[HighlandPete]

2006 E91 330d with 55k miles.

No engine issues except for needing a new main thermostat by 50k miles, (also replaced EGR 'stat). Has returned 37mpg over the period. Now making mostly short trips (12 - 30miles) so next car will be a petrol.

Biggest concern at present, is getting complete DPF regenerations. Often have to overshoot my trips to complete a regeneration.

HighlandPete

[shrink]

interesting coment about the whole "model year" issue. E.g. its more dangerous to buy into a model when it comes out, than after a couple of years.

my 325i is an 05, which means its just at the tail end of the first year of the E90, but mines as tight as a drum. Not a single issue. Doesnt burn oil like many a 6 cylinder petrol can, and still looks mostly like a new car.

Again though, its been serviced by the supplying dealer since new, at no expense spared levels of maintenance. I thank the previous owner for his approach to car care.

[MEGA]

Guess I'm a bad example

Old E90 sold on 80k no issues except new clutch at 65k was a 2006 non dpf

New E92 10 plate 22k miles no issues so far.

[AdrianSi]

Mine is going to look like a rough example! Good job I like the car and it has warranty! Here goes:-

58 2008 E90 330d LCi - 64K miles
Auxillary Drive Belt,
Lower boost hose o-ring seal,
Upper and Lower timing chain set inc guides, (engine and gearbox removal job!)
Fuel pump gear,
Full set of injectors,
Glow plug module,
Glow Plug.

I think that's it although still have an on going issue with it hunting on idle and slight hesitancy when engine is 'cold'.

[JJD]

E46 330d sold at 186,000 after 7 years of ownership and still going strong.

1 camshaft sensor
1 Air mass meter
A boost pipe popped off once

Other than that only service items.

[fadeel]

2007 e90 320d

101k on original turbo with oil changes every 5k

Beene mapped for the last 40k miles

Replaced:

Air mass meter
Oil breather

Needs:

New clutch and dual mass as its a little rattly

[chrisbmwcy]

2007 e92 320d

97k

Replaced:
1. Crankshaft Vibration Dumper (went out on 90k) Cost around 600 GBP
2. Hose that goes from the intercooler to the intake (went out on 93k) - Cost about 140 GBP
3. All belts - Cost About 100 GBP (Prementative maintenance) - 90k
4. DPF blocked, removed, cleaned and put back on - 92k - Cost about 120 GBP

The car runs grat and pulls like train for a 2.0d. Also its tuned to about 204-214 bhp.

[EQUANT]

2010 E90 320dA, 37500mls: no engine problems so far.
Had BMW Performance Power kit fitted on it since ~30,000mls.

[Statler]

2009 E92 320d M Sport

35,000 miles.

Mechanical:
New clutch under BMW warranty
Front bump stops replaced and KDS aligned under warranty

Electrical
Repeating issue with airbag warning system triggered by front seat pre-tensioners. At the 5th attempt, Master Tech brought in from BMW UK to replace all wiring looms and control boxes relating to the front seats airbag controls. Under warranty and extended warranty.

Full dealer service history.

Never raced nor rallied, two careful owners from new.... ;-)

[dxb335d]

Would have my 335d ever regenerated if I never stayed at any constant speed for any length of time?

[ihpj]

It's an interesting question posed by the OP, but I don't think the answers here are necessarily indicative of the experience US car buyers in that market can expect as not only is the warranty and support different, but also (and I would suggest importantly) the conditions.

Speaking as an adoptive Son of Houston (TX) I can see how a diesel would be ideal in the environment where there are flat open roads and clear straight highways - ideal hunting ground of a diesel. But with US emission standards different (read stricter) there will no doubt be variation in engines and technology which would be necessary to meet the US standards.

The biggest challenge will be the premium diesels will comamnd at point of purchase, the cost of diesel fuel (in comparison to cheap petrol) and the ready availability of (diesel) fuel pumps that are not situated at truck stops :P

In the US unless diesel is much cheaper than the already cheap petrol and with minimal diesel premium, I don't think European diesels will take off - remember Americans are only considering diesels because the price of fuel is above $3.50/Gallon.

If I can buy, run and fuel a petrol V8 for the same cost of a six-pot diesel would cost - why would I change? That's the real issue, technology is otherwise tried and tested but the marketing and pricing needs to be right for the US consumer.

[Russ.C]

E92 2009 330D

57K

KDS under warranty (50K)
Oil level sensor under warranty (55k)

[stringy93]

2008 318d 47k

So far so good and no record in the history of any problems

[cssnms]

Originally Posted by ihpj

It's an interesting question posed by the OP, but I don't think the answers here are necessarily indicative of the experience US car buyers in that market can expect as not only is the warranty and support different, but also (and I would suggest importantly) the conditions.

