330d Recommendations

[stedaley]

I have been in the Car buying forum and have been told to consider the 330d for the daily duties.

I've always been a fan of the touring, so considering either the e9X of the early F3x models.

I'm not a BMW / German Car expert so would be appreciative of any things to look for / avoid.

There seems to be a lot of either bone stock 330d or highly modified 330d. What are the does and don'ts when it comes to it? DPF/EGR/Swirl flaps? Any experienced BMW owners?

I have mainly stayed in the Japanese realm, but it seems for adding another to the fleet a 330d seems the sweet spot.

I have head good things about the ZF8 box that is in the newer F3X vs the older 6 speed auto, its also in the ISF which I know is a car I will own one day, as well as the N47 vs M47 chatter of timing chain replacements. A lot of the cars I've seen today have had the timing chains replaced. I am looking at the higher mileage examples.

Any user feedback would be appreciated. I no doubt will have more questions.

Thanks

[d_a_n1979]

stedaley said:

I have been in the Car buying forum and have been told to consider the 330d for the daily duties.

I've always been a fan of the touring, so considering either the e9X of the early F3x models.

I'm not a BMW / German Car expert so would be appreciative of any things to look for / avoid.

There seems to be a lot of either bone stock 330d or highly modified 330d. What are the does and don'ts when it comes to it? DPF/EGR/Swirl flaps? Any experienced BMW owners?

I have mainly stayed in the Japanese realm, but it seems for adding another to the fleet a 330d seems the sweet spot.

I have head good things about the ZF8 box that is in the newer F3X vs the older 6 speed auto, its also in the ISF which I know is a car I will own one day, as well as the N47 vs M47 chatter of timing chain replacements. A lot of the cars I've seen today have had the timing chains replaced. I am looking at the higher mileage examples.

Any user feedback would be appreciated. I no doubt will have more questions.

Thanks

What's your budget and what are your 'must haves' (ie heated seats, pro nav, memory seats, HK stereo, xenons, power tailgate, larger M Sport brakes etc)?

One thing I'd say is essential is proof of decent service history (and not just the iDrive updates, but receipts/invoices too etc); least that way you know even with high miles, its been looked after/maintained properly etc

When I was looking, literally this time last year; I test drove a few F30 and F31 330Ds and 320Ds; a lot of them had no SH at all bar the iDrive; were either very overpriced or really basic and didn't tick the boxes I wanted to tick etc..

Came down to the F31 325D M Sport I have now and an F31 330D M Sport that was local to us (which sold before I could even get to test drive it again and sort a deal); but very happy with the F31 325D and glad I went with it (pro nav, KH stereo, larger Blue 370/345mm Brembo brakes, heated seats, power tailgate, xenons etc)

Due diligence is key; but also getting the best car you can for your budget is ideal

Personally I wouldn't have one without xenons fitted, one car we tested had the basic halogen headlights and they were bloody awful. The Blue Brembo brakes are superb; as is the HK stereo. Pro nav looks better; but you can soon retrofit an aftermarket kit if you so wished which gives you Android/Apple Play etc. The brakes can soon be retrofitted also

The ZF8 is a superb box also; definitely the best autobox I've ever had. Super smooth and goes through the gears brilliantly...

[sortedcossie]

We've had an 08 Pre-LCI E91 330d for 8 years now, took it from 77k to 125k which is nothing for one of these. About to part ways with it.

It's been a really good vehicle for us. There will be many opinions about these, but i'll just list my thoughts from ownership:

1) If you have the MV3 wheels, they are like chocolate. We've had 1 crack and 3 buckle, all genuine wheels too not dodgy copies.

2) There has been a million topics about run flats versus normal tyres. I stuck with run flats, we get good mileage out of them and haven't had an issue with road noise. With no spare wheel i didn't want the risk, got breakdown cover and slime in the boot for temp repairs.

3) E9x are no spring chickens now, so suspension components may need refreshing. We have shocks and various bushes replaced.

4) I've found ours to be mechanically spot on, the only items in 8 years that we've had that I would all extra to service consumables are one battery, a starter motor and the two thermostats replaced. That's it, over 40,000 miles of use.

