Advice on buying a 335d with high mileage
Discussion
I've done my research and I have my heart set on a 335d. I found one locally (I live in Ireland) and its almost perfect. Great spec, colour, fantastic nic. Problem is it has 133,000 miles on it. Now it does have a fairly immaculate service history with main dealer BMW garages. It drives like car with half the mileage. So seems to be very well looked after. Talking to lots of people some are saying that it's got slightly more than average mileage and it will go for another 100k no bother, and to buy it. Others are saying you are asking for problems buying a car with that mileage and when something breaks its going to cost a dam fortune, and I should wait to find one with sub 100k on the clock. Thing is the dealer will take my car in trade and give me a decent deal - but my mate thinks its expensive for this mileage. He imports cars into Ireland from the UK - you can usually get a better car and save a few quid. Problem is that looking online any that have low mileage are quite a bit more expensive. Most are £7-8k but anything under 100k miles is at least 10k.
I was thinking of getting a professional inspection on the car to see what condition its in and what is likely to need changing soon.
What do you guys think - would you advise to stay away as its risky or is there value to be had?
I was thinking of getting a professional inspection on the car to see what condition its in and what is likely to need changing soon.
What do you guys think - would you advise to stay away as its risky or is there value to be had?
colly911 said:
I've done my research and I have my heart set on a 335d. I found one locally (I live in Ireland) and its almost perfect. Great spec, colour, fantastic nic. Problem is it has 133,000 miles on it. Now it does have a fairly immaculate service history with main dealer BMW garages. It drives like car with half the mileage. So seems to be very well looked after. Talking to lots of people some are saying that it's got slightly more than average mileage and it will go for another 100k no bother, and to buy it. Others are saying you are asking for problems buying a car with that mileage and when something breaks its going to cost a dam fortune, and I should wait to find one with sub 100k on the clock. Thing is the dealer will take my car in trade and give me a decent deal - but my mate thinks its expensive for this mileage. He imports cars into Ireland from the UK - you can usually get a better car and save a few quid. Problem is that looking online any that have low mileage are quite a bit more expensive. Most are £7-8k but anything under 100k miles is at least 10k.
I was thinking of getting a professional inspection on the car to see what condition its in and what is likely to need changing soon.
What do you guys think - would you advise to stay away as its risky or is there value to be had?
I took mine from 32k miles up to 140k miles. In that time a turbo actuator failed (for the big turbo) and it broke a front spring. No other faults. I was thinking of getting a professional inspection on the car to see what condition its in and what is likely to need changing soon.
What do you guys think - would you advise to stay away as its risky or is there value to be had?
I sold the car at 145k miles to a mate and it seemed to then suffer a lot of issues, fortunately he'd kept the warranty going so when it needed a new torque converter, new gearbox, new ABS unit, and new diff, they were all covered under the warranty.
By 170k miles it had a lot of engine oil leaks which the dealer seemed unable (or unwilling) to fix. At which point my mate part ex'ed it for M135i.
I'd say that if you're on a budget, a 130k miles example could prove to be an expensive buy.
Thanks. What's funny is that when looking around right now - for very 10,000 miles less on the clock it seems to add €1000 to the cost of the car. To get an 09 with 80k would cost me about an extra 5k including all taxes etc (importing into Ireland) and I'm wondering if it's worth it...
The main thing I'd be concerned about is the gearbox. They are "sealed for life". Which is fine if you only expect to do the life that BMW expect, ie about 10 years or 120k.
If you intend to go beyond that then you really want to change the oil in them (I've read about every 80k or so) but with a second hand car you might not know if that has been done and it's a bit late by 133k if it hasn't already.
That's ignoring any of the other *many* expensive bits that may go wrong. At 133k you are already past the expected life so it may go on fine for years without a single issue, or it may throw big bills every year. Personally if I was buying something like that I would expect expensive issues and would put aside a fairly reasonable amount each year for borkage.
If you intend to go beyond that then you really want to change the oil in them (I've read about every 80k or so) but with a second hand car you might not know if that has been done and it's a bit late by 133k if it hasn't already.
That's ignoring any of the other *many* expensive bits that may go wrong. At 133k you are already past the expected life so it may go on fine for years without a single issue, or it may throw big bills every year. Personally if I was buying something like that I would expect expensive issues and would put aside a fairly reasonable amount each year for borkage.
hornetrider said:
Not heard of that one - thought they were for the lifetime of the car.
It's an issue with the 2 litre dervs, not 3.
^It's an issue with the 2 litre dervs, not 3.
This.
Torque converters more of an issue than the 'boxes themselves. They seem to start failing at 110k miles.
