My brave pill: E92 BMW 335i with the infamous N54 engine

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josh-cg608 said:

Yeah I get you, I had a grey E90 330i and loved that I think yours is such a classy shape aged really well, and interiors are a lovely place to be

I loved my old E90 330 (LMB with lemon leather).

I like the E92, but I think the E91 is my favourite shape.

Should have a few bits for the car in the next few days, so need to crack on fitting them before my wrist operation after the bank holiday weekend.

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MikeM6 said:

I found mine was much faster than it felt. Effortlessly cruised up to 160mph (on the dash, so more like 150) but it never felt as quick as my old Seat Leon with 240hp, even though it was much quicker. I think it's because the N54 is so linear and builds power across the rev range smoothly.

It’s definitely a very smooth, linear power delivery and with the increased insulation it certainly hides it speed really well.

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josh-cg608 said:

Looking good mate, interior trim is a great improvement, how are you finding the wheels them seem notorious for cracks but I think they are the best wheels for the shape

So far they’re ok (ok as in they’re still round and not cracked) but they’re gits to clean. Over orderd a set of CSL’s which should hopefully arrive soon.

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It’s been a busy few nights fiddling with the 335i…

First up I replaced the drivers side sear belt extender which had gone floppy (oh er missus) so it didn’t do anything.



New part.



It turned out to be harder than it looked in the YT videos that I watched and I ended up removing the arm from the car to get enough purchase on the clip holding it in place, but it works now.

Next up was to fit my Andream screen.





This replaces the OE screen, so offers much, much better resolution as well as a touchscreen function should you want it.





Sound is via the Aux socket so I hid the cable in the centre console and drilled a 10mm hole in the armrest to keep it neat. I’ve put the USB socket in the glove box should it need a software update or if I decide to run wired CarPlay for charging etc. My phone connects super quickly and the phone call quality with the inbuilt mic is decent enough. It needed a bit of fiddling to get it working properly it’s nearly there. My one issue is the CCC display has a weird red hue to it when it should be a clearer version of what it was. I’m not sure if that’s a sign of a dying CCC drive or not. I’ve checked all of the connections and they’re fine. I’m not too fussed because it’ll never be used other than to set tyre pressures etc.

My spoiler arrived, so that’s been fitted which finishes off the rear end.







One thing that I really hated was the OE paddle shifters; they looked crap and we’re too far in to reach comfortably. M3 paddles are plug and play but are eye wateringly expensive, even used. A bit of Googling led me to an American company who make a kit with CNC paddles.







I think they look better but more importantly, they feel much better and are in the right place for me to actually use them.

Next up will by the CSL wheels once they arrive and probably a set of Good Year Asymmetric 5’s all round.

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MDifficult said:

Oh. Yeah. Baby.

It’s on like Kong.

It’s indeed, but I think I’ll end up springing for a set on none-run flat tyres at the same time. I was hoping to use the tyres already in the car especially with the fronts being new but the CSL’s I wanted are out if stock so I’ve gone with an alternative set which are slightly wider on the front. The 225’s are right on the limit for 9 inch rims and I hate stretched tyres so…..

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roadie said:

Which wheels in particular have you ordered?

The new paddles look tidy!

I’ve ordered the Atomic deeper dish 19 inch CSL reps. They were slightly more than the Riva’s I went with to start.

Thanks; the paddles are a bit improvement in my opinion of the stock ones.

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josh-cg608 said:

Ah mate it's looking great, they look so good from that rear side angle, the want is real, seems like you got the best one on the market congrats

Thanks. I like that angle too.

CSL’s have been dispatched today so should be with me in the next day or so.

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cerb4.5lee said:

I really like all your new additions Sam!

Those new paddles look proper sexy.

I had a subtle factory lip spoiler on the E90 330d, and I felt like it finished the rearend off nicely like it does on yours too.

Cheers Lee.

I think the rear end needs a wee something because there’s quite a bit of metal. The spoiler is pretty subtle but it’s just enough; I didn’t want to chuck on an M4 style jobbie that a lot of people are selling.

Looking forward to getting my wheels fitted in the coming weeks too.

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Monkey_boy said:

Lovely! I kinda went the other way.. E92 335i to M235i both manuals. Bought a minty 56 plate 335i in 2011 and owned for 7 years. Lovely car. Put Koni FSD shocks on it and eibach springs which improved the handling and ride quality no end. Bigest bill was replacing all injectors at 1600 plus labour. Turbos were replaced within a year of ownership - luckily I took out extended warranty for that first year. Ran a GIAC tune for 5 of those years and the thing was rapid! 265 section rears and 235 fronts. I do miss it. M235i was a bit of a downgrade in terms of performance and looks. N54 was more of a throaty engine. N55 revs more easily though. I reckon the best of both worlds would be a late E92 N55 version with the DCT perhaps. Don't miss the mental car tax though lol

Thanks.