5) We have an F31 335d to, the 8 speed in that is a totally different box in every way when compared to the 6 speed. It's just due to engineering and manufacturing tech moving on so fast. The 6 speed isn't bad, suits the torque of the 3.0 well. The ZF boxes are not sealed for life though, they do need servicing. Ours was done, new pan filter and fluid, at about 94k miles.

6) General service items aren't expensive, I've always stuck to BMW or the equivalent OE replacement. I've avoided budget filters etc.

7) Known faults, which I've had on ours too are:

• Taligate heater elements fail, ours hasn't worked fully for years.
• The heater fan can squeal at low speeds, simple but fiddly job to take out and add some decent lubricant to.
• Whilst not as bad as earlier E46 tourings, they still get corrosion problems - tailgate and front and rear arches, plus near some of the suspension mounting points.
• Tailgate hinges can seize, they need properly maintaining when being serviced. Ours are ok, but if they seize and shear off it's a world of pain to swap them.
• I've not experienced it, but the swirl flaps can break, some people remove them.
• As mentioned in point 4, thermostats are kind of consumables, and I'd only ever fit genuine ones of those (there are two stats).
• Really, you could do with looking for a non- halogen headlamp one, ours has halogens and they are terrible. When we got the car it had everything else I wanted though.


Given the age of E9x models now, I'd want to see good evidence of maintenance.

There are probably other things folk will add

[helix402]

My E91 335d thread will cover a lot of the common issues. Re 330d I would only buy an M57 model. N57 can fail in several expensive ways. The 325d got the M57 for longer so may be a better bet. Most E91s are worn out. Original dampers and arms will be worn out. I found standard E91 ride and handling awful. I’d recommend driving one before committing.

[rottenegg]

Having sat in my F30 330d for 7 hours in traffic today, they definitely get my vote. A comfortable place to be.

Buy a bone stock one and leave it that way. If a 330d is not fast enough for you as standard, buy the 335d, and leave that standard as well.

You can't tell if it's been remapped or not in terms of interrogating the ECU. The only way to be sure is a data dump of the ECU sent off to BMW, but if you see 190KW on the Sports Display, it's more than likely standard.

Specs will vary enormously as everything is an option on BMWs, and a lot of people tried to keep them under the £40K luxury car threshold. So I would say a 2WD LCI M Sport with factory fitted Blue Brembos, LED lights, Harman Kardon stereo, ProNav, PDC, and heated seats is the pick of the crop. Reversing cameras, folding mirrors, comfort access etc is just fluff that bolsters up the price.

Regarding the engine - in standard trim and if well maintained they are very stout engines. Probably the biggest weakness is the crank pulley. The rubber damper can fall apart which if left like that for too long, will take out main bearing no.1.

The chassis is standard stuff and pretty much the same tried and tested ingredients as the E9x. Robust.

In terms of modifications, I really wouldn't go there personally. The damage shady remaps can cause deserves it's own thread, but a few highlights - cracked pistons from over boosting at low rpms, star fished piston crowns from over driving the injectors (see pic), accelerated turbo wear, clogged DPFs, burned out O2 sensors etc etc.

As above, the earlier iron block M57 is the brick out house engine because it doesn't suffer from block buckling like the aluminium block N57s can, but that only happens when you go extreme with hybrid turbos.

Don't worry about what could go wrong, just take a risk, buy one and enjoy it. All cars have weaknesses. Most don't happen to most people most of the time. The internet blows things out of proportion.

Edited by rottenegg on Friday 1st December 22:31

Edited by rottenegg on Friday 1st December 22:31

[Condi]

rottenegg said:

Specs will vary enormously as everything is an option on BMWs, and a lot of people tried to keep them under the £40K luxury car threshold. So I would say a 2WD LCI M Sport with factory fitted Blue Brembos, LED lights, Harman Kardon stereo, ProNav, PDC, and heated seats is the pick of the crop. Reversing cameras, folding mirrors, comfort access etc is just fluff that bolsters up the price.

This. This. This.

Everything is an option individually, and while that was great for new buyers who could spec the exact car they liked, its a total stshow for used buyers especially if you want a more unusual colour or specific option, then trying to find something which has everything you want it is a pain in the ass. I would recommend taking a lot of time to check over the car to see what it has and doesn't have - don't just believe the description on Autotrader. FWIW, the G3x models are much better in this regard as things were offered as option packs, and IMO a lot of the annoyances/flaws of the F3x were fixed in the next model.