Bottom line, if the OP is buying on a budget, best avoided IMO.
I think its all about getting it for the right price and ideally some major component warranty without a normal wear and tear clause - some wear and tear suspension components can be pricy - rear wishbone arms with the bushes integral over £1000 on an E61 - due about this mileage possibly. I bought an E39 at 96k and thought I was mad. Cost me about £1k in bushes/minor component failures by the time I sold it at 220k 5yrs later. Excellent result... But its a risk...
Ken Figenus said:
I think its all about getting it for the right price and ideally some major component warranty without a normal wear and tear clause - some wear and tear suspension components can be pricy - rear wishbone arms with the bushes integral over £1000 on an E61 - due about this mileage possibly. I bought an E39 at 96k and thought I was mad. Cost me about £1k in bushes/minor component failures by the time I sold it at 220k 5yrs later. Excellent result... But its a risk...
Am late to this thread.What year is the car please?
I put 160k hard miles on mine before i sold it. New owner had trouble with the DPF after a couple of weeks as he'd been chugging round town in it.
Had a new front pulley, various vacuum hoses, exhaust manifold gasket, small turbo recon in my tenure.
Gearbox was tired at the end, shocks were tired, as was all the bushes, to be expected, budget accordingly. I think it was good value over the 160k i travelled.Not so much for the next owner.
Had a new front pulley, various vacuum hoses, exhaust manifold gasket, small turbo recon in my tenure.
Gearbox was tired at the end, shocks were tired, as was all the bushes, to be expected, budget accordingly. I think it was good value over the 160k i travelled.Not so much for the next owner.
roofer said:
I put 160k hard miles on mine before i sold it. New owner had trouble with the DPF after a couple of weeks as he'd been chugging round town in it.
Had a new front pulley, various vacuum hoses, exhaust manifold gasket, small turbo recon in my tenure.
Gearbox was tired at the end, shocks were tired, as was all the bushes, to be expected, budget accordingly. I think it was good value over the 160k i travelled.Not so much for the next owner.
Agreed, they need using hard, as short runs/city driving kills them. Had a new front pulley, various vacuum hoses, exhaust manifold gasket, small turbo recon in my tenure.
Gearbox was tired at the end, shocks were tired, as was all the bushes, to be expected, budget accordingly. I think it was good value over the 160k i travelled.Not so much for the next owner.
Slippydiff said:
Agreed, they need using hard, as short runs/city driving kills them.
Is there anything you can do to prevent that? I do long journeys every week or two but I also do short journeys - 30 mins to work in slow traffic, and out to the shops etc. Is this a recipe for disaster?colly911 said:
Is there anything you can do to prevent that? I do long journeys every week or two but I also do short journeys - 30 mins to work in slow traffic, and out to the shops etc. Is this a recipe for disaster?
Regeneration is mechanically unsympathetic and rather unpleasant. The window for 'forcing' this is wide though, so as long as you have e few good runs then it should be OK. Uncompleted or repeated partial regens based on city driving is what ruins it - and the driving experience.colly911 said:
Is there anything you can do to prevent that? I do long journeys every week or two but I also do short journeys - 30 mins to work in slow traffic, and out to the shops etc. Is this a recipe for disaster?
Contrary what most think, DPF regen requires steady state driving ie 70-75 mph for 20-30 mins, regen can't/won't happen when you gun it from the lights and redline it or thrash it along the autobahn at 155mph.....You need someone well versed in BMW diesels to run the diagnostics to ensure :
1. The DPF isn't clogged or partially clogged.
2. The glow plugs and their relay/control unit are functioning.
3. The engine is running at the correct temperature (if it's not, regen won't take place)
4. The pressure differential sensor is functioning correctly.
5. The DPF and cat temp sensors are functioning correctly (if the temp differential is more than 100 degrees, there's a sensor fault (often due to the DPF being clogged and fouling the sensor)
Thanks, good to know. So my mother lives 50 miles away and about 40 of it is one motorway - I can sit at 70mph all the way more or less. I do this usually about every 2-4 weeks depending. Is this enough to keep problems at bay?
My mother will probably get a lot more visits when I get this car
My mother will probably get a lot more visits when I get this car
colly911 said:
Thanks, good to know. So my mother lives 50 miles away and about 40 of it is one motorway - I can sit at 70mph all the way more or less. I do this usually about every 2-4 weeks depending. Is this enough to keep problems at bay?
My mother will probably get a lot more visits when I get this car
My mother will probably get a lot more visits when I get this car
Should be ok, ideally it would be every week, but every couple should be ok. It's imperative all the checks I highlighted above are carried out and everything is working as it should, as faulty glowplugs/glow plug relay/ecu and thermostats jammed open will all stop DPF regen taking place, then it's only a matter of time before the whole process becomes a vicious circle that ends with a clogged DPF.
