[McLarenBMW]

So I've made the decision that I would only like to drive BMWs. As a way of committing to this I went out and bought a socket set, jack, jack stands etc, things I would need to work on my car myself. I've read about the horror stories of people plagued by BMW reliability issues but this didn't phase me, I am undeterred. Anyway so I'm going to be picking up my first BMW in a month or two and I'm looking at either an N52 powered E90/92 or even possibly an N54 335i despite the garbage reliability the N54 offers. I am definitely leaning more towards naturally aspirated with manual transmission for maximum reliability, I would be doing all my car maintenance/repairs on the street as I don't have a garage. I know it seems like I already have everything figured out but I would like a few people to chime in with their experiences of the N52/N54 engine

[IllSic_Design]

What is your question though? N52 will definitely be cheaper to maintain and have better reliability than N54.

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by IllSic_Design

What is your question though? N52 will definitely be cheaper to maintain and have better reliability than N54.

I just want people to assure me that the N52 is a solid engine and maybe if you guys could stroke my ego a bit too, that'd be great

[Schmitz]

Shit will break.

Is this your first car?

[porsche959]

Lol @ commitment. Jack, stands, socket set...nice.

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Schmitz

Shit will break.

Is this your first car?

Yes and I understand the risks involved but I will only drive BMWs as I have no interest in any other brand. The car in question isn't too expensive either, it's from a dealership with 210,000km and I can finance it at about 130 dollars a month

[Schmitz]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

Yes and I understand the risks involved but I will only drive BMWs as I have no interest in any other brand

Just be prepared. Def n52 though.

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Schmitz

Just be prepared. Def n52 though.

Can you tell me what I should be prepared for as you own an N52 car?

[Schmitz]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

Can you tell me what I should be prepared for as you own an N52 car?

Well, I guess you should let us know how much you're planning on spending on this car. If you're planning on buying one with below 60k miles and decent service records you'll probably be good and not have to worry about much and can learn as you go. That's the best move really. Get a car that you need to make payments on that is in good shape. That way you can build credit and have a decently reliable car that you can learn on.

Get two birds stoned at once.

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Schmitz

Well, I guess you should let us know how much you're planning on spending on this car. If you're planning on buying one with below 60k miles and decent service records you'll probably be good and not have to worry about much and can learn as you go. That's the best move really. Get a car that you need to make payments on that is in good shape. That way you can build credit and have a decently reliable car that you can learn on.


Get two birds stoned at once.

The car im looking at is a 330i with 130k miles, it costs 130 a month to finance. I know it's a lot of miles but I'm hoping the water pump was already done and the engine still has some life in her. I will be babying the car for the most part, occasional spirited driving.I don't spend my money on anything because my only interest in life is cars

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

I can do anything you can do 100x better you worthless old fart, your wife would probably let me lease her for 130 a month too

Think god you got both a jack and stands!!!

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Bimmer_Engineer

Think god you got both a jack and stands!!!

Safety first

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Well it says "Drives: BMW E90 330i 6MT" but your thread says you are looking to buy a BMW, so you tell me… LOL

This must be very hard for you to process with your aging brain. That's the car I'm going to get

[Schmitz]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

I can do anything you can do 100x better you worthless old fart, your wife would probably let me lease her for 130 a month too

Oh christ. Another one of these guys.

[Schmitz]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

The car im looking at is a 330i with 130k miles, it costs 130 a month to finance. I know it's a lot of miles but I'm hoping the water pump was already done and the engine still has some life in her. I will be babying the car for the most part, occasional spirited driving.I don't spend my money on anything because my only interest in life is cars

Well, I wouldn't do that... You can find those for $2000-$3000 so that should be a cash sale. I really think if you are determined to get this car, that you should buy one with lower miles. They are available.

