335i N54 / N55
Sold with 2 different engines in this chassis, N54 2006–2010, N55 2010–2011. Both are on this page; they differ in exactly the ways that cost money.
Overview
The 335i is the N54 petrol version of the BMW 3 Series sedan (E90), sold 2006–2010 with 306 PS and manual or automatic. High risk at level 4. The high-pressure fuel pump and injectors both fail, both are expensive, and neither is reliably detectable on a warm test drive. 19 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.
BMW 3 Series sedan (E90) · photo BMW E90 kallerna by kallerna · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ranked by probability × repair cost. 19 recorded in total.
Risk level −33 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →
Ranked by probability × repair cost. 18 recorded in total.
Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −26 · all issues →
Which engine
| Engine | Years | Facelift | Power | Torque | Risk | Issues | Good buy | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N54 | 2006–2010 | both | 306 PS | 400 Nm | R4 | 19 | €7,350 | Fast, tuneable and structurally sound, and cheap for a reason. Only buy one with a receipt file. |
| N55 | 2010–2011 | LCI | 306 PS | 400 Nm | R3 | 18 | €11,700 | The N54's performance without the fuel-system lottery, the sensible way to own a fast E9x. |
335i N54B30 2006–2010
BMW's first modern turbo six. Strong bottom end, huge tuning headroom, and a fuel and boost system that bills you in €800 increments forever.
Risk 4, High risk. The high-pressure fuel pump and injectors both fail, both are expensive, and neither is reliably detectable on a warm test drive.
Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both
The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.
| Phase | Years | Low | Average | High | Good buy | What differs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pre Pre-facelift | 2006–2007 | €6,300 | €8,400 | €11,800 | €7,350 | The specification the car launched with. |
| LCI Facelift (LCI) | 2008–2010 | €6,850 | €9,150 | €12,850 | €8,000 | Revised front and rear lights and bumpers; Interior trim and iDrive updates; N53 replaced N52 in most European markets; N57 replaced M57 in the 330d |
Known issues, ranked by expected cost
Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.
Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 19 issues in full →
Pre-purchase inspection
The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.
1Cold startYou get one. If the engine is warm when you arrive, come back another day.
2Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.
3On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.
4PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.
5OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.
Mileage and servicing
What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.
Mileage matters less than the receipt file. A 200,000 km car with the pump, injectors and turbos already done is lower risk than a 120,000 km car with none of it, because the second one still owes all that money and it tends to come due at once. Short-trip cars coke their valves faster than motorway cars.
| Service item | Interval | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Engine oil BMW's longer intervals are hard on turbos and VANOS | 10,000–12,000 km | €120–170 |
| Spark plugs Turbo engines eat plugs; the resulting misfires get misdiagnosed as injectors | 40,000–50,000 km | €200–350 |
| Walnut blast Not in the service book, and nonetheless due | ~80,000 km | €400–700 |
| Automatic fluid + pan "Lifetime" is the gearbox's lifetime, not yours | 80,000–100,000 km | €400–600 |
What to pay
What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.
Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.
United States vs Europe
1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.
- ModelBMW 3 Series 335i
- ChassisE90
- EngineN54
- Years2006–2010
- MarketCentral EU
- Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →
Buyer notes
Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.
Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.
Full specification
Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.
| Engine code | N54B30 |
| Configuration | I6, twin-turbo · 2979 cc |
| Fuel / injection | petrol · direct |
| Model years | 2006–2010 |
| Facelift phase | Sold either side of the 2008 facelift, 2006–2007 pre, 2008–2010 LCI |
| Power / torque | 306 PS · 400 Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF) |
| Gearbox families | Getrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | RWD · xDrive |
| Economy (real-world) | 10–13 l/100 km mixed |
| Markets | EU · US |
335i N55B30 2010–2011
The N54's replacement and the fix for most of its faults. Same output, one turbo, no fuel-pump epidemic. The obvious answer if the budget stretches.
Risk 3, Demands diligence. Fixes the N54's fuel-pump problem but keeps a plastic valve cover with an integrated PCV, a charge pipe, a water pump and an unavoidable carbon service.
Known issues, ranked by expected cost
Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.
Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once. All 18 issues in full →
Pre-purchase inspection
The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.
1Static checksEngine off, ideally on a lift.
2On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.
3PaperworkOn these cars the folder is most of the value.
4OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.
Mileage and servicing
What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.
Late-production cars with 150,000–200,000 km are common and fine. So check for the valve cover and water pump having been done, and treat a walnut blast as due at 80,000 km intervals no matter what the seller says.
| Service item | Interval | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut blast Direct injection with no port wash; it's a maintenance item, not a fault | ~80,000 km | €400–700 |
| Engine oil Turbo and Valvetronic longevity | 10,000–12,000 km | €120–170 |
| Automatic or DCT fluid Neither box is genuinely sealed for life | 80,000–100,000 km (DCT ~60,000 km) | €400–900 |
| Charge pipe An aluminium replacement permanently removes a limp-mode failure | preventive | €150–400 |
What to pay
What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.
Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.
United States vs Europe
1 EUR = 1.08 USD ·US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.
- ModelBMW 3 Series 335i
- ChassisE90
- EngineN55
- Years2010–2011
- MarketCentral EU
- Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07
Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →
Buyer notes
Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.
Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.
Full specification
Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.
| Engine code | N55B30 |
| Configuration | I6, single twin-scroll turbo · 2979 cc |
| Fuel / injection | petrol · direct |
| Model years | 2010–2011 |
| Facelift phase | Facelift (LCI) only, from 2008 |
| Power / torque | 306 PS · 400 Nm |
| Transmissions | 6-speed manual · 6-speed automatic (ZF) · 7-speed DCT |
| Gearbox families | Getrag six-speed manual · ZF 6HP19 / 6HP21 six-speed automatic · Getrag seven-speed M-DCT |
| Drivetrain | RWD · xDrive |
| Economy (real-world) | 9.5–12.5 l/100 km mixed |
| Markets | EU · US |