The tax in this is going to bad being a slightly later car; £340 for the year so only a wee bit more than my 130i was.

This will be getting a slight drop on Eibachs later in the summer plus M3 arms but it’ll have I wait because of a wrist op next week. The parts are all in the garage.

My CSL’s should be here today. I’ll get them ceramic coated and new tyres fitted at some point. I’ll be going up to a 235 on the front because they’re half an inch wider than the fronts and I hate the stretches tyre look. The 225’s already look a bit stretched.

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MikeM6 said:

I forgot how much the tax varied on these, but yeah my '59 plate N54 was cheaper as it has the efficient dynamics tech. I know the N55 then dropped of further. The newer the car the cheaper the tax, unlike my current car which is the other way round. I (will) pay £340 because mine was registered days before March 2006!

It’s a bit of pain in the arse but £340 seems like a bargain compared to £630 for the M3.

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My first N54 issue has reared its head…

Under hard acceleration I get the engine warning light and reduced power. Plugging Carly in and I’m getting two codes;

0030FE - boost pressure control, boost too high
003100 - boost pressure control shut down

I’m day to day driving it’s fine and feels pokey enough, but once worked a bit harder it sts itself. Turn it off and turn it back on and it’s all good, until you boot it again. The idle on a cold start is a bit lumpy too.

Having googled it, could be HPFP, injectors and / or carbon build up.

I’ll be calling a main dealer to get it looked at under the warranty on Tuesday.

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cerb4.5lee said:

Oh no Sam!

That isn't nice to hear already. Hope you get it sorted as easily as possible under the warranty though.

Guess it’s the joy of N54 ownership!

Boost solenoids are cheap and an easy DIY but I’m not meddling until it’s been to BMW. I’ll probably take it to Rybrook Warwick because they’re the ones who have looked after it most of its life.

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Waynester said:

That is a lovely car, I find myself looking at these on evilbay quite a bit & I always feel tempted to pull the trigger on one! The issues with the N54 do check my eagerness a little.. but all cars have their issues.

Hopefully the diagnosis Tuesday isn’t too bad

Thanks.

I do like it so the toys haven’t been ejected from the pram…yet!

Thanks knew the risks but still took the plunge on the basis that the BMW warranty would provide a decent safety net.

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MDifficult said:

Sorry to hear about your first issue - but don’t worry. Experience suggests the cost will be a smidgeon less than whatever your excess is

Probably, although my excess is £250 so it’d need to be proper cheap!

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Despite my car being on the naughty step, I got stuck in detailing it. So, I did the following..

• snow foamed with Garage Therapy zero decon shampoo
• washed with Garage Therapy decon shampoo and dried
• chemical decontamination with Car Pro Trix and Bilt Hamber Korrosol
• washed with Garage Therapy decon shampoo and dried
• clayed with bilt hamber clay and Dodo Juice Born to be Slippy
• polished with Scholl S20 and a purple flex pad
• paint wiped down with Angel Wax Stripped Ease to remove any polish residue
• glazed
• two coats of Soft 99 Kiwami extreme (mega gloss but not massively durable so I only use it in the summer)
• glass cleaned inside and out
• leather cleaned with Angel Wax Heaven for Leather
• interior surfaces cleaned
• tyres dressed

She scrubs up well for an old girl. The pain was in pretty good nick: not that much fall out bleeding.



The areas around the wheel arches had a fair few stubborn bits of tar which came off with the clay bar.



There were a few light scratches to deal with.





And after polishing



Polished and glazed.



Exhaust tips polished. They need replacing but unfortunately BMW saw fit to weld them to the bloody exhaust.



And all done…











The other day I rev,aced the halogen angel eye bulbs for LED ones.















My V5 should be here the week so I’ll be able to get my plates fitted this week at last. Hopefully Parcel Force will pull their fingers out and deliver my CSL’s tomorrow.

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In other news, I’ve ordered a pair of boost solenoids which were cheap enough on eBay today with some discount codes. I’m convinced these are the issue given the two error codes having done lots of reading up.

These are the two little suckers



They’re a super easy DIY and given that they cost less than half my excess I figured it was worth a shot.

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cerb4.5lee said:

It looks amazing Sam in those photos!

Cheers Lee.

It does look pretty good…just needs to work properly now!

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Gee Whizz said:

Loving the upgrades on this. You sure don’t hang about.

Thanks.

I’m not sure which is the worst affliction; my love of stty old BMW’s or fiddling with the damn things!

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On more positive news, these arrived today…



I need to get the ceramic coat done before new tyres are fitted.

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Monkey_boy said:

While you're at it, I'd replace all the vacuum pipes as they are no doubt perished by now esp the ones that go over the engine. The pipes to the rear Turbo is a right PITA to replace if you can.

Cheers for the tip. I’ll get prices for the parts.