>> I hope you enjoy your car. You have one of the best incarnations of the
>> PD engine. What's the rest of the car like? Is the suspension still OK?
Thanks, corax. It's in pretty good shape overall. Perhaps a little soggy compared to what it should be, but ISTRC these were never the sharpest driving tools, even when new. Certainly, there are no clonks or knocks from undeneath, and the bodywork is still, the odd minor scratch and mark aside, very clean. It had a stone clump the grille last month which has taken a 2p sized chunk out of one of the slats. I'm keeping an eye on eBay for one in the right colour rather than get into spraying and matching. It's a 2 minute job to remove and replace, so it's not the end of the world.
I think it says a lot for the way it drives it that I've been driving 2.5 yr old BMW 3 series with a third of the mileage for 2 weeks, and jumping in it today felt perfectly comfortable and pleasant. It isn't a patch on the BMW dynamically, but it still felt gutsy, responsive, effortless, and generally very nice to drive. The interior is a bit creaky, mind, and overall noise levels are much higher than the admittedly eerily quiet BMW. We have no intention of parting with it though. In 2.5 yrs and 30,000 miles it has never broken down or failed to start. Aside from routine servicing and consumables, it's had a new battery, and the clutch / DMF. Oh, and a repair to the hanger bracket on the rear silencer (very common fault). Needs one oil top up between 10k services (about 700 ml usually). One of the most reliable cars I've ever owned.
I know the PD engine has its critics, but I absolutely love it, at least in this state of tune. It never feels underpowered in any situation, and to accelerate you just squeeze the pedal. It responds instantly, regardless of gear, and the way it pushes you firmly back into the seat is reminiscent of much more powerful turbocharged petrol engines. OK, it runs out of puff past 4000 RPM, but such is the shove from 1500 RPM, you simply don't need to push it that hard. And the fuel economy is amazing. You have to cane it to get it under 50 mpg. My VW mechanic mate reckons this is the best version of the PD, both from a reliability and driveability viewpoint. They do have some common problems (VNT mechanisms on the turbos, and injector wiring harnesses deteriorating), but he says neither are terminally expensive or difficult to sort out. He also reckons this particular example is a good one, and well worth hanging on to.
I will try and post some pics of the old girl and share them. I still think she's a pretty good looking car for her age :-)
Last edited by: DP on Sat 20 Aug 11 at 19:40
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
8 Aug 11 20:57 |
|
 BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
BobbyG |
|
8 Aug 11 21:12 |
|
 BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Dave_ |
|
8 Aug 11 21:46 |
|
 BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
8 Aug 11 22:00 |
|
 BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
R.P. |
|
8 Aug 11 22:06 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
idle_chatterer |
|
9 Aug 11 03:48 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
8 Aug 11 21:58 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
R.P. |
|
8 Aug 11 22:21 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Londoner |
|
8 Aug 11 22:34 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
8 Aug 11 22:52 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
rtj70 |
|
8 Aug 11 22:55 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Bill Payer |
|
20 Aug 11 23:49 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
rtj70 |
|
20 Aug 11 23:58 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
rtj70 |
|
9 Aug 11 01:30 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
- |
|
9 Aug 11 10:29 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Zero |
|
9 Aug 11 10:40 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Skoda |
|
9 Aug 11 13:28 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
corax |
|
9 Aug 11 16:59 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Iffy |
|
9 Aug 11 19:51 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Avant |
|
9 Aug 11 23:16 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Londoner |
|
9 Aug 11 23:29 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
rtj70 |
|
10 Aug 11 00:24 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
14 Aug 11 15:50 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
corax |
|
14 Aug 11 18:09 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new ca.. |
|
DP |
|
20 Aug 11 13:43 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new c.. |
|
corax |
|
20 Aug 11 16:58 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, n.. |
|
DP |
|
20 Aug 11 19:37 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Skoda |
|
14 Aug 11 20:09 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new ca.. |
|
rtj70 |
|
14 Aug 11 20:27 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new ca.. |
|
DP |
|
14 Aug 11 20:42 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
Londoner |
|
14 Aug 11 20:57 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new ca.. |
|
DP |
|
14 Aug 11 22:26 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new c.. |
|
R.P. |
|
14 Aug 11 22:31 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new .. |
|
rtj70 |
|
14 Aug 11 23:39 |
|
| BMW 3-Series E90 - New job, new car |
|
DP |
|
20 Aug 11 20:08 |
|
