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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Powertrain and Drivetrain Discussions > N57 / M57 Turbo Diesel Discussions - 335d > looking at 335d's...looking for answers to FAQ



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      11-22-2016, 02:03 PM   #1
twastheglow
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looking at 335d's...looking for answers to FAQ

Hey guys. I've gone through a fair number of BMW's over the last 10 years but have never delved into the diesels. My current daily driver is a manual E90 330xi and I've been very seriously looking at some 335d's over the last few weeks...which in turn has brought me back here to do some research.

In searching the forums here, I haven't found a decent thread (please feel free to link one here if I've missed it) that really gets into the FAQ's of E90 diesel ownership-specifically, problem areas, common issues, DIY's, general maintenance, etc. I have no doubt that this forum has covered all these topics individually, but since I honestly don't know what I'm looking for per se, searching for these things is tough.

So with all that being said, let me ask some questions that hopefully you guys "in the know" will take the time and have the patience to answer.

1) Other than the "normal" things to look for when considering buying a 335d, are there any 335d specific things that should be looked out for?

2) What are the most common issues people have had with these cars/engines?

3) Are these typical diesels in that they'll run "forever" with proper maintenance?

4) What DOES typical maintenance consist of?

And for anyone wondering, sport and cold weather packages are an absolute must. I have them now and would never want to do without them.

Any other general info that would be helpful for someone looking to get into an E90 diesel would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
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      11-22-2016, 02:24 PM   #2
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Welcome! You are not the only one...this forum is full of great people who will help you, but searching these threads is probably your best bet. The forum sucks from a perspective of no Q&A.

As you can see in this link, you are not the first to ask

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1316244

That said, below is a good alternate source of info

http://www.fixmyvw.com/bmw-DIY/

Heck for the right price, my car may even be for sale soon (white, prem, winter...no sports, 71K mls, turboback exhaust).
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      11-22-2016, 02:35 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dmanb2b View Post
Welcome! You are not the only one...this forum is full of great people who will help you, but searching these threads is probably your best bet. The forum sucks from a perspective of no Q&A.

As you can see in this link, you are not the first to ask

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1316244

That said, below is a good alternate source of info

http://www.fixmyvw.com/bmw-DIY/

Heck for the right price, my car may even be for sale soon (white, prem, winter...no sports, 71K mls, turboback exhaust).

Thanks. Yeah, most the other places I frequent have some kind of sticky to help aid in answering the questions I have. I couldn't seem to find one and have had a hard time searching for "common" or "frequent" problems because I don't know what they are. lol I also haven't been able to successfully find anything pointing out what should be looked at when considering a diesel...maybe because there isn't any?

I've looked and looked and figured it might be time to just ask because it would take someone who knows these answers (or people whom collectively have the answers) to post a shorter amount of time than me to stumble around here searching for something when I'm not sure what that "something" is.

Mike
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      11-22-2016, 02:57 PM   #4
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1) Other than the "normal" things to look for when considering buying a 335d, are there any 335d specific things that should be looked out for?

-Not sure what you mean by "normal", but the best place to start is service records. Was CBU cleaning done(happens to everyone, needs to be done), was the SCR replaced(happens to some, very expensive when out of warranty), was scheduled maintenance done? My car had immaculate service records with injector replacements and CBU cleaning. Gives you peace of mind that some expensive things aren't likely to break.

2) What are the most common issues people have had with these cars/engines?

-Carbon Buildup, SCR Tank failure, Harmonic Balancer Failure are the big ones. Harmonic Balancer can and should be done by yourself. Had I known this, it would have saved me $500 when I got the car. Carbon Buildup is usually the root cause of many problems with these cars, which is why many people opt to have it tuned and illiterate/have meth installed, in order to keep the ports clean. The SCR tank is insanely expensive if it goes out($7k is the last that I heard).

3) Are these typical diesels in that they'll run "forever" with proper maintenance?

