335i BMW warranty questions
Discussion
Morning PH and happy Friday,
I'm in the market for a 335i convertible with a budget of £14k.
I know very little about the N54 engine so have been in a Google frenzy trying to do as much research as possible before making a purchase. I just wanted to gather the thoughts of the PH BMW folk to get your opinion/feedback before going any further.
From what I can see there are three issues to be concerned with on the N54 engine:
- High pressure fuel pump failure.
- Carbon build up
- Turbo Wastegate component failure/rattle.
My budget would put me in an 08 car on circa 45k miles so I would expect the above issues to either have started manifesting themselves already or not be far away.
I have received a quote from BMW and their comprehensive warranty with zero excess would be £58 per month which I would definitely go for.
My questions are:
- Was the HPFP a factory recall? Can I check to see if it's had it done by calling BMW?
- If not, would the BMW warranty replace it should it fail?
- Would the carbon build up issue be fixed under warranty? From what I gather reading online they would only fix it if it triggered the engine management light but wondered if anyone had first hand experience of this.
- A remap would be very tempting given it would push power up to circa 375 bhp. I assumed that a remap would invalidate my warranty? Would a remap lead to any other issues or concerns?
Apologies if this has been done to death.
Cheers in advance for any help.
I'm in the market for a 335i convertible with a budget of £14k.
I know very little about the N54 engine so have been in a Google frenzy trying to do as much research as possible before making a purchase. I just wanted to gather the thoughts of the PH BMW folk to get your opinion/feedback before going any further.
From what I can see there are three issues to be concerned with on the N54 engine:
- High pressure fuel pump failure.
- Carbon build up
- Turbo Wastegate component failure/rattle.
My budget would put me in an 08 car on circa 45k miles so I would expect the above issues to either have started manifesting themselves already or not be far away.
I have received a quote from BMW and their comprehensive warranty with zero excess would be £58 per month which I would definitely go for.
My questions are:
- Was the HPFP a factory recall? Can I check to see if it's had it done by calling BMW?
- If not, would the BMW warranty replace it should it fail?
- Would the carbon build up issue be fixed under warranty? From what I gather reading online they would only fix it if it triggered the engine management light but wondered if anyone had first hand experience of this.
- A remap would be very tempting given it would push power up to circa 375 bhp. I assumed that a remap would invalidate my warranty? Would a remap lead to any other issues or concerns?
Apologies if this has been done to death.
Cheers in advance for any help.
HPFP is £200 if you're prepared to change it yourself and is therefore more an inconvenience than a major issue if it fails. Carbon build up can be fixed for about £300, so again probably not a deal breaker.
Turbos are rather more expensive but can be temporarily fixed with a software update and left a while until you've saved the pennies.
Turbos are rather more expensive but can be temporarily fixed with a software update and left a while until you've saved the pennies.
Didn't think all 335i's have these problems, so maybe you will be lucky.
I'm like you and would want to know what work any car I considered had done. I think BMW will know if work was done by a main dealership, but not necessarily so otherwise. An 08 plate went out of warranty around 3 years ago, so could be gaps
Get license plate, and use the site you relied on for warranty quote and type the plate in. If the car is indicated as currently having an (albeit extended) warranty, then there's a good chance it's always been under warranty an BMW will have all the information even if you have to check with each dealer. if not, then it will be enquiries with the seller corroborated by calls to whoever serviced the car. As far as I know, other than from an inspection of a car, that's the best way to determine work done on the car. I've known people have HPFP covered by warranty, but why not check these items out with BMW before you sign on any deal then you know what is covered.
I'm like you and would want to know what work any car I considered had done. I think BMW will know if work was done by a main dealership, but not necessarily so otherwise. An 08 plate went out of warranty around 3 years ago, so could be gaps
Get license plate, and use the site you relied on for warranty quote and type the plate in. If the car is indicated as currently having an (albeit extended) warranty, then there's a good chance it's always been under warranty an BMW will have all the information even if you have to check with each dealer. if not, then it will be enquiries with the seller corroborated by calls to whoever serviced the car. As far as I know, other than from an inspection of a car, that's the best way to determine work done on the car. I've known people have HPFP covered by warranty, but why not check these items out with BMW before you sign on any deal then you know what is covered.
Water pumps also fail on a regular basis...but all of the known issues are easy to fix, apart from waste gate rattles.
A lot of people who buy 335s seem happy to spent £300 on a remap without any complaint but worry about having to spend a similar amount on replacing a part that might fail and don't seem to think they can run the without a warranty??....
If your worried enough about not been able to spend a few £££ on replacing broken bits than just get a warranty and keep it stock....otherwise man up!! Mod it as much as you like and take a hit if something breaks
A lot of people who buy 335s seem happy to spent £300 on a remap without any complaint but worry about having to spend a similar amount on replacing a part that might fail and don't seem to think they can run the without a warranty??....
If your worried enough about not been able to spend a few £££ on replacing broken bits than just get a warranty and keep it stock....otherwise man up!! Mod it as much as you like and take a hit if something breaks
Thanks for the comments. I ended buying an E93 on Saturday. Its an 07 plate on 60k miles with fbmwsh.