Also, I would not piss off some of the more knowledgeable members on this forum since this is probably the best place to go to get info on how to fix what's inevitably going to break. That is, if you want any replies to your 'HELP!! ***** IS BROKEN' thread, which is sure to come.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by McLarenBMW

This must be very hard for you to process with your aging brain. That's the car I'm going to get

E90 Post has been on line since 2005. You could just read a few posts and get what answers you need. There is one thread in the N52 Subforum on the subject of the maximum miles seen on the N52. That will answer your question. But I know young folk are not taught logic these days and have had their precious egos stroked since birth (my Civic comment was designed to see how easily triggered you are and what your real maturity level is - and you showed it in spades), but logic would tell you that the longevity of an automobile engine is related to its design of course, but also, longevity is based on how the engine was used and maintained.

The N52 design is excellent. Many owners here on E90 Post report mileage of 250,000 or more. There are several of us who have detailed their ownership experiences. All you need to do is research and read. However none of that information can help you determine if the particular E90 you are looking at will last another 100 miles or 100,000 miles, or how much it will cost you to own the E90 you are considering. But I'll ask a few questions. You live in Canada, last I checked, even with globalwarmingclimatechange, it still gets cold and snows in the wintertime. So what happens when the ESS dies in January and you have to work on the car in the street? What are you going to do? The ESS requires pulling the valve cover and replacing the sensor. In the cold of winter, you'll break every plastic part that needs to be removed to pull the cover, that's every electrical connector, and most importantly the CCV hose that comes off the rear of the valve cover, which almost everyone breaks trying to remove it. The part cost for the ESS alone is more than your prospective monthly payment. Taking the car to a repair shop as an alternative to working on the car in the street in January in Canada will cost about $1,200 to have the ESS replaced. So again, you are willing to finance a 130,000-mile N52 E90 for $130/month, which tells us mature E90 members that you don't have the $3,000 in cash that should be able to buy the car outright. The example $1,200 ESS repair is almost half the value of the car. If you don't have $3,000 in cash to buy the car, my experience tells me that you'll not have the $1,200 in cash to pay for an unexpected repair such as something as simple as an ESS failure, which debilitates the car.

But go ahead and keep trying to insult people who have far more experience than you with the E90 and with life in general, it will take you far in your endeavors. Good luck to you.

[Seann14217]

Originally Posted by mclarenbmw

can you tell me what i should be prepared for as you own an n52 car?

Originally Posted by mclarenbmw

can you tell me what i should be prepared for as you own an n52 car?

water pumps my man 😂

[PortDover335xi]

I'm a little older than you but I bought my first BMW in February in Canada as well. It's a 2010 335xi coupe with the N54. It had 115k at time of purchase. Like you I had been researching my car for months because I have always wanted the twin turbo 335i. Always thought it was the sexiest car around. I financed as well. This is where the fun begins.

The moment I drove it off the lot the CEL came on. After dickering around with the dealer for 6 weeks I got them to replace both Cats and all four O2 sensors at a cost of $2000 to them. A few more months could have gone by at that would have been my cost to eat. 2 weeks after I bought it the OFHG went. Oil was dripping onto the Alternator and belt, with a burnt oil smell. Did the work myself, I'm not mechanic but I did work in a lube shop in college. I'm sure you could do it following a YouTube video like I did. Now after three-four months the valve cover is leaking. I will be doing that myself as well. I've spent $300 on a cheap aftermarket VC as well as bought new spark plugs and ignition coils. Another $250.

Another recommendation is to buy a good quality BMW scanner like the Foxwell. It will run you over $200 but guess what! Indy shops and the BMW dealer will charge you $180 to read the codes every time your light will come on. And believe me it will come on.

Overall I love my car. I still dream of moving up to an M2 or M4 in another 2 years but if these repairs keep going I may go back to my trusty Honda/VW just for reliability sake.

Best of luck with you new car and as stated in other posts, these guys offering you help know their SH!T so give em a break. They'll be here when you need them.