-I also want to know this. There's plenty of people here that have high mileage with minimal issues, but it's fairly hit or miss on your luck there. Most cars run forever with proper maintenance, and diesels also tend to last even longer than that, but I don't know about these engines in particular.

4) What DOES typical maintenance consist of?

-If you mean just items, it's the same as every other car. Oil, filters, tires, brakes. Tires are expensive, and will go fast if you don't exercise self control. These cars just beg to be pushed. I do maintenance myself, so I'm not sure what a shop charges, but oil changes cost me about $80. I just did brake pads, rotors, and fluid for $450. Fuel filter is $50 or so.

If you have any questions just ask.
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      11-22-2016, 02:58 PM   #5
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I'll get the ball rolling. Mods, can you please please please get a sticky?

1) Carbon build-up aka "CBU" - if all emissions are in tact seems to be a ever 50-60K mile service required
1a) Injectors go bad, seems to be CBU related
2) Harmonic balancing pulley - tends to give up around 70K-120k miles
3) SCR mixer and related codes
4) driveshaft guibo
5) Transmission filter and fluid should have been serviced every 50K
6) Vacuum lines need replacing
7) thermostat tends to fail open after 5+ years
8) Urea tank issues

There are likely more, but those are the main ones I can think of. Plenty of examples running around with 150k+ miles, but definitely not a low maintenance car. Some of those issues can be avoided, especially if said vehicle hit a few potholes and lost some equipment along the way.
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      11-22-2016, 03:13 PM   #6
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Maybe a better thread is to have people list what kind of work/DIY/issues/mileage. Knock on wood, but I think I am one of the lucky ones, I will start:

- 2011 Space Gray, purchased 05/2013 with 20K miles
- Replaced standard Suspension with OEM High Performance Susp
- Replace hifi system with BAV stage one speakers and JL amplifier
- Maintained by dealer up to 50K miles, Just oil changes, A/C belt recall
- Since 50K miles, replace oil every 6K miles, and oil filter every 12K miles.
- Get MAF sesnsor code @ 60K miles, indie garage diagnose to be a vacuum
leak, replace some vacuum hose for $250
- More codes at 71K, indie recommend CBU (Carbon Build-Up) clean $650
it was much more work than indie anticipate and would have charge
$1500 if he knew.
- At 77K miles, Various injector codes keep appearing, until #3 miss-fired
making engine stutter at low RPMs. Indie garage recommend replace #3
and send the rest out to clean $1100 total
- Still get injector errors once in a while, but no performance issue
- Replaced fuel filter @ 82K miles $180, notice MPG increases 3
Start using additive Liqui Moly Diesel Purge every 3-4 fill up
and Power Service Diesel Kleen regular fill up. No more injector issues
- 2 weeks ago, At 91K miles with cold engine, boosting engine going up on
freeway ramp, engine goes into limp mode (reduced power) can only go
up to 40 - 50 MPH. Engine is back to normal after Restart engine
- Cleaned MAF sensor 3 days ago, and so far no issue and also notice
better performance, accelerate and pull much smoother
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      11-22-2016, 03:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Torqu3 View Post
1) Other than the "normal" things to look for when considering buying a 335d, are there any 335d specific things that should be looked out for?

-Not sure what you mean by "normal", but the best place to start is service records. Was CBU cleaning done(happens to everyone, needs to be done), was the SCR replaced(happens to some, very expensive when out of warranty), was scheduled maintenance done? My car had immaculate service records with injector replacements and CBU cleaning. Gives you peace of mind that some expensive things aren't likely to break.

2) What are the most common issues people have had with these cars/engines?

-Carbon Buildup, SCR Tank failure, Harmonic Balancer Failure are the big ones. Harmonic Balancer can and should be done by yourself. Had I known this, it would have saved me $500 when I got the car. Carbon Buildup is usually the root cause of many problems with these cars, which is why many people opt to have it tuned and illiterate/have meth installed, in order to keep the ports clean. The SCR tank is insanely expensive if it goes out($7k is the last that I heard).

3) Are these typical diesels in that they'll run "forever" with proper maintenance?

