335D and Short Trip Feasibility
Discussion
Hi lads,
New to PH, name is Doug, proud owner of a 2018 LCI Estoril blue 335D F31. Downright the best car I have ever owned for what I need it for. Reading another forum post made me sub as I am in a very similar position.
It has been used to chuck the dogs in the boot, 2 kids in the back and wife and I upfront and hasn't skipped a beat, plenty of grunt and effortless power, overtaking is such a hoot.
I have been looking all over the net and forums for a conclusive answer but struggling a bit. I bought the car nearly new from BMW @ 8k miles on the clock in mid 2019, I was doing higher mileage back then almost 25-30k a year, about a 30 mile each way commute to work and a 700 mile round trip once fortnightly. Mileage at the moment is just a smidge over 55k.
Living up north near Aberdeen Xdrive/AWD is a must for us due to harsh winters. Then enter Covid, car hardly got used for a good period of time, started the commute again early 2022, however, I got a promotion mid Sept meaning the 700 mile round trip is no longer necessary, also the firm I work for deemed my new position meant I could work from home which I gladly obliged.
I have and always will buy my cars cash, I don't like the idea of being tied down to something, or giving it back after a said term...call me old fashioned/weird or stubborn I am not really bothered but it is something my late father instilled in my head and I have no proclivity to finance anything other than a house (especially in current economic climates!).
I usually save up and then part X my vehicles with top them up with cash on top of that every time I upgrade. But with the cost of gas and electricity and just the general cost of living I feel a bit more tentative to upgrade, and I feel we are not passed the worst of it either, and I really LOVE my 335D.
My apologies for this being a bit long winded but I want to find out just how bad it would be to keep my 335D for shorter trips? At the moment it is just a daily 6 mile commute twice a day, so 12 miles a day taking the kids to school and collecting them. Being pedantic by nature I have taken the car up and down the A90 near us for about 40 miles once every 3 weeks, so just how bad is this diesel is bad for short trips and you should never even think of it b
ks?
I cannot find many vehicles that tick all the boxes that the 335D does, I was looking at a 2018 Audi S4 but it is quite a bit pricier than what dealers want to give me for part xing my 335D, best offer I got was £20k for part exchange. Meaning I would need to pay in a minimum of about £4-5k on any of the options I am looking at at the bottom end of my budget, and I just don't see it being worth it, unless the DPF and emissions goodies are going to pack up catastrophically? I understand all cars depreciate but when I see similarly specced F31 335d's going for £25k+ I cannot justify losing 5k just to get a petrol car.
You might be thinking at this stage, get a small petrol or electric run about, I could do this yes, but I have and always will be a car man, wife likes her shopping/nonsense I don't understand, I like sitting in something with more than 300bhp that puts a smile on my face, horses for courses as the saying goes. So I don't want some econobox that when I get in it I feel like I want to roll it to try and get some excitement out of driving it. I know the 335D is not the most exciting car in the world but the torque is addictive and what sold me in the first place. If I could have gotten a F31 340i or 440i GC in Xdrive I would have done it tomorrow, but unfortunately we only got the RWD versions of those in the UK.
I am also not interested in any S3's or chavtastic Golf R hatches, I am in my early 40s and I feel I have left those days behind, and besides they just don't have the space.
I did test a 7 R Estate extensively but it left me somewhat disappointed (please don't crucify me this is just my opinion of the 7 R, many others love them), in a straight line to around 80 I feel the 335D would just edge it, then the Golf would come passed. If you're on it the Golf is wonderfully quick, composed and through the twisty stuff it is amazing compared to the heavy feel of my 335D, however for day to day usability the Golf's gearbox just felt jerky, the throttle pedal felt incredibly laggy unless you popped it in sport with the gearbox in S but then it would hold onto it's gears far too long while in traffic. I just could not see myself getting used to that living with it in a day to day setting. BMW's throttle response and gearbox for daily driving and actually living with are FAR better.
Other petrol options I looked at were a B8.5 S4 Avant, but this feels very dated. New S4 is just a bit too expensive because of the pathetic trade in they want to give me. Newer M340i Tourings are still just under 40k and in the current economic climate I just think that is a bit expensive still.
