335i advice?

Hi,

I have just signed up here and I'm thinking about getting into a 335i. I'm hoping some of ye on here might be able to pass me on some knowledge. I've test drove one car which is for sale in a garage and I was very impressed. I was hoping some if ye might know the car? https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...06bhp/17781950 . I know it's not easy to say but what kind of money are these generally making. Obviously I would pay good money for an honest car. I was told by the dealer that the previous owner traded it in for an M2?

I've googled common issues online but would like some first hand experience from some Irish owners if possible. What kind of costs are you looking at for maintenance? What are they like to live with day to day? I'm currently driving a Clio 197 that returns around 23mpg so I'm guessing the 335i might be a little worse than this?

Thanks in advance guys!!

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Originally Posted by Gseco

Hi,

I have just signed up here and I'm thinking about getting into a 335i. I'm hoping some of ye on here might be able to pass me on some knowledge. I've test drove one car which is for sale in a garage and I was very impressed. I was hoping some if ye might know the car? https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...06bhp/17781950 . I know it's not easy to say but what kind of money are these generally making. Obviously I would pay good money for an honest car. I was told by the dealer that the previous owner traded it in for an M2?

I've googled common issues online but would like some first hand experience from some Irish owners if possible. What kind of costs are you looking at for maintenance? What are they like to live with day to day? I'm currently driving a Clio 197 that returns around 23mpg so I'm guessing the 335i might be a little worse than this?

Thanks in advance guys!!

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I own the diesel twin turbo e92, so might not be of much help. But the 335i can be reasonable on fuel if driven easy, not uncommon to see near 35mpg on a very relaxed motorway stint, if you cane it of course this drop dramatically!

Issues that I'm aware of are HPFP and injectors can give a bit of bother, while not cheap, they are not insurmountable problems.

As per Ketron, not first hand experience, but I believe that rattling waste gates can be an issue.

Well this is one of my favorite topics. I see yours is gone off donedeal but this one looks terrific and has had all the common faults done. https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...urbos/17569981

I got one in 2008 it was a launch car 2006 335i. I owned it for 3 years before it was written off (long story).

Of all the cars I have owned it is my second favorite, albeit my first scary fast car. I thought the engine was a work of art. The turbo power was relentless. Basically the N54 engine on the early ones ( 2011 onwards switched to the n55 single turbo with a twin scroll manifold) are the forerunners of the s55 in the new f80 (m3) and f82 (m4), and combined the classic free revving BMW straight 6 with the torque and fuel economy of turbos. Cause I had a launch car it was well specced. I will go through the pros and cons as I see it.

Pros:

1. Economy, I easily saw low 20's around town and sometimes over 30 on long runs. Very economical.

2. Very fast, you never get used to it its just relentless.

3. Auto gearbox is a great ZF unit well matched to the engine, never drove an manual.

4. I think they look good, aging a bit now. The msport ones look nicer but most irish cars are SE versions.

5. Nice interior big upgrade over the e46 generation. I drive works well, but ensure its not the "brown" version. Get the latest software.

6. Great sound.

7. Handles well enough on smooth surfaces but read cons

8. Cheap as all hell these days ( I paid 63k in 2008 for a 18 month old car that was over 70 new.)

9.

Cons.

1. Can be jumpy on rough surfaces, and this makes you loose confidence. They came with msport suspension even on SE models and its ROCK hard. Changing lanes on the motorway is a jarring experiance. The super firm ride means no body roll but on a back road it can slow you down and make it hard put the power down. Runflats make it worse, change to regular rubber its much better and cheaper. There is not LSD but an aftermarket one is available.

2. Very fast, I racked up 8 point on my licence when I owned it.

3. Seat bolsters wear a lot.

4. high enough tax.

5. Standard radio is a bit crap, look of a upgraded one.

6. Old Idrive works on DVD nav not the best but sure you will use you phone anyway. No bluetooth audio without 3rd party upgrade.

7. Reliability Issues. This is a big one. This was the first of this type of engine for BMW. They hadnt put a turbo on a car in 33 years ( a chap on this forum actually owned a 2002 turbo from the 70's), they also seemed to choose some cheaper components that failed at an alarming rate. The issues to watch for are. Later cars have fewer options.

a. Injectors - very common, they need to be replaced with unrated units (there are 6). BMW would only do this under warranty one injector at a time. One that has had them done is worth a bit. Its a 800-1500 euro jobs to replace them with an indy. Most that are still on the road have had these done. The original Bosche injectors were made of potato it would appear.
b. HPFP - high pressure fuel pump. Prone to failure, mine didnt, a medium expensive thing to fix.
c. Wastegate rattle, again an annoyance but nothing major. A software update got rid of it, but some claim increased turbo lag. I dont know.
d. Blown Turbos - this seems to have become a ting after my ownership ended. Lads out there seem to spend about 2k getting them replaced.
e. Cracked alloys. The hard ride, large wheels, and runflats can cause a lot of the alloys to be cracked especially 230 model alloys.