-I also want to know this. There's plenty of people here that have high mileage with minimal issues, but it's fairly hit or miss on your luck there. Most cars run forever with proper maintenance, and diesels also tend to last even longer than that, but I don't know about these engines in particular.

4) What DOES typical maintenance consist of?

-If you mean just items, it's the same as every other car. Oil, filters, tires, brakes. Tires are expensive, and will go fast if you don't exercise self control. These cars just beg to be pushed. I do maintenance myself, so I'm not sure what a shop charges, but oil changes cost me about $80. I just did brake pads, rotors, and fluid for $450. Fuel filter is $50 or so.

If you have any questions just ask.
Thanks for the reply.

By "normal" I mean checking for leaks, checking bushings and ball joints, scanning for pending codes, looking for rust, checking shock towers, etc, etc. On the gas BMW's I've purchased over the years, I would always check for unusual VANOS noise, check to see if any of the plastic cooling system has been upgraded, sub-frame issues, etc. BMW has always seemed to have common issues that tend to be engine and/or chassis specific. I was wondering if the same goes for the M57. And yes, the first thing I always look for are service records-I fully agree.

So regarding the carbon build up, what does that service usually entail both in process as well as cost?

What happens with the SCR? Is that something that can be repaired via DIY or is a replacement 100% necessary? Also, can any of these emissions things be coded out via tuning?

I'm very familiar with "normal" auto maintenance, I just didn't know if there was any M57 specific maintenance that I didn't know about.

Thanks a lot for the info, Torq3.


Quote:
Originally Posted by dmanb2b View Post
I'll get the ball rolling. Mods, can you please please please get a sticky?

1) Carbon build-up aka "CBU" - if all emissions are in tact seems to be a ever 50-60K mile service required
1a) Injectors go bad, seems to be CBU related
2) Harmonic balancing pulley - tends to give up around 70K-120k miles
3) SCR mixer and related codes
4) driveshaft guibo
5) Transmission filter and fluid should have been serviced every 50K
6) Vacuum lines need replacing
7) thermostat tends to fail open after 5+ years
8) Urea tank issues

There are likely more, but those are the main ones I can think of. Plenty of examples running around with 150k+ miles, but definitely not a low maintenance car. Some of those issues can be avoided, especially if said vehicle hit a few potholes and lost some equipment along the way.
I'm familiar with guibo, transmission fluid, and thermostat replacements-those tend to be a necessity on all BMW's. But the CBU, injectors, balancing pulley (although obviously the injectors and pulley are very self-explanatory), and urea tank issues I am not.

What vacuum lines tend to need replacing? Why do they seem to be a common issue?

Mike

Last edited by twastheglow; 11-22-2016 at 03:22 PM..
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      11-22-2016, 03:20 PM   #8
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In a word, emissions. Search for DPF, SCR and EGR (collectively referred to as the alphabet soup).

a quick rundown of the other issues people have (anecdotal):
- MAF sensor
- nox sensors
- boost leaks, usually at the seals of the red charge pipe
- vacuum hoses
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      11-22-2016, 03:22 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by rulonger View Post
In a word, emissions. Search for DPF, SCR and EGR (collectively referred to as the alphabet soup).

a quick rundown of the other issues people have (anecdotal):
- MAF sensor
- nox sensors
- boost leaks, usually at the seals of the red charge pipe
- vacuum hoses
Thanks. I'll do some reading specific to the emissions equipment-but with that being said, can any of it be eliminated and coded out via tuning? Thus making those "problems" only a problem if you let them be...?

Mike
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      11-22-2016, 04:45 PM   #10
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There's a few tuners out there that will remove the emissions coding, but getting it all done(tune and deletes) will run you $3000. Maybe a bit less. This significantly increases reliability. No point in requesting a sticky. It has been requested many times to no avail.
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      11-22-2016, 05:15 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twastheglow View Post
Thanks. I'll do some reading specific to the emissions equipment-but with that being said, can any of it be eliminated and coded out via tuning? Thus making those "problems" only a problem if you let them be...?

