Rod Bearings, Baffled Sump, Oil filter housing gaskets, Charge pipe, Diverter Valve, Water pump, Thermostat, Boost Solenoids, and a few other things are things id recommend anyone do when buying an N55. You dont HAVE too, but if you want to bullet proof it for a few years of ownership id 100% do these things. Some are pricey and some aren't but I always recommend doing maintenance before modding! Thats what I did and ive had a stage 2+ FBO (apart from turbo) running over 400bhp for 3 years and never had a single issue. Theyre great motors, just Gotta look after them! Same with every car really!
rod bearings (as I have learned on the internet) go bad from high temps so yeah anything coolant or thermostat related is a must. Coolant expansion tank is a great mention for these, they go bad often.
Thanks for the advice! I have a 2011 335i with the N55 motor. 60k on it and I haven't had any problems motor wise yet! I don't led foot it, but it's quick for sure! Looking to MHD custom tune it in the near future ,so the coil pack, charge pipe, and High pressure fuel pump changes will be in order!
Just bought one of these with just 38k on the clock it’s a very nice car, great informative video, some great advice wold like to change those crappy run flats though 👍
Have you had the issue that the case jerks or surge when coming to a stop on a traffic light or on low speeds for example, only present when the A/C is ON. When A/C is Off all works great. This issue is driving me crazy, I've done all possible to fix it (even upgrade the DME in the BMW dealership.) The only thing that is left for me to do it reset all the adaptations with BimmerGeaks K+DCAM cable that i bought 2 days ago... waiting to receive it. Thanks for sharing. I have a E88, N55 135i 2013 with 60K miles. I've checked :: - MAF and MAP Sensors. - Solenoids - Spark plugs - DME upgraded - Engine Oil leaks - cylinders misfires (all OK) - No a single fault code popping up with Bavarian Technician cable scans
@@brettkrehling8738 Yes, today I cleared the transmission adaptations with BimmerGeeks k+dcan cable and that resolved my 2 year old issue for once and for all :)
thanks for this. i just got one this year. looks just like yours. getting the hpfp looked at this weekend and having a shop scan it. i have small symptoms of it maybe going bad. keeping an eye on all the other items you talked about. get black kidney grills. really changes the look. don't buy cheap ones. i fell over laughing when i shut my hood and they feel out. $50 thrown away. got oem ones. they are so much better.
Everything you said is 100% true, i had to re do my motor for 5gs, because of the belt breakage, so i also installed a bracket that protects against belt breakage going into your motor, so highly recommended. And now im on stage 1 plus MHD, and i ride hard occasionally but i dont dog it constantly as these cars are real fragile but you get that performance that's almost unmatchable. Love my 135i N55 DCT..
@@bobsagit10 yea i believe you , i just don't trust the cars parts also i'm done with it, i got a M240i and downpipe, intake, bigger intercooler, charge pipe and a tune and im up at over 500 hp i assume, never got it tested. But i really wish those 135i were more reliable well the motor at least.
What codes were you getting for the hpfp? I'm having that issue with long cranks and sometimes starts up in limp mode. Then I'll start it up later on in the day and it'll run ok but still take a little longer to crank. I got this code high pressure fuel, plausibility pressure too low
That is almost for sure the issue mine did the same exact thing. Except i would start it up and it would drive fine just long cranks. Then anything over 50 percent throttle it would throw me into limp mode. Sometimes the car would crank over for around 8-10 seconds almost to the point where i thought it wouldn't start, but then did
I got a 2012 bmw 335i, got the water pump going bad including with the valve cover, and oil pan gasket. I enjoy the car but I just hate how these maintenance problems are hitting me all at once
It’s plastic part wear tear over time there’s no away around unless they ditch plastics parts or change the design plastics dnt last especially in the motor hot and cold makes it weak
People hype up the issues on these cars... Every modern car is suffering from many of these same teething issues. Gasket failure (turbo heat), plastics, and expensive direct injection issues like fuel pumps and injectors. Try having all these same issues on a diesel truck or a Chevy sonic turbo. American cars are absolute shit to work on. Go visit the ecoboost forums sometime lol. German engineering makes these jobs easy once you learn your way around them. The bmw tax on the parts blows. Chevy sonic requires removing the entire turbofold and cat to get to the oil filter housing (yeah they actually put it behind the exhaust to get the oil up to temp faster) just to change the gasket. Other issue as self-induced like the charge-pipe cracking. You're probably pushing 2-3x as much boost as stock through an old brittle charge-pipe... can't blame bmw when it cracks.
Im about to get a 09 NA with 85k MI the serpentine. belt rip, theres is an oil mess I have the spills to fix it but im having second thoghts cause BMW parts are expensive...
SimplyJustRandomness well i am running intercooler, downpipe, go fast bits diverter valve, tune and 4 gallons of e85 the rest 93. Stock fueling and turbo i made 380 whp and 475 ft lbs at the wheels which i do agree is alot and more than enough for the 135i. The older models with the n54 make even more power but are a bit more problematic.
@@brettkrehling8738 Very nice...and the money to get those gains is minimal vs other cars that are NA...honestly its been out of one of these and a used c6 corvette for me...I honestly think im gonna go with the 135i n55...I mean a grand or two into one of these its walking the vette with ease...and already has the turbo setup ready for future engine builds if needed.
I really appreciated this video. In on the hunt for an 135is so this is great info for me to inquire on if ever i find one. Did you do the work yourself (fuel pimp, water pump, etc)? Just wondering if these are pretty easy to work on or really require a BMw mechanic. Thanks
Fuel pump, coils, chargepipe etc isnt too hard but water pump and installing downpipes can be a pain in the ass as you need to be under the car wrenching. better with another person if you do it yourself.
Any issues with your battery?? Also, I had mine starting and having a rough idle, press on the gas pedal and instead of increasing RPMs, they decreased, like having vacuum issues. Shortly after that, before I could even take a video, it shuts off. Then it didn’t start, like if battery is bad. No codes whatsoever!! It also has that squicky sound from the alternator area, and I think is one of those pullies.
@@thinkingagain5966 So when had the battery issue, got it replaced and all good. But when it had the idle issue that I explained, a coworker told me to use Royal Purple Max Clean Fuel System and to floor it couple times since I barely touch 4K RPMs. Without a walnut blast, it never had that issue again!!
@@jtparreno4387 Ah fuck, that sucks man. I honestly wish you luck in those repairs. If you have already, you should check out the 3 series forums. Lots of good help there .
Shame you never got an answer to this question. Boost control solenoids are up there with the most simple of all systems on any turbo car. I find it absolutely inconceivable that one can "go bad", as Brett mentions in the video. Does the solenoid cease opening with electrical pulses? Do the air passages in the solenoid become blocked with oily blow-by residue? Who manufactures the solenoids? Again-it's hard to accept that a boost control solenoid can simply "go bad" in a car built this side of the millennium. EDIT: I'm not an N55 expert but the electronic wastegate is something I've not had much experience with. I'm guessing this is what goes bad and I'm buggered if I know what would cause it.
All the parts i replaced myself. So for maintenance it was. Hpfp:400$ Plugs:100$ ngk Coils: 200$ delphi Boost solenoid: 170$ oem Valve cover and gasket: 200$ Oil filter housing gaskets: 70$ Alternator: 400$ Battery 200$ Tmap and maf sensor:400$
Those exhaust tips look horrendous.
Mario Guerra i agree now looking back a year later those tips make me cringe
This video is awesome dude contained his self for a bit then just started cussin
seeing this comment before it all went down made it so much more funny
So good! Ha
Rod Bearings, Baffled Sump, Oil filter housing gaskets, Charge pipe, Diverter Valve, Water pump, Thermostat, Boost Solenoids, and a few other things are things id recommend anyone do when buying an N55. You dont HAVE too, but if you want to bullet proof it for a few years of ownership id 100% do these things. Some are pricey and some aren't but I always recommend doing maintenance before modding! Thats what I did and ive had a stage 2+ FBO (apart from turbo) running over 400bhp for 3 years and never had a single issue. Theyre great motors, just Gotta look after them! Same with every car really!
rod bearings (as I have learned on the internet) go bad from high temps so yeah anything coolant or thermostat related is a must. Coolant expansion tank is a great mention for these, they go bad often.
Thanks for the advice! I have a 2011 335i with the N55 motor. 60k on it and I haven't had any problems motor wise yet! I don't led foot it, but it's quick for sure! Looking to MHD custom tune it in the near future ,so the coil pack, charge pipe, and High pressure fuel pump changes will be in order!
Why is the exhaust sticking out so far!? Surely that was an accident?!
#blastpipeFTW
wheels look perfect. Like CSL wheels. what size wheels and tires and offset?
