My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine
Discussion
One of the things that always bothered me on my car was the state of the metal bracket that the vacuum canisters were attached to. In lots of the other 335’s I looked at, they were similarly rusty.
As it was.
The part was thirty something quid so I figured that I’d just replace it.
Old and new.
New one fitted along with new bolts.
Makes naff all difference but it’ll stop bothering me when I open the bonnet and given the N54’s reputation, the bonnet will probably be open lots!
I’m still pleased with the car, it’s very refined and does the day to day stuff really well. Driving my other half’s 125i today made me realise how much more refined the 3 series is. It feels even better now the run flats are off the car. It rides better and feels a bit lighter on its feet (the old wheels / tyres were noticeably heavier than the new wheels).
As it was.
The part was thirty something quid so I figured that I’d just replace it.
Old and new.
New one fitted along with new bolts.
Makes naff all difference but it’ll stop bothering me when I open the bonnet and given the N54’s reputation, the bonnet will probably be open lots!
I’m still pleased with the car, it’s very refined and does the day to day stuff really well. Driving my other half’s 125i today made me realise how much more refined the 3 series is. It feels even better now the run flats are off the car. It rides better and feels a bit lighter on its feet (the old wheels / tyres were noticeably heavier than the new wheels).
nipsips said:
Looks fantastic! You haven’t messed about with this have you! The best colour for an E9x too!
Thanks. Fiddling with old BMW’s is a serious affliction!
Not too much will happen for a while now other than cleaning it until I get the last few bits for a mini suspension refresh/lowering.
Court_S said:
Thanks.
Fiddling with old BMW’s is a serious affliction!
Not too much will happen for a while now other than cleaning it until I get the last few bits for a mini suspension refresh/lowering.
Yeah it totally is, and the worrying thing is that it’s contagious, and that I’m catching it Fiddling with old BMW’s is a serious affliction!
Not too much will happen for a while now other than cleaning it until I get the last few bits for a mini suspension refresh/lowering.
Court_S said:
Cheers for that. I’ll get a can ordered to keep the rust at bay.
No worries. It’s great stuff (used it on my motorbikes for years). Top tip: if you’re trying to apply it in the winter it’s worth letting the can rest in some warm (not hot!) water for a bit first. It’s gets proper claggy when it’s cold. MDifficult said:
No worries. It’s great stuff (used it on my motorbikes for years). Top tip: if you’re trying to apply it in the winter it’s worth letting the can rest in some warm (not hot!) water for a bit first. It’s gets proper claggy when it’s cold.
Cheers for that again. It’ll get done in the next few weeks.
I can’t work out how that bracket gets so manky. I can only assume that BMW finish it as cheaply as possible.
Court_S said:
roadie said:
How are you getting on with economy of late?
It seems to drink quite a lot on short journeys; roughly 26mpg and 30/1 on my commute to work which involves a fair bit of dual carriageway. I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
rm163603 said:
That's decent.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I struggled to get more than about 33 from my 130i, yet my other half’s 125i (remapped to the same power) did 37 slogging up to Scotland last month.
This is inky very slightly worse at the moment doing lots of short journeys, but definitely better on a run.
Certainly interesting perspectives! My 2008 130i averages just under 32mpg but most of my driving is on fast roads. Filled up last night and I'd achieved my best ever economy of 35.84mpg (measured via app).
I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
roadie said:
Certainly interesting perspectives! My 2008 130i averages just under 32mpg but most of my driving is on fast roads. Filled up last night and I'd achieved my best ever economy of 35.84mpg (measured via app).
I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
My long term average in my M140i and 130i was 28ish. This looks like it’ll be similar once it’s doing a few more longer runs. I'm definitely interested in upgrading to a N55 335i and would hope that it could achieve similar economy as other running costs would be a bit higher I feel.
Costs so far are similar to the 130i; tax is more or less the same, insurance identical, fuel is about the same around town but better on a run. Tyres are more being 19’s.
The biggest difference is the bork factor, but stuff like my eccentric shaft sensor and rocker cover would have been really expensive on the 130i if I’d not done it myself.
Court_S said:
rm163603 said:
That's decent.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I've never seen a number beginning with 3 with my 135i.
My old lci 130i was amzingly economical, I had over 40mpg a few times.
I struggled to get more than about 33 from my 130i, yet my other half’s 125i (remapped to the same power) did 37 slogging up to Scotland last month.
This is inky very slightly worse at the moment doing lots of short journeys, but definitely better on a run.
Was your 130 an LCI? Mine was and it was worth driving gently as the payoff was great economy. With the 135i there is literally nothing I can do to get over 30mpg so I don't trying.
With the small tank it makes the range pretty terrible. 250 miles is pretty much it.
I aways thought that maybe since the turbos are pretty much always 'working' with them coming in so low down in the range that it's easy to lean on the torque which can't help.
Also I've run it as standard, stage 1 and stage 2 and pottering around the economy is basically the same.
nipsips said:
How is your economy so good! My 325i the trip is reading about 24 atm - must be my right foot
our old 330 was around that sort of figure.My commute to work certainly helps because I’m sat at 75 on dual carriageway most of the way.
If you drive it hard, it soon drops though (my M140i was the same….capable of great economy but equally, if I thrashed it the fuel gauge would would move in 10 miles!).
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