[Curt]

2007 n54 335i 2dr

Since I like many others don't qualify for turbo recall, (salvage/out of warranty), it's time to get the turbos replaced. After installing AR downpipes, the rattle becomes unbearable, shop doesn't want to risk messing with wastegates to suppress the noise.

What are the suggested routes + (cost of parts + hours x labor) to resolve these issues:

• Fix existing turbos + wastegate actuators
• Replace w/ rebuilt oem turbos w/ upgraded wastegates
• Replace with cheap aftermarket turbos
• Replace with aftermarkets performance turbos [will car still pass CA smog?]

I love my car and I love it fast, however I feel like I've already spent too much on this car and sometimes I feel I need to sell it. I can't sell it in this condition though. Would it be wise to spend 4-5k on a turbo upgrade? What are the costs involved in getting any of the work done? Should I do the work in pairs or just the affected turbo?

Thanks in advanced, it'd be great to hear from those who've had any of the above procedures done. I've been following some threads here about wastegate rattle fixes and none has ever answered the questions about costs involved w/o warranty.

[Odan.be]

As long as they are boosting fine.. i wouldn't replace them...
but thats me.
My WG are rattling for 2 years now.. but still working as intended

[FL335]

Do they rattle under boost? Mine rattle at start up then all good.

[theweebabySeamus]

The wastegate rattle fix involving adjusting the rod itself seems to work ok, is free and takes about 30 mins. Mr5 posted it awhile back and it worked ok for mine.

[fredcase]

Jb4. Fud 98. Worked for me.

[sirdaft1]

Originally Posted by fredcase

Jb4. Fud 98. Worked for me.

^^^ It's not perfect, but that makes a big difference.

[Rory]

MHD flasher has wastegate rattle fix on the map options - how well it works I dont know as mine dont rattle ( yet! )

[muncie21]

If none of the above options appeal to you, get a better stereo!

[JustDriveIt]

Mine are pretty bad. If I have the MHD wastegate rattle fix set to 30% (less rattle, more lag) it is okay, but I hate having it set with that much lag. I plan to do the fix of tightening the rod sometime this week.

[ritzzzzzwik]

If you plan on keeping the car replace the turbos, in pair. No point fixing one, and having another fail shortly after. Its around 5K job all combined. I just replaced mine with OEM ones on my 07, thankfully I still had warranty. That said I would have done it regardless. Mine had been rattling for a while, and I saw it first hand once it was off, they were in terrible condition. The wastegate arm was almost completely worn off. I am surprised I didnt get any codes. No amount of JB4/MHD setting/tightening the arm would have fixed it. You can go aftermarket, but I wasnt so sure about their reliability. My OEMs lasted 112K, If the replacements last half that, I consider it money well spent. Both VTT, and RB have reported smoking turbos, VTT more so than RB. Again there are a few with over 40K on their RB (not sure about VTT) who swear by it, but I didnt have enough information to pull a trigger on either.

Here are a few items to consider when getting them replaced
-All OEMs are now factory rebuilt, even when getting directly from BMW. These arent brand new turbos. They are coming rebuilt from Mitsubhisi, with what I hear a more sturdy wastegate mechanism.
-OEMs are reliable, but have an obvious power cap. They rattle (not my replacements), but dont start burning oil/leaking a few weeks after installing.
-Aftermarket turbos will produce more power (I hear good things about Hexon/Pure and at times RB)
-Aftermarket turbos' reliability is a bit untested with Hexon and Pure, and the reports for the other 2 are a bit dodgy. I would like my "upgraded" turbos to last atleast as 50K if not more, after all they are supposed to be an improvement over OEMs

Sell it or fix it?- Well I would sell it as it is if I were selling it. Once you fix it, then there is no more reason for selling it. The other driver is going to enjoy the fruits of your labor. There isn't a great deal of money to be made from selling this car. So if you want to sell it, sell it now; else just fi it and keep going

[CognitiveDistortion]

If it is in your budget I would say sell the 335 and get an e9x m3. I went this route after owning a 335 which eventually developed the rattle. The M3 is an unbelievably amazing piece of machinery. It has been way more reliable for me then the 335.

[Game]

JB4 fixed just about all my rattle.

[Two Snails]

You could go the "cheater" route & buy a Route 66 aftermarket warranty through Pen-Fed. As long as your turbos are fine for about a month or two (if they're just rattling, you're fine) then give them a call about the rattle & take it to get the turbos inspected/replaced.

It'd be cheaper than paying for the whole thing out of pocket & you'll have awhile for your warranty left. You could end up going aftermarket & paying the difference between OEM & the aftermarket yourself & they'll cover the OEM cost (at least other people have said so).

[Miller335]

Originally Posted by CognitiveDistortion

If it is in your budget I would say sell the 335 and get an e9x m3. I went this route after owning a 335 which eventually developed the rattle. The M3 is an unbelievably amazing piece of machinery. It has been way more reliable for me then the 335.

Dat Torque though.

[CognitiveDistortion]

Originally Posted by Miller335

Dat Torque though.

Since S65 is such a different engine then the N54/55 it needs to be driven differently. Coming from a tuned N54 engine, I had to go through an adjustment period as well. Torque isn't an issue with the S65 - you just need to be in the right gear. If you stay below 4K RPM then the M is not for you.