Just bought one of these with just 38k on the clock it’s a very nice car, great informative video, some great advice wold like to change those crappy run flats though 👍
Have you had the issue that the case jerks or surge when coming to a stop on a traffic light or on low speeds for example, only present when the A/C is ON. When A/C is Off all works great. This issue is driving me crazy, I've done all possible to fix it (even upgrade the DME in the BMW dealership.) The only thing that is left for me to do it reset all the adaptations with BimmerGeaks K+DCAM cable that i bought 2 days ago... waiting to receive it. Thanks for sharing.
I have a E88, N55 135i 2013 with 60K miles.
I've checked ::
- MAF and MAP Sensors.
- Solenoids
- Spark plugs
- DME upgraded
- Engine Oil leaks
- cylinders misfires (all OK)
- No a single fault code popping up with Bavarian Technician cable scans
I had the same issue when i was stock , as soon as i tuned it with mhd the problem went away!
@@brettkrehling8738 Yes, today I cleared the transmission adaptations with BimmerGeeks k+dcan cable and that resolved my 2 year old issue for once and for all :)
@@reyiiteleco bmw call this normal with ac on 😂 i does xhp Software and the issue is gone
Why do your exhaust tips stick out so much
thanks for this. i just got one this year. looks just like yours. getting the hpfp looked at this weekend and having a shop scan it. i have small symptoms of it maybe going bad. keeping an eye on all the other items you talked about. get black kidney grills. really changes the look. don't buy cheap ones. i fell over laughing when i shut my hood and they feel out. $50 thrown away. got oem ones. they are so much better.
Everything you said is 100% true, i had to re do my motor for 5gs, because of the belt breakage, so i also installed a bracket that protects against belt breakage going into your motor, so highly recommended. And now im on stage 1 plus MHD, and i ride hard occasionally but i dont dog it constantly as these cars are real fragile but you get that performance that's almost unmatchable. Love my 135i N55 DCT..
N55 fragile? I’ve driven 200k + mile x5s with n55 and they still pull strong.
@@bobsagit10 yea i believe you , i just don't trust the cars parts also i'm done with it, i got a M240i and downpipe, intake, bigger intercooler, charge pipe and a tune and im up at over 500 hp i assume, never got it tested. But i really wish those 135i were more reliable well the motor at least.
Had to replace the rear subframe mounts with stiffer units, really tightened up the chassis.
What codes were you getting for the hpfp? I'm having that issue with long cranks and sometimes starts up in limp mode. Then I'll start it up later on in the day and it'll run ok but still take a little longer to crank. I got this code high pressure fuel, plausibility pressure too low
That is almost for sure the issue mine did the same exact thing. Except i would start it up and it would drive fine just long cranks. Then anything over 50 percent throttle it would throw me into limp mode. Sometimes the car would crank over for around 8-10 seconds almost to the point where i thought it wouldn't start, but then did
Turbo shit, cooling and gaskets
I recommend doing the DV+ when changing the water pump
What does that mean?
@@mpegvdo upgraded diverter valve
I got a 2012 bmw 335i, got the water pump going bad including with the valve cover, and oil pan gasket. I enjoy the car but I just hate how these maintenance problems are hitting me all at once
agustin albarran u gotta do preventative maintenance not when things just break
I do agree but its the nature of the beast. My oil pan gasket is starting to leak so ill be heaving fun fixing that lol
It’s plastic part wear tear over time there’s no away around unless they ditch plastics parts or change the design plastics dnt last especially in the motor hot and cold makes it weak
@Sami Sosa if its so easy why do you guys charge so damn much for labor??
@@thinkingagain5966 thats how every dealership is
People hype up the issues on these cars... Every modern car is suffering from many of these same teething issues. Gasket failure (turbo heat), plastics, and expensive direct injection issues like fuel pumps and injectors. Try having all these same issues on a diesel truck or a Chevy sonic turbo. American cars are absolute shit to work on. Go visit the ecoboost forums sometime lol. German engineering makes these jobs easy once you learn your way around them. The bmw tax on the parts blows. Chevy sonic requires removing the entire turbofold and cat to get to the oil filter housing (yeah they actually put it behind the exhaust to get the oil up to temp faster) just to change the gasket. Other issue as self-induced like the charge-pipe cracking. You're probably pushing 2-3x as much boost as stock through an old brittle charge-pipe... can't blame bmw when it cracks.
No the charge pipe pops off even on stock boost
Im about to get a 09 NA with 85k MI the serpentine. belt rip, theres is an oil mess I have the spills to fix it but im having second thoghts cause BMW parts are expensive...
Apex wheels? How you like them? Any difference between them and stock in handling?
matreyia they are VMR 710s not much of a difference although i can fit a bigger tire with them so yes they will handle slightly better
What kind of power you making? I keep hearing boltons, hell even just a tun puts these things at 350whpish and over 400wtrq...if so thats crazy.
