HELP with Maintenance on a 328is

[5-0]

Hey Guys,
I just bought my first BMW. It's a 96 328is two door, black on black. It has 133,000 miles and is a automatic. It has a couple of driveability problems that I have to fix.

1. What type of spark plugs should I use?

2. Should I use factory parts or can I use auto parts store parts?

3. What type of oil should I use?

4. What type of fuel filter should I use

5. The gas cap says use 89 octane, what do you guys say

6. Just tell me what are things I need to do to make sure it's road worthy

Thanks in advance for any and all advice

[Manolito]

Spark plugs - the dual electrode plugs seem to work as well as, or better than, the four electrode plugs in these cars. Denso, NGK, or Bosch. There are some scattered reports of problems with Bosch since they started bringing plugs from China and India, so check country of origin with Bosch.

You can find parts manufactured by the same companies that make the parts for BMW on line. The better parts vendors always tell you the brand of the part, and they should tell you which brand was the OEM manufacturer. For example, the fan clutch I recently bought had the manufacturer name (I think it was Fichtel) and "Made in Austria" stamped on the back. The one I took off the car had the same manufacturer name and "Made in Austria" on the back, but it also said "BMW" on the front. Dealer cost for one that says BMW on it is double what I paid.

This car came with conventional oil in it. Many of us have switched to synthetic (or what passes for synthetic these days), but any name brand conventional oil is fine. 10W-30 is best for most climates.

There are two OEM oil filter manufacturers. One is Mann. The other slips my mind at the moment. (Mahle?)

I think that OEM for the fuel filter is Mahle.

These cars are VERY forgiving on fuel unless you have chipped the computer. They will burn anything, but they retard the timing to match the octane, so you loose a bit of power and mileage if you burn less than 89. I burn 89 for the daily commute.

Answering the question of what you need to do is pretty tough without maintenance records. It is 13 years old and has 133k. It is about due for all new water hoses if they have not been done. It is about due for a water pump and thermostat at 133k mi (watch for leaks). The valve cover gasket is hard as a rock if it has not been changed. If you have no service records, I would replace the coolant, the brake fluid, the tranny fluid, and the rear end fluid over the next few months. BMW claims notwithstanding, your tranny fluid is NOT permanent. For coolant, I use BMW branded coolant. It is expensive as heck, but I have had trouble with aftermarket coolant in a 328. Changing automatic tranny fluid is the only routine maintenance job that I don't do myself. It is messy, and getting the level correct is tricky.

You will want a Bentley manual and a Peake (or comperable) tool .

There are instructions for a couple of common jobs on my web page.
Farm Boy Home

[Viking328]

Monolito's got it 100% on the maintenance. Rubber bushings and hoses are are what will need attention (there's a lot of bushings!).

I use 89 as well and get 27-29 on my commute with plenty of power. I ran 93 for three tanks in a row and got the same mpg and power feel. Just use name brand gas with good additives in it and 89 is fine. The M52 2.8L engines were made for torque, not high end power, so the timing etc is not as needing of high octane as the older 92-95 2.5L that got nearly the same hp.

[JerryandCheri]

I just recently bought the same car. Same year and all except it is calypso red. I used the bosch plat+2 plugs and they are great so far. I have been buying all of my parts from pelican parts. Most of them are OEM. If you need the bentley manual I can send you a link for the pdf. version.

[5-0]

Hey Guys and Girls,
I have done the following since asking for help.
1. Replaced the camshaft position sensor. This fixed the missing, stumbling
and fouling of the back two cylinders

2. Replaced the plugs with Bosch Plugs from Advance Auto Parts

3. Changed oil and filter with Mahle filter and Castrol Oil

4. Replaced broken Fan with BMW Fan

5. Changed fuel filter with filter from autozone

6. Purchased a new key for $76.00

7. Went to a BMW salvage yard in Alabama and pick up some odds and ends

8. From here on out I will be doing preventive maintenamce each month

9. Thanks to everyone replied.

[Viking328]

Sounds good! Good luck and enjoy your new best friend!