[Bayo]

Hey guys, I just bought an 08 335 xi sedan, stick shift, with only 20,000 miles on the clock (44,000 KMs as I am in Canada)

I have done a bunch of searching, but only come up with what to do on high mile cars.

I come from the E46 world and am meticulous about preventative maintenance. Other than all the fluids what should I be doing to this car? The e46s needed a cooling system refresh every 60k miles or 10 years as the plastics broke down on the expansion tank regardless of mileage and would blow. Is there anything like that on these cars? I would much rather spend a few hundred now than thousands later.

The previous owner basically only did oil changes and had whatever broke fixed. I know it needs a battery, and thankfully I already have the schwaben scan tool from ecstuning so no problem there.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated. Thanks all!

James

[ctuna]

Google Mike Miller BMW for the old school
maintenance schedule.
You might want to refresh the fluids because of age.
Eventually you will need a carbon blast but that is mileage
based .(Walnut Blast for intake look it up)

[Bayo]

Thanks ctuna. Yep complete fluid change is always my first stop on any vehicle I buy.

[TemjinX2]

i would say install index 12 injectors....maybe new coils and spark plugs.. maybe save for a new hpfp if the original owner didnt replace.... the n54 is built like a tank,. just everything around it is made out of glass

[Bayo]

Why would the injectors need to be changed? Plugs I will check for sure. HPFP was done in 2010 at 13,000 kms. Please correct me if I am wrong, but that would mean it is the newer unit that had fewer problems, correct? How much is a HPFP (I do my own work) if not?

Thanks

[ctuna]

supposedly the HPFP problem is fixed .
The common problems from what I understand
is turbo's but not at low milage.
All the e9x series seem subject to the water pump going bad and leaky gaskets.
You want to stay on top of the accessory belt tensioner.
Its cheap to replace but if it goes bad and the belt wraps around the main crankshaft taking out the main seal an allowing bits of belt to go into the Engine it can be fatal.

[Bayo]

My local BMW dealership was nice enough to give me the list of what was done under warranty. Looks like the injectors were done in 2011, or at least one was. I can't imagine a dealer only doing one though, I would bet it would be all 6. Thoughts?

Belt tensioner. Noted, that will be on my to do list as well then. I put a nice ecstuning aluminum one on all my e46s for the same reason. I guess BMW didn't learn their lesson on that one.

HPFP was done in 2011, so I should be good.

What is SHUTTLE BUS? That was also fixed twice under warranty, once in 2013 after the warranty would have ended...

[TemjinX2]

Originally Posted by Bayo

Why would the injectors need to be changed? Plugs I will check for sure. HPFP was done in 2010 at 13,000 kms. Please correct me if I am wrong, but that would mean it is the newer unit that had fewer problems, correct? How much is a HPFP (I do my own work) if not?

Thanks

the older versions of the injectors are known to leak... Bmw finally came out with a version that didnt leak with index 12.. all other versions will eventually leak.

[Bayo]

Ahhh thanks Temjin. Guess I will put that on the long term to do list. Thanks

[jt335i]

Congrats on your purchase.



Refer to the link which will give you a good deal of information on the 335 (N54) which you can use as a reference for things you may need to have serviced or repaired in the future. I'm sure some these have already been take care of, but this is a useful guide that will help for however long you plan to own it.

A Buyer/Owners Guide to the N54 engine & the E9X 335i

Just to add my 2 cents, which I have continuously repeated, the main things you see on this site and other similar sites are problem posts. Problems! Problems! Blah blah! All beaten down like dead horse. That's like 99.9999% of the posts you see, from the most minor (where some aren’t even a problem if the poster just applies some common sense thinking and not expect others to think for them) to the most major, which makes a new owner panic/freak thinking that every single E9X (318, 320, 325, 328, 330, 335, etc, etc.) is a problem ridden money sucking wallet drainer as soon as they buy it. Well, not every single 3-series owner is a member of this site so you don’t get an accurate representation of everyone all over the globe who do have problems, as well as, those who do not have problems. And for those who don’t have problems, you don’t hear from those people because when there are no problems there is nothing to talk about.

I have a 2010 E92 335i which I bought brand new (December 29, 2009). At nearly 8 years and 94,000+ miles, I haven’t had any major mechanical or electrical problems with it where I was left dead on road in the middle of nowhere land. Yes. I have had to fix or replace common wear and tear things that come with age, but I don’t consider any of that reliability related. Who knows, maybe I am one of the fortunate few, or majority, without any major reliability issues, but my ride (first ever BMW) has been a great car since the first day I drove it home.

I have a trusted mechanic who I have been bringing my 335 to since it was new and, compared to other 335s he has serviced and repaired, he is amazed at the minimal issues I have had with it. Typically, I bring my ride to him for regular service, or minor repairs, once or maybe twice a year. That’s about it. Now the one thing he noted about other 335s he has had to repair/fix is that those owners, prior to bringing it to him, have had them serviced by non-BMW service centers and mechanics who really don't know diddly squat about how to properly service a 335. My mechanic said you cannot take these cars to those places because they require a specialized BMW technician who really know a BMW, especially a 335. Fortunately, my trusted Indy mechanic used to work at the local BMW where I bought my 335 and now has his own indy shop. I may leave my car with him for a day or two, but I don’t mind because I know he takes the time to do things right versus the dealer, or other generic service centers, where they are more focused on volume and moving cars in and out quickly which could lead to things being done in haste requiring having to return to be re-fixed; or a problem being misdiagnosed leading to unnecessary or incorrect repairs leaving the real problem still not fixed. When I need to have maintenance service, I tell my trusted mechanic what needs to be done and what to check for and he does what I ask. He also does other checks (fluids, etc.) and inspections while the car is with him to make sure everything is good.
If you can find an indy mechanic, or know someone who does, to go that person and stick with them for all your future services.