So, finally I can get to the point. Will shorter trips like this kill my 335D? Or is there a way to keep the car healthy and enjoy it until I upgrade a couple years from now? I feel this car has atleast another 50-70k miles in it before it would need an upgrade.
My pedantic schedule in my head was to buy an OBD2 Scanner (bimmer tool or carly etc) and monitor the DPF once a week and then just take the car and force a regen on the motorway every time the soot gets over 30 or 40g's? I wouldn't know the amount but other forum members could steer me correctly.
I understand this would keep the DPF healthy mostly however would other emissions equipment also go haywire and I be faced with a clogged up mess of carbon in the intake/EGR (Which was replaced by BMW under recall last year along with the EGR cooler).
Could I keep my 335D and run it for the next couple years or will I destroy it?
Part of my mind tells me if this were the case then every X3 or X5/Diesel SUVs out there would be packing up as most are driven for the school run and barely ever get warm, however you never hear of that.
But being such a pedant I thought I would rather ask advice. Thanks, Doug
New to PH, name is Doug, proud owner of a 2018 LCI Estoril blue 335D F31. Downright the best car I have ever owned for what I need it for. Reading another forum post made me sub as I am in a very similar position.
It has been used to chuck the dogs in the boot, 2 kids in the back and wife and I upfront and hasn't skipped a beat, plenty of grunt and effortless power, overtaking is such a hoot.
I have been looking all over the net and forums for a conclusive answer but struggling a bit. I bought the car nearly new from BMW @ 8k miles on the clock in mid 2019, I was doing higher mileage back then almost 25-30k a year, about a 30 mile each way commute to work and a 700 mile round trip once fortnightly. Mileage at the moment is just a smidge over 55k.
Living up north near Aberdeen Xdrive/AWD is a must for us due to harsh winters. Then enter Covid, car hardly got used for a good period of time, started the commute again early 2022, however, I got a promotion mid Sept meaning the 700 mile round trip is no longer necessary, also the firm I work for deemed my new position meant I could work from home which I gladly obliged.
I have and always will buy my cars cash, I don't like the idea of being tied down to something, or giving it back after a said term...call me old fashioned/weird or stubborn I am not really bothered but it is something my late father instilled in my head and I have no proclivity to finance anything other than a house (especially in current economic climates!).
I usually save up and then part X my vehicles with top them up with cash on top of that every time I upgrade. But with the cost of gas and electricity and just the general cost of living I feel a bit more tentative to upgrade, and I feel we are not passed the worst of it either, and I really LOVE my 335D.
My apologies for this being a bit long winded but I want to find out just how bad it would be to keep my 335D for shorter trips? At the moment it is just a daily 6 mile commute twice a day, so 12 miles a day taking the kids to school and collecting them. Being pedantic by nature I have taken the car up and down the A90 near us for about 40 miles once every 3 weeks, so just how bad is this diesel is bad for short trips and you should never even think of it b
ks?I cannot find many vehicles that tick all the boxes that the 335D does, I was looking at a 2018 Audi S4 but it is quite a bit pricier than what dealers want to give me for part xing my 335D, best offer I got was £20k for part exchange. Meaning I would need to pay in a minimum of about £4-5k on any of the options I am looking at at the bottom end of my budget, and I just don't see it being worth it, unless the DPF and emissions goodies are going to pack up catastrophically? I understand all cars depreciate but when I see similarly specced F31 335d's going for £25k+ I cannot justify losing 5k just to get a petrol car.
You might be thinking at this stage, get a small petrol or electric run about, I could do this yes, but I have and always will be a car man, wife likes her shopping/nonsense I don't understand, I like sitting in something with more than 300bhp that puts a smile on my face, horses for courses as the saying goes. So I don't want some econobox that when I get in it I feel like I want to roll it to try and get some excitement out of driving it. I know the 335D is not the most exciting car in the world but the torque is addictive and what sold me in the first place. If I could have gotten a F31 340i or 440i GC in Xdrive I would have done it tomorrow, but unfortunately we only got the RWD versions of those in the UK.
I am also not interested in any S3's or chavtastic Golf R hatches, I am in my early 40s and I feel I have left those days behind, and besides they just don't have the space.
