[chi123]

Sorry if this has been asked multiple times but I'm finding info scattered all over and just wanted to ask in one thread. I'm considering buying an 07-08 335xi coupe with about 60-90k miles. It's between the 335xi versus the G37x coupe I'm considering as well. This is going to be my daily driver and I want AWD for winters. My current car is an IS350 and I'm about done modding it. One thing I hated about the IS is that there is no performance mods for that thing. I know the 335's are mod friendly so that's one of the reasons why I want one. However, I'm aware of the fuel pump issues, etc. So now I have a few questions for the 335 owners here.

It looks like I might have to travel a few hundred miles to find the right 335xi. I plan to drive it back, would you guys drive a car say 500 or so miles you just brought? I'm worried the dealer might lie about problems the car may have or something a mechanic might miss while I get it inspected that could leave me stranded.

What are known issues with the 07-08 335xi years I should check for?

For a 335xi with about 90k miles, what should be replaced or is about to go bad?

I plan to do the walnut blasting and tune-up as soon as I get it. And I definitely plan to mod the car, starting with angel-eye upgrade, LEDs and switch the LEDs on the cluster and dash to white/blue, m-tech bumpers, and eventually to RB turbos or the single-turbo. If anyone is selling an 07-08 335xi before September, let me know as well.

I apologize for the long post. Thanks in advance!

[Pr335bob]

I was in the same boat as u in 2008 except for the awd part. I had a infiniti g35, was deciding between g37 or 335i. Why did I go with the 335? So easy to tune and the motor will take a beating. Consider this, this car is a v6, that modded will spank some v8s and give good mpgs when your not wot. And it's luxurious. Now reliability is sometimes an issue, I don't know your financial situation but If you are like me you will learn how to diy really quickly when u see the repair bills from German car mechanics. That being said I have loved the car even throughout some of the issues (under warranty like 6 issues, after warranty only 3, being: valve cover gasket , injectors and oil filter housing gasket) 2 out of 3 are to be expected and are regular wear items. If you value looks and reliability go with the infiniti hands down, if you love driving and a potentially very powerful engine go with the 335. To me it came down to this both cars are beautiful, but which will put a smile on your face everyday?
FYI other cars i considered sti and evo x. But these 335i motor and tranny can take a beating for the power they make. Check sti, and evos on the forums and sti motor unreliable, evo X tranny problems.

[Pr335bob]

Forgot to say the g35 was great to me used it for 70k miles 0 issues very reliable! But it wasn't fast enough for me. Again if your not that worried about performance and are happy with the g37 speed go with the g37! The 335 you just want to keep modding it gets addictive.

[Ingeniator]

As a former 350Z owner. I would also go with the 335xi over the g37x. Get a repair history for the 335. Make sure all the recalls were done etc. You want to listen for waste-gate rattle and also with an XI you should listen for diff and transfer case noise. Place the car in neutral while doing a freeway cruise and listen for whines and when you go back in gear listen for clunks. As far as reliability I would say if you have some mechanical ability and a decent set of tools to go 335. If not G37 but be prepared if you go nissan to pay through the nose to get anywhere close to the power a 335 makes with just a $500 JB4.

[chi123]

Each car has it's pros and cons. I got to drive a G37 coupe. It was a tad bit slower than my IS but fast enough. The AWD system is really good. Drove through an unplowed lot with snow so deep I couldn't open the door all the way. It had all-seasons and drove through it like a tank. Great exhaust sound, very sleek looking car, reliable NA engine, and same tools I use on my IS. I do EVERYTHING on my car myself with my buddies or I go to a Lexus master tech I know for things I can't do in my garage.

I don't know how well X-Drive does in snow but my IS is RWD with open-diff so anything is better than it in the snow. There's so many mods for the 335 and I would like a fast car. I'm just concerned with reliability, people keep telling how unreliable the 07-08 335 model years are. However, it's hit-or-miss really. They say Lexus are reliable and I took great care of mine but the engine blew 1,000 miles once warranty ended but Lexus footed the bill.

[chi123]

Now for the HPFP issue, I understand the warranty is extended but let's say I tune the car with JB4. Will that void the warranty? If I uninstall it, will BMW know I had it?

And the wastegate rattle, does that mean I'll need new turbos? How can I tell it's a wastegate rattle and not some other engine noise?

