e91 335i. The Unicorn.

[Gray]

That's amazing, well played sir!

I've owned my E91 330D LCI for 18 months now... Cannot see me changing it anytime soon.

 

[yeecup]

I'd say you were missing something lol.

Rare car,
Mint,
Mileage
Fast,
Looks spot on.

its a nice car yes. nothing to shoot your load over though iaf.

 

[imprezaworks]

Should have told me that a few days ago :/

 

[Sir_Dave]

Wow!! Did not see this coming dave!
congrats on the wee one. We got a 3 series for the exact same reason although the touring would’ve been better!
when’s collection day? I also didn’t realise they put in an oil temp gauge which is good. I take it that was an LCI thing?

Thanks! We're both super excited about the little person ...
It needs to understand that cars are life early on though, hence the insistence on 6 cylinder turbos for getting about haha.
Oil Temp Gauge was standard on the 335i's of all ages, not on other cars though annoyingly.

I might be missing something but it looks like any other bm estate. 🤷‍♂️
If was an m car or alpina?

Thats the idea. Like the 335d before it, there is mild amusement to be had with a nigh on 400bhp 3 series estate

Also interested. I’m thinking £13k

Nowhere near lol.

I like it, nice car.
Proper tunable if that’s your bag with subtle looks, what’s not to like.

Yup, i'll likely fit the Intercooler/chargepipe from the e90 and go JB4, can still use BMW warranty then ... (all easily removeable)

That's an excellent purchase Dave. Might even be reliable at that mileage!

Hopefully, although it currently smells of petrol occasionally. All the injectors are dry (mixture of Index 7 & 9 so some of those have been changed as well), so its likely that someone (BMW) has changed the fuel pump/regulator and not reseated the seal properly. There is evidence (as per below) that someone has been under the rear seats (middle belt not re-fitted correctly), so ill be checking that over Christmas.

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Very nice, as a former 330i e91 lci manual owner. I know how difficult it is to find.
I woulc have paid Strong money myself it was manual. And j am not even looking for a car!
Well played.

Your old one was stunning! I often looked at yours and "Keith" off M3cutters as examples of how to do it right

Needs more wood...
Lovely car, pretty much perfect.

I agree
Will be fitting the light walnut out of the 335i at some point ...

Just after i collected it, with Sarah's ever present TT:

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Some photos of it at home in Cornwall, cant wait to see it again at Christmas!

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

 

[MarkCup]

Am I thick in never before realising you've a, sort of, personal plate on Sarah's car?

Or am I thick in thinking that out loud and seeing something that's not there?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Yup, it was spaced as "AH 52RAH" for years (like mine were D8VY J & D3VY J), but then we both got older/more sensible and changed them all to legal spacing.

 

[Ian_182]

Congrats on the little one and just lol at that TT, its a time machine. You must have had it as long as ive had the civic if not longer.

 

[v15ben]

335i looks lovely.
I see D4VY J most mornings on my commute.
I'll have to ask him how much he wants, so you can complete the set!

 

[deanoE30M3]

The 335 looks lovely, cracking spec nice find!

I’d say you paid anything from £16,000 to £20,000 you may of gone past the £20,000 mark but you’d really really want it..

 

[Crybert]

The 335 looks lovely, cracking spec nice find!

I’d say you paid anything from £16,000 to £20,000 you may of gone past the £20,000 mark but you’d really really want it..

Really?! I thought it would’ve been about 13 but I’m wrong

 

[terryc101]

Really?! I thought it would’ve been about 13 but I’m wrong

Was advertised for £12k iirc. As if anyone is going to pay 20k for an e91 😅

 

[deanoE30M3]

Really?! I thought it would’ve been about 13 but I’m wrong

I was going by what I saw advertised once I saw it!

Was advertised for £12k iirc. As if anyone is going to pay 20k for an e91 😅

well if it was up for £12,000 then that’s a good price considering the miles and spec!
I was going of by what he said about the price too..

 

[Sir_Dave]

Was advertised for £12k iirc. As if anyone is going to pay 20k for an e91 [emoji28]

Nope, you’re thinking of a different car, this one wasn’t advertised for £12k as far as im aware.

