[FieldingMellish]

Folks. Just picked up a comment from the 'Problems with the 320i thread'. Please set my mind at rest!

A while back, somebody said this:

"The current crop (built within last 5 years) of petrol models both 4 and 6 cylinder as you have found out can suffer repeat problems with coils/plugs/injectors/o2 sensors/high pressure pump and sensors."

So far as I knew there were no problems whatsoever with the 6 cylinder petrol models, it's only the 4 cylinders that have these well-documented problems. Have I missed something? Is there a potential problem with the 330i engine, at least the newer (late 2007 onwards) one?

[kaishang]

I haven't heard of anything. The 335i has a known high pressure fuel pump problem. The 320i has a known coil pack problem. Haven't heard anything bad about the 330i.

In general though BMWs are fuel efficient and powerful for their engine size but at a cost of complexity. Complexity comes with more things to go wrong. Get an extended warranty if this will bother you.

[Fox530]

Yes, there are issues - injectors and fuel pumps mainly.

Sadly it seems that as petrol engines make the improvements diesels did with efficiency by using direct injection, they also inherit the problems as well

This applies to the newer engine not the pre 07 N52 which seems pretty reliable.

[creepy coupe]

My 335i had ...
6 new injectors
1 HPFP
1 Low pressure switch
1 Coil

[E92westy]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=489405

[ALF_E90]

I've only had my 330i 3 months, it was just under 20k miles/3 years old when I bought it, and it has had two coil failures already and one seems to have failed again (it is going int tomorrow).

There are plenty of reports on here of mainly coil failures but also injectors for the 325 and 330 models 2007-on (so the ED models basically) and the 335's have plenty of issues as well, besides the more obvious turbo issues that all turbo models suffer to some extent.

Like the OP, I assumed that a large normally aspirated petrol engine would be intrinsically reliable but it seems the newer (and admittedly remarkably economical) models are not. Which is a shame. I currently wish my 330 was nearly as reliable as either of the 156 V6's (2.5 and 3.2) I did 150k miles in. I wish I had spent less and got one of the early E91 330 SE's I was looking at.

[FieldingMellish]

Well, that's just f*&king great! Here I am about to lay out maybe £5K to change up from a 320d to a 330i, thinking the 6 cylinder engines have no problems, and now this. So I could possibly find myself in the same position as with my previous car, the 318i Lemonmobile, i.e. constant problems which BMW refuse to admit exist and/or refuse to fix, and/or charge me for constant fixes that don't sort it??????

[M330Touring]

55 Plate 330i M sport - 20k in 8 months and nothing but an oil change and an MOT

[pjs]

335i

Since Oct 2009, 5 times off the road, eventually sorted with 6 new injectors, new vanos sensor, 6 new plugs, 6 new coils,, 1 new HPFP. AUC warrenty is your best friend.

I'm confident mine would now be a better buy than most because its been sorted, rather than one waiting to go wrong!

10 years of 6 cylinder beemers before, over 250k miles, both petrol and diesel, not a single engine issue

[kend]

2006 E92 325i old 2.5L no problems at all
2008 E93 330i N53 engine 1 coil pack in 2009 and new HPFP done under recall in 2009
so in last 5 years that is all the problems I have had.

[jonnydrama]

335i, had it for just over a year (it'll be 3 years old this year) and now has 25k on the clock.

Only problem has been the HPFP

[ASR1]

330i n52, 67k, no issues!

[NFS]

Originally Posted by FieldingMellish

Folks. Just picked up a comment from the 'Problems with the 320i thread'. Please set my mind at rest!

A while back, somebody said this:

"The current crop (built within last 5 years) of petrol models both 4 and 6 cylinder as you have found out can suffer repeat problems with coils/plugs/injectors/o2 sensors/high pressure pump and sensors."

So far as I knew there were no problems whatsoever with the 6 cylinder petrol models, it's only the 4 cylinders that have these well-documented problems. Have I missed something? Is there a potential problem with the 330i engine, at least the newer (late 2007 onwards) one?

These problems affect all Direct Injection engined models. Mine had everything on that list replaced at 3,000 miles.

All done under warranty though and it's a lovely drive.

If I was thinking second hand I would go for the older N52 engine. My 330i was pretty much bomb proof.

[FieldingMellish]

Yes, reckon I will try to find a car with the N52 in it. I was intending to get a 57 plate, so how can I tell if a car registered in, say, September 2007, has the N52 or the N53 in it?

Also, what about the coupe, I believe those have always had the 'upgraded' N52, is that one ok?

[ALF_E90]

I would just look at the V5. I had not realised pre-LCI cars had the new engine until I went to look at mine (built in October 2007 and with the N53 engine) but it was obvious from the CO2 figure of 179 g/km it was the new one - the old one is 220-odd.

[mgarvey]

My E93 325i had two injector failures, and not long after BMW replaced all the injectors as part of a recall.

[nicko44]

Originally Posted by FieldingMellish

Yes, reckon I will try to find a car with the N52 in it. I was intending to get a 57 plate, so how can I tell if a car registered in, say, September 2007, has the N52 or the N53 in it?

Also, what about the coupe, I believe those have always had the 'upgraded' N52, is that one ok?

The E92 330i coupe always had the upgraded 268bhp N52 engine right from the start in 2006. The earlier 254bhp version of the N52 appeared in the E90 saloon in 2005 I think, but was never installed in the E92.

The N53 engine (direct injection rather than VANOS) came in with Sept 2007 build cars. Check under the bonnet to see the manufacturing date, or call BMW with the VIN number.

N52 engine best engine BMW ever built IMO. Sounds better and probably more bullet proof than the N53. I did 15k miles in mine and it never missed a beat.

[Baby Dave]

The problem with 6cyl engines is that I haven't got one

[FieldingMellish]

Originally Posted by NFS

If I was thinking second hand I would go for the older N52 engine. My 330i was pretty much bomb proof.

Yes but those are looking a bit long in the tooth now. Even this one, from early 2007, appears to have the newer engine:

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/de...A4MEpWNzc0Mjg=

And this one, from 2006:

http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/bmwauc/de...A5MEFXNTExMTY=


If I buy an AUC from BMW, that will give me a year's warranty. So if I have problems during that first year I shouldn't have to worry.

What happens when coils and/or injectors go? Is it similar to the 4 cylinder petrol problems, where the car goes into 'limp mode'?

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

My 335i had ...
6 new injectors
1 HPFP
1 Low pressure switch
1 Coil

In That order del? And were all injectors replaced at the same time?! Were they replaced with exactly the same injectors or a newer part!?

[beemerbird]

You seem pretty much adamant that you want a 6 cylinder petrol and assuming you like the rest of the car aesethetically inside and out, then go for the 330i (unless you want a 335i). Either way you are going to have to have a warranty and if keeping the car, an extended warranty - no brainer imo.

It appears that the 6 cylinder diesel models are turning out to be the most reliable units for this marque, but if you want a petrol then fine, but you cannot possibly cross all the 'T's and dot all the 'I's. All you can do is make sure you have a good warranty in place.

[jimmylad]

had mine 8 months & already its the most unreliable car I have ever had. E92 335d