Mike
All can be dealt with. Prices vary.

AAR racepipe eliminates EGR and cooler. Need coding to avoid SES light.
Downpipe (Bohl, Buzzken, others) eliminates DPF. Need coding to 'forget' function and disable regens.
SCR can be gutted / replaced. Can also remove nozzle, remove swirl, remove tank. Need coding to turn off spray.
Tuners are various - Bob at BPC, Jarek (US rep is AA Rodriguez), others

Look up post about alphabet delete. Look at BPC posts and posts containing Jarek's name.
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      11-22-2016, 05:16 PM   #12
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CBU costs $1200 AFAIK. Search for the PDF with the SIB/TIS that describes symptoms and procedure. Not everyone has experienced the need to have it done, no matter what "everyone" says.

SCR tank and related NOx sensors are the most prevalent problem circa 100K-120K miles - don't think that anyone is going to avoid them. There are a couple DIY/fixes for a couple issues with SCR tank sensors. SCR tanks are $800-$1500 (not $7k.)

Engine and transmission are pretty solid; lots of people well over 100K with no problems. Don't see why they won't run 300K+.

Search terms: CBU, DPF, SCR (and/or DEF), NOx, EGR.

There is no sticky because the admins are strict about any promotion of illegal stuff, and every delete and tune are illegal. There are several posts both here and bimmerfest that answer your questions.
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      11-22-2016, 06:09 PM   #13
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My best advice would be - delete the items (if you can) that are known to be issues.

DFP/SCR, EGR block, Swirl flap delete, BPC tune, Down pipe, FMIC upgrade.

When/if something breaks - plan to replace the item with a performance part and mod the car a little at a time.
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      11-23-2016, 09:30 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Torqu3 View Post
There's a few tuners out there that will remove the emissions coding, but getting it all done(tune and deletes) will run you $3000. Maybe a bit less. This significantly increases reliability. No point in requesting a sticky. It has been requested many times to no avail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rulonger View Post
All can be dealt with. Prices vary.

AAR racepipe eliminates EGR and cooler. Need coding to avoid SES light.
Downpipe (Bohl, Buzzken, others) eliminates DPF. Need coding to 'forget' function and disable regens.
SCR can be gutted / replaced. Can also remove nozzle, remove swirl, remove tank. Need coding to turn off spray.
Tuners are various - Bob at BPC, Jarek (US rep is AA Rodriguez), others

Look up post about alphabet delete. Look at BPC posts and posts containing Jarek's name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by floydarogers View Post
CBU costs $1200 AFAIK. Search for the PDF with the SIB/TIS that describes symptoms and procedure. Not everyone has experienced the need to have it done, no matter what "everyone" says.

SCR tank and related NOx sensors are the most prevalent problem circa 100K-120K miles - don't think that anyone is going to avoid them. There are a couple DIY/fixes for a couple issues with SCR tank sensors. SCR tanks are $800-$1500 (not $7k.)

Engine and transmission are pretty solid; lots of people well over 100K with no problems. Don't see why they won't run 300K+.

Search terms: CBU, DPF, SCR (and/or DEF), NOx, EGR.

There is no sticky because the admins are strict about any promotion of illegal stuff, and every delete and tune are illegal. There are several posts both here and bimmerfest that answer your questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ASBSECU E93 View Post
My best advice would be - delete the items (if you can) that are known to be issues.

DFP/SCR, EGR block, Swirl flap delete, BPC tune, Down pipe, FMIC upgrade.

When/if something breaks - plan to replace the item with a performance part and mod the car a little at a time.
This literally sums up almost, if not all my questions. I will continue to do my due diligence and read, read, read.

This car would be my daily so I'm just trying to research ahead of time to make sure I'm not considering a problem-child car. My E90 330xi has been absolutely excellent from a reliability stand point (knocks on wood), but I've been considering something with a little more power. I decided against the 335i due to the constant lingering turbo/HPFP issues. My dad has always been a huge diesel fan (owned many VW diesels as well as currently owning a manual converted E28 524d) so I thought I'd consider a 335d (dat torque doe).

