[amrazM]

Bravo, good write up.

[oli3]

Wow, great write up!

[E90.V8]

used E90s are such good cars at a great value...this is a great post!

[ihbase]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I would like to find someone with a 200k 335d and ask for their ownership experience. I dismissed the 335d since the mpg in my eyes was not that good compared to a NA diesel.

Are there are many 200k e90 survivors of any type? Even an N52 is going to require a laundry list of parts before 200k.

If you dismissed the N57 because you think a NA diesel is good idea, then you would never be happy with an N57. It is not a the ideal candidate for someone seeking to hyper-mile. It is a good candidate if you have to cover a lot of ground effortlessly and feel at home between 90 and 120.

-Mike

[ihbase]

Originally Posted by SDPLV

M3 >335d > all others is what I'm gathering...

I think that it is more complicated than that. No single car is "best" for everyone.

The M3 is better at doing what the M3 does. The 335d is better at what it does. There is not a lot of real overlap between their strengths.

The 335d will put in 400-500 miles at speed without effort and without fueling. But the automatic transmission is no joy and the brakes are not up to anything serious. It is, in short, a brilliant long range GT. But if you think that your 335d can do what an M3 does, you have no idea what an M3 can do.

The M3 is the M3. It has wonderful attributes, but long range and effortless are not at the top of the list. I'm never in the middle of a long 400 mile day broken up with meetings at various locations and thinking "you know, I really wish I had an M3 for the next three hour slog on the interstate."

Which configuration is best really turns on what you value and how you intend to use the car.

-Mike

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by ihbase

Are there are many 200k e90 survivors of any type? Even an N52 is going to require a laundry list of parts before 200k.

If you dismissed the N57 because you think a NA diesel is good idea, then you would never be happy with an N57. It is not a the ideal candidate for someone seeking to hyper-mile. It is a good candidate if you have to cover a lot of ground effortlessly and feel at home between 90 and 120.

-Mike

I know of a few people who are deep into 200k on the N52.

[flanast]

How were you able to determine that accidents depreciate a car by 25 percent; source?

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by flanast

How were you able to determine that accidents depreciate a car by 25 percent; source?

https://jalopnik.com/that-fender-ben...ate-1642640784

Will change statistic from 25% to 10%-30%.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by ihbase

"335d not worth it" LOL

The emissions system, except for the DEF tanks, is made up of components common to almost all US Tier IV Final compliant engines.

There are reported carbon issues. But the emissions components themselves do not appear to be a significant issue. Yes there is a culture of deleting components for the sake of deleting components- but the standardized emission components are now pretty reliable across the industry.

I own a 335d as well as a 328 N52. So far, the 335d requires much less service, is waaaaay faster, and returns 8-10 more MPG across the board.

All things being equal, I'd take a used 335d over any other e90. The problem is, all things are not equal. If you want X-Drive or a manual transmission, the N57 is out.

-Mike

Mike, your experience is not congruent with the experiences detailed in the diesel subforums. You're also wrong about some issues:
1) The 335d has an M57, not N57.
2) The DEF tank costs around $2400, and as you say is not a standard part, and the warranty was extended to 120K/10Y because it broke so much.
3) The SCR cat costs $1200 for the part, again, not a standard part.
4) The DPF/DOC costs $2500 and is not a standard part. Trouble seems to begin somewhere after 125K.
5) The NOx sensors cost $500 each, and the warranty was also extended on them.
6) Many people, including me at 130K, have never had CBU problems.

If you buy a diesel, you expect longevity. The emissions system doesn't have longevity.

It would behoove you to learn what others are experiencing before commenting. Oh, yes. I have kept a log: 131K, $20,404.46. Which includes the cost of the NOx sensors (actually replaced twice) and the DEF tank.

[Hops128i]

My 128i has been great, there are so many n52 DIY's here and on youtube. Except for recalls and free oil changes, I've kept my car away from the dealer/repair shope for 8+ years and 92k miles.

I'm now considering adding a 328i. I've given up on a manual, but even the sport package seems rare. Could one cure a non-sport with after market springs and bilstiens b8's or similar, and live with the non-sport seat?

[Nickco43]

Originally Posted by Hops128i

My 128i has been great, there are so many n52 DIY's here and on youtube. Except for recalls and free oil changes, I've kept my car away from the dealer/repair shope for 8+ years and 92k miles.

