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I'm going to change a few of the basic service items before taking the car in for an oil change and MOT.

I've done a search on the forum and found various opinions on which oil is best, so does anybody have any advice before I just plump for what the handbook says to use in a 323?

I'm also thinking of getting a K&N air filter, anybody using one and is it worth the extra expense?

As for spark plugs - is the brand important at all?

Lastly, the haynes manual says to change clutch and brake fluid every 40 000 miles / 4 years. I've had the car for 2 years and done about 5000 miles, but can't be sure when these were changed - it's a question of should I bother do these jobs yet, or leave for another year?

Thanks!

I need to give mine a good service too, especially the gear box.
I personally dont see that much gain in fancy air filters if your car is normally aspirated, im sure people will think otherwise though. You may as well go branded with spark plugs, you can find NGK ones for cheap enough usually ont ebays. I guess a nice set of plugs and high grade fuel is a nice boost, so buy what you can afford with them. Ive only ever used cheap oil previously but i could do with using some good stuff this time so im interested in peoples thoughts on that too.

Use any decent quality mineral oil but not synthetic as m10 engines aren't best suited. If you want to spend more cash you could try a semi synthetic but a regular oil like Millers Classic would be better IMO.
NGK plugs work well in M10's although I think it's often just a personal favorite kind of deal really. Clean or replace the dizzy cap & rotor arm too.

I wouldn't worry about K&N although a bit of extra induction roar is no bad thing.

A magnetic sump plug is a fiver well spent. You can do the oil change yourself. Buy a decent oil filter though as many cheap ones have no relief valve thingy and the oil drains out when not running. It refills when you start the engine but all those seconds of oil starvation when your engine most needs protection, all add up.

I'm sure a full service is within your capabilities.

sorry to hijack your thread a little here mate....what sort of engine & tranny oil do you use in the 6 cyl cars Mark ??

Go for it - any extra info you can get will help me out too!

No recommendations for 320

It's same as 323.

Your engine is 325 e30 now though anyway.

Yeah, it sounded like a stupid comment that. Im more concerned about me 320 gearbox mate. Ill have another bash. Ta

My 2 cents, maintenance schedule for 10K kms or 2 years, whichever comes first
part might be covered by your MOT but I always rather check myself first and pass right away.

Oil: for fresh engine use factory spec ie 10W40 or 15W40, aging engines go a little bit thicker 20W50 from Millers is ok, mineral or semi-synth
Oil filter: use oem/Bosch, cheap enough
Air filter: check, replace if necessary with oem, as pointed out already, 'sport' filters are a complete waste of money on stock M10 and M20 lumps
Dizzy cap and rotor arm: inspect, clean or replace
Other fluids: inspect coolant and power steering fluid, replace if not clear or original color anymore, bleed brakes
Spark plugs: best experiences with Bosch Super, Super 4 give slightly better idle and slightly stronger mid rev range, NGK is ok
Check valve clearances and oil spray line on top for clogged spray holes
Check hoses coolant/vacuum/fuel for signs of wear or leaks (also the fuel lines around the fuel tank!)
Check brake pads and hoses
Check on last change date for timing belt (M20) and water pump

Specs and fill quantities: see bmwe21.net specs pages

Good work boss

Thanks Mark and Jeroen for you advice - I'll get ordering parts and working through the checklist!

No thanks, my pleasure.. and subjective opinion

How often do you recommend changing the fuel filter and also the transmission fluid? Car is driven very little so I am asking from a time (i.e. years) perspective.

Don't think I'd change the fuel filter more often than once every 5 years, or even 10 perhaps, unless you get fuel supply problems. There are quite a few cars running on the original filter, in that case I'd say it's about time.

Tranny fluid, leave as is if you hardly use the car and it's a manual, on auto boxes I'd change every 5 years perhaps, no sooner. With auto boxes it is important to change the filter at the same time and check the level regularly to prevent the gearbox from running dry and burn its clutch plates, that's why auto boxes always have a gearbox oil level dipstick.

If the car has had regular maintenance on these parts in the past there's no need to rush into anything I guess.