Congrats on the little one and just lol at that TT, its a time machine. You must have had it as long as ive had the civic if not longer.

She’s had it since May 2008!! Bought it on 64k, now on 140k. Great car, she’ll never sell it lol.

 

[Not a Diesel!!!]

Is that rear wheel arch easy to sort?

I love the combo of the light interior and sunroof? Beautiful. Such an understated package.

I cannot believe so many went for just black.

Can't be long before all the 320d disappear and it becomes a rare shape like the e46 touring (see occasionally) but never see e30/e36 touring.

 

[deanoE30M3]

Nope, you’re thinking of a different car, this one wasn’t advertised for £12k as far as im aware.

I thought that might of been the case going by the prices of other cars! There’s a nice 335 d done 91k for £11,500!

 

[Krarl]

Yup, it was spaced as "AH 52RAH" for years (like mine were D8VY J & D3VY J), but then we both got older/more sensible and changed them all to legal spacing.

@cat171 would have decked you if not 😂 😂

 

[Christopher]

Yaaaas! Saw on PH and thought you'd have posted on here too. That's lovely! You've got to love how subtle they are for the performance. No chance I'd sell mine now.

LCI but pre-LCI paddles? Weird. Is that an early LCI thing?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Is that rear wheel arch easy to sort?
I love the combo of the light interior and sunroof? Beautiful. Such an understated package.

Hopefully the arch can be pulled out ok, the paint isnt broken, just dented in. The paint damage is on the rear bumper, but as there is also some lacquer peal in the moddle by the boot opening, ill just get the whole thing re-done. Front bumper has a graze on the drivers front corner near the bottom, so that will need sorting at some point as well. Judging by the look of the nooks & crannies, the car has definately not cleaned in a long time, the amount of green moss and hardened tree sap/crap hidden in places is quite mad. Needs a proper going over with de-contaminents, clay bar and a polisher i think.

Yaaaas! Saw on PH and thought you'd have posted on here too. That's lovely! You've got to love how subtle they are for the performance. No chance I'd sell mine now.
LCI but pre-LCI paddles? Weird. Is that an early LCI thing?

I think so yeah, from my understanding, the paddles came in with the N55 on the 335i, so as this is an N54, it comes with the rockers instead. I dont mind them actually, once they're re-wried it means you can pull the right for up, left for down as per normal, but still go up/down with one hand if you want.

Had a go at finding out where the "fuel smell" is coming from over Xmas. Bit stumped now really, under bonnet/injectors etc are dry, both fuel pump and regulator are dry under the rear seat, fuel vent pipe (from the filler) has no cracks/rubbing marks, so the only thing i can think of is that some fuel has been spilt somewhere. There is a small patch in the drivers rear footwell that smells of petrol, so if the fuel pump has been out and they didnt dry it before that could be the route of the smell - especially if the car hasnt been used/just been laid up somewhere. Might just have to purchase 300 magic trees and scatter them throughout the cabin

Pls excuse the paint on my sisters 107, it faded so dad repainted it 😂


Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

 

[Silent_Scone]

Ace backstory to this one, then. Epic purchase

 

[Panda.]

Would love to repaint your sisters back end.

 

[Christopher]

I think so yeah, from my understanding, the paddles came in with the N55 on the 335i, so as this is an N54, it comes with the rockers instead. I dont mind them actually, once they're re-wried it means you can pull the right for up, left for down as per normal, but still go up/down with one hand if you want.

Had a go at finding out where the "fuel smell" is coming from over Xmas. Bit stumped now really, under bonnet/injectors etc are dry, both fuel pump and regulator are dry under the rear seat, fuel vent pipe (from the filler) has no cracks/rubbing marks, so the only thing i can think of is that some fuel has been spilt somewhere. There is a small patch in the drivers rear footwell that smells of petrol, so if the fuel pump has been out and they didnt dry it before that could be the route of the smell - especially if the car hasnt been used/just been laid up somewhere. Might just have to purchase 300 magic trees and scatter them throughout the cabin

Fuel returns dry too? The little o rings fail and weep out too don't they? Might be just a D thing.