To be honest, during my first test drive when I first stepped into the M3 I was not expecting it to be that much better then the 335 but after driving it for a few mintues I knew this was something very special - the amazing steering feel, sweet induction noise of the V8 being revved to 8K RPM, the DCT transmission, even the seats feel so much better then anything i've ever been in.

I would say just go test drive one, I think you'll see fairly quick what all the fuss is about

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by fredcase

Jb4. Fud 98. Worked for me.

The JB4 waste gate rattle algorithm can usually help.

Mike

[MachWon]

I just had new OEM turbos installed 3k miles ago and I am already smoking and burning oil again. I was also getting a little rattle on both acceleration and deceleration since day 1 of new turbos but I figured the wastegate just wasn't adjusted perfectly. I'm hoping the shop will cover labor to get the turbos replaced considering it's only been 3k miles and I had to add oil after 2 weeks of driving on them.

[ritzzzzzwik]

Originally Posted by MachWon

I just had new OEM turbos installed 3k miles ago and I am already smoking and burning oil again. I was also getting a little rattle on both acceleration and deceleration since day 1 of new turbos but I figured the wastegate just wasn't adjusted perfectly. I'm hoping the shop will cover labor to get the turbos replaced considering it's only been 3k miles and I had to add oil after 2 weeks of driving on them.

Sorry to hear that. I'm sure something went wrong on with the install. Knock on wood, but when I got my replacements it almost went all too quiet for me. I can now hear all other little sounds that I didnt hear before. The exhaust is quieter, no smoking. Cold starts used to wake up the whole neighborhood before, not anymore.
I wish you luck. The shop should cover the labor, most do at least a 12Kmiles/1year warranty on their work.

[mankytron]

Just get a GOOD shop to adjust the wastgates. I just adjusted my front and rear wastgates and they rattled all the time, and now it is quiet. No need to replace turbos for thousands if a simple adjustment will do. As long as the wastgates will adjust and operate smoothly, all you have invested is shop time.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by Curt

2007 n54 335i 2dr

Since I like many others don't qualify for turbo recall, (salvage/out of warranty), it's time to get the turbos replaced. After installing AR downpipes, the rattle becomes unbearable, shop doesn't want to risk messing with wastegates to suppress the noise.

What are the suggested routes + (cost of parts + hours x labor) to resolve these issues:

• Fix existing turbos + wastegate actuators
• Replace w/ rebuilt oem turbos w/ upgraded wastegates
• Replace with cheap aftermarket turbos
• Replace with aftermarkets performance turbos [will car still pass CA smog?]

I love my car and I love it fast, however I feel like I've already spent too much on this car and sometimes I feel I need to sell it. I can't sell it in this condition though. Would it be wise to spend 4-5k on a turbo upgrade? What are the costs involved in getting any of the work done? Should I do the work in pairs or just the affected turbo?

Thanks in advanced, it'd be great to hear from those who've had any of the above procedures done. I've been following some threads here about wastegate rattle fixes and none has ever answered the questions about costs involved w/o warranty.

Bentley repair manual says to update the software on ECU.

If that doesn't work, then adjust the wastegate screw maybe 1/2 to 3/4 turn.

If that doesn't work, then you may need to be replacing the turbo's.

ECS tuning and FCP Euro have decent deals on them. Plan on spending $1500

[Kevinl]

mine rattle tried the jb4 fix it worked but car felt like an evo with all the lag
so I just changed back to the default setting

I have no plan to replace turbo's until I have no choice

Besides its intimidating the car sounds like a rattle snake

[Grand_hustle17]

Originally Posted by ritzzzzzwik

If you plan on keeping the car replace the turbos, in pair. No point fixing one, and having another fail shortly after. Its around 5K job all combined. I just replaced mine with OEM ones on my 07, thankfully I still had warranty. That said I would have done it regardless. Mine had been rattling for a while, and I saw it first hand once it was off, they were in terrible condition. The wastegate arm was almost completely worn off. I am surprised I didnt get any codes. No amount of JB4/MHD setting/tightening the arm would have fixed it. You can go aftermarket, but I wasnt so sure about their reliability. My OEMs lasted 112K, If the replacements last half that, I consider it money well spent. Both VTT, and RB have reported smoking turbos, VTT more so than RB. Again there are a few with over 40K on their RB (not sure about VTT) who swear by it, but I didnt have enough information to pull a trigger on either.

Here are a few items to consider when getting them replaced
-All OEMs are now factory rebuilt, even when getting directly from BMW. These arent brand new turbos. They are coming rebuilt from Mitsubhisi, with what I hear a more sturdy wastegate mechanism.
-OEMs are reliable, but have an obvious power cap. They rattle (not my replacements), but dont start burning oil/leaking a few weeks after installing.
-Aftermarket turbos will produce more power (I hear good things about Hexon/Pure and at times RB)
-Aftermarket turbos' reliability is a bit untested with Hexon and Pure, and the reports for the other 2 are a bit dodgy. I would like my "upgraded" turbos to last atleast as 50K if not more, after all they are supposed to be an improvement over OEMs

Sell it or fix it?- Well I would sell it as it is if I were selling it. Once you fix it, then there is no more reason for selling it. The other driver is going to enjoy the fruits of your labor. There isn't a great deal of money to be made from selling this car. So if you want to sell it, sell it now; else just fi it and keep going

If im going to spend $5k then ill take hexon turbos. Even if just hybrid 1