[reallynotgio]

Hi, made an account just now for some advice. I have a 2010 328i with the SULEV N51 inside of it, almost at 137k miles on the dash and am going on a trip to D.C for a wedding. I would really like to take my car however I don’t know if it is too risky. I got the car with 117k miles on it 2 years ago and since then have put a good amount of money into it. Have changed the Coolant Hose, Tank, Pump, Radiator, Control Arms, Axel, have changed oil every 3k miles as well as putting AA catless headers, afe intake, and a StageFP stage 2 tune. I know this chassis is reliable however I guess my question is if there’s too much risk and what is some preventative maintenance for around this mileage, I don’t want to be stuck a whiles away from home. Sorry for rambling it’s my first post and just want to give some backstory, thanks !

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by reallynotgio

Hi, made an account just now for some advice. I have a 2010 328i with the SULEV N51 inside of it, almost at 137k miles on the dash and am going on a trip to D.C for a wedding. I would really like to take my car however I don’t know if it is too risky. I got the car with 117k miles on it 2 years ago and since then have put a good amount of money into it. Have changed the Coolant Hose, Tank, Pump, Radiator, Control Arms, Axel, have changed oil every 3k miles as well as putting AA catless headers, afe intake, and a StageFP stage 2 tune. I know this chassis is reliable however I guess my question is if there’s too much risk and what is some preventative maintenance for around this mileage, I don’t want to be stuck a whiles away from home. Sorry for rambling it’s my first post and just want to give some backstory, thanks !

Did you specifically change the little coolant overflow pipe going across the radiator to the expansion tank when you did the radiator and hoses? I'd do that proactively if not. Change the plugs and carry a couple extra coils with you and a tool to identify which one needs to be swapped. Make sure battery is in good condition. The transmission fluid should be changed as regular maintenance, along with seals in the transmission. Brake pads good? Other than that, get a AAA membership and jump in the car, you're good!

[reallynotgio]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Did you specifically change the little coolant overflow pipe going across the radiator to the expansion tank when you did the radiator and hoses? I'd do that proactively if not. Change the plugs and carry a couple extra coils with you and a tool to identify which one needs to be swapped. Make sure battery is in good condition. The transmission fluid should be changed as regular maintenance, along with seals in the transmission. Brake pads good? Other than that, get a AAA membership and jump in the car, you're good!

To be honest with you my mechanic did all of that work, first car so still learning and i’m not sure if he changed it or not. Plugs were changed maybe 10k miles ago? Not 100% sure but when I tuned the car I changed them, I know for tuned cars you’re supposed to change at a quicker interval, I checked the other day and they looked ok but will most likely change them anyways. Transmission fluid was drained and refilled when I first got the car (117k), how often do you think it’s necessary to replace it? Battery was also replaced around 8 months ago, can’t fully recall. Haha AAA membership has already been acquired, unfortunately bricked my dme at first when I was flashing >:/. Thanks for the advice!

[e91Owner]

Second 👆🏻. Other than the tuning aspect, which inherently makes your car less reliable, it’s a car on a relatively short drive.

[TriumphTim]

NYC driving is much more rough on cars than highway miles.

If you are driving in NYC on a regular basis, that is the real test, lol.

[marvinstockman]

In 2010, I bought a 1998 M3, and I promptly took it on a trip from DC to NYC. Turns out I cracked a wheel on one of the NYC potholes that are in reality tank traps.

M3 never returned to NYC!

In reality, most cars are now 200K mile vehicles, which is different from when I was a kid when vehicles were worn out at 100K miles. NYC - 50K miles!

Rent a car or take a bus, train, or airplane!

[CTinline-six]

I've taken my E90 with the N51 engine on 2000+ mile road trips before, often 15+ hours from home and out in the middle of nowhere going full-throttle in the mountains. Give it a good check before you leave and go for it.

[e90yyc]

Lol wut?

Yeah you should be fine. Take that fine automobile all the way to DC man. Don’t worry.

If there was some glaring issue/leak that you were aware of I could understand the apprehension, but 240 miles each way is nothing.

[jsunma]

Yesterday I drove 170 miles in the morning to a job site in NY and then drove the 170 miles home in time for dinner. Last week, I drove 400 miles in the morning to take my kid to school, and then drove 400 miles home again that evening. As a general principle, if I can drive 800 miles in a day in my 250K mile car, I'm guessing that you can make it 400 miles over a weekend in your 137K mile car.

Get out there and drive...you've done a lot of work on your car and have only driven it 20K miles. Looks like you need to hit the road and enjoy that stuff! Oh, and unless you just like spending money on oil, you're changing it too often. IMO.

[rothwem]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

Lol wut?

Yeah you should be fine. Take that fine automobile all the way to DC man. Don’t worry.

If there was some glaring issue/leak that you were aware of I could understand the apprehension, but 240 miles each way is nothing.

This.

Also, its not like the OP is driving across the Yukon or Kazakhstan. If your car breaks down on the turnpike, you get it towed to the local BMW shop that's probably <3 miles away. The NY-NJ corridor probably has more BMW shops per capita than anywhere else in the US.

With that said, it does sound like the OP is young without much knowledge about working on cars. LET THIS BE SOME MOTIVATION TO LEARN!

[N55Msport]

Replaced same items as you and I regularly drive 163 miles 1 way to work in my 2011 328i. That’s in 90F + South Florida heat too!
Drive it

[reallynotgio]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I’m sure I’ll be fine going round trip. As I said ^ earlier this is my first car got it when I was 18 have had it for about 2 years and it’s all I know, I’ve taken it on relatively long trips in the past, but before I did any performance modifications. Thanks everyone for the help and advice I really appreciate it !

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by reallynotgio

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I’m sure I’ll be fine going round trip. As I said ^ earlier this is my first car got it when I was 18 have had it for about 2 years and it’s all I know, I’ve taken it on relatively long trips in the past, but before I did any performance modifications. Thanks everyone for the help and advice I really appreciate it !

Originally Posted by reallynotgio

To be honest with you my mechanic did all of that work, first car so still learning and i’m not sure if he changed it or not. Plugs were changed maybe 10k miles ago? Not 100% sure but when I tuned the car I changed them, I know for tuned cars you’re supposed to change at a quicker interval, I checked the other day and they looked ok but will most likely change them anyways. Transmission fluid was drained and refilled when I first got the car (117k), how often do you think it’s necessary to replace it? Battery was also replaced around 8 months ago, can’t fully recall. Haha AAA membership has already been acquired, unfortunately bricked my dme at first when I was flashing >:/. Thanks for the advice!

As everyone said, just drive, you'll be fine. That coolant hose/pipe/tube going to the expansion tank is known to break, so nice if it was done with the radiator. Don't worry about plugs for at least another 50k. Trans is a 60k service, so you're good. Battery is new, it'll last five to six years easy. Coils are the only thing I think you need to worry about. Around 100k is good mileage for them, so they could go randomly at any time. Maybe do as preventative maintenance, or push it and don't worry about them One went out on me on a road trip, so I'm sensitive to needing coils... probably a me problem.

[Serf27]

How old is the starter?

You can’t tell what or if something will go wrong.
Check the fluids the day you leave and carry a qt of oil and gallon of antifreeze and take off.

I’m more worried about flat tires with non run flat tires than I am about breaking down.
I’d get a spare tire kit if you don’t have one.