My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine
Discussion
Court_S said:
The Eibach’s that I’ve bought won’t lower it off much (based on my experiences on my other half’s 125i) but will do just enough to get rid of the 4x4 front arch gap!
What's the front drop on m sport models do you know? I think it's slightly less than the advertised amount. I was considering just buying the front springs and doing those only as the back is fine imo. 
84Reasons said:
What's the front drop on m sport models do you know? I think it's slightly less than the advertised amount. I was considering just buying the front springs and doing those only as the back is fine imo.
It’s 35mm for an SE so supposed to be 25mm but is usually a bit less. I’ll be fitting M3 LCA’s at the same time which will drop it a bit more but the camber plates will cancel that out. If it ends up about the same as my 130i, I’ll be happy. They sat really nicely and was fine over speed bumps etc.
I’ve had an intermittent starting issues over the last few weeks, normally when the car is semi warm (i.e. sat for a few hours after reaching operating temperature). There would be a really really long crank and then the car would splutter into life. No warning lights or error codes. Very odd.
Dan B wondered if the crankshaft position sensor could be dying and having researched it a bit bit more, a long crank is a symptom of a dying sensor along with poor fuel economy and feeling down on power.
The part isn’t that expensive and a chunk less than BMW’s fee to investigate or the excess for my warranty so I figured have change it. Technically the intake manifold is supposed to be removed for access but having watched a few YT vids you can just about access it without doing so….
The little sucker is buried down here:
Yup, it’s the little black egg shaped sensor that I needed to get to.
With a bit of swearing I managed the get the old one out…
I bought a VDO sensor from other sources for half the price BMW wanted. The new one arrived with the BMW logo and part number sanded off.
Getting it back in was a tricky because it was done by feel mostly. I didn’t drop the bottle though which was a result. I’m 99% sure it’s seated properly but will check in a week or so that it’s not weeping oil.
The car started without issue, no warning lights etc so I can’t have made it any worse! It’ll be interesting to see if I have any more starting issues
Dan B wondered if the crankshaft position sensor could be dying and having researched it a bit bit more, a long crank is a symptom of a dying sensor along with poor fuel economy and feeling down on power.
The part isn’t that expensive and a chunk less than BMW’s fee to investigate or the excess for my warranty so I figured have change it. Technically the intake manifold is supposed to be removed for access but having watched a few YT vids you can just about access it without doing so….
The little sucker is buried down here:
Yup, it’s the little black egg shaped sensor that I needed to get to.
With a bit of swearing I managed the get the old one out…
I bought a VDO sensor from other sources for half the price BMW wanted. The new one arrived with the BMW logo and part number sanded off.
Getting it back in was a tricky because it was done by feel mostly. I didn’t drop the bottle though which was a result. I’m 99% sure it’s seated properly but will check in a week or so that it’s not weeping oil.
The car started without issue, no warning lights etc so I can’t have made it any worse! It’ll be interesting to see if I have any more starting issues
roadie said:
I'm sure it is frustrating that another issue has appeared, but hopefully this relatively simple fix fully addresses it.
It was it is. If this solves it then I won’t stress too much. At the end of the day it’s an old BMW with a complex engine. It’s booked in with Rybrook on the 13th June so if it keeps playing up this week hopefully they can sort it.
Been keeping up-to-date with your threads as ever Sam, you've gone through three main cars whilst I've been in the same M135i!
I've observed a lot of comparisons to your 130i (recency helps with that I suppose), but how does it compare to the M140i? Would have to assume power is mostly similar but with a difference in how it's delivered (when I had a Z4 35i, the power delivery definitely felt more linear than my M135i does).
I'm probably selling up the M135i after this summer as it's a bit surplus to requirements now. Too impractical for an all-rounder, not fun enough for a weekender. Want to get some good last few drives out of it but not really sure on what I'll be replacing it with (if anything for now) now that I've got a Volvo S60 to handle pretty much all of my driving as it's just much more refined an experience and the loss of power isn't feeling as bad as I expected.
An E9x (though possibly as a touring, but your own discovery made that seem a bit on the difficult side. A quick check of AT reveals bizarre pricing too!) generation of 3 appeals as a future option for an all-in-one after I get bored of the Volvo until I'm comfortable with spending 'big' money on a car again so keen to hear your comparison..