[Ingeniator]

Originally Posted by chi123

Each car has it's pros and cons. I got to drive a G37 coupe. It was a tad bit slower than my IS but fast enough. The AWD system is really good. Drove through an unplowed lot with snow so deep I couldn't open the door all the way. It had all-seasons and drove through it like a tank. Great exhaust sound, very sleek looking car, reliable NA engine, and same tools I use on my IS. I do EVERYTHING on my car myself with my buddies or I go to a Lexus master tech I know for things I can't do in my garage.

I don't know how well X-Drive does in snow but my IS is RWD with open-diff so anything is better than it in the snow. There's so many mods for the 335 and I would like a fast car. I'm just concerned with reliability, people keep telling how unreliable the 07-08 335 model years are. However, it's hit-or-miss really. They say Lexus are reliable and I took great care of mine but the engine blew 1,000 miles once warranty ended but Lexus footed the bill.

Well as a 07 xi owner. I can tell you X-drive with winters was the best feeling I've had on a highway up here they don't plow. I would push the limit a bit and I never once had traction issues. You can nail a light with minimal spin on unplowed roads. As for reliability as long as the hpfp is changed out and the water pump you should be good for the majority of things.Benefit of a car with 70-90K is that those have likely already been replaced. Only tools I had to buy for BMW's are a star socket(reverse torx) set and a 12 point thin wall socket for spark plugs.

EDIT: The hpfp is not that big a job if it does go. However it is a $350-400 part. As for the JB4 most guys just put it on map0(disabled) and as long as they don't open the ecu dealer wont see it. Others will just remove it(20-30min job max). Wastegate rattle is not a huge turbo issue just annoying my DD has it. I'll likely put rb's on it when I pull the 135i turbos.

[chi123]

Originally Posted by Ingeniator

Well as a 07 xi owner. I can tell you X-drive with winters was the best feeling I've had on a highway up here they don't plow. I would push the limit a bit and I never once had traction issues. You can nail a light with minimal spin on unplowed roads. As for reliability as long as the hpfp is changed out and the water pump you should be good for the majority of things.Benefit of a car with 70-90K is that those have likely already been replaced. Only tools I had to buy for BMW's are a star socket(reverse torx) set and a 12 point thin wall socket for spark plugs.

EDIT: The hpfp is not that big a job if it does go. However it is a $350-400 part. As for the JB4 most guys just put it on map0(disabled) and as long as they don't open the ecu dealer wont see it. Others will just remove it(20-30min job max). Wastegate rattle is not a huge turbo issue just annoying my DD has it. I'll likely put rb's on it when I pull the 135i turbos.

Thanks for the info! I guess I'll make sure the parts that are known to go bad are replaced. There isn't an aftermarket option for the fuel pumps are there? And the wastegate rattle doesn't affect performance or cause damage if it's not fixed?

[Ingeniator]

Originally Posted by chi123

Thanks for the info! I guess I'll make sure the parts that are known to go bad are replaced. There isn't an aftermarket option for the fuel pumps are there? And the wastegate rattle doesn't affect performance or cause damage if it's not fixed?

Hpfp upgrades are in the pipeline but they are not a different design just more fuelling for bigger power. As for the waste-gate rattle depending on the part that is loose it can be tuned out. It can not cause damage directly. Once it gets bad enough it could cause boost target issues. For the price of Intake/headers/cat-back for the G37X you can buy a set of RB turbo's. The 335 has a very good tuning scene for the 400-500whp market. We are starting to see really good 600+ parts coming should be an interesting year.

One other thing to do after you buy a 335 is replace the vacuum lines sometimes this can cause the rattle.

[Pr335bob]

I have an 07, the reliability sucked in the beginning because of it being the first n54 engine. After the things were fixed, recalls and shat not, the car has had nothing major happen to it. I bought it with 10k miles currently has 70k. Reliability has been better when I ran out of warranty lol. Thank god.

[westchester335i]

Try to get an 09-10 335xi if you can.

Honestly there is no car like the 335xi IMO. If you mod and go FBO its so much fun and can keep up with pretty much anything out there. Just amazing to drive and experience. Always puts a smile on my face. Yes it has some quirky issues but if you can DIY or get a good warranty you are set. Also do preventative maintenance for the transfer case and transmission. Change your oil every 5k-7k miles, change your sparkplugs every 15k, treat the car and it will treat you good.