I did test a 7 R Estate extensively but it left me somewhat disappointed (please don't crucify me this is just my opinion of the 7 R, many others love them), in a straight line to around 80 I feel the 335D would just edge it, then the Golf would come passed. If you're on it the Golf is wonderfully quick, composed and through the twisty stuff it is amazing compared to the heavy feel of my 335D, however for day to day usability the Golf's gearbox just felt jerky, the throttle pedal felt incredibly laggy unless you popped it in sport with the gearbox in S but then it would hold onto it's gears far too long while in traffic. I just could not see myself getting used to that living with it in a day to day setting. BMW's throttle response and gearbox for daily driving and actually living with are FAR better.
Other petrol options I looked at were a B8.5 S4 Avant, but this feels very dated. New S4 is just a bit too expensive because of the pathetic trade in they want to give me. Newer M340i Tourings are still just under 40k and in the current economic climate I just think that is a bit expensive still.
So, finally I can get to the point. Will shorter trips like this kill my 335D? Or is there a way to keep the car healthy and enjoy it until I upgrade a couple years from now? I feel this car has atleast another 50-70k miles in it before it would need an upgrade.
My pedantic schedule in my head was to buy an OBD2 Scanner (bimmer tool or carly etc) and monitor the DPF once a week and then just take the car and force a regen on the motorway every time the soot gets over 30 or 40g's? I wouldn't know the amount but other forum members could steer me correctly.
I understand this would keep the DPF healthy mostly however would other emissions equipment also go haywire and I be faced with a clogged up mess of carbon in the intake/EGR (Which was replaced by BMW under recall last year along with the EGR cooler).
Could I keep my 335D and run it for the next couple years or will I destroy it?
Part of my mind tells me if this were the case then every X3 or X5/Diesel SUVs out there would be packing up as most are driven for the school run and barely ever get warm, however you never hear of that.
But being such a pedant I thought I would rather ask advice. Thanks, Doug
Doug335D said:
At the moment it is just a daily 6 mile commute twice a day, so 12 miles a day taking the kids to school and collecting them. Being pedantic by nature I have taken the car up and down the A90 near us for about 40 miles once every 3 weeks, so just how bad is this diesel is bad for short trips and you should never even think of it bks?
No IC car will like being used for such short trips, but it's the sort of use that might suit an electric car really well.ks?I'm in a similar position to the OP. I was doing a 50 mile round trip to work in my 330D daily, and then a new job came along, which meant I am now working from home. I cant bring myself to get rid of it, as it does everything I need, and I really do like the car.
Every couple of weeks I'm taking it for a blast up and down the motorway just to keep the DPF etc in good order. I've downloaded Bimmerlink and keeping an eye on the soot/ash levels to make sure it isnt getting full, and so far so good.
Every couple of weeks I'm taking it for a blast up and down the motorway just to keep the DPF etc in good order. I've downloaded Bimmerlink and keeping an eye on the soot/ash levels to make sure it isnt getting full, and so far so good.
Thats What She Said said:
I'm in a similar position to the OP. I was doing a 50 mile round trip to work in my 330D daily, and then a new job came along, which meant I am now working from home. I cant bring myself to get rid of it, as it does everything I need, and I really do like the car.
Every couple of weeks I'm taking it for a blast up and down the motorway just to keep the DPF etc in good order. I've downloaded Bimmerlink and keeping an eye on the soot/ash levels to make sure it isn't getting full, and so far so good.
Thanks for that, how long have you been doing it? And with that what was your soot interval to take it for a run? Also what is your ash/mileage at the moment? Every couple of weeks I'm taking it for a blast up and down the motorway just to keep the DPF etc in good order. I've downloaded Bimmerlink and keeping an eye on the soot/ash levels to make sure it isn't getting full, and so far so good.
I had a friend come around yesterday who had a carly adapter, I am at 55200 odd miles and 17.14g of ash, soot was over 24g though...so went for a 40min run this morning.
I also just can't bring myself to part with my 335D, had a G30 M340i Touring been 10k cheaper I could've justified switching to petrol, a Tesla Model 3 Performance would also be a good shout if it were cheaper, and to be fair the best for the driving I do.
But honestly, I cannot find anything better for our needs as a family where I wouldn't have to pay a substantial amount in on. Had I lived down South I think a F31 340i or 440i GC (although I am not a fan of the pillarless windows) would have made a good substitute, and would've been a tad more exciting to drive quickly, although I would miss the initial shove of the 335D
I don't generally personify things, but my 335D feels like that good looking, curvy in the right places, good personality, reliable and dependable girlfriend...but to keep her happy she needs a date night once every 2 weeks. She does everything I need and want in a car.