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

E90 Post has been on line since 2005. You could just read a few posts and get what answers you need. There is one thread in the N52 Subforum on the subject of the maximum miles seen on the N52. That will answer your question. But I know young folk are not taught logic these days and have had their precious egos stroked since birth (my Civic comment was designed to see how easily triggered you are and what your real maturity level is - and you showed it in spades), but logic would tell you that the longevity of an automobile engine is related to its design of course, but also, longevity is based on how the engine was used and maintained.

The N52 design is excellent. Many owners here on E90 Post report mileage of 250,000 or more. There are several of us who have detailed their ownership experiences. All you need to do is research and read. However none of that information can help you determine if the particular E90 you are looking at will last another 100 miles or 100,000 miles, or how much it will cost you to own the E90 you are considering. But I'll ask a few questions. You live in Canada, last I checked, even with globalwarmingclimatechange, it still gets cold and snows in the wintertime. So what happens when the ESS dies in January and you have to work on the car in the street? What are you going to do? The ESS requires pulling the valve cover and replacing the sensor. In the cold of winter, you'll break every plastic part that needs to be removed to pull the cover, that's every electrical connector, and most importantly the CCV hose that comes off the rear of the valve cover, which almost everyone breaks trying to remove it. The part cost for the ESS alone is more than your prospective monthly payment. Taking the car to a repair shop as an alternative to working on the car in the street in January in Canada will cost about $1,200 to have the ESS replaced. So again, you are willing to finance a 130,000-mile N52 E90 for $130/month, which tells us mature E90 members that you don't have the $3,000 in cash that should be able to buy the car outright. The example $1,200 ESS repair is almost half the value of the car. If you don't have $3,000 in cash to buy the car, my experience tells me that you'll not have the $1,200 in cash to pay for an unexpected repair such as something as simple as an ESS failure, which debilitates the car.

But go ahead and keep trying to insult people who have far more experience than you with the E90 and with life in general, it will take you far in your endeavors. Good luck to you.

I could replace those parts myself if I had to, I'm sure I could find an indoor place to work on the car in the winter. In my defense you told me to get a Civic which is pretty offensive so you had it coming

[McLarenBMW]

Originally Posted by PortDover335xi

I'm a little older than you but I bought my first BMW in February in Canada as well. It's a 2010 335xi coupe with the N54. It had 115k at time of purchase. Like you I had been researching my car for months because I have always wanted the twin turbo 335i. Always thought it was the sexiest car around. I financed as well. This is where the fun begins.

The moment I drove it off the lot the CEL came on. After dickering around with the dealer for 6 weeks I got them to replace both Cats and all four O2 sensors at a cost of $2000 to them. A few more months could have gone by at that would have been my cost to eat. 2 weeks after I bought it the OFHG went. Oil was dripping onto the Alternator and belt, with a burnt oil smell. Did the work myself, I'm not mechanic but I did work in a lube shop in college. I'm sure you could do it following a YouTube video like I did. Now after three-four months the valve cover is leaking. I will be doing that myself as well. I've spent $300 on a cheap aftermarket VC as well as bought new spark plugs and ignition coils. Another $250.

Another recommendation is to buy a good quality BMW scanner like the Foxwell. It will run you over $200 but guess what! Indy shops and the BMW dealer will charge you $180 to read the codes every time your light will come on. And believe me it will come on.

Overall I love my car. I still dream of moving up to an M2 or M4 in another 2 years but if these repairs keep going I may go back to my trusty Honda/VW just for reliability sake.

Best of luck with you new car and as stated in other posts, these guys offering you help know their SH!T so give em a break. They'll be here when you need them.

I've heard of all the N54 issues, it seems like a real nightmare with the HPFP and turbos breaking constantly. I couldn't change the turbos myself because I don't have a car lift and engine brace for the job

[Bimmer_Engineer]

it sounds like you’ve got it all figured out...

[Dpc2u]

Nothing any of us can add that he doesn't already know.