[MiniXP]

I currently have an 01 325xi and am considering moving to an e90 335i and have a couple questions.

First, the reliability. I've done a bunch of searching and it seems that these cars are relativity reliable after the initial fuel pump issues were sorted out. From what I have read they the fuel pumps are warrantied to 10 year 120k miles anyways and the turbos due to waste gate issues to 8 year 82k correct? Is this extended warranty on the these items for all years with an n54? I have been looking at 08+ as I have heard they will be more reliable than the 07s. Is there any info out there about the expected life of the turbos assuming the car is left stock? I've had my '01 for 6 years and plan on having my next car for at least as long, so I'm looking at long term issues also.

I currently have my eye on an '09 with iDrive. I've read the iDrive was updated in 09, is this true for any model year 2009 e90 or was the iDrive upgrade somewhere mid year? Also, whats the general opinion of iDrive on e90s, is it more hassle than it is worth?

The car I'm considering also has Comfort Access, which I think would be nice to have, but I have read it can be expensive to repair if something goes wrong with it. If I am looking for long term reliability would I be better off without comfort access?

Anything else I should know about the 335 besides some usually BMW issues. I know the waterpump/thermostats tend to go at somepoint, so I'm figuring I'll have to replace that within a few years of buying the car. E46s have front control arm bushings and some other suspension compontents wear out around 70k or so. Should I expect to replace these things around the same mileage? I've also read about some issues with injectors. Was this fixed after the 07 models or is it an issue on newer models as well? Also, its more likely I'll end up with an 08 than an 09, due to price, I'm just considering this one '09 if I can get them down on price.

tldr:
335 reliability?
iDrive: Good or Bad? 09+better?
Comfort Access: good or bad?
Any other 335 specific items to look out for?

Thanks for any help, I've been reading about these cars for at least a year and think I am almost ready to get one.

[GarlicBread]

can't speak for the 335 warranty but IDrive is upgraded in 09s they made it much better to use than the 06 07 models. I like it but some people say its a waste of the extra money. Id say IDrive is worth it

[DF]

You are correct about the hpfp and turbos
idrive was greatly improved in 09. night and day.
ive had comfort access on two cars and it never broke so I dont know what it would cost to fix
ive had control arm bushings go out on both my cars prior to 40K because the roads here are shit.
Oil filter housing gasket is a common failure.
water pumps are hit or miss. Mine failed at 52K. some people go to 80K on the original one.
Injectors are also hit or miss.

Im not sure what you mean about "long term reliability". Does that mean you want to drive a ton of miles and basically just put gas in it? If so I dont think this the car for you. Thats more of a japanese car. Will the car run? yes. But it costs money to keep it going. Thats the price of admission. So it all depends.

[drunkenup]

DF covered it all but as far comfort access goes, if you have it and it stops working that won't stop you from using the car normally. Most common issue with CA is just having the keys not programmed or having broken keys, of course the latter issue is pretty expensive.
I'm replacing my upper control arms tomorrow at 77k due to worn bushings..

[MalcolmV8]

I have a 335xi and I've just recently learned about the intake valve cleaning and intake runner on the head. Do some searching on that since the N54 cars have direct injection it's a problem. You'll have to get the intake manifold pulled and have the intake valves and intake runners walnut blasted and cleaned about every 30 ~ 40k miles. You can do it yourself if you're technically inclined or else plan on your local dealer or mechanic doing that. I called my local dealer just to get a quote and they told me $1000 plus tax. I'll be doing it myself for what looks to be under $100.

Other than that your points were pretty correct. My car had the injectors replaced, the HPFP, ignition coils.... and I think that's it. Then after I got the car (second owner) the water pump went out & I had to get towed home. I replaced it and the thermostat myself for around $500 I think including the BMW coolant which wasn't cheap.
Both driver & passenger door locks went out and I replaced those myself for not to much. Driver's side rear window sticks sometimes when down so I'll need to replace the regulator at some point.

As mentioned above my oil filter housing is leaking (very common on these cars) so I'm in the process of replacing that too. My valve cover also looks to have minor leaks (another common one) so I'll be pulling the high pressure direct injection pipes off and removing that cover and resealing it.

I love the car but it sure seems to have its share of maintenance. My car is now at 117k for reference.
On the other hand my Toyota Tundra, 2005, is now just over 100k miles and I've done nothing but put gas in it and change the oil. It's on its 3rd set of tires and 2nd set of brakes and that's quite literally all I do with it. So yes the BMWs need constant TLC.

