Lurcher

Hello! Just entering my 2nd month of owning a 320d M-Sport. Very impressed with virtually all aspects. Main niggles are the poor quality speakers they fit as standard and the job it is to replace them! Only other thing is the seatbelt mounting on the door pillar is static. If you are too short it rubs your neck. Handling? Great with the lo-pro tyres. Engine is flexible and has bags of oomph (I have 58 plate 177 bhp). Fuel bills? I think the careful driver will get 55mpg on long trips - boot it around country lanes and this falls off to mid-30s. Best bits? So quiet and refined - a real step up in refinement compared with my last car - an 11 plate Audi A3 2.0D. Servicing costs at BMW aren't too bad and having that BMW stamp in the book will add £100s to the resale price. Dave

I won't bore everyone to death with my weekend spent ripping the back out of my 2008 320d but all I can say is lessons have been learnt! If anyone is considering doing it, please send me a message and you might want some tips on the pitfalls! Youtube was helpful up to a point but the earlier E90s don't seem to have the same level of parts securing the seat backing.

Thanks! Didn't realise what a shallow fitting area there is on the front doors!!

I've had my E90 for about two weeks - it's got the pro sat nav package with iDrive and bigger screen but the stereo is bog standard. Only speakers (apart from subs) are in the front doors (one per door) and two on back shelf. Got some replacements coming for the front but was wondering: 1) Can I easily fit a modest amp to the set-up? I see there is wiring for the 6CD in the back so might there be amp wiring? 2) I have some nice 130mm Blaupunkt speakers I would like to fit in back - aperture is for a 100mm with 3 screws but might a hacksaw allow me to fit them? Anyone else done this? Thanks Dave

Well, I've had my 320D for almost a week now. This has been my first BMW (it's a 2008 model) and generally I would say it scores highly over the Audi A3 I had before. It's the M-Sport in Le Mans Blue with the 177bhp engine. My only gripes are: start/stop cutting out on my driveway! I tend to coast down our steep driveway and, of course, the engine cuts out! No height adjustment on seatbelts - very odd not to have this! Apart from that, it's a great car. Quieter than the Audi despite same engine size (Audi was 138bhp). The stereo, despite being a 'base model' isn't that bad but I am replacing the 4 speakers. Bluetooth, iDrive, voice recog commands, auto wipers, auto lights and heated seats make for a quality feel. Not sure about brushed aluminium contrast with ivory leather but beggars cannot choosers be!

Thanks for advice. After some searching I found a rather nicely engineered metal ring that allows 10cm speakers (with 4 mounting holes) to be fitted in the driver's door. Also, there are conversion plates that let you put 13cm speakers on the back shelf - these are on order. All I need now is a decent amp that will fit behind the head unit.

Thanks for replies... Just a bit scared about possibly making it worse! Might practice technique on a bit of scrap before launching into attack on my beloved E90!

It has arrived! Very impressed - didn't know full spec when I agreed to buy! It has the iDrive which I took to in about 5 minutes. Only gripe (and I knew this) was the quality of the stereo - it's the basic one with just one speaker per door. Would like to upgrade but unsure what options are. Don't want to spend the earth as I may get a newer car in 2-3 years.

Have had my E90 for 24 hours now and already keen to do something about the stereo. :( The head unit is OK for the moment as it interacts with the sat-nav/iDrive package so I have larger colour display to view what I have on the HDD, etc. Car has no component speakers - just two in front and two on back shelf plus under seat woofers (more a light growl than a woof!). To be honest, wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting but still not wonderful. How easy is it to fit an amp to the basic head unit? Nothing too drastic - just 4x50w or something similar. Thanks, Dave :P

Finally took delivery of my 2008 320D yesterday - had a half decent drive home to get a feel for the car. Very impressed with spec, etc. The car had one owner previously and in general it looks well cared for with the exception of some scratching on the aluminium trim above the glove box. Is it possible to restore this to original finish with a fine wire brush? Dave

Afternoon everyone! I'm still waiting on the call from Westerly Exeter to tell me that my 320d M Sport is ready to collect. I'm a bit of an audiophile and have heard from numerous people that the stereo in most 3 series Beemers is sadly lacking. Certainly was the case in my A3. :( It seems sensible to keep the head unit and replace the speakers. Of course, I don't even know what the car has fitted yet but assume there are components in the front doors, two subs under the front seats and two on the back shelf. Any (reasonably priced) recommendations? Don't want to blow the windows out :wacko:- I imagine a 4x 100w amp would suffice! Thanks, Dave :D

Hello Jeff - We did travel over to Yeovil and to be honest the staff at Westerly didn't seem that interested in selling any cars. I picked up on Exeter via their web link and Mark there has been excellent. It's only 40 miles from us and I don't mind giving them my custom when they make the effort.

Hello there! I'm not yet a BMW owner but the car is being prepared and I've paid £500 so that must get me a door or something! Have had a variety of cars over my 36 years behind the wheel - mostly VWs of which I was very impressed. Decided to go for an Audi A3 two years back and whilst the car I could not fault, it was a bit on the cramped side. I was always catching my head on the top of the door frame. Managed to sell it (after a struggle) last month and have been waiting for the right 320d to come up. All the Exeter dealership could find was either auto &/or black - both no-nos for me. They have finally traced a 58 plate 320d (177) with leather, pro media pack, heated seats, etc in Le Mans blue. Fantastic! What is more it only has 27000 on the clock. Looking forward to taking delivery at month-end. Will be interested to see how it compares to the Audi...