I am in a similar position. My 335d is 6 years old, and my mileage has dropped. I don’t intend to sell it, it is too good for that, unless we decide to go down to one car, which is unlikely to be a while. 20 mile round trips, twice a week are usual, with a long distance trip once a month. I will follow this thread, as I too may buy a monitor for soot levels, I don’t have any worries about DPF issues to be honest.
Pica-Pica said:
I am in a similar position. My 335d is 6 years old, and my mileage has dropped. I don’t intend to sell it, it is too good for that, unless we decide to go down to one car, which is unlikely to be a while. 20 mile round trips, twice a week are usual, with a long distance trip once a month. I will follow this thread, as I too may buy a monitor for soot levels, I don’t have any worries about DPF issues to be honest.
Do you do any shorter trips than the 20mile round trip? As the 335D is our only car, the wife also uses it to run up and down to the shop around 2 miles away now and then. I am honestly starting to think that DPF/Emissions equipment issues on short journeys are blasted out of proportion by people who literally do 2-10 miles a day every day for an extended period of time and nothing else, not worrying about giving the car a good run periodically.
As I mentioned in my initial post, if this were the case the soccer moms driving X3/X5's or SQ5's/Q5 diesels would be packing up in mass, but it is almost unheard of.
I think if one just changes the oil regularly (not ridiculous intervals BMW gives for example), keep an eye on soot/ash levels and periodically allow the DPF to regen then all will be fine. However I am not a diesel mechanic and those with more experience could guide us.
I am happy to see though I am not the only one in this position though! Seems quite common.
Doug335D said:
Pica-Pica said:
I am in a similar position. My 335d is 6 years old, and my mileage has dropped. I don’t intend to sell it, it is too good for that, unless we decide to go down to one car, which is unlikely to be a while. 20 mile round trips, twice a week are usual, with a long distance trip once a month. I will follow this thread, as I too may buy a monitor for soot levels, I don’t have any worries about DPF issues to be honest.
Do you do any shorter trips than the 20mile round trip? As the 335D is our only car, the wife also uses it to run up and down to the shop around 2 miles away now and then. I am honestly starting to think that DPF/Emissions equipment issues on short journeys are blasted out of proportion by people who literally do 2-10 miles a day every day for an extended period of time and nothing else, not worrying about giving the car a good run periodically.
As I mentioned in my initial post, if this were the case the soccer moms driving X3/X5's or SQ5's/Q5 diesels would be packing up in mass, but it is almost unheard of.
I think if one just changes the oil regularly (not ridiculous intervals BMW gives for example), keep an eye on soot/ash levels and periodically allow the DPF to regen then all will be fine. However I am not a diesel mechanic and those with more experience could guide us.
I am happy to see though I am not the only one in this position though! Seems quite common.
I've run diesels all my life, without DPF's and now with DPF's.....like you I have done starship mileages (and never had a problem, but change oil frequently and or at service intervals).
The car will be fine on short runs, so long as you interspace longer runs.....every 3 weeks sounds fine. My advice would be on the longer run, once every 3 weeks get it up to temperature then drive it 'spititedly' for a junction or so in a lower gear to get the RPM's higher than normal.
If you want to be pedantic, then buy a service tool which can monitor DPF 'fill rate', this will tell you how full your DPF is as a % number.
Stick with the 335D - its an amzing engine and great to drive.......plus keep the cash in your pocket.
Also add a diesel injector cleaner every 3 months or so, when you are not doing the higher mileages I have found injectors begin to lose performance.
The car will be fine on short runs, so long as you interspace longer runs.....every 3 weeks sounds fine. My advice would be on the longer run, once every 3 weeks get it up to temperature then drive it 'spititedly' for a junction or so in a lower gear to get the RPM's higher than normal.
If you want to be pedantic, then buy a service tool which can monitor DPF 'fill rate', this will tell you how full your DPF is as a % number.
Stick with the 335D - its an amzing engine and great to drive.......plus keep the cash in your pocket.
Also add a diesel injector cleaner every 3 months or so, when you are not doing the higher mileages I have found injectors begin to lose performance.
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