E90/91 owners. Advice wanted.

[hybrid 1043]

Hi guys,

Seriously starting to think about switching over to an e90/1.

Have been looking at 335i and want to hear people experiences with these as owners.

List things to look out for and what options are a plus.

Cheers

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

When I was looking at a 335i before I got the M5 I did a bit of research on them. The 2 issues that stuck out were carbon buildup on the intake side of the head and fuel pump failures.

[qube 3570]

as general rule of thumb for any bmw buying guide

nz new, service history, msport..

my friend always complained about the high fuel consumption in his e92 335i msport but then again he did go against my advice to get a 325 or something instead of a 3L twin turbo so its his own fault. he bought a jap import from a dealer and pretty much emptied his engine oil in the garage floor one day. also had the carbon buildup on the intake issue and had his turbo rebuilt or something along those lines. it was all done by the dealers though.

i think 2010 or late 2009 onwards is the facelift / LCI which looks better with the led taillights etc. but a prefacelift is great value for money i think. would def go with msport cuz it looks heaps better...

but my main problem with e90/91 is the cabin space. its cramped as hell and im a skinny guy.. coming from an e46/e39 its gonna be pretty hard

[lord_jagganath 421]

Strange, I've had people tell me that the interior space in an e90 is about the same as an E34!

[kingkarl 136]

Strange, I've had people tell me that the interior space in an e90 is about the same as an E34!

noooo way

your face is pressed up against the windscreen and you sit on top of the passenger in an e90

well not really but its definitely less spacious than an e34

[hybrid 1043]

Thanks for the replies.

Have been reading about the fuel pump thing ... seems to really be an issue in the states only? Something to do with high sulpher fuels in the states.

Carbon on the valves seems to be just under burn breather issue and a valve clean. Probably something that can be fixed with updated software.

[jeffbebe 1559]

I reckon the E9X wagon is by far the best all rounder in terms of looks and practicality. Doubtless a 335i wagon will be the most expensive and hardest option to find, however. E9X sedans and E90 coupes are fugly. E92 coupes look great but probably the least practical.

As for what to look for, never owned one so can't comment.

[jake1829 119]

Hey Josh,

I personally think they are a great car, but probably biased

I would stay away from the 06/07 models , 09 + (10 would be pref now)

Am assuming you're wanting to get a manual version?? , I would stay away from the AT and try to get the DCT version

Check the history as there was a recall on the HPFP and see it has been done

My fuel consumption is around 9.5-11L (that's with a turned up tune on 98) - depends on how heavy your foot is, when I am giving it sh*t , its around 13-15L

I would check the intervals they are doing oil changes.....if they are doing it at the BMW recommended mark of 25,000k.....that kinda insane on a turbo car, don't care its synthetic oil...still dumb -

M sport version at least - I think the non-m look crap without the diffuser/aero kit

Get a walnut blast done, then run a OCC to help prevent that issue from occurring again - should get pics of how it looks now after running for a year after the clean

[RobD 41]

My combined fuel consumption on my E90 2007 335i manual is 9.8 litres / 100km. Mostly city driving. That to me is impressive for the stock power. On the freeway in 6th at 100kph on the flat it reduces to 5 or 6 litres / 100km. I'm 6'3" and 98kg and have absolutely no issues at all with interior space. I love the cabin - it's a very nice place to be with full leather, fat M Sport wheel and Pro Nav. Get the M Sport - they look great with the M193 or M225 wheels. Also, remember NZ new doesn't automatically mean anything other than a lot of stone chips, shagged suspension from the terrible roads and a lazy service history. That said, Japanese cars will have spent their lives idling away in Tokyo traffic so take your pick! HPFP more an issue in the USA as their sulphurous fuel eats away at the seals in the pump. Key issues with the N54 are injectors, coils and turbo wastegates. Good luck!

[qube 3570]

I was sitting in the passenger seat and my knee sent a can of drink flying from tge cupholder. This was the e90 sedan. I hate the positioning of the cupholders with a passion.

I do like the steering wheel and general overall feel when driving. But it still feels very small especially compared to my e class mercedes. I also had a e46 330i msport sedan and also an e39. Both of these cars i had no problem with cabin space. E30 and e34 was fine too..

Sounda like fuel consumption aint too bad but if i was behind the wheel of said car i duno how sensible i would be.. haha

[m325i 709]

I reckon the E9X wagon ... E9X sedans and E90 coupes are fugly. E92 coupes look great but probably the least practical.

E90 is sedan, E91 wagon, E92 coupe, E93 cabrio

My Dad has an e90 330i. My thoughts;

• Pretty sure the LCI has the updated iDrive with BT audio. Older one only has AUX audio and BT phone
• Hate to admit, but the walnut interior has grown on me. IRL it's not as bad as in pics. I would still consider a wrap though
• Factor in the iDrive navigation update if a jappa
• His isn't a MS, but has some good MS options - MS suspension, MS wheel, nice alloys, MS Seats. Seats are excellent. I would go non MS with those options - but MS is obvioulsy better (except that grey rear diffuser bit??!?)
• The colour and wheels make or break E9x IMO

The 335i does have potential probs though... turbo/wastegate problem$ and HPFP. I know of 2 people who have had the waste-gate/turbo issues and it's not cheap, like $4k+

I would buy one though (preferable with a warranty).

