[tej98]

Hey everyone. Had my '09 335i for a few years now and figured I'd make a thread to log some of the work I've done to it. I'll update the first few years over the next few days with progress until current day. Ownership began a few years ago as I was finishing up my undergrad and transitioning to a graduate program. I've put a good bit of work into the car since graduation at this point and hope to keep it for a while since it really is a great one car solution.

I previously had an E46 that I learned to drive on, then an R53 Mini that I adored and made perfect. I grew bored of the R53 since I had done all the common repairs and mods that one would want, so sold it to an enthusiast and waited a bit for the right car to come along. A buddy sent the 335i to me and it ended up being a pretty solid example.

How the car was after purchase with ~95k miles:








Note the lack of taste with the double slat kidney grilles (I go through a few iterations of single slat grilles later on). Also note the broken rear left window regulator as well as limp mode on the drive home after purchase

Supposedly (later confirmed by over boost codes) the car had a tune which was a bit too aggressive, more on this later. Other than those few issues, the car was pretty solid. After talking with a buddy that had a 135i, I quickly gathered a list of things to check over to make sure the car was ready for the amount of driving I'd be throwing at it fairly soon.

I already had BMW factory tools so I scanned for codes and found 2ABC and 3100 stored. 2ABC pointed towards the boost pressure sensor, but most didn't seem to have luck replacing that. Since the car drove fine under most scenarios, I didn't think too much of it at the time. It really only acted up under high boost / load, signifying some sort of overrun issue (which I didn't put together at the time). For the first month or so I spent time cleaning things up and just keeping an eye for any leaks / potential failure points. I changed the oil with some fresh Liqui Moly 5w40 (every 3k religiously) and went from there.

That about sums up the first month of ownership, I'll make more posts bringing us to current day soon!

[Fireball5657]

LCI Tasman Green over Oyster, that's a great looking combo! Looking forward to this one.

[tej98]

Originally Posted by Fireball5657

LCI Tasman Green over Oyster, that's a great looking combo! Looking forward to this one.

Thanks, it was a nice find for sure. Needed lots of love, but it's come a long way.

[tej98]

So first on the list of N54 things was doing some preventive maintenance and upgrades for daily driving reliability and longer road trips. Starting with the list from before, I did:

• Silicone vacuum lines everywhere (rear wastegate actuator was a pain)
• Aluminum charge pipe from FCP
• VRSF 7.5" Intercooler
• Cleaned TMAP
• Aluminum mickey mouse flange
• DCIs (a gift from a buddy)
• 1 step colder NGKs
• Eldor coil packs

Luckily the car has records for the OFHG / cooler, walnut blasting, clutch, and drive belt along with all pulleys done just before purchase which was a nice plus. I was also able to find a date code on the water pump for 07/27/2016 (back dating mileage with service records puts it at roughly 70k miles which is average for the N54), which gave me a nice comfort level at the time to hold off on that job.

A few pics of the process in stages:













Old Bosch plugs that came out. Note #2 looks a bit fouled out. More on that later




All cleaned up, picked up a set of roof bars from a good deal during a trip to visit some family in Florida:


After more driving and testing I was still seeing the 2ABC and 3100 under high load situations. So I caved and bought a new TMAP sensor, but still had the issue. After a good bit of persuasion from my buddy, I decided to try switching tunes with MHD and the issue was completely resolved. I can only assume that the tune present on the car was scaling boost improperly and causing issues. With that fully sorted I had more confidence with the car and really was just putting a ton of miles (looking back) on it commuting from home to school and back. The car was doing pretty great all things considered.

At a local BMW CCA cars & coffee meet:



With the #2 spark plug I pulled out of the car showing a bit of fouling, I knew that at least one injector would need to be changed pretty soon so I kept an eye out for some index 12s to come around locally. This was during the initial price hikes for these injectors, so I took my time and didn't rush into it. I ended up finding 3 used index 12s with new decouplers and o-rings for a decent price so I bought the set. For the price I figured it was worth the gamble.



They installed just fine on bank 1 and I was able to get them coded in using the standard tools as well. I keep the two old (good) injectors from bank 1 in the trunk in case of failures. The car ran great afterwards and still does with those 12s in bank 1.

[tej98]

Next up were a few mods that I had been planning for a while and was just waiting for the right deals to pop up on Marketplace / Craigslist. It started off with another set of the LCI E90 sport package style 287s. I made a full rear square set of those and sold off the front wheels to someone with an E91. I liked the ability to rotate tires and the front fitment was nicer this way



I really enjoyed this setup and actually still use them and will keep them around for a while since these 5 spokes are just so great.

