So close to pulling the trigger on a 135i...but wow..sounds like lots of problems

[Shawnski]

I have driven 135s since April '08, and now own a 2012. These are very well built and thought out cars. I have never had any problems in a combined 45k miles - Nothing but a cracked windshield and blown tire.

If you like the car now, you will love it like family once you own one for a while.

[shah269]

Sonic Blather Lube AKA whatever they sell in a bottle which you add to the gas or the oil with does everything.....

What I was saying is that for my 1.8T that was not direct injection there was a carbon buildup issue which a simple bottle of Chevron Techron helped take care of when used once a month. And I was asking would the same work for these cars?

Do they know the cause of this carbon build up on the exhaust valves? Is it just the nature of the combustion cycle? Or is it an issue of new blended gas which can have as much as 15% ethanol which is known to cause significant carbon deposits?

But sand blasting exhaust valves....I'm sure that it neither cheap nor a project one can do in their back yard.

[TEAM SLO]

Current owner of the 135i N55, and also a Trailblazer SS. Previous owner of modded, EVO X, VIII, 04 g35 coupe, 03 cobra, 04 sti, 02 s2000.

Very happy with the 135i, obviously slow in a straight line, but the build quality and drive impression is great day or night. Little modding potential for now, hoping for that to change in the next year with 3 different lines of BMW's running the N55 now.

Only issues with the car which do not deter my impressions of the car; broken 3rd brake light (replaced under warranty no questions asked and a head unit amp (base model) that goes out once in a while (twice in 3 weeks for about 5 minutes)

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by FJUNO78

Does the PPK feel faster than stock before the sw update, or does it get you back to where you were?

Well it feels more like where i was before the update, however I've noticed some extra pulling power down low specially in 1st and 2nd gear. Still the throttle response and no lag are the real treat

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by 1speedbike

Is English not your first language, or has the US public school system seriously become this much of a failure?

I have no idea what you're even saying.

I'm glad you said it because I was thinking it. Types like a 13yr old on a sugar high.

Originally Posted by 1speedbike

Also, Audis/VWs have much worse carbon problems than BMWs. I have seen an Audi engine at 25,000 miles. Not pretty, and BMW engines at the same mileage do have buildup, but not even close to what Audis are going through right now. Serious lack of foresight.

At 20k I was having noticeable hesitation and stuttering in high gears on the highway. TBH, this is the only issue that is really scaring me away from purchasing at lease-end. If it's covered under CPO then I may take it, otherwise it's bye-bye 1er.

[shah269]

And those deposits were caused by.....?
And they HAD to be sand blasted out?
Are you sure they "sand blasted" the engine! I mean that is some very serious stuff!
Yes you can port and polish an engine but it's not cheap.
Are you sure they just didn't seafoam the engine or use another anti carbon product to clean things out?

Also remember if there is carbon buildup on your valve there should be significant carbon build up on your catalytic converter which will cause significant reduction in power.

Remember you can't dissolve carbon.....you can only hope to physical pull it away from the sub straight it rests on.
That's what seafoam does, it acts as a lubricant that gets under the carbon and loosens it from the sub straight.

So yes you can sand blast it off....but wow what a job that would be! Drop the engine, pull off the turbo, don't mind all the wires and other fun bits that are in the way. Heck you may have to even pull off the head!

All not very fun things to do. Unless you were getting paid for it!

[KingOfJericho]

Do some reading:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359016

[1speedbike]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

At 20k I was having noticeable hesitation and stuttering in high gears on the highway. TBH, this is the only issue that is really scaring me away from purchasing at lease-end. If it's covered under CPO then I may take it, otherwise it's bye-bye 1er.

Wow. I'm sorry to hear that

I'm thinking it might vary from car to car. I have close to 50K miles now and haven't noticed anything that would lead me to believe there's a carbon buildup problem. Though I haven't pulled open the manifold yet, I just seafoamed the car and very little smoke came out. From my searches online, I think this means that there was very little buildup to begin with. Hope that's the case, but I could be wrong.

Hopefully you won't experience any more problems, but I plan to take off the manifold and scrub everything down at about 60K miles anyway. I'm scared of what I'll find down there

[KingOfJericho]

My buildup probably occurred faster than most as my daily commute is only 7 miles each way and the car very rarely reaches full operating temp in that time. A quick test would be to go on the highway driving at about 50mph put the pedal to the floor. If you feel any stuttering or hesitation, it's a buildup issue.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

You sound like the minority vs other forum members. Maybe it is the way you drive

Also N55 doesn't seem to have the same HPFP issues as N54.

