135i anything I should know??

[Cool Steel]

Hey everyone,

I had a 2011 BMW M3, but I sold it simply because I got paranoid about the rod bearing clearance issues and all the engines that were imploding.

I bought a Corvette, but now my company is laying people off and I am looking to reduce my cost.

I came across a 2009 BMW 135i and the specs are amazing and basically as fast as my Vette.

HERE IS MY QUESTION:

Are there any engine or transmission issues on the N54 engine? Primarily I am looking for any catastrophic issues.

Looking to buy maybe on monday!!

[swagon]

Why not search?

S65 is more reliable than the N54... Look for the service history, there were a few recalls if I recall correctly.

[Cool Steel]

Originally Posted by swagon

Why not search?

S65 is more reliable than the N54... Look for the service history, there were a few recalls if I recall correctly.

Can someone please comment instead of people who have no idea what they are talking about.
The S65 may not have fuel pumps that go out or easily fixed things, instead it has catastrophic engine failure due to connecting rod clearance issues. So no....you are incorrect it is not more reliable.
I am talking about catastrophic engine or transmission failure and the things that create this.

[Solo_M_Tech]

The S65 rod bearing paranoia is exactly that, paranoia. I personally know 12+ e90/92 M3's with 120+ thousand miles on original bearings, and LOTS of track time. The bearing failure appears to be random and doesn't affect all S65's built.

The N54 is a very strong engine. Drivetrain is solid, and to my knowledge, drivetrain failure is extremely rare. The known N54 problems are well documented and the fixes are posted everywhere.

Don't be fooled, the 135i will be nothing like your m3. You will spend thousands of dollars making the suspension anywhere close to what an M3 is. It's easy to make them fast, but expensive to make them handle on par with the speed.

[Cavpilot2k]

N54 Main issues are with the HPFP, which is hardly a catastrophic failure. Annoying, yes, but not catastrophic.

The N55 is more reliable for the HPFP, but suffers water pump failures.

Both suffer from weak charge pipes that may fail, but I personally think the problem is overblown. Yes they fail, but not anywhere near the rate of the HPFP in N54's or the water pump failure rate of N55's.

In general, with 3+ years and 50,000 miles in a 135 (all N55, mind you), I haven't had any major issues. My only minor issues have been things like a windshield washer pump failure, idrive trim peeling, etc.

I love this car, as do most of us 1er owners. Is it as reliable as a 1990's Honda civic? No, but it's a hell of a lot more fun to drive.

[drunkenup]

N54s can spin bearings too and occasionally someone reports they have on e90post.. other than that, 07-08 e9x and e8x subframes can hit the pulleys and belts, potentially sending the belt through the front main seal. and other than that most failures you read about are from bad tuning or failed meth systems.

as far as handling goes, retrofitting m3/1m parts goes a long way but remember, we are still very limited as far as tire/contact patch goes. Someone back me up on this, but it looks like its hard to do anything more than 255 out back and 235+ probably requires camber plates and more

[lowbudgethero]

255 is doable with rolling, and the free camber mod

if your company is laying people off I'd get something super cheap

[MuNkY6913]

I have a 2009 that I ordered and I've put every one of the 70k miles on it. I've been tuned since 30k and have been launching at the track and street for the past 3 years. I replaced the clutch with a high performance one a year and a half ago and it handles the 430wtq great. I've had it at 400 whp for over a year now and still no failures of anything. I drive it hard too. seems to be crap shoot with injectors hpfp and water pump. nothing that will require you to replace and engine. if proper maintenance is done I don't think there should ever be any real problems with it. I had my hpfp replaced under warranty years ago. I also have run 60% E85 for quite a while. again nothing will be catastrophic. just some maintenance that will cost you if you won't/can't do them yourself.