Mike
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      11-23-2016, 09:36 AM   #15
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I'll offer an opinion: drive more, worry less. There's a lot of paranoia about emissions equipment. May or may not be justified. You might find a high miles car w/o problems and might get 25K good miles before ever having to do anything.

Take one for a test drive. It should put you back in the seat assertively. Lots of problems cured by replacing all vacuum lines and testing/diagnosing/fixing vacuum control issues. Search for thread by robnitro--great DIY guide.

This is my second BMW. The first one was the most reliable/cheap car I've ever owned, by so much it astonished me. They get a bad rap. I think it's because a lot of young/inexperienced and careless young guys thrash the shit out of theirs and wonder when it fails on them due to pushing stupid power levels without accompanying robustness upgrades. You're familiar with German car ownership: you have to give them love and attention. They don't take well to neglect like a Camry would for 20 years. You neglect a German car for 3 years and you'll pay for it, lol. You neglect a diesel German car for 2 years and you'll pay for it.

If you come over to the dark side and you like torque more than power, you'll wonder what the heck took you so long.
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      11-23-2016, 09:51 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nicklockard View Post
I'll offer an opinion: drive more, worry less. There's a lot of paranoia about emissions equipment. May or may not be justified. You might find a high miles car w/o problems and might get 25K good miles before ever having to do anything.

Take one for a test drive. It should put you back in the seat assertively. Lots of problems cured by replacing all vacuum lines and testing/diagnosing/fixing vacuum control issues. Search for thread by robnitro--great DIY guide.

This is my second BMW. The first one was the most reliable/cheap car I've ever owned, by so much it astonished me. They get a bad rap. I think it's because a lot of young/inexperienced and careless young guys thrash the shit out of theirs and wonder when it fails on them due to pushing stupid power levels without accompanying robustness upgrades. You're familiar with German car ownership: you have to give them love and attention. They don't take well to neglect like a Camry would for 20 years. You neglect a German car for 3 years and you'll pay for it, lol. You neglect a diesel German car for 2 years and you'll pay for it.

If you come over to the dark side and you like torque more than power, you'll wonder what the heck took you so long.
Ha, love this post.

Although this IS good advice, I can only take so much of it for face value. I'm certainly not a BMW expert, but I've owned more than a dozen of them and done 95% of all the work on them over the years myself (aided tremendously by friends and beer). So I do have a very solid basis for their reliability as a whole. But I have found while owning so many different models (along with 3 M cars) that some are more "problem prone" than others. But I could not agree more that preventative maintenance is paramount with these cars or you quickly thin out your wallet.

Since this would be my new daily, the car would remain stock-ish, save for a modest tune...that is unless of course things start to fail at a rapid rate.

I'm already enjoying flirting with the dark side, a full conversion does sound like bliss.

Mike
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      11-23-2016, 06:55 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twastheglow View Post
Ha, love this post.

Although this IS good advice, I can only take so much of it for face value. I'm certainly not a BMW expert, but I've owned more than a dozen of them and done 95% of all the work on them over the years myself (aided tremendously by friends and beer). So I do have a very solid basis for their reliability as a whole. But I have found while owning so many different models (along with 3 M cars) that some are more "problem prone" than others. But I could not agree more that preventative maintenance is paramount with these cars or you quickly thin out your wallet.

Since this would be my new daily, the car would remain stock-ish, save for a modest tune...that is unless of course things start to fail at a rapid rate.

I'm already enjoying flirting with the dark side, a full conversion does sound like bliss.

Mike
Understood and understandable. I got my '09 Blue-D two months back with NAV, paddle shifters. steering headlights (or whatever that option package was called, but gawd I love them) for $11,300 (wife is a good bargainer and bought me the car I'd never gotten to test drive--I was actually out of state and she busted their chops down . Damn I love her more.) Had 123K miles, perfect interior, exterior 3M Clearbra, tint, KWV2 coilovers, and aftermarket 19's (bleh). Clearly owned by adults (2 owners).

I've invested 10-11 hours into fixing vacuum issues (found 2 leakers and replaced most tubing), EGR cooler vacuum actuator replaced, PCV hose replaced, new thermostat.

I just put in a JR stage II tune today. It really has lots of low end torque now. Very much improved driveability, IMO.

My intent is to leave the alphabet the heck alone and keep the system clean using 2-stage water/meth/custom solution spraying mapped against my chosen parameters (3D).

If/when I have to replace emissions stuff, I will. It's just part of car ownership. Unless/until there is a cost/benefit curve that radically shifts my opinion. I'll evaluate on an ongoing basis. But I'd highly prefer to NOT emit smoke or more emissions. It hurts our perception, IMO. 15 more whp isn't worth it to me at this time.

I budget 7% of our family's take-home pay for fleet maintenance (2 cars and 1 motorcycle). That is I PLAN to spend on it and maintain it.

I had your same concerns and reached the opinion that while some BMW's are "problem cars", this is not one of them, although of course there are some problems here and there.

Best of luck.

Nick Lockard
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      10-11-2017, 11:52 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twastheglow View Post
Hey guys. I've gone through a fair number of BMW's over the last 10 years but have never delved into the diesels. My current daily driver is a manual E90 330xi and I've been very seriously looking at some 335d's over the last few weeks...which in turn has brought me back here to do some research.

In searching the forums here, I haven't found a decent thread (please feel free to link one here if I've missed it) that really gets into the FAQ's of E90 diesel ownership-specifically, problem areas, common issues, DIY's, general maintenance, etc. I have no doubt that this forum has covered all these topics individually, but since I honestly don't know what I'm looking for per se, searching for these things is tough.

So with all that being said, let me ask some questions that hopefully you guys "in the know" will take the time and have the patience to answer.

1) Other than the "normal" things to look for when considering buying a 335d, are there any 335d specific things that should be looked out for?

2) What are the most common issues people have had with these cars/engines?

3) Are these typical diesels in that they'll run "forever" with proper maintenance?

4) What DOES typical maintenance consist of?

And for anyone wondering, sport and cold weather packages are an absolute must. I have them now and would never want to do without them.

Any other general info that would be helpful for someone looking to get into an E90 diesel would be greatly appreciated.

Mike
Hey mike hope i can answer a few questions about the 335d for u!

a few things i overlooked when i baught mine was the Check engine light, make sure u have a scan tool and if there are codes for the emmisions related stuff, such as Diesel Emmision Fluid, DPF regen codes, you should be fine buying it, just if there are codes for valves, boost pressure problems, stay away because the emmisilons stuff can easily be coded out by jarek (forum memeber) that works @ chiptuning.ca. Common issues besides those listed above are harmon ballancer, ac belt flying off, boost leaks thats about it the tranny is also one of those things im starting to pay more attention to @ around 100k. Also from my understanding these diesel engines properly maintained are like preformance cummins, so they will treat you as good as you treat it. Which means Synthetic Shell Rotella T6 for her every oil change ~7k. Typical maintenance is checking fluids, transmission change every 80K, using Disel Kleen to clean your Injectors and boost cetane, also cleaning out the airfilter when u get it & cabin filter. Hope i cohld help its my first post. So idk if i messed up anywhwre, happy shreddin
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      01-15-2018, 01:02 PM   #19
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Great post. Answered so many of my questions. Thanks for the sticky
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      01-27-2018, 12:05 PM   #20
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Great post, actually the reason why I joined this forum (I'm looking to buy an ' experienced' 335d (200k km)) - an am trying to onderstand the maintenance necessities to come. Great post once more!
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      10-21-2018, 09:09 PM   #21
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My 335D story and wanted Feedback.

