Considering an E82 N55 Manual advice needed
Discussion
I’m thinking of buying an E82 135i coupe, manual Sport Plus Edition.
I’ve heard the N55 engine is generally more reliable than the N54, but less tuneable (which is fine as I plan to keep it standard).
Used to have a 1M coupe many years ago, and made the mistake of selling it. They are now strong money for low mileage examples, so thinking of a late 135i coupe as I like the quirky looks.
I’ve heard the plastic charge pipe should be replaced for an aluminium version but otherwise they are quite reliable?
Was tempted to buy a manual as it won’t be a daily, is the DCT more desirable?
Lastly, any must-have options to have ? I saw a low mileage one that doesn’t have HK, so was a bit curious if easy to upgrade the base stereo ?
Anything else to watch out for ? Any advice appreciated.
I’ve heard the N55 engine is generally more reliable than the N54, but less tuneable (which is fine as I plan to keep it standard).
Used to have a 1M coupe many years ago, and made the mistake of selling it. They are now strong money for low mileage examples, so thinking of a late 135i coupe as I like the quirky looks.
I’ve heard the plastic charge pipe should be replaced for an aluminium version but otherwise they are quite reliable?
Was tempted to buy a manual as it won’t be a daily, is the DCT more desirable?
Lastly, any must-have options to have ? I saw a low mileage one that doesn’t have HK, so was a bit curious if easy to upgrade the base stereo ?
Anything else to watch out for ? Any advice appreciated.
Thanks. Saw a low mileage one advertised: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20364997
Agree the manual likely to be more raw; the one above is a sport edition with xenon’s also.
I do like the idea of a good stereo, but this one has only the base stereo.
Agree the manual likely to be more raw; the one above is a sport edition with xenon’s also.
I do like the idea of a good stereo, but this one has only the base stereo.
Another ex-1M owner wishing he’d kept it.
Having said that, I think the N55 is a nicer engine than the N54 and seemingly more reliable. Manual only for me, which would also hold value its value better (if that’s a consideration).
E8x best ever small BMW’s in my opinion, also wish I still had my 130i.
That grey 135i looks lovely and decent value.
Having said that, I think the N55 is a nicer engine than the N54 and seemingly more reliable. Manual only for me, which would also hold value its value better (if that’s a consideration).
E8x best ever small BMW’s in my opinion, also wish I still had my 130i.
That grey 135i looks lovely and decent value.
The N55 is a generally reliable engine I have found. I have one with 86,000 miles on it now and the only thing that has 'failed' is a coil pack so far. £25 for the OE Delphi unit and it was a doddle to change over.
That being said, like pretty much all BMWs, the gaskets throughout the engine can fail. Oil filter housing, oil thermostat, valve cover and oil pan gasket can all weep. The one to watch out for is the oil filter housing gasket, if it fails, oil can leak down the front of the engine and can cause the aux belt to slip if it gets bad. If the belt slips then it's game over.
Charge pipe is worth doing if the car is approaching 100k miles but it's OK up until that point if you are going to run standard power.
I would change the oil every 5k miles, personally as fresh oil keeps the turbo in good health.
The high pressure fuel pump and injectors are much less likely to fail on the N55 than they were on the N54.
That being said, like pretty much all BMWs, the gaskets throughout the engine can fail. Oil filter housing, oil thermostat, valve cover and oil pan gasket can all weep. The one to watch out for is the oil filter housing gasket, if it fails, oil can leak down the front of the engine and can cause the aux belt to slip if it gets bad. If the belt slips then it's game over.
Charge pipe is worth doing if the car is approaching 100k miles but it's OK up until that point if you are going to run standard power.
I would change the oil every 5k miles, personally as fresh oil keeps the turbo in good health.
The high pressure fuel pump and injectors are much less likely to fail on the N55 than they were on the N54.
It depends which ones you want to replace. The oil filter housing and oil thermostat gaskets are about 2-2.5 hours labour to do both and it's about £30-£50 for the parts so I would budget around £300 for that job.
Oil pan gasket I'm not sure as I've not had that one done but if it's like other BMWs then it can be pricey as the front subframe needs to be removed to get to the sump.
The valve cover has to be replaced entirely, ideally. But you get a kit from BMW which includes the cover, the gasket and the bolts. I wouldn't expect too much change from £1200 for this job to be done.
Something I forgot previously is that water pumps go too and it's a bit of a lottery when this happens. It's about £600-£700 to get this replaced including parts and labour.
Oil pan gasket I'm not sure as I've not had that one done but if it's like other BMWs then it can be pricey as the front subframe needs to be removed to get to the sump.