Shell isn't a good fuel... most dealers I have bought cars & bikes from over the years have told me not to use it.

To the contrary, I also know 6 people, myself included, with N54 powered cars (two 135s, two 335s, and two 535s) and every single one of them has had at least one HPFP failure. One of the 335s had 3 replacements and the other 1er had 2.

[dylzsrt]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Well it feels more like where i was before the update, however I've noticed some extra pulling power down low specially in 1st and 2nd gear. However the throttle response and no lag are the real treat

Is the PPK a tune done via a BMW dealership like a dinan upgrade or different? Bear with me here...I'm totally new to the Bimmer world, and if I do purchase, I want to get it right. If I do get one, it will be brand new I've decided and or the M1. On the new motor, what computer upgrades are offered from BMw that don't effect your warranty? Does that PPK tune relate to the new motor as well? Thanks

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by dylzsrt

I was really close to pulling the trigger on a nice clean used 1 with the m package this week, but had no idea of the amount of problems in regards to the fuel pump and turbo(s). Now i'm thinking of stretching to go new, but does anyone know for sure if the single turbo model performs as good..the same..or better and has the reliability thing been figured out. I'm pretty new to the bimmer world as i've been driving and modding srt8's with no issues whatsoever. I want to come over, but am pretty leary.someone please set me straight, Thanks!

I was in your shoes earlier this year. I dove in simply b/c the HPFP is under warranty. I initially did not plan to mod but I wanted to buy an '08 model to beat up and have fun since its been awhile since I drove an enthusiasts type of car. I did not want a new 2011 to beat up...besides my initial intention was to purchase a 2006 e46 M3. I chose the 135i after test driving both cars. This will indicate my age but my father used to mod Datsun's so he re-built and mod'd a 240z and 280z. My father gave me the 280z since he just couldn't bare to see anyone else drive the 240z. So, modding is in my blood.

Back on point...I have found the '08 to be a blast to mod and drive with the N54 engine the tuning (Cobb AP) is unbelievable with so much upside. (EG: Search for Yuchi's Dyno results). Yes, others will say not to tune but its so much fun and if something fails then so be it...such is life. That said, I have been drooling over the Vividracing turbo kits, but I will wait for my current turbos to fail At this point, I have finished modding for performance and will now suffer through Winter and look forward to Spring

[FJUNO78]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

Well don't buy a one then... personally I only know of a very low % of Ozzie forum members with HPFP issues and all seem N54 related... as I said, it is usually covered by warranty and if not the HPFP isn't going to break the bank.

If people can't afford to maintain BMW's then they shouldn't be buying one.... same goes with Porche, I know I can't afford the maintenance if something major goes wrong on a Porche.

Does Australia have ethanol in their gas? Many people think the ethanol causes the hpfp's to fail.

It's a huge problem, stop drinking the cool aid. If it wasn't a huge mess, BMW would not cover it for 10 years / 100k miles.

And it is not a matter of being able to "afford" maintenence. Did you ever think my time is far too valuable to spend jack-assing back and forth to the dealership? You seem to be the type of person who fulfills the stereotype of a BMW owner.

[FJUNO78]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

You sound like the minority vs other forum members. Maybe it is the way you drive

Also N55 doesn't seem to have the same HPFP issues as N54.

Shell isn't a good fuel... most dealers I have bought cars & bikes from over the years have told me not to use it.

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

[plien69]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

If people can't afford to maintain BMW's then they shouldn't be buying one....

I hate this sentiment. I read it all the time, and it smacks of arrogance and elitism. "Look at me, I can afford a BMW, and you obviously can't."

And your anecdotal quote of personally knowing only a few forum members with HPFP issues is the flip side of people only posting problems on forums. Both are useless from a statistical standpoint.

Personally, my 135i has been more problematic for me than my E46 M3. Since I've owned the car (May 2008), I've had: spark plugs replaced, injectors replaced, HPFP campaign performed, water pump replaced, and the car is currently in the shop for another engine stumbling problem. It has 65k miles, bone stock, never seen track time, and is my daily driver, with some modest amounts of "enthusiastic" driving. I don't feel my usage pattern is much outside the average for 135i owners.