I've observed a lot of comparisons to your 130i (recency helps with that I suppose), but how does it compare to the M140i? Would have to assume power is mostly similar but with a difference in how it's delivered (when I had a Z4 35i, the power delivery definitely felt more linear than my M135i does).
I'm probably selling up the M135i after this summer as it's a bit surplus to requirements now. Too impractical for an all-rounder, not fun enough for a weekender. Want to get some good last few drives out of it but not really sure on what I'll be replacing it with (if anything for now) now that I've got a Volvo S60 to handle pretty much all of my driving as it's just much more refined an experience and the loss of power isn't feeling as bad as I expected.
An E9x (though possibly as a touring, but your own discovery made that seem a bit on the difficult side. A quick check of AT reveals bizarre pricing too!) generation of 3 appeals as a future option for an all-in-one after I get bored of the Volvo until I'm comfortable with spending 'big' money on a car again so keen to hear your comparison..
mholt1995 said:
Been keeping up-to-date with your threads as ever Sam, you've gone through three main cars whilst I've been in the same M135i!
I've observed a lot of comparisons to your 130i (recency helps with that I suppose), but how does it compare to the M140i? Would have to assume power is mostly similar but with a difference in how it's delivered (when I had a Z4 35i, the power delivery definitely felt more linear than my M135i does).
I'm probably selling up the M135i after this summer as it's a bit surplus to requirements now. Too impractical for an all-rounder, not fun enough for a weekender. Want to get some good last few drives out of it but not really sure on what I'll be replacing it with (if anything for now) now that I've got a Volvo S60 to handle pretty much all of my driving as it's just much more refined an experience and the loss of power isn't feeling as bad as I expected.
An E9x (though possibly as a touring, but your own discovery made that seem a bit on the difficult side. A quick check of AT reveals bizarre pricing too!) generation of 3 appeals as a future option for an all-in-one after I get bored of the Volvo until I'm comfortable with spending 'big' money on a car again so keen to hear your comparison..
I do seem to suffer from itchy feet!I've observed a lot of comparisons to your 130i (recency helps with that I suppose), but how does it compare to the M140i? Would have to assume power is mostly similar but with a difference in how it's delivered (when I had a Z4 35i, the power delivery definitely felt more linear than my M135i does).
I'm probably selling up the M135i after this summer as it's a bit surplus to requirements now. Too impractical for an all-rounder, not fun enough for a weekender. Want to get some good last few drives out of it but not really sure on what I'll be replacing it with (if anything for now) now that I've got a Volvo S60 to handle pretty much all of my driving as it's just much more refined an experience and the loss of power isn't feeling as bad as I expected.
An E9x (though possibly as a touring, but your own discovery made that seem a bit on the difficult side. A quick check of AT reveals bizarre pricing too!) generation of 3 appeals as a future option for an all-in-one after I get bored of the Volvo until I'm comfortable with spending 'big' money on a car again so keen to hear your comparison..
The 130i was a lot of fun and was much more interactive than the M140i; I loved having to get up the rev range, heel and toeing etc. it sounded fab and rode much albeit on Birds B1 springs and dampers. Don’t get me wrong it was still a quick little car, but not in the same vein as the 140i but that only felt exciting a very naughty speeds.
My issue with the 130i was that it was a bit frantic; great fun when I was going for a hoon but a bit frustrating on my commute to the office. If I had the cash / room to keep it, I’d definitely have done so.
The E9x seems to be a sweet spot for me; still fun but better for the boring stuff. There are good cars out there. My friend Andy bought a nice 330 touring with a good spec for sensible cash. The tricky part is sorting the good cars from the s
t, plenty have been run on a shoestring now but there are good cars, owned by enthusiasts. Judging prices is a bit trickier though in the current market.Court_S said:
I’ve also received this today
Not very rock and roll, but it means I can remove the old school phone dock for a bit more storage.
I completed the purchase of a manual N55 335i yesterday so now have 6L of BMW in the car park and many, many questions!Not very rock and roll, but it means I can remove the old school phone dock for a bit more storage.
Firstly the car has the phone dock in the arm rest, which I would like to get rid of for more storage. Do you have a part number for the pictured part and any instructions for replacement?
I'd also welcome recommendations for code reading etc. For my 130i I have a Creator C310, but I don't think this works on the E92 and am yet to test it.
roadie said:
I completed the purchase of a manual N55 335i yesterday so now have 6L of BMW in the car park and many, many questions!