The valve cover has to be replaced entirely, ideally. But you get a kit from BMW which includes the cover, the gasket and the bolts. I wouldn't expect too much change from £1200 for this job to be done.
Something I forgot previously is that water pumps go too and it's a bit of a lottery when this happens. It's about £600-£700 to get this replaced including parts and labour.
N55 manual is a good combo I think, mine's an E91 but you'd think it would be more fun in the smaller 1series.
Like you I read the N55 was more reliable than N54 and I'd no interest in tuning it.
In terms of reliability, it's been "okay". 2010 model, and I've had it for 4 years. (92k miles now). Other than small stuff like the battery and abs sensors I've had to do;
-Waterpump + thermostat (just poops itself with no warning). I changed the waterpump ground bolt also, those can shear for no reason "apparently".
-Valve cover gasket + cover (lovely burning oil smell every day). Not difficult you just have to remove a lot of parts first
Both jobs were around £400 ish (parts only, DIY). They're both reported as really common problems with this engine.
The other big one is the oil filter housing gasket as mentioned already.
Like you I read the N55 was more reliable than N54 and I'd no interest in tuning it.
In terms of reliability, it's been "okay". 2010 model, and I've had it for 4 years. (92k miles now). Other than small stuff like the battery and abs sensors I've had to do;
-Waterpump + thermostat (just poops itself with no warning). I changed the waterpump ground bolt also, those can shear for no reason "apparently".
-Valve cover gasket + cover (lovely burning oil smell every day). Not difficult you just have to remove a lot of parts first
Both jobs were around £400 ish (parts only, DIY). They're both reported as really common problems with this engine.
The other big one is the oil filter housing gasket as mentioned already.
I had an E88 manual 135i with the N55.
Still to this day my favourite car.
I sold it to a family friend who also loves it and still has it
Had some issues with it:
Something seized causing low power. A specialist garage near me had a tool which could un-seize it, rather than having to replace it. Told it was due to not much driving
Heat exchanger has gone, which causes coolant to leak in the passenger footwell. This was a pricey job at >£1000
Headlight auto leveller broke, but a cheap fix
Otherwise been fine.
My only suggestion would be to take it to Kevin Bird for suspension, and to fit Asy 6 tyres- these are the best I used on the car. Do NOT put Michelins on. They re shocking for steering feel
Get some level of upgraded audio. The HiFi is great, and I upgraded the amp to Audiotech Fisher Match 7BMW which was a plug and play solution. Still the best audio with this amp I ve had in a car.
I had the M Performance engine software added to mine too, which gave it an even better power delivery.
Don t know where you re based OP but would be happy to show you round the car if local to the south coast (Worthing ish)
Still to this day my favourite car.
I sold it to a family friend who also loves it and still has it
Had some issues with it:
Something seized causing low power. A specialist garage near me had a tool which could un-seize it, rather than having to replace it. Told it was due to not much driving
Heat exchanger has gone, which causes coolant to leak in the passenger footwell. This was a pricey job at >£1000
Headlight auto leveller broke, but a cheap fix
Otherwise been fine.
My only suggestion would be to take it to Kevin Bird for suspension, and to fit Asy 6 tyres- these are the best I used on the car. Do NOT put Michelins on. They re shocking for steering feel
Get some level of upgraded audio. The HiFi is great, and I upgraded the amp to Audiotech Fisher Match 7BMW which was a plug and play solution. Still the best audio with this amp I ve had in a car.
I had the M Performance engine software added to mine too, which gave it an even better power delivery.
Don t know where you re based OP but would be happy to show you round the car if local to the south coast (Worthing ish)
Thanks! Am based near Reigate so not too far away.
I guess some maintenance is to be expected for a car that is now 13+ years old.
The E82 seemed a quirky thing and I like the idea of a small front engined, rwd manual.
From my research, seems like cruise control is a bit of a pain to retro-fit ?
And I need to check how best to upgrade the stereo in case it’s the base (non-HiFi) system.
I guess some maintenance is to be expected for a car that is now 13+ years old.
The E82 seemed a quirky thing and I like the idea of a small front engined, rwd manual.
From my research, seems like cruise control is a bit of a pain to retro-fit ?
And I need to check how best to upgrade the stereo in case it’s the base (non-HiFi) system.
Kananga said:
Thanks both!
Do these gaskets tend to fail on age or mileage ?
I would say it rather depends on how the car is driven and treated. Do these gaskets tend to fail on age or mileage ?
I would say that if the mileage is over 75,000 then it's something you'll need to start thinking about. But the gaskets tend to leak slowly and you'll be able to see this on a visual inspection.