I'm now considering adding a 328i. I've given up on a manual, but even the sport package seems rare. Could one cure a non-sport with after market springs and bilstiens b8's or similar, and live with the non-sport seat?

I highly recommend the sport package, CA and the logic 7 system.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Jklad

Oh do tell...

Well since you asked...

So because the throwout bearing was rattling like a spray paint can; it only does so once the car is warm, I took the Z4 to BMW of Sterling in Northern Virginia near my office to have it verified and to check the alignment (within the CarMax 5-day return policy). I bought the car from CarMax in Charlottesville. There happens to be a CarMax dealership in Northern Virginia down the street from BMW of Sterling (this is a key point).

The SA at Sterling asked me if I had bought the CarMax extended warranty. I found the question odd and answered "No". I asked for an evaluation of the clutch noise and to check the alignment. A few hours later I get a call from the SA. He said the transmission noise was the input shaft bearing and that the transmission would have to be pulled to verify. Secondly, he said the rear-end was not able to be aligned and needed $1,200 in new suspension parts in order to get the car in alignment. Now, I know a little bit about cars I must say... The Z4 had only 23,000 miles on it. I have a lift at home in my shop, so trust me when I tell you I went through an in-depth evaluation of the car for an undercarriage suspension check the day I brought it home and to inspect it for any other undercarriage damage. The only way the rear could not be put into alignment is if the suspension bushings were totally shot, or there were bent suspension components. It is a common issue with the Z4 that inexperienced tow truck drivers or auto carriers will use the lower rear strut arms to tie the car down to transport it and bend the arms in doing so. The rear lower strut arms on my car showed no such damage. The lower control arms are beefy cast aluminum, which would break if damaged, not bend out of alignment. Bushings shot at 23,000 miles... I highly doubt it, even in serious track use.

So my suspicion was the SA thought I did have the CarMax extended warranty (he must have thought I bought the car at the CarMax down the street and didn't hear or forgot I said I didn't buy the extended warranty) and decided he'd try to milk CarMax (me) out of some BS warranty work. Now also, in October of 2014, a few months before, I took my then 263,000-mile E90 to Sterling (same SA) for an alignment, which the SA came back after the alignment and stated "the next time it may need some new suspension parts just due to the high mileage." So a 23,000-mile Z4 needing suspension parts as told to me by the same SA at the dealership in December 2014... yeah, right... BS.

So I took the Sterling BMW report back to CarMax in Charlottesville. Because the trans diagnosis was a possible bad input bearing, that blew my chances of getting CarMax to pay for a throwout bearing replacement. CarMax insisted the noise "was normal" (normal for a rattling throwout bearing... ) and for the alignment, CarMax took the Z4 over to BMW of Charlottesville, which is literally across the street (and where I bought my 2006 E90 in May of 2006) to have the suspension checked and the trans noise evaluated. BMW of Charlottesville came back with... the transmission noise was not found (sure, sure) and the only noise they did hear was possibly a bad serpentine belt tensioner. BMW of C-ville was able to get the rear-end in perfect alignment (miracles upon miracles). So either BMW of C-ville didn't drive the car long enough to heat the throwout bearing up to have it start rattling, or they were in cahoots with CarMax in denying there was a throwout bearing noise thus avoiding the cost to CarMax to drop the trans and replace the bearing. The rear-end obviously wasn't damaged.

So fast forward to today... The Z4 now sits with 89,000 miles on it three and a half years later. The belt tensioner is still original, the trans is still in fine shape (I've changed the oil in it at 35,000 miles and ran a magnet through the old juice with not one grain of metal showing up). A bad input shaft bearing rattling like it was (is ) supposedly doing would NEVER last another 65,000 miles; I have the new throw out bearing ready to go in, but haven't had time to drop the trans to replace it. And one last thing, in March of 2015 (I bought the car December 2014), I was rear ended by an Acura MDX, which hit its left front tire into my rear right tire (after going through the rear bumper...). The Acura glanced off to the right, Joey Chitwood style, on it's two right wheels sliding down the guardrail (it was pretty cool to see the undercarriage go buy my passenger side window I must say) - the driver was totally freaked out when she finally landed back on 4 wheels. Anyway, that collision did break the right rear suspension among other things... I had the Z4 repaired by BMW of Fairfax; they have an in-house bodyshop, which is rated the best BMW bodyshop on the East Coast. The Z4 is was put back together ($11K worth of damage) and is still in perfect rear-end alignment.

