n54 - $$$ budget for repairs

[Seifz]

Hi guys,

Was hoping those in the know could chip in with their first hand experiences regarding the $$$ they have spent post warranty expiry (eg. whats failed, at how many kms on the clock and $$$ to fix).

I know its a very broad question but lets say you're really unlucky, in your opinion, how much should one budget for repairs on a 5-6yr old 135i?

Similarly broad, how many kms on the clock before you'd place a 135i in the "not worth buying" category?

Cheers!

[flinchy]

as DIY as possible.. parts only?.. or mechanic (wouldn't even bother with dealer)?

if not replaced in warranty at alll.. well as someone else said in another thread:

Originally Posted by R3N

Things that may go wrong;
Valve cover gasket
Oil filter housing gasket
Oil cooler housing gasket
Water pump
Vanos solenoids
LPFP
Injectors
Coils
HPFP

I've had the first 7 fail on my N54 2008 335i, whilst stock.

any of them can fail at any mileage, from brand new all the way to lasting the life of the car to date.

1 - cheap, not TOO MUCH labour either.. have to remove all the injector rails and coils, couple hours easy.

2- cheap in parts (<$10 gasket), less so in labour.. still DIYable

3- $400~. labour not too high. good idea to do it every 100,000 or so anyway imo.

4- uncommon as long as oil is kept clean. $122 a solenoid (2), and VERY easy to replace. wouldn't necessarily bank on this failing.

5- $250~. minimal labour (lift up rear seat behind driver).. also worth doing, especially if tuned or wanting to run ethanol, also add in a secondary pump, better fuel pressure and keeps the stock LPFP alive longer.

6- if haven't been done... this one you can safely put some money away for.. $1k for all 6, but you *CAN* get away with just doing the one, or finding older models (not the best idea) for cheaper. labour shouldn't be too high either, similar to valve cover gasket. 5-10 min coding job (also DIYable).

7- coils again a good bet. $50 a pop, next to no labour.. or you can get some (used) dirt cheap/even nearly free from here hah.

8- last of the good bets.. $340 part, moderate labour easy a few hundred dollar job, still DIYable for sure.

no real mileage engine wise i would say flat out no for depending on price, worst case do all the above and as long as the oil has been dropped regularly since new, *shrug*.. i mean.. 200kkm+? not so much.

especially tuned, higher mileage = more turbo wastegate wear.. $1k to get replacements (unless rebuild), $1k (? 10 hours labour?) to replace... DIY would be a bitch.

so exclusive of labour.. $2500 in parts roughly? i'd double that if you don't DIY.

[Zen]

Originally Posted by Seifz

Hi guys,

Was hoping those in the know could chip in with their first hand experiences regarding the $$$ they have spent post warranty expiry (eg. whats failed, at how many kms on the clock and $$$ to fix).

I know its a very broad question but lets say you're really unlucky, in your opinion, how much should one budget for repairs on a 5-6yr old 135i?

Similarly broad, how many kms on the clock before you'd place a 135i in the "not worth buying" category?

Cheers!

Just to give you a general idea...
Took ownership of my 335i at September 2012 (with 40,000km on the odo).. and so far I had:

- HPFP replaced Late March / April 2013 (~48000km on odo)
- Water pumped died and replaced at around May 2013 (~53000km on odo)

Injectors were replaced by previous owner under the BMWAU injector recall program, 5 injectors were replaced during the recall.

I'm no mechanic and not really a DIY person, so I had Peter @ Advan to do all the works for me.

Hope this help..

[drjekl]

Originally Posted by Zen

Just to give you a general idea...
Took ownership of my 335i at September 2012 (with 40,000km on the odo).. and so far I had:

- HPFP replaced Late March / April 2013 (~48000km on odo)
- Water pumped died and replaced at around May 2013 (~53000km on odo)

Injectors were replaced by previous owner under the BMWAU injector recall program, 5 injectors were replaced during the recall.

I'm no mechanic and not really a DIY person, so I had Peter @ Advan to do all the works for me.

Hope this help..

GTFO you haven't done plugs/coils yet?? :P

[Zen]

Originally Posted by drjekl

GTFO you haven't done plugs/coils yet?? :P

Haha I've done the plugs last year, will be doing the coils shortly. Just waiting on the afe dci that I had ordered. so I can everything altogether along my FMIC & CP!

[morris86]

Originally Posted by Zen

Just to give you a general idea...
Took ownership of my 335i at September 2012 (with 40,000km on the odo).. and so far I had:

- HPFP replaced Late March / April 2013 (~48000km on odo)
- Water pumped died and replaced at around May 2013 (~53000km on odo)

Injectors were replaced by previous owner under the BMWAU injector recall program, 5 injectors were replaced during the recall.

I'm no mechanic and not really a DIY person, so I had Peter @ Advan to do all the works for me.

Hope this help..

Can you give a rough cost on the HPFP replacement and water pump replacement? Wondering what parts & labour cost for each.

[Zen]

Originally Posted by morris86

Can you give a rough cost on the HPFP replacement and water pump replacement? Wondering what parts & labour cost for each.

If you want to know the exact pricing for parts, goto BMR's website.

From memory:

HPFP + Labor = $970ish

Didn't had waterpump + themostats done at Advan, so I couldn't give you a figure but I would assume around the $1.3 to $1.5k mark. Best to phone and find out.