If the oil filter housing is leaking you'll see a misting of oil around the front of the engine and you might see a drip of oil down the front of the engine. If the valve cover is leaking you might get revs slightly jumping on start up and also you might get oil burning from dripping onto the manifolds.
Can't help with anything N55 specific, but I've had a 125i for 12 years now with the N52 engine, non engine specific stuff I'd say to keep an eye on:
- ABS Sensors. As with all BMWs these are consumables. I've replaced all 4 of mine twice now...just one of those things unfortunately. Normally a cheap fix unless the rear reluctor rings have expanded due to rust, that's a bit more invovled to fix but nothing disastrous.
- Brake Calipers - both of my rears seized and needed replacing about 80k miles ago, suspect they may need doing again soon.
- My head unit went, we got a second hand one from an E90 which has worked fine. Previous owner upgraded the audio to bronze speakers, subs and tweeters in the doors, sounds brilliant even now
- Tyres - I usually get 20k+ out of the rears and 40k+ out of the fronts, I do have less torque to deal with however. After the initial rubbish Bridgestones I've only ever fit Michelins - PS4s, some PSS and currently Pilot Sport 5s. Great tyres for the car, grip in all weathers, last for ages and no concerns about steering feel from me. Only ones I wouldn;t fit again are the PSS, but they're an old tyre now.
Other than a suspension refresh at 123k miles and a wheel refurb into Orbit Grey, that's been it pretty much. Very reliable cars with the N52, mine's on 189k miles and still running beautifully.
- ABS Sensors. As with all BMWs these are consumables. I've replaced all 4 of mine twice now...just one of those things unfortunately. Normally a cheap fix unless the rear reluctor rings have expanded due to rust, that's a bit more invovled to fix but nothing disastrous.
- Brake Calipers - both of my rears seized and needed replacing about 80k miles ago, suspect they may need doing again soon.
- My head unit went, we got a second hand one from an E90 which has worked fine. Previous owner upgraded the audio to bronze speakers, subs and tweeters in the doors, sounds brilliant even now
- Tyres - I usually get 20k+ out of the rears and 40k+ out of the fronts, I do have less torque to deal with however. After the initial rubbish Bridgestones I've only ever fit Michelins - PS4s, some PSS and currently Pilot Sport 5s. Great tyres for the car, grip in all weathers, last for ages and no concerns about steering feel from me. Only ones I wouldn;t fit again are the PSS, but they're an old tyre now.
Other than a suspension refresh at 123k miles and a wheel refurb into Orbit Grey, that's been it pretty much. Very reliable cars with the N52, mine's on 189k miles and still running beautifully.
Kananga said:
Thanks! Am based near Reigate so not too far away.
I guess some maintenance is to be expected for a car that is now 13+ years old.
The E82 seemed a quirky thing and I like the idea of a small front engined, rwd manual.
From my research, seems like cruise control is a bit of a pain to retro-fit ?
And I need to check how best to upgrade the stereo in case it s the base (non-HiFi) system.
The one listed above is the base HiFi - you can tell because it doesn’t have tweeters by the A pillar. I guess some maintenance is to be expected for a car that is now 13+ years old.
The E82 seemed a quirky thing and I like the idea of a small front engined, rwd manual.
From my research, seems like cruise control is a bit of a pain to retro-fit ?
And I need to check how best to upgrade the stereo in case it s the base (non-HiFi) system.
The base audio can be upgraded, but a bit more involved.
https://www.audiotec-fischer.de/en/soundupgrade
Personally I would look for a better spec, better maintained car, rather than something which has done 30k miles in 13 years.
In my (limited) experience with cars, more reliable ones tend to go wrong more often when they’re not used.
My 718 with low mileage was plagued with problems, requiring about £7,000 of work within a month of buying it from a dealer. The same for other low mileage cars I’ve bought.
I now look at “appropriate” mileage cars.
I've got the N55 in my F11.
I've also had an E90 335i with the N54.
The N54 had many things go wrong and break and was under 60k mileage when I sold it.
The N55 is on 150k now and it's only had the mickeymouse flange done, a new diverter valve and it needs the valvetronic doing.
Sounds great, has superb power delivery and isn't too bad on fuel.
Mine has an aftermarket intake, alu charge pipe and M perf exhaust.
I've also had an E90 335i with the N54.
The N54 had many things go wrong and break and was under 60k mileage when I sold it.
The N55 is on 150k now and it's only had the mickeymouse flange done, a new diverter valve and it needs the valvetronic doing.
Sounds great, has superb power delivery and isn't too bad on fuel.
Mine has an aftermarket intake, alu charge pipe and M perf exhaust.
Forums | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff