[Budhardt]

Dear all, i have been reading the forum for a few months already, trying to understand what an owner of a 335i - which is my childhood dream car - could anticipate. I personally own a few cars, including an older BMW, and I have worked on cars repairing them. Yet, i have not had an experience of repairing BMWs newer than 2005.

I was thinking about a project car. Buying a second hand 335 E92 is always a challenge, they are expensive and often have shady histories. So, I was considering buying a wrecked car for a project - at least I would know exactly what happened to it - and then taking a few years to repair the car at my own pace.

I have recently found a car just like the one I wanted (blue / red color), but i am having doubts on whether I should be buying it. The car has a clean Carfax history, always serviced, but wrecked unfortunately. The car DOESN"T Start, you could see that it is powered off so that windows couldn't been lifted.

When I look at the damage, I am obviously concerned with it - cosmetics is an easy part, but the radiator mounts have shifted, as well as airducts. I am worried the car is too severely structurally damaged. But something makes me think that the damage is not as bad as it seems. I know that you don't buy the car based on a gut feeling, but it is sold as junk and hence price might be just right to try? Worst case - i will have parts for the next project?

I wanted to ask you, people who worked on 335, to help me assess damage on the car. I have a few days to think about this purchase and any help from you would be great to have...

Many thanks!

What do you think???

[BashShah]

I have rebuilt about 7 e90, e92 chassis vehicles.
My strongest advise

Don't buy a front end collision bmw.
Way too many small parts that really add up the cost.

Here is an example:
Most wrecks are approx 1/3 the retail cost.
An e92 clean title is now less than 10k for sure.
There is no way you are going to find parts and fix, and paint for under 4k.

Also, you will find bumper, rad support, and lights.
But rad, and rad shroud, and all the little shit..... you will be buying new.

My advise:
1) look for a side or rear damaged wreck. These parts are everywhere.
PS, not many people are doing e90 rebuilds anymore and chances of finding parts is better.

2) strongly recommend you put in a bit more and buy a clean title.
Then start modding and some repair.
I would also recommend a 335i and nothing less.
Look for a vehicle with a FRM2.
That is built from March 2007 and forward.
Get a laptop ready with INPA, and cable. Then you are set for diagnostic and possibly coding.
If you have an android, I will show you another way to diagnose issues.

Good luck.

[Budhardt]

BashShah, thank you for your reply! I really admire your efforts in bringing 7 E92 back to life! This is great.

As for my thoughts, i clearly have no illusions as for costs of a rebuilding the car. I pretty much pursue two goals: 1) i want to restore a car on my free time; 2) i want to get familiar with the front-end of BMWs of that generation, and the only way is really taking a look at it on my own. I have been looking for a front-end damage car for some time, and clearly this one meets the requirements. It is just that I really get scared when I think of what i might get to see once I take this bumper off. Cost is less of an issue, as I have a budget to work on it. In the worst case, i could buy another BMW with a totaled rear-end and use the front end from it to repair one car.

I wanted ask you - with all your experiences - what does your eye catch when you look at the pictures above? Also, do you think this impact could have killed the engine and brains ( the car doesn't fire even with the jump start plug)...

Also, what was your most complicated front-end damaged E92 project? Did you get it right in the end?

[tcphoto]

I would not touch that car unless it was gifted to me. As stated previously, the cost of headlights, support parts and other issues add up quickly. The cost of a bumper is minuscule compared to those items. Instead, I would look at the El Camino behind the E92 for real fun.

[BashShah]

Originally Posted by Budhardt

BashShah, thank you for your reply! I really admire your efforts in bringing 7 E92 back to life! This is great.

As for my thoughts, i clearly have no illusions as for costs of a rebuilding the car. I pretty much pursue two goals: 1) i want to restore a car on my free time; 2) i want to get familiar with the front-end of BMWs of that generation, and the only way is really taking a look at it on my own. I have been looking for a front-end damage car for some time, and clearly this one meets the requirements. It is just that I really get scared when I think of what i might get to see once I take this bumper off. Cost is less of an issue, as I have a budget to work on it. In the worst case, i could buy another BMW with a totaled rear-end and use the front end from it to repair one car.

I wanted ask you - with all your experiences - what does your eye catch when you look at the pictures above? Also, do you think this impact could have killed the engine and brains ( the car doesn't fire even with the jump start plug)...

Also, what was your most complicated front-end damaged E92 project? Did you get it right in the end?

Shit you just asked a lot of questions.
I was in your position when I did my own e90.
worst one:
front was damaged more then yours by 6 inches more on the drivers side.
In Less words.
I went to an auto wrecker and asked for the entire front Clip.
That was cheaper than individual parts.
I got everything except headlights and front bumper, and engine, and axle.

Your damage, the main concern would be:
1) Is the Bumper Mounts to Frame Bent or warped. If this is not aligned, your entire car fitment issues will occur on everything.
This bumper does not have collapsible absorption to frame. like the f30.
get the right measurement from all points.

2) Parts other than obvious:
I personally think the engine is good.
all Plastic around it is broken.
Rad, Rad Fan, Fan Shroud, Bumper support, Air Intake, air bag sensor may be.
Battery Disconnect Cable, if airbags were deployed. You will need to hire someone to get rid of air bag light.
you can not do it with the programs I mentioned above.
suspension is good, unless you went over a curb.
both side wheel well plastic.
Brake Air ducts and Oil Cooler air ducts.
small Coolant line on top of rad.
Both Hood release latches and their cables.....they disconnect on the drivers side fender area.
Air Filter Box, May be.....most likely. Once it is pushed, it breaks at the mounts first, then cracks from the bottom.
Charge pipe in front of engine.....for sure.....there is like 2 inchs of room there.
FMIC, may be.....it too low, possibly bent at the ends, where the pipes are connected.

Just curious, how many k on the car.
What year, did you run a VIN Decode on it to see what options on it.
will it be a Salvage title or not?

I realize what you mean by your want it.....I personally hear what you are saying. you want to understand it.
Do the following repairs on any e90/e92 335i and you will know the car very well.
plugs, coils, OFHG, VCG, Belt, Pulleys, DP, FMIC, Rad re/re, all the Vac Lines.
and have a diagnostic software on hand at all times.

there isn't that much that you get to know the vehicle.
it's just too much Plastic and it will be brittle for sure, being that old.

PS: no Matter what e90/e92 you buy.
The repairs I mentioned above will have to be done sooner or later as all that will and IT WILL BREAK on you.
not to mention Twin Turbo Lag and Rattle issue which is a ticking time bomb in all of them.
ohhhh I wanted to repair my turbos, but an accident got my car.... still crying after 2 years.
My Car was a Rebuilt, left rear Quarter Panel only, no air bags.
I wish it was Manual.

Hope I answered it.
Best of Luck, reach out if need be.

Final Notes, I listed all possible issues, But I personally don't think it that bad.
Do able for sure.
Frame, don't think so....meaning it's good.
headlights broken on the inside.
Not sure on the plastic behind the rad.

[BashShah]

ohh It does't fire up, because, Once airbag, any air bag is deployed, there is a Batter Disconnect Cable that disconnects from the Battery. The Only way to fis it, is to replace it, and the air bags, and seatbelt buckles, from a NON-Deployed airbag car.
Then you start the car, but air bag light will have to be deleted by someone that knows how to.

www.realoem.com
is your friend.
punch in the last 7 digits of the VIN, and look up any part, Bolt, nut, anything.
then search on ebay....

[zomski101]

You can clear airbag codes with protool, once you replace what went off. Headliner will need to be fixed or replaced because it looks like the side airbag went off.

[smass]

Originally Posted by BashShah

I have rebuilt about 7 e90, e92 chassis vehicles.
My strongest advise

Don't buy a front end collision bmw.
Way too many small parts that really add up the cost.

Here is an example:
Most wrecks are approx 1/3 the retail cost.
An e92 clean title is now less than 10k for sure.
There is no way you are going to find parts and fix, and paint for under 4k.

Also, you will find bumper, rad support, and lights.
But rad, and rad shroud, and all the little shit..... you will be buying new.

My advise:
1) look for a side or rear damaged wreck. These parts are everywhere.
PS, not many people are doing e90 rebuilds anymore and chances of finding parts is better.

2) strongly recommend you put in a bit more and buy a clean title.
Then start modding and some repair.
I would also recommend a 335i and nothing less.
Look for a vehicle with a FRM2.
That is built from March 2007 and forward.
Get a laptop ready with INPA, and cable. Then you are set for diagnostic and possibly coding.
If you have an android, I will show you another way to diagnose issues.

Good luck.

Well said. This is especially true for E92 as the parts are not as easy to find as E90. There is at least a 10 to 1 ratio of E90 vs E92 when it comes to parts cars. E92s are worth more and thus get totaled less often, rebuilt more often, so used parts are expensive.

[Efthreeoh]

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I've hit two deer with my car in the front end and had professional body shops under insurance claims repair the car. The first hit was on the right corner when the car had just 12,000 miles, and the 2nd hit was to the left corner at 350,000 miles. First instance was $4,500, second was $5,000. The 2nd hit at 350,000 miles totaled the car, so I was very conscious of the parts costs since I was buying the car back and paying for the repair myself. I DIY most everything except complex collision repair. My repairs each time were nearly identical and basically included one headlight, hood, bumper cover, front fender, core support, grills.

You don't mention what price the car is, which factors into the decision of course. Not knowing what the car hit, but it looks like a front-end bumper dive hit (the rear car slid underneath the car in front) by someone either tailgating the car in front of them that stopped short, or the driver of the car was texting and hit the car in front of them. But here are my observations based on my experience with front end collision repair:

The headlights new aftermarket ZKW OE are around $800 each. New BMW parts are $1,300 each. Trying to find good-condition used headlights is nearly impossible and most recyclers want nearly new aftermarket prices for them. I'd bet the car you are looking at was totaled by the insurance company just for the airbag and headlight costs alone.

The hood, bumper, intake snout, and core support are easily found from auto recyclers. You'll need a new AC condenser and radiator. If the AC condenser was pierced and the AC system lost the freon, you may need to replace the AC compressor since the system has dried out, which the AC pump doesn't like.

The fenders look undamaged and the door-fender gap on the left side looks good so I don't think there is frame rail damage. The core support is fiber reinforced plastic and absorbs a lot of crash energy in that type of collision and doesn't transmit crash energy out the sides leaving the frame rails undamaged (i.e. splay out the tops of the frame rails). The bumper is a crushable aluminum beam attached to caps on the front of the frame rails, which are also designed to absorb front end crash energy and not damage the lower part of frame rail. Yes there are small parts here and there that may need replacing, but with so many junked E9X's out there at this point, I'd think most of such parts can be found.

It looks like some of the airbags deployed, which triggers the seat belt tensioners, and blows the battery safety terminal (BST). So airbags are not cheap, nor are belt tensioners. And the BST is around $200.

Lastly, the legal stuff. So you need to know what your State statutes are about certification of the repaired airbag system and how the State treats repaired cars that have been declared a total loss by the insurance company. Some states are lenient about both, strict about both, or it's a mixed bag. For example, my state of Virginia, does not require a salvage title for a car repaired from a total loss if the car is over 5 years older than the current model year and/or is valued less than $10,000 at the time of the repair. Yet in Virginia, if the airbag system is deployed, it has to be repaired by a certified technician, meaning it can't be repaired by the owner as a DIY. For my car, the bags did not deploy in either deer accident.

So you should research all those legal elements as to how your state handles them, and talk to your insurance agent about what level of insurance you can insure the car once it is repaired and what title status it will have.

[Budhardt]

Dear All, sorry for coming back late with a proper reply to your commentaries. But I am very happy that you have shared your views, experience and wisdom with me. It is really exciting to learn how you would approach this task.

On the car itself: it has driven 105k miles, the car in fact is Salvage, March 2011 is when it was manufactured, and its value is circa 3500 USD (as you rightly pointed out here, 1/3 of a clean car's retail value, and it is a front-bumper dive car (but according to Carfax it has had a history of a front-end damage before being repaired in 2014 and remarketed by a BMW dealer, which tells me it wasn't totaled back then).

You are also very right about parts' availability on the second-hand market. I checked it in my area - there will be no problem with finding large parts such as radiator support, but small things are not there, and will have to be procured elsewhere.

I really see this car as a blackbox and a challenge. But I wanted a side project to learn new things, and I am not in a hurry. My greatest concern is how good can this car be repaired. If I go out of my own way, replace all parts, and upon putting everything together realize that the car is still all bent and junk, then this is not the project I would won't to touch. But I am hopeful it is in a better condition...

RealOEM is a life savior!

A few question on your replies.


BashShah:
1) You mentioned that once airbag is deployed, the car won't start. Does that mean, that the car won't show any signs of life even if one tries to circumvent the battery and use a Jump Start Power Bank? This is what the technicians (of course they are laymen) tried to do - they connected plus and minus to jump start bank, and the car showed no life.

2) You also listed all the possible extra problems that I might have to encounter with later. With 105k miles under the chassis, how likely is that we are getting close to Twin Turbo problems. How much does it cost to repair the turbos? Remember, i have no experience with E92, so it is very difficult to say.