Speaking as an adoptive Son of Houston (TX) I can see how a diesel would be ideal in the environment where there are flat open roads and clear straight highways - ideal hunting ground of a diesel. But with US emission standards different (read stricter) there will no doubt be variation in engines and technology which would be necessary to meet the US standards.

The biggest challenge will be the premium diesels will comamnd at point of purchase, the cost of diesel fuel (in comparison to cheap petrol) and the ready availability of (diesel) fuel pumps that are not situated at truck stops :P

In the US unless diesel is much cheaper than the already cheap petrol and with minimal diesel premium, I don't think European diesels will take off - remember Americans are only considering diesels because the price of fuel is above $3.50/Gallon.

If I can buy, run and fuel a petrol V8 for the same cost of a six-pot diesel would cost - why would I change? That's the real issue, technology is otherwise tried and tested but the marketing and pricing needs to be right for the US consumer.

While you make some valid points, I would counter by stating that I do think this information is valuable and relevant as it relates to BMW diesels in the US. As you pointed out there, are slight differences between the European 335d/X5d and the US spec 335d/X5d, but for the most part it is all emissions related (DEF system, extra cats, NOx sensors, different EGR, slightly different internal engine components etc) the rest of the parts are the same e.g. transmission, turbos, etc -- all of the parts that are being listed here as causing some owners problems. Further, while many posters are sharing their experience with other model BMW diesels I still find the information informative as I am sure other members do and I think it speaks to the general reliability of the BMW diesel. I tend to believe BMW builds better diesel engines than they do gasoline engines and by that I mean their diesel engines are more robust.

The underlying problem that most in the US have w/diesels is that it has been engrained in our psyche over the years that diesel automobiles are dirty, noisy and slow. As most here know that's just not the case anymore. So the biggest challenge for manufacturers (BMW Merc, Audi etc) is in convincing the US population that new clean diesel technology is in fact a viable option to gasoline/petrol power car while being more economical to drive. So far the aforementioned manufacturers have been doing a good job at pitching the idea as the number of diesels sold in the US over the last couple has grown exponentially. In fact Merc and Audi are doubling down on their diesel investment in the US by offering new models and BMW announced it will continue to offer the X5d as well as an F30 variant. I suspect we will see other options from BMW as well.

Yes, we in the states pay a slight premium for a BMW diesel due to the expense associated with manufacturing the car, but initially BMW was kind enough to offer incentives to off-set that expense in an effort to get more American's into a diesel. However the efficiency of the 335d by comparison with the gasoline/petrol powered 335i is significant, not to mention the torque makes the car more fun to drive as a daily driver IMO. Granted gasoline prices in the states have been a constant state of flux over the last several years as has the price of diesel, but generally speaking diesel fuel tends to fluctuate less so and tends to trade below that of premium gasoline - not always but most of the time.

I had the choice of buying an M3, C63 AMG, CTS-V (all were on my short-list), but in the end after driving the 335d and considering I could get 23 mpg city/40 mpg highway and still have fun doing so, vs. 13 mpg city/25mpg highway, not to mention the purchase price savings, my wife and decided the 335d was the more practical solution.

Ps: For the record we also drive a V8 powered Lexus SUV only because it has the towing/storage capacity we need. Otherwise, I would drive a diesel pick-up, but my wife won't have it.

[edowen]

2012 640d M Sport. 6,500 miles, Zero faults to date.

2010 320d ED, 36,500 miles, Zero faults to date.

That's blown it.

[ihpj]

I wasn't implying the information shared was not useful, just that it shouldn't be overly relied upon as an accurate measure of reliability, primarily as the US market has more generous and longer warranty provisioning.

I'm not sure I'm convinced by the highly stressed and highly tuned small engines delivery immense power and economy as opposed to larger less stressed lazy big engines that have been the norm in the US. I think diesel is a complex and complicated technology and most US consumers won't devote the time and effort to understand and explore diesel when making their next choice of car. I'd take towing with a big lazy V8 over a x40d engine because of the long term reliability.

But then my view is skewed having lived in Texas where the truck and V8 have been king.

I think it will be pricing and availability that will sway US consumers in favour of diesels and Im not sure European manufacturers quite understand this and will try to apply the same European pricing model in the US.

Deep down I don't care TBH as when I'm in the US is a 550i/Ford Truck V8 - here its a 1998 Explorer (V6) and a E90 330d

[Teutonicdriver]

2009 E90 320d Msport Business edition. No mechanical or electrical issues since new but trim peeling trim around aircon unit and along roofline just replaced under warranty.

[andy9188]

2009 325d car got traded in at 33k

Two front struts with bump stops
Egr valve
Two yes that's two turbos
Hpfp
Engine software reset twice
Numerous dpf forced regens

2008 e92 335d 50k miles mapped and exhaust

Only red boost hose and vac pipes which are common problems I believe