[Hxm99]

Hello all
I've almost finalised a deal for a 2007 E93 325i with 98k on the clock. car comes with full bmw service history and had most recalls carried out( injector in 2012 and hpfp failed in 2007 thus replaced). I've got a few questions before I go ahead with this purchase. before I begin I wanna mention I am small time DIY'ER(rocker cover gasket/OFHG type work).

The car has had the fuel injector recalled carried out in 2012 however bmw again replaced 2 injectors and all coil packs in 2017 due to an EML. I thought index 11 injectors were vastly improved and didn't suffer from these faults. how common is HPFP failure, I heard it was sorted after the 2012 injector recall as it was related to injectors. how common is the NOx sensor failure and did the recall sort this out?

particular car has most likely never had the waterpump replaced as the last owner has had it for 7 years at 55k miles and he said he never changed, therefore I assume it didn't fail before his ownership. with 98k miles is this waterpump running on borrowed time? and finally what sort of scanner should I take with myself? NCS? or just a regular?

lastly, I just want an opinion on the N53 in general, has it proven to be reliable after the recalls or is it still a nightmare( is it as bad as an N54) and how do the convertible tops fair? this car had a micro switch failure and it was replaced by BMW for £500(this included re-adjusting the roof).


thank you in advance

[Phil325i]

Can't comment on the cabriolet as mine's a coupe. However a few things:

• Index 11 injectors seem to be holding up well in general. I think I've only seen one record of failure on this forum.
  
• Water pumps seem to be a big issue Stateside, but not so much here. Mine's done 114K with no issues - but I do make regular changes of coolant.
  
• If you're thinking of keeping the car, I'd advise regular oil and filter changes (6-8 thousand miles). So many of the problem issues I read about are oil-related. Remember, at one time 6K oil changes were the norm on BMWs, now they're based on the car's computer and can stretch to over 18K.
  
• My HPFP was changed in the recall years ago, and has given no issues since.
  
• I've had one NOx failure in 114K. I think using premium fuel might help...

Hope that helps.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Can't comment on the cabriolet as mine's a coupe. However a few things:

• Index 11 injectors seem to be holding up well in general. I think I've only seen one record of failure on this forum.
  
• Water pumps seem to be a big issue Stateside, but not so much here. Mine's done 114K with no issues - but I do make regular changes of coolant.
  
• If you're thinking of keeping the car, I'd advise regular oil and filter changes (6-8 thousand miles). So many of the problem issues I read about are oil-related. Remember, at one time 6K oil changes were the norm on BMWs, now they're based on the car's computer and can stretch to over 18K.
  
• My HPFP was changed in the recall years ago, and has given no issues since.
  
• I've had one NOx failure in 114K. I think using premium fuel might help...

Hope that helps.

Thank you so much, I've been going throug your advice on this forum for like the past 3 months, everytime I see a N53 related post, I go like "defo Phils gon' be here"

May I just ask a few questions, is carbon buildup a massive issue or is that just stateside too? and would you advise not changing the waterpump as preventative maintenance( I don't want to unless it is a massive issue). lastly, when did the Index 11 injectors come out and when was the HPFP recall done?( I called up BMW they said the car had an injectors recall in 2012 and HPFP was replaced once on 2007 only). I did have a N43 before and all my mechanics said I should get rid of it ASAP as BMW 2.0 are junk.

is your car creating issues for you every now and then or is it fairly reliable

[Phil325i]

In answer to your questions:

1) Carbon build-up is much worse on turbo sixes than the NA engines. My indy says he's only walnut blasted one NA engine (330i) and it was borderline whether it really needed to be done. Consider fitting an oil catch can.

2) I would deffo not do the water pump preventively. It's an electric pump, and if the DME detects overheating it will go into limp mode to avoid engine damage.

3) According to realOEM, the current injector part number (13537589048) was introduced in Feb 2008, so quite a while ago. Mine were done before I bought the car and were not Index 11. They failed later and I replaced them with 11s.

4) My HPFP was replaced before I bought the car in 2012. You may know you can call in to any BMW service Dept and hand over your key. They have a key reader which will tell you all applicable recalls for your car and whether any are outstanding. My record shows the following were done:

Defect code 0012230300 - Replace ignition coils
Defect code 0012670200 - Reprogram control modules
Defect code 00130500200 - Check injectors and replace if necessary
Defect code 0013830100 - Replace high pressure pump
Defect code 0013870100 - Replace air cleaner in intake filter housing.

My N53 is running well at present (at 114K) and uses about 1/2 litre of oil in 6,000 miles.

Hope that helps.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

In answer to your questions:

1) Carbon build-up is much worse on turbo sixes than the NA engines. My indy says he's only walnut blasted one NA engine (330i) and it was borderline whether it really needed to be done. Consider fitting an oil catch can.

2) I would deffo not do the water pump preventively. It's an electric pump, and if the DME detects overheating it will go into limp mode to avoid engine damage.

