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High mileage N54--Is it worth it?
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08-16-2023, 11:07 PM | #1 |
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High mileage N54--Is it worth it?
I know there's been a lot of discussion about this but I'm looking for some fresh perspectives (especially from anyone with 150k+ miles). I've got 108k on my 2007 335i; the clutch is failing and the wastegate rattle is getting worse. What's on the table currently is replacing the clutch, flywheel, turbos, water pump, thermostat, brake lines, intake valve cleaning, and OFHG. Will be doing all the work myself since paying for labor would probably bankrupt me. My only concern is how much else I can expect to deal with in the coming years as more parts start to fail and what kind of mileage I can expect to get out of the engine itself. Haven't really heard of anyone with over 200k on these cars which is concerning. Plenty of e39s out there for instance with 300k+ (my buddy has one with around 215k running strong and still hardly demanding any serious maintenance).
Already upgraded the suspension and a number of odds and ends so I'm wondering, if I go all in will it bite me in the ass or should I just bite the bullet and sell it for something a little more manageable like an e36 or e46? |
08-17-2023, 12:36 PM | #2 |
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My wife's 07 got to 140k before we sold it for her X5. Around 100k I did thermostat and water pump speculatively, replaced leaking oil pan gasket, and had to replace the injectors. Other than that just routine maintenance. Earlier I did the oil filter housing gasket. It was leaking oil for the last 40k at the turbo oil lines. But I read that could be the gaskets or an internal turbo failure. Since the only way to find out is to remove them I wasn't going to do all that work then have to wait if I needed to order turbos. I let it leak for years. Never got a check engine light or failure so it probably was just the oil line gaskets.
The car needed a clutch at 80k but that's probably because it was my wife's first manual. It seemed like a pretty solid car aside from some plastic bits getting brittle with age. One more reason I say to put miles on a car. Even if you save it everything still gets old and may fail due to age. |
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08-17-2023, 12:38 PM | #3 |
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Oh and I forgot to add that I did the oil changes when the computer said to. So around 16k each including the first. Did that cause more oil leaks? I wonder. Or do the Germans aspire to be like the British?
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08-17-2023, 11:01 PM | #4 | |
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From Mike Miller's "Old School BMW Maintenance Schedule" (download if you want a good read!) "But once BMW began paying for scheduled maintenance, lo and behold the “schedule” was revised. Now the cars hardly need any maintenance at all. The 1,200-mile break-in service was done away with except for M cars. Engine oil suddenly lasts 15,000 miles (dealers are supposed to use BMW synthetic oil)." |
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08-18-2023, 08:57 PM | #5 |
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I wouldnt do long interval cause i drive my cars hard but have seen those that follow bmw recs with bmw specified oil (never run low) and have no issues.
n54 at this point is almost dying imo cause the b58 is so great, just needs to drop in price a little more. e90 size, chassis and Hydraulic steering is whats keep me. op already have index 12? probably expect radiator, expansion tank, fan and I would just adjust the wastegate for now. imo e36/e46 is too old and costly for the premium ones, i would look for an n52 powered bmw instead |
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08-20-2023, 04:17 AM | #6 | |
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To answer your question, I did mean brake hoses, mine are cracking so I'm replacing them with steel ones. I actually preemptively bought the water pump and thermostat but am waiting for the computer to throw a code since the job looks...unpleasant. The turbos are definitely an issue but new ones should last the life of the car since the main point of failure is the wastegate on earlier models--however, that is also a beast of a job and the units are pricey, around $1k each. I'm thinking about adjusting the actuators which I've heard is a temporary fix but some say it causes turbo lag, so, still looking into that. The N54 is DI actually, many recommend carbon cleaning as often as 30-50k. Messy job but doesn't appear particularly challenging. Clutch replacement is first on my list. Almost certain the thing is burnt at this point, no choice but to replace it since it isn't in selling condition until I do, but, that said, I'm looking forward to enjoying the car for a good while longer at the very least. Does the N52 use VANOS? My buddy keeps warning me about VANOS failure, but I haven't read about anybody running into major issues with it other than the solenoids which are pretty easy to replace. Sounds like you haven't run into any big oil leaks either?. Can be a hassle chasing after those, I'll do the rear main seal when I swap the clutch and the OFHG when I clean the intake valves. At any rate, thanks again for the info! Definitely feeling a bit more at ease. |
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08-20-2023, 04:25 AM | #7 | |
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08-20-2023, 09:33 AM | #8 |
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There was a warranty issue with waste gates early on. They replaced the actuators. They also replaced the cam shaft bearing ledges at that time. And it needed two HPFPs until we got a good one that then lasted 100k+. All that was factory warranty stuff and seemed like known issues with the 1st year of the N54.
When we sold it ran fine. I hardly ever drove it so if it was having other rattles or issues it's possible my wife would not have noticed. |
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08-20-2023, 09:35 AM | #9 |
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Oh and I did the valve cleaning 3 times. The first time tried chemicals and that sucked. Next 2 times I used the walnut blaster and that was easy. Slow part was just disassembly to get to it.
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08-24-2023, 07:32 PM | #10 | |
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My mechanic buddy drove my car and said he thinks there's a hotspot on the flywheel that's causing the slippage, so, looks like I'll be replacing both - figured I might as well do the clutch slave, hose, and transmission mounts while I'm at it...AND planning to upgrade the shifter with a custom build from Ronald at AutoSolutions as well - glowing reviews from everyone who's interacted with him. Sent an inquiry email a few days back and he responded with a boatload of super helpful information. VANOS solenoids probably long overdue for some attention...seems like the mechanical parts are pretty solid and they can just be cleaned and gaskets replaced so planning to go that route for now. The list goes on....sigh Thanks again for all the tips and encouragement. At this rate I'll likely stay with the 335 for many years to come, she's a lovely machine despite the quirks. |
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08-29-2023, 11:46 PM | #12 | |
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08-30-2023, 08:19 AM | #13 |
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The N54 is a strong engine and the car is much better built than most new stuff on the road. IMO fix it. Lots of 200k+ N54's out there, many of them tuned for the majority of that. There's a guy that works for BMS (Payam I think?) and he bought one with over 300k and went single turbo with it and it was running strong for a long time.
N54 maintenance kind of comes in waves and you're hitting a wave right now but it should be smooth sailing for a while after if you take care of all its current needs. 108k isn't a lot at all for these. |
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09-03-2023, 05:41 PM | #14 | |
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09-04-2023, 03:18 AM | #15 |
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Wait, 108k miles is considered high mileage?
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cost, expensive, high mileage, maintenance, n54, realistic, reliability, repair, worth |
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