FYI MPG in G37 sucks. Today I didn't feel like driving aggressive and from central jersey to NY (100 miles) driving at a constant 75 mph I was getting 30.7 MPG and still had 440 left on the range. These cars get awesome MPG if you cruise steadily on the highway. Amazing considering the amount of power it has and being AWD.

I really love the N54 and AWD 335xi N54 is just a great car. Best of all worlds, best motor, AWD, and if you get a 09-10 LCI. Trust me you won't regret it.

[knissel]

Originally Posted by Pr335bob

I was in the same boat as u in 2008 except for the awd part. I had a infiniti g35, was deciding between g37 or 335i. Why did I go with the 335? So easy to tune and the motor will take a beating. Consider this, this car is a v6, that modded will spank some v8s and give good mpgs when your not wot. And it's luxurious. Now reliability is sometimes an issue, I don't know your financial situation but If you are like me you will learn how to diy really quickly when u see the repair bills from German car mechanics. That being said I have loved the car even throughout some of the issues (under warranty like 6 issues, after warranty only 3, being: valve cover gasket , injectors and oil filter housing gasket) 2 out of 3 are to be expected and are regular wear items. If you value looks and reliability go with the infiniti hands down, if you love driving and a potentially very powerful engine go with the 335. To me it came down to this both cars are beautiful, but which will put a smile on your face everyday?
FYI other cars i considered sti and evo x. But these 335i motor and tranny can take a beating for the power they make. Check sti, and evos on the forums and sti motor unreliable, evo X tranny problems.

Correction. This car is a I6

[Jklad]

I would recommend avoiding '07. Are you buying manual? If so the msd80 dme's end up frying at some point (mine did)make site what you buy has either had all injectors replaced, or that it was built after 04/07 so they are covered under warranty.

Don't worry about hpfp, it's warrantied till 120k if it blows.

You'll have wastegates rattle and possible turbo warranty until 82k also.

Check the car evwrywhere for oil leaks - common ones are oil filter housing/tstat housing, valve cover from the top. turbo oil lines, oil pan, rear seal from the bottom. At your targeted mileage, Try to determine which if these has already been fixed recently.

This has been maintenance heavy car for me - bought a 2007 at 38k, current 103k.

[pr0gress]

Have an 08 335xi and I am enjoying it a ton. Had it about a year now, almost FBO and its done great! Used it all winter too and had no issues. Very fun car but coilovers should be at the top of your list, stock suspension is really bad.

[chi123]

Originally Posted by Jklad

I would recommend avoiding '07. Are you buying manual? If so the msd80 dme's end up frying at some point (mine did)make site what you buy has either had all injectors replaced, or that it was built after 04/07 so they are covered under warranty.

Don't worry about hpfp, it's warrantied till 120k if it blows.

You'll have wastegates rattle and possible turbo warranty until 82k also.

Check the car evwrywhere for oil leaks - common ones are oil filter housing/tstat housing, valve cover from the top. turbo oil lines, oil pan, rear seal from the bottom. At your targeted mileage, Try to determine which if these has already been fixed recently.

This has been maintenance heavy car for me - bought a 2007 at 38k, current 103k.

Excuse me for sounding like a noob lol, I know everything about the Lexus IS but nothing of BMW's really, what is MSD80 DME? Is it just the 07 years? I am considering 6MT but most I find are 08 and AT, a few MT but I'll take manual over auto if it's available. How much are injectors and are they easy to replace (considering I've done all the work on my IS myself)?

[Jklad]

No worries - Msd 80 is the earlier Ecu version, used until I think early '08. On manuals they tend to short circuit and take out an entire bank of coils, plugs, and/or injectors. Msd81 is the newer version Ecu and does not have this issue.

If you've done all the work on your is, you could probobly do injectors yourself. They also require coding. You can search injectors DIY and injector coding DIY in here to see of you can manage it.

[WilliamS]

Im on my second 335xi, first one took a deer hit and after repairs she wasnt the same. The first one was a 2009 my current one is a 2008. They both have had light wastegate rattle but not enough for me to spend a day at a dealer to hope my 80k mile car gets turbos.

I have no regrets buying another one, it took me almost a year to find the perfect replacement. High Pressure Fuel Pump, Water Pump, and Injectors are the known major issues, check the car fax to see if they have been replaced.