A quick intro

[Holslager]

Hi All!

Just a quick introduction; My name is Jasper, 30 years old, living in the Netherlands. I always had a passion for the BMW brand, and I've owned several (more senior) BMWs in the last decade.

I started with a 99" 520i E39 5-speed stickshift saloon. After two years, I had the opportunity to buy a single owner 520i e34 calypso-rot from '93 with 103k km (64k miles) on the clock for only 500 euro. I couldn't resist and pulled the trigger on that deal; switched from e39 to e34 saloon (5-speed manual as well).

After driving the e34 for three years as my daily, I was ready to replace it with a smaller, newer, and a more powerful car. After searching, I found an excellent looking E87 120i with 120k km (74k miles) on the clock. The funny thing was that it had a 6-speed ZF automatic gearbox, a rarity for the e87 in the Netherlands.

After performing some overdue maintenance, Id made some nice trips to the south of France and Italy with the e87. It performed well and proved to be an excellent traveling companion on 10h – 20h road trips on the autobahn.

Only 16 months after buying the e87, I changed jobs and got a company car. From there, the 1-series became our 2^nd car for picking up the groceries now and then. About four months ago, I changed jobs again, and I had to return my company car, making the e87 the daily driver again.

Because we only used the e87 as the 2^nd car for the past 3,5 years, the mileage is still pretty low; 151k km (94k miles). And although we didn't drive it that much, it had its fair share of repairs/maintenance. For now, it's going smoothly, and next to the (somewhat) high oil consumption, there are no significant problems. Perhaps someone can help me out with the oil consumption problem, but that's not the reason why Id join this forum 😊.

I joined this forum because I would like to take some time for a project car. I'm thinking about an e36 coupe with a 6-cylinder with a stickshift. I will post my questions and seek help on the e36 forum.

I am looking forward to meeting you all virtually!

[MarcoZandrini]

Jasper, welcome! What oil are you using in the E87’s engine? Also, have you replaced the crankcase ventilation system (CCV)? Modern BMW engines have a slight vacuum in the crankcase when running. If that vacuum is missing the engine will tend to burn oil. The CCV is responsible for maintaining the crankcase vacuum.

[Holslager]

Thanks Marco!


I'm currently using Castrol 5W-30 in the winter and 5W-40 in the summer (on refill bases). I didn't replace the CCV yet; thanks for the tip! I will look into that