Hey Everyone,
So, I am new to the Forum, and this is my first BMW. I have been looking through all the threads and reading about what to do with these cars, but I thought something that would be interesting is to tell my story and ask you guys for some uncandid opinions on my 335D and thoughts on “am I on the right track?” Or “should I let her go?”

This won’t be super long, I’ll give a little background, and then my thoughts on what I am thinking, but what I am really after is I would love to hear what your seasoned, knowledgeable, opinions are on my diesel story?

So I purchased this 2011 335D, in January of 2018, from my dad’s BMW mechanic in Pennsylvania, It had 91k on her and was priced at $12,600, the car had a clean carfax, however, there was a gap in history between 71K miles and where it was at 91K miles. I called BMW and asked if they can enlighten me on anything else changed/serviced on the car and they said the Knock sensor, SCR active tank, and the footwell module was replaced. So, Ok, the mechanic who is trusted said the 335d was solid. So, I took a small gamble and bought it. The car now has 111K and is running pretty solid.

As the story goes, here is the list of things I have done, or what needed to do be done since I’ve owned it. First thing I did was update the navigation to the most current one BMW has out, Then Bought a BMC air filter to replace the old one, Bought the Dinantronics Sport Performance Tuner for M57 engines, did the Burger Tuning Cowl filters, and Got rid of the run flats for Continental ExtremeContact Sport tires and then drove it to enjoy it.

After a while the first real issue hit. At 102K miles, the glow plugs went out. So I took it to a local shop, with a good reputation here in Jacksonville, FL. They recommended doing all the plugs and the module to fix the issue. While they were at it, they recommended doing a walnut blast for the intake ports and valves, clean intake manifold, clean EGR valve and secondary runners on the intake. I also did the Liqui moly engine flush and changed the oil to the Liqui moly 5w40. I Also needed to flush brake fluid because of too much moisture. Sooo, Ok, but that hurt at $2,400.

I roll my eyes, but, now that’s fixed I assume I’ll be good for a while, NO. After about 1k miles my SES light is back on and it’s… guess what, the glow plugs again. So I take it back to the shop and they say the reason the SES is on is because the swirl flaps. So, to fix it they say get the swirl flap deletes. Ok, So I do, and they install them and good to go, right. No again… after a week I took a long trip from Florida, to Tennessee, to Pennsylvania. Should be trouble free, however, WHILE going from TN to PA the SES light comes on again. After a few explicative words, I have it read and sure enough, the glow plugs are the culprit again. I called the shop, and they seem passive about it, saying who needs glow plugs in FL, well yes, but I paid for a service and you are not delivering, so I have an appointment for November to have them fixed it yet again since they parts and labor are under warranty – however, I am fairly frustrated with the issue.

Ok, so, Outside of the glow plug issues, the only other issues were recalls. I took it to the BMW dealer to have recalls completed, battery positive cable, and blower motor wiring, these were free so that was nice. And this was the last real issue I needed sorting out. Since then, it’s just been oil changes with Liqui moly, a much-needed alignment, and keeping it clean.

So before I hear your thoughts on all that, here are all mine. I need brakes soon, and I want to do a trans. Service for peace of mind. Then she should be really stable for a while? But, there is always the looming issue of all the SCR, DPF, EGR parts going out, as well as injectors, boost lines, and turbos going out, and all of that being expensive… I want to get back into track days, and while I love the torque and great mileage, I am not sure on do I spend the money to make her bulletproof or do I look for other options?

My last peace of mind, saving grace, for my 335d is my recent Blackstone lab oil report. They state all the metals and wear look very good for my M57 compared to others they have seen with the same millage. They state all the internal parts should be very healthy. So that made me feel good.
With all that, let’s hear your thoughts on the direction I should go with Barb (my girlfriend named her, and it stuck) the 335D.
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      10-24-2018, 08:53 PM   #22
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I'm not sure what your DIY capabilities are but since you have already got it carbon blasted the rest of the process to deal with emissions and vac lines etc. is not overly complicated and can be done in a weekend with a few tools, jackstands, and the info in this forum.
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