3) I also share your view that the car doesn't look irreparable. This is what attracts me to it. Frame damage would be a nightmare, but i also don't expect it. Same with physical damage to the engine.

4) What software do I need to have for diagnostics? Could you perhaps recommend me a software/hardware package that I could be good to go with to work on that car (including the removal of airbag messages).

5) If you were to start working on that car, what would be the right order of looking at things? Is there a way to check how healthy the motor is before trying to do any work on the car? As I mentioned, I don't know the history of that car. If the engine is shot, then the car likely belongs in a junkyard.

6) You wrote it is a 335i E92 and nothing else, why is that ? Why not 328i E92?


zomski101
Absolutely right, headliner is broken, will need to be replaced...


Efthreeoh
1) I am with you on headlights issue. I see so many well-maintened BMW 335i driving around town here with yellowish headlights, because they are too expensive to replace. Costs of them is what i need to consider.

2) On the legal part: I am lucky that as long as the car passes the inspection, it could get a new ID here and rejoin road traffic.

3) Could you perhaps share pictures of the damage that your E92 sustained in both crashes? Just in case you have them somewhere.

I am still thinking of this... Will take a decision soon.

Many thanks!

[BashShah]

BashShah:
1) You mentioned that once airbag is deployed, the car won't start. Does that mean, that the car won't show any signs of life even if one tries to circumvent the battery and use a Jump Start Power Bank? This is what the technicians (of course they are laymen) tried to do - they connected plus and minus to jump start bank, and the car showed no life.
ANS: The Dash will work, but it will not kick over the starter.
but the DASH, lock, and Most accessories will or should work.
There is a way of Jamming a Nail in the Battery disconnect cable to get the car to kick over, but I never tried it, as the cable was only 60 from auto wreckers.
This Cable is across the same part with MOST BMWs.

2) You also listed all the possible extra problems that I might have to encounter with later. With 105k miles under the chassis, how likely is that we are getting close to Twin Turbo problems. How much does it cost to repair the turbos? Remember, i have no experience with E92, so it is very difficult to say.
ANS: VERY LIKELY......so the turbo Problem is not really a problem.
it is JUST Rattle Noise, as the waste gate Actuator is flawed by design,
The Cheapest way to go is to repair the waste Gates, and you will be fine.
AS the Wastegate rattle begins.....so does your LAG, meaning you press the gas, and it takes a full sec for the car to respond......keep in mind that these Turbo's are on all the time, not like old days where you need to hit 3-4k rpm for turbos to activate.


3) I also share your view that the car doesn't look irreparable. This is what attracts me to it. Frame damage would be a nightmare, but i also don't expect it. Same with physical damage to the engine.

4) What software do I need to have for diagnostics? Could you perhaps recommend me a software/hardware package that I could be good to go with to work on that car (including the removal of airbag messages).
ANS: Removal of Airbag, I have always hires someone.
Diagnostic: 2 Things:
first you need a K+D Can Cable: (this)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-BMW-IN...kAAOSwjk9ZO6M1

Software: a Laptop with a USB Port and this.
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1405801

NOW: My Thing.
Once you get the the Cable, then PM me, I have something special.
You will need any OLD or New Andriod Phone.....ONLY Android.
I will send you a Program that will be a life saver forever. especially when you are away from your laptop.

5) If you were to start working on that car, what would be the right order of looking at things? Is there a way to check how healthy the motor is before trying to do any work on the car? As I mentioned, I don't know the history of that car. If the engine is shot, then the car likely belongs in a junkyard.
NO NO NO.
Take it Apart first.....you can not make a list a of Parts without taking it apart.
As an Initial List....HOOD and Bumper first.
Headlight Washer.....PLUG THEM....DO NOT USE THEM.....they are a Pain in the A#$.
even if they are broken.....

6) You wrote it is a 335i E92 and nothing else, why is that ? Why not 328i E92?
ANS: Of all the people that post about modding a 328 or 325i, they all wish they had a 335i instead.....that is by the time they finish tuning and modding it.
You are 10 times better off to start off with a 335i.
I own a 2012 F30 335i now, and when I was looking for a Car, I would not consider a 328i at all.
I look back at owning a E90 335i, and the Turbos staring talking to me, at 180K km.
I would have repaired or replaced my turbos ..... and kept the car for a lot longer.
It drove a lot better than my F30.

Now I am looking for a 2017 540i....
being a Realtor, I need something with a little more leg room in the back.

Best Regards,