 

[Christopher]

Nope, you’re thinking of a different car, this one wasn’t advertised for £12k as far as im aware.

I'm going for £14k, given the spec/mileage/no wind deflectors and spare HPFP in the boot...

 

[-Rob]

Space Grey BMWs are epic, I’m biased though!
Great spec on this, just needs a manual swap for me to be a perfect family wagon.

 

[Darren S]

Looks good!

What makes it 'rare' as such? Not wanting to sound like I'm being condescending - just interested. Is it the shape/engine/year of release?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Fuel returns dry too? The little o rings fail and weep out too don't they? Might be just a D thing.

Cheers for the suggestion, will check the equivalent part on the 335i when i go and collect it in Feb

I'm going for £14k, given the spec/mileage/no wind deflectors and spare HPFP in the boot...

Thats probably what its worth realistically i reckon, £14-15k, then maybe £30k from Hexagon

Space Grey BMWs are epic, I’m biased though!
Great spec on this, just needs a manual swap for me to be a perfect family wagon.

Funny you should say that, a manual space grey appeared the other day for £8.5k, did have 120k miles on it though. On the flipside, whilst the manuals are fine above 30, i am getting a bit fed up of the low speed behaviour of the e90 335i, although i could always remove the CDV.

Looks good!
What makes it 'rare' as such? Not wanting to sound like I'm being condescending - just interested. Is it the shape/engine/year of release?

Mainly as they simply didnt make very many. Howmanyleft suggest that only 25 LCI 335i Tourings were registered in 2008-2010 (20 in 2009) and they dont really come up for sale very often, some are N54, some are N55 as well. When they do appear, they are either really expensive, high mileage, and/or rubbish spec. This was great VFM, super low mileage & decent spec

 

[Christopher]

Cheers for the suggestion, will check the equivalent part on the 335i when i go and collect it in Feb

Thats probably what its worth realistically i reckon, £14-15k, then maybe £30k from Hexagon

Aye, fair enough.

Definitely worth checking the return line seals, yeah. Cheap fix if so!

 

[Ant1]

Hopefully the arch can be pulled out ok, the paint isnt broken, just dented in. The paint damage is on the rear bumper, but as there is also some lacquer peal in the moddle by the boot opening, ill just get the whole thing re-done. Front bumper has a graze on the drivers front corner near the bottom, so that will need sorting at some point as well. Judging by the look of the nooks & crannies, the car has definately not cleaned in a long time, the amount of green moss and hardened tree sap/crap hidden in places is quite mad. Needs a proper going over with de-contaminents, clay bar and a polisher i think.



I think so yeah, from my understanding, the paddles came in with the N55 on the 335i, so as this is an N54, it comes with the rockers instead. I dont mind them actually, once they're re-wried it means you can pull the right for up, left for down as per normal, but still go up/down with one hand if you want.

Had a go at finding out where the "fuel smell" is coming from over Xmas. Bit stumped now really, under bonnet/injectors etc are dry, both fuel pump and regulator are dry under the rear seat, fuel vent pipe (from the filler) has no cracks/rubbing marks, so the only thing i can think of is that some fuel has been spilt somewhere. There is a small patch in the drivers rear footwell that smells of petrol, so if the fuel pump has been out and they didnt dry it before that could be the route of the smell - especially if the car hasnt been used/just been laid up somewhere. Might just have to purchase 300 magic trees and scatter them throughout the cabin

Pls excuse the paint on my sisters 107, it faded so dad repainted it 😂

View attachment 1448217
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View attachment 1448218
Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr
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Untitled by Sir_Dave, on Flickr

More pressing questions needed, like how many cars could I get on that drive/verge? 🤔🤔

 

[Sir_Dave]

More pressing questions needed, like how many cars could I get on that drive/verge? 🤔🤔

Hundreds lol. Double garage, couple of acres of fields, plus the concrete yard!

Picked the 335i up yesterday in preparation for @Clart collecting the M135i.

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All three together:

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Just 335i things.

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As you can see above, the journey back was eventful, id also forgotten my Carly adapter which wasnt ideal. Speedo basically starting wobbling, speed changing constantly, so was thinking "oh sh1t!", then got the xmas tree lights and the dashboard of doom, then cruise stopped working. Car held speed fine by itself though, so assumed abs sensor or similar. Get home and wheel speed sensor was confirmed - the one that the dealer fitted before sale, so it was either a super pikey part, or not fitted correctly. Will sort this week:

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One down, one to go:

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Initial thoughts now ive done 700 miles in it (more than it did in the 12 months previously!) are:
1. It still smells of fuel, although its now fuel mixed with magic tree
2. The gearbox is pretty sh1t compared to the M135i - Ill be putting XHP stage 2 as a matter of urgency once i find my Ctek.
3. I miss comfort/sport modes from the M135i in terms of the chassis/throttle/noise changes.
4. The steering is far slower than the M135i, but it has sooooooo much more actual feel.
5. Because of the gearbox, it doesnt feel that quick, deffo slower than the 1er currently.
6. There is a shed load more space in the back seats than the M135i. Plus the boot is far more useful.
7. The silver cube trim is awful against the lemon leather, but i dont think wood will suit it. Mind have to try and find some piano black, but its always £££'s!!!
8. Considering its low mileage, the interior is pretty dirty/grim in places and a few pieces of trim are damaged/need replacing.
9. No combox, so no music streaming/album art etc is annoying, need to get one bought and fitted.
10. The standard speakers are sh1t. Alpine retrofit or MBQuart/Vibe setup like the 335d will be fitted at some point.

Despite all of the above, it genuinely feels like ive bought a new e91 335i. Everything just feels so tight and new, especially the suspension/steering etc, no knocks, rattles or bumps. My only question now is whether to keep up the service history at BMW or not. It needs a oil/brake fluid service now, but A. its only done 2k miles/2 years since the last one and B. i really hate taking my cars down there. If i want to put warranty on it, or sell it at any point, having FSH would be useful, so i could take it to a specialist for the better "experience", but then, im paying nearly BMW money, so might as well go there.

Or i could just keep it forever and do it myself. Being honest, my initial idea was just to sell it on, but i think i'll probably keep it a while now.

So all in all, like the other 335i, its currently a good car, that will be made into a very good car over time. And everyone loves a good project!

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Hang on, what's the blue one?

 

[Sir_Dave]

Hang on, what's the blue one?

Thats this one: https://cliosport.net/threads/buy-an-e90-335i-they-said-itll-be-fun-they-said.824651/
Didnt really use it whilst i had the M135i as it developed a PAS leak. Have now taken a deposit on it, so just need to sort it out and get it collected as well

 

[Cookson]

Just get a spare set of trims and wrap them in piano

 

[Sir_Dave]

Just get a spare set of trims and wrap them in piano

I did think of that, but wrapping just isnt OEM enough for me, it always looks a bit sh1t,no matter how well its been done!
Thought about getting my light walnut sprayed as it would give a much better finish, but that probably wouldnt be much cheaper than buying the proper trim.

 

[Christopher]

Only two BMWs? A mere shell of the Dave we used to know. 😆

Like you say, OE Piano trim is mega money and most wrapped ones look shite. What about grey poplar? Also as rare but it suits the lighter leathers IMO.

I have Fine Aluminium so it doesn't have the cube texture, shame the centre is a scratched like they all are.

 

[Cookson]

Also as rare but it suits the lighter leathers IMO.

Anyone opting for light grey leather should put on a watch list. Peados.

 

[Christopher]

Anyone opting for light grey leather should put on a watch list. Peados.

Oooookaythen!

 

[dan_88]

Want to buy another? 😂

 

[welshname]

Want to buy another? 😂

He bloody will so dont blue balls him 🤣🤣🤣

 

[tuckerj]

Good choice on the touring! But then I’m slightly biased... N54 manual

 

[Christopher]

Not that we're biased but they're f*cking good looking cars

 

[Sir_Dave]

Abs is now fixed courtesy of a £46 Pagid wheel speed sensor.
Apparently the part on the right was replaced at the point i was sold the car, 700 dry miles ago


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