On the local BMW FB group I found someone that wanted to swap their saddle sport interior for an oyster set, so I did a straight trade. It was hilarious watching two E90 interiors laid out in the parking lot of a gas station but well worth it imo. Tasman / Saddle is one of my favorite combinations on these cars:

Interior all pulled out, with my brother's help we had it all out in roughly an hour or so:



Exploded E90 interiors in a parking lot:







The saddle seats were in great shape, so I was happy. An oversight on my part, but I forgot to check to see if the new seats were heated and it turns out they weren't. So I lost that which was pretty annoying over the winters, but I guess I don't have much to complain about with the mild winters we get down here.





Somewhere along the way I installed an OE BMW Performance short shifter from the 330i. This came with the Performance knob / boot that I used for a while.

Comparing notes with a friend's msport 328i and knew that I'd want to eventually do a conversion with the bumpers and other goodies. But that'll come one day.



Made a trip up to Deals Gap / Tail of the Dragon with family:

[tej98]

I was getting an intermittent longer than usual crank and sure enough there was a shadow code stored for the crank position sensor. So I swapped the crank sensor and decided to do a drain and fill on the transmission fluid.

As far as I know this was the original BMW MTF in the transmission, and while I had no shifting problems I knew that at around 110k miles it would be good to do. I decided to go with the Liqui Moly MTF (75w I believe?), and it shifted great at the beginning but quickly deteriorated and I struggled to get the car in gear when cold. I found it hard to believe that the original fluid was better than the LM fluid I put in, but it just wasn't the same. I ended up swapping the LM out for Redline D4 ATF, and it has been much better so far.

I like how the E90 is still small enough where I can comfortably get it up on four jack stands in a single bay of the garage:



Sample of the old transmission fluid:



Old crank sensor:



Decided to clean up the headlights at the same time using a series of sandpaper and them some rubbing compound. They didn't come out perfect but are much better.

Before:



After:



Knocked out the fog lights as well:



Enjoying some nice North Georgia roads with my brother:

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Nice work man & I like this color. I have one of the last E90 335i M-sports ever made with the N55 in space gray. I've spent years on the build & I'm pretty happy with it. I think you'll enjoy this 335i for a quite a while.

[tej98]

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

Nice work man & I like this color. I have one of the last E90 335i M-sports ever made with the N55 in space gray. I've spent years on the build & I'm pretty happy with it. I think you'll enjoy this 335i for a quite a while.

Thanks man! I love the 219(?)m wheels on your car in the avatar picture there, especially in the ferric gray. Also love the msport, slowly making my way to a full conversion but it's gonna take a bit of time

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by tej98

Thanks man! I love the 219(?)m wheels on your car in the avatar picture there, especially in the ferric gray. Also love the msport, slowly making my way to a full conversion but it's gonna take a bit of time

Thank you man & your car will eventually get there (where you want it to be). Just like you said, it simply takes time & patience to get there. And good eye. The 219 wheels are great ones that fit well & they're super strong / lightweight too.

[tej98]

Originally Posted by Kevin_The_Clean1

Thank you man & your car will eventually get there (where you want it to be). Just like you said, it simply takes time & patience to get there. And good eye. The 219 wheels are great ones that fit well & they're super strong / lightweight too.

Nice! How's the fitment on the rear with those wheels? I heard that on LCI cars it's tough to fit the 219s on the rear with the staggered setup?

[tej98]

Found a few more deals on used local parts so jumped on them as they came along. First up was a 6MT M3 steering wheel. While not perfect, it looked great after some conditioner and was a great improvement over the stock sport wheel. I find the nappa leather is a bit sensitive but also a good bit nicer than the sport wheel. It was great since the sport airbag is a direct swap onto the M3 wheel.





Found a guy parting out a 2011 335i Msport (bumpers already destroyed or sold before I got to it), but I managed to snag the black interior trim. The headliner was unfortunately damaged from airbag deployment. My father thought he could fix it, so he went back the next day and the was able to grab it before it was thrown away.

All the msport trim pieces:


Torn/free headliner:




My father was able to use some JB Weld on the back of the tear and then stitched it up so it is less noticeable. While not perfect, the headliner itself isn't perfect so it really doesn't bother me at all. The tear is above the passenger side front grab handle so no one really ever notices it unless I point it out. We've done our fair share of headliner recovers so until this one starts sagging I'm more than happy with how it turned out.

[tej98]

With this car it has been all about the OEM+ mods I could do with used parts (looking back). From this forum I happened upon a local low mileage 335is exhaust so I thought it would be a nice addition. I loved how the 335is had different exhaust tips and sounded amazing in videos that I had seen online, while retaining an OE exhaust. I will say after installing it that it does drone a bit under 3k, but the E90 interior is so quiet it is almost unnoticeable. I could see adding a couple resonators in the future, but it is fine for now. It is definitely a step up in loudness, but in a great way

Unfortunately the only picture I have of it from the seller:


I was driving the car even more now as my graduate program was coming to an end. Back and forth from college to home sometimes a few times a week racked up the miles for a few months, but it was all smooth and the E90 soaked up the miles. I did a bit more maintenance in my free time like Eldor coil packs but otherwise the car remained trouble free.

Cleaned up the wiring harness above the valve cover with some zip ties. It always bothered me how they were loose and hanging around:



I found myself wanting folding rear seats and had scrounged the hardware from a local junkyard, just needed the saddle rear seats. I found a local part out that had a set and traded my non-folders for his folders.





I still need to install the folding rear seat belt, just didn't want to remove the rear parcel shelf at the time.

Next to my brother's E36 M3 at a local car show:




The car eventually threw a shadow 29E0 code (no CEL, just caught from a general preventive scan). So I did a bunch of reading and started monitoring fuel trims / AFRs. The general consensus seemed to be that either a fuel injector was throwing the mixture off (not flowing enough / poorly), or an oxygen sensor was due for replacement. I did almost everything I could to narrow down the issue without needlessly buying parts. From pulling O2 voltages with INPA, to checking spark plugs for gap and fuel (none present), and running a pressure test on the intake system, I was a bit stumped for a while. The issue was also quite intermittent for me, and the car ran perfectly fine.

During an oil change I decided to stick a new to us inspection camera around the turbos / oxygen sensors and found what appeared to be a cracked bank 1 oxygen sensor. I could tell from the traces of white around the base of the sensor and that was enough of a smoking gun to order both upstream oxygen sensors. As far as I could tell they had never been done and at 110k miles, they were due for replacement anyways.

Cracked bank 1 O2:



I actually have a pretty extensive thread around this with steps I took through diagnosis. I always find mixture control issues a bit tricky to diagnose without spending a ton on parts that may or may not be bad. Luckily for me, this turned out to be the issue and the shadow code hasn't returned for over a year now. It seems the upstream O2s needed replacement in general, and I'll be changing them out at regular intervals moving forward.

[tej98]

One of the last few pictures I have of the car at college during one of my early morning commutes in:



Went down to Florida again to visit family:





After graduation the car was due for some suspension work. So I decided to knock out what I had been planning for a few months in the down time I had before starting work. I got all the parts through FCP:

• Bilstein B14 PSS9 Coilovers
• M3 front rearward control arms (not the curvy ones)
• Meyle HD sway bar endlinks
• Strut mounts front and rear

With the help of my brother and father we had the job knocked out in a little under a weekend.





Don't worry, we adjusted the rear spring after this picture





Fitment with the rear 287s up front was close, but still no spacers required which was a nice plus.

Found a random 335d:



I really love this suspension setup. I do regret not doing the M3 forward control arms as well (thrust arms) as I do think the original ones on the car don't function much anymore. Those are on my list of things to do this year, but they aren't a huge deal. The added camber and caster from the M3 front rearward arms made a world of difference, as well as the Bilstein setup. While they are a bit on the firmer side, the E90 does a great job at soaking up bumps. The roads in the South East are also pretty smooth compared to other areas which has made it great so far.

[tej98]

Somewhere along the way I also removed the clutch delay valve. Crazy to see the restriction in the factory valve:



Also replaced the lpfp with a new OE unit from FCP since I was seeing some lower pressures in logs. Decided not to upgrade it since this car likely won't be seeing ethanol. If I ever need I can add a walboro to my original pump.

Found a set of style 152s off a E92/3 msport 328i (I think that is what they came on?). I love how these wheels are similar to the 193m but different enough. They give me "mtech" vibes rather than full US spec msport styling.



Costco was running a sale on Michelins so I had the AS4s installed on them. These are fantastic tires and great for daily driving. They grip well in the dry and wet conditions. It'll be interesting to see how long they last.







Another small piece that was bothering me - sanded and clear coated the side marker lenses, they looked great afterwards:



I was worried about deforming front strut towers like an E36/E90 would do. So I added a cheap eBay front strut bar that gave me more comfort with the stiffer suspension:

[Kevin_The_Clean1]

Originally Posted by tej98

Nice! How's the fitment on the rear with those wheels? I heard that on LCI cars it's tough to fit the 219s on the rear with the staggered setup?

It's a squared setup. So the 18x8.5" all the way around fit excellent. I used 245/40 for the front & 255/40 for the rear. Surprisingly, the rear doesn't rub, just the front during extreme bumps & steering wheel lock when making u-turns.