So the moral of this story is, CarMax is full of BS as are some BMW dealerships, or there's a lot of incompetence going around.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

I know of a few people who are deep into 200k on the N52.

Shit, 200K on an N52 is a piece of cake. The only real issue is the oil life monitor fiasco.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ihbase

Are there are many 200k e90 survivors of any type? Even an N52 is going to require a laundry list of parts before 200k.

If you dismissed the N57 because you think a NA diesel is good idea, then you would never be happy with an N57. It is not a the ideal candidate for someone seeking to hyper-mile. It is a good candidate if you have to cover a lot of ground effortlessly and feel at home between 90 and 120.

-Mike

Spark plugs - 2 sets, 5 air filters, 12 oil changes, water pump & T-stat possibly, maybe an OFHG. The VCG and OPG are more age related IMO rather than mileage.

Oh, and a few VANOS cleanings.

Peanuts.

[pruettfan]

Drove my 06 330i, 225,000 miles before I sold it and did all the work myself. Interestingly enough I didn't have a single failure until 170,000 miles when the ac compressor clutch exploded, while I was doing that job I did the water pump because it was hard to imagine it lasting much more than 170k . Stater failed at 200k. At 220k the plastic on the fuel pump under the rear seat cracked and caused a gasoline leak. That was my last repair. As far as I know the car is still going strong being driven 120 miles a day. I did all of the preventative maintenance by the book. If I wasn't a DIY guy no way could I have afforded the car during the last few years but I really enjoyed working on BMWs, they are very easy to work on.

[M5_1of400]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

Mike, your experience is not congruent with the experiences detailed in the diesel subforums. You're also wrong about some issues:
1) The 335d has an M57, not N57.
2) The DEF tank costs around $2400, and as you say is not a standard part, and the warranty was extended to 120K/10Y because it broke so much.
3) The SCR cat costs $1200 for the part, again, not a standard part.
4) The DPF/DOC costs $2500 and is not a standard part. Trouble seems to begin somewhere after 125K.
5) The NOx sensors cost $500 each, and the warranty was also extended on them.
6) Many people, including me at 130K, have never had CBU problems.

If you buy a diesel, you expect longevity. The emissions system doesn't have longevity.

It would behoove you to learn what others are experiencing before commenting. Oh, yes. I have kept a log: 131K, $20,404.46. Which includes the cost of the NOx sensors (actually replaced twice) and the DEF tank.

Funny how the purist bash on the 335d.. I suspect most of them just heard from somebody's aunt that had a neighbor with a cousin that drove a 335d and had problems with it..

The M57 engine is a beast and all the common problems (mostly emissions) are well documented and relatively easy to fix if you have the time to search.

I challenge anybody with a 335i "rocket" to drive a deleted 335d and compare the 2.. tell us what you think about that torque.

[HTTRNC]

First off, great post!!!

I just have a qualm about one thing:

Originally Posted by Nickco43

How to buy a used E9X BMW 3 Series
In my opinion I would test drive a few cars at dealer to know what options you want. Then you can look around for the perfect car for you at a dealer or from a private party.[/SIZE]

As a commissioned salesperson, I don't like that you're encouraging people to head to a dealership and monopolize a salesperson's time for as long as you wish with zero intent of buying from them.

More and more people are "using the dealer" for their knowledge, inventory and expertise. I even had a gentleman ask me to have 2 different cars brought in for him to see from our other lots. I spent over an hour and a half answering questions for him on two separate occasions just to call him back the next week to find he bought a car out of state. He even had the gall to ask if I would help him set up his bluetooth and quote repairs on a torn seat cover.

Maybe have common courtesy to be upfront and honest when you're dealing with people.

[jtlchen01]

Originally Posted by Nickco43

• Added lci 328i
• Changed lci 335i model years
• Changed lci info
• Corrected info on the 335d
• Added maintenance info
• Added more info in waste gate rattle
• Added more info on carbon build up
• Fixed some spelling and grammar
• Added options brochures

I had a 2009 E90 LCI 335i that was purchased new. The car was properly maintained and it had over 144k miles when I sold it that still drives really well. The only major problem I had was the water pump went out around 110k which had to be replaced, other than that it was a really great car and I regret selling it.

