[SM8]

Edit: going down a different route with car now

[AWebster]

I think the fact alone that you are considering a 335i means you should take the opportunity and do it.

I feel your confusion, every day I think about changing my car for a 335i, and I will continue to battle with this dilemma as you do until I do it.

Go for it!

[SM8]

Originally Posted by AWebster

I think the fact alone that you are considering a 335i means you should take the opportunity and do it.

I feel your confusion, every day I think about changing my car for a 335i, and I will continue to battle with this dilemma as you do until I do it.

Go for it!

I am considering it as i did the first time when buying my original car but i need to think with my head on this one as it's a car i plan on keeping for a long time and adding mods to it etc so i want the right base to work with and not a money pit or that takes a lot of the satisfaction away from ownership. Of course every car is luck of the draw but im talking about general terms of what can happen etc and what costs can accumulate to over the 330i etc as it's always good to be informed before so i can add up the potential repairs if needed so i can base my decision on that.

[Andrewah05]

As much as I love my 335i to death, like you said, it has some reliability issues, do some shopping, my advice is go ahead and get the 335i but try to get one that has warranty or is eligible for a warranty, plus the usual precautions, carproof, maintenance records, I personally got a pre purchase inspection done and a warranty and have about 10-15k in warranty claims since ive had it. Hope ive helped a bit

[SM8]

what kind of issues have you had and how much would they have cost outside warranty.


See this is the reason i think maybe the 330i makes more sense, as no warranty but no issues ever either.

If i take a warranty out with a 335 it will firsly start mounting up the costs and secondly i don't think these warranties are worth much as i've seen them wriggle out of many things. Plus i would be looking at a 335 that isn't in warranty as i want the n54 engine.

Plus what is the life like of the 335i as i know the 330i engines can withstand high mileage as i want to keep this car for a long time so don't want it only to be reliable up to a certain point. When i start racking in the miles i still want it to be okay. Some turbo cars have a lot more issues when the mileage creeps up.

[AWebster]

Is adding a turbo/charger to your 330 an option? I would much rather do that to a car/engine I know and trust than effectively risk buying a lemon.

[stashtrey]

Water pump - $1k+/-

Fuel Pump

Valve Cover Gasket - can be DIY but its a pretty involved job. Also potential valve cover as well due to cracks.

Direct Injection causes heavy carbon buildup....$300-500 for walnut blasting the valves.

Oil Filter Housing Gasket - easy job

Turbos - wastegate rattle and failure....factory warranty extended to 8 years or 82k miles. - got mine replaced for free out of warranty. $4-6k job

It is a fun, fun car and motor but things can go wrong that can add up quickly. If you are handy and like to DIY you can save a lot of $$.

I am glad I got a 335 n54. Having owned one for close to 2 years I would be bummed had I gotten a 328 or 330. But if you aren't into tuning and don't care so much about HP....you'd almost certainly spend less with an n52.

[Jamie_E92]

The thing that bothers me even if a 335 has a warranty there are so many main dealers who fill in the job sheet

NFF - no fault found

Which is not only highly frustrating but it makes you fall out of love with the car very fast.

Most main dealers now days unless it's a blatant fault stating them in the face they won't be arsed & you'll end up learning to live Witt the fault. Intermittent hesitation for example which is common with n54/n55 cars & loads of threads on the internet where people have never sorted it.

[SM8]

Originally Posted by AWebster

Is adding a turbo/charger to your 330 an option? I would much rather do that to a car/engine I know and trust than effectively risk buying a lemon.

i think this would cost more than just simply going for the 335 which is probably the better option

Originally Posted by stashtrey

Water pump - $1k+/-

Fuel Pump

Valve Cover Gasket - can be DIY but its a pretty involved job. Also potential valve cover as well due to cracks.

Direct Injection causes heavy carbon buildup....$300-500 for walnut blasting the valves.

Oil Filter Housing Gasket - easy job

Turbos - wastegate rattle and failure....factory warranty extended to 8 years or 82k miles. - got mine replaced for free out of warranty. $4-6k job

It is a fun, fun car and motor but things can go wrong that can add up quickly. If you are handy and like to DIY you can save a lot of $$.