3) According to realOEM, the current injector part number (13537589048) was introduced in Feb 2008, so quite a while ago. Mine were done before I bought the car and were not Index 11. They failed later and I replaced them with 11s.

4) My HPFP was replaced before I bought the car in 2012. You may know you can call in to any BMW service Dept and hand over your key. They have a key reader which will tell you all applicable recalls for your car and whether any are outstanding. My record shows the following were done:

Defect code 0012230300 - Replace ignition coils
Defect code 0012670200 - Reprogram control modules
Defect code 00130500200 - Check injectors and replace if necessary
Defect code 0013830100 - Replace high pressure pump
Defect code 0013870100 - Replace air cleaner in intake filter housing.

My N53 is running well at present (at 114K) and uses about 1/2 litre of oil in 6,000 miles.

Hope that helps.

Thank you! you've been super helpful! as for the recalls I did call up BMW they said about 12 recalls were carried out but no recall on the HPFP was ever carried out, it just failed that one time in 2007 and the replaced(not sure if thats the redesigned part), you reckon the HPFP is running on borrowed time then? Will BMW replace it for me if this particular recall was "missed" or not carried out? I'm just curious as to why didn't BMW replace it in 2012 when it went in for the injector recall or the heater blower recall it went for in 2017.

Also, this a BMW dealership i speak of, yet they replaced only 2 injectors in 2017 when the car was misfiring, I thought according to BMW we must replace the entire bank if one goes wrong.

[Dormermike]

n53 index 11 came out 2014 or so

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

n53 index 11 came out 2014 or so

What was the 2012 injector recall for then? not index 11?
Also, would you know why BMW replaced only 2 injectors on this car in 2017, I'm sure index 11 can't be used alongside other injectors right?

The car has black tailpipes btw, not sure if thats cause of the lean burn setup or if that's a fault

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by Hxm99

What was the 2012 injector recall for then? not index 11?
Also, would you know why BMW replaced only 2 injectors on this car in 2017, I'm sure index 11 can't be used alongside other injectors right?

The car has black tailpipes btw, not sure if that cause of the lean burn setup or if that's a fault

You'll notice the injector recall said 'check and replace if necessary'. When I swapped all mine for Index 11, there was a mixture of index numbers on the injectors, so I can only assume that BMW 'checked' and only replaced some (this was pre-Index 11 don't forget). The 'replace all injectors in a bank' only came in when Index 11 was introduced.

Your tailpipe should not be black IMO. One of the marvels of the N53 is that if everything is working as it should, the inside of the exhaust tips are clean metal, and stay that way for many thousands of miles. At least they do on mine...

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

You'll notice the injector recall said 'check and replace if necessary'. When I swapped all mine for Index 11, there was a mixture of index numbers on the injectors, so I can only assume that BMW 'checked' and only replaced some (this was pre-Index 11 don't forget). The 'replace all injectors in a bank' only came in when Index 11 was introduced.

Your tailpipe should not be black IMO. One of the marvels of the N53 is that if everything is working as it should, the inside of the exhaust tips are clean metal, and stay that way for many thousands of miles. At least they do on mine...

Originally Posted by Phil325i

You'll notice the injector recall said 'check and replace if necessary'. When I swapped all mine for Index 11, there was a mixture of index numbers on the injectors, so I can only assume that BMW 'checked' and only replaced some (this was pre-Index 11 don't forget). The 'replace all injectors in a bank' only came in when Index 11 was introduced.

Your tailpipe should not be black IMO. One of the marvels of the N53 is that if everything is working as it should, the inside of the exhaust tips are clean metal, and stay that way for many thousands of miles. At least they do on mine...

yes, you're right, BMW mentioned that the 2012 recall stated "check and replace injectors if necessary" and afterwards that they didn't carry out and injector replacements under a recall. In 2017 2 injectors and the coil packs was replaced and BMW billed the previous owner for it.

I'm sorry for asking so much, but since the injectors replaced in 2017 were only 2 injectors, would i be correct to assume that the car already has all index 11 injectors as BMW did not replace the entire bank, or can there be whole different story to this?

if my car does start giving me issues with injectors, would BMW help out with the cost of the part, considering the car was only ever touched by BMW(apart from one service from an external specialist in 2011) or if it is found that BMW installed 2 index 11 injectors along with 1 other index 10/9 injector? or is this something they would never ever do even at the discretion of the owner?


lastly, is the black tail pipe a red flag? or can it be lean burn from previous years? loads of n53s on autotrader have a black tail pipe

[Phil325i]

If you take the plastic engine cover off you should be able to read the Index number off the injectors. Plenty of guides on YouTube. I can't possibly say what BMW's attitude will be to your situation. This is the service guide that specified only Index 11 per bank:

BMW Injector 11 rules.pdf

I suggest you clean the inside of your exhaust tips and see how long it takes for them to become black again.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

If you take the plastic engine cover off you should be able to read the Index number off the injectors. Plenty of guides on YouTube. I can't possibly say what BMW's attitude will be to your situation. This is the service guide that specified only Index 11 per bank:

Attachment 2518744

I suggest you clean the inside of your exhaust tips and see how long it takes for them to become black again.