[MiniXP]

Originally Posted by DF

You are correct about the hpfp and turbos
idrive was greatly improved in 09. night and day.
ive had comfort access on two cars and it never broke so I dont know what it would cost to fix
ive had control arm bushings go out on both my cars prior to 40K because the roads here are shit.
Oil filter housing gasket is a common failure.
water pumps are hit or miss. Mine failed at 52K. some people go to 80K on the original one.
Injectors are also hit or miss.

Im not sure what you mean about "long term reliability". Does that mean you want to drive a ton of miles and basically just put gas in it? If so I dont think this the car for you. Thats more of a japanese car. Will the car run? yes. But it costs money to keep it going. Thats the price of admission. So it all depends.

By long term reliability I'm meaning I won't have a catastrophic failure as long as I keep up to date on maintenance. I've read a couple horror stories about people buying the car and needing a new engine the next day (I think some were due to injector sticking)?

I have no problem paying more for maintenance over as I know these cars aren't Hondas. You have to pay to play as they say. I've kept my e46 well maintained and am at 162k miles right now. I'm trying to figure out what problems I would be looking at in addition to the normal issues 3-series have always had (like the OFHG as that's an issue with e46s as well).

Also, I do know about the valve cleaning. I'm figuring I'll need to get that done within a year or two of buying the car. I plan on putting a BMS catch can on to hopefully increase the amount of time before I would need it done a second time.

I guess turbo failure is one of the things I'm worried about, do we know what kind of life can be expected out oft he turbos if the car stays stock?

[Kolyan2k]

My turbos went at 40k. Apparently there are people 150-200k on stock turbos....dont know how...and not all turbo failures are covered under 8/82 warranty

[MiniXP]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

My turbos went at 40k. Apparently there are people 150-200k on stock turbos....dont know how...and not all turbo failures are covered under 8/82 warranty

Well that is not good to hear. Yea I read that the warranty only applies for failures due to wastegate rattle.

How do you like to s2k vs the 335? Two very different cars obviously, but which would you say is more fun to drive?

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by MiniXP

Well that is not good to hear. Yea I read that the warranty only applies for failures due to wastegate rattle.

How do you like to s2k vs the 335? Two very different cars obviously, but which would you say is more fun to drive?

the reason for that 8/82 warranty is because the failure rate is pretty high and bmw got sued i think mine failed due to wastegates

obviously s2k is more fun and more special. one of the reasons i switched was because my 07 e92 335i 6-speed was a bit too boring. i do miss the torque, even with JB+ N54 was amazing....stock not so much

ps. jb+ didn't have anything with turbo failure and i only had it for like 10k miles or less.

s2k is under-powered, i almost switched to Cayman S past summer but backed out the last minute....even got an offer for my car $1.5k more then i bought it for 2.5 years ago

[curiouz_g]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

obviously s2k is more fun and more special. one of the reasons i switched was because my 07 e92 335i 6-speed was a bit too boring. i do miss the torque, even with JB+ N54 was amazing....stock not so much

s2k is under-powered, i almost switched to Cayman S past summer but backed out the last minute....

I'm looking to add one soon. Sometimes less is more. I have 500whp in my M3 and my 335 is JB4'd but there are so little instances where I can wind it out.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by curiouz_g

I'm looking to add one soon. Sometimes less is more. I have 500whp in my M3 and my 335 is JB4'd but there are so little instances where I can wind it out.

500whp M3.....nice, I had one too before 335i. E46 M3 was eye catching back in the days. I used to get "nice car" comments almost daily...i miss that

[oregondonor]

One of the reasons I went with a 328 over the 335 is because of all the issues. Maybe it's just due to the people driving them hard or maybe not.

[MiniXP]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

the reason for that 8/82 warranty is because the failure rate is pretty high and bmw got sued i think mine failed due to wastegates

obviously s2k is more fun and more special. one of the reasons i switched was because my 07 e92 335i 6-speed was a bit too boring. i do miss the torque, even with JB+ N54 was amazing....stock not so much

ps. jb+ didn't have anything with turbo failure and i only had it for like 10k miles or less.

s2k is under-powered, i almost switched to Cayman S past summer but backed out the last minute....even got an offer for my car $1.5k more then i bought it for 2.5 years ago

I keep considering an s2k, but I'd probably need a second car if I had one and that's just not practical for me right now. I feel like the 335 is a good mix of size/sportiness/luxury/power.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by MiniXP

I keep considering an s2k, but I'd probably need a second car if I had one and that's just not practical for me right now. I feel like the 335 is a good mix of size/sportiness/luxury/power.

works for me. i only have 1 car (rarely use my wife's civic). took out spare from trunk for more space when needed. was even able to go skiing for 3 days with skis, all equipment, food, etc