[newbie335i]

Hi guys
New to the forum as I am contemplating buying a 2011 335i E93. 103k km on the clock. No significant modifications.

My first foray into the BMW world, last car was a 1994 2JZ Supra, something about 3L and turbo engines i guess

Any obvious things i should look out for in the car when i inspect it on the weekend?

Have done some research and am aware of checking service history for the water pump, HF fuel pump etc. Any other major concerns in the engine to check?

Cheers guys

[ppointer]

Typical on these are oil leaks -- valve cover, oil filter housing, and oil pan gaskets. My e90 has about the same number of km's, and I just recently did the oil filter housing gasket.

Another thing to do is check the vehicle status on the in-dash computer. Will tell you when next brake fluid change is due. Will give you an estimate of the miles left on front and rear brake pads. Oil change due date, as well as oil level. Little things for certain, but easily accessible.

[newbie335i]

Thanks for the feedback!

[newbie335i]

Update - just picked up a 2009 E93 335i, black on black, stock, 76k km, factory M Sport and Comfort packages. Nice, clean car.

I need to replace the wiper blades - other than FCP Euro or BMW Dealers, are there any other places in Australia you guys recommend for parts? Any any other brands you would recommend? I'm happy to get genuine BMW parts but always worth checking if there are other quality options out there.

Thanks

[Socket]

Originally Posted by newbie335i

Update - just picked up a 2009 E93 335i, black on black, stock, 76k km, factory M Sport and Comfort packages. Nice, clean car.

I need to replace the wiper blades - other than FCP Euro or BMW Dealers, are there any other places in Australia you guys recommend for parts? Any any other brands you would recommend? I'm happy to get genuine BMW parts but always worth checking if there are other quality options out there.

Thanks

Congrats, nice low Kms. Welcome to the forum

The answer to your question depends on the type of parts

For example, spark plugs can be purchased at any supercheap auto
Air filters can be purchased from sparesbox (although I personally hate this company)
Engine parts like water pumps, hoses and belts are best purchased from FCP Euro. They sell OEM or equivalent and have a lifetime guarantee

Personally I buy all my parts (excluding specialist aftermarket) from FCP. Just wait until you can place an order for a few things at a time. Ordering single items from them will kill you in postage.
Orders arrive from the USA in about a week

I've been modding my E92 for over 5 years now, if there was a decent part supplier in Aus, I would have been purchasing from them instead

Hope this helps

[newbie335i]

Thanks For the advice Socket. Wipers need to be done ASAP so might have to try a BMW dealer this time. Checked FCP and you’re right on postage!! Cheers.

[1275]

I'm loving these. Best wiper blades I've had for ages

https://www.wipertech.com.au/

Delivery was a week or so.

Congratulations on the new ride. Post up some photos when you can, I'm sure everyone would be keen to see.

[Brule]

bmws are not special.
Just go to supercheap or repco for wiper blades.

Never go to a bmw dealer for anything.

[newbie335i]

Originally Posted by 1275

I'm loving these. Best wiper blades I've had for ages

https://www.wipertech.com.au/

Delivery was a week or so.

Congratulations on the new ride. Post up some photos when you can, I'm sure everyone would be keen to see.

Thanks for the link. Ordered some blades from here, plus they had a discount + free shipping ... so got some for my other car as well

[newbie335i]

Originally Posted by Brule

bmws are not special.
Just go to supercheap or repco for wiper blades.

Never go to a bmw dealer for anything.

noted!!

[drZ]

Congrats on the purchase. Check the engine bay for these 2leaks that may cause issues in the future. The vcg and the ofhg leak are pretty notorious. The latter will shred the pulley belt which can get sucked into the oil pick up. RIP engine..the other one that might need looking into is the injectors. If u get misfires in the morning this might be the culprit. Good luck

[newbie335i]

Originally Posted by drZ

Congrats on the purchase. Check the engine bay for these 2leaks that may cause issues in the future. The vcg and the ofhg leak are pretty notorious. The latter will shred the pulley belt which can get sucked into the oil pick up. RIP engine..the other one that might need looking into is the injectors. If u get misfires in the morning this might be the culprit. Good luck

Thanks DrZ . I had it with BMS AUTOHAUS this week to get brakes done and asked them to do a general inspection as well. Didn’t flag anything on these 2 issues. The pulley belt one sounds scary, what should I keep an eye out for in engine?