SimplyJustRandomness well i am running intercooler, downpipe, go fast bits diverter valve, tune and 4 gallons of e85 the rest 93. Stock fueling and turbo i made 380 whp and 475 ft lbs at the wheels which i do agree is alot and more than enough for the 135i. The older models with the n54 make even more power but are a bit more problematic.
@@brettkrehling8738 Very nice...and the money to get those gains is minimal vs other cars that are NA...honestly its been out of one of these and a used c6 corvette for me...I honestly think im gonna go with the 135i n55...I mean a grand or two into one of these its walking the vette with ease...and already has the turbo setup ready for future engine builds if needed.
sometimes while driving I push on the peddle and the car doesn't rev up or accelerate. Any thoughts?
Looking for a good BMW tuner shop in south Fl. Anyone know of one? Live in palm beach county area. 50 miles from Miami.
what rims you got
I really appreciated this video. In on the hunt for an 135is so this is great info for me to inquire on if ever i find one. Did you do the work yourself (fuel pimp, water pump, etc)? Just wondering if these are pretty easy to work on or really require a BMw mechanic. Thanks
Fuel pump, coils, chargepipe etc isnt too hard but water pump and installing downpipes can be a pain in the ass as you need to be under the car wrenching. better with another person if you do it yourself.
Just snagged a 135is dct lol, any luck finding one?
Hi bro, what tires and rims r u running
You should look into contacting justin whitted and getting a custom tune from twisted. He really woke my car up with the E30 tune
Nice ride.
How much miles on yours?
My 2013 335ix is surging in 3rd gear at around 3k rpm qny ideas
Sounds like a n54 motor issues besides the turbo wastegate rattle
great video... bro..
Any issues with your battery?? Also, I had mine starting and having a rough idle, press on the gas pedal and instead of increasing RPMs, they decreased, like having vacuum issues. Shortly after that, before I could even take a video, it shuts off. Then it didn’t start, like if battery is bad. No codes whatsoever!! It also has that squicky sound from the alternator area, and I think is one of those pullies.
What happened?
@@thinkingagain5966 So when had the battery issue, got it replaced and all good. But when it had the idle issue that I explained, a coworker told me to use Royal Purple Max Clean Fuel System and to floor it couple times since I barely touch 4K RPMs. Without a walnut blast, it never had that issue again!!
Agreed on this video
I’m planning to buy a 2008-2011 bmw 135i under 11k and I’m just scared if it’s expensive to fix and the bmw 135i that I found under 11k has 75k miles
I hope you didn't buy the car, bro. The only 135i I would consider buying is the 2013 model. N55s are more reliable than the N54.
@@richardsucks yeah I already bought a 2007 335i 84k miles but right now I’ve already had it for 4 months and it’s already having some problems lol
@@jtparreno4387 Ah fuck, that sucks man. I honestly wish you luck in those repairs. If you have already, you should check out the 3 series forums. Lots of good help there .
@@richardsucks aren’t 135i 2011 n55 as well?
Thanks man
Mind sharing your wheel specs? Looks awesome!
Looks like vmr wheels
I might have a boost solenoid going bad did u replace yours if so what symptoms did u experience?
Shame you never got an answer to this question. Boost control solenoids are up there with the most simple of all systems on any turbo car. I find it absolutely inconceivable that one can "go bad", as Brett mentions in the video. Does the solenoid cease opening with electrical pulses? Do the air passages in the solenoid become blocked with oily blow-by residue? Who manufactures the solenoids? Again-it's hard to accept that a boost control solenoid can simply "go bad" in a car built this side of the millennium.
EDIT: I'm not an N55 expert but the electronic wastegate is something I've not had much experience with. I'm guessing this is what goes bad and I'm buggered if I know what would cause it.
Which plugs do you run?
How much did it cost you to replace all the problematic parts. Just wondering
All the parts i replaced myself. So for maintenance it was.
Hpfp:400$
Plugs:100$ ngk
Coils: 200$ delphi
Boost solenoid: 170$ oem
Valve cover and gasket: 200$
Oil filter housing gaskets: 70$
Alternator: 400$
Battery 200$
Tmap and maf sensor:400$
Great vid, have 66k on mine. How much have you expend in those maintains?
I think you got exhausts for the 4 series 😂
Sir how much did it cost you for all the aftermarket repairs?
Oukiza all repairs were done with oem parts. Id say i have somewhere in the 2000$ in parts alone