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My 2013 BMW 335i xDrive sedan was built in South Africa in December 2012, arriving on the US West Coast in late February 2013.

Placing the order

The sport suspension option (704) was deleted from the order and the dealer did not tell me. I would have ordered Adaptive Suspension (DHP) but it was too late to change the order.

After 2 years of ownership

The base suspension was tolerable on day one but could not provide the handling characteristics I wanted. KW Street Comfort coilovers fixed all suspension problems.

After 3 years of ownership

Rattles and buzzing sounds began to develop. The loudest of them all originated from left A/C vent. The dealer replaced it and added more insulation.

At idle speed, I detected a faint 'clickity / clack" sound. The vehicle was in the shop for several days. BMW NA has been informed and approved a full engine replacement. The root cause was determined to be excessive connecting rod bearing wear.

I picked the vehicle and 2 miles later "drivetrain malfunction" appeared. Returned to dealer literally 20 minutes later. No fault codes were found. The dealer performed a full re-programming exercise. Problem resolved.

2 weeks later after engine replacement, a loud and rapid ticking sound began to appear after opening the door (the engine was off). The dealer identified the problem as a faulty VVT motor and replaced it (labor intensive procedure as I understand).

750 miles later, the same loud and rapid ticking sound appeared again. Is it VVT motor again? Unclear. Will be visiting the dealer again.

Wheels / Tires

BMW 401 19" Style staggered wheels with Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires. Other than tire noise, no complaints about the tires after 20K miles. Will replace the tires in 2K miles.

Remaining issues

Buzzing from left rear door when driving over rough roads. Does not occur on smoother roads.

Buzzing from an area below the steering column when driving over rough roads. Does not occur on smoother roads.

When A/C compressor, a faint oscillating "clickity / clack" sound can be heard. Only happens when the A/C compressor is on. The dealer indicated this is normal noise.

Summary

Love the car. But concerned about long term reliability.

[TheRealEssad]

That's unfortunate you've had these issues. I'll be curious to hear what others have to say, but I hope that this is out of the ordinary for the average owner.

[Stlthnmrdrd]

My 335i rwd is 3 years old with 47,xxx miles. I had the drive train malfuntion aswell but it went away when i restarted the car.
No buzzing noise, but squeaking noises from the seat. Not much of a concern to me.
So far i love the car, but a week ago while the car was parked there was a good amount of engine oil puddle right below the engine. No lights came up the entire weekday, but when i drove the car one the weekend a light came up saying engine oil level is low and i have to fill up 1 qt. I stopped at a gas station filled 2 qts. Checked under the car and nothing was leaking. I opened the hood and a buddy of mine noticed the oil filter area having some oil around it. So i texted one of my buddies and he said it has to be something with the oil filter housing gasket.