On the other hand, the E46 M3 was nearly problem free during it's 55k mile term. Ironically, I traded in the M3 for the 135i based on my concerns for the cost of out of warranty maintenance for the S54 engine and SMG transmission.

As always, YMMV may vary, but the issues I've listed above do tend to be the problematic areas for 135i.

EDIT: And the SA just called: 4 faulty spark plugs (he said N54/5s need plug replacement every 30-40k miles), bad block coolant temp sensor, bad O2 sensor. Total = $1600.

I realize this is just my own experience, but I'm really regretting not purchasing the extended warranty, and would recommend people seriously think about the extended if you want to keep a 135i past 50k miles.

[KingOfJericho]

Did it ever occur to you that it might not be about the money? The US is a pretty big place with many remote areas and we tend to travel longer distances than people in other countries. This is important because getting stuck in midtown Manhattan, or Sydney in your case, might not be an issue but getting stuck halfway during a 500 mile trip would be one hell of a problem. Obviously BMW agrees that it is a big enough issue to extend the warranty and the issue also made it onto national news a few months ago. It's a much more widespread issue in the US than in other countries, although the frequency of failure has decreased dramatically in recent months with the recall and introduction of updated pumps.

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

This is a great car and if I go through a few HPFP on the way then it will be worth the fun it's given me.... then again I doubt I will have any issues with it & I certainly don't lose any sleep that in the morning I may have long cranks

Maybe I should cancel my 1M order because the HPFP may fail

+1... I'm not saying I doubt I will have problems but I dont worry about it b/c the car is a blast to drive. I could go back to my TSX and drive it for 100Kmi and not worry (not my 325 or 328) but its not as fun to drive. Will I be pissed if I get stranded? YES, you betcha!, but I will get over it.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by dylzsrt

Is the PPK a tune done via a BMW dealership like a dinan upgrade or different? Bear with me here...I'm totally new to the Bimmer world, and if I do purchase, I want to get it right. If I do get one, it will be brand new I've decided and or the M1. On the new motor, what computer upgrades are offered from BMw that don't effect your warranty? Does that PPK tune relate to the new motor as well? Thanks

The BMW PPK is available for both N54 and N55 motors via your local BMW center. It's covered under the normal BMW warranty, power gains are modest but for me it was worth it for the improvement in throttle response and total elimination of lag.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

Point taken...I have 6 dealers within a 50km radius.
Usually HPFP dies slowly, so you should have plenty of warning of it's impending failure.

I had 4 long cranks then catastrophic failure. Luckily I was pulling into my driveway...

[thez99]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

wow...sounds like you got a Friday afternoon built car!

N55 or N55?

Sounds more like life's a bitch, then you cry about it

[dylzsrt]

Originally Posted by ianf2002

what is elitist about a BMW!?!?! .... they are affordable to most people.
You are missing my point... if the OP is swaying away from a 135i because the HPFP may fail & if by chance isn't covered by warranty, then clearly if you can't afford a few hundred $$$ to replace it you should buy a Camry (for its reliability, not elitism)

This is a great car and if I go through a few HPFP on the way then it will be worth the fun it's given me.... then again I doubt I will have any issues with it & I certainly don't lose any sleep that in the morning I may have long cranks

Maybe I should cancel my 1M order because the HPFP may fail

Wow...you seem to have a twisted way of looking at things. It's got nothing to do with whether I can afford a fuel pump or not....it's got to do with buying a so called "premium" vehicle and not wanting to F around having it fixed all the time and or in the shop. Why does it have to be a camry for reliability...can't be a Z06 vette for reliability...a viper or many other cars.
I've got plenty of toys in my garage and wanted to venture into the BMW world for something different.However, i prefer to drive my stuff as opposed to have it in the shop, so maybe it's a bad choice. If you think having a performance car means no reliability, then you have lots to learn. I can pay cash for a 1M tomorrow..big deal...doesn't mean I want to have it breaking down: bellyroll

[dylzsrt]

Thanks everyone for the input. Everyone has a different way of looking at things, but in my opinion, if you pay good buck for a new car..it should not be in the shop as often as these cars seem to be. Some idiot posts make it about money...it's about expectation for me and this car sounds like it delivers on many fronts and fails on others so I'm gonna look at other options.