[Hash]

Have you considered getting an N55 and possibly avoiding some if not all the problems stated above?

[Seifz]

Originally Posted by flinchy

so exclusive of labour.. $2500 in parts roughly? i'd double that if you don't DIY.

Thanks heaps!

[Seifz]

Originally Posted by Hash

Have you considered getting an N55 and possibly avoiding some if not all the problems stated above?

It seems like the n54 is the better platform for mods and the 08's are cheaper then the n55s in the newer models

[Hash]

Originally Posted by Seifz

It seems like the n54 is the better platform for mods and the 08's are cheaper then the n55s in the newer models

A very fair and valid point, can anyone confirm just how big the variance in power is with mods on N54 vs N55, surely it can't be more than 20-30kw?

I'd be prepared to give that power difference up for the sake of reliability and avoiding some unexpected repair costs..

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by Hash

A very fair and valid point, can anyone confirm just how big the variance in power is with mods on N54 vs N55, surely it can't be more than 20-30kw?

I'd be prepared to give that power difference up for the sake of reliability and avoiding some unexpected repair costs..

in the states:

maxed out N54 on stock turbos = 450-470whp

maxed out N55.. uhh 320? I can't find the latest greatest dynos lol.

N55 has the same coils+HPFP.. not sure on water pump thoug.

[stormzusmc]

I can't think of one reason to desire the N55 over the N54... If all of the worrisome parts were replaced post-2010ish, they are not destined for failure.

The N54 with merely an intake and custom tune/e85 blend can easily achieve 450whp on a dynojet... With full bolt-ons and meth, the N55 can barely crack 400whp, and far less once heat sets in. This isn't due to the lack of development anymore, rather a combination of turbo size and Valvetronic limitations.

Regarding the other prone-to-fail parts:
All "popular" fuel parts should not fail prematurely if they were replaced under recall, likewise with turbos.
Water pumps, oil stand and cooler gaskets, VCGs, etc. tend to need replacement right around 100k. Yes that's a bummer, but I can't think of another German car that is immune to these types of things.

Regarding price on parts and labor - it's no secret, and it should be common knowledge. Give the dealership a call and ask them what they'll charge you for a Water pump, HPFP, common gaskets, coils, etc. Nearly every time it'll be significantly OVER what BMW's suggested price is. Then give an indy shop a call and ask their price on parts and labor. It's usually right around what I described above.

[dontask]

Originally Posted by flinchy

in the states:

maxed out N54 on stock turbos = 450-470whp

maxed out N55.. uhh 320? I can't find the latest greatest dynos lol.

N55 has the same coils+HPFP.. not sure on water pump thoug.

A FBO N55 is similar nowadays. There turbo upgrades and tuning options. A maxed out N55 is almost 500 whereas a maxed out N54 is mid 500s? If it were up to me today, I'd buy a car with N55 engine with DCT and enjoy the fuel economy and newer car.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by dontask

A FBO N55 is similar nowadays. There turbo upgrades and tuning options. A maxed out N55 is almost 500 whereas a maxed out N54 is mid 500s? If it were up to me today, I'd buy a car with N55 engine with DCT and enjoy the fuel economy and newer car.

ahhh fair enough, last dynos i saw of vargas turbo N55's were.. 460-480, but i can see how 500whp would be possible with the right tuning (which ISN'T entirely possible)... plus, getting to that level is a LOT more expensive on the N55.. N55 turbo upgrade = $5600, N54 = $2800-$3600. $5600 in turbo for an N54 will get you a DIY single... so not reeaally comparable.

N54 with RB/VTT2's is still a bit (50+whp) ahead at this stage as far as i'm aware. Probably wouldn't matter for most people, and in the quarter (let alone on the track) if the DCT can handle it, it's good for a couple of tenths by itself, so the difference would hardly be there.

We didn't get any N54's with DCT in australia, did we?

[Zuzu]

Originally Posted by flinchy

We didn't get any N54's with DCT in australia, did we?

We did...A very narrow window of deliveries from 2010 to mid 2010 me thinks..
Just before the N55 productions.

[Zuzu]

Also...335i N54 came out with DCT...

[thewafflecaust]

Originally Posted by Zuzu

We did...A very narrow window of deliveries from 2010 to mid 2010 me thinks..
Just before the N55 productions.

Dunno about the 1s but the 3s definitely got N54 DCTs in aus.

[Zuzu]

OT: A few months back I did the sums to convert my 1M to DCT, but trying to hunt down a N54/DCT with low Kms for the transplant was a near impossibility.

[Zuzu]

Originally Posted by thewafflecaust

Dunno about the 1s but the 3s definitely got N54 DCTs in aus.

You could be correct..

[kaitan]

Originally Posted by morris86

Can you give a rough cost on the HPFP replacement and water pump replacement? Wondering what parts & labour cost for each.

Buy mine 335 Mine has done all the bits the zen have. The most recent warranty job is waterpump. I did the thermostat at the same time. but the turbo pipe is changed too.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by Zuzu

OT: A few months back I did the sums to convert my 1M to DCT, but trying to hunt down a N54/DCT with low Kms for the transplant was a near impossibility.

Mmmm i take it n54 dct's come with a decent premium?

There's a dude in europe that's done it if you haven't seen it- check the 'other forum' for details. Not sure if anything was posted here

The parts list was extensive, and not cheap afaik.

The n55 dct bellhousing wise should fit - 1m has the same 6mt the n55 has.