be bored with it before too long!!!

That's when i bought my 325 tourer and started spending the money on modding that instead!!!!! Much more fun!!

[stuartgallafant]

i can vouch for turbo problems!! the seals kindly like to sh1t themselves, dumping loadsa of oil into the exhaust and intake system, however, there are more problems with the 2.0l models than the 3.0l's

it is expansive to repair, to do it at my place, you're looking at £3000, like andyboy said

[c76jon]

tho its fair to say problems with these are very often not related to engine itself ie bolt on parts ie turbo etc and injectors

also many are ,as andy has said,serviced far too little

16000 ish on a 3.0d x5 is scary in my eyes.i dont care what anyone says diesel engine oil gets destroyed and far sooner than that
imho you need to be dropping it in half of that at least

oil is far cheaper than metal

also owners treat them wrong.they hammer the car,pull up and switch off immediately which is a recipe for disaster in the long run

ive had 330ds and 530ds and have a 2004 54 plate x5 3.0d sport auto currently

all have had oil changed 6-7k at most and all but the x5 have been properly remapped

only problems i have ever had was front strut on a 40k 3.0d sport saloon leaking (done under wrrty)

folding mirrors on the x5 and 2 glow plugs

i have had no major issues at all tho i may have just been lucky all have been driven in a spirited way

fantastic cars imho and when mapped (properly) are a true weapon and will show a clean pair of heels to some credible cars

the torque is to die for

now ive said it the x5 will go bang.

just my experience but its far from all doom and gloom

jon

[Nelly]

Kynda's got an E46 330tdi ready to pull apart very soon - everything will be for sale on it if you are thinking of this convertion

[stuartgallafant]

the conversion would be more grief than its worth imo

[OllieB]

Not thinking of a conversion, far more trouble grief and expense than any sane person would consider. I just fancy one, know a few people who have got them and put a fair few miles on them and none of them have had any issues. Can't you just buy external warranties that cover any nasty unexpected breaky bits?

[stuartgallafant]

you dont get a warranty unless its bought from a BMW dealership. even then, its only a Used Car Warranty, which only lasts a year and is about as comprehenssive as an extended warranty

extended warranties are a bit sh1t now to be honest too. for every warranty claim made, the customer must pay an excess anywhere from £100 to £250

[OllieB]

I was thinking also, they can't be that unreliable if the police use them can they? Those ones must get a hard life......

Agree with Andyboy that prevention is probably better than massively expensive cure.

[exup]

And then the autobox shits itself. Turbo failure happens @100'000 miles because the BMW service schedule isn't enough.

Andy , a m8 as got a 530d and just had the turbo go , but now the auto boxs jumping out of 1 st gear , when kicking down / pulling away hard , , is this the start or something different from the normal fault ? any simple tests etc and idea of costs ??
Cheers

[H35-IAN]

going back to what ollieb and c76 jon has said there the 330d i belive is a warrior when looked after and serviced properly.

also the 330d used in the gumball is ant and petes car they came 3rd overall!! which i thinks fucking good considering wat it went up against it may have had 300bhp but it was probably around 500lbft of torque!! with that kind of power your talking 3rd gear power slides in the dry with ease my dad recently had a 330d sport tourer from bmw for a week and i gota say i was vvv impressed he currently drives a new mondeo ghiax 2.2tdci which is 155bhp it flies but i know he will have a 330d tourer next 100% he couldnt stop driving it lol much much better car and despite wat anyone sais if i had 10 grand to buy a nice diesel car maybe a little more id have a 330d sport saloon in imola red! they look sickening and rip and do 35mpg easy enuff sort of lol