The 08 plate on less miles that I saw in the morning was very tatty. The one I bought felt like it was brand new.
The snag being, as its over 60k miles BMW now want £109 a month for fully comp with no excess! If I change the excess to £100 it drops to £70 so ill probably do that for peice of mind.
The 08 plate on less miles that I saw in the morning was very tatty. The one I bought felt like it was brand new.
The snag being, as its over 60k miles BMW now want £109 a month for fully comp with no excess! If I change the excess to £100 it drops to £70 so ill probably do that for peice of mind.
Why not up the excess again? My 335i hasn't had a single issue, and it's only Tim's rebuild story that made me renew my lapsed warranty.
I know it's the luck of the draw but experience so far means I'm happy with the maximum excess, so only paid £360 for the year (08 plate, 43k miles).
I know it's the luck of the draw but experience so far means I'm happy with the maximum excess, so only paid £360 for the year (08 plate, 43k miles).
For what it's worth I'd not consider running 335i if there isn't a warranty of some sort to back you up. Don't get me wrong, they are great at covering ground swiftly and putting a smile on hour face.
They also have the potential to empty your savings account.
Example: I had an AUC backed warranty when the HPFP failed. So that was fixed. Then I got wastegate rattle. So that was fixed as well. When I fell out of AUC I decided to pay below £40 per month on a BMW insured warranty with £100 excess. Turns out that was a good call as my car developed wastegate rattle again and required new turbos. It seems there was potential for the cats to need replacing as well as the manifolds, though ultimately this didn't transpire. If so the cost would have been north of 4K.
They also have the potential to empty your savings account.
Example: I had an AUC backed warranty when the HPFP failed. So that was fixed. Then I got wastegate rattle. So that was fixed as well. When I fell out of AUC I decided to pay below £40 per month on a BMW insured warranty with £100 excess. Turns out that was a good call as my car developed wastegate rattle again and required new turbos. It seems there was potential for the cats to need replacing as well as the manifolds, though ultimately this didn't transpire. If so the cost would have been north of 4K.
Captain Bongo said:
Thanks for the feedback. I've got the BMW Comprehensive warranty and am loving the car!
Now then....BMW warranty friendly mods
Buy a JB4, and switch it off from the steering wheel before you drop it in for a service. If any engine work is required, just remove it.Now then....BMW warranty friendly mods
My first impressions here.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
V8A*ndy said:
Did BMW not extend the warranty on the HPFP?
AFAIK the new redesigned part has had no issues.
Only in the US, I had my HPFP replaced for £300 including labour (obviously not at a BMW dealer), so its not exactly a costly repair, especially when you consider the electric water pump is £370+vat just for the part, and that part seems to fail just as often as the HPFP. AFAIK the new redesigned part has had no issues.
Well after a mammoth 4 weeks of happy ownership I had my first issue with the 335 at the weekend.
Driving back from the coast an hour into the journey I got a "bong" and the orange engine management light came on. No noises or perceived loss of power as far as I could tell. I pulled over at the next services, turned the engine off and let it rest for 10 minutes, started it up and the engine management warning had gone and I got the "check -ok" message. The engine sounded fine and no further issues for the next hour of motorway driving.
Should I overly worry? I'll put the car into the garage to be checked our and have the codes read ASAP but hoping the fact the light went off after a restart means it's nothing to be too concerned about. Appreciate it could be 1 of 200 issues so not expecting an accurate diagnoses, more blind reassurance
Driving back from the coast an hour into the journey I got a "bong" and the orange engine management light came on. No noises or perceived loss of power as far as I could tell. I pulled over at the next services, turned the engine off and let it rest for 10 minutes, started it up and the engine management warning had gone and I got the "check -ok" message. The engine sounded fine and no further issues for the next hour of motorway driving.
Should I overly worry? I'll put the car into the garage to be checked our and have the codes read ASAP but hoping the fact the light went off after a restart means it's nothing to be too concerned about. Appreciate it could be 1 of 200 issues so not expecting an accurate diagnoses, more blind reassurance
I've had my E90 M Sport manual for six months now. Bought it at 79,000 miles and it's currently on 86,000. Before I owned it, it had the turbos replaced at 59,000 under warranty. Since I have owned it, I've replaced the water pump (NZD 1,250 including labour at a main dealer), DSC pump rebuild (NZD 500 at an indy) and one injector replaced (NZD 500 at the same indy) The others were done back in the UK I believe. So excluding stuff like servicing, I've spent just over GBP 1,000 in repairs - but the bulk of that cost was for known issues which should be non recurring, and they didn't come as a surprise. Not sure if it's had the HPFP replaced in its life but it only takes only one crank to start even on a cold morning, and I think it's had the low pressure pre-priming software update (the humming sound when you unlock the car?) I love it to pieces - there's nothing I can think of that's better for the money. Great-looking 6-speed rear wheel drive manual sedan that handles well, with 300 lb ft of torque, a beautiful-sounding smooth engine, and a great cabin for long drives. It just ticks all the boxes.
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