Originally Posted by Phil325i

If you take the plastic engine cover off you should be able to read the Index number off the injectors. Plenty of guides on YouTube. I can't possibly say what BMW's attitude will be to your situation. This is the service guide that specified only Index 11 per bank:

Attachment 2518744

I suggest you clean the inside of your exhaust tips and see how long it takes for them to become black again.

Thank you, I'll clean the exhaust and see how long it takes for it to re-appear.

the image you sent, is not showing for some reason

[Dormermike]

My 2012 n53 tailpipes (no flap on mine, 530) get black pretty quickly these days. I did have a major ccv fail and it had been failing a long time, and there was a pool of oil in the inlet manifold as a result. Also do a lot of stupidly short trips at moment.

Agree with phil they should stay clean though, generally.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

My 2012 n53 tailpipes (no flap on mine, 530) get black pretty quickly these days. I did have a major ccv fail and it had been failing a long time, and there was a pool of oil in the inlet manifold as a result. Also do a lot of stupidly short trips at moment.

Agree with phil they should stay clean though, generally.

Originally Posted by Dormermike

My 2012 n53 tailpipes (no flap on mine, 530) get black pretty quickly these days. I did have a major ccv fail and it had been failing a long time, and there was a pool of oil in the inlet manifold as a result. Also do a lot of stupidly short trips at moment.

Agree with phil they should stay clean though, generally.

By flap, do you mean disa valve? the 325i does not have disa's does it? if the CCV does the entire rocker cover need replacing? heard its built in for the N53. Also is taking the intake off a big job? or quick and easy?

[Dormermike]

No i mean the flap in the exhaust. Some of the 325i 330i models had a flap in one of the tailpipes

[BudVlad]

Originally Posted by Hxm99

Hello all
I've almost finalised a deal for a 2007 E93 325i with 98k on the clock.

325i may have 2.5l or 3l engine, depends on when it’s made (late 2007 have N53b30 engines). I bought my 2008 E92 325i new with N53b30 engine. In 2010 my HPFP was replaced on warranty and at the same time BMW replaced all ignition coils and all injectors with index 9. I had absolutely no issues. However, my engine has number of modifications. I removed PCV from intake, installed catch tank and removed EGR (oil and exhaust gas in intake is very bad for DI engines). I have custom software, N54 intake, Supersprint headers and exhaust with no cats. My engine has nearly 300 hp.

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by Hxm99

the image you sent, is not showing for some reason

Hmmm don't know why you can't open it. It's a pdf. It should open as a tab at the base if your screen. Click on it to open. Works OK for me.

[Dormermike]

Originally Posted by BudVlad

325i may have 2.5l or 3l engine, depends on when it’s made (late 2007 have N53b30 engines). I bought my 2008 E92 325i new with N53b30 engine. In 2010 my HPFP was replaced on warranty and at the same time BMW replaced all ignition coils and all injectors with index 9. I had absolutely no issues. However, my engine has number of modifications. I removed PCV from intake, installed catch tank and removed EGR (oil and exhaust gas in intake is very bad for DI engines). I have custom software, N54 intake, Supersprint headers and exhaust with no cats. My engine has nearly 300 hp.

any issues with MOT on that? Got a link, sounds interesting.

I have an n53b30 in an f10. Coupled to the zf8 its a great combination. Quick but not stupidlu fast so you can stretch out the revs etc.

[BudVlad]

Originally Posted by Dormermike

any issues with MOT on that?

With aFe free flow cats I had no problem with emissions. Supersprint cut less exhaust will not pass. Every two years for MOT I have to install aFe headers.

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by BudVlad

With aFe free flow cats I had no problem with emissions. Supersprint cut less exhaust will not pass. Every two years for MOT I have to install aFe headers.

Useful info, but note the OP lives in the UK (right-hand drive) and most, if not all, aftermarket manifolds won't fit.

[Hxm99]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Useful info, but note the OP lives in the UK (right-hand drive) and most, if not all, aftermarket manifolds won't fit.

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Useful info, but note the OP lives in the UK (right-hand drive) and most, if not all, aftermarket manifolds won't fit.

hello again
I was just wondering if anyone would have any info on manual vs automatic, are the automatics reliable? or troublesome? don't wanna end with a massive bill as an auto transmission is sth I defo can't DIY(i think)

[Phil325i]

I think autos are pretty good for reliability. One thing I would do at the mileage of the car you're looking at is change the fluid and filter.

The manual boxes are fairly much bullet proof. My indy says my car will decay around the gearbox, which will be the last thing of all to fail!