[John 070]

I drove my 335 last Thu and Fri. Yes, it's a garage queen, and the PSS' are barely broken in (250 miles probably), but it drives like a SOB.

My Lexus DD sat for 6 days, and when I got back into it today, I was like, where's my steering, where's my brakes, I feel like I'm driving on a pillow.

Yes, it's super reliable, and us common folk need that, but which would I rather drive daily? The BMW.

You fellas who drive your E9x's daily, you're just used to how awesomely they drive, so you don't always realize how much better they are than the typical car lol

[335e92tx]

Do they have foibles ?
Yep,

Do you forget about them in the first 45sec, yep...
Mostly..

[gunnerxq]

Ha! E90's are unreliable so you need a Lexus?😂 128k miles on my almost 12 year old car and it hasn't stranded me once. Just drive it like you stole it snd it should keep ththe car in good working order. And no I don't yake my car for granted I enjoy it everyday.

In some driving situations like high frequency bumps or at higher speeds my car is more comfortable than my parents Honda Pilot. (The new one) I feel like that car throws you around too much and just shakes you. At slower speed it is better, like less then 30mph...maybe I'm imagining it though---that was off topic.

[hassmaschine]

I just spent the weekend driving a rental Dodge minivan.. so I know what you mean. My god, what a POS. A couple weeks ago I had a Chrysler van and it wasn't all that bad really, it's amazing how much worse the Dodge was in comparison being essentially the same platform.

The Dodge also reconfirmed my distaste for automatics...

[patsbimmer1]

My 335i e90 has given me plenty of issues over the 3 years i've owned it. From fuel injectors, multiple coils, random misfires, water pumps, dead MOSFET in the DME and the list goes on. Even with all of the issues I find it hard to find another car that I can daily that holds a car seat, is as much fun and impresses unsuspecting passengers and fellow enthusiasts.

I've swapped keys with friends and it's always the same response when they come back, "Wow! I had no idea it would be so fast!".

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by John 070

I drove my 335 last Thu and Fri. Yes, it's a garage queen, and the PSS' are barely broken in (250 miles probably), but it drives like a SOB.

My Lexus DD sat for 6 days, and when I got back into it today, I was like, where's my steering, where's my brakes, I feel like I'm driving on a pillow.

Yes, it's super reliable, and us common folk need that, but which would I rather drive daily? The BMW.

You fellas who drive your E9x's daily, you're just used to how awesomely they drive, so you don't always realize how much better they are than the typical car lol

BMW's are MAINLY unreliable because people DO NOT take care of their cars!

Also we have too many Americans buying BMWs and Luxury cars who are cash poor or are financing these pricey beasts when they have no business financing a car they can't afford!

These poor souls spend all the eggs in their baskets just to drive a BMW off the lot and then a year or two later (post-warranty) when they realized the oil changes, coolant maintenance and gasket maintenance is not as cheap as their prior Honda Civics then they overlook work that needs to be done until stranded.

Only then do they blame the car for not being reliable when it is indeed their bank accounts and wallets that are unreliable.

You go to Eastern Europe and Denmark and see lots of old E90, E36, E46 BMWs running well with 200,000+ miles on the odometer with no issues. Why? Because they are taken care off.

I've bought three BMW 3 series since 2004 and every time I get these cars I've noticed oil changes and brakes and coolant flushes and brake fluids have not even been done in years since the cars have either been off warranty or left the factory.

My E90 not so much because it was still under warranty at 40,000 miles (4.5 years old) when I purchased it but was still overdue for cabin filter and brake fluid service.


My 1995 318i E36 I bought in 2004 from the first owner (the 40something year old daughter of an Italian Deli Chain Owner in Hyannis, MA) who NEVER done a battery service, brake fluid service, air filter service, or coolant flush in 9 years (130,000 miles) since the car left the factory
and the last oil change was like at 90,000 miles before I got it. All four tires and brake pads were bald as well!




My 2001 E46 330i was slightly better when I bought in in 2008 with 37,000 miles directly from the first owner (an old retired surgeon out in Long Island). That car NEVER seen an oil change or any type of fluid service. I was almost embarrassed when the oil change guy showed me how black and thick the oil coming out of it was.




Yeah so most first owners and people in general do not take care of their cars whether out of ignorance (as seems to be in my case) or lack of finances!

