[PiMaxC]

Morning everyone,

I just got my first Bimmer yesterday a 2013 335i X-Drive this is my daily and I'm looking to hold onto it as long as I can. Are there any mods or work you might recommend to increase the reliability of this car?

I searched and went through the first 6 or so pages of results and couldn't find anything, but if someone with the patience or knowledge of a previous thread knows of somewhere else to look, my apologies.

I know there are some parts in the engine bay that are plastic and tend to crack over time and with cold weather that can be replaced with metal, carbon, or silicone. So that is one kind of preventative upgrade I was thinking of doing, but I'm sure those aren't the only parts that could stand to be a bit more robust. Have you run into any parts that tend to fail prematurely that have an aftermarket or OEM upmarket (like M performance) replacement that are more reliable than stock?

[Jelly_Belly]

Il post the answer with supporting/ relative threads underneath.
The main issue with N55s with oil starvation when driven hard or neglected due to poor service intervals.

Mods: MMR N55 baffle on Xdrive models/RWD or the S55 sump and pan on RWD models.

Upgraded bearings are also nice.

https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1891245

https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1474653

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1953038

The N55 was installed in the 2 series, 3 series, 4 series and 5 series. With different variations depending on the exact model.

If you have any specific questions ask away

[BMWILUVU]

The B58 has upgraded its engine heat insulation to retain heat and avoid rapid heat cycling. This improves the lifetime of its plastic engine parts. I don't know if the N55 has upgrades in this area but I would look into it since it would be my biggest concern: plastic engine parts lifetime. There are too many of those to replace all at once and its costly. I would look for anything which prolongs lifetime.

[Jelly_Belly]

Originally Posted by BMWILUVU

The B58 has upgraded its engine heat insulation to retain heat and avoid rapid heat cycling. This improves the lifetime of its plastic engine parts. I don't know if the N55 has upgrades in this area but I would look into it since it would be my biggest concern: plastic engine parts lifetime. There are too many of those to replace all at once and its costly. I would look for anything which prolongs lifetime.

I know we can upgrade the charge pipe to metal, its a popular mod for people who start tuning their engines.

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-F30-33.../Charge_Pipes/

Theres also the intake inlet that can be upgraded to aluminum

https://burgertuning.com/products/bm...w-intake-inlet

[Fliplegend]

When you do your cooling system refresh, upgrade the mickey mouse ears.

[McGyv3r]

The n55 is a pretty reliable engine, as long as it's maintained. Make sure you keep enough cash on hand to either DIY or send to the mechanic as issues arise. Try not to delay repairs because the cost will stack up when you do get around to it.

BMWs are not cheap to maintain, but they can be reliable.

If you're going to DIY, buy a Bentley manual. Here's my build thread if you want to see how I did stuff:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1848839

Preventative Top Items:
- Keep you oil changed at 5-7k intervals, always pour some oil into the filter housing to prevent dry starting
- Cold side charge pipe should be upgraded
- flush your diff and transmission fluid
- Flush your coolant
- Flush and bleed your brake fluid
- Replace any plastic cooling system parts that look chocolatey like a tootsie roll, that means they're ready to break
- Change your Oil Filter Housing Gasket if it's leaking (this may cause your drive belt to slip and get forced into the engine)
- If you need to change 1 spark plug or coil, change all 6 of each
- Change your mickey mouse flange if it's original (critical)
- replace your drive belts and pulleys every 30k miles or so. I've heard they won't look old, but will stretch and suddenly fail.

Again, this is all basic maintenance, just keep up with it.

Also, only use quality fuel of the correct octane. I think a lot of the spun rod bearings are from dry starts after oil changes or OFHG changes or a bad knock from crappy fuel.

[thejeremyman9]

Slight amendments to above:

You dont flush the transmission, you change the pan with integrated filter and the fluid

Oil starvation from high Gs isnt an issue for a street car

in addition to mickey mouse ears, replace the hose to the coolant expansion tank

finally, the CCV hose can also become brittle over time, although it usually doesnt break unless you touch it. and if you are going to replace the stock inlet with aftermarket, get the silicone MST v2 or CTS, not the BMS one linked above

[F32Fleet]

Mickey mouse flange.
Change ATF
Change Diff fluid
Change coolant.
Stay on top of maintenance (Oil Changes, brake fluid changes).

Enjoy the car.

[fortythirtyfive]

Originally Posted by BMWILUVU

The B58 has upgraded its engine heat insulation to retain heat and avoid rapid heat cycling. This improves the lifetime of its plastic engine parts. I don't know if the N55 has upgrades in this area but I would look into it since it would be my biggest concern: plastic engine parts lifetime. There are too many of those to replace all at once and its costly. I would look for anything which prolongs lifetime.

The amount of times I tried explaining this point to people on here, I've been attempting to fix my adaptive icons issue. I retrofitted them and the N55 literally cooks the module closest to right side of the engine where there's no insulation.

Glad to hear somebody else chime in with this knowledge.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by PiMaxC

Morning everyone,

I just got my first Bimmer yesterday a 2013 335i X-Drive this is my daily and I'm looking to hold onto it as long as I can. Are there any mods or work you might recommend to increase the reliability of this car?

I searched and went through the first 6 or so pages of results and couldn't find anything, but if someone with the patience or knowledge of a previous thread knows of somewhere else to look, my apologies.

I know there are some parts in the engine bay that are plastic and tend to crack over time and with cold weather that can be replaced with metal, carbon, or silicone. So that is one kind of preventative upgrade I was thinking of doing, but I'm sure those aren't the only parts that could stand to be a bit more robust. Have you run into any parts that tend to fail prematurely that have an aftermarket or OEM upmarket (like M performance) replacement that are more reliable than stock?

There are replacement parts that are better than stock. And things you can do proactively to stay ahead of maintenance. You chose a great car. How many miles are on it? You should collect all of the maintenance history that you can to know what has already been replaced and when. Glovebox receipts, Carfax and have a dealer print you out a maintenance history using your VIN number.

Immediately fix any oil leaks because they can quickly domino into much more expensive repairs. Use a flashlight to examine. Most common leaks:
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Valve Cover Gasket- leak begins in rear
Oilpan Gasket

Plastic charge pipes tend to crack. Link to a great aluminum replacement kit.

https://www.kiesmotorsports.com/prod...5cb1&_ss=r
?aff=22

Do coolant service by replacing coolant along with the top return hose and the "Mickey Mouse" hose. Replace the plastic MM fitting with aluminum. See part numbers in photos.

Replace spark plugs with stock Bosch plugs at stock gap out of the box and coils with Eldor coils.

There's an EGR hose that's usually bad. See photo.

Replace air filter with a drop-in aFe Pro Dry filter that's washable and reusable. See photo.

Then there are replacement parts that are much better than stock for a substantial improvement:

Hawk 5.0 brake pads- see photo
Grey Calipers are Front 340mm/Rear 330mm
Blue 335i Calipers are F370/R345

Koni Special Active struts/shocks

Non-runflat tires such as all season Continental DWS06+ or summer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Tire size upgrade: if stock tires are 225/45-18 then 245/40-18 ride and handle much better

Watch Kies Motorsports YouTube channel for lots of how to videos.

https://youtube.com/c/KiesMotorsports

Hope this helps!

[Jelly_Belly]

Man this thread is shaping up to the be the mother of all N55 reliability thread LOL.

iv seen these options here and there, but its the first time everything is crystal clear in one place.

I actually might get those FTP Charge pipes! they look amazing, and the AFE filter also looks to be the solution i may have been looking for.. Any idea if the AFE will offer increased intake noise like those K&N filters claim?

[PiMaxC]

Wow thank you everyone I agree this is turning into a great thread. Maybe we can get this stickied or something.

[Jelly_Belly]

A lot of these parts fit the 1 series and 3 series... But nothing on the M235i. I wonder if thats just because my car is rare and they forgot about it, or if theres an actual difference with the motor... but there shouldnt be

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by Jelly_Belly

Man this thread is shaping up to the be the mother of all N55 reliability thread LOL.

iv seen these options here and there, but its the first time everything is crystal clear in one place.

I actually might get those FTP Charge pipes! they look amazing, and the AFE filter also looks to be the solution i may have been looking for.. Any idea if the AFE will offer increased intake noise like those K&N filters claim?

FTP charge pipes are fine.

AFE drop in filter is maybe 5-10% increase in sound over stock all else being equal

[thejeremyman9]

Originally Posted by Jelly_Belly

A lot of these parts fit the 1 series and 3 series... But nothing on the M235i. I wonder if thats just because my car is rare and they forgot about it, or if theres an actual difference with the motor... but there shouldnt be

Most engine parts fit both, which are you talking about?

[Jelly_Belly]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

Most engine parts fit both, which are you talking about?

the mickey mouse flange and coolant hose. Logically it should be bolt on, the N55 in my car and the 3 series are identical aside from the forged rods and crankshaft. But thats all internal stuff

[McGyv3r]

Originally Posted by thejeremyman9

You dont flush the transmission, you change the pan with integrated filter and the fluid

Well, some of us don't have transmission pans to change and can only flush.

[QuestMCoupe]

I was actually about to post a thread asking for some maintenance items to look for at 100k...this thread has pretty much answered that for me. The info is much appreciated!

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by fortythirtyfive

The amount of times I tried explaining this point to people on here, I've been attempting to fix my adaptive icons issue. I retrofitted them and the N55 literally cooks the module closest to right side of the engine where there's no insulation.

Glad to hear somebody else chime in with this knowledge.

Any literature to back that up? IIRC the grill vanes were used to improve fuel efficiency and have nothing to do with parts longevity.