I am glad I got a 335 n54. Having owned one for close to 2 years I would be bummed had I gotten a 328 or 330. But if you aren't into tuning and don't care so much about HP....you'd almost certainly spend less with an n52.

thank you! Tuning wise the most i'd get is a map as once you start fettling with things you have to upgrade other bits etc and that much performance i don't need. I would definitely prefer the extra power the 335 has and the auto i think is better with the turbo delivery.


Due to the length i am planning to keep the car, and the money on mods that i want to throw at it, i don't want the actual car to be a money pit as i do need a reliable car first and foremost for many reasons so can't afford the car to be off road for long etc

Regarding turbo cars you never know the history of how the person has treated it either where as NA's are normally pretty bulletproof

[SM8]

Originally Posted by Jamie_E92

The thing that bothers me even if a 335 has a warranty there are so many main dealers who fill in the job sheet

NFF - no fault found

Which is not only highly frustrating but it makes you fall out of love with the car very fast.

Most main dealers now days unless it's a blatant fault stating them in the face they won't be arsed & you'll end up learning to live Witt the fault. Intermittent hesitation for example which is common with n54/n55 cars & loads of threads on the internet where people have never sorted it.

exactly my point mate, i don't rate warranties and think they are worth as much as the paper they are written on in most cases. Which is why i need to make the right choice.

We have had many straight 6 bimmers (in 2.5L and 3.0L) variants and never an issue with any of them so far.

You must know Jay with the e46s lol, the 325 and 330s are solid!

[stashtrey]

All those things I listed are common...but once out of the way you're good to go with smart and preventative maintenance.

It sure is fun laying into it when you want to put a smile on your face. It simply never gets old!

If you poke around you should be able to find a low mileage n54 2008+ for reasonable coat and possibly with a good history of what has been done to it in terms of fuel pump, water cooler, turbos etc.

Good luck either way you go.

[SM8]

Thanks for the help, much appreciated!

[Jamie_E92]

Originally Posted by SM8

exactly my point mate, i don't rate warranties and think they are worth as much as the paper they are written on in most cases. Which is why i need to make the right choice.

We have had many straight 6 bimmers (in 2.5L and 3.0L) variants and never an issue with any of them so far.

You must know Jay with the e46s lol, the 325 and 330s are solid!

Defo mate! The most I had wrong with any m54 engine was a cam sensor at £40

[SM8]

see and then spending loads of money on it doesn't feel bad...or even if it does it's not a huuuge blow. I mean even at the worst if it is it will be a one off thing but with the 335 it just seems there are a good few bits that commonly go wrong which definitely add up. But it still is tempting.

[Jamie_E92]

Stick with what you know mate - I've regretted selling soooo many cars

[SM8]

haha you have given us great comedy over the years...and some real beauties you should have kept!

hmmm really am not sure !

[gangzoom]

Had my 335 for 3 years now, been working out running recently due to me wanting a Tesla S ASAP.

In my ownership period I've had to replace the water pump, HPFP, autobox gear fluid/sleeve and a coil pack. It sounds like a lot of work to do but actually all in the cost was very reasonable, and works out at the equivalent of less than £50/month over the last 3 years.

All in the car has cost me roughly 650/month (including everything expect fuel), but by far the biggest cost is deprecation, followed by mods. Over the next 3 year assuming I stop spending on mods, and the same rate of deprecation continues running costs will be down to 300/month (including 100/month for repairs/servicing).

Given that my car is now running near 400bhp, has a LSD/Birds B3 kit/upgraded CCC to CIC etc, I actually think your struggle to find a car that offers better £ vs performance than a nicely tuned 335

I'm getting 25 mpg as my long term average, with 70% of driving been urban.

[Jamie_E92]

Originally Posted by SM8

haha you have given us great comedy over the years...and some real beauties you should have kept!

hmmm really am not sure !

Who were you on the zone mate

[zltm089]

If you get a 335i, get a BMW warranty! Plenty of "known" issues with the 335i, but then again, there will be loads of "known" solutions too!

