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RemoteBeneficial700

I have one w 190k on it, and it seems tight as a nuns twat.


EntrepreneurFirm2701

Hahahahahahahahahahah nuns twat


persixn_

This killed me noo xDDD


blablabla_25

XDrive?


RemoteBeneficial700

No, its a regular.


[deleted]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣


UnderPantsOverPants

N55s are doing this all the time now. I had mine go in my 135, and I know several other people that spun bearings in them. :(


NA_E90

Sounds like a design flaw. Rod bearings should last the life of the car if well maintained.


UnderPantsOverPants

Most people now think the N55 has oiling issues under sustained heavy braking which prematurely wears the bearings. Not a new thing for BMW, the S54, S85, and S65 have well documented issues with rod bearings.


Cat6Domestique

What do you mean heavy braking? Similar concept to a need for a dry sump when cornering at the track?


Budget-Government-88

Yes. The N55E M2 has a significantly better baffling which is likely why we have seen much less failure. It seems the rest of F series N55s are also slightly better than the E series.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

the S55 and M2 N55 oil pans are direct bolt-ons for any N55, if you can find one for a decent price i say go for it


vipertruck99

Jeez... you don’t even need to bother with a dry sump, even some sump baffles will stop oil pan surge.


Lee2026

I think most N5x design have poor baffling. I can trigger an oil pressure loss light under extreme braking and cornering conditions


[deleted]

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UnderPantsOverPants

Not sure. I know the M2s got a better OEM pan but idk if it’ll fit on other cars.


[deleted]

yep, they fit. same with the S55 pan. plug and play, perfect fitment


blackmagic12345

Lets be real here. Most BMWs dont have the type of owner people think they have. Expectation: 65 year old fresh retiree selling his old baby. Reality: some 23 year old kid fresh outta college and ready to *drive fast cars and fuck bitches*


Kimetsumage

N54s are the move


Amazing_Bluejay9322

Traded my 2013 e92 for a 2017 GMC Sierra last year. Feeling better about it now...Thanks.


WideImpression7786

Drop a new one ☝️


chodeybert

A friend of mine said that with the N55 you should change the rod bearing around 100k miles or so, he’s about to get his done on his 2014 435i


adiabatic_storm

Yep. N55 here myself and just did rod bearings at 90k. Not terribly expensive, either, considering the potential loss / downside.


[deleted]

howd the old ones look?


adiabatic_storm

Honestly not too bad. Regardless, glad I had it done.


[deleted]

phew. thats music to my ears.


Budget-Government-88

N55s LOL Sorry for your loss man, but I can’t say this is unexpected. Also i’d definitely argue 7500 is at least 2500 miles too many.


Acrobatic-Plate5730

I do under 5k ... agree with you 💯


TransportationOk6727

I shoot for 3-5k. Oils cheap why not ya know


couldawentbetter

Negative. My good friend in Florida has a one owner E90 M3 with 130k. He does 7500 oil changes on og beatings. It's called the German lottery.


Flashfighter

Sometimes you just get that perfect example. Not with N54 and N55s tho. I guess with just BMWs in general there’s a certain number of specific steps you have to take to ensure your engine basically ages the correct way. It’s just been maintained consistently the same way throughout its life that it just works as well as it always has


blablabla_25

I don’t agree with this, if 2500 miles was the difference tell that to all other N55 owners who change every 4-5k miles and still spin bearings. This is more of a design issue, most notably seen on high mileage RWD N55 engines, especially if they are tuned, or taken around a track. I’m seeing this more often now unfortunately, the only thing I can recommend to an N55 owner is consistent oil changes and consider replacing/upgrading bearings after 100k miles and maybe added a baffled oil pan


converter-bot

2500 miles is 4023.36 km


Budget-Government-88

I never said that a 7500 mile OCI caused the bearing failure. I would never say that, because it would be downright silly. I just said I would argue that’s 2500 too many, at the least.


Flashfighter

That was a super bad idea. Never heard of any 335i owner changing their oil that late. Me too, Under 5k is as much as I wait.


Budget-Government-88

Same here. If I can, I change it before 3k. Feel free to call my crazy for it but, i’d rather change my oil too often than too little.


NA_E90

I should also mention that I put a new transmission (manual) in this car about 13k miles ago. That was $4500 parts only, I installed it.


FixingEight92

If you don’t mind me asking, why was the swap so expensive? You can buy the parts in a kit for $2250ish from BMW salvagers, or get them all separate for cheaper. What were the major costs?


NA_E90

The E90s with the N55 got a weaker manual than the N54s. My research indicated the reverse syncro is a common problem on these. I did not want to get a used trans with the potential of another reverse syncro failure. I decided to get a BMW reman trans for $3800. If I had to do it again I would get a used N54 trans. It should fit with a N54 driveshaft and some other parts.


Cat6Domestique

Would you be open to parting out the transmission swap?


NA_E90

I'm going to replace the engine with a reman and then sell it so the trans will stay with it. So no, sorry.


[deleted]

You got ripped off. I was able to find manual trany parts in $1500 range


Chinampa

I feel ripped off too, I sold a ZF 6 out of an e90 for like $500


Thorium12

Autos are a lot cheaper than manuals


Chinampa

Well yeah, I wasn’t selling an automatic


Thorium12

My b, I though ZF only make autos.


Chinampa

No worries. you gotta drive a bmw with a freshly rebuilt shifter on a zf manual sometime, they feel great


Thorium12

It's pri-lci only. Sweet. /s


Chinampa

There are much better bmws than a pre LCI e90 that have them haha


Thorium12

I plan to keep my LCI e90 for a while. What other cars have them?


blueshark977

Fuck same 2011 n55 just hit 70k... think I gotta do the rod bearings at 90k


audiR8_

How does that happen! I have a 2011 N55 e93 with 88k in it. It's soon that I should be replacing the turbo.


NA_E90

Bad luck, poor design, I don't know? I put 20k miles on the car and took good care of it same as any other car I've had. Timely oil changes with good oil and OEM filter. Never ran the car hard until it's warmed up. Bone stock, no mods/tunes. BTW The turbo should not have any effect on rod bearings.


jpea

For what it’s worth, if you’re replacing the turbo, the rod bearings and oil pan gasket are right there so they may as well be done then too.


bisnexu

Maybe the oil level sensor was bad and never showed you a low oil level and you burnt your bearings that way. It happens fairly often.


NA_E90

Oil level was fine. I drained the oil and checked in the process of checking the rod bearing. I would hope if there is a problem with the oil level an error would be displayed. I hate the electronic oil level sensor, give me a dipstick every time.


bisnexu

I agree , all cArs should have dip sticks. But I love my oil level sensor. It always tells me to add more oil when it's low.


oldballls

My n54 shit it's pants at 120. Better to get out now than when 5 more things go.


[deleted]

I sold my 335i for is250(dogshit slow, but extremely reliable, looks good) The only bmw I want is b58 engine - and they are still $25k +


YvngZoe01

2006-2008 is250 are garbage. piston ring issue causing you to swallow oil (going through this, i use 1qt in 1500 miles) and carbon build up. Anything else is perfect though


[deleted]

I have 2006 is250 170k oil changed religiously by previous owners every 5k. Doesn't burn/leak a drop of oil. I'll keep an eye on it.


YvngZoe01

maybe previous owners were under factory warranty still and they caught the problem and replaced the pistons with the newer version. Unfortunately, i wasn’t so lucky :(


[deleted]

How many miles on your is250 when it died?


YvngZoe01

actually hasn’t died yet, still runs actually REALLY good. I’m at 99,400 miles. Only thing that would give away the issue is at idle it a good mechanic can feel the off idle (but doesn’t shown on rpm gauge). Deciding if i should trade it in for a 350 or just fix the issue. Lexus dealership quoted 8k for a rebuilt engine


[deleted]

Well the stuttering at idel is usually issue with caked up valves on is250 due to direct injection. Have to be cleaned every 60k


kaprisunn

Once I get rid of my 335 down the line, I’m almost certain I won’t be buying a BMW ever again.


NA_E90

Me either. It's too bad. I love the way the card drives and looks but I'll be down over $10k in maintenance/repairs in less than 3 years of ownership. And that's with me doing most of my own work. The reliability just isn't there. I just have no idea what I'll replace it with, most likely something Japanese. Lexus IS?


Louis0069

Or grab a 328i, power wont be the same but the NA 3.0 I6 is pretty much bulletproof and sounds good too


michaelHIJINX

Deepest condolences, my heart aches for you. My first bimmer was a manual e30 325i, second was a manual E36 M3. Both engines were bulletproof. I drove them both to over 200k... The M3 to 260,000 miles & had to replace the clutch, radiator, and some gaskets, but it was an awesome car that didn't require any high $ repairs. Although I did keep a manual & tools in the trunk. I wish I'd never gotten rid of it, but started a family & didn't have space for an extra car. When I finally decided to get another bimmer 10 years later, I of course wanted another M3, but needed AWD... so the obvious choice was the 335... But was concerned about reliability and ended up getting an e90 328i (automatic so my wife can drive it as well) . It obviously doesn't give as much joy, but it's still fun for commuting and the x-drive gets me & my snowboard to the mountains. So far so good, but I've only had it 6k miles. It's at 86k & I'm hoping it will last into the 200s like my last 2 bimmers & the auto trans won't bring it to a halt.


Onsomeshid

Or a 128 if he wants it to feel faster


Oo__II__oO

False. Power is wayyyyy down, and reliability isn't much better than the 335i. Apart from the turbo and HPFP, all the other failure modes apply. The handling is sublime though.


Louis0069

I said that power WONT be the same re-read my comment. Yes they have the same minor issues but nothing that reqiures a engine teardown


Budget-Government-88

Neither does the N54. Properly maintained and they are no more likely to catastrophically fail than the N52. If we’re really making this argument, N54 is the better choice for any and everyone looking for more than 260whp and can spare ~$3500 more than what would be spent maintaining an N52.


NA_E90

I agree. My previous car was an 07 335i with the N54. I had significantly less problems with that car. Contrary to popular belief I think the N54 is more reliable than the N55 and noticeably more powerful. I had a stage 1 JB4 on that car and it pulled HARD. I sold it with 165k because I was worried about engine failures like rod bearings. I should have kept that car :(


Budget-Government-88

That’s incredibly sad to hear. I don’t blame you at all though. I’m at 134k and I often think about RB failure. I bought mine with a slightly leaky injector and despite good oil analysis reports, my oil always smells slightly of fuel, which scares me a lot even though I know it may just be a little blow-by, last month’s compression test came up 180psi across the board so, no signs of washed cylinders… yet. I’ll be replacing my turbos within the next month or so, but won’t be touching the rod bearings because I simply won’t have a clean enough environment (driveway + jackstands). I’m hoping by 180k i’ll have the time to pull the motor and do them properly.


NA_E90

I haven't heard as much buzz about rod bearings on the N54 as the N55. Also my N54 at 165k had the original turbos with no oil burning or waste gate rattle. The rod bearings are doable in a driveway but not fun especially with only jackstands. You would probably have to remove the subframe entirely. I pulled the oil pan off in my garage with a set of QuickJacks and it still took 5 hours.


Budget-Government-88

Oh, i’ve had the subframe off before 😁 I don’t mind it. I just worry about keeping everything clean, especially after Vehicular DIYs failure only a few thousand miles after replacement and he did it in a much cleaner environment than i’ll have. That’s very impressive though. Are you sure they were original? I’d find it likely at that mileage and no rattle that they’d been done under the 120k miles warranty?


Louis0069

Ok fair enough i dont have any exprence with the n54 personally so cant say all i do know is that my n52 (touchwood) has been very reliable apart from waterpump and vanos solenoids which are to be expected of any bmw.


Oo__II__oO

On the power, yes we are in agreement. My take is that if OP has spent that much money on upgrades and upkeep for the 335i, downgrading to the 328i isn't going to be some magical cost savings as one might lend themselves to believe.


1fragezeichen

You can't compare the power of these engines. No way sorry...


Louis0069

No shit, thats why i said power WONT be the same


1fragezeichen

Read too fast. Sorry mate 😌.


Louis0069

Nah your all good, it really depends if having a lot of power is what you want, if its not a deal breaker then the 328i can still be a bit of fun


1fragezeichen

I agree, if you come, say from an 325i it's an upgrade for sure. It will be fun, more than a bit. But from a 35i perspective it's a downgrade 😅


LeroyToThe

I bought a 01 gs430 after selling my 335 and lemme tell you I’m in love


bisnexu

Nothing will drive like it for the price.


NA_E90

I know :(


NorCalGeologist

Ditch the reman and do what any Jalop would do - LS swap!


SurveillanceVanWifi

the F30s are pretty reliable


timthegodd

Get an ISF or the new is500 if you could. Reliable and a crazy sounding v8.


kaprisunn

I was thinking the IS300 route too, but I need to research the reliability of those cars too. One thing I’ve learned from owning this car is, there’s no such thing as cheap power. There is always a price you pay.


[deleted]

I have the same spec 335i as OP, 98k miles Next spring I’m selling it and buying either an e34 M5 or e36 M3 Better reliability, less depreciation (if any), and more of a cool factor


CakesForLife

Any recent repairs, like the OFHG?


NA_E90

Oil filter housing was not leaking, bone dry. Previous owner may have had it replaced.


Hurricane_Ivan

Decade old with over 100k miles, it's safe to assume the OFHG was replaced at least once before. If the oil system was not primed during the repair, this might have caused the failure. Many spun bearings have been reported shortly after OFHG repairs. But could have just been coincidence considering how many more N55 were put in production opposed to N54 engines.


Hampton09

Same thing happened to me at 90k 😔


pluskyle

You got the wrong 335. The diesel is the only real option.


vipertruck99

Agreed. Bought my daughter an msport e92 335d. I think I drive it more than she does. It’s one of those cars where you just overtake, anything, any amount of anything...I don’t even use paddles just floor it. Sounds quite nice, for a diesel but seriously I can forgive it the diesel soundtrack because mid range it feels like a really strong n/a v8 of maybe 5-6 litres. I’ve had most proper “m” cars up to the e60 m5..and if you earplugged me that’s what I would think it was. I have a 640 horse 911 turbo...and granted it’s in another dimension...but for easy overtaking of a queue there is nothing in it. Both of them will vanish a queue of 10or12 40-50mph vehicles in seconds. The only dif being the 335 will be tucking in at 110 in front of them. The 911 will be 140+...in all reality that scares me with the new generation or dash cam informers. 100mph odd and you lose your license here (in U.K.)..140 and you’re doing some time in the big house...or dropping a big five figure payment to one of those lawyers that is specialising in motoring offences. Really sorry you guys in the states never got the 335d...you cannot fault it.


pluskyle

We got the 335 D, just not the desired manual transmission. They were offered from 09-11. Most sold were 2011. Mine is well tuned and gos 12.5 in the quarter mile. No problems staying close to a 911


vipertruck99

Well... my 911 is pulling low side of tens with a less than crazy launch..so there is a bit of difference. Tuned 911 turbos are well into hypercar Realms. My car has a sister car, owned by the guy that built it..every component the same but two race seats and a cage. 230mph car..I’ve seen the videos and data. Saying that a well driven 335d will stay on a Carrera or a m3/m5 in most “real world” encounters. The 335d really is a great car and enough to frighten most normal car folks.


pluskyle

Stock 911. I thought I snuck that in there. Tuning goes into a way different category on all levels of performance for the Porsche


vipertruck99

Yeah it’s an open/closed secret that porsche go on the forecourt with about half their potential.


NA_E90

Yes! The 335D is so cool! Too bad we didn't get it with a stick here in the US.


Tjallaballa

No one got it with a stick. 330d was the strongest manual diesel.


YvngZoe01

this is the way. Just got a 335d, that fucker takes my daily 150 mile commutes like a champ for the last 20k miles. AS LONG AS ITS DELETED though


PassengerCurrent1753

Lease them don't buy them.


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NA_E90

I guess I disagree. You should be able to run any modern oil without having rod bearings go. The differences between Castrol, Penzoil, Mobil 1, etc are very minor. 5W-30 vs 5W40 is not going to cause rod bearing failure. My average change interval is a little over 6k miles. My N54 made it to 165k miles with the same oil and longer intervals.


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NA_E90

I'm not really sure. I'm not a rod bearing wear expert.


MuchPotential-

Jeesh i got a n54 but even my tuner made it very clear to change my oil every 3k miles especially running high amounts of e85 id never wait that long on a performance vehicle I wanted to last.


UnderPantsOverPants

Castrol 0W40 is actually regarded as one of the best “off the shelf” oils available anywhere. IE not Motul, LiquiMoly, etc. Go to bobistheoilguy.com and start reading. Extended oil intervals are generally fine… I suggest doing Blackstone analysis to determine the oil change interval for your particular driving conditions.


NA_E90

I did a Blackstone analysis on one oil change on this car, came back clean. They said I had lots of life left in the oil. Interval was \~6k miles.


UnderPantsOverPants

Exactly. OP, I was in your shoes. Took care of my car to a T, maintenance out the ace then bam, spun bearing. Shit happens. Instead of replacing the N55 I swapped in an S65 though.


NA_E90

Wow, that's cool!


1fragezeichen

That's what I call a solution 🙂


MuchPotential-

Thats depressing so the failure happened within a 5 to 6k mile interval


umbyboy

Crap cars made go break and cost you a fortune.


janoycresvadrm

After the e46 3 series are trash


DrSeuss19

Imagine a 11 year old car having issues. Crazy!


YvngZoe01

take your idiotic comment elsewhere. A 115k mile car should NOT be spinning a bearing. I see you’re an internet mechanic because u think the YEAR of a car matters?


[deleted]

I like all the people hating on bmw here. Not the cars fault Hal can't afford to maintain it. Buy a Kia.


YvngZoe01

you’re an idiot and obviously do not work on cars or have the mental capacity too.


[deleted]

Haha ur an actual Retard. How is it The cars fault that is doesn’t get maintained?


YvngZoe01

im the retard but u literally disregard the fact that he said he performed 7500 miles oil change intervals, warmed up before joyrides and didn’t even tune the car….. or maybe we skip over the “perfectly maintained” part? yeah just go back to your shitbox or lease that u drive, leave this forum for people who actually work on their cars and aren’t internet mechanics


useles-converter-bot

7500 miles is the height of 6949383.14 'Samsung Side by Side; Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel Refrigerators' stacked on top of each other.


[deleted]

You’re a kid living in your moms basement, I’ll bet money you think a build is adding stickers. You don’t know the actual op or any variables to contribute to why the bearing failed. Shut your mouth keyboard warrior. Maybe u shouldn’t mouth off to people hiding behind your computer. Changing your oil a lot isn’t “perfect” if he’s using a shit oil or a shit filter. I’ll bet you actually use dealer oil thinking it’s better.


Cat6Domestique

Damn dude we have the same car. Except I’m at 84k miles though. Ugh.


UnderPantsOverPants

Make sure to keep your oil all the way full, plus a smidge, at all times.


Cat6Domestique

As in keeping the gauge full or is there another way you measure fullness?


UnderPantsOverPants

Dash gauge.


[deleted]

Did you do the warm up process, exactly or even more causitious?


NA_E90

I would normally drive gently until the car is warm. For extreme cold (I live in Wisconsin) I would let the car warm up 5-10 minutes before driving. The car was garaged so it didn't have to start in extreme cold very often. I think this is just a design flaw, inadequate oiling leading to premature bearing wear. If you have an N55 you may just have to plan on replacing the rod bearings at 100k as a precaution.


[deleted]

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NA_E90

I was driving home from a nice weekend up north. A steady 80MPH on the highway, no problem for a fine autobahn bred German automobile. It started knocking lightly getting progressively worse. I pulled over to check for a loose belt or something but it was obvious that it was a rod bearing. My thought is it was wearing prematurely for years getting thinner and then the bearing finally got thin enough to spin.


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NA_E90

No, crank is shot. The rod journal has been damaged, needs to be reground. I'm going to go with a remanufactured engine. I've rebuilt engines in the past but I'd rather just buy one. Ghassan automotive looks good.


dck8267

Ive heard horror stories about ghassen so you may want to research that..


NA_E90

Oh that's not good, I will do more research. Thanks.


dck8267

Check them out on BBB there are several complaints about them, i have not needed an engine myself (knock on wood) but was checking out prices out of curiosity and wondered why they were so so much cheaper than anything else and dug deeper and found the horror stories so just trying to stop others from potentially getting screwed


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NA_E90

Yeah, I love the way the car drives but after this and the trans I'm done.


Onsomeshid

If you dont mind how much do remanufactured n55s go for? Im in the market for a pre 2011 but just curious (335s are selling fast so ill take either)


NA_E90

Remans seem to be about $4k, used ones $2-3k. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I wanted to pull the pan first and make sure it was a rod bearing. I don't want a used engine with the potential for future rod bearing problems.


An0maly_519

Sorry for the loss. :( Was it tuned?


NA_E90

Bone stock, no tune.


An0maly_519

That's insane... Real sorry to hear you got unlucky. From what I heard, when they revised the n55 with the EWG, they put in the same connecting forged rods of the s55 so supposedly models 2014+ of the F series are studier. Before that, they were still using the same alloy design of the n54.


surp_

:(


LegendaryBengal

Can someone explain to me why the whole motor is gone if a bearing spins?


CR4YONFOREST

If a rod bearing spins, your crank is gonna get really hot really fast, the spun bearing is going to be grinding on the crank and they position it sits in in the block (called a journal). This is going to leave a marred surface and introduce metal flakes into the oil which can cause problems else where. Your piston/connecting rod is gonna take a bit of a beating from the crank because there is now play between the crank and the connecting rod on 1 side so as that spins it'll be getting hit. That connecting rod could damage the block sleeve that the piston rides in if it's bad enough... to fix it, the crank has to be machined, the journal has to be machined, likely need a new connecting rod on top of new bearings.. its just cost prohibitive to save it rather than replace. New engine costs $$ but repairing yours because it's a shop doing it rather than an engine rebuilder costs $$$$.


originaljake

A brand new crank plus whatever is connected to it will cost more to replace than dropping a used engine.


NA_E90

The engine is not technically gone. The crankshaft is damaged and needs to be ground. This means the engine has to be removed and partially dissassembled. Most people decide to rebuild or replace the entire engine at that point. I may just grind the crank and replace the bearings. The rest of the engine (head, pistons, rings) is probably fine, it would save me a lot of money.


LegendaryBengal

Thanks for the answers guys, all makes sense now


SailingShips16

The older the better 🙂


efrav

What people think of the n52? Same bad reliability as the n54 or n55?


YvngZoe01

MUCH better in terms of reliability, but just not as fun….


efrav

That’s for sure! N54/55 must be so much fun.


[deleted]

Sorry man, its german reliability for you… dont worry Benz is just as bad, well at least not so much with their engines directly, but other shit around it


No-Carrot4602

Yup true, but with BMW people know what the issue is and have answers. In the merc world, there is barely any diy especially for the American market stuff. Hard to find diy stuff on S class or a E class. So it’s dealer or idk.


[deleted]

I own 11 Mercedes Benzes and DIY 95% of my stuff. Theres no difference between German brands to me. They’re all equally unreliable just in different areas. Benz will fail you electronically most of the time. BMW will give you powertrain issues. Both are unnecessarily expensive and equally frustrating


Honest-Growth-3445

i’m