[elmarco 56]

E90 is sedan, E91 wagon, E92 coupe, E93 cabrio

My Dad has an e90 330i. My thoughts;

• Pretty sure the LCI has the updated iDrive with BT audio. Older one only has AUX audio and BT phone
• Hate to admit, but the walnut interior has grown on me. IRL it's not as bad as in pics. I would still consider a wrap though
• Factor in the iDrive navigation update if a jappa
• His isn't a MS, but has some good MS options - MS suspension, MS wheel, nice alloys, MS Seats. Seats are excellent. I would go non MS with those options - but MS is obvioulsy better (except that grey rear diffuser bit??!?)
• The colour and wheels make or break E9x IMO

The 335i does have potential probs though... turbo/wastegate problem$ and HPFP. I know of 2 people who have had the waste-gate/turbo issues and it's not cheap, like $4k+

I would buy one though (preferable with a warranty).

I personally hate the msport front bumper on E9x cars - looks like a slackjawed redneck mouthbreather if you ask me. Mine also has the msport steering wheel & seats (not sure about the suspension - but it's what I would call firm & approaching rollerskate).

I do enjoy driving the diesel, but hate the 4cyl vibration - the 330d would be a much smoother car.

noooo way

your face is pressed up against the windscreen and you sit on top of the passenger in an e90

well not really but its definitely less spacious than an e34

Really? My E90 has plenty of room - I'm 6'2". More than my E46 too - although I dont think the build quality is as good as th E46.

[Tristan 338]

Haven't read all but I don't consider our E90 a 5 person car. 3 across the back is too much for me to handle!

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

Try a 335d as an alternative to the 335i, great trade off between performance and economy.

[kiwi535 538]

when driving a "new car" the first thing i do is make sure the seat is down in a low if not the lowest psition I am 6 3 with a long body and every BMW i have ever driven feels good as soon as i lower the seat.E 34 are narrowish but plenty long enough for any driver...with above caveat

I hate the rear lights of the e90,e 91 aint bad but e 92 is ok

Edited October 23, 2014 by kiwi535

[RobD 41]

Yep adjust the seat right down and it's super low. On fact so low I need to grab the A pillar to pull myself out...

[Driftracewake 22]

Try a 335d as an alternative to the 335i, great trade off between performance and economy.

I did exactly this...

However I was disappointed with the 335d, it was quick no doubt, but souless compared to the 335i (and I love a good diesel, we have two other good ones in the garage). In my mind the petrol turbo was better suited to this type of car and dynamic.

My modded 335i wagon averaged 8l/100k on a trip to waihi and back and 10 around town. Hardly a gas guzzler.

Suresh was instrumental in helping me get mine up to standard, but I'd budget replacing all the coils, carbon clean the intake, clean or replace the vanos solenoids and fit a oil catch can on any 335i. The difference in the car that this made was remarkable.

In regards to size, my 335i had 3 car seats across the back once and was comfortable for 4 people on a long trip other times. Much bigger than the e46 and the active seats are pretty decent too.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Driftracewake

[my_e36 43]

I came from e46 330Ci to e90 320d LCI. Interior space is about the same to me. Boot is slightly longer but narrower compare to e46. Both will fits 1 large, 1 small suitcase plus a carry-on into the boot. 2 door vs 4 door isn't really a fair comparision.

Cup holder, yes. It's a stupid placement but better than none or under the arm-rest like e46. You'll get used to it being there and just need to close it if passenger wants to get in.

Reliability: Had no major issues so far, had a central locking actuator replaced under warranty, that's it. Diesel vs petrol maintenance is different so won't comment there but dealer service pricing is acceptable. Service interval is set at 25000km by dealer but the car adjusted itself to 15000km within a short period of time as it is driven short distance a lot.

Looks is to different person's taste, I like mine, being full MS styling without MS suspension. Scrapped the wheel first month owning it. argh...! iDrive is useful one gotten used to it. Being NZ new, it has NZ map on HDD based Pro Nav. It doesn't have Bluetooth Music Streaming (A2DP) but has Bluetooth handsfree and voice command on steering wheel control. Voice command worked well for me and can take address into nav by spelling street names. It also has auto hi-beam, awesome in rural and super clever about dipping when detected on-coming traffic and turn back on once they passed.

Run flat tyres: love it or hate it. Wife took a puncture in the rain with baby on board by themselves, so that's a good point. Hate it being expensive, but they last well when driven sensibly. Mine are from car being brand new and now has 45000km on them, need some new one soon on the front and rear has 3mm left. Alternative being get a M-mobility kit and use normal tyres.

NVH: What can I say? It's just not the same being not a straight 6.

[RobD 41]

Buy an M Sport 335i. In manual. It's the complete package.

[hybrid 1043]

Cheers fellas.

I'm looking at tourings at this point for added boot space. Will be an auto as my other car is the play toy with the manual gearbox. This will be the car we have to deal with Auckland traffic in so auto makes much more sense.

[qube 3570]

Is there any reason you NEED the 3L twin turbo tourting? why not a 325i (newer year i think 2008+ is a detuned 3L inline 6 engine not a 2.5L engine)? or a 530 e60 wagon?

[jeffbebe 1559]

E90 is sedan, E91 wagon, E92 coupe, E93 cabrio

Ah yes, of course. I meant PFL is fugly on E90 and E92, FL marginally better on E90 and fantastic on E92 but E91 would be my pick.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

Is there any reason you NEED the 3L twin turbo tourting? why not a 325i (newer year i think 2008+ is a detuned 3L inline 6 engine not a 2.5L engine)? or a 530 e60 wagon?

Yup...

because turbo.

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

Or as Josh would say....

BOOOOOOSSTT!!!

[hybrid 1043]

Pretty much. Booooooost

Ive lived my last 5 years with both cars over 280hp .. I don't think I can go back. Believe me I've had this discussion with the wife who was happy with a 320i Touring. I just cant do it ... not after the v8.