[John 070]

Originally Posted by gunnerxq

Ha! E90's are unreliable so you need a Lexus?😂 128k miles on my almost 12 year old car and it hasn't stranded me once. Just drive it like you stole it snd it should keep ththe car in good working order. And no I don't yake my car for granted I enjoy it everyday.

In some driving situations like high frequency bumps or at higher speeds my car is more comfortable than my parents Honda Pilot. (The new one) I feel like that car throws you around too much and just shakes you. At slower speed it is better, like less then 30mph...maybe I'm imagining it though---that was off topic.

If you look far enough back in my posts, you'll find that I did not want to drive my 335 when it rained. I'll always remember somebody said, "John man, it's not a Ferrari. It's ok to drive it in the rain."

Eventually I came around and was ok with it getting wet. But I still don't want to drive it in the winter and get salt on it! And I did unfortunately a few times, so would not be able to say it's never seen salt....

The Lexus is more to keep the 335 off the road in the winter...that's my story and I'm stickin' with it!

[John 070]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

I just spent the weekend driving a rental Dodge minivan.. so I know what you mean. My god, what a POS. A couple weeks ago I had a Chrysler van and it wasn't all that bad really, it's amazing how much worse the Dodge was in comparison being essentially the same platform.

The Dodge also reconfirmed my distaste for automatics...

Yeah but according to the commercial, you can "stow 'n go," while the other guy breaks his back removing the seats...that has to count for something!

[toddbeav]

Originally Posted by patsbimmer1

My 335i e90 has given me plenty of issues over the 3 years i've owned it. From fuel injectors, multiple coils, random misfires, water pumps, dead MOSFET in the DME and the list goes on. Even with all of the issues I find it hard to find another car that I can daily that holds a car seat, is as much fun and impresses unsuspecting passengers and fellow enthusiasts.

I've swapped keys with friends and it's always the same response when they come back, "Wow! I had no idea it would be so fast!".

Can you talk about the issues you've had with your water pump? Did you have any problems with it that were in some way related to your FRM footwell module? Thanks!

[Myrder]

Originally Posted by delmarco

BMW's are MAINLY unreliable because people DO NOT take care of their cars!

Also we have too many Americans buying BMWs and Luxury cars who are cash poor or are financing these pricey beasts when they have no business financing a car they can't afford!

You have to be crazy to think a car that has special extended warranties for the Injectors, HPFP, and turbos doesn't have reliability issues!

The injectors are trash, the HPFP goes out for no reason, the turbos have wastegate rattle on stock cars. Hell my starter went out at 60k miles, which is pretty pathetic to me.

The car is a blast to drive and I love it to death, but don't be delusional things like gaskets going out should not be standard. Also I've replaced valve cover at 60k, OFHG at 70k these should not be issues on an engine this young.

Hell BMW thought it was a good idea to put a plastic coolant fitting into the aluminum engine block! Mine cracked upon remove, my friends cracked upon removal, we replaced with an aluminum fitting off eBay some guy makes. Plastic into an engine block that heats and cools repeatedly?! DUMB.

[bennye90]

Yup e90 is an amazing drive, although I have a 328.. it is still blows my mind every drive. I admit a 335 is a step up and a higher smile factor but for now, my budget would no be able to handle a 335, hopefully in the near future I can sell and buy another e90 haha.

Also, no issue with my e90 yet! 130xxxKM.. hope i don't jinx it.

[max_330i]

Even though I drive mine daily, I never forget the E90 is a special car. She's not the fastest or the prettiest on the road, but a solid contender in both departments, with the handling capabilities to run (drift?) circles around cars that cost five times as much. Every time I consider upgrading, I have a hard time finding anything else with such perfect road feel... the 330i has a special place in my stable

[Needbmwpartzz]

e90=best daily driver I've owned.
But.....also the worst for stupid maintenance.....namely gaskets that should not fail and most costly to run.
But still smile almost every time behind the wheel.

[Texus]

People always conflate maintenance with repairs. I've been stranded twice and limped home once. Stranded occasions were the ubiquitous water pump fail with less than 60K miles on the odometer. The second was the alternator. Don't recall seeing either of those items on the maintenance list in my owners manual. The limp home was the HPFP, second one, doh! OTOH, brand new road by my house, dropped into sport mode at the light and let Helga loose. Woot!!