I can relate to this i currently own a 57 reg 335d which has now done just over 128k. I have had it about 18 months and its used as my main work car. Bought it at just over 100k.
They are phenomenal cars but you do need to look after them, after buying mind i had the gearbox oil changed and had it regularly serviced, as a precautionary measure i had the following all changed as they are common faults on the E90 335d:
• Replaced Turbo Pressure Converters with Pierberg turbo pressure convertors
• Replaced Actuator
• Replaced all vacuum lines
• Replaced Charge Airline Hose – The big red turbo pipe
The only problem i had recently was a faulty thermostat so i got that changed, in the end i decided to get them all changed as again the thermostats are a weak point and pretty cheap to replace.
Running costs are reasonable, brake discs are expensive however, i had my disks and pads changed all round mid last year.
Mine has the steering paddles but to be honest i don't think i have ever used them since buying the car.
Key thing is to look for one that has been cared for, when i was looking i drove a few and a lot of them seemed to have had a hard life, abused etc, the one i bought in the end has had more owners than i would ever consider, but it drove brilliantly, i don't regret it at all.
I did consider a remap this year, but in the end i decided not to as i am going to replace the car with something bigger, the one issue i have found is its not very big once you have some car seats fitted and a pram in the boot, so thinking of an estate now.
Oh also forgot to mention, drive one as the ride is pretty firm, a lot firmer than my old 330d se. I think all the 335d come with sports suspension, even the SE spec like mine. I did consider replacing the run flats, for normal tyres, but the current continental CC5 run flats have a decent amount of tread left.
I have the fun task of now trying to sell mine in the coming weeks, hopefully will be a lot easier to sell than the wife's 335 petrol
They are phenomenal cars but you do need to look after them, after buying mind i had the gearbox oil changed and had it regularly serviced, as a precautionary measure i had the following all changed as they are common faults on the E90 335d:
• Replaced Turbo Pressure Converters with Pierberg turbo pressure convertors
• Replaced Actuator
• Replaced all vacuum lines
• Replaced Charge Airline Hose – The big red turbo pipe
The only problem i had recently was a faulty thermostat so i got that changed, in the end i decided to get them all changed as again the thermostats are a weak point and pretty cheap to replace.
Running costs are reasonable, brake discs are expensive however, i had my disks and pads changed all round mid last year.
Mine has the steering paddles but to be honest i don't think i have ever used them since buying the car.
Key thing is to look for one that has been cared for, when i was looking i drove a few and a lot of them seemed to have had a hard life, abused etc, the one i bought in the end has had more owners than i would ever consider, but it drove brilliantly, i don't regret it at all.
I did consider a remap this year, but in the end i decided not to as i am going to replace the car with something bigger, the one issue i have found is its not very big once you have some car seats fitted and a pram in the boot, so thinking of an estate now.
Oh also forgot to mention, drive one as the ride is pretty firm, a lot firmer than my old 330d se. I think all the 335d come with sports suspension, even the SE spec like mine. I did consider replacing the run flats, for normal tyres, but the current continental CC5 run flats have a decent amount of tread left.
I have the fun task of now trying to sell mine in the coming weeks, hopefully will be a lot easier to sell than the wife's 335 petrol
RZ1 said:
I can relate to this i currently own a 57 reg 335d which has now done just over 128k. I have had it about 18 months and its used as my main work car. Bought it at just over 100k.
They are phenomenal cars but you do need to look after them, after buying mind i had the gearbox oil changed and had it regularly serviced, as a precautionary measure i had the following all changed as they are common faults on the E90 335d:
• Replaced Turbo Pressure Converters with Pierberg turbo pressure convertors
• Replaced Actuator
• Replaced all vacuum lines
• Replaced Charge Airline Hose – The big red turbo pipe
Thanks for this information! I'm currently in the market for something around this mileage. If you didn't mind me asking, how much did having those items replaced cost? Just so I can take that into consideration when budgeting. They are phenomenal cars but you do need to look after them, after buying mind i had the gearbox oil changed and had it regularly serviced, as a precautionary measure i had the following all changed as they are common faults on the E90 335d:
• Replaced Turbo Pressure Converters with Pierberg turbo pressure convertors
• Replaced Actuator
• Replaced all vacuum lines
• Replaced Charge Airline Hose – The big red turbo pipe
I have also read having 'Carbon Build UP' (CBU) cleaning done is essential for one of these with higher mileage, as the the motor gets severely clogged. Any issues with that?
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