Drive the car for a good 30k miles, "hopefully" all the known issues will arise and you get them sorted under warranty. After that, just start modding and let the fun begin!

Lots of forums cover the n54 engine, lots of good mods which will give you very good value performance for the money.

[TDoyley]

Have owned 335i for 3 yrs now and general service and running costs aren't too bad. They are however expensive when things go wrong and I wouldn't own one without warranty. I've had three warranty claims in this time (water pump, transmission sump pan leak and injector) but BMW have sorted all of these issues under their insured warranty (Mondial) with no fuss, and no cost to me. I'd be about 2.5k out of pocket at BMW rates if I wasn't covered. Extended warranty costs about £30 plus a month for comprehensive cover, i.e. All major components.

Despite its 'isues', it's still the best car I've ever owned and when mapped, it's performance is on another level.

[SM8]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Had my 335 for 3 years now, been working out running recently due to me wanting a Tesla S ASAP.

In my ownership period I've had to replace the water pump, HPFP, autobox gear fluid/sleeve and a coil pack. It sounds like a lot of work to do but actually all in the cost was very reasonable, and works out at the equivalent of less than £50/month over the last 3 years.

All in the car has cost me roughly 650/month (including everything expect fuel), but by far the biggest cost is deprecation, followed by mods. Over the next 3 year assuming I stop spending on mods, and the same rate of deprecation continues running costs will be down to 300/month (including 100/month for repairs/servicing).

Given that my car is now running near 400bhp, has a LSD/Birds B3 kit/upgraded CCC to CIC etc, I actually think your struggle to find a car that offers better £ vs performance than a nicely tuned 335

I'm getting 25 mpg as my long term average, with 70% of driving been urban.

Thanks mate, food for thought there.

Originally Posted by Jamie_E92

Who were you on the zone mate

I never bothered creating my own profile as i never uploaded my progress thread for the e46 (which i still have) so used my friends account lol

Originally Posted by zltm089

If you get a 335i, get a BMW warranty! Plenty of "known" issues with the 335i, but then again, there will be loads of "known" solutions too!

Drive the car for a good 30k miles, "hopefully" all the known issues will arise and you get them sorted under warranty. After that, just start modding and let the fun begin!

Lots of forums cover the n54 engine, lots of good mods which will give you very good value performance for the money.

30k miles !!....that would take me years to cover haha I only do around 4-5k a year

Originally Posted by TDoyley

Have owned 335i for 3 yrs now and general service and running costs aren't too bad. They are however expensive when things go wrong and I wouldn't own one without warranty. I've had three warranty claims in this time (water pump, transmission sump pan leak and injector) but BMW have sorted all of these issues under their insured warranty (Mondial) with no fuss, and no cost to me. I'd be about 2.5k out of pocket at BMW rates if I wasn't covered. Extended warranty costs about £30 plus a month for comprehensive cover, i.e. All major components.

Despite its 'isues', it's still the best car I've ever owned and when mapped, it's performance is on another level.

I was expecting their warranty to be a lot more. Do they cover any Bmw car? Or only if you buy from their approved cars etc and how good are they at abiding by the warranty as like i said above so many warranties aren't worth it as they wriggle out of everything.

[Andrewah05]

Originally Posted by SM8

what kind of issues have you had and how much would they have cost outside warranty.


See this is the reason i think maybe the 330i makes more sense, as no warranty but no issues ever either.

If i take a warranty out with a 335 it will firsly start mounting up the costs and secondly i don't think these warranties are worth much as i've seen them wriggle out of many things. Plus i would be looking at a 335 that isn't in warranty as i want the n54 engine.

Plus what is the life like of the 335i as i know the 330i engines can withstand high mileage as i want to keep this car for a long time so don't want it only to be reliable up to a certain point. When i start racking in the miles i still want it to be okay. Some turbo cars have a lot more issues when the mileage creeps up.

im.at 125000km didnt have any major issues until I hit 120000 I.e water pump.thermostat leaks etc, I also had a tranny replacement but thats rare dont worry too much sbout that