Firstly the car has the phone dock in the arm rest, which I would like to get rid of for more storage. Do you have a part number for the pictured part and any instructions for replacement?
I'd also welcome recommendations for code reading etc. For my 130i I have a Creator C310, but I don't think this works on the E92 and am yet to test it.
Congrats on the new car.Firstly the car has the phone dock in the arm rest, which I would like to get rid of for more storage. Do you have a part number for the pictured part and any instructions for replacement?
I'd also welcome recommendations for code reading etc. For my 130i I have a Creator C310, but I don't think this works on the E92 and am yet to test it.
The part number is 5516711806.
Fitting is really easy; the cradle pops out with a trim removal tool and then it’s a case of unplugging two connections under the handbrake gaiter.
As for code readers etc, I use Carly.
roadie said:
Thanks for the info! I am looking forward to getting to know the car - your thread is great inspiration.
No worries….glad my waffling has been useful! 
The lowering of my car had been delayed courtesy of Autodoc. I ordered B4 rear dampers but they decided to send me Sachs without letting me know until they arrived today. Returns were to be at my expense, so after having a tantrum they agreed to send me a free returns label.
Not ideal, so I’ll just have to be patient.
After a riding trip to the Forest of Dean on Saturday, I took advantage of the long evening to give the car a quick clean and a top up coat of wax. The Soft99 wax that I used when I detailed it gives a lovely deep gloss but it’s not the longest lasting wax in the world.
It scrubs up pretty well for an old girl and I’m still loving the CSL wheels despite being sods to clean.
Sparkling Graphite is an interesting colour for a grey and it changes hue depending on the light. Sometimes it’s very purple, other times a deep, dark grey. The metallic flake really pops in the sun.
Since I’ve had the car there’s been a really annoying, intermittent rattle from the rear passenger seats. Since the light was still good, I whipped out the rear bench seats and found this….
It wasn’t too grubby under there other than an old starburst, a gummy bear and crumbs etc.
It scrubs up pretty well for an old girl and I’m still loving the CSL wheels despite being sods to clean.
Sparkling Graphite is an interesting colour for a grey and it changes hue depending on the light. Sometimes it’s very purple, other times a deep, dark grey. The metallic flake really pops in the sun.
Since I’ve had the car there’s been a really annoying, intermittent rattle from the rear passenger seats. Since the light was still good, I whipped out the rear bench seats and found this….
It wasn’t too grubby under there other than an old starburst, a gummy bear and crumbs etc.
The E92 is an absolutely fantastic looking car and the CSL wheels you've got on it really do suit it. I love Sparkling Graphite too- my Dad had an E90 320d in it when I was a teenager and I always loved how the purple in it really popped in the sun. My favourite factory colour for that era of BMW personally- I'd do bad things to get my E82 in sparkling graphite!
Fingers crossed your lego discovery sorts the rattle- mine has developed a slightly annoying one in low speed corners that seems to be a bit of plastic sliding around deep underneath the arm-rest... Googling suggests it may be an exhaust mount but it definitely sounds like plastic on plastic. I was thinking of doing a combox/USB retrofit and I may have to now just for an excuse to lift the thing up and hopefully sort it out!
Fingers crossed your lego discovery sorts the rattle- mine has developed a slightly annoying one in low speed corners that seems to be a bit of plastic sliding around deep underneath the arm-rest... Googling suggests it may be an exhaust mount but it definitely sounds like plastic on plastic. I was thinking of doing a combox/USB retrofit and I may have to now just for an excuse to lift the thing up and hopefully sort it out!
Your posts make me feel guilty as I really, really, really need to give my car a clean and do a post for it. It is covered in dust from rain a few days back!
I'm getting on well with it. Of course with a new to me car I'm starting to notice a few minor issues, which I hope I can solve easily. Annoyingly the DRLs don't work unless the headlights are on. The fog lights come on and off with the headlights and can't be turned on or off independently. Also the windows need to be fully lowered before being raised and vice versa.
If anyone has any ideas please shout!
I'm getting on well with it. Of course with a new to me car I'm starting to notice a few minor issues, which I hope I can solve easily. Annoyingly the DRLs don't work unless the headlights are on. The fog lights come on and off with the headlights and can't be turned on or off independently. Also the windows need to be fully lowered before being raised and vice versa.
If anyone has any ideas please shout!
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