[sortedcossie]

As above with the spec, took me ages to find what I wanted. There are a lot of low spec ones out there as there was a really cheap PCP deal on the 335d for a while.

In the end I got the spec I wanted, but had to go for black - reason being that other colours either sold with 20 minutes (!!!) of going on the BMW site, or they just had the standard out of the box spec.

Mines:

F31 335d Touring
Black Sapphire Metallic Paint
LCI Shadowline
Black Dakota Leather with blue stitch and M colour highlights
Reversing Camera
Panoramic Glass Sunroof
M Sport Pro Pack
Innovation Package (LED lights with auto mainbeam, wide screen nav with the larger hard drive, HUD, lane assist, collision warning and roadsign recognition)
Interior Comfort Package (Extended storage pack, extra USB points, sliding armrest, wifi and wireless charging)
HK Audio
Electric Memory Seats with memory on drivers side
Heating steering wheel
Folding door mirrors with auto dimming

Edited by sortedcossie on Monday 4th December 09:54

[d_a_n1979]

sortedcossie said:

As above with the spec, took me ages to find what I wanted. There are a lot of low spec ones out there as there was a really cheap PCP deal on the 335d for a while.

In the end I got the spec I wanted, but had to go for black - reason being that other colours either sold with 20 minutes (!!!) of going on the BMW site, or they just had the standard out of the box spec.

Mines:

F31 335d Touring
Black Sapphire Metallic Paint
LCI Shadowline
Black Dakota Leather with blue stitch and M colour highlights
Reversing Camera
Panoramic Glass Sunroof
M Sport Pro Pack
Innovation Package (LED lights with auto mainbeam, wide screen nav with the larger hard drive, HUD, lane assist, collision warning and roadsign recognition)
Interior Comfort Package (Extended storage pack, extra USB points, sliding armrest, wifi and wireless charging)
HK Audio
Electric Memory Seats with memory on drivers side
Heating steering wheel
Folding door mirrors with auto dimming

Edited by sortedcossie on Monday 4th December 09:54

That's hell of a spec!

And Sapphire Metallic Black is a gorgeous colour when it's all polished up

I had an E39 in that colour; never again though, could never keep it clean

[sortedcossie]

Yeah, it's got a hefty options list. I did work out what it would have cost to spec it up, but I can't recall the figure now.

I've got used to cleaning it now, main issue is stone rash on the skirts and front bumper - they all suffer from it, but the black shows it up much worse.

[d_a_n1979]

sortedcossie said:

Yeah, it's got a hefty options list. I did work out what it would have cost to spec it up, but I can't recall the figure now.

I've got used to cleaning it now, main issue is stone rash on the skirts and front bumper - they all suffer from it, but the black shows it up much worse.

Yup; E39 did that; had the front end refreshed and think it lasted 2 weeks befre I picked up a few big stone chips

Your spec list is very good... Weirdly I didn't want memory seats as they don't sit as low as manual seats and that's better for me

Had them in the F01 (both sides) but that was fine as it's a much bigger cabin inside; but for the F31, manual suit me better

[Aluminati]

stedaley said:

I have been in the Car buying forum and have been told to consider the 330d for the daily duties.

I've always been a fan of the touring, so considering either the e9X of the early F3x models.

I'm not a BMW / German Car expert so would be appreciative of any things to look for / avoid.

There seems to be a lot of either bone stock 330d or highly modified 330d. What are the does and don'ts when it comes to it? DPF/EGR/Swirl flaps? Any experienced BMW owners?

I have mainly stayed in the Japanese realm, but it seems for adding another to the fleet a 330d seems the sweet spot.

I have head good things about the ZF8 box that is in the newer F3X vs the older 6 speed auto, its also in the ISF which I know is a car I will own one day, as well as the N47 vs M47 chatter of timing chain replacements. A lot of the cars I've seen today have had the timing chains replaced. I am looking at the higher mileage examples.

Any user feedback would be appreciated. I no doubt will have more questions.

Thanks

I clicked 160k in my 330d touring today. Not a single issue in that time. I bought it new in 2017. Apart from egr recalls. Think I can hear a bit of chain slap recently, but not surprised. Box needs a fluid change I feel, but I do drive it hard.
WBAC value it at 7k. So it’s cost me 20k since 2017 in depreciation.
About right ?

Dan will know better tho…