Enjoy that ride.

[Bayo]

Thanks jt355i. I completely agree, you can't search out problems or use a form as a reliability guide. Just go on a Toyota Land Cruiser or 4Runner forum, they are consistently rated one of the most reliable vehicles on the planet (I have owned several of both), yet the forums are full of issues. But that's why we come here isn't it? To solve a problem.

I have one of the best BMW Indy shops in Canada in my city and I will have him inspect the car for sure. I do usually do the majority of my own work though, thanks to sites like this I know way more about these cars than a generic mechanic ever would, before I ever dive in.

[srmast1]

Look into an aftermarket warranty. That n54 engine is a overegineered beast but has numerous weak points. You could address the pertinent ones and buy an aftermarket warranty through your bmw dealer or other entity such as Geico. I bought mine through my bmw dealer from National. It covers many things. At your milage you should even be able to add a wear and tear package. You should look into it.

[ArcticRik]

Originally Posted by srmast1

Look into an aftermarket warranty. That n54 engine is a overegineered beast but has numerous weak points. You could address the pertinent ones and buy an aftermarket warranty through your bmw dealer or other entity such as Geico. I bought mine through my bmw dealer from National. It covers many things. At your milage you should even be able to add a wear and tear package. You should look into it.

How much would a warranty run for a 10 year old car?

[Bayo]

Too expensive for a guy that can do most of his own work. We just bought my wife a 2015 X3 that goes off warranty in 8 months. an extra 2 years was something like $2000, $4000 with wear and tear. That is a damn lot of parts. We declined... Extended warranties are a massive cash grab, they are around 80% profit. There are loads of these cars with 200,000 kms on them with no major issues.

[jt335i]

Originally Posted by Bayo

Thanks jt355i. I completely agree, you can't search out problems or use a form as a reliability guide. Just go on a Toyota Land Cruiser or 4Runner forum, they are consistently rated one of the most reliable vehicles on the planet (I have owned several of both), yet the forums are full of issues. But that's why we come here isn't it? To solve a problem.

I have one of the best BMW Indy shops in Canada in my city and I will have him inspect the car for sure. I do usually do the majority of my own work though, thanks to sites like this I know way more about these cars than a generic mechanic ever would, before I ever dive in.

Good you can do your own DIY and know a indy shop.
Keep it will well maintained and it will run solid and last forever.

Originally Posted by Bayo

Too expensive for a guy that can do most of his own work. We just bought my wife a 2015 X3 that goes off warranty in 8 months. an extra 2 years was something like $2000, $4000 with wear and tear. That is a damn lot of parts. We declined... Extended warranties are a massive cash grab, they are around 80% profit. There are loads of these cars with 200,000 kms on them with no major issues.

Yes. Extended warranties are pretty much a waste of $$$$, unlike car insurance which one must have. However, the only one I have heard of that has good reviews and reasonably priced is Route 66.
When it comes to repairs, if you have an extended warranty and had little or no repair related issues during the XX,XXX amount of miles the extended warranty covered you pretty much wasted your $$$$. Therefore, it is better to pay for repairs a la cart when it is needed. I bought my 2010 E92 335 brand new and after the factory warranty expired I did not get an extended warranty. In the nearly 8 years of ownership, I have not had any major issues that required of thousands of dollars in repairs.

The only time I ever bought an extended warranty was back in early 2000. I had bought a brand new 1998 Nissan Maxima SE (September 1998) and because I had a long work commute of more than 60+ miles a day, as well as, doing a lot of work related travelling, my ride was racking up miles at a rate about 21,000+ miles year. At that rate, the factory warranty (3/36,000) would have expired in less than 2 years so I bought an extended warranty through my credit union where I got my car loan. Fortunately, I had no major problems with the car that required warranty related repairs, but I forked out around $1000+ for the extended warranty.

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by ArcticRik

How much would a warranty run for a 10 year old car?

The miles I think play quite a factor, but one would have to check at the dealership or selling entity.

[srmast1]

Originally Posted by Bayo

Too expensive for a guy that can do most of his own work. We just bought my wife a 2015 X3 that goes off warranty in 8 months. an extra 2 years was something like $2000, $4000 with wear and tear. That is a damn lot of parts. We declined... Extended warranties are a massive cash grab, they are around 80% profit. There are loads of these cars with 200,000 kms on them with no major issues.

It's true, they are a cash grab but for someone like me who does not work on his own cars, it brings peace of mind. To each their own. Do what you are comfortable with OP.

[El Cheapo Loco]

Check and monitor for oil leaks. Two areas that will leak sooner or later and will affect driveability:

OFHG - oil can leak onto drive belt and cause it to shred, which can end up in the engine as ctuna mentioned.

VCG - oil can leak into spark plug wells, flooding the plugs and cause misfire.

[Bayo]

Love the call sign el cheapo, could be mine as well... I knew about the oil filter gasket, didn't know the other one was common, thanks for the heads up.