[Underground6t9]

Maintenance is no biggie, preventative maintenance is where it gets you, pay now or pay later if s the name of the game.

[The_E92_Fan]

I am all about preventative maintenance. I change fluids regularly: coolant, oil, power steering, even tranny fluid is on my to do list (mainly because of the extra abuse it takes due to the Alpina flash). Ive been stranded from a blown DME before. I ordered new MOSFET and had a laptop repair place do some good soldering. Let week i blew 2 coils, but they were old anyways. Anything can be fixed. A spun rod would make me cry, but i'd get through it.

[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by John 070

I drove my 335 last Thu and Fri. Yes, it's a garage queen, and the PSS' are barely broken in (250 miles probably), but it drives like a SOB.

My Lexus DD sat for 6 days, and when I got back into it today, I was like, where's my steering, where's my brakes, I feel like I'm driving on a pillow.

Yes, it's super reliable, and us common folk need that, but which would I rather drive daily? The BMW.

You fellas who drive your E9x's daily, you're just used to how awesomely they drive, so you don't always realize how much better they are than the typical car lol

A friend of mine got a rental Honda Accord. It was just awful. Everything about it was undesirable to me except the 40+ mpg.

[alexgd]

Originally Posted by delmarco

BMW's are MAINLY unreliable because people DO NOT take care of their cars!

Agreed. My first car (family car really) was a 91 Integra with ~200k miles. I think in the first year that car stranded me on 3 or 4 occasions. I bought an E36 325i with ~210k and ran it to ~250k over 6 years with only 1 issue that left me stranded (a coil pack - technically could have limped it but I decided to put AAA to use). My E90 has yet to give me any issues that severe. Have I had maintenance expenses? Of course. But I always preach that reliability is primarily a function of maintenance, not brand. I've seen scores of Hondas dead on the side of the road because they figured the H on the hood meant it was immune to any mechanical fault; no need for oil changes, gasket replacements, etc. Meanwhile, I've driven BMWs (high mileage in some cases) with very few reliability issues.

[CH14SE_E]

Unless you own any of the BMW's with the N47 engine. Then they're unreliable because the timing chain design is a total brain-fart. Especially putting it at the back of the engine!! I currently have my engine on my garage floor, again.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by delmarco

Very beautiful cars. Love the color of the e36.

[AtlasM]

Originally Posted by John 070

If you look far enough back in my posts, you'll find that I did not want to drive my 335 when it rained. I'll always remember somebody said, "John man, it's not a Ferrari. It's ok to drive it in the rain."

Eventually I came around and was ok with it getting wet. But I still don't want to drive it in the winter and get salt on it! And I did unfortunately a few times, so would not be able to say it's never seen salt....

The Lexus is more to keep the 335 off the road in the winter...that's my story and I'm stickin' with it!

Nothing wrong with having a couple different cars if it's feasible for you to have them.

I used to have a 135is and a Grand Cherokee, and while the Grand Cherokee was my "winter" car there were certainly other times throughout the year I drove it, like if I needed to haul stuff, or put people in the back seat, or I just felt like having a more comfy cruiser with some room to spread out in it.

For me, it wasn't really feasible to continue with them, because I share a 1-car garage with my wife. We alternate weeks that we use the garage. In the summer the Jeep stayed outside and I put the 135is in the garage during my weeks. In the winter I stored the 135is at my mother-in-law's 80 miles away, hooked up to a battery tender. It wasn't a terrible setup but kind of a hassle.

The 135is was a lease and rather than replace it with another car that would complement the Jeep, I sold the Jeep, turned in the 135is, and got my current 335xi.

My wife has a Subaru Impreza which is now our comfy cruiser and hauler but I still kinda miss having the ability to choose any given time between the sporty BMW or a comfy cruiser. Once we move somewhere with more garage space, I'll be very tempted to go back to more than one car, as long as I can sell the missus on the idea of course.

[xCapricornzx]

Went out of town and had to drive a rental Nissan Versa for a week. Never realized how "ultimate" the ultimate driving machine really was till I had to drive a versa for the week. Got back home and was astonished by how much better my e92 335i drove. Steering felt heavier and made use of that power from the get go.