335i Realibilty & Running Costs
Discussion
After 6 years ownership of my E46 330i I've decided its time for change. Budget is around 10-12k. The sensible side of me says get an E9x 330i with the N52 engine but the used prices of the 335i SE cars are within budget & look tempting with the extra power.
I've read about fuel pump issues, are these expensive to put right outside warranty? Are there any other potential big bills over the 330i?
I've read about fuel pump issues, are these expensive to put right outside warranty? Are there any other potential big bills over the 330i?
This seem to come up ever few months for some reason....essentially.
Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
gangzoom said:
This seem to come up ever few months for some reason....essentially.
Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
+1 Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
Might be worth also checking out this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... for some more opinions on 335i.
Thanks for the replies. How much approx would I be looking at to put right points 1-3 should they need fixing?
Also what are the gearboxes like on the autos? Current car is a manual but I don't mind autos. Does it respond well if you put your foot down & change up/down at the right points? There seem to be more autos for sale.
Also what are the gearboxes like on the autos? Current car is a manual but I don't mind autos. Does it respond well if you put your foot down & change up/down at the right points? There seem to be more autos for sale.
Edited by Tim330 on Thursday 3rd May 21:06
If the car has less than 60k miles on it the BMW warranty is SO cheap I struggle to understand the logic of not protecting yourself with it.
With a BMW warranty in place the running costs on a 335i are shockingly reasonable for a car of its power and performance. Effectively it has the same running costs as the E46 330i.
With a BMW warranty in place the running costs on a 335i are shockingly reasonable for a car of its power and performance. Effectively it has the same running costs as the E46 330i.
Thanks Fox, it looks like from the other thread that you didn't get on well with your 335. A couple of the cars in the PH classifieds say they have auc warranty but have more than 60k miles. Can the warranty on these be extended past 60k? I guess the price goes up if they do.
Also do you have to use a BMW main dealer for servicing to keep the waranty intact? I thought some EU law covered this or does this not apply to used cars?
Also do you have to use a BMW main dealer for servicing to keep the waranty intact? I thought some EU law covered this or does this not apply to used cars?
gangzoom said:
This seem to come up ever few months for some reason....essentially.
Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
Also carbon buildup and coil packs.Yes there are some known problems
1) Fuel pump : UK cars don't seem to be that affected
2) Injectors: BMW has done a recall recently so should be sorted
3) Sticky Wastegate: This is the big one, and far more expensive than the fuel pump/injector problem. The wastegate on some of the turbos appear to have not been made to standard, as a result some car will have "wastegate rattle" at 3-4KRPM, other cars have suffered power loss and the car thrown error codes to the point where the turbos have needed to be replaced. But not all cars are affected.
If you go reading around the web for the problems above some people will have you believe that any 335i will fall apart the moment you drive it off a forecourt, and if you buy one without a BMW warranty you will be throwing away your money. I have no doubt people have had bad experiences with 335i, but thats true for any car. The good thing about buying used in a way is that hopefully the previous owner will have sorted out any problems.
I bought mine from a BMW dealer for the warranty, but actually have had no problems, and now have no interest in paying BMW £££ to carry it on. Instead I love my 335i so much I've spent £1.5K on a LSD, £500 on an uprated intercooler, £200 on a ECU chip, and various other items. Right now am trying to stop my self from spending another £1.5K on some Birds suspension.
For the price you can now get 335i for they are an absolute performance bargain. You can get to 360-370bhp for £500, spend a bit more on downpipes and intercooler your be pushing 400bhp. My 335i is simply the best car I've had so far (compared to Integra Type R DC2, 350Z, various more boring stuff).
Running costs have been minimal (mine does 40mpg on the M ways and currently averaging 26mpg for pure city driving), but do make sure the car your buying is in good shape, or pay a bit extra and get one from BMW if the warranty if it makes you feel better (like I did). Its also worth noting the new F30 3 series is still using the same engine as the E90 335i (N55 versions anyways), so bizarrely the new 335i wouldn't be any quicker than the current E9X version
Tim330 said:
I will see whats for sale at the end of the month which is when I plan to buy. I've never owned a "fast car" so a 335i would be nice but I'm sure I'd be happy with another 330 (until I'm at a lights in a 330 and a 335 pulls up next to me!)
I test drove both the 330 and the 335. To be honest both offered fantastic performance - I ended up with a 335i because it was the first to pop up with the spec I wanted but truthfully I'd have taken a 330i if that was first.Fox- said:
Tim330 said:
I will see whats for sale at the end of the month which is when I plan to buy. I've never owned a "fast car" so a 335i would be nice but I'm sure I'd be happy with another 330 (until I'm at a lights in a 330 and a 335 pulls up next to me!)
I test drove both the 330 and the 335. To be honest both offered fantastic performance - I ended up with a 335i because it was the first to pop up with the spec I wanted but truthfully I'd have taken a 330i if that was first.Tim330 said:
Thanks for the replies. How much approx would I be looking at to put right points 1-3 should they need fixing?
These prices were found by a couple of brief online searches so they could be complete BS, however it appears that injectors are about £70 each + fitting and the fuel pump £130 + fitting. Based on these, I think the cost of fuel system repair is likely to be less than the cost of maintaining a warranty. Some will say if it goes wrong and some will say when it goes wrong; depends if you're a glass half full or half empty type I guess. Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff