TDIclub Secret Society of BMW Owners (SSBMWO)

Could be. I've had mine for over a year since the last update.

Blue_Hen_TDI said:

That's admirable!

Click to expand...

LOL! Wait until you go to sell it! have fun!

tomo366 said:

LOL! Wait until you go to sell it! have fun!

Click to expand...

I'm having a blast in it! I won't be selling. They don't make too many 3.0 liter twin-turbo diesels that get 40 mpg on the highway.

ROTFLMFAO! I remember you saying that about a certain B4 Wagon.....and several other cars you owned.....

I'm no longer a VW owner... sold my '03 Jetta ALH (Signature car) and bought my 2nd 335d. Looking forward to doing all of the maintenance on it. I think there could be some recalls that need to be addressed. But looking to spend a few bucks to do oil change, fuel filter change, trans fluid/filter change, t-stat, belts, gosh, and I think a few other things... Might do glow plugs and module later in the spring, but it's funny how little I paid for it with the mileage on it. Hope it holds together like my first one and the dearly departed modded Jetta.

InfoSec said:

I'm no longer a VW owner... sold my '03 Jetta ALH (Signature car) and bought my 2nd 335d. Looking forward to doing all of the maintenance on it. I think there could be some recalls that need to be addressed. But looking to spend a few bucks to do oil change, fuel filter change, trans fluid/filter change, t-stat, belts, gosh, and I think a few other things... Might do glow plugs and module later in the spring, but it's funny how little I paid for it with the mileage on it. Hope it holds together like my first one and the dearly departed modded Jetta.

Click to expand...

The price/age continuum is really in a sweet spot on them right now. You can find plenty of examples in excellent condition with lower (60-100K) mileage in the $10-15K range.

Going Backwards?

I've had my 335d for nearly two years, but haven't used it much. However, I do like the car, and have finally realized that it's better to drive it on longer trips than IBW, which, although still running fine at 380K miles, isn't as comfortable as it once was.

Wheels and tires have been a bit of a nightmare on this car. When purchasing the car I immediately jettisoned the run flats, ordered Kosei wheels to replace the bent and curbed OE wheels, and got a spare. However, the Contis I got were not round and had to warranty them. The second set are OK, but not perfect (some tread wiggle) and are pretty loud. Don't know if it's the tires or the car, but they're noisy. And I have to admit I'm not in love with the appearance of the Koseis.


Finally, the spare really fills the trunk. I can't put a wheeled carry on bag in there when the spare is in the car. Limits the car's utility.

After shopping for wheels and finding that almost all used BMW wheels are curbed, cracked, bent, or all three, I had mine straightened and refinished.


Then I broke down and bought run flats again, this time Michelins. They have the added benefit of a lip on the sidewall that will protect the newly refinished wheels.

But boy are they heavy. The OE wheel weight doesn't help.


I'll put them on today. Hoping for round, quiet, and smooth riding. And not too much of a FE hit.

I specifically purchased a Sport model because I liked the wheels better than the Base and even the M-Sport trim lines. I think they're sexy as hell. I'm not thrilled with the stiffness of the run-flats and will likely go to conventional tires next summer. I have a Bilstein/Eibach B12 Pro Kit suspension going on the car next weekend, as well as M3 control arms and new motor mounts. Can't wait to feel the difference.

Sport wheels:

I agree they look great, but I'd be very reluctant to run 18s here in New England. I drove the 335d to Manhattan on Thursday and I think dodging the potholes there would be next to impossible. 17s bend easily enough. I am curious about how the weight of the 18 wheel/tire combo compares to 17s.

The 20’s on my X5 weigh a ton. The 315/35R20 runflats our back dont help things either. I about pulled my arms off the first time had the wheels off for a brake job.

I had trouble with the original style sport package wheels on my 335d with at least two wheels being bent on the inside.

My style 237 wheels on the 535d may be able to fit and survived a serious road hazard that blew out one front Conti RSS RFT with no structural damage to the two wheels that got hit. I hit a piece of wood at 70 mph.