All in all I think they are an flipping fantastic motor. The sound and the power are terrific. They stand out from the other e92's out there. They can be modded for a lot more power. Cheap to buy, but buy the best one you can, they have fallen in price and may have reached some less caring hands than they demand. The issues are well know and once sorted it would be reliable motor. Economy wise they are very good, but really that doesnt matter. For the money there is no better machine out there.

Few nostalgia pictures of mine.
https://s18.postimg.org/cugz1ww61/335i1.jpg
https://s18.postimg.org/pymjen689/DSC00447.jpg

Moe hit the nail on the head there really!

That space grey car has been in my saved ads since it went up and I'd been "umm...ing" and "errrr...ing" looking at it since but ultimately decided to go for something different. Looks great though, the right maintenance done, the right spec, and the right wheels... LOVE those 230s.

The only thing I disagree with is the suspension, but that can be subjective and I've never had run flats on mine so wouldn't be a fair comparison, but with standard tyres I thought the suspension was perfect, comfortable for daily driving and more than capable when the going got twisty.

Mine was probably my favourite car I owned and also the first properly fast car I owned, I still remember the night I picked mine up and how excited I was driving it home!! It was great...! :D

In my ~year of ownership I changed an O2 sensor, replaced both vanos solenoids (only 1 was faulty), did a "full" service and then an oil service after 6k, some cosmetic touches (tints, kidneys, window trim and lower grills wrapped) and fitted a Quaife LSD which is a must-have on these really when you consider you get the max 400NM of torque at 1500rpm and it also played very well indeed with the factory stability/traction control system.

Generally though: Coils, injectors, HPFP, Turbos/waste gate rattle, and these cars come with an electric water pump you'd wanna make sure was replaced on schedule. After that I guess it's regular stuff.

Don't let any of that put you off though, just get Courtney Motors or Motor Confidence to do a pre-purchase inspection for you, and set aside a rainy day fund and enjoy the hell out of it because they're a fantastic car!

I love the sound of those turbos spooling up and down.... :cool:

Peter - you know the m4 is basically the same car turned up to 11. The engine sound, the nervous laughter when accelerating and the torque letting you be lazy, and with the reliability issues mostly ironed out. When I test drove the M4 the thing I though was this is just like I remember my 335i, so i immediately put my money down and arranged to sell that spare kidney. I did find the ride improved once off the runfalts, but by god mine had so little travel in the shocks. I remember doing a lot of motorway miles at the time, and I would play a game where I would try not hit the cats eyes with either axel so jarring was the sensation, maybe it was lowered of something I dont know.

Maybe it was the way I lost the 335i (it was stolen and burnt out), but I have such a soft spot for it. I have a picture of me and it on my office wall. Its not a future classic, but I cannot think of better motoring for the money, and in a lot of ways its a better choice than the e92 m3 if you not after the raw m car feeling. Coming from a Clio the op will see a night and day difference in build and interior quality, and performance on another level all together.

Ha! Didn't think it was possible but that just got me even more excited about M4s :D sounds great...!

I don't think it's the way you lost it, they're just a great car! I think it's that really beefy torquey feel that makes it great for daily driving over something you have to rev out.

It's funny you should say that since in Ireland - today - you pay 4 to 5 times more for an e92 M3 over an e92 335i and if it's CO2 tax you pay around 1000 euro more a year. It's very tough to ignore that... and it just makes financial sense to go for a 335i but in other regions where that's not an issue people willingly pick a 335i over an M3 which says a lot.

Let's not beat around the bush though I'd have an e92 M3 over a 335i in a heartbeat for that screaming 8000 rpm V8 if nothing else! ...Man I need a V8 in my life...

Great car I’ve had a 335i & d and Moe has hit the nail on the head one of the best things about the 335i is when the second exhaust opens up on idle in the morning kinda addictive

I enjoyed that read Moe, the car on the DD advert looks cracking also. Nice to see it with idrive aswel.

Sorry I'm a bit late replying back to this thread but thank you for all the input lads. Some very insightful info.

I will be owning my first BMW in the coming week, have a deposit on a car for sale on this forum. I ended up steering away from the 335i, I've got a deposit on a 130i m-sport for sale on the forum. Looking forward to picking it up. I'm sure I will be on looking for advice

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Originally Posted by Gseco

Sorry I'm a bit late replying back to this thread but thank you for all the input lads. Some very insightful info.

I will be owning my first BMW in the coming week, have a deposit on a car for sale on this forum. I ended up steering away from the 335i, I've got a deposit on a 130i m-sport for sale on the forum. Looking forward to picking it up. I'm sure I will be on looking for advice

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Congrats, the 1 series is a great car to drive and I'm sure you're gonna love it :)

Congrats on the purchase - I've opened and closed that For Sale thread about 15 times....looks like a peach! Well wear!

That 130i is a rare and quick car. Enjoy. I have the same engine in the 630i and its a tuneful thing!