E90 LCI model should be between MY 2009 - 2011 when they changed the kidney grill, front bumper, tail lights as well as the idrive system
N54 engine was used until 2010 for the 335i
2011 E90 LCI had N55 engines when the E92/E93 received LCI treatment with the updated N55 engine for 335i.
E92/93 LCI model should be between MY 2011 - 2013
335is still had the N54 with some performance upgrade.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...35i-sedan-test
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...i-coupe-review

[Nebraska330xi]

Great guide!

One thing you may want to expand on if not already mentioned, is on the DIYs for VCG and OPG on the N52. Although parts are about that price, they aren't a walk in the park repair especially for someone just getting into one of the cars. And they will fail, on all cars. Coming in blind and seeing 100 bucks seems great but there is a barrier to entry.

May be worth adding the DISA valve failure to 330 N52. They are made of crayons and will also faiL. Worth taking the manifold off prior to purchase. The valves were floating in oil in my manifold when replacing the gaskets. Very lovely. Or indicate to your PPI mechanic to take a look.

[nojeans]

Very good and detatiled write up to the e-series.
I owned a LCI E92 , comes with a DCT transmission gear box, not sure which is identical to M model.. but it is very fun with it since I owned few manual model cars and one of e90 with 6 speed manual previously. BUT this transmission inside had a RPM sensior to send signal doing calculation to determinate which gear should run on it. Unfortunately , the gearbox filled DCT fluid, which is very high temperature boiling it. Mine was fail at 116km , I think around 72k mile. Costed us$ 2400 at dealer to replace it , with all consumable , oil pan, cover, gasket..... luckily not the clutch but BMW suggested me to do it (another 2.4k us). Other than the regular parts replacement that listed by Nick. This was the big $ spent on it .... others items except underneath to replace DCT oil pan. I do DIY
My odo now is 90k mile. And hope to keep it as the handling is fun and power is sufficient to me riding in HK.

[Thecastle]

Originally Posted by DieselDemonDM

Funny how the purist bash on the 335d.. I suspect most of them just heard from somebody's aunt that had a neighbor with a cousin that drove a 335d and had problems with it..

The M57 engine is a beast and all the common problems (mostly emissions) are well documented and relatively easy to fix if you have the time to search.

I challenge anybody with a 335i "rocket" to drive a deleted 335d and compare the 2.. tell us what you think about that torque.

I’ll say that my 335d was an emissions reliability disaster. Every single part in the emissions system in my car has been replaced multiple times. Egr 4x, egr cooler 4x, dpf, scr, scr tank, maf 4x, nox sensors both 3x, carbon cleaning, injectors, vacuum lines, Even had a puma case and had bmws master mechanic flown in to work on the car. It spent more time in the shop than on the road, when I bought it. Even considered a lemon law buy back.

I did tune and delete the egr. It’s been more reliable, but I’ve had to replace the harmonic balancer 65k miles with a fluid damper (would not recommend fluid damper) tensioner, belts, ac compressor failed about a month ago, vacuum lines, now I have some oil leaks on the turbo lines. The compressor, belts, condenser and flush were 1900. Red boost hose failed, interior materials failing.

So the diesel is not the cheap option, you may have to delete to get it road worthy which is a multi thousand option. It’s not the cost effective option.

I’ve had mine for 4 years, and I love it. But would say if you want diesel, skip the m57 and buy a n57 if you want low maintenance and reliable. But the twin turbo m57 is a beast, and highly modabble, mostly out of necessity.

Only buy one if you love diesel or want a project car that you may have to mod. Some people have good luck, but there are enough reports of emissions problems that it does hit a lot of people,

[Hops128i]

Originally Posted by Nebraska330xi

Great guide!

One thing you may want to expand on if not already mentioned, is on the DIYs for VCG and OPG on the N52. Although parts are about that price, they aren't a walk in the park repair especially for someone just getting into one of the cars. And they will fail, on all cars. Coming in blind and seeing 100 bucks seems great but there is a barrier to entry.

I mostly agree. I recently did the VCG, and if i didn't find this crazy detailed youtube DIY, i wouldn't have attempted it. I don't know if i'll diy the oil pan gasket when the time comes, it looks really involved. Still though, there is so much DIY n52 content, it really pays off for simpler stuff. After understanding the pricing of bmw labor dealer/independent alike, it's a real motivator to DIY. Stuff like, plugs, OFHG, battery, air filter, shocks/struts, brake rotors/pads, fluid changes have so many good DIY's.