[badmanners]

Originally Posted by newbie335i

Update - just picked up a 2009 E93 335i, black on black, stock, 76k km, factory M Sport and Comfort packages. Nice, clean car.

I need to replace the wiper blades - other than FCP Euro or BMW Dealers, are there any other places in Australia you guys recommend for parts? Any any other brands you would recommend? I'm happy to get genuine BMW parts but always worth checking if there are other quality options out there.

Thanks

https://clickableautomotive.com.au/

This is a good local supplier.

Careful with Repco for wiper blades, some of the universal blades require the original covers of where the wiper blade meets the arm to be left off and it makes for an ugly sight. I would have stuck with originals if I knew this.

[drZ]

Originally Posted by newbie335i

Thanks DrZ . I had it with BMS AUTOHAUS this week to get brakes done and asked them to do a general inspection as well. Didn’t flag anything on these 2 issues. The pulley belt one sounds scary, what should I keep an eye out for in engine?

Just inspect the belt really for any oil or stretched columns. The oil leak just weakens the rubber on it and eventually gives way.

[newbie335i]

Originally Posted by badmanners

https://clickableautomotive.com.au/

This is a good local supplier.

Careful with Repco for wiper blades, some of the universal blades require the original covers of where the wiper blade meets the arm to be left off and it makes for an ugly sight. I would have stuck with originals if I knew this.

Thanks for the link, will keep this saved for future reference. I ended up ordering some blades from Wipertech.

[newbie335i]

Originally Posted by drZ

Just inspect the belt really for any oil or stretched columns. The oil leak just weakens the rubber on it and eventually gives way.

[EB89]

Congrats mate, I bet it feels very different, I have a 2011 335i E92 myself

I needed new blades just 2 weeks ago. Got them from the local dealer for about $70 I think.

I got caught out in the past, the 2011 is LCI so super cheap didn’t have any that fit, they have pre LCI blades, ours are the F30 style slim blades. I usually order genuine parts from FCP Euro in the states as they have their lifetime warranty. Even on wear items like oil and wiper blades

However they don’t stock many right hand drive specific items and I received left hand drive wiper blades that needed to be modified to fit, not worth the trouble, my advice is to get some from BMW. I get oil filters from BMW as well as you can just walk in on the day you want to do a DIY oil change the. Pop over to Supercheap to get oil.

As for the car, I’ve had to replace these things in my 5 years of ownership.

- High Pressure Fuel Pump x 1
- Water Pump x 1
- Thermostat x 1
- Coolant Expansion Tank x 2
- Various Coolant Hoses
- Radiator x 1
- FRM Module x 1
- Valve Cover Gasket x1
- Oil Filter Housing Gasket x1
- Accessory Belt x 1
- Spark Plugs x 6
- Ignition Coils x 6

On a new purchase you would be good to do an oil change, coolant change and if you can’t see the age of the spark plugs and ignition coils in the log book just do those as well, start from a nice baseline.

Put $5,000 aside for repairs as your cars age and kilometres are right at an expensive point.

[newbie335i]

Thanks for the tips EB89. Past owner has done basic maintenance every 5k Km so I’m comfortable with running a couple more thousand ks till 80k is due and doing oil and coolant. Checking sparkies and coils too. Front shocks / struts and castors need to be replaced too. Will be a big one 😳

Car is awesome, loving it so far. Had the top down last week. Bliss.

FYI on wiper blades, got them from Wipertech - perfect fit and smooth / silent operation now.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by newbie335i

Thanks for the tips EB89. Past owner has done basic maintenance every 5k Km so I’m comfortable with running a couple more thousand ks till 80k is due and doing oil and coolant. Checking sparkies and coils too. Front shocks / struts and castors need to be replaced too. Will be a big one 😳

Car is awesome, loving it so far. Had the top down last week. Bliss.

FYI on wiper blades, got them from Wipertech - perfect fit and smooth / silent operation now.

Nice.... I love it when everything goes to plan