EWG (2013+) N55 owners - would you recommend longterm?
Discussion
Been hunting for a nice F30 340i for quite a while now, but the kind of spec that i’m after is quite rare and seems to go for quite the premium (~£23k and above), and I’m just tired of checking the market everyday to cars that are either (1) out of my budget (which is £20,500) or (2) not specced quite how i’d like.
If there was a ‘perfectly-specced’ car (to my personal preferences), i’d probably just hand over the money (since i’m quite reluctant to max out my budget anyway) - but i’m just struggling to pull the trigger when (for example) it’s the wrong colour or if it’s missing certain options (like the electronic seats - or extended leather).
So, anyway, i’ve been looking at the F30 335i instead - and I think i’m quite willing to dial back my expectations on the vehicle specification (as long as the price is right) - but before I can think about any of that, it has to make sense logically in terms of the 335i being any good in the first place.
So, owners, are they? I’m sure the B58 is genuinely an upgrade - but in terms of long term ownership (6-7 years) will there be any actual benefits as an owner - from an economical perspective? Because other than that, they’re both 3.0 petrol turbo engines that make a lovely noise, get similar mileage, and can make similar amounts of power (i’m not bothered if I never make more than 420bhp, for example) - and maybe spending an extra £10,000 for the B58 won’t actually materialise into any tangible benefits over those 6-7 years of potential ownership?
Either way, i’ll be dropping about £1.3k on a full iDrive 6 touchscreen retrofit (and maybe another £800 on a digital 6WB cluster retrofit) - but, even when factored in, I’ll still save more than £7000 in most cases - at least over the long-term.
Thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from other’s experiences.
If there was a ‘perfectly-specced’ car (to my personal preferences), i’d probably just hand over the money (since i’m quite reluctant to max out my budget anyway) - but i’m just struggling to pull the trigger when (for example) it’s the wrong colour or if it’s missing certain options (like the electronic seats - or extended leather).
So, anyway, i’ve been looking at the F30 335i instead - and I think i’m quite willing to dial back my expectations on the vehicle specification (as long as the price is right) - but before I can think about any of that, it has to make sense logically in terms of the 335i being any good in the first place.
So, owners, are they? I’m sure the B58 is genuinely an upgrade - but in terms of long term ownership (6-7 years) will there be any actual benefits as an owner - from an economical perspective? Because other than that, they’re both 3.0 petrol turbo engines that make a lovely noise, get similar mileage, and can make similar amounts of power (i’m not bothered if I never make more than 420bhp, for example) - and maybe spending an extra £10,000 for the B58 won’t actually materialise into any tangible benefits over those 6-7 years of potential ownership?
Either way, i’ll be dropping about £1.3k on a full iDrive 6 touchscreen retrofit (and maybe another £800 on a digital 6WB cluster retrofit) - but, even when factored in, I’ll still save more than £7000 in most cases - at least over the long-term.
Thanks for reading. I look forward to hearing from other’s experiences.
Hi. I`ve had a standard 2016 M135i (N55) for the last 4 years and recently drove a friends modded M140i (430ish bhp).
Yes it was much quicker. The torque felt stronger and came on sooner in the rev range.
But like you the price difference to get into a m140i (or something else B58 powered) with lowish mileage is just too high, so I'm sticking with my m135i. The B58 gets heaps of praise and mostly justified, but I doo feel its pushed prices up just a little too far.
And in my opinion the N55 sounds better at full chat
Yes it was much quicker. The torque felt stronger and came on sooner in the rev range.
But like you the price difference to get into a m140i (or something else B58 powered) with lowish mileage is just too high, so I'm sticking with my m135i. The B58 gets heaps of praise and mostly justified, but I doo feel its pushed prices up just a little too far.
And in my opinion the N55 sounds better at full chat
The 340i appeared almost a decade ago now so I am surprised you cannot find a nice one for your budget.
A quick search of Autotrader reveals that the majority of 340i are advertised for under £22,500. Surely you should be able to find a nice one? I don't think buying a 335i and then spending £2000 on fitting equipment you'd have got with the 340i is the answer. I think the engine in the 340i is more reliable and more efficient so I'd need a good reason to pick the older one.
I suspect the issue lies with your specification requirements - extended leather is incredibly rare on any 3 Series and if you're insisting on that its no wonder you can't find a car. I would be surprised if there are many 335i with this option either.
A quick search of Autotrader reveals that the majority of 340i are advertised for under £22,500. Surely you should be able to find a nice one? I don't think buying a 335i and then spending £2000 on fitting equipment you'd have got with the 340i is the answer. I think the engine in the 340i is more reliable and more efficient so I'd need a good reason to pick the older one.
I suspect the issue lies with your specification requirements - extended leather is incredibly rare on any 3 Series and if you're insisting on that its no wonder you can't find a car. I would be surprised if there are many 335i with this option either.
My M135i is a very early EWG (Sept 2013 build), and it's perfectly fine. Had it for just over 5 years now and it's never felt like not enough engine.
Things to watch for on the N55 are a clicking from the eccentric shaft motor (audible when the engine is stopped, just after it's been woken up by being unlocked), it's meant to signify imminent eccentric shaft failure, but I've heard of a few where this continues for a while with no ill effects. It's all top end to repair which shouldn't be a big job for a bmw indy.
The N55 also can suffer from crank hub failure like the S55, but it's rarer. Same fix as on the S55 - 1 piece crank hub.
Also it's not a very good track motor as standard, as the oiling system isn't as up to it as the S55 with its twin-pump system, and can suffer badly (terminally) from oil surge. You can get a baffled sump to alleviate this, or retrofit the S55 twin-pump system at a cost. Some people just overfill the oil and run with it with no issues, but I guess you pay your money and take your chance there.
Finally, if the front aux belt/tensioners are making any kind of noise, get the repair kit from BMW (1x tensioner, 2x rollers and a new belt iirc) and swap it over. They have a nasty habit of ingesting the belt through the crank hub seal if it snaps, causing a lot of expensive damage.
They sound the nuts at full chat though!!
Things to watch for on the N55 are a clicking from the eccentric shaft motor (audible when the engine is stopped, just after it's been woken up by being unlocked), it's meant to signify imminent eccentric shaft failure, but I've heard of a few where this continues for a while with no ill effects. It's all top end to repair which shouldn't be a big job for a bmw indy.
The N55 also can suffer from crank hub failure like the S55, but it's rarer. Same fix as on the S55 - 1 piece crank hub.
Also it's not a very good track motor as standard, as the oiling system isn't as up to it as the S55 with its twin-pump system, and can suffer badly (terminally) from oil surge. You can get a baffled sump to alleviate this, or retrofit the S55 twin-pump system at a cost. Some people just overfill the oil and run with it with no issues, but I guess you pay your money and take your chance there.
Finally, if the front aux belt/tensioners are making any kind of noise, get the repair kit from BMW (1x tensioner, 2x rollers and a new belt iirc) and swap it over. They have a nasty habit of ingesting the belt through the crank hub seal if it snaps, causing a lot of expensive damage.
They sound the nuts at full chat though!!
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