They look great: https://www.carsaddiction.com/en/wheels/BMW/Style-237

Blue_Hen_TDI said:

What is DEF?

Click to expand...

My question exactly!

Come to find out, it is Diesel Exhaust Fluid, used on a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system. I have an older diesel car so I do not have that type of emissions. I have the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system. An older 2005 Passat TDI.

The SCR using DEF must be on the newer cars and trucks. Looks like a nice setup. SCR technology is designed to permit nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction reactions it reduces levels of NOx. I found that info in the link below.

https://www.dieselforum.org/about-clean-diesel/what-is-scr

Bell, he was being sarcastic, because he's deleted the SCR system on his BMW. I still have mine in place.

Round trip to NYC on Wed/Thurs, 486 miles. Ran at indicated 78 a lot of the time, except on the Merritt Parkway where traffic (as usual) was moving between 80 and 90. Filled it yesterday and got 36.6 for the trip. Winter fuel, not driving slow. If I can get that kind of FE with full emissions in place (and, admittedly, a tune) then I'll keep them.

My 328D XDrive

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Bell, he was being sarcastic, because he's deleted the SCR system on his BMW. I still have mine in place.

Round trip to NYC on Wed/Thurs, 486 miles. Ran at indicated 78 a lot of the time, except on the Merritt Parkway where traffic (as usual) was moving between 80 and 90. Filled it yesterday and got 36.6 for the trip. Winter fuel, not driving slow. If I can get that kind of FE with full emissions in place (and, admittedly, a tune) then I'll keep them.

Click to expand...

For me, the sole reason for deletion and mods was for maintenance reduction. I'd prefer not to have to walnut-blast every 60K due to the trouble-prone EGR system, replace injectors due to the same system, replace the SCR metering and injection bits, replace the DEF heater or tank, inhale a swirl flap into my engine, have the stock harmonic balancer take a dump in some remote place, or replace the $2500 DPF.

I love reliability. Increased power (in ridiculous amounts) and mpg is a bonus.

And yeah, I was being coy on DEF. My TDI has it, and I won't be modding it, due to the 162,000 mile warranty.

FWIW, the miles to CBU cleaning seem to vary a lot. A local guy had an '09 that had over 100K on it and when he pulled the intake to clean it found it wasn't dirty. I plan to look at mine soon and see how it's doing. I haven't hit 60K miles yet. Injector and harmonic balancer replacements seem unrelated. In fact, harmonic balancer failure seems to be more common in deleted/tuned cars.

The SCR metering system fails largely because of BMW dealers over-filling it, the Adblue crystallizing, and blocking the air vents. Heaters I'm not sure, but they seem to fail on all cars, as do DPFs, sadly. And you left out the NOX sensors which are absurdly expensive on these cars ($640). However, all of those bits are now covered by BMW's 10 year/120K warranty.

Having said that, if I was certain I would pass inspection in MA repeatedly (some people get caught in year 2) with a delete I'd do it. But I'm not.

I'd be out of emissions warranty in two years, so that's a non-issue.

Correct on CBU. Mine did not need it at 70K. Some need it at 50K. It's hit or miss, and likely dependent on driving habits and fuel quality. The known is that it is due to the EGR system, so a race pipe greatly reduces that buildup going forward.

Harmonic balancer failure happens A LOT on untuned cars, per E90Post, NA BMW Owners Group on FB, and other sites I read daily. And of course, there will be an increase of failures in a car with more power. Hence, I went aftermarket right away.

Also, I drive my car. A lot. So I need reliability. No way I'd be trying to keep the absurdly unreliable and costly BMW emissions system on a car I intended to keep longer than just a few years. I could see somebody who barely drives theirs being able to milk it along for a decent while. Not me. Any looming issues get exposed quickly with the miles I drive.

I don't drive mine much. I've been on the fence about keeping it until recently, in part because I have too many cars. But I test drove a 328d in December when they had big incentives on them and realized that the 335d suits me better. Fewer electronics (mine doesn't have nav, happily), much better engine, and the appearance of better build quality. So although I've only driven mine 10K in the two years I've owned it, I'll probably use it more moving forward. Still, if something happens to the emissions system I can get it fixed and drive something else until it's repaired.

Finally took my BMW out for a spin yesterday before the white stuff hit.

Blue_Hen_TDI said:

For me, the sole reason for deletion and mods was for maintenance reduction. I'd prefer not to have to walnut-blast every 60K due to the trouble-prone EGR system, replace injectors due to the same system, replace the SCR metering and injection bits, replace the DEF heater or tank, inhale a swirl flap into my engine, have the stock harmonic balancer take a dump in some remote place, or replace the $2500 DPF.

I love reliability. Increased power (in ridiculous amounts) and mpg is a bonus.

Click to expand...

I tried the full alphabet soup delete and ran it for a while, but the deleted smell, even with a catted downpipe, was frankly disgusting.

Ended up getting a modified JR tune with EGR and SCR disabled, and the downpipe was reinstalled. I figure that most of the emissions problems evolve around the SCR, and the deleted EGR reduces CBU. The DPF will fail over time, but at least the ash levels can be monitored and predicted.

The harmonic balancer is a PITA. I got stranded when my OEM one failed. Replaced it with a fluidampr and now I have peace of mind.

How long did the harmonic balancer last? I'm thinking of replacing mine as PM at 60K miles.

I’d like to know also. I’ll turn over 118k miles on my 335d tomorrow morning and my wife’s X5 35d turned 90k tonight. Andrew was back ordered around Christmas time when I tried to order a fluidampr proactively

Balancers not a problem on N47?

Lat said:

I tried the full alphabet soup delete and ran it for a while, but the deleted smell, even with a catted downpipe, was frankly disgusting.

Ended up getting a modified JR tune with EGR and SCR disabled, and the downpipe was reinstalled. I figure that most of the emissions problems evolve around the SCR, and the deleted EGR reduces CBU. The DPF will fail over time, but at least the ash levels can be monitored and predicted.

The harmonic balancer is a PITA. I got stranded when my OEM one failed. Replaced it with a fluidampr and now I have peace of mind.

Click to expand...

If I had to do much stop and go, high idle, or city-type driving, I agree that straight pipe could be rough on the nose. As it is, I'm a 95% highway driver. I do hit recirc at startup and whenever I reverse, and I don't have any issues luckily.

tomo366 said:

Balancers not a problem on N47?

Click to expand...

If a quick Google search is any indication, no. A search for "335d harmonic balancer failure" gets several hits for failure threads. The same search for 328d gets the same hits for 335d with no mention of 328d. The lower output engine probably doesn't eat them up like the I6 twin turbo does.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

How long did the harmonic balancer last? I'm thinking of replacing mine as PM at 60K miles.

Click to expand...

Most people on the e90 forum report them going out around 120,000 miles. Mine gave out at 139,000.

Peter, when you fitted the Kosei's, did you ever find BMW center caps to fit them?

No, I didn't find center caps. That was one thing that bugged me about them. I am probably going to keep them in case I want to run snows in the future, doubtful as that may be. I don't think of the 335d as a particularly good snow car.

I'm very, very happy with the Michelin run-flats. Yes, I wrote that. They are quieter than the Contis, feel like they grip better, and the ride is very little different. Steering feels better, probably because of the stiffer sidewalls. Surprisingly, the car now feels the way I expected it to when I bought it. And I have a trunk again.

My 335d is just as good in the snow as my 328xi 6 speed manual. I am amazed at how well it does in the snow. I have a spare set of blizzaks mounted on spare wheels for my 335d but haven't needed them yet.

Good to know. I only drove it in the snow a couple times and sold the non runflat snows. So I'll be on all seasons if I have to drive it in snow again. I'll give it a try next time we get snow (none this year yet, surprisingly). I used to drive a Peugeot 505 diesel in the snow, and it required deliberate moves and patience. But I never got stuck.

MY HB on my first d went out at 67k miles. My current one has 142k on it and it has not been changed. I ordered a new one from Matt Whitbread and plan on having it installed shortly along with a bunch of other goodies.