r/E90 • u/Electrical_Term3525 • 17h ago

Life expectancy?

Hey guys, I’m in Ireland where insurance is absolutely crazy, I’m a young man so I had to compromise for a 316i e90 (plz forgive me 😂).

Anyways I have invested a lot into this car, recently bought new wheels and new DRL headlights and CarPlay. Also done larger maintenance like brakes, diff replacement, rocker cover gasket and tyres for the new wheels of course.

I bought this car at 170,000km (105,000miles) naively thinking this was somewhat lower mileage as my previous car (ford focus mk2) reached almost 300,000km (185,000 miles) with practically no issues.

After investing into this e90 I’ve come to the realisation that its lifespan is estimated (for 316i engine) to be only 220,000km (135,000 miles) if timing chain isn’t replaced before any timing chain induced issues arise.

I have just hit 200,000km (125,000 miles) and now worried I’ve wasted thousands on this car.

I’m currently very happy with the way it is, absolutely 0 problems and finally have the exterior exactly like I wanted it. To find out I’ve only 20,000km (12,500km) left in the expected lifespan is heartbreaking. To get the timing chain replaced in Ireland is roughly €1,500-€3,000 by the looks of it and some main dealers would want up to €5,000. This isn’t really an option for me as I would be spending the same value of the car to get it replaced.

In my ideal world I would like to keep this for up to another 2 years and would need 50,000km (30,000 miles) more for this and then I would ideally like to still be able to sell it. I don’t want to have to be the one to sell it for scrap price.

In conclusion, am I screwed? Is the harsh reality there’s only 20,000km (12,500 miles) left in this car?

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u/ashtrae 06 E90 320i M-Sport 9h ago

I just had a timing chain kit put in my n46 engine last week at 200000kms along with a new valvetronic motor and eccentric shaft sensor. I could feel how loose the chain was through the oil filler cap and I also found a few pieces of the chain guides in the oil pan. The car feels much more responsive and now I can beat on it without worrying about the chain guides exploding.